Cyber Moon: Chronicles.
Act 3: Dark Kingdom.
Episode 29: The Calm Before the Storm.
By Razor Knight
Last update: February 5, 2007
A few hours after the battle, the Senshi were all back to their human forms, and gathering at the Zephyr mansion. Minako and Brad were also there, and had just finished telling the others their story.
"So you were around before everyone else?" Usagi asked.
"As far as I know..." Minako admitted.
"There's also the U.S. group we heard about, but news about them stopped around one week ago," Brad commented. "Rumors I heard on the net point out they got rid of their enemies there, so they had no reason to stay. It makes sense, as the youma attacks in the States also stopped."
Luna nodded. "We don't really know who they are, or if they're coming here to help. However, the youma are focusing all their efforts here, so we should prepare for another battle like the one you fought today."
"Yay..." Usagi muttered. "This just gets funnier and funnier."
"You're being sarcastic," Luna said. "That's a bad omen."
"We need to polish our melee skills," Naru said, then looked at Rei and Mako. "Well, most of us, anyway."
"I could train you in that one field," Terry said. He wasn't still done dealing with his own thoughts, but he could put them aside for the time being.
"You?" Rei asked. "I doubt we could get good training out of someone who seems to love getting hurt."
Terry smirked as he leapt off the chair he was sitting on and swung his fist at Rei, stopping milimeters away from her face. "This is when you fall."
"Why didn't you dodge that?" Minako asked.
"I... I didn't have any time to react," Rei said. "Guess I underestimated your skills."
"You're not a bad fighter, Rei... But you rely on your magic too much. Same as everyone else."
"But where will we train... I mean, if we want to train our powers too," Naru pointed.
"That'd be tricky," Terry admitted. "Let me see what I can find."
Back in the Dark Kingdom, meanwhile, Beryl was giving her Generals a death glare after hearing their report. "It's simply impossible," she said. "You've failed, all of you..."
"I gave the order to retreat..."
"Silence, Kunzite," the Queen snapped. "We also lost Luminite, which means we're weakened."
"That was her own fault," Nephrite pointed. "She was too obsessed with killing that ninja kid, and that obsession was her doom."
"Queen Beryl, I have a new plan," Aurite said.
"I'm listening."
"The Senshi seem to be stronger when grouped. A single Senshi hardly poses a threat, so if we could divide them..."
"And how exactly would we do that?" Beryl asked.
"Easy... We need to target several areas of the city, at the same time, and with enough distance between them, so whichever Senshi decides to go to a single area won't be able to get help from the others."
"There's more Senshi than Generals right now," Kunzite noted.
"I know. So, this time around we'll use more youma, to keep both Senshi and sidekicks entertained."
Beryl fell silent for a minute, before she nodded at Aurite. "I'll authorize the use of as much energy as you need for this. However... We're running out of time, Metallia needs to awaken soon, and for that, we need most of the energy we have. But if Metallia was to come out of her sleep now, she wouldn't be able to face the Senshi. We need to kill as many of them as possible, and get the rest of the Ginzuishou shards. Do not fail again."
"We won't," Aurite said.
"I heard that before," Beryl noted. "But make sure you've recovered from today's battle, I don't want any more casualties."
Three days had passed since he'd gotten his revenge. He still had to help the others, but he wasn't in the mood to see them. So, he'd spent the last three days mostly in the mansion, thinking about the past and his future here in Japan.
"Well, well, look who's here..."
Terry looked up at his father from the chair he was sitting on. "Wow. You're not working, that's a rarity."
Jack ignored the jab. "Sam wanted me to check on you, said you were acting like the week after Hana died."
Terry looked down. "You know, I finally got my revenge. I killed the bitch who killed Hana."
"And you realized it won't solve a thing," Jack guessed.
Terry nodded. "Pretty much, killing her didn't bring Hana back. Also, now that I'm done with it... I still have all this rage inside, but don't know what to do with it. I'm scared I'll end up taking it out on my friends."
"Use it against those demons."
"I suppose I could do that."
"And, don't fear falling in love again," Jack said.
"Huh?"
"I've talked to your friends, too. One of them told me about you and Mizuno."
Terry scowled. "Mako..."
Jack laughed. "She also said you'd guess that."
"Ami... She's shy, smart, and nice, but she avoids anything related to love and romance, from what I've seen."
"Your mother had the same traits," Jack noted. "It took me a while to tell her, too."
Terry flinched. "I don't know, it's too soon, I mean, Hana..."
Jack shook his head. "That's good, keep on making excuses."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are. Do you think Hana would like to see you like this, locked up inside and hiding from your fears?"
Terry fell silent for a minute before answering. "I guess not."
"You've already dealt with that part of your past, son," Jack said as he walked out of the room. "Don't let it control you."
"Your project was a failure."
The scientist looked at the woman almost dismissively. "It was not. I did not know of the Senshi's ability to upgrade their own power, and that caused my creature's destruction, but I have learnt something new. And frankly, my pets are easily replaceable. Only thing I need to build a new one is time."
"What about your other project?"
"Her body is ready, but her mind is... Rebellious. Quite a given, considering what her powers are."
"Be careful, I don't want her to go wild and turn against us."
"I wonder, though, what would your boss think if she knew what you are planning?"
"She won't ever know, she's too busy fighting a losing battle to bother checking our loyalty."
"You have done your part in that losing battle, right?"
The woman's glare seemed to pierce through his skull. "Careful, human. You know I could kill you on the spot if I wanted to."
"But you will not, as I am far more useful alive."
"That's true. Just try not to become more of an annoyance than you should."
The scientist turned back to his work as the woman left the room. Indeed, she was right, and he knew it. He'd have no way to escape should she decide to destroy him. But she was financing his experiments, and that was making the risks worth taking.
Terry had decided to go for a walk, to clear his mind. However, he noticed someone following him, and his stalker kept on tracking him for several blocks. Finally, he stopped and turned to face a very surprised red-haired girl. "I thought I said I didn't want you doing that."
Chie grimaced. "Sorry, I just saw you and decided to tell you something, but you looked too... Downcast, so I wasn't sure it was a good time."
Terry's face took on a curious hint. "You could say that. What did you want to tell me?"
"I was wondering, I know we all acted a bit crazy the last few days, but... I don't want you to hate me for that. I was wondering if we could start from zero."
"Hate? Don't worry, I've taken care of the only person I hated."p Chie's eyes widened. "You mean you..."
"I know the rumors, and they're mostly right. But now that I'm done with that, I know it won't bring Hana back. 'Downcast' doesn't quite describe how I feel."
"You should tell your friends, if you haven't already. I'm sure they can find a way to keep you out of the gloom."
"Everyone tells me I need to get out of the gloom, but I like the gloom. It's a fun place to be in."
"That grim face doesn't fit you," Chie noted. "Besides, I don't think Mizuno likes the scowly types."
Terry stared at her for a few seconds, then groaned. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not really. Remember I thought Kino was the one at first."
Terry laughed at that, then grimaced. "Well, I have to go now. Just remembered I left something important back at my house."
Chie looked at him as he hurriedly walked away, then started walking in the opposite direction. "Karin was right, no need to hurry things up. Now for..." She stopped as she saw a Senshi flying several meters over the buildings around her. "Strange, didn't know they could fly... On surfboards?"
Dragon Mercury produced his communicator as he fled. "Guys, I'm picking up several signals. There's youma all around the city."
"I'm feeling them too," Mars said. "You got their location?"
The blonde nodded. "They're attacking at six different parts of the city, and each attack's far from the others."
"It's a trap. They want us to split and fight them," Ace said.
Mercury nodded. "I noticed something in our last battle. From the moment Venus showed up, we all had a small yet noticeable upgrade in our battle abilities, most likely meaning we fight better when grouped."
"They must've noticed it too," her male counterpart guessed. "So, what'll we do?"
"We go, we fight them, and we make them run away," Moon said.
"Where's ol'scared Usagi?" Mars mused.
"I'm still scared, but I won't let them drain innocent people without a fight."
"You're a bad influence on her, Terry" Nemesis noted.
"Oh, so now it's my fault?" Dragon Mercury muttered.
Mars shook her head. "Let's just go before they get bored of waiting. "
"Brad and me will get Kunzite," Venus said.
"I'll go get Zoicite," Mercury said.
The Dragon nodded. "I'll help you."
"I'll face Nephrite" Nemesis said. "I'll try talking some sense into his thick skull one last time."
Moon nodded. "Okay... Mars, get Jadeite. Jupiter, go for Cardite. I'll fight Aurite."
"Sounds fun," Mars muttered.
"You sure you can handle her?" Jupiter asked.
"Don't worry, I'll be okay," Moon said with a smile. 'I hope, '
A/N: You could, with a bit of imagination, guess who 'the scientist' is allied with. The scene foreshadows two future arcs of the story, but that's all I'm saying for now.
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is a creation of Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank her for creating that universe for me to write about.
