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P BRACKET

Match 1 - Brian Ailshie
Morpheus vs. Inspector Gadget

Morpheus stepped away from the phone booth carefully. Out of the corner of his eye he could see an agent approaching. Or at least he had the look of an agent, grey trench coat over a dark suit. Except the hat was a bit off. Still, one didn't live long in the Matrix without caution. Suddenly the agent called out. "Excuse me, my name is Inspector Gadget. I was wondering if you could help me find a man called Morpheus, the agency wants some information from him." Morpheus turned and ran.
For some reason the man ran away when Gadget asked him for help. Perhaps he knew something! "Hey! Wait!" he called. But the man kept running, and fast too! "Go, go Gadget skates" in a turbo boosted instant Gadget had caught up to him unfortunately knocking an innocent bystander out of the way as he did.
Suddenly the agent appeared where only a minute before a wino had been hobbling toward him. Now there was no doubt he was an agent. Escape was not likely. Morpheus attacked. His fists and feet were a flurry. This agent sure moved slowly. Not one punch or kick missed!
The man moved incredibly fast. Gadget was getting his clock cleaned! He had to escape and soon.
THUD! "GO" THUD, SMACK, THUD, "go" WHACK, THUD, POW, Gad. . ." SMACK, SMASH, CRUNCH, "get" THUD, WHACK, CRUNCH, "heli. . ." POW, WHACK, POW, "copter" CRRRAACCKK!
The last punch broke Inspector Gadget's neck. Unfortunately for Morpheus, Gadget's suit is self-powered, and the command was given. Matrix enhanced helicopter blades erupted from Gadget's hat.
Even if he was expecting it, dodging would have been hard. As it was the lightning fast blades shredded Morpheus from the chest up. Very gruesome. Of course Gadget didn't fare any better unguided, the helicopter lifted him 60 feet up then ricocheted off of a building, the impact sent Gadget's corpse plummeting to the ground. When real agent's finally showed up, all they found were two mangled and unrecognizable bodies.

Winner: BYE

Match 2 - Robert Newell
Rambo vs. Link

Rambo felt a bit out of place. He did not know how he was transported out of the jungle into this urban sprawl. All he knew is that he must kill a man in green named Link. He adjusted the strap on his chain-gun and began his hunt.
As soon as Link had appeared in this strange place, he put on his invisibility cloak. The locals had regarded him, and his sword especially, with fear. He did not want to upset the locals any more than was necessary. After a while of trying to find this "Rambo" person that he had to kill, Link saw someone that looked somewhat familiar. The man he saw was dressed in a sort of cloak and sitting in the entrance to an alleyway.
Link figured that this must be a sage from this land, so he went up to him, pulled off his cloak and began to question him.
The man who Link appeared in front of was just sleeping off one of the biggest hangovers he had ever had in his life. He had left his home the night before after having an argument with his wife and had gone and gotten himself incredibly drunk. When Link suddenly appeared in front of him, the man in the bathrobe became violently ill and began to scream madly.
After a while, he decided that this must have been a hallucination from his drinking and turned around quickly to go home and apologize to his wife.
Rambo heard the screaming and ran toward it. He saw a man in a bathrobe and began to wonder what was going on. The man, seeing a commando with a chain-gun, screamed again and passed out. Rambo looked past the man, saw Link, and opened fire with his chain-gun.
Link looked past the drunken man and saw the man who must be this Rambo who he had to defeat. He jumped into the alleyway to dodge the fire coming out of what appeared to be a third arm made of metal on Rambo's chest. He was halfway down the alley before he realized that he had not landed yet.
He made a conscious effort to land, and then he did. Link wondered what manner of sorcery this was, but he wasn't about to complain when he discovered that he could leap fifty feet in one bound. Experimenting,
Link tried to jump upward. He reached a third floor balcony before he stopped his ascent by grabbing on to a railing and pulling himself over.
Rambo was a bit puzzled. Link had jumped away faster than Rambo could fire his gun. He hefted his gun and turned into the long alley, but Link was nowhere to be seen. He left quickly, not wanting to step into an ambush and threw a grenade into the alley behind him just for good measure.
The blast was enormous, but somehow Link managed to jump away... up twenty stories or so, to land on the roof. He was uninjured and beginning to get the hang of his new-found mobility. He looked over the ledge and saw Rambo running down the street. He took his bow, drew a magic arrow, and took aim.
Rambo realized that he was running faster than he should be able to, but this realization did him no good, for a few seconds later his head was pinned to a wall by a brilliantly silver arrow.

Winner: Link

Match 3 - Brian Ailshie
Bruce Lee vs Shere Khan

Bruce Lee searched his surroundings carefully. He was in a very large city. The people spoke English, but he wasn't sure if he was in New York, L.A. or someplace else. Most white folks looked and talked very much the same. No matter, every city this size had a zoo. That would be the best place to look for this fighting tiger.
Lee was still rather amazed. When he had first heard who he would fight, he thought the name would belong to some martial artist like himself. After all he was often referred to as 'The Dragon' but he was definitely not a Dragon. No matter. He would find the zoo, find the tiger, and kill it. Tigers are ferocious animals, but Bruce Lee's speed and strength were more than up to the challenge.
Looking to his left Bruce Lee saw a subway system entrance. Ah! This might help. He noticed a map just inside the entrance. The stop for the Zoo was not far away, across a Central Park. But the subway twisted away and around before getting there. It would be faster to run across the park than to wait for the train and follow it's twisting route.
Lee turned and sprinted away. Half way across the park he noticed that he was running quite a bit faster than he used to. While thinking of the significance of this discovery, he nearly missed the three street thugs that tried to surround him. Each was dressed in leather, and two carried baseball bats, the third a large knife. Bruce Lee leapt into action. A spinning kick knocked left batboy aside and a thrust of his fist broke right batboy's sternum. Knife jabbed at him and Bruce Lee twisted, caught his forearm and snapped it in one fluid motion.
Hurrying on his way, Bruce Lee realized that though the three punks never really stood a chance against him, he had dispatched them faster than even he was capable of doing. He entered the zoo and in the third cage found the tigers. This Shere Khan was in there somewhere. He leaped the guard rail and dropped into the pen.
Shere Khan watched the 'man cub' approach. He had grown since their last encounter. No matter, his flesh would taste all the sweeter with revenge! As the 'man cub� came within range, Shere Khan leaped out, claws flashing. He never really stood a chance. Bruce Lee side stepped and used his famous short blow (the one he broke 2x4's from inches away with) on the tiger's skull and stepped back.
No doubt about it, his reflexes were much faster. He had barely seen the tiger start to move, and he had already stepped into stance to deliver the killing blow. Bruce Lee would have to practice this greater skill.

Winner: Bruce Lee

Match 4 - Alexander Strub
Robin Hood vs. Shan Yu

It was singularly cold in New York City, especially for a certain green-clad forester. Robert Fitzooth of Locksley, disinherited Earl of Huntingdon, aka Robin Hood, crouched on a roof top eagerly seeking his opponent. He had heard of the defeat and killing of his nemesis, the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham, by some sort of barbarian churl named Woof -- no Worf! That's one vendetta taken care of. Now if only he could find this horrid Shan Yu. He was supposed to be a barbarian as well. Hopefully he wouldn't be as combative as Woof was to the Sheriff.
There he was now! Robin could see him prowling the streets below, wearing an odd fur hat and holding a crude sword.
The average trained English longbow man could fire seven arrows a minute. However, Robin Hood is not an ordinary longbow man. In normal circumstances, dear old Robin can fire twelve shots a minute, but this is the Matrix. Before the chieftain of the Huns knew what was going on, Robin had fired no less than thirty arrows at his foe. Imagine Locksley's chagrin when he discovered that he had emptied a quiver into thin air. Perhaps this Shan Yu was superhuman, just like Woof!
Then robin caught on. The same power that enabled him to shoot so quickly had allowed Shan Yu to escape his arrows.
"Caw!" An shrill cry came from behind Robin. He turned to see a falcon. Apparently Shan Yu brought along his little friend. With Matrix-enhanced swiftness, Robin drew his dagger and dispatched the foul fowl.
"You will regret that!" The bird had led Shan Yu right to Robin. The villain had scaled the fire escape and was prepared for combat! Robin drew his broadsword and the duel began.
Even with Matrix skills, Shan Yu's Hun warrior training had not prepared him for a fight like this. he was used to brute force, and this green-clothed man was too agile. He soon found himself cornered against the edge of the roof. Then Shan Yu did the only think he could think to do.
He swung really hard with his sword. it knocked Robin's away. The blow even knocked Hood to the ground. Shan Yu raised his scimitar to decapitate Robin. Then Hood, ever the quick thinker, caught the barbarian by surprise as he threw his dagger into Shan Yu's chest. Shan Yu fell of the building. That was the end of him. Robin climbed down the fire escape to proceed to his next match. He stumbled over Shan Yu's bow and quiver. The barbarian was smarter than he looked. He had realized from Robin's debacle that agility eliminated the effectiveness of the bow in the Matrix. Robin disregarded the bow, since his own yew longbow was far superior. He took the crudely fashioned arrows though and placed them in his quiver. They might come in handy later.

Winner: Robin Hood of Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon

Match 5 - Mark Ailshie
Padan Fain vs. Blanka

A flash faded away in a mostly deserted subway station, revealing a pale skinny man with gangly arms and a massive, beak-like nose. Smiling, Padan Fain looked around at where he was. He didn't recognize anything. It kind of reminded him of Shadar Logoth, where he had lived for so many years. Except that that had been Mordeth. Not Fain. Sometimes he forgot which name he went by now. This strange cave was completely out of his experience.
His ignorance could easily kill him, or land him in the hands of the Forsaken. Or worse. He chuckled to think about it. He was quite mad, and knew it well, but being mad, he did not care. A half dozen young men in strange colors walked up to him. One of them, wearing a leather jacket and enough earrings for one of the Sea Folk, sneered at him. "Hey, pal, you know what time it is?" One of his henchmen pulled a knife out of his pocket, and hid it behind his back, probably thinking that he was being very secretive. Fain almost laughed out loud. These would do for now. Eventually, he would have to find out who ruled this strange kingdom. But for now, he could use these.
************************
"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm looking for -- "
"Stay away from me, ya' big freak!"
The woman hurried down the road, without giving Blanka a second look. That was the third one. Of course, a lot of people ran away from a six-foot green-skinned professional street-fighter with orange hair, but they didn't have to be so rude. He had to find this "Padan Fain" character quickly, or he would easily fade into the hugeness of the crowd. He could just let Fain find him -- he didn't look too tough -- but then, Dhalsim had taught him not to underestimate small skinny guys. He spotted the entrance to a subway, and headed in that direction, thinking "Well, that will be a good place to hide, in any case."
************************
Fain shouldered into the leather jacket. It was too large, and the front was covered with some kind of metal teeth that would cut his skin if he wasn't careful. His new henchmen were still clustered around the body.
He had died too easily. Fain had only intended to put him into a fit and let him kick around until he ran out of breath. Instead, he had bitten off his own tongue and died. Fain often had no idea how to control the little tricks he could do. Well, a man that died that quickly wasn't likely to be too useful. The other five stood or crouched, looking at him warily. Fain tried to resist the urge to just go and kill them too. Where was al'Thor?
A large green man came down the stairs. He was easily twice Fain's size -- perhaps closer to three times.
Fain smiled as he recognized him. Blanka, the man those fools had told him to kill. Well, he might as well.
Fain tried to duck behind a pole to surprise him, but Blanka saw him, and by the light in his eyes, probably recognized him.
"You must be Padan Fain," He called. "Come on, let's get it on!" The thing flexed it's muscles and grinned. Fain couldn't stop himself from laughing. His henchmen drew back as Fain and the giant approached each other. Maybe this thing was more useful to him alive than dead. Suddenly, Blanka leaped into the air and spun like a ball toward him! He struck Fain in the chin, and knocked him over. Fain snarled. No, this one had to die.
Fain reached toward the green man with his right hand. If he could just touch his flesh, maybe the spasms would kill him the way they had killed the man with the earrings. For some reason, Blanka wasn't running, or maneuvering. He just crouched there as Fain reached toward him. A few inches away from his face, Fain felt a powerful shock that numbed his hand as if he had plunged it into fire and into freezing water at the same time.
He laughed, even as he howled in pain. Blanka leaped into the air again, spinning like a ball. This time, Fain didn't try to dodge. Instead, he yanked out his black dagger with the ruby in the pommel, thinking to just knick his arm as he flew past. As quickly as he thought it, he struck.
The knick wasn't bad, but Blanka felt it burn like fire. He looked down in horror, as his arm began to bloat and blacken like something that had been dead a year. Then he began to scream, as the blackness spread up his arm and across his chest.
Fain didn't listen. Instead, he studied the dagger. It had come from Shadar Logoth. But he had made Shadar Logoth. No, Mordeth again. It always had this effect on people, but that was not why he looked at it now.
It had moved faster than he had ever been able to move. Thoughtfully, he dragged the blade across his tongue, tasting Blanka's blood.
Experimentally, he lashed out again, this time at one of his henchmen. It did move faster here! Fain snickered. He began to think he liked this strange place.

Winner: Padan Fain

Match 6 - Mark Ailshie
Zartan vs. Lara Croft

Lara Croft walked down the streets of New York in plain sight. No need to hide--not here. But she held her twin pistols at the ready, waiting for this 'Zartan' character to appear. She didn't really know who he was though, and that could prove to be a problem. Of course, if she DID know what Zartan looked like, it still wouldn't have helped her. Zartan was also walking around in plain sight--with his face concealed behind a mask created by his chameleon-like abilities. His quiver and bow were disguised as a briefcase, and he was disguised as a lawyer. He strutted through the streets as if he worked around here somewhere. When he reached a less affluent area, he changed in a split second into a homeless vagrant carrying a knapsack and a bottle of liquor. When he was confronted by a gang of punks, he changed into a policeman and scared them off. (Incidentally, all this switching around into and out of different people was beginning to worry the masters of the Matrix. Not that Zartan knew anything about that, of course).
Finally, he saw Lara Croft. He had seen her picture before--The dreadnoks liked to play video games, and they'd played Tomb Raider before, not that Zartan had been paying much attention--so he dimly recognized her. Still, he kept his face neutral as he walked by her in lawyer's garb and turned down the first alley he found. Quickly, he ran ahead of his enemy and crouched against a wall ahead of her, drew out an arrow and strung it. No disguise could work to make this seem natural, so he simply altered his coloring to fade into the wall of the building and waited.
Lara's fingers were beginning to itch. She drew her pistols, and began to walk a bit more carefully. She had been spotted. She was almost certain of it. The hair on the back of her neck had begun to stand up. She decided to put her back against the wall, and wait for Zartan to show up. Bad luck. It was just bad luck that Lara chose to put her back against the very wall that Zartan had faded into. He smiled, and released the arrow, and it punched through Lara's back and into her heart. She died almost instantly. Zartan returned to normal form and searched the body. He doubted he'd find anything more useful to him than his bow, but one could never tell.

Winner: Zartan

Match 7 - Robert Newell
Aragorn vs. Fezzik

Fezzik felt slightly out of place in the strange city that he had appeared in. The clothing and architecture of this land were unlike any he had ever seen before. He wandered around looking for something that he could use as a weapon before he met this Aragorn fellow he had to kill. As he walked through a large park, he was accosted by a gang. The gang leader demanded all of Fezzik's money as he threatened him with a baseball bat. Fezzik grabbed the bat from the gang leader and wrenched it away from him. He said, "No cash, but here's a bash!" and smashed the bully's head with the aluminum baseball bat. The leader fell with a sickening thud and his gang ran away from this giant as fast as they could. Fezzik felt slightly better now that he was armed and went in search of Aragorn. Aragorn was just as out of place as Fezzik was, but he rationalized it all to sorcery. Obviously, some wizard was trying something, but he could not imagine who now that Gandalf had broken the power of the rogue wizard Saruman. In any case, he felt an irresistible compulsion to kill someone named Fezzik. He did not know why, but the compulsion was such that he was unable to question it. He felt that his tracking skills were up to the task, even in this foreign environment. As it turned out, those skills were unnecessary. Aragorn wandered into the same park that Fezzik was in and they confronted each other at roughly the same time. Fezzik, not wanting the fight to be unfair, suggested that the two put up their weapons and fight man to man. Aragorn accepted, knowing that their strength would likely be roughly equal. He also believed that his fighting skills were superior. Fezzik dropped his bat and sized up his opponent. The man he faced was tall, indeed only a few inches shorter than Fezzik himself. Fezzik appeared to be the stronger of the two because of his size, but Aragorn was only slightly smaller, and was more thickly muscled having almost no fat on his frame. Fezzik said, "Alright, ready to fight." And Fezzik swung his fist at Aragorn's head. Amazingly, Aragorn dodged the blow and managed to get behind Fezzik before he could realize that Aragorn had moved.
Then Aragorn leaped at Fezzik at an even more blinding speed. Fezzik had no idea how this man could be so fast, and he was hard pressed to deflect all the blows aimed at him. Aragorn was just as surprised as Fezzik over his own speed, but he was not about to complain about it. The fight ended rather quickly. Even in a completely fair fight, Aragorn would likely beat Fezzik, but with his Matrix enhanced speed, Fezzik did not stand a chance. Aragorn looked at the broken and bleeding body of his worthy foe. Fezzik was moaning in pain. Aragorn swiftly drew his blade Anduril, the Flame of the West, and put Fezzik out of his misery. Aragorn swung his blade so fast, that Fezzik's blood had not time to adhere to the blade.
Aragorn practiced with his sword for a while, until he felt that he was proficient enough with his newfound speed and then left the park, unsure of what he was to do next.

Winner: Aragorn Elessar

Match 8 - Mark Ailshie
K vs. Skeletor

K set his face like a rock and waited. It wouldn't be too hard to spot this one. Not with this crowd�an obviously complacent crowd of city dwellers. They'd probably start screaming in terror the moment they saw Skeletor. K was familiar with him, of course. An Eternian wizard with a skull-face who had already tried to invade Earth once, although all evidence said he was only trying to recapture He-man. Thankfully, there hadn't been many witnesses. He heard the screams and saw people running. That was his cue. He put on his shades and hefted his gun.
Skeletor was relishing his power. For the first time in these tournaments, he was as he should be�fully fleshed except for his head, a cowl around his neck, his ram-staff in his fist and astride Panthor. The big cat snarled anxiously, snapping at a few of the running humans. Then Skeletor spotted one that wasn't running. This must be K. "Kneel, fool! You are outmatched!" Skeletor shot a blast of fire at the black suited human, and charged. He avoided the blast, but Panthor pounced on him, knocking his weapon away. The big cat slavered in anticipation, but K didn't seem worried. Instead he pulled what looked like a pen from his pocket and held it up.
>>FLASH<<
Suddenly Skeletor had no idea where he was. Panthor seemed confused, too. Who was this guy in the suit, anyway?
"Well, I'd better be going, though. I've an early day tomorrow." K stood up and dusted off his suit. Still stunned, Skeletor let him walk away. K retrieved his gun and turned it on the bone-headed wizard.
>>>BLAMMMO!<<<
Skeletor was nothing more than a mess of blood and blue flesh. Panthor didn't look much better. K turned his attention to the many people who had witnessed this, and pulled out his memory wiper.

Winner: K

ROUND 2

Match 1
Link takes the Bye from Match 1, Round 1.

Match 2 - RJ Harris
Robin Hood v. Bruce Lee

It was a lazy early fall afternoon. Robin Hood, was silently sitting in a tree--looking. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect next, his first fight was still fresh on his mind. He held his bow and newly acquired Chinese arrows in his hands; hopefully they will be of some use, along with the knowledge that he had increased fighting abilities. But the question remained for Robin, did his enemy know too? Robin Hood knew Bruce Lee had won; but whom and how escaped him. Anyway, this new opponent was sure to face the same fate.
About three blocks away, Bruce Lee was strolling down the streets of the largest and greatest city of America. He liked it here; for, for some reason, people were so friendly. Yet, his experience he had fighting the tiger had made him cautious--he knew that there was some sort of magic or force working on his movements; he hoped that his next opponent had not yet come to this realization. As with Robin, Lee knew his opponent had been victorious, but the same facts were unknown. Yet, Bruce continued his search.
No more that ten minutes later, Robin Hood gazed downward at Bruce Lee. "This must be the one!" he thought. Bruce Lee stopped momentarily to converse with a Chinese family that was also on a walk, when he heard a strong English accent yell out: "Ho, there ye fiend!"
Lee knew instantly that it was his opponent. As Lee looked up he saw a Chinese arrow coming at him. He quickly jumped toward the arrow, caught it in mid air, and landed at the foot of the tree from whence Robin Hood shot it.
At this moment, Robin realized that Lee knew about the increased physical power. Lee challenged him to come down, so down he came. In between each tree branch, Robin Hood let his secret out too, for he did a series of magnificent flips and twists at each one. Lee understood that his enemy knew of the effects of this "Matrix."
Finally the two experts stood face to face. Lee spoke first. "You must-a realize Mr. Hood that in hand-to hand combat with-a no weapons you are-a no match for me."
"I agree most noble foe called Lee. But with anything more our fists and feet, I feel that I am the best."
"How then do you a suppose we settle this battle?"
"Perhaps a game of wits will best decide who wins?" responded Robin. Lee agreed and an impartial judge was sought for to determine the rule of the game.
As the two walked down the streets of NYC, they did receive some strange looks, but the one that spoke to them first was jointly chosen to be the judge. The two fighters walked around for almost an hour when finally somebody spoke to them. "You two fellas look like you're lost. Can I help ya with somethin'?"
Bruce Lee and Robin Hood stared at the funny looking man. "I'm Jerry Seinfeld. Did you guys miss the ferry? Its back that way!" Seinfeld pointed toward the river and began laughing with a smug smirk on his face. Lee and Robin then looked at each other, shrugged and proceeded to tell the "comedian" their situation. Except for the few stupid remarks by Seinfeld every couple of minutes the telling of Lee's and Hood's plan went smoothly, and finally the time came for Jerry to set the terms of the Battle of Wits.
"Well," began Jerry, "If you guys are in some sort of tournament, I think the first to describe the others opponent should win." Robin Hood had a puzzled look on his face--how was he to know Lee's first opponent?!?
Bruce Lee also knew nothing of Hood's first enemy except what he still held in his hand. He looked down and studied the arrow; it was clearly of Chinese origin. Lee smiled as he spoke the last words Robin Hood ever heard: "You-a Mr. Hood defeated a Chinese warrior. You-a took his arrows too, see?" Lee held up Shan Yu's arrow that Robin Hood had shot. He stared in disbelief and then ran. He didn't get far. With one flying kick from Lee, Robin Hood was on the ground, a large gash in the back of his head. Luckily for him, the death was instant and for the most part painless.
From where he was stood he heard the judge yell out: "Nice job, Brucie!!" 'Brucie', Lee hated that nickname, with another swift flying kick, Jerry Seinfeld lay dead too. Of course that information didn't effect the tournament whatsoever, but all the remaining participants rejoiced and awarded Lee the first "Bonus Point", for he rightly deserved it.

Winner: Bruce Lee (but actually everybody except, Seinfeld and, of course, Robin Hood)

Match 3 � Mark Ailshie
Padan Fain vs. Zartan

Zartan had never heard of this "Padan Fain," (The Dreadnocks. Video Games, yes, but thousand page novels gave them the shivers) but since his first deception had worked so well, he was wandering the streets of New York, changing shape whenever he had to. Hours had gone by, and still he had found nothing that might be his opponent. Suddenly he heard a fierce call from a few streets over. "Zartan! Come out, you coward! Come and face me!"
Fain fingered the blade of the ruby-hilted dagger, and watched one of his gangsters draw his enemy for him. The fool had to know that Fain had sold him for bait, but he didn't dare refuse. They were all like that. No will left to them except what Fain allowed them to have. It wouldn't be long.
Zartan camouflaged himself on the roof and looked down at the skinny man in the leather jacket that was calling his name. No wonder he hadn't recognized Fain. He looked like a local. Something about this whole thing smelled wrong, so Zartan waited. But Fain just stood there, or turned slowly around, shouting his name, demanding he come out and face him.
"Well," thought Zartan. "This should be pretty easy." He strung his bow and aimed. As he released the arrow, it suddenly struck him what was so odd about Fain's shouted challenge. No one in the street was looking at him. The arrow smacked into the gangster, and a dozen faces suddenly turned and looked up at him. Zartan cursed under his breath. A trap. He ducked back behind the roof.
Fain sent his minions to surround the house, and sent a few in to draw out his enemy. It would be unwise--even mad--for him to go in himself. He smiled and went in. He reached the roof in moments, but no one was there. No one he could see. He walked over to where the mysterious archer had vanished. It was madness for him to go personally to face this creature. The thought made him chuckle, and soon he was laughing out loud on the ground. Zartan watched all of this from a dark corner and shivered. This had to be Fain. Zartan had seen that look on certain faces before. Cobra Commander's. Dr. Mindbender. Others. This man was mad, in the most dangerous sense of the word. But, at the same time, he recognized that Fain was not a particularly athletic man, and for now he was alone. Zartan morphed into one of the gangsters he had seen below and stepped out of hiding. "Sir?" He called. "Sir! I think he ran down this hall!"
Fain stopped laughing and stood up, looking at Zartan with a queer smile still on his face. "Did he? Well then we must follow him. Show me where he went." Zartan indicated the direction he had come from, and Fain hastened up to him. Zartan turned, to lead him somewhere down the hall. But as Fain reached his side, he felt a sudden sharp sting in his side. Zartan leaped aside, holding his side. Fain just stood there holding a wicked looking dagger, dripping blood from the tip. He had the same queer smile. Zartan staggered away. The blade appeared to be poisoned in some way.
Fain laughed. It might have been foolish to approach his enemy, but he hadn't been able to resist. He had detected him immediately, of course. No soldier of his would voluntarily seek him out to try to be helpful. And they wouldn't have looked him in the face. And they certainly wouldn't have dared to interrupt him while he was laughing. He watched as Zartan morphed back into his original shape, and his skin bubbled and blackened. He watched his agony in fascination, drinking it up.

Winner: Padan Fain

Match 4 � Robert Newell
Aragorn vs. �K�

Aragorn was till not comfortable in these surroundings. This city did not resemble anything that he had ever seen before. The strange magic of this place augmented his already formidable skills, but he would much rather have been safe back in Middle Earth where he knew the surroundings. K was perfectly at ease. New York City was a normal hunting ground for illegal aliens. Real aliens that is. K pulled out his "flashie-thingie" as his partner J called it. His opponent wouldn't stand a chance.
Aragorn had drawn his sword. The reforged blade of Isildur's blade glittered in the streetlights. His opponent was close, he could feel it. A Man in Black approached him. Aragorn called out a greeting to this mysterious stranger.
K knew that this must be Aragorn. He pulled out the slim metal cylinder and brought it up. Aragorn, sensing danger, swung his blade with all of his Matrix enhanced ability. K was beheaded as he was totally surprised with the speed of his opponent. Aragorn was blinded by a flash of light as he struck. A second later, Aragorn looked around confused. Where was he? What was happening? Why was he here? He did not remember anything of the tournament. Only his life and adventures of Middle Earth were retained.

Winner: Aragorn (minus any experience from the tournament).

ROUND 3

Match 1 � RJ Harris
Link vs. Bruce Lee

Dateline: DECEMBER 23, 2001--New York City
Man : WE PARDON THE INTERUPTION! Here now, with a special news update, our special guest from Scotland, Sean Connery.
Sean: Happy Holidays! Not much is a going on here tonight. New York sure is pretty though. Tonight our top story is from the Fantastic Rumble taking place in our very own Matrix, version of the city that never sleeps. We go now to our field reporter: the Jedi Master Yoda! Good evening, sire.
Yoda: Thank you I do Sean, Hmm-mmm, Good you look for one who so many times died in Tournament has!
Sean: Of course! Now, Yoda, the big match that occurred today was Link verses Bruce Lee. Can you sum up what occurred?
Yoda: Battle good it was!
Sean: So, who won? How did it end?
Yoda: Master Lee winner he is now, but the Force not with him it is.
Sean: It is all good and well that you place your confidence in the Force, but in this broadcast we are interested in the facts of the fight, not some hope in an ancient religion!
Yoda: Oh, much of your son I see in you. But he soon learned that my ally is the Force and a powerful alley it is!
Sean: What on earth are you talking about you odd creature! Let your partner, Forrest Gump, report! NOW!
Gump: Hello, Mister Connery, my name is Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump. And I love Jenny.
Sean: Please, Gump, just tell us about the fight.
Gump: OK.
(Long Pause)
Sean: Well?
Gump: Oh, I think that the fight was fun. I liked it. Although, I spent a lot of time watchin' the spilled salsa dry on my shirt and watchin' the cheese melt on my nacho-es. They were good.
Sean: Is that all you have to say?
Gump: Uh, I think so.
Sean: FOR THE LOVE OF HUMANITY! IS THERE ANYONE THERE WHO CAN TELL ME THE DETAILS OF BRUCE LEE'S VICTORY?
---"I can, sir"
And who are you?
---"Call me, Morpheus"
But you're dead!
Morp: I know, but my mind is still here.
Sean: Well, go on Captain.
Morp: Both of the competitors had begun to realize that their fighting abilities and speed of attack had been amplified by being in the Matrix. However, as Yoda said before, Bruce Lee won. He did so simply by fighting it out against a very worthy opponent in Link. The skills of Lee were too much for the other. Once, Link died, Bruce Lee took all of his weapons, so he is well armed for the final here.
Sean: Thank you, Morpheus. I'm sure if there are any other details of this match are needed, we can count on you to report them. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, our time is now up. I wish you all a wonderful evening. Thus ends another week of tournament play. With Bruce Lee defeating Link. FARWELL!!
END OF TRANSMISSION. WE RETURN YOU NOW TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING.

Winner: Bruce Lee

Match 2 � Mark Ailshie
Padan Fain vs. Aragorn

Aragorn shook his head in confusion. This place seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. The last thing he remembered was the battle before the great black gate of Mordor. But where was he now? Aragorn made his way through a park of some kind, as night fell. Suddenly, three sullen-faced goons approached him, carrying long thin clubs. Without a word, they attacked! Aragorn fought back.
He didn't know these three, and they didn't seem to know him. Yet they attacked him--even with Anduril gleaming in his hand. Not to mug him, obviously. Something was driving these punks to attack. Aragorn made short work of them--They were nowhere near his caliber. Aragorn paused to clean his blade, when he noticed a thin chuckling coming from behind a hedge.
Ever cautious, Aragorn crept around the bush to investigate. There, he saw a pale man with a long nose, staring at him and chuckling softly. The man seemed to recognize him, but Aragorn was sure he didn't know him. Abruptly, he was reminded of Gollum. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he mumbled something to himself. He seemed to be arguing with someone, but he was the only one there. "But I want them to see! I want them to know that I am the winner! Me! Myself! Yes, but when he's dead, you can advance. Get a bit closer to al'Thor. Yes! Al'Thor!" The man stretched out to his full height, and extended a hand toward Aragorn. With a hideous roar, a huge green skinned beast crashed out of the hedge, and collided with Aragorn.
"What the--?" But then, Aragorn was in a fight for his life. It seemed to be a troll of some kind, only not as strong. It knocked away Anduril, and Aragorn wrestled with it on the dewy grass. He kicked the beast off him, and dove toward his sword. The beast leapt into the air and sprang at him, turning in the air like a cannonball. Aragorn swept his sword through the beast, and it suddenly vanished!
"An illusion!" muttered the Ranger. And now he had lost track of the pale man. A thick fog had risen. Aragorn could see several shapes in the fog, but couldn't be sure any of them where his opponent. Something about the fog bothered Aragorn. It didn't seem natural. The shapes seemed too thick to be merely shadows. Suddenly, one reached out for him with a cloudy tendril! Aragorn sliced at the fog, and the shape melted away.
Strider was liking this less and less. His senses were straining, but he had no idea where the pale man had gone. A thin trail of sweat ran down his back, despite the cold of the fog. Aragorn watched the shadows warily. Thus, he never saw Padan Fain until the little man was at his side. Fain slashed out with his dagger, and caught Aragorn in the bicep. Immediately, the last heir of Isildur reacted by smashing Fain in the face. Fain cursed, and retreated into the fog with a broken cheekbone. Aragorn tried to go after him, but found himself out of breath. His wound burned horribly. He looked down, and his mouth dropped open in horror.
The wound was frothing with black putrescence, and the sickness was spreading quickly! Frantically, Aragorn staggered to a nearby patch, searching vainly for athelas, or any other healing root. Unfortunately, different plants grow in Middle Earth and in Central Park. And in any case, this was an injury that Aragorn knew nothing about. And he didn't have much time. He was still scrabbling in the dirt when the decay overcame him.

Winner: Padan Fain

ROUND 4

Match � Robert Newell
Bruce Lee vs. Padan Fain

Bruce Lee marveled in his new-found speed. His reflexes were superhuman. His strength was incredible. No one could possibly stand up to his ability, especially with all of the interesting weapons he recovered from his last opponent. Suddenly, a large man with a sword charged him. He quickly drew the Master Sword and fought for his life. When he finally struck down the man, it disappeared. Lee was confused... was that his opponent?
Fain cursed to himself. His powers were still beyond his conscious control. The illusions were easy to do, but he was injured if they were damaged. He spat blood on the ground and brooded. Al'Thor had advanced... he must follow. He must kill Al'Thor, no one else could be allowed to do it. Maybe the nightmares would go if he killed the boy. He plotted... waiting for his opponent.
Lee saw two thugs accosting a decrepit man. Perhaps this man would have some information... in any case, he hated to see bullies beat on the defenseless. Lee dispatched the two hoodlums effortlessly. As he turned to ask the man what he knew, he felt a sting on his leg. He turned and saw that the man had stabbed him with a golden dagger. Was this any way to treat a rescuer? His thoughts did not get much further, as he tried to grab the man... Fain started from disguise and fled. He waited for his dagger to work. He fled from Lee's pursuit, but he did not have to wait long. Lee's leg bloated... and he fell. A minute later, Bruce Lee was dead. Fain snarled, al'Thor would be his!

Winner of Bracket P: Padan Fain