Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Chapter 26: Mercury

-Mercury-

Rei stared out the window behind Ami's head at the blackness of space. They'd taken a courier transport, since it was fastest. One of the Mercurians had offered to pilot it for them, so both of them could relax during the trip. Not that we've really been relaxing, Rei thought wryly. Her gaze shifted to focus on Ami, who was staring at her hands.

She knew they were both having similar trains of thought. They'd never been separated like this, discounting the trip to Venus. It was unsettling for both of them. Her mind cast back to her brief meeting with Minako the day before. She smiled to herself, remembering the feel of her lips, the smell of her hair…

Ami chuckled softly and she shifted her focus back to the other girl. "Thinking about Minako?" she asked softly. Rei sighed and nodded. "Did you get to talk to her before we left?"

"Briefly, yesterday," she muttered. "What about you?"

To her amusement, Ami flushed bright red. "I- yeah for, um, a bit," she stammered. Rei chuckled quietly. Ami shot her a look, then smirked. "I know we shouldn't have but…"

"I know," Rei sighed. "It's easier said than done, I guess." Ami mumbled agreement and the two of them settled into easy silence. Rei leaned forward slightly and was stunned by the sight in front of her. The sun was looming ahead of them, huge and blinding. She sat back quickly.

She blinked several times, waiting for her vision to return to normal. "Sorry, I meant to warn you about that," Ami said apologetically. "The pilot is wearing special glasses. Just don't look out the window until we're inside the sphere." She drew the shade behind her and Rei followed suit.

"Sphere?" Rei asked, keeping her eyes on the smaller girl.

Ami nodded. "We're too close to the sun for most of the year, so eight hundred years ago or so, the ancient scientists created the spheres. They're a series of shields that protect our cities and regulate life support by…"

She seemed to notice the increasingly blank stare, because she trailed off with a small smile. "It's complicated," she said instead, "but essentially, it keeps everyone safe and living comfortably."

"What would happen if it wasn't there?" Rei asked after a moment. After all, she'd never heard of such a thing and the other planets didn't seem to need anything like that.

"Since there's hardly any atmosphere left on Mercury after all these years, everyone would probably die," Ami answered matter-of-factly. "At least, in theory."

"Huh," was all Rei could respond with. She was glad she'd been raised on Mars.

"We're entering the air lock, your Highness," the pilot informed them. "We'll be touching down in the north-east sector in seven minutes."

"Is it safe to look yet?" Rei wondered. She was now intensely curious about this strange planet. Ami laughed and nodded. She shifted so she could see around his seat. Frowning, she moved forward to get a better view. All she could see was lights. Thousands of lights spreading out in every direction.

She sat back and peeked around the blind behind her instead. Far in the distance, the edge of the sun was just visible on the horizon. It looked much larger than it should. She pressed her forehead against the glass to look up. The sky was shimmering in waves. It looked more like the surface of a dark lake. "What…?" she breathed.

She felt Ami press next to her. "That's the sphere," she explained. "The waves are harder to see from the ground. There are too many lights."

Rei nodded, momentarily lost for words. It was amazing. Indescribable. Suddenly she wished Minako was there, so she could share the incredible sight. She turned and sat back in her seat.

"Are you alright?" Ami asked quietly, sitting next to her.

"I just wish Minako could see this," she admitted.

"I know," Ami sighed and sat back. "I've told Makoto about this so many times, I wish I could show her…" They were quiet until the craft shuddered slightly, indicating that they'd landed.

When she stepped out, the first thing Rei noticed was the heat. The air felt thick it was so muggy, and she immediately broke out into a sweat under her heavy armor. The second thing she registered was the noise. There was a steady low hum, mechanical whirring and clicking, and the occasional roar of an engine. Rei gripped her sword hilt tightly, adjusting to the change.

Then she looked around and her jaw dropped. All around her were impossibly tall, shiny buildings. Many of them stretched so far that their tops disappeared into the rapidly darkening sky. "Wow…"

"Neat, isn't it?" Ami commented cheerfully. "This is the largest and most populated city on the planet. Come on, the train's this way," she added, nudging the stunned soldier.

Rei followed close behind Ami, keeping her eyes on the smaller girl's back. Her rifle was resting comfortably over her light blue cloak, and its presence was a small comfort. They arrived at a station that was crowded with people. Rei pressed even closer to the other girl, trying not to lose her.

They stepped onto a vehicle of some sort, sitting atop a set of metal rails. There were no empty seats, but there were leathery loops hanging from the ceiling. Ami casually grasped one and Rei followed suit. Suddenly the ground lurched and nearly threw Rei to the floor.

"What happened?" she hissed, gripping her loop tightly with both hands.

"We're moving," Ami said calmly. "The palace is five stops away." Rei grumbled to herself, casting an eye around to see how everyone else had reacted. To her annoyance, no one seemed to have noticed. It lurched again and she tilted precariously, still holding the loop for dear life. Several people left and several more entered, giving her pensive looks as they passed. She considered commenting to them, but the vehicle lurched again and she devoted her attention to staying on her feet.

She was starting to feel slightly ill by the time Ami announced that they'd reached their destination. Rei staggered to the exit and watched as the vehicle shot off down the rails a moment later. "Never again," she muttered to herself.

She turned away from the rails and found herself next to a small courtyard. The grass was short and almost too green. She stepped off the path and knelt to examine it. She ran her fingers over it, and found it unnaturally stiff and bristly. She grasped a few blades and tugged but they stayed firmly rooted in the ground. "What the…"

"It's not real grass," Ami said, observing over her shoulder. "The spheres are equipped with life support systems, so actual plant life isn't required. It's just for aesthetic purposes."

Rei decided to take her word for it. She stood up and glanced around again. "So, which way?"

Ami led them up a path toward a huge square building. It was shiny and many stories high, with countless windows. "This is the royal palace," Ami said, gesturing up at it.

Rei tilted her head back to take in the whole thing. "Built for function more than form, huh?"

Ami chuckled lightly. "I suppose the architects thought the fake grass was enough to look at. Until I came to the Moon, I didn't think anything of it." When they reached the door, Ami approached a kiosk that had a screen and keyboard on it. She typed something in and the doors slid open silently. So far, the palace was more eerie than impressive.

They stopped just inside the doors as a short man with gray streaking his blue hair approached them. "Welcome back Princess," he said quickly. "Welcome Queen Mars." He bowed stiffly to her before turning back the way he'd come. "We've prepared your quarters, and once you're settled I'll escort you to the reception chamber."

"Thank you," Ami said politely, following behind. Rei followed behind, intrigued despite her confusion. He brought them to a suite of rooms and left with the promise of returning in twenty minutes. "So," Ami said once they were alone, "What do you think?"

Rei shrugged and walked through the area. Two bedrooms, a bath, and a small living room. The walls were a stark white and the floors were covered in rough blue-gray carpet. "It's fine," she answered vaguely. "We're not staying very long, right?"

Ami laughed, causing her to turn back to the other girl in confusion. "Things like comfort and décor aren't high on the list of priorities here. You should see the library, though…" Her voice took on a dreamy quality.

Rei raised an eyebrow at her, then turned into the closest bedroom. She set her travel pack on the bed and returned to the main room. Ami had disappeared into the other room, so she moved to stand by the window. From here, she could see the sky above the buildings. It still looked a little like rippling water, but not as noticeable as before.

Her hand flew to her sword hilt when someone knocked on the door. Ami emerged and strode forward to let in the man from earlier. Rei forced herself to relax as they talked quietly. Ami turned to her, frowning. "Your troops have just left Venus, with whatever refugees they could pick up," she informed her heavily. "Apparently they only suffered minimal casualties."

Rei bit her lip as she digested this information. "Now what?"

Ami sighed. "They're requesting our presence in the meeting room. We're about to set off the seismic generators. Whoever is left on that planet will be dead in a few hours."

-Minako-

Minako sighed contentedly and snuggled deeper into the pile of cushions. However flawed her people were, there were some things that they'd gotten perfectly. She played her feet lazily through the cool water, feeling completely at ease.

"Minako." She cracked her eyes open to see Makoto passing a bottle to her. She took it gratefully and drank deeply. Then she leaned forward enough to pass it to Serenity, who was lounging on her other side.

"Thanks," she giggled, taking the bottle. "I can't believe that this is what you've been doing every day, Minako," she scolded lightly before taking a drink. They'd been lounging at the cold pool for hours. Several performers had come and gone, keeping them entertained. Once they'd heard about Princess Serenity's generous tipping habits, they'd all wanted a turn.

"I wonder if they're there yet," Makoto commented, tilting her head back to watch the sky.

"How long does it take to get there?" Serenity asked. Her words were just beginning to slur together.

"I think Ami said three or four hours with the courier," Makoto responded, waving her hand vaguely in front of her.

"Mmm, where'd that cheese plate go?" Serenity sat up and blinked several times before looking around.

Minako smiled and closed her eyes again. If that was right, they'd have been on Mercury for several hours already. They were scheduled to arrive back on the Moon early tomorrow. Maybe we can go meet them at the port in the morning, Minako thought sleepily. Her mind wandered to the day before. I miss kissing Rei… Among other things… She felt a wicked grin forming on her lips.

"Thinking dirty thoughts?" Makoto inquired, chuckling lightly.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Minako giggled, not bothering to open her eyes. She drifted off to sleep imagining warm arms wrapped around her…

"Makoto!"

She sat up quickly, looking for the source of the shout. There was a buzz of static and Ami's voice returned. "Minako! Can… hear me?" She jumped to her feet and ran to where she'd set her belt. Makoto was digging frantically in her pile of cushions.

"What's wrong?" Serenity cried, staring around in panic.

Minako ignored her as she wrestled her communicator from her belt. She pressed the light blue button. "Ami? It's Minako. What's wrong?"

Makoto and Serenity crowded close to her, their own communicators gripped tightly. "Ami are you there?" she tried again when there was no response.

There was a moment of static then Ami's disjointed voice came through. "…out of range… tell Queen Sere… an attack"

Minako shook the communicator in frustration. "Are you alright? I can barely hear you!"

"…the sphere… crack… tell the Queen…"

She looked up at Makoto, whose emerald eyes were wide in shock. "There's been an attack there?" she said in a choked whisper. "How is that possible, I thought they were scanning for those things."

"We should find my mother," Serenity said tearfully. "They might be in danger."

They're under attack and we're just standing here! The thought ripped through Minako's brain and her head shot up. "Go to the palace," she ordered them. "I'm going to the hospital. It's closer and I can call the Queen from there. We'll meet up after."

They nodded and started the agonizingly slow walk back. She knew Makoto couldn't run in her condition, but she could still protect Serenity if she needed to. Minako turned and picked up her sword belt, buckling it on as she started sprinting toward the village. Her shoes were still by the pool, but she barely noticed her bare feet pounding against the hard, uneven ground. Her only thought was Rei.

It seemed to take forever to reach the hospital building. People shot her confused looks as she threw the doors open and looked around frantically. A blue haired woman stood at a reception desk, watching her curiously. She ran up and tried to catch her breath.

"Can I help you with something?" the woman asked in a voice of practiced calm.

"I need to contact the royal palace," she shouted, "There's been an attack!"

The woman's dark blue eyes widened. "Certainly, follow me," she said as she hurried down a side hall. They entered a room with several other Mercurians lounging around a table. She ignored them as she rushed up to a computer much like Ami's. She typed something in, then stepped back. "Go ahead, the channel's open."

Minako stepped up to it hesitantly. "Hello?" she said tentatively.

A white cat appeared on the screen, looking confused. "Minako? What's wrong?"

"Artemis, thank the gods," she cried in relief. "There's been an attack. Ami just called me. Where's the Queen?"

Artemis stared at her in shock, then shook his head quickly and disappeared. "I'll go get her," his voice informed her.

She stood uncertainly, staring at the scene of an empty room until the screen went dark. Then she lifted her communicator and pressed the button. "Ami?" There was no response. "Ami are you there?" She swallowed heavily and stared at the small device.

It buzzed to life and she almost dropped it in surprise. "…okay for now… Mina…"

"Rei! Rei are you alright?" She didn't know whether to laugh or cry as her heart flooded with relief at hearing the low, familiar voice.

"…a crack… on our way to… we'll call…" Then it went silent again.

Tears were clouding her vision when the large screen in front of her flickered to life again. However, it wasn't the Queen she was facing, it was Luna and Lady Pluto.

"Venus, what's happening?" Luna demanded.

"Ami called me, there's been an attack on Mercury. She wanted us to tell the Queen." She choked back a sob and continued. "They just called me back, so I think they're okay for now. They said something about a crack."

She heard shuffling behind her and several blue haired healers crowded close to her. "Did you say that Mercury's been attacked?" one of them demanded. She nodded tearfully, keeping her eyes on the screen.

"Minako, listen to me," Setsuna said slowly. "Come back to the palace immediately. Where are Makoto and Serenity?"

She vaguely registered that Lady Pluto was using their real names and it caused her panic to increase. "They're on their way to you already. How bad is it? Will they be okay?"

She saw them exchange a look. "Just hurry back to the palace, we'll talk once you get here," Luna said soothingly. Before Minako could respond, the screen went black.

"Hello? Luna?" she cried harder and slammed her fist on the keyboard. "Damn it, answer me!" She dropped to her knees, sobbing with her forehead on the edge of table.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Young lady," a man said gently. She was pulled to her feet and deposited in a chair. "Drink this." He pressing a glass into her hand.

She obeyed automatically, the cool water flowing comfortingly down her throat. She scrubbed at her eyes and looked at the pack of healers around her. "I have to get back to the palace," she said weakly, setting the empty glass on the table.

"Your feet are bleeding," an older woman said softly. "Let's get you patched up first. There's nothing you can do from the Moon, anyway." She nodded, past the point of resisting. Only one thought was in her head. Rei. Rei is being attacked and I can't help her. She's stuck in a strange place, in danger, without me. She felt the tears start again and swiped irritable at them. Instead she focused in the sharp pain of whatever they'd just poured into the cuts on her feet. She watched numbly as they wrapped bandages around them, then slipped loose white shoes over them.

"So, what did your friend say happened?" one of them asked, once she had calmed slightly.

"I couldn't hear all of it," she admitted. "I think we're too far away. She said there'd been an attack and something about a crack… and a spear?" She hadn't been able to make sense of what Ami had told her, but it had seemed important. Maybe the creatures were armed with spears? That would make them more dangerous, I suppose…

"Are you sure that's what she said?" The younger man asked tensely. She looked up at him in confusion and nodded. Several people gasped. "That's impossible," he whispered. The older woman sat heavily in a chair opposite her.

"What does it mean?" Minako asked hesitantly. "Do they have weapons now?"

"Weapons?" he repeated blankly. Then he seemed to realize what she meant. "Not spears, spheres. The life support spheres of our planet. If one of them is cracking…"

"How could that have possibly happened?" someone else asked.

"Why would they make up something like that?" someone else countered. "We need to try to contact them."

"Can you do that?" Minako asked quickly. The receptionist nodded quickly and moved to the computer she'd just used. "Alright," Minako stood up again, "Try to contact someone. If you find out anything, contact the Lunar palace immediately. I'll let them know to have someone standing by." She started out the door, then stopped and turned back to them. "Thank you."

-Ami-

Ami stared numbly around her. The room they were in wasn't huge, but the numerous large computer screens made it feel that way. Rei was standing quietly next to her, staring at one a little to their left. In the bottom corner in large print was the word 'Venus'. The screen was split, the top half showing an energy scan similar to what they'd seen of Jupiter. Bright red dots were milling around on the map, but they were moving much slower than they had before. The reason for this was shown on the bottom half of the screen. It showed a satellite image of the surface of the planet. It was updated every three minutes, so it currently showed the area around the royal city. A splotch of black was covering most of the city with a hint of bright red in its center.

She tore her eyes away and looked at the other screens instead. One showed the ruins of Uranus. It appeared that most of the cities had already started to disappear into the sand, only bits and pieces of taller buildings were visible. Neptune was much the same, except the cities were slowly being washed away instead of buried. No one was left of either planet except the Princesses and a handful of refugees on the Moon.

She noticed that no one was watching those two screens. The screen of Mars had also been deserted. A single chair sat forlornly in front of it. The image showed an overhead view of a rusty red landscape and dark buildings. The scans confirmed that there was nothing left on the red planet, no people or monsters.

She scowled at the Earth screen, not bothering to study it. Half a dozen technicians were carefully monitoring the situation, anyway. Instead she let her gaze continue to wander, stopping briefly on Mercury. Everyone near that screen had turned to watch the destruction of Venus.

She was about to turn back as well, when something caught her eye. She frowned slightly and took a few steps closer. There was so much activity on these screens that she wasn't sure if she'd even really seen it. Not only did the scans of her home planet show dark energy, they also showed tracking devices, trains and transports, and a number of other things. Then she saw it again and gasped.

Rei was by her side in an instant. "What's wrong?" she demanded, eyes darting around the room.

Ami grabbed her wrist and pulled her along as she strode up to the Mercury screens. She waited, studying it intently. "There!" She cried, pointing to the map readout. A point of blood red was flickering in and out of visibility as other colors overlapped it.

The attendants turned back hastily as her yell got their attention. "Filter out everything but the dark energy scans," she snapped to the nearest technician. He hastily scooted forward to obey the command. As he typed, different colors on the map winked out of existence. The pale green of Persons of Interest. The light purple of the trains. The light blue of inter-sphere communications. As each color disappeared, one became increasingly visible across the city. Red.

Her eyes flew over the map, studying where the creatures were. Most of them were moving in the same direction. "They're following the train tracks," she murmured almost to herself, "There's more in the industrial district. Where are they all going…"

Rei growled softly beside her. "It looks like they're headed toward that big thing to the south," she said close to Ami's ear, pointing.

Ami narrowed her eyes and followed Rei's finger. "Plot the courses of one in sector 23A, one in 17C, and one in 8F," she said sharply. "Triangulate the common point." She waited, hardly daring to breath as the technicians typed furiously. Suddenly straight green lines appeared through three of the red dots. They intersected directly on top of the building Rei had pointed to.

Her mother gasped sharply from behind her. "Send all available guards to the industrial district," she said in a surprisingly calm tone. "Pack up any equipment that is easily transportable, particularly the scanners. Radio ahead to the ports, tell them to ready the fleet."

People scurried from the room to do her bidding. "Your Majesty," a young technician approached her hesitantly. Ami turned to watch him as well. "Most of the fleet isn't here. They're on their way to the Moon from Venus."

The Queen shot a scathing look at Rei. "Then call them back!" she shouted. "Call them back and have everyone deplane when they arrive and send them-"

"No!" Ami yelled over her. She stepped between them, but she addressed the tech instead of her mother. "Radio the port and have them call all available ships to the city," she said firmly. "Then call the other ships and tell them to return immediately, but only after the Martian army and Venusian survivors are safely back on the Moon."

He narrowed his eyes in undisguised contempt at the Queen, before turning to Ami. "Yes, your Highness." He bowed deeply to her and fled the room.

"How dare you," her mother snarled, taking a step closer to you. "How dare you usurp my authority in such a situation."

Ami felt fury rising within her. "How dare I? How dare you!" She moved so she and her mother were face to face. "Are we really such a cowardly and self-absorbed people? You were about to sacrifice the lives of all of those people! Those people have been fighting and dying to help the people of the Empire! What have any of us done that we deserve to live more than them?"

"Those people are barbarians!" Her mother screamed. "Just because you've lowered yourself-"

Ami didn't realize she'd slapped her until the sting of her palm registered in her brain. She opened her mouth but couldn't think of a single thing to say. She shook her head sadly, met her mother's angry gaze briefly, then turned and walked away.

As soon as the door closed behind her, she started running. "We need to get our things and get out of here," she called over her shoulder to Rei. "They're going toward the Industrial district, to the power center. We can't let those monsters reach it."

She sprinted into her room and threw her pack over her shoulder. Quickly she sheathed her knives and picked up her rifle. When she came out, Rei was hastily stringing her bow. A quiver of arrows hung at her hip next to her knife. She straightened, pulled the string slightly to check it, then nodded once.

"Follow me; stay close." They wound through the corridors, pausing occasionally to check for any potential threats. When they finally exited the palace, Ami heard Rei gasp. Hitting the hot night air was like running into a wall. Even she wasn't used to it any more. She slowed their pace, mentally going over the map from earlier. "They were on the tracks," she said softly as she heard a train approaching. She debated, then turned away from the boarding station. "The scans showed full dots rather than fragments so they must be in their shadow form. I don't know how much safer we'll be on foot."

Rei didn't say anything, but she could hear the girl's slightly ragged breathing behind her. Ami stopped several blocks away, considering the different routes. They weren't far from the industrial district. "Most of the factories and warehouses are the same size," she muttered, thinking out loud. "If we can't stop them it's a fairly straight shot to the port…" Making up her mind, she turned to the nearest building.

"Come on, we're going up," she said as she slung her rifle onto her back again. Rei nodded, still panting from the thick air. She climbed carefully onto a trash compactor and jumped from it to a low hanging ladder. From there she went up the two flights of the fire escape and emerged on the roof. Rei staggered up next to her and bent over slightly, clutching a stitch in her side.

She looked around, considering. The buildings here were about the same height and no more than six feet apart. Mercurians valued uniformity more than aesthetics. In theory, she reminded herself, grimacing. But it's the best chance we have of seeing them in time.

She started forward at a jog and jumped to the next building without difficulty. Rei didn't even hesitate as she did the same, landing lightly beside her. They moved from rooftop to rooftop, sometimes without trouble and other times stumbling painfully. Finally, the power center was in sight. The many lights of the city illuminated the streets, but they appeared to be deserted. She stared down intently, waiting. Then a shadow passed below a street light. A shadow that wasn't being cast by anything as it slid along the ground past them.

"Come on," she breathed, straightening and continuing along the path. They reached the edge of the last building before the power center. The center itself was a huge building with masses of wires spreading out from it in all directions. It was at the very edge of the city and the shimmering waves of the sphere were just visible behind it. She looked down desperately as she raised her rifle to her shoulder.

Rei dropped to one knee beside her and knocked an arrow. She pulled the string three quarters and waited. Ami saw a shadow slide into view and as it approached the building it rose up from the ground. Just as it had formed a head and shoulders a sharp twang sounded beside her. In the same moment, feathers sprouted in its neck. It screamed in agony then fell forward and lay still.

Several more slid to the spot where the first had fallen. She waited until one started to rise and squeezed the trigger. A flash of light illuminated the ground as it was splattered against its fellows. She shot again and again. Her ears were ringing slightly and she almost couldn't hear the twang of Rei's bowstring. She could only see the monsters falling one by one, either with arrows sticking in them or gaping holes on their bodies.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed there, she was only aware that the street below was littered with black corpses. Then, a long wailing cry echoed through the night. She saw the creature making the sound and obliterated it.

"Shit," Rei whispered beside her. "It saw us." She glanced over to see Rei fire her last arrow into a monster approaching the door of the power center. There was a slap of leather as the Martian drew her sword and knife and stood.

"What are you doing?" Ami hissed, turning to the other girl.

"It saw us," Rei repeated, turning away from the building they were defending. Ami followed her gaze and gasped. Three of the creatures had materialized behind them and were slowly advancing.

She raised her rifle and fired at the center one. It staggered back, but didn't fall. "What…?" She looked down at the weapon and her breath caught. "I'm out of power," she gasped. She slung the now useless rifle over her back and drew her long knives.

She and Rei stood shoulder to shoulder, braced for the attack. Then a strange sound reached her ears. A swift snap and a twang, almost like Rei's bowstring. Slowly she turned toward the source of the sound and she froze. One by one, the power lines were snapping on a transformer and it was tilting toward the power center. "Don't try to fight them, just get past," she whispered urgently to Rei. "We need to get off the roof." Rei nodded and crouched slightly. "Now!" she shouted.

They sprinted at the creatures, ducking around them at the last second. She felt one graze her arm and threw herself forward. She rolled slightly and struggled back to her feet, ignoring the burning pain near her elbow. She saw Rei leap the gap in front of her and stop. Ami jumped, but didn't have enough momentum to get all the way across. There was a dull clang as her armored chest hit the edge and she scrabbled desperately at the flat rooftop. Rei was on her knees in an instant. There was a clatter as she dropped her weapons and caught her by the wrists. Ami's elbow screamed in protest as she was dragged over the edge but she ignored it.

She reclaimed her knives the moment she was over and struggled to her feet. A loud groan of metal signaled the fall of the transformer, even though she couldn't see it behind the creatures that were approaching from the next roof. "Get down!" she cried, dropping and pulling Rei with her.

She threw her arms over her head and closed her eyes. Through her eyelids she saw the bright white light a second before the sound of the power center exploding reached her. The force of the explosion blew over them, throwing them perilously close to the opposite edge of the roof. A split second after they'd lifted their heads, a deafening crack echoed around them. It was so loud, it shook the building underneath them. She twisted to look behind her and gaped. A bright blue crack had appeared in the wall of the sphere. It was sparking ominously and slowly spreading upward.

"No," she breathed. She struggled to her feet and turned to Rei, who was staring at the crack in confusion. "We've got to get back to the port!"

She ran to the edge of the building and looked down. She could barely see from the dim glow of the emergency back-up lights, but she spotted a fire escape off to their right. She sprinted down it, bypassing the ladder to drop down to the street. The impact was jarring but there was no time to stop. As soon as Rei was next to her, she started toward the port.

"What should we do?" Rei panted as they emerged from the dim alley. "Do you think they realize what's happened?"

"I don't have time to get my computer out," Ami responded, keeping her eyes focused ahead. She was mostly going off memory since she couldn't see anything outside of the small pools of emergency lights. They rounded a corner onto a wider road and Ami thought desperately as she ran. They need to know the sphere is cracking. We have to evacuate the city, but there's no way to communicate with- She gave a strangled cry of triumph as she slipped her communicator from her belt. She pressed the center button, praying that one of them would answer.

"Makoto!" she yelled, not breaking stride. There was no response so she tried again. "Minako, can any of you hear me?" she cried desperately.

She held it tightly, waiting. Up ahead she could see the dark outline of the palace. She veered left, toward the space port. "Ami… Minako…" came the broken response, surrounded by static.

She gave a short laugh. "They can hear us! Just barely, but they can!"

"… you there?"

Ami hastily pressed the button again. "I know we're out of range, but if you get this tell Queen Serenity there's been an attack!" They skidded to a halt at a dark intersection. She turned to Rei, panting heavily. "The port's up there. We can either take the stairs to the train or-"

"…Alright? I can barely…"

She hastily pressed the button again. "Listen, the sphere is cracking! You've got to tell the Queen!" She lowered it and looked around frantically. "Follow me, the trains won't be working."

They ran down the street to a crisscrossing ramp that ascended to the upper levels of the city. She could barely breath as she struggled back and forth up the ramp. It seemed to take forever to reach the top and when they did, they were forced to stop and recover for a moment. She leaned on the railing and looked back. The entire city was blacked out, the dots of back-up lights didn't help when looking down at the tall city. In contrast, without the lights, the waves of the sphere were clearly visible. The only evidence that the crack was there came from the occasional flash of blue sparks. She had no idea how much time they had before the differences in pressure caused the entire dome to collapse. She didn't want to devote any thought to the question.

Her communicator crackled with static, but no other sound could be heard. Ami stared at it, still gasping for breath. A moment later the static sound returned. "Ami… there?"

Rei took the device from her unresisting fingers. "We're okay for now, don't worry Mina just call the Queen." Rei's chest was still heaving from the run, but her voice was surprisingly steady.

"Rei! Rei…"

The Martian smiled softly at the device in her hand. "Mina we're okay but there's a crack in the sphere thing. We're on our way to the port and we'll call once we're on a ship." She handed it back to Ami, who clipped in back onto her belt.

"Alright, ready?" Ami met the determined amethyst eyes and smiled. Rei smiled back and nodded. They resumed the run, trying to pace themselves for the remaining distance. They had to stop several more times before they reached the port. It was clogged with people who were milling in panic.

Ami stared around desperately for a moment. "Your Highness!" someone shouted. She turned and saw the same young technician from earlier. He bowed hastily then caught her hand. "Are you alright? You're bleeding."

"We're fine," she panted. "The sphere is cracking."

"We know," he answered as he led them both forward. "We received a transmission from the Moon about thirty five minutes ago. Come on, there's a transport waiting."

"What about everyone else?" she demanded weakly. She felt close to collapsing from their run. "Have you started evacuations?"

He nodded, still tugging her forward. "Yes, your Highness. Several people volunteered to stay behind and operate the air locks from the generators in the palace."

Ami stared at the back of his head. "What?"

"Since the main power is out," he explained hurriedly, "We can't operate the locks from here. Several people volunteered to operate them so we can get the ships out, and so they can lock the channels between spheres."

Ami's mind raced. Not that many people know how to do that, she thought desperately. "Who?" she asked hoarsely, even though part of her already knew the answer. The sorrowful look he gave her confirmed her suspicion.

He ushered her onto a transport and bowed again before disappearing back into the crowd. She leaned heavily against the wall for a moment, then straightened and strode down the short hallway. This style of ship had rows of seats all facing the same direction. It had a small medical station and kitchen, but no private rooms. It was designed to carry as many people as possible.

She found two empty seats near the back and sat down heavily. Rei unclasped her bow from her back, then collapsed beside her, wheezing slightly. She balanced the weapon between her feet, resting against one knee. "Who was it?" she asked softly.

Ami glanced over at her, then down at the rifle sitting in her lap. She set it on its end beside her before speaking. "My mother. She's one of the only ones who knows how to run the equipment. I just can't believe she would do something like that…" she finished in a whisper.

"People can surprise you," Rei said gently. She placed a hand over hers and Ami gratefully leaned against her, laying her head on her shoulder. As the ship lifted off, Rei shifted slightly and brought her communicator to her mouth. "Mina, we're coming home," she said. She dropped it into her lap and Ami felt Rei rest her cheek lightly on top of her head. She cuddled against the soft crimson cloak and closed her eyes. Almost immediately, she fell asleep.