Chapter 7: Time to Organize
Ami walked down the street on her way home. She tried to walk quickly
and avoid making eye contact with anyone, but she was continuously
unsuccessful. She was curious and kept looking around, and that generally made
avoiding eye contact difficult. She was tempted to pull out her Mercury
computer right there on the street in fact, but she had decided to keep it
hidden away until she knew it would be safe.
Since she had gone to work that morning, things had seemed strange to
the princess of Mercury. On her way to work, she often enjoyed the
peacefulness of the rarely busy street she lived on. That morning there had
been a rather loud traffic jam that ruined the quiet she often found there.
When she reached the subway, she found there had been several wrecks during
the night and all but one of the tracks were closed. She was lucky that it led
to a station only a few blocks from the hospital. Once at work, she found that
most of the major roadways through the city were blocked up. Sadly, that meant
that many ambulances couldn't reach the hospital on time. When the ambulances
could reach the hospital, it almost seemed like the order that often directed
the doctors and nurses during the period of chaos when a particularly bad
patient came in, fell apart. People were bumping into each other, instrument
trays, even the patient!
On her way home, she found that the strangeness of the day continued
beyond transportation and the hospital. From when she left the subway station,
Ami had observed three fights and firemen trying to put out a building on
fire. It was dangerously close to her apartment building, but she decided the
firemen would be able to stop it. She had also noticed that many people
walking along the street were, well, angry. She assumed it was because of the
traffic jams that seemed to thrive that day and the subway stations having
only one-track open. This was why she worked to avoid making eye contact with
everyone.
She suspected something was going on to cause all of this to happen on
the same day, and she felt she would not be safe to do scans until she was at
home.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" Bulma cried out. She had just
entered the main office area of Capsule Corp and the site that met her eyes
made her choose between sitting down and crying or shouting in rage. She chose
the second.
"M...Mrs. Briefs! We….we weren't expecting you to show up just now,"
one of the employees stuttered nervously. He turned his eyes back to the chaos
behind him and seemed torn between running to help his coworkers and trying to
calm his angry boss.
"Mrs. Briefs, we were working on printing out the status report for
your father when all of the printers decided to do this. We are working on
fixing the problem right now." The second employee had stepped up when he saw
Bulma Briefs walk into the room. She noticed the small smile of thanks that
the first employee sent the second as he tried to calm her down.
Bulma caught one of the sheets of paper flying through the air and
looked at it. It was indeed a page of what looked to be a status report.
Sighing, she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt the
headache coming on, and knew she would probably not have time to go get some
aspirin. She would be helping cleaning the room, and later would be trying to
find out what went wrong with the printers in the first place.
Goten had to cover his mouth to keep the laughter he felt building up
inside of him from reaching the ears of his teacher. He could tell he was not
the only one that was muffling their giggles or covering their grins, and more
then one person in the classroom had their head down on their desk, simply
cracking up.
His teacher was not normally this clumsy. She just seemed to be
completely confused that day though. She had already wiped away half of what
she wrote by standing too close to the chalkboard, sat on her lunch, tripped
over the leg of her chair (Goten had yet to figure out how she did that),
stubbed her toe on the corner of her desk, and dropped the book she was
carrying several times. She was getting very frustrated with herself at the
same time, and that only caused more accidents! Goten thought she was about to
storm out of the classroom when the principal came in.
He whispered into the teacher's ear for a few moments. Goten leaned
forward, trying to figure out what they were talking about, but he wasn't able
to hear anything. When his teacher ran out of the room with the principal a
minute later, he frowned, confused. 'I wonder what that was all about,' he
thought as the class broke into chaos.
Makoto was ready to pull her hair out by the time she left work to go
home. It had been the worst day at the restaurant she could remember. Someone
had left the freezer open the night before and most of the meats and other
food items that were stored in there had thawed out. A roach had been found in
a dish right before it was about to leave the kitchen, and Mako had to make
another plate. And then an unsatisfied diner had burst into the kitchen,
ranting about the poor quality of the food. Makoto wanted to cry. 'I don't
think I could stand another day of chaos like that,' she thought as she
settled in her favorite chair with a small bowl of ice cream.
"Setsuna, you have to get your girls together. They are too used to the
enemy coming to them. They need to find the enemy this time, or the energy
saturating the city will be beyond any of our control soon." The green haired
senshi nodded her head faintly as Dende spoke. She knew what she had to do.
"I guess I was kind of hoping it would happen that way. They know how
to fight an enemy in familiar surroundings. Fighting Chaos will be different to
us all. Especially now that they have the princess."
"Putting things off can only do harm. The Starlights have already
contacted Earth's defenders, and Seiya has already spoken with Mamoru. If left
alone, they will come together, but it will be too late. I've also noticed
Minako is beginning to doubt her leadership. Now that your princess is back,
she believes that it is no longer her place. You must encourage her. She can
not be allowed to slip into the roll of follower until this is over." Setsuna
sighed.
"Not even a decade and you are already getting used to your new role,"
she said, smiling weakly. "I know what I must do. Do not worry about the sailor
senshi. You just keep an eye over your friends. Wish us luck, Kami. Pluto
Planet Power. Make Up!" Pluto vanished once her transformation finished,
leaving the young Namekian smiling. If the watcher of the gate of time decided
he was fit for the job of being Kami-sama, then he could dismiss the remaining
doubts from his head for good.
"At least a small amount of Chaos energy has been absorbed by every
inhabitant and object of this world." A woman with sea green hair to her back
and a silver circlet around her head spoke quietly to the leader of the Chaos
army as she finished her report. Her right arm bore a small tattoo with the
double R symbol of the Red Ribbon Army. None of those that had replaced the
mechanical arm knew why the mark appeared on her new flesh arm, but they
figured it didn't really matter. To the woman's side stood the Chaos generals
Wolf and Jadeite. On her other side, the general Frost, the same woman that
had come to convince Wolf to rejoin the army over a week ago.
"There has been no sign of any resistance from the sailor senshi. We
believe they continue to be unaware of the infusion of the Chaos energy into
the world around them. If we continue at this rate, it should take only a few
more weeks to completely control Earth." Jadeite's frown deepened as he
finished his report, though he doubted any of the others noticed. He chanced a
look to his side and found he was wrong. Wolf had noticed.
"Our forces are growing impatient. They wish for something to do."
Jadeite watched the android next to him as Frost took her turn. 14's hair was
beginning to grow at an alarming rate. He knew she had cut it that morning, yet
it had already replaced the cut hair plus some. Something in the back of his
memory seemed to brighten at this fact, though he wasn't sure why.
"Why would Setsuna bring us here if it was to have us sit around and
do nothing?!" Hakura was pacing the large living room in the hotel suite she
and Micheru were staying in. "I mean, she calls us up, and tells us to get back
to Tokyo ASAP, and then she just leaves us sitting around!" Micheru managed to
grab a hold of Hakura's hand from where she sat on the couch when the blond
racer had turned back for another walk across the room. She managed to stop the
pacing and began to speak quietly to her friend.
"I am sure Setsuna has her reasons to ask us here. But wearing yourself
out pacing around will not do anyone any good." She tugged lightly on the hand
in her grasp and Hakura sat down next to her on the couch. "If I know Setsuna,
she will probably show up any moment to tell us what is going on. Until then,
we can take advantage of our little surprise vacation and relax," she said,
smiling. Hakura leaned her head on Micheru's shoulder and returned the smile,
though it was far more faint.
"I just wish she would tell us already. The tension is driving me
crazy."
"I noticed." The calm voice came from behind the couch, startling both
of the women. Turning around, they noticed Sailor Pluto behind them. She smiled
kindly down at the two, though her eyes revealed the distress she was feeling.
"I am sorry I did not come to you yesterday when you reached Tokyo. Matters
kept me away until now." Setsuna suddenly replaced Pluto. She had Hakura's car
keys in her hand and tossed them to the tall blond. "Come on. We need to meet
the rest of the senshi. This is going to take all the power we have, probably
more."
17 looked out the window of the room he managed to grab for himself.
His sister, Krillin, and their daughter occupied the room to his right, while
across the hall was Gohan and Videl. He could see the apartment building the
Starlights were living in across the street. Their lights were on, and 17
suspected Bulma was over there again, working with them to locate the enemy.
He chuckled lightly as he saw the distinctive hairstyle of Vegita in the
window. He wasn't surprised that the Saiyajin prince had decided to go with
his wife. Bulma alone with three single men? It was surprising that Vegita
didn't demand the work to occur in a more public place during the day.
The android had spent the past few years alone, and now that he was
with others, he had to admit that he had grown to prefer the solitude. He was
sorely tempted to turn around and walk out of the city, if not for 14. He
wasn't planning on leaving the city until she was safe. His eyes traveled to
the starry sky above. He didn't like the thought of her being in the hands of
a power known to cause destruction in the past. No matter how often he told
himself that, like him, she had been created for destruction. He couldn't see
her as one that would work with a power whose plans included the deaths of
many. During the short few months he'd been with her, he'd already learned how
much she detested taking a life, whether it be that of a human or an animal.
17 looked down at the carpet of his hotel room, shaken. He couldn't
possibly be feeling what he thought he felt. But he had to smile when the
image of the female android came into his mind. He started to deny it to
himself. They were, at best, friends. They stuck together over the past few
months because when there was two to hunt, gather wood, make shelter, the work
went more quickly. That was the extent of their relationship, right? As those
thoughts crossed his mind though, he knew how wrong it was. Sighing again, he
looked back out at the sky. He could only hope that when 14 was safe, and he
left the city once again, that she would chose to go with him.
"There it is!" Bulma cried out as she looked at the holographic map of
Tokyo in the Starlight's living room. Over the past few hours, they had managed
to narrow down the center of the Chaos energy to Tokyo by readings of different
energy levels from all over Japan. Once they knew for sure that Chaos was in
Tokyo, the work had gone much more quickly. They only had to search for the
most concentrated area of the foreign energy that had been appearing the last
few days. "It's in the warehouse district seven miles from here," she said,
pointing on the map. Taiki came over to see where she was pointing, then looked
at her.
"If you are right, then we must leave for that location now. The energy
readings are reaching a dangerous level there." Seiya and Yaten, walking into
the room from the kitchen, heard the last few words of Taiki's reply and
instantly had their transforming microphones appear on the sides of their heads.
((AN: At least I'm pretty sure that they use microphones. That's what I've
always seen them use.))
Vegita watched with a small smirk and raised eyebrows as the three men
transformed. He was concerned about Bulma being alone with those three? He had
to keep himself from laughing when their transformations were completed! The
well-dressed men had become leather-clad women!
"Bulma, I think it is best you stayed here. Vegita, we will probably
need your help, along with the rest of Earth's Defenders. Do you think you
could get them together quickly?" Vegita's laughter faded away as he realized
that one of the sex changing weirdos in front of him was giving him orders. He
was ready to explode at them when Bulma caught his eye. He knew that look. It
translated into 'Do what you're asked or spend the next week on the couch.'
Vegita growled lightly but nodded his head and turned towards the
sliding glass door. He opened the door and flew over to the hotel across the
street as the three Starlights took off towards the warehouse district.
Unable to contact the Starlights or the outers, the four inner senshi
along with Tuxedo Kamen had been conducting a search of their own. They had
figured that their bad days weren't simply bad days when Ami finished an energy
scan of the city around them. Her computer managed to find out that the energy
was soaking into everything and everyone that had no protection against it. She
realized that only those objects and beings with particularly high power levels
were resisting the Chaos energy.
"Well that explains why we seem to be alright," Makoto had said when
she heard what was going on. Now, hours later, she suddenly wondered if she
hadn't absorbed some of that energy after all.
They had managed to find their way to the warehouse district of Tokyo,
and even from a distance, they could see they had found their target. One of
the buildings was giving off a strange feeling. It was similar to electricity,
but Mako could tell the difference. It felt off somehow. As they slowly neared
the warehouse, the feeling increased. Ami reassured them that the energy was
not being absorbed into their bodies, even at such close range, but that did
not end the tension building inside them.
"It seems you've found the place as well," a female's voice said
behind them. Kamen turned quickly, several roses appearing in his hands, ready
to throw. The others fell into defensive postures as they turned, but relaxed
when they saw whom it was.
"Mamoru told us you three were around. We didn't believe it though. I
mean, why would you never stop in and say hi?" Venus said, smiling. She walked
forward and she and Fighter grasped each other's hands. "It seems being a Sailor
Senshi affects a person the same way, anywhere. You guys look exactly the
same." The others came forward as they greeted their old allies.
"Are you all ready to do this? It will probably take quite a lot of
our energy, and I would not be surprised if one or two of us do not leave here
alive," Ami said quietly.
"More fighters are coming. They aren't Sailor Senshi, but I believe
they have the power needed to help us. You may not be aware, but it seems
another power, approximately equal in strength has joined with Chaos. Even if
we aren't ready, we will need all the power we have to defeat the Chaos army
now. Even if all of us die, we cannot back out now," Taiki replied. The inners
and Kamen were confused when the Starlights mentioned more fighters, and Rei
opened her mouth to ask when another new voice interrupted her.
"That power that has joined Chaos is our princess, Star Maker.
Unfortunately, they have somehow managed to brainwash the reincarnated
Serenity." Pluto stepped from the shadows, followed by Sailor Uranus and Sailor
Neptune. The two outers exchanged uneasy glances with the four inner senshi and
Tuxedo Kamen, then turned their eyes to the three Starlights. Their eyes almost
became hostile before Pluto stepped in their line of vision. "Oh stop it! We
need all the help we can get, even if it means the Starlights."
"So nice to see you think of us in such a fond manner, Pluto," Star
Healer said, her expression showing she was holding in laughter.
"You only have one reason to be on Earth, Starlights. To assist us in
defeating Chaos. Then I expect you to leave," Uranus said, glaring at Healer.
"Don't forget that you need us, Uranus. I wouldn't put it beyond you or
your girlfriend there to 'accidentally' send one of your attacks our way. Try
to keep something like that from happening, because if you attack us, we won't
hesitate to attack you." Fighter crossed her arms in front of her, becoming
the new object of Uranus's attention. They continued to stare at each other
until a blond head stepped in their view. Looking between the two of them, the
shorter Venus suddenly seemed like a mother chastising two children.
"Will all of you just get along for once? Uranus, Neptune, we need the
Starlights' help if we expect to get back the princess and defeat Chaos. Pluto
agrees with me, right?" Pluto nodded faintly, though most of her attention was
on the warehouse the Chaos energy was emitting from. "Healer, Fighter, Maker,
I'm sure you can go for at least a few hours without trying to piss off Uranus
or Neptune, right? And Healer, you know I'm talking mostly to you."
"Hey! Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join?" The Sailor
Senshi turned to see a grinning Gokou walk into the area. Uranus and Venus
lost their anger to confusion while Fighter lost hers to a smile.
"Ah, Son. I was beginning to worry that Vegita wouldn't get you,"
Fighter said, turning to the Saiyajin. Gokou looked at Fighter for a moment,
confused, but then his eyes lit with awareness.
"Kou! Vegita told me you three had changed, but I did not think he
meant this much!" He turned to look at the other two Starlights. "I bet Bulma
wouldn't mind running some tests on you, you know."
"Those can wait. We have much more serious matters to take care of
now," Mercury interrupted. "Judging by Fighter's reaction, you are one of the
other fighters she said are coming. If so, I hope your friends get here
quickly." Her eyes fell to the computer she continued to hold in her hands.
"According to my readings, if we don't do something soon, this whole area will
become uninhabitable, and we will be unable to reach the center. And I'm afraid
that is where we must be to succeed in our task."
"Are you sure this is where we were supposed to be?" Goten asked his
best friend as they landed on the opposite side of the warehouse as the Sailor
Senshi and Gokou. Trunks rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Can't you see that building? This has GOT to be where we were told to
go." Trunks pointed to the warehouse that was the center of the Chaos energy.
Something seemed to be seeping out of the windows and doors. At times it
seemed like a liquid, flowing over the ground, when it would suddenly take on
a gaseous form instead, taking to the air. Trunks and Goten had to close their
eyes for a few moments before looking back. Looking at the substance was
making both of them dizzy, and Goten was beginning to feel nauseous as well.
"We should have waited for the others. I can tell dad is nearby. And
my brother is getting close too." Goten finally turned away from the warehouse
altogether, trying to get his stomach to calm down.
"Even if we are in the wrong area, think about it! If they attack on
one side, and we attack on this side, we won't give this stuff anywhere to run
to! We'll be able to contain it, and win in no time!"
"But how do we know when they are attacking?" Goten asked quietly.
Trunks frowned.
"Good point."
"We have company," Jadeite said quietly. Only the woman standing next
to him heard. Wolf frowned, unsure of what he meant. "The Sailor Senshi are
here, as well as the group called Earth's Defenders. They will attack soon."
"They also seem to be unaffected by the energy we have been sending
out." 14 walked up to join the two. She had given up cutting her hair, Jadeite
noticed, and now wore it in a looped braid. The bottom of the loop was already
reaching her thighs though, and the growing hair had already lowered the top
of the braid. "It will make things more difficult."
"14, you are sure that you will have no problems fighting if they
reach us? I will not let you jeopardize our efforts." Wolf had turned to face
the android, her arms crossed in front of her chest and eyes narrowed.
"Worry more about yourself, Wolf. I will have no problems. You have
lived with humans far longer then I. Both you and Jadeite must forget your
memories of that life, or you may find yourself siding with the Senshi. I will
not let you jeopardize our efforts either." Without waiting for a response
from the fuming Wolf, 14 vanished. Jadeite sighed and rolled his eyes, then
turned to see if he could calm his companion.
"I guess we are going to have to go find the rest." Trunks looked in
the general direction of where he could feel the Sailor Senshi and Earth's
Defenders gather. "It shouldn't be too hard. We know they are somewhere over
there."
"I can help you reach them," a voice from behind them said softly.
"I'm planning on seeing them very soon anyway." Trunks and Goten turned around
to see who was speaking when they were both knocked to the ground by a strange
kind of ki blast. Trunks immediately passed out, and Goten was slipping
quickly too. He managed to keep his eyes open long enough to see Android 14
smiling cruelly down at the two of them.
Sorry I took so long to get this chapter out everyone! I just kept
getting distracted by other fics, and I never got around to really working on
this chapter until the other day. When I promised someone that wrote me, that I
would try to get this chapter finished by Monday (today), I decided I had
better keep that promise. So here it is! Well, its finished. I don't know how
long it will take to get pre-read and such. That normally takes a day or so,
but I'll send it off now to my pre-reader, and hopefully it will be back by
tonight.
I'm going up to visit my dad in West Virginia on Wednesday the 26th.
I'll be up there until August 19th (the day before I start my senior year in
high school. Blah). That doesn't mean I'm going to stop working on this fic
while I'm up there though! Despite the belief that all West Virginians are
poor hillbillies, my dad does have a computer. Thank goodness. I think I'd
parish otherwise! I plan on doing at least one chapter while I'm up there,
hopefully more. I'll still have access to my fic e-mail address, and I'll be
installing icq on his comp too for my visit, so you guys can still reach me
and bug me to get chapter 8 out ASAP.
My sister drew me a picture of Android 17 and 14 together. It's really
good (she's a great artist). If any of you want to see it, just write me and
I'll send it your way.
Well, if any of you are still reading this, I'd be amazed. I know I
don't often read overlong author's notes. Anyway, keep in touch and good
reading!
Shade and sweet water,
~Jade Nova
moon_archer82@lunap.com
ICQ: 17552568
Ami walked down the street on her way home. She tried to walk quickly
and avoid making eye contact with anyone, but she was continuously
unsuccessful. She was curious and kept looking around, and that generally made
avoiding eye contact difficult. She was tempted to pull out her Mercury
computer right there on the street in fact, but she had decided to keep it
hidden away until she knew it would be safe.
Since she had gone to work that morning, things had seemed strange to
the princess of Mercury. On her way to work, she often enjoyed the
peacefulness of the rarely busy street she lived on. That morning there had
been a rather loud traffic jam that ruined the quiet she often found there.
When she reached the subway, she found there had been several wrecks during
the night and all but one of the tracks were closed. She was lucky that it led
to a station only a few blocks from the hospital. Once at work, she found that
most of the major roadways through the city were blocked up. Sadly, that meant
that many ambulances couldn't reach the hospital on time. When the ambulances
could reach the hospital, it almost seemed like the order that often directed
the doctors and nurses during the period of chaos when a particularly bad
patient came in, fell apart. People were bumping into each other, instrument
trays, even the patient!
On her way home, she found that the strangeness of the day continued
beyond transportation and the hospital. From when she left the subway station,
Ami had observed three fights and firemen trying to put out a building on
fire. It was dangerously close to her apartment building, but she decided the
firemen would be able to stop it. She had also noticed that many people
walking along the street were, well, angry. She assumed it was because of the
traffic jams that seemed to thrive that day and the subway stations having
only one-track open. This was why she worked to avoid making eye contact with
everyone.
She suspected something was going on to cause all of this to happen on
the same day, and she felt she would not be safe to do scans until she was at
home.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" Bulma cried out. She had just
entered the main office area of Capsule Corp and the site that met her eyes
made her choose between sitting down and crying or shouting in rage. She chose
the second.
"M...Mrs. Briefs! We….we weren't expecting you to show up just now,"
one of the employees stuttered nervously. He turned his eyes back to the chaos
behind him and seemed torn between running to help his coworkers and trying to
calm his angry boss.
"Mrs. Briefs, we were working on printing out the status report for
your father when all of the printers decided to do this. We are working on
fixing the problem right now." The second employee had stepped up when he saw
Bulma Briefs walk into the room. She noticed the small smile of thanks that
the first employee sent the second as he tried to calm her down.
Bulma caught one of the sheets of paper flying through the air and
looked at it. It was indeed a page of what looked to be a status report.
Sighing, she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt the
headache coming on, and knew she would probably not have time to go get some
aspirin. She would be helping cleaning the room, and later would be trying to
find out what went wrong with the printers in the first place.
Goten had to cover his mouth to keep the laughter he felt building up
inside of him from reaching the ears of his teacher. He could tell he was not
the only one that was muffling their giggles or covering their grins, and more
then one person in the classroom had their head down on their desk, simply
cracking up.
His teacher was not normally this clumsy. She just seemed to be
completely confused that day though. She had already wiped away half of what
she wrote by standing too close to the chalkboard, sat on her lunch, tripped
over the leg of her chair (Goten had yet to figure out how she did that),
stubbed her toe on the corner of her desk, and dropped the book she was
carrying several times. She was getting very frustrated with herself at the
same time, and that only caused more accidents! Goten thought she was about to
storm out of the classroom when the principal came in.
He whispered into the teacher's ear for a few moments. Goten leaned
forward, trying to figure out what they were talking about, but he wasn't able
to hear anything. When his teacher ran out of the room with the principal a
minute later, he frowned, confused. 'I wonder what that was all about,' he
thought as the class broke into chaos.
Makoto was ready to pull her hair out by the time she left work to go
home. It had been the worst day at the restaurant she could remember. Someone
had left the freezer open the night before and most of the meats and other
food items that were stored in there had thawed out. A roach had been found in
a dish right before it was about to leave the kitchen, and Mako had to make
another plate. And then an unsatisfied diner had burst into the kitchen,
ranting about the poor quality of the food. Makoto wanted to cry. 'I don't
think I could stand another day of chaos like that,' she thought as she
settled in her favorite chair with a small bowl of ice cream.
"Setsuna, you have to get your girls together. They are too used to the
enemy coming to them. They need to find the enemy this time, or the energy
saturating the city will be beyond any of our control soon." The green haired
senshi nodded her head faintly as Dende spoke. She knew what she had to do.
"I guess I was kind of hoping it would happen that way. They know how
to fight an enemy in familiar surroundings. Fighting Chaos will be different to
us all. Especially now that they have the princess."
"Putting things off can only do harm. The Starlights have already
contacted Earth's defenders, and Seiya has already spoken with Mamoru. If left
alone, they will come together, but it will be too late. I've also noticed
Minako is beginning to doubt her leadership. Now that your princess is back,
she believes that it is no longer her place. You must encourage her. She can
not be allowed to slip into the roll of follower until this is over." Setsuna
sighed.
"Not even a decade and you are already getting used to your new role,"
she said, smiling weakly. "I know what I must do. Do not worry about the sailor
senshi. You just keep an eye over your friends. Wish us luck, Kami. Pluto
Planet Power. Make Up!" Pluto vanished once her transformation finished,
leaving the young Namekian smiling. If the watcher of the gate of time decided
he was fit for the job of being Kami-sama, then he could dismiss the remaining
doubts from his head for good.
"At least a small amount of Chaos energy has been absorbed by every
inhabitant and object of this world." A woman with sea green hair to her back
and a silver circlet around her head spoke quietly to the leader of the Chaos
army as she finished her report. Her right arm bore a small tattoo with the
double R symbol of the Red Ribbon Army. None of those that had replaced the
mechanical arm knew why the mark appeared on her new flesh arm, but they
figured it didn't really matter. To the woman's side stood the Chaos generals
Wolf and Jadeite. On her other side, the general Frost, the same woman that
had come to convince Wolf to rejoin the army over a week ago.
"There has been no sign of any resistance from the sailor senshi. We
believe they continue to be unaware of the infusion of the Chaos energy into
the world around them. If we continue at this rate, it should take only a few
more weeks to completely control Earth." Jadeite's frown deepened as he
finished his report, though he doubted any of the others noticed. He chanced a
look to his side and found he was wrong. Wolf had noticed.
"Our forces are growing impatient. They wish for something to do."
Jadeite watched the android next to him as Frost took her turn. 14's hair was
beginning to grow at an alarming rate. He knew she had cut it that morning, yet
it had already replaced the cut hair plus some. Something in the back of his
memory seemed to brighten at this fact, though he wasn't sure why.
"Why would Setsuna bring us here if it was to have us sit around and
do nothing?!" Hakura was pacing the large living room in the hotel suite she
and Micheru were staying in. "I mean, she calls us up, and tells us to get back
to Tokyo ASAP, and then she just leaves us sitting around!" Micheru managed to
grab a hold of Hakura's hand from where she sat on the couch when the blond
racer had turned back for another walk across the room. She managed to stop the
pacing and began to speak quietly to her friend.
"I am sure Setsuna has her reasons to ask us here. But wearing yourself
out pacing around will not do anyone any good." She tugged lightly on the hand
in her grasp and Hakura sat down next to her on the couch. "If I know Setsuna,
she will probably show up any moment to tell us what is going on. Until then,
we can take advantage of our little surprise vacation and relax," she said,
smiling. Hakura leaned her head on Micheru's shoulder and returned the smile,
though it was far more faint.
"I just wish she would tell us already. The tension is driving me
crazy."
"I noticed." The calm voice came from behind the couch, startling both
of the women. Turning around, they noticed Sailor Pluto behind them. She smiled
kindly down at the two, though her eyes revealed the distress she was feeling.
"I am sorry I did not come to you yesterday when you reached Tokyo. Matters
kept me away until now." Setsuna suddenly replaced Pluto. She had Hakura's car
keys in her hand and tossed them to the tall blond. "Come on. We need to meet
the rest of the senshi. This is going to take all the power we have, probably
more."
17 looked out the window of the room he managed to grab for himself.
His sister, Krillin, and their daughter occupied the room to his right, while
across the hall was Gohan and Videl. He could see the apartment building the
Starlights were living in across the street. Their lights were on, and 17
suspected Bulma was over there again, working with them to locate the enemy.
He chuckled lightly as he saw the distinctive hairstyle of Vegita in the
window. He wasn't surprised that the Saiyajin prince had decided to go with
his wife. Bulma alone with three single men? It was surprising that Vegita
didn't demand the work to occur in a more public place during the day.
The android had spent the past few years alone, and now that he was
with others, he had to admit that he had grown to prefer the solitude. He was
sorely tempted to turn around and walk out of the city, if not for 14. He
wasn't planning on leaving the city until she was safe. His eyes traveled to
the starry sky above. He didn't like the thought of her being in the hands of
a power known to cause destruction in the past. No matter how often he told
himself that, like him, she had been created for destruction. He couldn't see
her as one that would work with a power whose plans included the deaths of
many. During the short few months he'd been with her, he'd already learned how
much she detested taking a life, whether it be that of a human or an animal.
17 looked down at the carpet of his hotel room, shaken. He couldn't
possibly be feeling what he thought he felt. But he had to smile when the
image of the female android came into his mind. He started to deny it to
himself. They were, at best, friends. They stuck together over the past few
months because when there was two to hunt, gather wood, make shelter, the work
went more quickly. That was the extent of their relationship, right? As those
thoughts crossed his mind though, he knew how wrong it was. Sighing again, he
looked back out at the sky. He could only hope that when 14 was safe, and he
left the city once again, that she would chose to go with him.
"There it is!" Bulma cried out as she looked at the holographic map of
Tokyo in the Starlight's living room. Over the past few hours, they had managed
to narrow down the center of the Chaos energy to Tokyo by readings of different
energy levels from all over Japan. Once they knew for sure that Chaos was in
Tokyo, the work had gone much more quickly. They only had to search for the
most concentrated area of the foreign energy that had been appearing the last
few days. "It's in the warehouse district seven miles from here," she said,
pointing on the map. Taiki came over to see where she was pointing, then looked
at her.
"If you are right, then we must leave for that location now. The energy
readings are reaching a dangerous level there." Seiya and Yaten, walking into
the room from the kitchen, heard the last few words of Taiki's reply and
instantly had their transforming microphones appear on the sides of their heads.
((AN: At least I'm pretty sure that they use microphones. That's what I've
always seen them use.))
Vegita watched with a small smirk and raised eyebrows as the three men
transformed. He was concerned about Bulma being alone with those three? He had
to keep himself from laughing when their transformations were completed! The
well-dressed men had become leather-clad women!
"Bulma, I think it is best you stayed here. Vegita, we will probably
need your help, along with the rest of Earth's Defenders. Do you think you
could get them together quickly?" Vegita's laughter faded away as he realized
that one of the sex changing weirdos in front of him was giving him orders. He
was ready to explode at them when Bulma caught his eye. He knew that look. It
translated into 'Do what you're asked or spend the next week on the couch.'
Vegita growled lightly but nodded his head and turned towards the
sliding glass door. He opened the door and flew over to the hotel across the
street as the three Starlights took off towards the warehouse district.
Unable to contact the Starlights or the outers, the four inner senshi
along with Tuxedo Kamen had been conducting a search of their own. They had
figured that their bad days weren't simply bad days when Ami finished an energy
scan of the city around them. Her computer managed to find out that the energy
was soaking into everything and everyone that had no protection against it. She
realized that only those objects and beings with particularly high power levels
were resisting the Chaos energy.
"Well that explains why we seem to be alright," Makoto had said when
she heard what was going on. Now, hours later, she suddenly wondered if she
hadn't absorbed some of that energy after all.
They had managed to find their way to the warehouse district of Tokyo,
and even from a distance, they could see they had found their target. One of
the buildings was giving off a strange feeling. It was similar to electricity,
but Mako could tell the difference. It felt off somehow. As they slowly neared
the warehouse, the feeling increased. Ami reassured them that the energy was
not being absorbed into their bodies, even at such close range, but that did
not end the tension building inside them.
"It seems you've found the place as well," a female's voice said
behind them. Kamen turned quickly, several roses appearing in his hands, ready
to throw. The others fell into defensive postures as they turned, but relaxed
when they saw whom it was.
"Mamoru told us you three were around. We didn't believe it though. I
mean, why would you never stop in and say hi?" Venus said, smiling. She walked
forward and she and Fighter grasped each other's hands. "It seems being a Sailor
Senshi affects a person the same way, anywhere. You guys look exactly the
same." The others came forward as they greeted their old allies.
"Are you all ready to do this? It will probably take quite a lot of
our energy, and I would not be surprised if one or two of us do not leave here
alive," Ami said quietly.
"More fighters are coming. They aren't Sailor Senshi, but I believe
they have the power needed to help us. You may not be aware, but it seems
another power, approximately equal in strength has joined with Chaos. Even if
we aren't ready, we will need all the power we have to defeat the Chaos army
now. Even if all of us die, we cannot back out now," Taiki replied. The inners
and Kamen were confused when the Starlights mentioned more fighters, and Rei
opened her mouth to ask when another new voice interrupted her.
"That power that has joined Chaos is our princess, Star Maker.
Unfortunately, they have somehow managed to brainwash the reincarnated
Serenity." Pluto stepped from the shadows, followed by Sailor Uranus and Sailor
Neptune. The two outers exchanged uneasy glances with the four inner senshi and
Tuxedo Kamen, then turned their eyes to the three Starlights. Their eyes almost
became hostile before Pluto stepped in their line of vision. "Oh stop it! We
need all the help we can get, even if it means the Starlights."
"So nice to see you think of us in such a fond manner, Pluto," Star
Healer said, her expression showing she was holding in laughter.
"You only have one reason to be on Earth, Starlights. To assist us in
defeating Chaos. Then I expect you to leave," Uranus said, glaring at Healer.
"Don't forget that you need us, Uranus. I wouldn't put it beyond you or
your girlfriend there to 'accidentally' send one of your attacks our way. Try
to keep something like that from happening, because if you attack us, we won't
hesitate to attack you." Fighter crossed her arms in front of her, becoming
the new object of Uranus's attention. They continued to stare at each other
until a blond head stepped in their view. Looking between the two of them, the
shorter Venus suddenly seemed like a mother chastising two children.
"Will all of you just get along for once? Uranus, Neptune, we need the
Starlights' help if we expect to get back the princess and defeat Chaos. Pluto
agrees with me, right?" Pluto nodded faintly, though most of her attention was
on the warehouse the Chaos energy was emitting from. "Healer, Fighter, Maker,
I'm sure you can go for at least a few hours without trying to piss off Uranus
or Neptune, right? And Healer, you know I'm talking mostly to you."
"Hey! Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join?" The Sailor
Senshi turned to see a grinning Gokou walk into the area. Uranus and Venus
lost their anger to confusion while Fighter lost hers to a smile.
"Ah, Son. I was beginning to worry that Vegita wouldn't get you,"
Fighter said, turning to the Saiyajin. Gokou looked at Fighter for a moment,
confused, but then his eyes lit with awareness.
"Kou! Vegita told me you three had changed, but I did not think he
meant this much!" He turned to look at the other two Starlights. "I bet Bulma
wouldn't mind running some tests on you, you know."
"Those can wait. We have much more serious matters to take care of
now," Mercury interrupted. "Judging by Fighter's reaction, you are one of the
other fighters she said are coming. If so, I hope your friends get here
quickly." Her eyes fell to the computer she continued to hold in her hands.
"According to my readings, if we don't do something soon, this whole area will
become uninhabitable, and we will be unable to reach the center. And I'm afraid
that is where we must be to succeed in our task."
"Are you sure this is where we were supposed to be?" Goten asked his
best friend as they landed on the opposite side of the warehouse as the Sailor
Senshi and Gokou. Trunks rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Can't you see that building? This has GOT to be where we were told to
go." Trunks pointed to the warehouse that was the center of the Chaos energy.
Something seemed to be seeping out of the windows and doors. At times it
seemed like a liquid, flowing over the ground, when it would suddenly take on
a gaseous form instead, taking to the air. Trunks and Goten had to close their
eyes for a few moments before looking back. Looking at the substance was
making both of them dizzy, and Goten was beginning to feel nauseous as well.
"We should have waited for the others. I can tell dad is nearby. And
my brother is getting close too." Goten finally turned away from the warehouse
altogether, trying to get his stomach to calm down.
"Even if we are in the wrong area, think about it! If they attack on
one side, and we attack on this side, we won't give this stuff anywhere to run
to! We'll be able to contain it, and win in no time!"
"But how do we know when they are attacking?" Goten asked quietly.
Trunks frowned.
"Good point."
"We have company," Jadeite said quietly. Only the woman standing next
to him heard. Wolf frowned, unsure of what he meant. "The Sailor Senshi are
here, as well as the group called Earth's Defenders. They will attack soon."
"They also seem to be unaffected by the energy we have been sending
out." 14 walked up to join the two. She had given up cutting her hair, Jadeite
noticed, and now wore it in a looped braid. The bottom of the loop was already
reaching her thighs though, and the growing hair had already lowered the top
of the braid. "It will make things more difficult."
"14, you are sure that you will have no problems fighting if they
reach us? I will not let you jeopardize our efforts." Wolf had turned to face
the android, her arms crossed in front of her chest and eyes narrowed.
"Worry more about yourself, Wolf. I will have no problems. You have
lived with humans far longer then I. Both you and Jadeite must forget your
memories of that life, or you may find yourself siding with the Senshi. I will
not let you jeopardize our efforts either." Without waiting for a response
from the fuming Wolf, 14 vanished. Jadeite sighed and rolled his eyes, then
turned to see if he could calm his companion.
"I guess we are going to have to go find the rest." Trunks looked in
the general direction of where he could feel the Sailor Senshi and Earth's
Defenders gather. "It shouldn't be too hard. We know they are somewhere over
there."
"I can help you reach them," a voice from behind them said softly.
"I'm planning on seeing them very soon anyway." Trunks and Goten turned around
to see who was speaking when they were both knocked to the ground by a strange
kind of ki blast. Trunks immediately passed out, and Goten was slipping
quickly too. He managed to keep his eyes open long enough to see Android 14
smiling cruelly down at the two of them.
Sorry I took so long to get this chapter out everyone! I just kept
getting distracted by other fics, and I never got around to really working on
this chapter until the other day. When I promised someone that wrote me, that I
would try to get this chapter finished by Monday (today), I decided I had
better keep that promise. So here it is! Well, its finished. I don't know how
long it will take to get pre-read and such. That normally takes a day or so,
but I'll send it off now to my pre-reader, and hopefully it will be back by
tonight.
I'm going up to visit my dad in West Virginia on Wednesday the 26th.
I'll be up there until August 19th (the day before I start my senior year in
high school. Blah). That doesn't mean I'm going to stop working on this fic
while I'm up there though! Despite the belief that all West Virginians are
poor hillbillies, my dad does have a computer. Thank goodness. I think I'd
parish otherwise! I plan on doing at least one chapter while I'm up there,
hopefully more. I'll still have access to my fic e-mail address, and I'll be
installing icq on his comp too for my visit, so you guys can still reach me
and bug me to get chapter 8 out ASAP.
My sister drew me a picture of Android 17 and 14 together. It's really
good (she's a great artist). If any of you want to see it, just write me and
I'll send it your way.
Well, if any of you are still reading this, I'd be amazed. I know I
don't often read overlong author's notes. Anyway, keep in touch and good
reading!
Shade and sweet water,
~Jade Nova
moon_archer82@lunap.com
ICQ: 17552568
