Disclaimer: Senshi et. al. do not belong to me. The plot does, though.

A/N: Please review this, or any of my other works; I've been having a dry spell lately and I need some help figuring out if I need to fix anything in my writing.

A Surfeit of Plutonium

Chapter 1

September 13, 2006

"Thank you, Ishikawa-san. In science news, the International Astronomical Union today released its new planet classification system, which includes a new definition of a planet. This new definition is sure to cause a stir the world over, as a common conception of planetary status has been debunked, leading to the re-classification of certain celestial bodies, including the ninth planet, Pluto."

Meioh Setsuna's interest shifted from the glass of wine she had been pouring herself to the television in the corner of her living room. It had been a long day in the lab, and had begun to thunder as she walked home. Normally, the television served as a sort of white noise for her, providing a numb, meaningless noise that she craved when alone. Scores of years in solitude guarding the Gates of Time, years of silence but for the cracks, sizzles, and creaks of the Gates' ancient energy, had fueled Setsuna's desire for some sort of noise when she was alone, and the meaningless chatter and banter of the news anchors on the television provided apt sound. However, although the subject matter of those reading the news was never of any import or novelty to Setsuna, this news piqued her interest. Rarely was her guardian star and planet mentioned, even in passing conversation or a joke about the temperature. Setsuna finished pouring the wine and replaced the cork in the bottle.

"With us now is Karasuma Akane-sensei, professor in space science and geology from the Kyoto University, to talk about what this means for the scientific community." Setsuna glanced at the television as the display shifted to show an olive-skinned woman with long, shocking red hair and garnet eyes. She adjusted her rimless spectacles so that they sat on the bridge of her nose. She wore a choker with a large gold star charm on the chain. Setsuna stared hard at the television; this woman looked familiar, yet Setsuna could not place her; a memory, perhaps, with edges smudged by forgetfulness? Intrigued, she moved to the loveseat and sat as the introductions continued.

"Arigatou, Karasuma-sensei, for being with us tonight."

The professor cleared her throat. "Thank you for having me."

The news anchor shuffled his notes. "Now, what exactly is this change approved by the IAU?"

"Well, Pluto has long been considered a planet by common standards, but since the discovery of the moon Charon in the 1970s the standards have been criticized by a number of space scientists around the world. The mass of Pluto, in particular, was debated. We managed to gauge Pluto's mass, which was about a twentieth of that of the planet Mercury, the second-smallest planet at the time. Since then, we've discovered a number of celestial bodies similar in size, mass, and shape to Pluto. Six years ago, it became plain to the scientific community that we'd have to either name a number of new bodies as planets, or reclassify Pluto. The latter was easier. It took a few years, but the IAU has finally released these new standards."

"Which are…"

"To be considered a planet, a body must meet three different criteria. Firstly, a planet is a celestial body that is in orbit around the Sun. Secondly, the body must have sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it may become rounded in shape, and thirdly, must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit."

"So, why is this changing the solar system?"

The professor smiled, her eyes nearly boring holes in the television screen. "Because, by these official standards, Pluto is no longer a planet."

Setsuna froze, dropping the wine glass. Ruby liquid spattered her pajama pants and the floor of the living room of her apartment, but Setsuna neither felt nor noticed the wetness as she felt suddenly cold all over.

A planet…no longer a planet…no longer…

Setsuna couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything but the triumphant lipsticked smile of the professor on the television as she stared, it felt, right at Setsuna. She knew she should keep listening to the news, but Setsuna didn't want to hear anymore. She felt around blindly for the remote, and, failing to find it, put her face in her hands. She was still numb. No tears would come, no anger, no shock, no emotion would come to her. She had to do…something. Stand up, lie down, eat, drink, live, die…

The telephone rang, its tone jarring to her ears. Haruka, she thought, or Ami. Endymion-sama, perhaps. Not wanting to, Setsuna summoned to her the garnet rod, and, using it as a walking stick, hobbled, as a crone, to the old-fashioned, red and black rotary telephone. Lifting the handset on the telephone, Setsuna muttered "Hai?".

Silence.

"Hai?" Again, silence.

Then, a light female voice. "We've been watching you. You have seen the reports tonight. Know that as long as you consort with the Senshi that you have no status; you are a nonexistent entity with no name, and your worth degraded."

A pause. It felt like a scene from an American murder mystery, and the sheer unoriginality and corniness of this occurrence would normally calm Setsuna, but now she could not control the fear that blossomed from the disappearing numbness. "What do you want?" The age-old question, asked in the hope of redemption.

Setsuna could hear the smirk in the voice on the other end. "Your cooperation. Leave the Senshi, stay out of sight for a time, and perhaps we could arrange to reinstate Pluto as a planet." Another pause. "All we need is a few months, and then you can be on your merry Senshi way again. Cooperate, and this will come to you. Do you but transform, and," a melodramatic pause, "you might find your princess in a 

precarious position. Her kingdom, in exchange for the most valuable guardian. Which do you think she would choose?" A typical intimidation tactic, imposing fear by suavity and cleverness.

Setsuna shook. Knowing Usagi's damnable sense of honor, she knew which Usagi would pick, and Setsuna's pride would not permit that choice.

"I thought so. Your cooperation starts now." Again, a damned silence. "Knock knock."

There was a pounding on the door, in no particular order or pattern. A click in her ear informed her that the woman on the other end had hung up the phone. So now we go from Dial M for Murder to The Matrix. A strange and terribly timed phone call, coupled with a piece of news that couldn't possibly be correct…it was too clichéd to possibly be true in all of its facets.

The pounding continued. Setsuna reached for the phone, about to dial for the police, when she heard a familiar voice shout her name from outside. Finally.

She answered the door to find Haruka and Michiru, both unreasonably dry, considering the weather conditions outside. Standing aside, she let them in silently and closed the door behind her. She automatically went into the kitchen and put some water on the stove for tea. She turned around and jumped, forgetting the pair's unnerving twinned ability to move silently. She had also forgotten that, even with her gift for keeping counsel, Haruka and Michiru could often tell when something was bothering her. Coupled with their habit of watching the evening news, they obviously knew why she was upset. The question remains, my comrades: what will you do to help me now?

The rain continued to fall; the thunder growled in the distance.