SMST: Hero Initiative! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: "Sailor Moon", Ranma ½", "Star Trek", DC/Marvel Comics and other genres belong to the respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Special note: This is a companion piece to "SMST: Journey to Mystery" and "SMST: The Village Hidden in the Moon".
Part 36
Meanwhile…
Lady Shazam and Sailor Mercury journeyed a bit until they say some sort of sinkhole in the middle of a near-wooded area.
"We're here," Lady Shazam says, as she and Sailor Mercury lands.
"Are you sure?" Sailor Mercury says, as she scans the area with her "Mercury Computer". "I'm getting some weird readings…"
Lady Shazam points to the mouth of the cave. There, strewn about, were desiccated corpses.
"Yeah, I think I'm sure…"
Lady Shazam conjures her staff, and-
THWACK!
The crystal on top of the staff begins to glow.
"Now remember, each tribe of the Changing Breed have their own ways of dealing with people. Were-spiders are congenial…until they decide that you make a tasty meal."
"Oh. So, who are we going to see?"
"Normally, we can seek the audience of the Queen Spider 'Anansas'. Summoning her is not a problem, but, as I said, there is a protocol we have to go through. And in these parts, we have to find Anansi, the Spider-Man."
"You mean, the American superhero lives in Africa?"
"Uh, no. Anyway, the guardian of these land is Anansi, the son of Anansas."
"Um, isn't Anansas a close friend of Ranma?"
"Yeah, and WHY do you think Anansas would be a friend of Ranma?"
"Oh."
"Yep. You know, you're one of the few people I know who didn't pursue my husband."
Sailor Mercury turns away with a noticeable blush.
"Wait, you didn't...did you?"
"Well…"
"Okay, spill it."
"Now?"
"YES, now."
"Well, remember when you took Luke to train on Dagobah, while me, Han and the rest of us went to Cloud City in an attempt to escape Hoth?"
"Yes, and if I recall, Ranma was suffering from hypothermia due to being exposed to 'hard vacuum' at that time."
"That is correct, so I used my abilities as the Senshi of Mercury to treat him."
"Oh, I get it now…you warmed him up with your body."
"But it was only that one time!"
"Yeah, yeah," Lady Shazam says, as she proceeds into the cave. "Come on, let's just get this over with…"
Meanwhile…
"If these people do not stop, I will be forced to use more extreme measures," Martian-Girl says, as she rounded up more gunmen.
"HA!" Sailor Venus yells, as she threw her 'chakram'. The chakram was a round, hollowed metal Frisbee that allowed for long-term attacks.
THWACK!
The would-be bomber was knocked on his backside, as Sailor Venus' weapon flew back into her hands.
THWIP!
"I hope something happens soon-"
RRRRRRRUUUUUUMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
"What's going on?" Sailor Venus says, as she fell over from the quaking of the Earth.
Martian-Girl opens her mind to the surrounding area…
"I sense a powerful intelligence at work- Oh!"
Sailor Venus looks up.
"Rei?"
"I sense…Makoto?"
Suddenly, a large, stone column springs forth from the Earth. The wind seemingly shapes it into a stone, ebony-colored figure. As the figure forms, a huge, green serpent springs forth from the ground. When the figure is fully formed, the she lands on top of the floating serpent.
"Makoto?" Sailor Venus says. "Why are you…Black?"
Makoto smiles.
"When I am like this, I am 'Muwa', the Mother of the Orishas."
"Ohhhhhhh…"
Martian-Girl observes her transformed friend. Makoto was dressed in the ancient clothes of a native African: fine, white silks, and beads and jewelry.
"Now, I have to stop this senseless violence…"
Makoto turns to face her warring "children".
"HEAR ME, O CHILDREN OF MAN!"
THOOM!
Lightning and thunder fell from the skies. This caused all of the combatants to suddenly cease their fights, and face the Mother.
"YOU HAVE SHED YOUR BROTHER'S BLOOD FOR TOO LONG. NOW FEEL THE PAIN YOU HAVE INFLICTED UPON ONE ANOTHER…"
Suddenly, the natives see what the violence has caused. Some immediately burst into tears, while others screamed in terror. Martian-Girl, still tapping into minds of the natives, nearly feinted.
"I have you," Sailor Venus says, as she clutched her friend. She then looks up.
"Makoto! Please stop!"
"YES," Muwa says, as she took away the pain. "THOUGH I CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, KNOW THIS: SHED MORE BLOOD NEEDLESSLY, AND YOU SHALL RE-VIST THIS PAIN…"
And with that, Muwa and the serpent fades away.
'HURRY TO YOUR FRIENDS, WARRIORS,' says Muwa telepathically. "YOUR FRIENDS NEED YOU…"
"What about you?"
"I SHALL JOIN YOU SHORTLY."
"Um, okay," says Sailor Venus, as the image of a cave flashes in her mind. "Rei! Are you well?"
Martian-Girl looks up weakly.
"Yes, Mina," Martian Girl says. "We…we must hurry!"
A few minutes later…
"Dang it!" Lady Shazam says, as she struggled to free herself from the mystic webbing. In spite of her awesome strength, that strength meant nothing to the god of spiders.
"So, little goddess," Anansi says, as he begins his transformation into full spider mode. "It looks like the end is near…for you and your little friend."
Lady Shazam continued her struggles. The webbing was draining her of her powers. With very little recourse, Lady Shazam turns towards her partner.
"Sailor Mercury!" Lady Shazam called out. "Can you hear me?"
Already wrapped in a cocoon, Sailor Mercury could only struggle.
"Mmmmmph!" Sailor Mercury replied.
Anansi, now in full spider mode, creeps towards the girls.
"Now, I dine!" Anansi says, just as he pounces.
FWOOSH!
SSSSS-THWACK!
A beam of fire hits Anansi squarely into the thorax, sending the god tumbling. And then, a chakram cuts the binds that held Sailor Mercury and Lady Shazam in place.
"It's about time you two showed up," Lady Shazam says, as she retrieved her staff while noting that Martian-Girl used her heat vision, as Sailor Venus used her chakram.
"Well, it did take us longer than expected to handle the crisis," Martian-Girl says.
"Usagi, you should have seen Makoto-" Sailor Venus began to say.
"Tell me later," Lady Shazam says, as her the crescent Lunar jewel on her moon tiara glowed. "Someone put a curse of Lord Anansi, which is why he was manipulating those people."
"Then I have arrived just in time," says Sailor Jupiter, as she reappears. She now looked…normal.
Lady Shazam looks Makoto over, and could tell that her status as a primordial goddess has been fully realized.
"Okay, girls!" Lady Shazam says triumphantly. "Let's do some 'tough love' and cure the Spider-Man of his demons."
"Right!" says the other Sailor Scouts, before charging forward…
Sometime later, while Usagi was saying goodbyes, but not before releasing her Norse comrades "Frandal", "Hogun" and "Volstagg"—the legendary "Warriors Three"—from the mortal guises of Frank, Hogan and Victor respectively. With them already back in Asgard, Usagi can finish up her business at the refugee camp…as well as one other person…
"I'm…sorry for not wanting to stay, Obatala," Makoto says to the old man, as the two walk through the camp. "But…my place has been, and always will be, at the side of my friend Usagi."
"I know," Obatala replies. "But thanks to you, perhaps the Children of Man will finally get a chance to grow as a united people. And perhaps, one day, Africa will be at peace."
Meanwhile…
"So, is it true that you had SEX with MY husband?" Minako inquired.
"Mina, it was a LONG time ago," Ami says, as she finishes packing her over night bag. "And it was to save Ranma's life."
"Ha, I bet! At least I can count on Rei to not sleep with Ranma. Right, Rei?"
Rei, back to normal, turns away with a noticeable blush.
"YOU, too?"
Rei turns her head back towards her friends.
"What? It was back during the 1970s, when he and I had to retrieve a crystal from some mad scientist at this secret island base. We had to be a…convincing couple in order to get on the island. And for the record, Ranma and Usagi were legally separated, so THERE."
"Humph! Well…I bet Michiru and Haruka haven't!"
"At least, as far as WE know," Ami mutters under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing…"
And that was that.
END FLASHBACK!
THWOOM!
Thordis slammed her Mjolnir, causing the Destroyer to fall backwards. Her supernatural strength was augmented greatly augmented by her status as the present Lord of Asgard, not to mention the fact that she was already possessing supernatural strength. It was enough force to crack the armor open…
"Look out!" Daniel says, as he takes cover…after noticing that the Destroyer's armor was about to explode.
"Eeep!" Thordis says before-
BOOM!
When Thordis manages to recover from the blast, she could see tendrils of energy lancing outward from the wound Thordis had caused. The stray bolts strike at the hostages with abandon. And when the light show ends, the mortals reveal their true natures.
"Baldur?" Thordis says with amazement.
"Aye, my Lord," Baldur says. He was dressed as a Viking knight of the Early Medieval period. "Or should I call you, my Lady?"
Thordis places a hand on Baldur's shoulder.
"As long as thou call ally and friend, thou can call me what is appropriate."
She then looks around and see more Norse gods.
"Baldur, take our people back to fabled Asgard." Thordis says. "A home coming feast awaits thou."
"Aye…my Lady," Baldur says, as he and the other Norse gods bow to their liege before disappearing…save for one.
"Could this…be?" Thordis says with hesitation. She knew that sooner or later, she would have to deal with the matter that was Lady Sif, the love of Thor's life. Even when she is just Usagi, Thordis could feel the love that Thor feels for Sif. In practical terms, "Thordis" was the fusion of Thor and Usagi, and Thordis knew that such a state was permanent. So she wondered if she, like Thor, would love Sif like she does for Ranma...
"Lady Sif," Thordis says with hesitation. "Step forth from the shadows…"
"As you wish…my sister," the woman says, as she steps into the light. The woman had long, raven-like hair, wore furs, and a green tunic and a dress that, at first glance, appeared as a loincloth. She wore a tiara that had horns attached to it. Her smoldering green eyes enhanced her unearthly beauty. Regardless of all this, Thordis recognized who this person was…
"LOKI!" Thordis says. "And thou hast…boobs."
"As intuitive as always, my sister," Loki says sarcastically. "It seems that a new order has come to us Norse gods, where the power of the feminine mystic reigns supreme."
"Why art thou here? And why should I stay my hand?"
"When thy cursed husband defeated my machinations, my benefactor rewarded me with both a death and a rebirth…as a baby girl. She raised me until I was but a toddler, before giving me a human guise on "Midgard". And because my…'mother' was above space and time, she could easily send me to live in any era on Earth. Thus, for the past twenty years, I lived as a mortal woman, until YOU, my sister, returned to me my true heritage."
"Well, do not thank me just yet, 'sister'. I still have not decided upon what to do with thy fate."
"Know this: with the cycle of Ragnorak broken for us Norse, we are no longer bound by the legends of old. Surely, thy existence is a testament to this."
"Well…maybe."
"And," Loki says, as she gets very close to Thordis. "We can be as close as thy like, sister."
With that, Loki hugs Thordis.
"Will thou help me find a new way?"
Thordis was in a quandary. She knew that Loki was a Trickster. But with the cycle of life, death and rebirth concluded, and given the fact that her Usagi-side was so forgiven of people…
"Fine," Thordis says, as she broke the hug. "For now, I will stay my hand."
"Thank you, my sister. Perhaps…we can do each other's hair?"
"Don't push thy luck."
"Um, is it safe to come out?" says a voice. "I mean…I don't want to interrupt this 'Kodak' moment or anything…"
Loki turns to face the source of the sound, just as Daniel peaks from behind some trash. To Daniel, he sees two tall, Amazon-like beauties hugging.
Unfortunately for him, gods tend to pick up the emotional disposition of mortals quite easily, which caused Thordis to blush slightly.
"Thy mortal friend is treading on dangerous ground," Loki says with a smirk.
"Thou dost not know the half of it," replied Thordis.
Daniel could only sweat-drop.
Tbc.
Author's note: Quick question. When Sif shows up, how should I handle it? Usagi, in this series, doesn't want a marital relationship with anyone but Ranma. However, in later editions, Usagi will have to renew Thor's marriage vows with Sif in order to maintain her standing amongst the Asgardians. So how should she handle it? I was thinking of several ways of remedying the situation (including pulling the transformation thing, so that Ranma can become Sif, a la Thor-style). If she is forced to marry, Usagi is going to be crying a lot. Anyway, let me know what you think.
Next Time: We return to the Negative Zone, where Sailor Helios (Ranma Saotome) and her allies face her "step-son" Lord Gravyn and his girlfriend Lady Maxima…in an attempt to rescue Sailor Diana (i.e. Akane Tendo)! See you then!