Chapter Thirty-nine: Hypervigilance
In the back seat of the cab, PallaPalla jumped up and down, JunJun slumped beside her, cupping her chin, eyes dull with boredom.
PallaPalla pressed her face into her sister's. "How can you be bored when we're down in a new world?"
JunJun drew back. "I'm right here. You don't have to shout."
"You're no fun." Pouting, she turned her attention out the window, at the mountains towering above, the sky swirling around them. Hawk's Eye sat next to JunJun. He hadn't stopped grinning since laying eyes on the mountain range. According to Plankton, Sand Mountain was the highest natural place in Bikini Bottom. A playground for Hawk's Eye.
PallaPalla reveled in the undersea world. The varieties of fish; the golden sand; the expansive, flower-filled sky; the wonders of Bikini Bottom created a place worth exploring. CereCere had said the Dead Moon Circus must tread carefully, but PallaPalla would still have fun.
She enjoyed more of life than her sisters and the Amazon Trio. Shouldn't the Amazon Trio, who she'd blessed by transforming into humans, embrace life more? Humans dominated the world. The Amazon Trio wasn't basking in their newfound power.
Why? They didn't miss being animals. Maybe they were discovering how much power they wielded bit by bit, especially when interacting with animals that had once been predators, like sharks for Fisheye, eagles for Hawk's Eye, and poachers for Tiger's Eye.
PallaPalla was adapting to and relishing in the power Queen Nehellenia had bestowed to find the Golden Crystal and fill the world with nightmares. If her queen had given her indescribable amounts of power while trapped inside a mirror, how much more power would she reward PallaPalla with upon release?
Maybe Queen Nehellenia could make the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio immortal. They could rule the nightmare-filled world together. No more worrying about where their next meal would come from, nor others harming them, even the Guardians, who wouldn't be able to do anything but obey.
The cab rode up and up and the mountains stretched and the houses below shrunk into dots and the skyscrapers didn't look like they scraped the sky anymore. The farther they went, the more Hawk's Eye's eyes sparkled. The happiest the former hawk had been.
Once the Guardians were defeated and the Dead Moon Circus had overtaken Earth and space, PallaPalla's sisters and her creations would always be happy.
A weird sensation filled PallaPalla's ears, like they were being suffocated with water. She gasped.
"What's wrong?" JunJun said.
"I-I'm losing my hearing." PallaPalla pulled her ears, trying to restore her hearing. "I'm going deaf. Help, help. Everything's fading away."
JunJun's expression flattened. "Swallow."
PallaPalla swallowed. Her ears popped, and her hearing returned as quickly as it had disappeared.
"I can hear again. Are you a wizard?"
A smile twitched onto JunJun's face. "Nothing but common sense." She laced her hands behind her head. "Amazing how many people think common sense is some kind of secret power."
"In my short time in this form and around humans," Hawk's Eye said, "I've seen that common sense is uncommon."
"Oh, yeah. Big time." JunJun blew. "Even CereCere lacks common sense to an extent. Like when she stood there while the Guardians attacked during our last performance."
PallaPalla tapped her chin. "Why didn't she do anything? Doesn't she care about us?"
"Of course. Maybe she was trying to assess the situation. But if I were her, I would've gone all VesVes and attacked without thinking. And I did go a little VesVes." She scratched the side of her head. "Maybe a little too VesVes."
"It's okay." PallaPalla wrapped an arm around her sister. "We're getting stronger, and we'll kill those Guardians, no sweat."
The cab driver's eyes bulged. "Did I hear you say you're going to kill people?"
"Ye—"
JunJun slapped a hand over PallaPalla's mouth.
"You're not making yourself look less guilty."
"A slip of the tongue is all," JunJun said.
"Your voice is shaking. You're really not making yourself look innocent. At all."
JunJun cleared her throat. "I mean, my sister was talking about k-k…" Glanced at the ceiling, like she was trying to think of a word that sounded like "kill." "She was talking about cleaning people. We clean for a living. We clean houses, bedrooms, bathrooms, and, and people."
The cab driver blinked. "That's…a weird business."
"Not weird, just not understandable by the general public. Have you ever let anyone clean you, sir?"
The driver shuddered. "No, and I never want to."
JunJun jabbed an elbow into PallaPalla's ribs, and PallaPalla hiccupped. "That was a close one. You almost blew our cover."
"I didn't know we had a cover."
"A word of advice: Never tell other people you're going to kill someone."
"Oh. You should've said that."
Hawk's Eye rolled his eyes. "Common sense is starting to sound like a gift from the gods alone."
The cab stopped near a ski lodge, a wide-open area, devoid of robots, an octopus standing some feet in front of them, kids playing tag below on an ice-covered lake.
Too peaceful.
The octopus raised an eyebrow. "More humans? Aren't you supposed to be with your other human friends?" He shooed them with his hand. "You barely missed them."
"Did we?" JunJun said, delight touching her voice. "That's too bad. We'll have to find them." Ever the acrobat, she moved so quickly that she seemed to disappear and reappear in front of the octopus. "Why don't you help us find these other humans?"
Sweat broke onto the octopus' forehead. "No, thanks, I'm perfectly fine standing here and minding no one's business but my own. You and those other humans can knock each other silly."
Scowling, she pressed her forehead against his, his giant nose squashing her small one. "You think those Guardians can defeat us?"
The octopus' pupils contracted. "I didn't say that at all."
"You're implying that they can," JunJun shot back. She had her VesVes moments.
"Listen, please, please, listen. I was on my way to save two fragile old men from robots attacking their Mermalair. I'm saving the elderly. Please don't hurt me."
"The Mermalair, huh?"
"That's where—"
"Quiet, PallaPalla," JunJun barked.
PallaPalla huffed. "Why do you guys tell me to be quiet all the time?" She was speaking the truth.
"Because you don't want to give away that those old men have a reward for anyone who saves their Mermalair from the robots." JunJun drew back from the octopus' face. "Oops. I gave it away."
"How subtle," Hawk's Eye muttered.
"Shut it," JunJun roared. She kicked the sand. "It's too bad we won't be able to collect the prize."
The octopus cocked his head. "What prize?"
"I heard it was a one-of-a-kind painting that they got from some museum."
The octopus clasped his hands. "The world-famous Rock Bottom Museum. Oh, they have the most beautiful artwork there. They're the only ones who have the taste to showcase my deep, insightful self-portraits. Maybe their reward is a painting of me. Anyone would be lucky to have one." He walked toward the mountain's entrance. "Maybe I'll save the Mermalair, get the painting, and give it away myself and autograph it for the lucky person. How pleased they'll be."
Once the octopus was gone, JunJun said, "He was too annoying to use."
PallaPalla shrugged. "We could've captured him to use against the Guardians."
"Good point. Maybe we shouldn't have let him go." She cracked her knuckles. "Anyway, no use crying over spilled milk. It sounded like the Guardians are here. Let's follow the trail that they left and beat them once and for all."
Cape rippling behind him, Mamoru flew after Usagi, Mrs. Puff behind his future wife, both rolling down Guppy Mound's slope. As awful as it sounded, Mamoru preferred to save Usagi first. One of the other Guardians could save Mrs. Puff. He had to prove that he cared about Usagi, whisk her someplace private so they could talk. Mamoru and Usagi could handle whatever enemies they encountered alone and, more importantly, they'd start mending their relationship by fighting together.
Usagi deserved to be told everything that was happening with him; she was strong enough to handle adversity. She'd proven her strength time after time when fighting their enemies and when Chibi-Usa had transformed into Black Lady. If Usagi could handle her own daughter turning against her, then she could handle the black blood and Mamoru's dreams of the dying Elysion.
Beside him, Haruka and Makoto flew, leaving Sandy at the top of Guppy Mound, but the squirrel whipped out a sandboard and jumped on it, sliding down the slope.
"Y'all may be able to fly, but y'all ain't havin' all the fun." She lassoed the air, eyes narrow as she aimed at Usagi and Mrs. Puff, both looking like rolling logs, bumping over rocks and crevices.
Usagi couldn't help but scream, ashamed to roll down the slope, looking like a fool. But to Mamoru, she always radiated beauty.
Could Mamoru rescue Usagi from embarrassment that might scar her for years to come?
Once they were alone, he could tell her that she didn't look that bad…and look like more of a jackass.
Maybe he could tell her that it wasn't her fault, and she'd be embarrassed anyhow.
He sighed. Trying to comfort significant others was one of the woes of being a man. No matter what he said, he'd be at fault.
Mrs. Puff bounced off a rock and fell onto a higher slope. The pufferfish rolled over a button. The mountain quaked, and a sandball that was the size of three beach balls combined broke free from a small mountain, crashing onto and engulfing Usagi, her arms, legs, and head sticking out. Tears fell from Usagi's eyes as the Moon Princess cried, "Why is this happening to me?"
Mamoru's heart cracked. If they weren't fighting, then she would've sat beside Mamoru on the ski lift, and he could've protected her from the robots, preventing her from rolling down the slope in the first place.
He quickened. Couldn't destroy the sandball with Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, or he might vaporize Usagi too. Mamoru would be recorded as the worst boyfriend in history.
Thunder Tikis stood ahead, Wooden Tikis stacked atop. If Usagi hit those Thunder Tikis… She was close enough that, if someone made them explode, the explosion would reach her.
As Usagi rolled toward them, her screams grew louder. She squeezed her eyes shut. Bracing herself for impact.
Mamoru was close enough to her. He dove in front of the sandball, spread his arms, praying he was strong enough.
The sandball slammed into him, shoving him toward the Tikis. He gritted his teeth, pushing against the sandball. He slid down the slope, tried to walk forward, but the sandball had too much momentum.
Robots' cackles echoed from above, mixing with Makoto's and Haruka's curses. The robots must've started attacking the Sailors Jupiter and Uranus.
No way would the robots keep Mamoru from saving Usagi.
He wished he could make pushing the sandball look easy to alleviate the fear and worry in Usagi's eyes. His love wasn't skilled at hiding her emotions but was teaching Mamoru that showing his emotions was okay.
Mamoru let his pain show through his grit teeth, the sweat and veins pulsing from his forehead, his grunts. Usagi watched every bit of strain showing.
She loosened her hands. Grew less tense.
Beginning to trust him again.
Still they scraped backward. Mamoru's back heel touched one of the Thunder Tikis, and it exploded. The others burst in succession, blasting he and Usagi forward. Sand pelted him.
Usagi hollered. He had failed her. Again. She always saved him, but he could never save her.
Usagi, Mamoru, and the sandball's remnants flew, the world blurring. Mamoru forced open his eyes, grabbed for Usagi's hands. Usagi reached for him, and they grasped each other's hands. No matter where they ended up, they'd be with each other.
Sand rained about the two, and the wind whistled in Mamoru's ears. They slammed onto the ground. Mamoru hugged Usagi to him so she didn't slip from his grasp, so he didn't fail her again.
By the winding, crisscrossing slopes surrounding them, they had a ways to go until they reached the base. Guppy Mound was gargantuan.
Mamoru tried to stomp on the ground to take to the air, but his foot couldn't gain traction. The two weren't slowing, like the sand was made of ice.
He twisted this way and that, bumping down the slope, swerving he and Usagi past Tikis. Usagi helped by leaning her body in the same direction that Mamoru swerved. Thankfully, she wasn't letting her emotions take over her need for self-preservation. A woman scorned could do many vindictive things, even hurt herself to hurt the scorner.
Would Mamoru dare smile at Usagi as thanks? Doing something simple suddenly seemed complex.
They bumped up the end of a slope and were propelled once more. Mamoru tightened his grip on Usagi.
"You're choking me." She wasn't calling him, "Mamo-chan." Hard to not worry about his love life when his love life was in his arms.
"Sorry." Mamoru relaxed his embrace, not so much that he risked losing her.
They flipped through the air, crashed on ice, sliding until bumping against a wall. The ice was as wide as an arena, and several sandy platforms were raised upon it. Duplicatotrons stood on each of the platforms. Behind each of the Duplicatotrons, embedded on the jagged wall, was a button waiting to be pressed.
Mamoru peered up. A gate stretched behind him. It might not open until the buttons were pushed. He and Usagi could fly, but fish would need to pass the gate.
The Guardians' and Mamoru's job was to destroy the robots. Avoiding the fray wasn't an option.
Fighting alongside his estranged girlfriend should be fun.
"Usa."
Usagi's scowl could've withered and felled the healthiest, sturdiest oak trees. Despite the Duplicatotrons pumping out Fodders, Chomp-Bots, Bomb-Bots, Ham-mers, Chucks, Monsoons, G-Loves, Usagi managed to be angry at him for saying his nickname for her, which she probably didn't want him to call her for a few days, months, or years.
He took her by the hands and helped her onto her feet. At least she didn't snatch her hands away. Wasn't like she had much choice but to work with him.
Besides, if she let him be killed, Chibi-Usa would wink out of existence, the Moon Kingdom could collapse… Usagi might be a woman scorned, but she wasn't stupid or impulsive. If Mamoru was fated to be with Minako or Rei, they would've killed Mamoru, the universe be damned.
As soon as she stood upright, Usagi yanked her hands from his. Not just because she was about to fight.
Usagi tried to step forward but slipped. Mamoru caught her. She looked at him, wistfulness touching her eyes, and then righted herself, whipping herself out of his grasp. Aimed her Moon Kaleidoscope at a Monsoon. Had to remember that Mamoru was the one who had bought that Kaleidoscope.
Mamoru coughed. "Don't you think we should come up with a plan of attack?"
"Sure." Usagi flicked her hand to his left. "You focus on those robots. I'll focus on the ones over here." Gestured toward his right.
She didn't want to fight alongside him. To avoid more of the scorned woman's wrath, the best thing to do was obey. For now, she was her master, and he, her servant.
Mamoru turned toward his right, keeping Usagi in his peripheral vision.
A G-Love swooped toward him, spinning, its hands blurring. Mamoru aimed the palm of his hand at the G-Love, launched Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber. The white beam pierced the G-Love and kept going, destroying a Fodder, three Bomb-Bots. His beam collided with the wall, quaking the mountain. Clumps of sand plunged from the peak.
Don't tell me. Mamoru couldn't have caused another mess.
Couldn't have caused an avalanche.
More clumps plummeted down the mountain, hurtled down the wall's slope. Hastening, the clumps meshed together, bashing a Chuck that failed to dodge, nuts and bolts scattering. A sandball crushed a Duplicatotron, and the machine exploded, heat burning Mamoru.
Pointing her Moon Kaleidoscope toward the robots, Usagi had her back turned to the oncoming sandballs. She jolted as though she'd heard the sandballs and then swiveled around. Her eyes ballooned.
"What is going on?" Usagi looked around as though searching for a way out. Not turning to him for protection like she usually would. Hopefully, she didn't discover that he'd caused the avalanche.
She took to the air, aimed her weapon at one of the sandballs, drew back, biting her lip. Realized that she couldn't stop the avalanche with a beam of rainbow light.
Together, they could stop the avalanche.
Mamoru and Usagi would be forced to collaborate and communicate. Start the healing process. A weird, dangerous start, but better than the nothing they had going.
Mamoru flipped into the air, hovered beside Usagi, the robots below wheeling in all directions, some trying to escape but being destroyed by the cascade of sand and ice anyhow. Robot shards blended with the sand. Getting struck by shard-filled sand would not be pleasant.
A chunk of ice bounced off a rock embedded in the slope, toward Usagi. Mamoru dashed in front of her, ready to shield.
A Monsoon cackled.
Not now.
The Monsoon descended. It pressed a button, and clouds beat down on the three. Lightning crackled, swelled the clouds.
Grabbing Usagi's hand, Mamoru pulled Usagi away, but the clouds pursued, the Monsoon's head spinning in glee. No wonder Makoto hated these Monsoons.
The shard of ice hissed behind Mamoru and Usagi. Out of the corner of his eye, Mamoru watched a G-Love catch the ice in two of its six hands and then hurl the ice at the two.
Mamoru couldn't dodge in time.
They rammed into the ice.
Ice shards lodged themselves in Mamoru's arms, legs, chest. Usagi cried out. The shards were buried into her arms, legs, abdomen. He pulled her to him, tried to shelter her as much as possible.
The sky darkened. The clouds floated above them, and the lightning lashed them.
Both writhed, Mamoru failing to hold to Usagi. She fell, and Mamoru followed suit. They crashed into the sand. Sheets of sand and ice and robot shards covered them.
More sand submerged them, becoming heavier so that Mamoru couldn't fly he and Usagi out. Booms filled his ears as layers upon layers of sand crushed he and Usagi. The sand kept piling up, seemingly neverending, until the rate of the booms slowed, became fainter and then stopped.
Stillness and silence insulated them. Mamoru's world was only Usagi and the sand.
At least Mamoru was getting the time alone with her that he'd wished for.