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Chapter 6: London to Tokyo Non-stop

He heard the sounds a few seconds registered what they were. They sounded like they were coming from a great distance and were hard to pinpoint which direction they were coming from. He slowly began to make out the muffled sounds of people crying and screaming as well as sirens of rapidly approaching emergency vehicles. He tried to open his eyes to see what was happening but they did not respond. He began to panic as he desperately tried to lift his eyelids.

His eyes finally snapped open and his head jerked upwards as he regained full consciousness. He expelled a deep breath due to the shock of waking up so suddenly. He grasped at his chest as his lungs took in a large amount of dirty air causing him to coughing hoarsely. His head felt like it was in a vice and his vision was shaky, and spun around in wide circles until finally righting itself. He felt nauseous and it took everything he had left in him to keep himself from vomiting. There was a constant buzzing in his ear like a high pitched screech. He couldn't hear anything clearly.

He slowly began to stand when a hand gently and forcefully pushed him back down. Sean turned his head to look at the person preventing his laboured attempt to get up. A young male first responder looked down at him. He held a small flashlight in his hand and was shining it in Sean's eyes.

"Sir, please don't try to move."

"What happened?"

"There was an explosion. It looks like the force of the blast sent you into the side of this bus. You probably have serious internal injuries, so you must stay still until the ambulance gets here."

"Explosion?"

The memory of what happened jolted into his memory. He recalled walking towards the Council building after his symbiote sensed the presence of human blood. He had taken a few steps toward the front door when a massive bang followed by a powerful force hit him and lifted him off his feet. He wasn't exactly sure what happened next or how much time had passed since.

He remained still as the paramedic continued to look for any other injuries besides the dozens of cuts and bruises that were visible all over his body. Mentally he did his own internal check. He did not feel any sharp pains anywhere. He had a very good idea what a broken bone would feel like since he had his shoulder dislocated over a year ago when he had battled the demon prince, Gaap.

He was also smart enough to know that the absence of pain did not necessarily mean that he was in the clear either. He may have suffered neurological damage that would prevent pain receptors in his brain from receiving that important information. There was only one way for him to know for sure. In the recesses of their shared brain he began to speak to his alien partner.

My friend, are you ok?

Yes I am fine and so are you.

I am?

Yes, the sonic wave from the explosion stunned me for a second but I was still able to put up a thin cushion along the back of your body before you hit the bus. You avoided suffering any serious concussions, broken limbs, and other serious injuries that any other human would have sustained. I am working hard right to repair any damage our body did receive.

The paramedic began to speak to him again. The screech in his ears was starting to lessen, but it took the paramedic's visual hand wave across the front of his face to fully get his attention. Sean quickly thanked his partner and turned his head to focus on the young emergency services worker.

"Sir I can't find any clear evidence of anything being broken, but some of these cuts are going to require stiches. I would say that you were extremely lucky considering your close proximity to the blast. I am still insisting that you sit here and wait to get checked at the hospital."

Sean could only nod as the paramedic anxiously waited for his confirmation. Sean knew it was pointless to try to argue, but he knew that he could not go to the hospital under any circumstances. He did not want any doctor to check him too closely or run any tests on his blood. It was far too risky that his symbiote might be discovered and his true identity made public or he could be locked up in a government facility to be studied and experimented on.

"Help. We need some help over here now."

The paramedic turned to look at a group of people fifty yards away. They were waving him over. He turned back to Sean and got his attention again by placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I will be right back. Do not to move."

He quickly and hastily collected his tools and instruments before turning around to hurry to where the group of people was standing. As soon as he became focused on his new patient Sean resumed his efforts to stand. His head was throbbing and that made his balance shaky. He stumbled forwards a couple of times as he got his feet firmly underneath him. As his spine became erect he could feel snaps and cracks as his vertebrae fall back into place. He felt a sudden rush of lightheadedness when he completed the usually easy movement. He reached back and put one of his arms against the side of the bus for support.

When the dizziness finally calmed down to a point where he felt it was safe to move he took his hand off the bus and panned his eyes slowly around the scene surrounding him. The Council building was destroyed with huge towering flames jutting out of some of the second and third floor windows. The overall structure looked irreparable and would be torn down as soon as the investigators were done with it. Papers were raining down onto the blast area like snowflakes. The result of the explosion had ripped through the Council's extensive library.

When he turned to look behind him he saw that the buildings across the street had suffered heavy damage. Almost all of the windows facing the Council building had been shattered and the chunks of mortar and brick that had been launched by the blast caused huge dents and holes in the outer surfaces of the structures. All though the area it sounded like all of the parked cars along the street with alarms blaring. They had also been dealt significant damage from the flying debris caused by the explosion resulting in thousands of dollars' worth of damages. The double decker bus he had slammed into had come to a stop a few feet away from him. The dent in its side was clear as day in the unmistakable shape of a human torso with outstretched arms.

He had to get out of here and quickly. Since he saw the full scope of the damage on the bus caused by him the police would definitely be asking him how a young man could do that and not suffer anything more than a few deep gashes and a severe headache. He wasn't sure how long he had been knocked unconscious but he knew that he had to get back to Heathrow Airport as soon as possible.

He scanned the area again as he looked for an escape route. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and force him to turn around. He found himself looking into the face of the young paramedic that had been helping him a few minutes earlier. The look on his face showed Sean that he was irritated for not listening to his specific instructions to remain on the ground and wait for additional help to arrive.

"I told you to remain on the ground sir. I don't want to have too baby-sit you as I try to help other people just because you are too stupid to stay sti—"

The paramedic's sentence was cut short as a series of loud metallic cracks and grinding cut through the overwhelming chaos of the blast zone. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at what was once the Illuminati Council building. The noises continued as the newly arrived police officers and EMTs began to quickly push the rapidly growing crowds of on-lookers back.

"Get back everyone. The building is coming down."

The building began to sway and lurch slightly as the fires still burning inside continued to weaken the interior structural walls that remained. Another blast ripped through the building from somewhere inside. It was noticeably smaller than the first and was probably the result of a ruptured gas line being ignited.

The onset of the small blast caused everyone to immediately take cover as the building finally gave way. The heavy roof could no longer be properly supported by the damaged infrastructure that remained underneath it. The building collapsed downwards in reminiscence of the World Trade Center buildings in the September 11th attacks.

The building's collapse and the resulting impact as the rubble struck the ground kicked up a massive cloud of dust as the dirt and debris was pushed upwards by the force of the heavy impact. The police and other emergency service workers tried to shield as many people as they could from any flying shrapnel as the crowds reacted to the awesome and destructive scene occurring.

The paramedic who had his hand on Sean's shoulder let him go when the building started to collapse. He had taken cover without hesitation behind the double decker bus still parked nearby. When he emerged a few minutes later after the swirling dust and debris began to settle he remembered the young man that he had just been holding on to.

He scanned the area where he had last seen him and was shocked to see that there was no sign of him. The yells and screams of the injured people nearby snapped his attention back to what was occurring around him. He quickly went to the nearest calls of distress and got back to work attending to the wounded.

Approximately seven blocks east, Sean was jumping from rooftop to rooftop on a straight line course towards Heathrow Airport. He had used the distraction created by the building's sudden collapse to duck into one of the narrow alleys on the opposite side of the street. From there, he quickly transformed into Carnage and wall climbed to the roof of one of the buildings that made up the alley. Once he got his bearings, he began to run at full speed.

His symbiote granted him augmented speed and an endurance level that surpassed even that of an Olympic athlete. This is what had allowed him to be an effective defender of the planet for so many years. However, even with those gifts at his disposal, he knew it was still going to take him over twenty minutes or more to get to the airport. Time was a precious commodity he did not have.

He realized it may have been faster to steal a car or take a taxi but, with the confusion that the explosion most certainly was causing throughout the city, there was no guarantee that those methods would have proven to be any faster. There was just too much of a risk of being caught in a traffic jam or stopped by a police. He did not want to draw any more attention to himself in his human identity than he already had especially if that paramedic back at the blast zone issued a city-wide search for him.

He shook his head to clear some more of the cobwebs from his brain as he completed another jump. He landed on the building at the corner of Chiswick High Road and Cambridge Road North. He could hear the sounds of the A4 freeway less than a mile away. If he could hitch a ride on the top of a transport truck heading east he could make up some lost time and get to the airport much quicker than if he continued to run. He turned and headed south down the short side street until it ended right at the edge of the perpendicular running A4 freeway. From his position, he couldn't jump high enough, even with his enhanced jumping ability, to successfully land on a passing semi-truck. He would have to snag its roof with one of his symbiotic tendrils and reel himself up onto the truck when the symbiotic grappling barb successfully made contact with it.

He waited impatiently for several minutes for a semi-truck to come within striking range. After what seemed like hours, one finally came into view from his vantage point below the freeway. It was a large white eighteen-wheeler with the markings for a large supermarket chain on its sides. It was traveling at about 80 mph with no signs of slowing down. Carnage let the symbiote guide his arm motions as it threw out a thick tendril towards the passing truck.

The tendril struck the side of the truck near the top and took hold. Carnage was snapped off the roof of the building like a whip and began to pull himself up as quickly as he could. He had to get to the top and out of sight before any passing motorists following behind the truck signaled to the driver that he had an unexpected passenger. Luckily the truck was in the right lane so there were no cars on that side to contend with. Carnage was only in sight for a few seconds.

Carnage spun his body up on to the flat surface of the truck's roof. He quickly lay down on his stomach to get his body as flat as possible. He extended his arms out to the sides so that his clawed fingers tightly gripped the edges of the truck's roof. He struck several spikes from his chest down into the metal framing underneath him for additional support against the high speed wind that sheared against his symbiotic skin.

The truck continued along the highway without reducing its speed. Carnage was thankfully that it stayed on the A4 freeway when it reached the split between A4 and M4. He knew he was going to have to bail when it passed by Heathrow as it was unlikely that a supermarket delivery truck would be going into a busy international airport. He had about another fifteen minutes before they would reach his stop. He could use that time to rest. He felt his body relax slightly and the physical efforts of his sprint and truck lassoing began to set in. He felt a sharp pain in his left ribcage from where he had slammed into the side of the bus following his snaring of the passing truck. Until it healed it would probably affect his endurance if he had to run at full speed again.

Steven and Gordon were sitting in the break room of the private hangar. They had just completed the paper work that was required by the Council whenever the private jet was used. They just attempted to fax it over to the department head but the fax machine had kept telling them that the line was busy.

They had then decided to have a coffee and their lunches before they attempted to fax the forms over again. Gordon was at the counter and in the process of pouring a cup from the pot as Steven turned on the television and let it power up.

"We are interrupting this regularly scheduled program with some late breaking news. A massive explosion has completely destroyed a building in downtown London about forty-five minutes ago. We have no reports about any injuries or casualties as of yet but police say that the blast appears suspicious in nature. The blast occurred at approximately 1pm today"

Steven looked at Gordon, who was looking at the news report. The television was showing an aerial shot of the destruction as firefighters blasted huge streams of water onto the enormous pile of rubble in an effort to effectively extinguish any remaining fires. The flashing lights of police cars and ambulances could be seen on the street in front of the affected zone. They appeared to be acting like a barrier to keep the citizens at a safe distance while they attended to any of the survivors that were still being pulled out of the wreckage.

"Gordon isn't that the Council Building?"

Gordon didn't immediately answer him. When he didn't get a response Steven looked at his partner. He saw that Gordon's focus was on something behind him and the look on his face told him that whatever it was, it wasn't good. He spun around and saw a large red humanoid monster standing in the doorway. Wild red tentacles were flapping all around as it stared at both of them with huge teardrop shaped eyes.

Steven had never seen Carnage in person before, so the sight of him in person terrified him like nothing else ever had. He opened his mouth to scream but in a flash of movement Carnage lunged forward and slammed him against a nearby wall. He placed his clawed hand over Steven's mouth to prevent him from issuing any kind of sound. The sudden blur of movement and Steven being forcibly pressed up against the wall had caused Gordon's body to flinch in response. This abrupt reaction made him drop the coffee pot he was still holding to the ground where it shattered in dozens of jagged pieces.

"Bloody hell Carnage. Why did you do that?"

Carnage continued to hold Steven tight against the wall and remained silent. Gordon began to think that Carnage had gone rogue and destroyed the Council building before coming here to eliminate the only remaining loose ends, Steven and himself. After a few more incredibly tense seconds Carnage turned to face Gordon, still holding his hand over Steven's mouth.

"I don't have time to play nice Gordon. I need you and Steven to fly me to Tokyo right now."

"We can't do that. We have to get clearance from the Council. We have to follow the proper protocols. We—"

"The Council is dead Gordon. The EMTs are not going to find any survivors in all that crap just bodies. We are under attack by some unknown enemy and we need to get out of London as soon as possible. I can't fly that plane by myself, or I already would be. I need you two and I need you both now."

"How do I know you didn't set that explosion off yourself? How do I know I can trust you when you are acting like this right now?"

Carnage snapped his other arm out and ensnared Gordon around the waist with a symbiotic vine. He then retracted the tendril pulling him forwards until they were face to face. His large white eyes stared directly into Gordon's sending waves of terror down his spine. Carnage began to speak in a quick and menacing tone.

"Listen. We have less than one hour before the city officials ground all aircraft when they realize that explosion was an act of terrorism. I would very much like to be out of British airspace by then and on my way to Japan."

Gordon tried to utter a protest, but was cut off by Carnage. The tone of his voice dropped even further and Gordon could swear that it was the Devil himself talking.

"The Council is dead which means that there is no one else but us. Therefore, I am invoking 'Executive Order 1-92-200-97' which states that in times of urgency operatives such as me are given leadership or executive freedoms that are normally reserved for the Inner Council. Now are you going to follow my command and fly me to Japan? Or am I going to have to convince you through other, less pleasant, means?"

Gordon's body trembled as his mind began to think of all the things Carnage could do to convince him and Steven to do as he said. Each idea was more disturbing than the last. He looked passed Carnage at Steven whose face was still being held tightly against the wall. His blue eyes flicked over so that he was looking back, pleading with him to agree to Carnage's request. Gordon let a deep sigh escape his lips as his shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Ok you win. We will fly you to Tokyo as you order."

"Good. Is the plane fuelled and ready to go?"

"Yes it should be. We started the re-fuelling as soon as we pulled into the hangar, per Council policy. We just need to log our flight plan in with the tower."

"There is no time for that. Just get everything that you need and let's move."

Carnage let go of Steven and Gordon at the same time. He turned away from them and quickly exited the break room. After he was gone, Steven began to rub his neck where the clawed hand had tightly held it. Gordon put his hand on his shoulder. The senior pilot was giving him a concerned look as he tried to silently reassure him. The return look that Steven gave told Gordon two things: he was alright, and he did not like what was happening. He had to agree with him entirely on the second.

Ten minutes later, the plane was pulling out of the private hangar and making its way to the airport's flight deck to await its turn to taxi down the runway and take-off.

"IC-23905. You have not submitted a flight plan with us. We cannot clear you for take-off until you do over."

"Tower this is IC-23905. We are requesting special permission as per security code '52A3F.'"

"Security Code entered. Please await confirmation of clearance."

The security code '52A3F' was a special order that the Illuminati had put into place through their powerful political influences in the British Parliament. This specific order gave any Council planes the freedom to land or take-off from any British airport, regardless of situation. It was meant as a means to get their operatives to any hotspot locations as quickly as possible when time was of the essence. Carnage had told Gordon to use it if the Tower officials initially denied them clearance for take-off. The three of them were sitting in the cockpit of the jet as they waited. Gordon and Steven spun their chairs around to face Carnage, who was sitting in the third chair by the navigation controls.

"IC-23905. The runway is clear but we have not yet received confirmation. Please remain where you are until confirmation is received."

"Gordon take-off now."

"We can't. The Tower has to clear us or they will know that we are not acting on the Council's orders. They will label us as hostiles and get the military or another country's air force to shoot us down."

"They are not going to get clearance. Take off now. I will make sure that we are safe from any counter-measures they may take against us."

"What are you going to do?"

Instead of answering, Carnage raised his right hand and morphed it into a razor-sharp blade. He stared at both of them with an intense look that bordered on psychotic.

"Ok ok we will take-off. Just go do whatever you have to."

Carnage got out of the navigator's chair located behind the pilot and co-pilot's seats and opened the cockpit's door. Gordon and Steven watched him leave as the frightening presence he was emitting still lingered around them. After a moment, they swung their chairs around and began to propel the jet down the runway.

Carnage made his way to the middle of the plane, between the sleeping quarters and the dining area. This was the part of the plane where the magical books and objects were kept. The Council liked to pride itself on being prepared for any situation their operatives may encounter during their missions. It was for that reason that they kept a mini-library of offensive and defensive magical spells on hand, in the case their planes were ever engaged or suffered a crisis in mid-flight. Carnage quickly grabbed a book on defensive spells and began to flip through it as looking for a particular spell he had remembered reading on a previous flight. He felt the plane lurch forward letting him know that Gordon and Steven were indeed following his order to take-off.

Back in the cockpit, the plane was rapidly picking up speed and would be airborne in a matter of seconds. The tension and nervousness felt by both Steven and Gordon was overbearing. They were entering the point of no return. They were going too fast to stop safely if it was ever deemed necessary and once they were in the air, they had only minutes before the Royal Air Force would be on them and they would officially be branded as enemy combatants.

"IC-23905. Your confirmation has not been received. Abort your take-off and return to your hangar immediately."

Gordon and Steven ignored the Tower's orders and continued to push forward towards the end of the runway. It was all or nothing.

"IC-23905. If you do not abort your take-off at once you will be shot down."

Gordon leaned his head back and tilted his chin upwards. He yelled back over his shoulder into the empty plane behind him, hoping that his words would be heard by Carnage currently.

"Carnage, whatever you are going to do you better do it soon or this is going to be a really short flight."

In the library section of the plane Carnage was sitting crossed-legged on the floor by the bookcase that housed the artifacts and reference materials. He heard Gordon's shout from the cockpit but purposely chose not to respond. He needed to clear his mind and have complete concentration in order for this spell to work correctly. He wished that one of the Council's warlocks or another magically inclined individual was there. He would have even settled for Rei as her psychic abilities and strong connection to the spirit world might increase the chances of a successful spell casting.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and quieted his brain. He slowed his breathing and heart rate to a state that was similar to a deep REM sleep cycle. He was then able to tune out the sounds of the bumping up and down of the airplane as it sped down the runway, and focus his internal energy on the task before him.

When he achieved the correct level of concentration and inner focus he began to chant the verses of the spell in perfect Latin. He had become fluent in the dead language and had spent much of the time on his travels and flights over the past year practicing it. The words flowed from his non-human mouth in an empty tone, devoid of emotion.

"Flecte, lux mundi"

"Fac me et omnia circumdabit me"

"Circumdedit me in mundo inuisibili"

"Iungere vires Ioui et North"

"tegi nos ab inimicis nostris"

"Ut nos ab iniuria tuta est, quaeso."

Almost immediately the smell of ozone blanketed the inside of the plane. It was the tell-tale sign of a strong electrical current surging through the nearby area. Carnage instantly smelled it but did not break his concentration. He had to maintain the spell's hold as long as was needed until it was completed. He felt his internal life force being rapidly drained as the spell took energy to complete its task. The symbiote without, being asked or told, added its own life essence to the spell. This stronger form of life energy would buy them more time and delay the onset of physical fatigue in their shared body until the spell was finally completed.

The plane's front tires left the runway's surface and its nose began to tilt upwards. In a few seconds the jet was airborne and beginning its ascent into the sky. Gordon and Steven's faces were covered in nervous sweat as they now had minutes before the British fighter planes would appear and force them down one way or the other. All they could do now was begin their journey towards Japan and hope that Carnage was successful in whatever he was doing.

As that last thought passed through both of their minds a bolt of white lightning flashed across the windshield of the cockpit causing Gordon and Steven to curse out loud. Neither of them could explain where the lightning flash had come from as it was a crystal clear day with only a large accumulation of white cirrocumulus clouds present. There were no signs of any nimbostratus clouds or anything that would indict an incoming electrical storm.

A few more quick bolts of lightning flashed across the front of the windshield. After a couple minutes, they reached their desired altitude and began to cruise at the normal flying speed. Gordon activated the autopilot and let the plane fly itself as they tried to steady their nerves after their dramatic takeoff. Both of them were intently watching the radar and scanning the open space outside the windows looking for any sign of the military planes they knew would be coming after them. Gordon turned to look at Steven, who felt his superior official's gaze on his back, and turned to look at him.

"When those jets get here we will listen to them and follow their instructions. I don't want to get blown up by one of their missiles. You got that?"

"That won't be happening so you both can relax."

The pilots turned to see Carnage entering the cockpit once again. He sat back in the navigation chair and reverted to his human persona. He put on the headset that was on the small counter before him and then spun his chair towards the front of the plane. He saw that both of his comrades were looking at him as they waited anxiously for an explanation.

"I cast a spell that has made us invisible to human eyes. The spell is also emitting an electro-magnetic pulse that is keeping any electronic sensors such as radar from detecting us. In answer to your next question we are protected from the pulse due to the defensive nature of the magic used."

Sean could tell that neither of them believed him or were willing to put any trust in his words. He really couldn't blame them when he considered the aggressive attitude and tactics he had used. He decided that he would just have to prove it to them.

"If you don't believe me stand up and see if you can see the nose of the plane."

Gordon and Steven exchanged confused looks. They slowly turned their chairs and took off their headsets. They both stood up and peered over the main control console and out the front window of the plane. Sure enough, just as Sean had alluded, the front of the airplane was indeed gone. They both immediately looked out the side windows and saw that the wings of the plane had also vanished from sight. As a reflex, they both looked down at the central console and saw that all four engines were still running properly and were still connected to the main control array of the plane. They fell back into their chair and slowly turned to look back at Sean. The looks on their faces let him know that they were starting to believe him and his words.

After fifteen minutes had passed, and no fighter jet or other military vehicle had presented itself, they finally began to allow themselves to relax. Sean smiled as he turned his chair to face the navigation screen.

"How long will it take us to reach Tokyo?"

"It is approximately eleven hours depending on the smoothness of the flight and whether we encounter any turbulence."

Sean looked at the digital clock on the control panel in front of him. It was 2:30pm London time right now. Tokyo was eight hours ahead in terms of global time zones and in relation to London time. That meant that it was currently 10:30pm there right now. They would arrive at approximately 9:30am Tokyo time tomorrow.

He sat back in his chair as he let that fact roll around in his head. It was going to be a long flight. He had to alleviate the thick atmosphere between him and his comrades or it may cause an issue between them later if he needed their services again.

"Hey guys, thank you for helping me."

Both Gordon and Steven were silent, but Sean could see from their body language that they had heard him and were debating on how to react. Gordon suddenly began to laugh. It was a full and hearty laugh that you might expect to come from a large man or perhaps Santa Claus. His laughter proved to be contagious as Steven and then Sean joined in. They shared a couple of minutes in the loud chorus of amusement. When they finally stopped to catch their collective breaths Gordon wiped the tears away from his face and began to speak. A few last giggles cut into his speech.

"Just like old times eh, Sean? You couldn't leave us without one more dramatic event could you?"

"You know me Gordon. I have to bring some excitement to your lives."

They shared another short burst of laughter before settling into a comfortable calmness. The tension was now gone and things were back to normal. Three friends who had been around the world together now had another story to add to their collection.

Almost six thousand miles away in a large Victorian house located in a remote section of the Minato Ward of Tokyo, Michiru was sitting on the back porch. She was holding her Deep Aqua Mirror in her hands as she looked into the backyard. Her medium length aqua-marine hair was held back with a white hairband, and her loose fitting sundress was a light pumpkin orange.

As she stared out into the wild ravine that began at the edge of their property she felt a figure appear in the doorway to her right. She did not need to turn her head to see who it was. A small smile crept across her lips as she dropped her head in playful acknowledgement of the newcomer's entrance.

"You know you can never sneak up on me, right?" Michiru said quietly.

"I know. I enjoy it when you can see me coming." Haruka replied coyly.

"I do too as some things shouldn't be left hidd…" Michiru started to say.

Her playful flirt trailed off as she felt her Deep Aqua Mirror begin to react to something. She quickly turned her attention back to the delicate item in her hands and focused her attention on the image flashing across its ancient glass surface. Haruka, who was still in the doorway, looked down at Michiru as her face changed from a playful smirk to concern. She stepped towards her partner and waited for her to report on what the sacred treasure was telling her.

"What did you see?" Haruka asked with concern in her voice.

"An image of Haneda Airport I think." Michiru informed her.

"So something is coming through the airport then? Do you know when?" Haruka pressed.

Michiru looked up at her and the look in her eyes told the answer. Haruka gritted her teeth and clenched her fists at her sides. Her tough sailor persona began to break through as her sense of duty to protect the princess and this planet took full control of her thoughts. She still needed confirmation of the details so that she and the other Outer Sailors could begin to formulate a plan. Michiru seemed to read her mind and gave her what she wanted.

"In the image I saw a digital advertisement sign. The time displayed was 9:45am and the date was tomorrow."

Haruka's face tightened as that information settled deep inside her. It was almost 11:00pm which meant that they had less than twelve hours to design a plan against something they knew absolutely nothing about.

Michiru stood with grim expression that matched her lover's. She took one of Haruka's hands and held it tenderly to try and soften the frustration she could see was building up inside Haruka. When their eyes met, they shared a brief moment of silent reassurance, they would meet this potential threat head on as they always did. Haruka gave a small smile before they both turned around and walked back into the house to inform their team mates about their mission tomorrow morning.

End of Chapter 6