SAILOR JOURNEYS: SECRETS OF AN UNKNOWN PAST
Chapter 13: The New Avalon Mission. Secrets...
Twenty minutes later, everybody was ready to get inside the Leviathan.
During that waiting period, Artemis and Luna had returned from
whatever chores they were doing. After learning what happened during
their absence, they spent the last 5 minutes trying to convince the
girls to let Yohann and his own team to handle the matters... to no
avail.
"It's no use, Luna." Said Artemis at last. "And even if Yohann hadn't
accepted to take them with him, they could easily have used the
Sailor Teleport to go there."
"I know, Artemis..." answered Luna. She looked dejected, almost about
to cry. "It just pains me that they are going in such emotional
turmoil..."
"I guess I can understand them," said Artemis. "The people they most
love in this world... yanked away from them in such horrible way, and
made them watch how they were tortured... I think... I think I'd do
the same thing."
In that moment, Alex spoke. "All preparations ready, sweetie. We can
go when you want to."
"Well done, Alex." Said Yohann, and after opening the hatch, he
addressed the girls. "Well, this is it. I really hope you change your
minds, though..."
"Don't say it, Yohann." interrupted Sailor Moon. "We're going, even
if you don't want to take us with you. Now, shall we go?" with that,
she entered the Leviathan, followed shortly by the rest of the Team.
When Endymion was about to enter, Yohann stopped him, grabbing his
arm.
"Hold on a second. I want to give you something." And guiding him to
a nearby trolley, he opened an elongated case, and took its contents,
his back turned to Endymion. "I asked Alex to build this for you a
few days ago. We didn't have time to test it, but I guess that under
the circumstances..."
Endymion frowned, but when Yohann turned around, he was surprised.
Yohann was holding in his hands a sword! It had the same shape as the
one Endymion hold, but this one looked like it was made of crystal.
The handle was made of what seemed obsidian, with a rose made of
rubies and emeralds on it.
"Before you say anything Endymion, let me explain briefly what this
is." Began Yohann. "The blade is made with a modified, one single
synthetic diamond. The edge is sharp down to one molecule wide, so
you better be careful when you wield it. Also, if you concentrate on
it, your energy will be amplified and directed to the blade. In short,
you can cut all known materials with this sword."
Endymion nodded, and grabbed the sword. The instant he did, he gasped.
The sword began to glow golden, forcing Yohann to half-close his eyes.
A brief moment later, the glow subsided, and the sword regained its
normal appearance. Taking a deep breath, Endymion stood back a few
paces, and began a series of movements with his new sword, sensing
it. Satisfied, he wished his own sword to return to its place, and
placed the new one inside the sheath. "Thank you, Yohann. It can come
in handy."
Yohann nodded, and both men began to walk towards the Leviathan.
Before the hatch closed, Yohann heard Luna's voice. "Good luck,
everyone..." was the only thing he could hear before the hatch closed
definitely.
When he entered the control room, he saw that everyone was already
seated, while Jendra, Mercury and Saturn were on their respective
places, finishing the launch procedures. Yohann then took his place
in front of the controls.
"We're ready, Yohann." said Saturn. "Course plotted and systems
ready."
"Thank you, Saturn." Answered Yohann. "Take us out, and let's go."
Artemis and Luna watched how the landing platform raised to ground
level... and returned to its original position empty.
"I hope they can make it." Commented Artemis.
"I hope so too, Artemis.... I hope so too." Was Luna's answer.
* * * *
"We are above Stonehenge, Yohann." said Saturn. "All systems
functioning normally. There seems to be no trace of anomalies so far."
Yohann nodded, and addressed Mercury. "Run a full sensor sweep of the
area, Mercury. I want to be sure our 'friend' is here."
"Running scan now..." said Mercury. "I'm picking up some sort of
energy emission a good half a mile north-northeast from our present
position. It's stationary and stable. It matches the same energy
patterns as the Leviathan's when it's cloaked."
"Then it's safe to assume that it's Cauldron's ship." Said the
Emerald Knight, closing his fists. "What are we waiting for? Let's
go!"
"You heard the man, Saturn." Said Yohann, half-smiling. "Take us down
next to it. Cloak our ship as well... I don't want to give him any
chance to strike while we land."
"Understood!" answered Saturn. A few moments later, the cloaked ship
had landed next to the Darkstarr. "Engines shutted down, Yohann.
We're ready to go after him!"
"There seems to be no activity nearby, gang." Said Mercury. "It seems
that he didn't notice our arrival."
"All right... let's go!" said Yohann. "Hogosuro... did you bring the
little surprise you wanted to give Cauldron?"
"Yes, Sir." Answered the Guardian. "I'll go get it."
"Meet us outside, then. Well, team... let's move!" said Yohann, and
with that, everybody left the ship, poised to save the hostages.
"Yes. It's as ugly as I remember it." Said Sailor Mars. Mercury had
linked her computer to the armor's visors of the rest of the team,
and was using a filter to help them see the cloaked Darkstarr. "Any
ideas of how are we going to get inside?"
"How about opening the front door?" said the Guardian, joining them
in that instant. "And I have just the key." Everybody turned around
to look at him... and facevaulted when they saw his 'key'. He was
carrying with him a strange looking device, all black. It looked to
them like if someone had grabbed a turtle and perched it in front of
a very big cannon! And big, to boot! It was at least 5 1/2 feet long!
"What in God's name is that??" asked Jupiter, amazed.
"It's a Proton Blaster." Answered the Guardian. "It will guarantee an
entrance to that ship. Now... stand back, everyone!" Once he had a
clear shot, he aimed the Blaster towards the entrance, guided by Alex
and Mercury. Once ready, he pulled the trigger.
A ray of green energy emerged from the Blaster. When it stroke the
Darkstarr, a shower of sparks emerged from the impact zone, and
everybody could see the entrance hatch glow green... and disappear in
a flash.
"Nice!" said Jupiter. "A little crude... but nice."
"Thanks, Hogosuro." Said Sailor Moon. "Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's move!" She then took the lead, and the Team entered the ship.
"Where to?" asked Sailor Venus. They were now on the central section
of the ship.
"We'll split." Said Yohann. "Venus, Mars, Jupiter... you go to the
control room. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto... you go to the engine room.
Saturn, Jendra and Emerald Knight, you go to storage. The rest, come
with me. We'll check the rest of the ship. And remember... if you
find Cauldron or the hostages, call the rest immediately. We'll meet
here in 15 minutes, understood?"
"Roger!" said everybody, and without another word, they split.
Fifteen minutes later, they were together again on the central
section.
"Any luck?" asked Sailor Moon.
"None on our side." Said Sailor Venus. "The front of the ship was
empty."
"The same as the back." Said Sailor Uranus, a scowl marring her face.
"The same as ourselves." Said Mercury. "I ran a full scan of this
ship. It seems that we're the only living things on it right now."
"And what about you?" asked Sailor Chibi-Moon, addressing Sailor
Jendra.
"We found the room where Cauldron held your relatives." Murmured
Sailor Jendra. "It was empty... except for this." She then handed a
note to Sailor Moon, her hand slightly trembling.
Sailor Moon took the note, and read it. "It says: 'Nice try. But
we're not here. If you want to catch me, then follow me to New
Avalon... that is, if these people mean something for you.' Signed,
Cauldron." She fought to contain the tears that threatened to blur
her vision. "And he dared to write it with red ink, to boot!" She
crumpled the note, and tossed it to the floor.
'Sweetbuns...' said Alex, linking to Yohann's mind. 'Don't say a
thing, but I scanned the paper. That... that's not red ink. It's
blood... human blood.'
'Oh, God... thanks for not mentioning it to the girls, Alex.' Thought
Yohann. He gulped, and gathering his composure, he said. "Well... it
seems that we'll have to get inside the base, after all. Now, let's
move." In complete silence, they left the Darkstarr.
The Team was now together in the center of the monolithic
construction that was Stonehenge. So far, the terrain looked
featureless. Not a single clue of how to enter the place. Mercury and
Alex were running a scan on the whole area, trying to find a way to
enter the base. The rest of the girls and boys weren't leaving
(literally) a stone unturned, but so far...
"How did he get inside? And are you sure that this is the place?"
asked Sailor Uranus. "This could be a dead end, you know?"
"No, Uranus." Answered Sailor Moon. "They are here. I can feel them
near."
"That's right." Confirmed Sailor Jendra. "I can feel them too. But
there's something strange... I feel them... distant... like if they
weren't truly near."
"I don't know what else to do." Said Sailor Mars. "I've checked this
rocks from all angles, and I haven't found a darn thing! How are we
going to get inside??" Frustrated, she kicked the slab in front of
her. It hurt... but she didn't mind the pain.
Yohann was seated on the central rock slab, his head on his hands,
trying to think of a way to enter the place. "I've ran out of ideas,
Alex... do you have one?"
"Sorry, sweetbuns... I don't know what else to do." Said Alex. "I've
scanned the whole place five times already... so far, nothing!
Although, there's evidence of a large subterranean chamber beneath
us, so this is the right place."
"That's little comfort, but thank you anyway, Alex." Said Yohann. He
closed his eyes, thinking what to do... besides using the ship's
weapons to open the darn thing wide open. In that moment, he felt
someone seating next to him. When he opened his eyes, he saw it was
Sailor Pluto. "I don't know what else to do... do you have any ideas,
Pluto?"
Sailor Pluto smiled faintly at him, and putting a hand on his
shoulder, she said. "Don't give up, Yohann. You've taken us this far.
You'll find a solution, I'm sure."
"Thank you, Pluto. I'll try not to disappoint any of you." When she
turned around, Yohann lowered his gaze, his mind blank. He stood up,
and began to look at the central slab, not thinking in anything in
particular. His eyes then focused a small hole on one side of the
slab. "Alex..." he asked. "What is this?"
"Just a hole, baby." Was her answer. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"Mmmm..." Yohann then traced the contours of the hole with his
fingers, trying to get a mental image of it. What he obtained sent
his mind into a whirl. Suddenly, he began to look at the rest of the
rocks, and an idea popped in his mind. 'Can it be? Is it possible??'
"Alex!" he shouted, surprising everybody. "Scan the rocks! I want to
know their composition!"
"Sweetie..." began Alex, sounding worried. "Are you all right? I
mean... we know that these rocks aren't from the local area..."
"I don't mean that!" said Yohann, his eyes unfocussed. "I want to
know their EXACT mineral composition! Compare the results with the
ones we already know of the Ginzuishou."
"What are you thinking, Yohann?" asked Sailor Mercury, puzzled.
"It's just a crazy idea, Mercury. And I hope to be crazy enough to be
on the right track!" was Yohann's answer.
"Baby... I got the results you wanted." Said Alex in that moment.
"You'll never cease to amaze me with those intuition jumps of your
mind... but it seems that, inside each rock, is a small content of
crystals, whose structure is similar to the Ginzuishou!"
"That's all I wanted to know Alex, Thanks." He then addressed Sailor
Pluto. "Can you show me your Time Key for just a moment, please?"
"What do you want to do with it, Yohann?" asked Sailor Pluto,
frowning. She then summoned her Time Key.
"Just confirm a lunatic's idea of an entrance, Pluto." When he saw
the bottom of the Key, and compared it with the image he had of the
hole, he gasped. "I can't believe it! It can't be that simple...! Can
it?"
"Yohann, can you PLEASE tell us what's going on??" asked Sailor Mars.
"Gang... I know you're not going to believe me, but... I guess I know
how to get inside!" began Yohann. "This is crazy, but... I think that
Stonehenge is a lock!" All presents looked at him like he was a
babbling lunatic, stunned by his words.
"You're right... that's crazy!" said Sailor Venus. "But assuming
you're right... where's the key?"
"Actually... this 'lock' needs two keys." Continued Yohann. "One..."
he then pointed to the Time Key. "has been with us all the time."
Sailor Pluto looked at him, blinking. "Are you sure?"
"Only one way to find out, Pluto. Here, let me show you." Yohann
grabbed Sailor Pluto's wrist, and almost dragged her to the central
slab, and pointed the hole. "If my theory is correct... you have to
insert the Time Key here. Now give it a try, please!"
"I hope your idea is right, Yohann..." murmured Sailor Pluto, but
inserted her Key in the hole. To everybody's surprise, it fitted
perfectly. She continued inserting it, until it touched the bottom.
Only the Garnet Orb was visible now. "I truly can't believe it." Said
Sailor Pluto.
"Seems that you're right, Yohann." said the Emerald Knight. "But you
mentioned two keys... where's the other one?"
"Actually... all the 'keys' are here." Was Yohann's answer. "To be
precise... all of you are the keys!"
"If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I'd say that you're crazy,
Yohann..." said Sailor Saturn. "But I surrender to the evidence. Very
well, what do we have to do?"
"If I'm right... each one of you has to touch one of the slabs that
surrounds this place... and concentrate." Said Yohann. "You have to
imagine a door. A locked door that opens for you."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Each one, grab a rock!" said Sailor
Moon, and moved to the one that was next to her. Each one did the
same. Following Yohann's instructions, they placed their hands,
closed their eyes and opened their minds, imagining an open door.
Unnoticed by all, (except Alex, who was recording everything,) the
slabs began to glow, each a different color. Suddenly, a ray emerged
from each slab, hitting the Garnet Orb, which absorbed the energy and
focused it towards the arch that was in front of it. Upon contact,
the whole arched glowed white, and a swirling, silvery portal opened
in its center!
"Ok, everyone... you can stop now!" said Alex, loud enough so that
everybody could hear her. "It seems that the entrance to New Avalon
is open."
The Team turned around, and looked at the open portal, amazed. "But...
how? I mean... who could have possibly done such a thing?" murmured
Sailor Saturn.
"That's precisely the same thing I want to know, Saturn." Said Sailor
Pluto, retrieving her Time Key from the slab.
"What I want to know is... how did Cauldron open the entrance without
the Key? And without us?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"I guess... the only way we can get some answers, is getting inside."
Said Sailor Mercury.
"Well, everyone... let's move." Said Yohann. "Alex... call the hover
tanks and the stretchers. Let's not take any risks."
"Yes, sweetie." Answered Alex. And with that, all crossed the silvery
portal...
* * * *
... And entered a huge cavern. Even as they were underground,
(confirmed by Sailor Mercury and Alex's scans) it wasn't dark. In
fact, there was enough light for them to see. The walls glowed softly;
a whitish light cast all over the place, like the one of a full moon.
An underground lake was in front of them, a small spring feeding it.
The atmosphere, although slightly cold, wasn't uncomfortable.
"Wow..." murmured Sailor Venus, her mouth open.
"It's beautiful." Commented Sailor Mars.
"Almost like something out of a fairy tale." Said Sailor Jupiter.
"Where does the light come from?" asked Sailor Jendra, awestricken.
"The walls are covered with a species of lichen that reacts with the
mineral contents of the area, creating their own light." Answered
Sailor Mercury.
"Focus here, people." Said the Guardian, breaking the spell. "Remember
the main reason of why we're here: to rescue the people Cauldron
kidnapped."
"You're right. Sorry about that." Said Sailor Moon, shaking her head.
"Well, now that we're here... where to, Yohann? It seems that you're
the one that knows the way."
Yohann turned around slowly, using the armor's sensors to get an
image of the surrounding area. "Thank you for your confidence, Sailor
Moon. It seems that there's a path to our right. According to my
readings, apparently nine people walked on it before us. And the
footprints look recent."
"Cauldron and our parents... it has to be them!" exclaimed Sailor
Saturn. "What are we waiting for? Let's go and get them!" She then
tried to run to the path indicated, but Yohann placed a hand on her
shoulder, stopping her. "What are you doing?" demanded Saturn. "Let
me go!"
"Not so fast, bimbo!" said Alex, before anyone could say a thing.
"We're all going, remember? And what makes you think that Cauldron
didn't left some surprises scattered around here to cripple or
destroy us? Rushing like that is a sure way to walk in his hands, you
know? So, chill!"
Saturn turned around, and looked at Yohann, tears threatening to
escape her control. After a tense moment, she relaxed. "Yes... yes,
you're right. Sorry for that."
Yohann embraced Saturn, comforting her. "I understand how you feel,
dear. But don't worry, we'll save them all. I already promised you
that, remember?" When she nodded, he let her go. "Well, as she said...
what are we waiting for? Let's go and get them, gang. Alex, Mercury...
scan the area in front of us. If Cauldron left some of his tricks, I
want to know it."
"Understood." Answered both at the same time, beginning their
respective scans.
"All right... let's move everyone. And stay alert." Said Yohann.
The Team had been walking for an hour approximately, following the
path that started at the entrance they had encountered. At the
contrary of the other two bases they had visited already, this time
the entrance they used was still open after they crossed it,
eliciting some very interesting commentaries from Sailor Jupiter. As
expected, Mercury and Alex's scans have discovered some booby traps
along the path, being easily disposed once their exact location was
found.
"How large is this place, anyway?" asked Sailor Neptune. "This isn't
like the other bases."
"My guess is that the survivors used a natural cavern network, like
the ones of Rainbow." Offered the Guardian. "But what escapes my
understanding, is why they choose to leave this tunnel. It simply
doesn't make much sense."
"Why is that?" asked Sailor Jupiter. Currently, she was walking next
to him.
"Because, leaving such an obvious entrance unprotected goes against
any basic defense strategy. It's a double-edged sword, if you catch
my drift. Although you can defend this kind of places, it also gives
room for the enemy to send a distraction force to engage the
defenders, leaving other entrances open." Explained the Guardian.
"I see. So, what do you think?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"That we better stay alert. This walk has been easy so far... too
easy." Finished the Guardian.
Suddenly, they reached a fork in the road. Two different caves opened
now in front of the Team. "Well, where to now?" asked Endymion,
eyeing both entrances suspiciously.
"I don't know." Admitted Yohann. "Any ideas, anyone?"
"There's evidence that the entrance to the right has been used
recently, sweetbuns." Said Alex. "Also, the one on the left, but the
main force went right."
"Confirmed." Said Sailor Mercury. "There's a set of footprints on the
left tunnel, but it seems that they retraced, and rejoined the larger
group, going to the right instead."
"Perhaps Cauldron found something interesting on the left tunnel."
Said Sailor Neptune. "Something that might give him an edge over us."
"It seems that the only logical thing for us to do now, is to split."
Said Sailor Moon. She then noticed something. "Pluto... your Key...
what's happening to it?" Everybody turned around and looked at Sailor
Pluto. Sailor Moon was right. The Garnet Orb was pulsing.
"Mmmm... how peculiar." Said Sailor Pluto. She then aimed the Key
towards the entrance to the right. The pulsing remained the same.
When she pointed it towards the one on the left, the pulsing
increased slightly. "Interesting. I wonder why is the Orb reacting
like this?"
"Only one way to find out, it seems." Commented Yohann. "Let's follow
the left tunnel."
"No, Yohann." interrupted Sailor Pluto. "Sailor Moon is right. We
better split. That way, if this is a trap, at least we won't all fall
into it."
"As you wish, Pluto." Said Yohann. "I don't like it, but we'll do it
that way."
"Thank you, Yohann." said Sailor Pluto, nodding. "Who wants to come
with me?"
"I'll go." Said Sailor Uranus.
"Same with me." Added Sailor Neptune.
"I'll go with them, Sir." Said the Guardian. "I have my own sensor
array. It may come in handy."
"Very well. Anyone else?" asked Yohann.
"I'll go with them too." Answered Sailor Jupiter, surprising the rest.
"As you wish, Jupiter." Said Yohann. "Now that it's settled, lets
move everyone. We've wasted enough time already. And remember... if
something comes up, don't hesitate to call. Now, let's move." With
that, both groups followed a tunnel...
"Did something like this happen to you in the past, Pluto?" asked
Sailor Uranus. She kept her guard up, not relaxing for one moment.
They've been following the tunnel for a few minutes, the Time Key
increasing the rhythm of the pulsing with each step.
"Nothing of the sorts, no." answered Sailor Pluto. "Even more, I'm
not sure that anything like this ever happened in the history of the
Time Guardians."
"Wow, that's really something." Said Sailor Jupiter. "I never
imagined that something could take you by surprise, Pluto."
"There's always a first time for everything, Jupiter. Remember that."
Countered Sailor Pluto, calmly. In that moment, they reached a fairly
big cave. It was completely enclosed; the only entrance was the one
that the girls and the Guardian had used. But at the far end...
"Hey, what's that?" asked Sailor Neptune. "It doesn't look like it
belongs here."
"That's for sure." Commented Sailor Jupiter.
The reason was that, at the far end of the cave, was a strange dome.
Completely opaque, it didn't allow a view of what's in the interior.
The surface looked smooth, without any imperfections. It even seemed
to be glowing.
"Don't move." Said the Guardian. "I'll go and check it out. You wait
here."
"Ok. Be careful, Hogosuro." Said Sailor Jupiter.
The Guardian nodded, and walked next to the strange object, his
blaster aiming at it all the time. When he was standing next to it,
he lowered his gun, and began to use his own sensors on it. "That's
strange..." he said after a few moments.
"What's the matter? Asked Sailor Uranus, frowning.
"I... I can't get an accurate reading." Answered the Guardian. "It's
almost like... it wasn't here at all. Although, I can detect that
there's something inside. I'm not sure what it is, but definitely
there's something inside." He stared at the dome for a few more
seconds, and without truly thinking about it, he placed a hand on it.
Immediately, tendrils emerged from the dome, and surrounded his arm!
His body froze, the hand that was carrying the Proton Blaster stopped
mid-moving to aim the dome!
"HOGOSURO!!" Screamed Sailor Jupiter.
"IT'S A TRAP! I KNEW IT" Said Sailor Uranus. Immediately, she
attacked. "WORLD SHAKING!" Her attack raced towards the dome,
impacting next to the Guardian. The shockwave was strong enough to
free him, sending him to one side, still frozen. But what no one
anticipated was that the dome absorbed the attack, and sent it back
towards Sailor Uranus!
"Look out! INCOMING!" Screamed Sailor Neptune, jumping to one side,
the rest doing the same. Uranus' attack raced through the place they
were occupying a mere second before, entering the tunnel they used
and exploding there, causing the tunnel to collapse, sealing the only
exit from the cavern.
"You should learn to control your temper, Uranus." Commented Sailor
Pluto, standing up and dusting her fuku.
"Well, it didn't go the way I wanted. So... sue me." Retorted Sailor
Uranus, standing up as well. "How was I going to know that that...
thing would react like that?"
"Hogosuro! Answer me, are you still with us?" echoed Sailor Jupiter's
voice. While the Outers were recovering, Sailor Jupiter had move next
to the Guardian. "Come on, you can do it! Get moving, you enormous
piece of junk!"
"Uuhhh..." The Guardian groaned, and slowly, began to move again.
"What... what was that? And how did you call me, Jupiter?"
"Don't you EVER scare us like that again, do you hear me?" said
Sailor Jupiter, smiling. "And why did you do something so careless,
anyway?"
"I... I had to get a more accurate reading. I never expected it to
react like that." Began to explain the Guardian. "It was strange,
though. I didn't feel that I was under attack. It was more like... if
someone was probing me, searching for something. It went right to my
main memory banks, and retrieved all the information there. It even
scanned my mind. It was... weird."
"Then, it's not one of Cauldron's traps?" asked Sailor Pluto,
approaching him in that moment.
"I don't think so. It's more like a defense mechanism." Concluded the
Guardian. "Someone took a great deal of effort to protect whatever is
inside that thing."
"Do you think it's the device Cauldron is looking for?" suggested
Sailor Neptune, approaching him as well. Sailor Uranus was next to
her.
"It could be, but it doesn't make any sense." Said Sailor Uranus. "If
it is, then where is he? He wouldn't let down the opportunity to grab
it. Although, I'd love to see him here... and blast him!"
"Same here." Said Sailor Jupiter. "But besides that... anyone has an
idea of what to do now?"
"Let's start with opening the tunnel. We can't stay here." Suggested
Sailor Neptune. "Don't you agree, Pluto?" When she didn't get an
answer, she turned around... "PLUTO!!!!" Everybody gasped when they
saw what Sailor Neptune saw.
Sailor Pluto was standing next to the dome, almost like she was in a
trance! The Garnet Orb was now glowing, instead of pulsing. And very
slowly, she placed her right hand on top of the dome...
"Oooh, no you don't!" said Sailor Uranus. "WORLD...!!" But before she
could continue, everybody rushed to stop her. "What are you doing?!?!
Let me go! We have to help her!"
"Are you crazy??" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "You could hurt her! Not
to mention that this time, the cave could come crashing down on us!"
"Wait... look!" said the Guardian, pointing towards Pluto. Everybody
watched her, amazed.
The same energy tendrils that froze the Guardian, were now touching
Sailor Pluto's temples. Her expression was calm, relaxed. The
tendrils moved all over her face... almost like caressing her. Once
finished, the tendrils moved to her right hand, and remained there
for a few seconds, after which they retracted back into the dome.
Sailor Pluto's expression saddened, confusing the rest. A tear ran
unchecked down her right cheek, and still trance-like, she began to
walk away from the dome. When she was next to the sealed tunnel, she
turned around, and murmured. "Death scream." Immediately, her attack
raced towards the dome.
"Not again!" said Sailor Jupiter, her eyes glued on the attack. She
gritted her teeth, expecting the moment where the energy would be
absorbed and reflected back towards Sailor Pluto. What she (and no
one else) expected was what happened next.
When Pluto's attack touched the dome, the cavern was illuminated by
the onslaught of energies combining, forcing the girls to shield
their eyes. The Guardian only half-closed his, adjusting his vision
to continue monitoring the events. When the glow subsided, only the
Guardian was able to see the dome dissipating, showing its contents.
Instead of the dome, now was standing what looked like a crystal
coffin. The edges and base seemed to be made of gold, and what seemed
like images of knights battling were carved all around the base.
"Ooh, my eyes." Said Sailor Neptune. "I can't see a thing!"
"Let your retinas adjust again, Neptune." Said the Guardian. "I don't
detect any damage on you, girls."
"Glad to know that, Hogosuro." Said Sailor Uranus. "But what
happened? And what was that light?"
"It seems that Pluto's attack destroyed the dome." Answered the
Guardian. "It's no more."
"Pluto! What happened to her? Is she all right?" asked Sailor Jupiter,
blinking furiously trying to regain her vision.
"You all stay here, and let your eyes adjust once more. I'll go and
check her." Said the Guardian. He then moved towards Sailor Pluto,
who was leaning against her Time Key, breathing shallowly. "Pluto,
are you all right?" asked the Guardian.
"I... I think so." Answered Sailor Pluto. "Dizzy... that's all."
"Hold still." Said the Guardian. He then placed his left hand a few
inches over Sailor Pluto's head, and activated his crimson ray. A few
seconds later, he deactivated it. "How do you feel now?"
"Better, thank you." Said Sailor Pluto. "What happened?"
"That's what we want to know, Pluto. You looked like you were being
controlled by... whatever or whoever is in there." Said the Guardian,
pointing towards the 'coffin'.
"I wasn't controlled, Hogosuro..." began to say Sailor Pluto. "It was
more like... I don't know... like if part of me was... trapped inside,
asking for my help to get out and... redeem."
"Redeem? Redeem for what?" asked Sailor Jupiter, joining the
conversation. Neptune and Uranus joined them too.
"Good question." Said Sailor Neptune. She then eyed the strange
'coffin'. "Why don't we go and check it out? It seems safe now."
Everybody nodded, and approached the 'coffin' cautiously, the
Guardian aiming his blaster towards it all the time. When they saw
the 'coffin's' contents, more questions popped in their minds.
"What the...?" said Sailor Uranus.
"I can't believe it..." murmured Sailor Neptune.
"How...? Why...? Is this a dream?" said Sailor Jupiter.
"If it is, it's the first one I've had since my activation." Offered
the Guardian. "Not to mention that it's a collective one."
Sailor Pluto just kept steering at the 'coffin', her expression now
neutral.
The cause of their confusion was that, inside the strange object, was
a woman. She was dressed in Middle Age-type clothes, her dress
gracefully hugging her delicate body. Her skin was white, like
alabaster. Her hair was reddish brown, with red highlights, and it
was covered with a silver hair net, studded with stars and precious
stones. Her hands were covered with what looked like scaled, open
metal gloves, also made of silver. But what drawed their attention
was what she was holding in her hands.
It was a sword... a broad sword, to be precise. Exquisitely crafted,
it showed no signs of oxidation nowhere. The handle had precious
stones embedded on it, but the most impressive one was located in
the blade. It resembled...
"The Ginzuishou??" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "What is it doing
here?? I thought that it merged with Sailor Moon when she obtained
her Soul Power!"
"It's not it." Said Sailor Pluto. "Although I can sense an enormous
power emanating from that gem... a power that rivals the Ginzuishou."
"You have to be kidding, Pluto." Said Sailor Uranus. "Where did
this... person... got a hold of a crystal that's been on the Moon
Royalty's hands for millennia, and placed it on a sword, of all
things?"
"Why don't we ask her...?" murmured Sailor Pluto, again looking like
she was in a trance. Without thinking, she placed the Garnet Orb on
top of the 'coffin'. Immediately, the Orb began to glow, the energy
conveying all over the surface of the strange object. After a brief
moment, she removed the Orb, and stepped back. The others did the
same.
A soft humming was heard, coming from the base of the 'coffin', at
the same time, the top of it began to retract, freeing the woman.
Once free, a soft reddish glow enveloped her for a minute, then
stopped. And everybody looked, amazed, when the woman began to stir!
"She's alive..." murmured Sailor Neptune, narrowing her eyes.
"It seems that the object was a suspended animation capsule."
Murmured back the Guardian. "Logical, if you consider the alternative
that she might be a survivor from the original crash."
"But why did the Garnet Orb activated it? It doesn't make any sense
to me." Murmured Sailor Jupiter.
"Heads up, everyone... she's moving." Said Sailor Uranus.
The strange lady stood up, very slowly, as if her body couldn't
remember how to move by itself. Once on her feet, she opened her
eyes, and everybody noticed that they were blue, as the sky on a
spring day. She was at least 5' 8", and her posture was at the same
time, straight and relaxed... almost regal. The mysterious woman then
looked straight at the girls and the Guardian, and began to walk
towards them. Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter and the Guardian prepared
their attacks, but were stopped by Sailor Pluto.
"No..." she said. "I don't think she wants to harm us." And without
saying anything else, she began to walk towards the lady as well,
while the rest were ready to strike if the situation required it.
When Sailor Pluto and the strange woman were face-to-face, Pluto
talked first. "Greetings. Who are you?" The woman just kept staring at
Pluto, her expression unreadable. Sailor Pluto continued. "We mean no
harm. My friends and I came here to stop a terrible evil from
obtaining a device we believe is hidden in this place." Same results.
Pluto continued. "If we don't stop that being, a terrible fate awaits
the inhabitants of this planet, and others as well. Can you
understand me?"
"It's no use, Pluto." Said Sailor Uranus. "I don't think she can
understand a word of what you said."
"I... understand." Began to say the strange lady. With the exception
of Sailor Pluto, everybody looked at her, surprised by the turn of
events. "Need... more... words."
"Need more words? What do you mean?" asked Sailor Neptune.
"Talk." Answered the woman. "Learn... understand... speak... me."
"If I got that one right," began Sailor Jupiter, "what you want from
us, is to speak to you, so you can learn our language, is that
correct?"
"Correct. Speak. Please." Finished the woman, smiling at Jupiter.
"Well... here goes nothing." Said Sailor Uranus. With that, everybody
began to take turns speaking, helping the mysterious woman to learn
their language, and hoping that she would aid them to stop Cauldron
from getting the T/S distortion device...
* * * *
Meanwhile...
Cauldron had arrived to one sealed cavern, after inspecting all the
other caverns on his path. "What do we have here?" he mused, although
he already knew what was there. With a seemingly effortless punch, he
reduced the obstacle to debris, opening the chamber. He entered,
followed by eight silent silhouettes. When he saw the contents of the
sealed chamber, a wicked half smile crossed his face.
Sitting in the middle of the cavern, was a strange looking device.
Comprised of a series of crystals, metal plaques, tubes, vials with
strange colored liquids, and parts that looked almost organic, the
T/S distortion device waited for someone to find and use it.
Unfortunately, the first one that found it was the one that intended
to use it against its creators.
"At last... after all this time." Murmured Cauldron. "With you,
nothing will stop me!" He then began to circle the device, a
triumphant expression in his face. When Cauldron reached the back of
the machine, he noticed what seemed like a bank vault door on the far
wall. "Woah! An extra bonus!" he said. Cauldron approached the door,
and using his cybernetic eye, began to scan it. After a minute or so,
he dwindled with the door, and opened it. "You, stay here and guard
the device. Don't let anyone get near it." Ordered Cauldron. Eight
figures nodded in unison; satisfied, Cauldron entered the mysterious
chamber.
What he found was not what he expected, not by a long shot! Inside,
was a strange looking device that reminded him the stasis pods on
Cryssalid. Upon approach, Cauldron saw a man inside, dressed like
some sort of magician, complete with the pointed hat! The clothes
were midnight blue, and the man had a very impressive grey beard. But
what draw Cauldron's attention was what was resting next to him.
A black sword, so black that light seemed to run away from it, led at
the left side of the strange subject. "Mmmm... yes. A VERY tasty
extra bonus, indeed!" said Cauldron to himself, and immediately
proceeded to activate the reanimation sequence of the pod. "Once this
fool is awake, I'll extract every bit of information his feeble brain
has, and then turn him into my slave... yes, that will do." Muttered
Cauldron.
A moment later, the sequence was complete, and the pod opened.
Cauldron looked satisfied as the man began to stir, and awaken. But
what he didn't anticipate was that the bearded man recovered so
quickly! When he looked at Cauldron, he grabbed the black sword, and
began attacking the cyborg with all his might. Cauldron began to
parry with his metallic arm, surprised that someone recovered from
the suspended animation so quickly.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!!" Screamed Cauldron, and moving swiftly, he punched
the bearded man with all his might. The man tried to stop the punch
with the sword, but it wasn't enough. Cauldron hit him with enough
force to send him tumbling back, dizzied. "A nice little bug... with
a nice looking stinger." Commented Cauldron. "Too bad your venom
doesn't affect me... huh?" His last expression was because the
strange man raised his arms, and spoke in a tongue he couldn't
identify at first. When the man finished, he leveled the sword,
pointing it towards Cauldron... and from it, a stream of what looked
black flames erupted, engulfing Cauldron!
Cauldron had learned from his past encounters with Sailor Moon, and
was prepared, nevertheless. He erected a force field around him,
deflecting the flames. And jumping over them, he landed next to the
man, and kicked the sword away from his hands, while slapping the man
hard with his organic hand. When the man took a couple of steps away
from Cauldron towards the sword, the cyborg moved and grabbed the
man, and prepared himself to kill that nuisance. But when he was
about to tear the man apart, he looked at his eyes, and what he saw
made him change his mind.
Madness. A dark intelligence. And hate. Pure... undeniable hate
irradiated from those eyes. Things that Cauldron understood, and
welcomed with all his being. "Perhaps you can be useful to me after
all." Said Cauldron. He then placed his cybernetic hand on top of the
man's head, and began to emit an electromagnetic frequency akin to
the human brain. The man screamed for a moment, trying to stop
Cauldron's intrusion on his head. Few seconds later, the man relaxed,
and accepted the data Cauldron forced inside his brain.
"Ok... let's try again, shall we?" said Cauldron, once he finished.
"Who are you, and what were you doing inside that pod?"
The bearded man looked at Cauldron, dizzy, his eyes unfocussed. After
a moment, he regained his bearings and began to talk. This time, he
began to talk... in Japanese. "I... I... I am... MerLynn..."
* * * *
"How long do you think we have to go?" Asked Sailor Chibi-Moon. They
had reached the cavern network that served as habitats for the now
disappeared crew of New Avalon, and after checking each one of the
rooms, were back on the central tunnel, heading back.
"We'll go as far as we need." Said Sailor Mars, matter-of-factly. She
was growing desperate by the minute.
"Calm down, Mars." Said Sailor Moon, walking next to Sailor Mars.
"I'm eager too, but losing our tempers won't solve anything."
"She's right." Said Yohann. "Letting your emotions rule your rational
thoughts will only put you right where Cauldron want you. We all have
to calm down, and continue."
"But it's so hard! I'm worried for my parents..." said Sailor Venus.
Her voice almost cracked when she mentioned her parents.
"You don't have to continue, you know?" said Yohann, worried for the
girls. "Let Hogosuro and myself handle Cauldron..."
"Don't even mention that again, Yohann!" retorted Sailor Mercury,
interrupting him. Yohann looked at her, slightly surprised by this
unusual emotional outburst of her. "This time is personal, and we're
the ones that will save them. This is our fight, and that's final."
"Mercury, I..." began to say Alex. She then decided to correct what
she was about to say. "Girls... perhaps you don't believe me, but I
understand you. I know this has to be hard on you, but please! Try to
calm down. Cauldron's not going to give us any slack when we finally
find him."
Emerald Knight chuckled at Alex' remark, although without any humor.
"Thanks for trying, Alex. I needed that."
"The point here, everybody... is that we have to focus here." Said
Sailor Jendra. "Yohann and Alex are right. If we don't calm down,
he'll mow us down." She then walked next to EK, and grabbed his hand.
He smiled at her, grateful of her gesture.
They walked a little more, alert in case Cauldron left more surprises
along the way. After a few more minutes, Sailor Saturn walked next to
Yohann. "Do you think they're ok?" she asked.
Yohann looked at her, and noticed that she was worried for her
friends, as well as for her father's fate. "If you mean them..." he
cast a furtive glance at the girls, "no. But perhaps that's the edge
we'll have once we found Cauldron. And if you mean your father and
their relatives..." He looked at her eyes, and saw that she was
anxious for something that raised her hopes. "They'll be fine, don't
worry. Cauldron wouldn't risk losing the only edge he has against us.
Don't worry, love."
Sailor Saturn grabbed his hands, and smiled sadly at Yohann. "You are
a lousy liar, you know?"
Yohann sighed, and not daring to look at her, he asked. "Am I that
transparent?"
"I'm afraid so. To me, anyway, you are." Answered Sailor Saturn. "But
thank you, anyway."
Yohann felt his heart cringe. He hated to lie to her, but he had to
try. It pained him to see them all so bad emotionally, and regretted
for the thousand time letting himself be convinced to let them follow
him to that place.
"Heads up, people!" said Alex in that moment. "Seems that we found
our man. Look ahead."
The Team had reached the place where Cauldron made his entrance. For
a moment, the only sounds heard were their fists clinching, their
resolves setting.
"At last..." said Sailor Moon. "Let's go and get our parents."
"Hold it, Moon!" said Alex. "We can't go in there just like this! I
bet all my files that Cauldron is waiting for us there. He's no fool,
you should know that already!"
"She's right, Sailor Moon." Said Yohann. "Let's make sure about it,
ok? Alex!"
"Yes, baby!"
"Send the hovertanks ahead." Continued Yohann. "Let Cauldron know
that we mean business."
"Right away, sweetbuns! On their way." Said Alex. In that moment, the
three hovertanks that were with them moved, and floated inside the
cavern.
A moment later, three loud explosions echoed, announcing the
destruction of the three units. A maniac's laugh followed the
destruction of the hovertanks, and a voice everybody loathed was
heard. "Is that the best you can throw at me? Come on, you people!
Why don't you step inside, and play?"
"Well... now we're sure he's in there. Let's move everybody, and let
him know that NO ONE messes with us!" said Sailor Moon, and without
waiting for an answer, she entered the chamber.
The rest didn't hesitate either, following her inside. Yohann sighed,
and steeling himself, followed everyone inside...
TO BE CONTINUED.
Chapter 13: The New Avalon Mission. Secrets...
Twenty minutes later, everybody was ready to get inside the Leviathan.
During that waiting period, Artemis and Luna had returned from
whatever chores they were doing. After learning what happened during
their absence, they spent the last 5 minutes trying to convince the
girls to let Yohann and his own team to handle the matters... to no
avail.
"It's no use, Luna." Said Artemis at last. "And even if Yohann hadn't
accepted to take them with him, they could easily have used the
Sailor Teleport to go there."
"I know, Artemis..." answered Luna. She looked dejected, almost about
to cry. "It just pains me that they are going in such emotional
turmoil..."
"I guess I can understand them," said Artemis. "The people they most
love in this world... yanked away from them in such horrible way, and
made them watch how they were tortured... I think... I think I'd do
the same thing."
In that moment, Alex spoke. "All preparations ready, sweetie. We can
go when you want to."
"Well done, Alex." Said Yohann, and after opening the hatch, he
addressed the girls. "Well, this is it. I really hope you change your
minds, though..."
"Don't say it, Yohann." interrupted Sailor Moon. "We're going, even
if you don't want to take us with you. Now, shall we go?" with that,
she entered the Leviathan, followed shortly by the rest of the Team.
When Endymion was about to enter, Yohann stopped him, grabbing his
arm.
"Hold on a second. I want to give you something." And guiding him to
a nearby trolley, he opened an elongated case, and took its contents,
his back turned to Endymion. "I asked Alex to build this for you a
few days ago. We didn't have time to test it, but I guess that under
the circumstances..."
Endymion frowned, but when Yohann turned around, he was surprised.
Yohann was holding in his hands a sword! It had the same shape as the
one Endymion hold, but this one looked like it was made of crystal.
The handle was made of what seemed obsidian, with a rose made of
rubies and emeralds on it.
"Before you say anything Endymion, let me explain briefly what this
is." Began Yohann. "The blade is made with a modified, one single
synthetic diamond. The edge is sharp down to one molecule wide, so
you better be careful when you wield it. Also, if you concentrate on
it, your energy will be amplified and directed to the blade. In short,
you can cut all known materials with this sword."
Endymion nodded, and grabbed the sword. The instant he did, he gasped.
The sword began to glow golden, forcing Yohann to half-close his eyes.
A brief moment later, the glow subsided, and the sword regained its
normal appearance. Taking a deep breath, Endymion stood back a few
paces, and began a series of movements with his new sword, sensing
it. Satisfied, he wished his own sword to return to its place, and
placed the new one inside the sheath. "Thank you, Yohann. It can come
in handy."
Yohann nodded, and both men began to walk towards the Leviathan.
Before the hatch closed, Yohann heard Luna's voice. "Good luck,
everyone..." was the only thing he could hear before the hatch closed
definitely.
When he entered the control room, he saw that everyone was already
seated, while Jendra, Mercury and Saturn were on their respective
places, finishing the launch procedures. Yohann then took his place
in front of the controls.
"We're ready, Yohann." said Saturn. "Course plotted and systems
ready."
"Thank you, Saturn." Answered Yohann. "Take us out, and let's go."
Artemis and Luna watched how the landing platform raised to ground
level... and returned to its original position empty.
"I hope they can make it." Commented Artemis.
"I hope so too, Artemis.... I hope so too." Was Luna's answer.
* * * *
"We are above Stonehenge, Yohann." said Saturn. "All systems
functioning normally. There seems to be no trace of anomalies so far."
Yohann nodded, and addressed Mercury. "Run a full sensor sweep of the
area, Mercury. I want to be sure our 'friend' is here."
"Running scan now..." said Mercury. "I'm picking up some sort of
energy emission a good half a mile north-northeast from our present
position. It's stationary and stable. It matches the same energy
patterns as the Leviathan's when it's cloaked."
"Then it's safe to assume that it's Cauldron's ship." Said the
Emerald Knight, closing his fists. "What are we waiting for? Let's
go!"
"You heard the man, Saturn." Said Yohann, half-smiling. "Take us down
next to it. Cloak our ship as well... I don't want to give him any
chance to strike while we land."
"Understood!" answered Saturn. A few moments later, the cloaked ship
had landed next to the Darkstarr. "Engines shutted down, Yohann.
We're ready to go after him!"
"There seems to be no activity nearby, gang." Said Mercury. "It seems
that he didn't notice our arrival."
"All right... let's go!" said Yohann. "Hogosuro... did you bring the
little surprise you wanted to give Cauldron?"
"Yes, Sir." Answered the Guardian. "I'll go get it."
"Meet us outside, then. Well, team... let's move!" said Yohann, and
with that, everybody left the ship, poised to save the hostages.
"Yes. It's as ugly as I remember it." Said Sailor Mars. Mercury had
linked her computer to the armor's visors of the rest of the team,
and was using a filter to help them see the cloaked Darkstarr. "Any
ideas of how are we going to get inside?"
"How about opening the front door?" said the Guardian, joining them
in that instant. "And I have just the key." Everybody turned around
to look at him... and facevaulted when they saw his 'key'. He was
carrying with him a strange looking device, all black. It looked to
them like if someone had grabbed a turtle and perched it in front of
a very big cannon! And big, to boot! It was at least 5 1/2 feet long!
"What in God's name is that??" asked Jupiter, amazed.
"It's a Proton Blaster." Answered the Guardian. "It will guarantee an
entrance to that ship. Now... stand back, everyone!" Once he had a
clear shot, he aimed the Blaster towards the entrance, guided by Alex
and Mercury. Once ready, he pulled the trigger.
A ray of green energy emerged from the Blaster. When it stroke the
Darkstarr, a shower of sparks emerged from the impact zone, and
everybody could see the entrance hatch glow green... and disappear in
a flash.
"Nice!" said Jupiter. "A little crude... but nice."
"Thanks, Hogosuro." Said Sailor Moon. "Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's move!" She then took the lead, and the Team entered the ship.
"Where to?" asked Sailor Venus. They were now on the central section
of the ship.
"We'll split." Said Yohann. "Venus, Mars, Jupiter... you go to the
control room. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto... you go to the engine room.
Saturn, Jendra and Emerald Knight, you go to storage. The rest, come
with me. We'll check the rest of the ship. And remember... if you
find Cauldron or the hostages, call the rest immediately. We'll meet
here in 15 minutes, understood?"
"Roger!" said everybody, and without another word, they split.
Fifteen minutes later, they were together again on the central
section.
"Any luck?" asked Sailor Moon.
"None on our side." Said Sailor Venus. "The front of the ship was
empty."
"The same as the back." Said Sailor Uranus, a scowl marring her face.
"The same as ourselves." Said Mercury. "I ran a full scan of this
ship. It seems that we're the only living things on it right now."
"And what about you?" asked Sailor Chibi-Moon, addressing Sailor
Jendra.
"We found the room where Cauldron held your relatives." Murmured
Sailor Jendra. "It was empty... except for this." She then handed a
note to Sailor Moon, her hand slightly trembling.
Sailor Moon took the note, and read it. "It says: 'Nice try. But
we're not here. If you want to catch me, then follow me to New
Avalon... that is, if these people mean something for you.' Signed,
Cauldron." She fought to contain the tears that threatened to blur
her vision. "And he dared to write it with red ink, to boot!" She
crumpled the note, and tossed it to the floor.
'Sweetbuns...' said Alex, linking to Yohann's mind. 'Don't say a
thing, but I scanned the paper. That... that's not red ink. It's
blood... human blood.'
'Oh, God... thanks for not mentioning it to the girls, Alex.' Thought
Yohann. He gulped, and gathering his composure, he said. "Well... it
seems that we'll have to get inside the base, after all. Now, let's
move." In complete silence, they left the Darkstarr.
The Team was now together in the center of the monolithic
construction that was Stonehenge. So far, the terrain looked
featureless. Not a single clue of how to enter the place. Mercury and
Alex were running a scan on the whole area, trying to find a way to
enter the base. The rest of the girls and boys weren't leaving
(literally) a stone unturned, but so far...
"How did he get inside? And are you sure that this is the place?"
asked Sailor Uranus. "This could be a dead end, you know?"
"No, Uranus." Answered Sailor Moon. "They are here. I can feel them
near."
"That's right." Confirmed Sailor Jendra. "I can feel them too. But
there's something strange... I feel them... distant... like if they
weren't truly near."
"I don't know what else to do." Said Sailor Mars. "I've checked this
rocks from all angles, and I haven't found a darn thing! How are we
going to get inside??" Frustrated, she kicked the slab in front of
her. It hurt... but she didn't mind the pain.
Yohann was seated on the central rock slab, his head on his hands,
trying to think of a way to enter the place. "I've ran out of ideas,
Alex... do you have one?"
"Sorry, sweetbuns... I don't know what else to do." Said Alex. "I've
scanned the whole place five times already... so far, nothing!
Although, there's evidence of a large subterranean chamber beneath
us, so this is the right place."
"That's little comfort, but thank you anyway, Alex." Said Yohann. He
closed his eyes, thinking what to do... besides using the ship's
weapons to open the darn thing wide open. In that moment, he felt
someone seating next to him. When he opened his eyes, he saw it was
Sailor Pluto. "I don't know what else to do... do you have any ideas,
Pluto?"
Sailor Pluto smiled faintly at him, and putting a hand on his
shoulder, she said. "Don't give up, Yohann. You've taken us this far.
You'll find a solution, I'm sure."
"Thank you, Pluto. I'll try not to disappoint any of you." When she
turned around, Yohann lowered his gaze, his mind blank. He stood up,
and began to look at the central slab, not thinking in anything in
particular. His eyes then focused a small hole on one side of the
slab. "Alex..." he asked. "What is this?"
"Just a hole, baby." Was her answer. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"Mmmm..." Yohann then traced the contours of the hole with his
fingers, trying to get a mental image of it. What he obtained sent
his mind into a whirl. Suddenly, he began to look at the rest of the
rocks, and an idea popped in his mind. 'Can it be? Is it possible??'
"Alex!" he shouted, surprising everybody. "Scan the rocks! I want to
know their composition!"
"Sweetie..." began Alex, sounding worried. "Are you all right? I
mean... we know that these rocks aren't from the local area..."
"I don't mean that!" said Yohann, his eyes unfocussed. "I want to
know their EXACT mineral composition! Compare the results with the
ones we already know of the Ginzuishou."
"What are you thinking, Yohann?" asked Sailor Mercury, puzzled.
"It's just a crazy idea, Mercury. And I hope to be crazy enough to be
on the right track!" was Yohann's answer.
"Baby... I got the results you wanted." Said Alex in that moment.
"You'll never cease to amaze me with those intuition jumps of your
mind... but it seems that, inside each rock, is a small content of
crystals, whose structure is similar to the Ginzuishou!"
"That's all I wanted to know Alex, Thanks." He then addressed Sailor
Pluto. "Can you show me your Time Key for just a moment, please?"
"What do you want to do with it, Yohann?" asked Sailor Pluto,
frowning. She then summoned her Time Key.
"Just confirm a lunatic's idea of an entrance, Pluto." When he saw
the bottom of the Key, and compared it with the image he had of the
hole, he gasped. "I can't believe it! It can't be that simple...! Can
it?"
"Yohann, can you PLEASE tell us what's going on??" asked Sailor Mars.
"Gang... I know you're not going to believe me, but... I guess I know
how to get inside!" began Yohann. "This is crazy, but... I think that
Stonehenge is a lock!" All presents looked at him like he was a
babbling lunatic, stunned by his words.
"You're right... that's crazy!" said Sailor Venus. "But assuming
you're right... where's the key?"
"Actually... this 'lock' needs two keys." Continued Yohann. "One..."
he then pointed to the Time Key. "has been with us all the time."
Sailor Pluto looked at him, blinking. "Are you sure?"
"Only one way to find out, Pluto. Here, let me show you." Yohann
grabbed Sailor Pluto's wrist, and almost dragged her to the central
slab, and pointed the hole. "If my theory is correct... you have to
insert the Time Key here. Now give it a try, please!"
"I hope your idea is right, Yohann..." murmured Sailor Pluto, but
inserted her Key in the hole. To everybody's surprise, it fitted
perfectly. She continued inserting it, until it touched the bottom.
Only the Garnet Orb was visible now. "I truly can't believe it." Said
Sailor Pluto.
"Seems that you're right, Yohann." said the Emerald Knight. "But you
mentioned two keys... where's the other one?"
"Actually... all the 'keys' are here." Was Yohann's answer. "To be
precise... all of you are the keys!"
"If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I'd say that you're crazy,
Yohann..." said Sailor Saturn. "But I surrender to the evidence. Very
well, what do we have to do?"
"If I'm right... each one of you has to touch one of the slabs that
surrounds this place... and concentrate." Said Yohann. "You have to
imagine a door. A locked door that opens for you."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Each one, grab a rock!" said Sailor
Moon, and moved to the one that was next to her. Each one did the
same. Following Yohann's instructions, they placed their hands,
closed their eyes and opened their minds, imagining an open door.
Unnoticed by all, (except Alex, who was recording everything,) the
slabs began to glow, each a different color. Suddenly, a ray emerged
from each slab, hitting the Garnet Orb, which absorbed the energy and
focused it towards the arch that was in front of it. Upon contact,
the whole arched glowed white, and a swirling, silvery portal opened
in its center!
"Ok, everyone... you can stop now!" said Alex, loud enough so that
everybody could hear her. "It seems that the entrance to New Avalon
is open."
The Team turned around, and looked at the open portal, amazed. "But...
how? I mean... who could have possibly done such a thing?" murmured
Sailor Saturn.
"That's precisely the same thing I want to know, Saturn." Said Sailor
Pluto, retrieving her Time Key from the slab.
"What I want to know is... how did Cauldron open the entrance without
the Key? And without us?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"I guess... the only way we can get some answers, is getting inside."
Said Sailor Mercury.
"Well, everyone... let's move." Said Yohann. "Alex... call the hover
tanks and the stretchers. Let's not take any risks."
"Yes, sweetie." Answered Alex. And with that, all crossed the silvery
portal...
* * * *
... And entered a huge cavern. Even as they were underground,
(confirmed by Sailor Mercury and Alex's scans) it wasn't dark. In
fact, there was enough light for them to see. The walls glowed softly;
a whitish light cast all over the place, like the one of a full moon.
An underground lake was in front of them, a small spring feeding it.
The atmosphere, although slightly cold, wasn't uncomfortable.
"Wow..." murmured Sailor Venus, her mouth open.
"It's beautiful." Commented Sailor Mars.
"Almost like something out of a fairy tale." Said Sailor Jupiter.
"Where does the light come from?" asked Sailor Jendra, awestricken.
"The walls are covered with a species of lichen that reacts with the
mineral contents of the area, creating their own light." Answered
Sailor Mercury.
"Focus here, people." Said the Guardian, breaking the spell. "Remember
the main reason of why we're here: to rescue the people Cauldron
kidnapped."
"You're right. Sorry about that." Said Sailor Moon, shaking her head.
"Well, now that we're here... where to, Yohann? It seems that you're
the one that knows the way."
Yohann turned around slowly, using the armor's sensors to get an
image of the surrounding area. "Thank you for your confidence, Sailor
Moon. It seems that there's a path to our right. According to my
readings, apparently nine people walked on it before us. And the
footprints look recent."
"Cauldron and our parents... it has to be them!" exclaimed Sailor
Saturn. "What are we waiting for? Let's go and get them!" She then
tried to run to the path indicated, but Yohann placed a hand on her
shoulder, stopping her. "What are you doing?" demanded Saturn. "Let
me go!"
"Not so fast, bimbo!" said Alex, before anyone could say a thing.
"We're all going, remember? And what makes you think that Cauldron
didn't left some surprises scattered around here to cripple or
destroy us? Rushing like that is a sure way to walk in his hands, you
know? So, chill!"
Saturn turned around, and looked at Yohann, tears threatening to
escape her control. After a tense moment, she relaxed. "Yes... yes,
you're right. Sorry for that."
Yohann embraced Saturn, comforting her. "I understand how you feel,
dear. But don't worry, we'll save them all. I already promised you
that, remember?" When she nodded, he let her go. "Well, as she said...
what are we waiting for? Let's go and get them, gang. Alex, Mercury...
scan the area in front of us. If Cauldron left some of his tricks, I
want to know it."
"Understood." Answered both at the same time, beginning their
respective scans.
"All right... let's move everyone. And stay alert." Said Yohann.
The Team had been walking for an hour approximately, following the
path that started at the entrance they had encountered. At the
contrary of the other two bases they had visited already, this time
the entrance they used was still open after they crossed it,
eliciting some very interesting commentaries from Sailor Jupiter. As
expected, Mercury and Alex's scans have discovered some booby traps
along the path, being easily disposed once their exact location was
found.
"How large is this place, anyway?" asked Sailor Neptune. "This isn't
like the other bases."
"My guess is that the survivors used a natural cavern network, like
the ones of Rainbow." Offered the Guardian. "But what escapes my
understanding, is why they choose to leave this tunnel. It simply
doesn't make much sense."
"Why is that?" asked Sailor Jupiter. Currently, she was walking next
to him.
"Because, leaving such an obvious entrance unprotected goes against
any basic defense strategy. It's a double-edged sword, if you catch
my drift. Although you can defend this kind of places, it also gives
room for the enemy to send a distraction force to engage the
defenders, leaving other entrances open." Explained the Guardian.
"I see. So, what do you think?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"That we better stay alert. This walk has been easy so far... too
easy." Finished the Guardian.
Suddenly, they reached a fork in the road. Two different caves opened
now in front of the Team. "Well, where to now?" asked Endymion,
eyeing both entrances suspiciously.
"I don't know." Admitted Yohann. "Any ideas, anyone?"
"There's evidence that the entrance to the right has been used
recently, sweetbuns." Said Alex. "Also, the one on the left, but the
main force went right."
"Confirmed." Said Sailor Mercury. "There's a set of footprints on the
left tunnel, but it seems that they retraced, and rejoined the larger
group, going to the right instead."
"Perhaps Cauldron found something interesting on the left tunnel."
Said Sailor Neptune. "Something that might give him an edge over us."
"It seems that the only logical thing for us to do now, is to split."
Said Sailor Moon. She then noticed something. "Pluto... your Key...
what's happening to it?" Everybody turned around and looked at Sailor
Pluto. Sailor Moon was right. The Garnet Orb was pulsing.
"Mmmm... how peculiar." Said Sailor Pluto. She then aimed the Key
towards the entrance to the right. The pulsing remained the same.
When she pointed it towards the one on the left, the pulsing
increased slightly. "Interesting. I wonder why is the Orb reacting
like this?"
"Only one way to find out, it seems." Commented Yohann. "Let's follow
the left tunnel."
"No, Yohann." interrupted Sailor Pluto. "Sailor Moon is right. We
better split. That way, if this is a trap, at least we won't all fall
into it."
"As you wish, Pluto." Said Yohann. "I don't like it, but we'll do it
that way."
"Thank you, Yohann." said Sailor Pluto, nodding. "Who wants to come
with me?"
"I'll go." Said Sailor Uranus.
"Same with me." Added Sailor Neptune.
"I'll go with them, Sir." Said the Guardian. "I have my own sensor
array. It may come in handy."
"Very well. Anyone else?" asked Yohann.
"I'll go with them too." Answered Sailor Jupiter, surprising the rest.
"As you wish, Jupiter." Said Yohann. "Now that it's settled, lets
move everyone. We've wasted enough time already. And remember... if
something comes up, don't hesitate to call. Now, let's move." With
that, both groups followed a tunnel...
"Did something like this happen to you in the past, Pluto?" asked
Sailor Uranus. She kept her guard up, not relaxing for one moment.
They've been following the tunnel for a few minutes, the Time Key
increasing the rhythm of the pulsing with each step.
"Nothing of the sorts, no." answered Sailor Pluto. "Even more, I'm
not sure that anything like this ever happened in the history of the
Time Guardians."
"Wow, that's really something." Said Sailor Jupiter. "I never
imagined that something could take you by surprise, Pluto."
"There's always a first time for everything, Jupiter. Remember that."
Countered Sailor Pluto, calmly. In that moment, they reached a fairly
big cave. It was completely enclosed; the only entrance was the one
that the girls and the Guardian had used. But at the far end...
"Hey, what's that?" asked Sailor Neptune. "It doesn't look like it
belongs here."
"That's for sure." Commented Sailor Jupiter.
The reason was that, at the far end of the cave, was a strange dome.
Completely opaque, it didn't allow a view of what's in the interior.
The surface looked smooth, without any imperfections. It even seemed
to be glowing.
"Don't move." Said the Guardian. "I'll go and check it out. You wait
here."
"Ok. Be careful, Hogosuro." Said Sailor Jupiter.
The Guardian nodded, and walked next to the strange object, his
blaster aiming at it all the time. When he was standing next to it,
he lowered his gun, and began to use his own sensors on it. "That's
strange..." he said after a few moments.
"What's the matter? Asked Sailor Uranus, frowning.
"I... I can't get an accurate reading." Answered the Guardian. "It's
almost like... it wasn't here at all. Although, I can detect that
there's something inside. I'm not sure what it is, but definitely
there's something inside." He stared at the dome for a few more
seconds, and without truly thinking about it, he placed a hand on it.
Immediately, tendrils emerged from the dome, and surrounded his arm!
His body froze, the hand that was carrying the Proton Blaster stopped
mid-moving to aim the dome!
"HOGOSURO!!" Screamed Sailor Jupiter.
"IT'S A TRAP! I KNEW IT" Said Sailor Uranus. Immediately, she
attacked. "WORLD SHAKING!" Her attack raced towards the dome,
impacting next to the Guardian. The shockwave was strong enough to
free him, sending him to one side, still frozen. But what no one
anticipated was that the dome absorbed the attack, and sent it back
towards Sailor Uranus!
"Look out! INCOMING!" Screamed Sailor Neptune, jumping to one side,
the rest doing the same. Uranus' attack raced through the place they
were occupying a mere second before, entering the tunnel they used
and exploding there, causing the tunnel to collapse, sealing the only
exit from the cavern.
"You should learn to control your temper, Uranus." Commented Sailor
Pluto, standing up and dusting her fuku.
"Well, it didn't go the way I wanted. So... sue me." Retorted Sailor
Uranus, standing up as well. "How was I going to know that that...
thing would react like that?"
"Hogosuro! Answer me, are you still with us?" echoed Sailor Jupiter's
voice. While the Outers were recovering, Sailor Jupiter had move next
to the Guardian. "Come on, you can do it! Get moving, you enormous
piece of junk!"
"Uuhhh..." The Guardian groaned, and slowly, began to move again.
"What... what was that? And how did you call me, Jupiter?"
"Don't you EVER scare us like that again, do you hear me?" said
Sailor Jupiter, smiling. "And why did you do something so careless,
anyway?"
"I... I had to get a more accurate reading. I never expected it to
react like that." Began to explain the Guardian. "It was strange,
though. I didn't feel that I was under attack. It was more like... if
someone was probing me, searching for something. It went right to my
main memory banks, and retrieved all the information there. It even
scanned my mind. It was... weird."
"Then, it's not one of Cauldron's traps?" asked Sailor Pluto,
approaching him in that moment.
"I don't think so. It's more like a defense mechanism." Concluded the
Guardian. "Someone took a great deal of effort to protect whatever is
inside that thing."
"Do you think it's the device Cauldron is looking for?" suggested
Sailor Neptune, approaching him as well. Sailor Uranus was next to
her.
"It could be, but it doesn't make any sense." Said Sailor Uranus. "If
it is, then where is he? He wouldn't let down the opportunity to grab
it. Although, I'd love to see him here... and blast him!"
"Same here." Said Sailor Jupiter. "But besides that... anyone has an
idea of what to do now?"
"Let's start with opening the tunnel. We can't stay here." Suggested
Sailor Neptune. "Don't you agree, Pluto?" When she didn't get an
answer, she turned around... "PLUTO!!!!" Everybody gasped when they
saw what Sailor Neptune saw.
Sailor Pluto was standing next to the dome, almost like she was in a
trance! The Garnet Orb was now glowing, instead of pulsing. And very
slowly, she placed her right hand on top of the dome...
"Oooh, no you don't!" said Sailor Uranus. "WORLD...!!" But before she
could continue, everybody rushed to stop her. "What are you doing?!?!
Let me go! We have to help her!"
"Are you crazy??" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "You could hurt her! Not
to mention that this time, the cave could come crashing down on us!"
"Wait... look!" said the Guardian, pointing towards Pluto. Everybody
watched her, amazed.
The same energy tendrils that froze the Guardian, were now touching
Sailor Pluto's temples. Her expression was calm, relaxed. The
tendrils moved all over her face... almost like caressing her. Once
finished, the tendrils moved to her right hand, and remained there
for a few seconds, after which they retracted back into the dome.
Sailor Pluto's expression saddened, confusing the rest. A tear ran
unchecked down her right cheek, and still trance-like, she began to
walk away from the dome. When she was next to the sealed tunnel, she
turned around, and murmured. "Death scream." Immediately, her attack
raced towards the dome.
"Not again!" said Sailor Jupiter, her eyes glued on the attack. She
gritted her teeth, expecting the moment where the energy would be
absorbed and reflected back towards Sailor Pluto. What she (and no
one else) expected was what happened next.
When Pluto's attack touched the dome, the cavern was illuminated by
the onslaught of energies combining, forcing the girls to shield
their eyes. The Guardian only half-closed his, adjusting his vision
to continue monitoring the events. When the glow subsided, only the
Guardian was able to see the dome dissipating, showing its contents.
Instead of the dome, now was standing what looked like a crystal
coffin. The edges and base seemed to be made of gold, and what seemed
like images of knights battling were carved all around the base.
"Ooh, my eyes." Said Sailor Neptune. "I can't see a thing!"
"Let your retinas adjust again, Neptune." Said the Guardian. "I don't
detect any damage on you, girls."
"Glad to know that, Hogosuro." Said Sailor Uranus. "But what
happened? And what was that light?"
"It seems that Pluto's attack destroyed the dome." Answered the
Guardian. "It's no more."
"Pluto! What happened to her? Is she all right?" asked Sailor Jupiter,
blinking furiously trying to regain her vision.
"You all stay here, and let your eyes adjust once more. I'll go and
check her." Said the Guardian. He then moved towards Sailor Pluto,
who was leaning against her Time Key, breathing shallowly. "Pluto,
are you all right?" asked the Guardian.
"I... I think so." Answered Sailor Pluto. "Dizzy... that's all."
"Hold still." Said the Guardian. He then placed his left hand a few
inches over Sailor Pluto's head, and activated his crimson ray. A few
seconds later, he deactivated it. "How do you feel now?"
"Better, thank you." Said Sailor Pluto. "What happened?"
"That's what we want to know, Pluto. You looked like you were being
controlled by... whatever or whoever is in there." Said the Guardian,
pointing towards the 'coffin'.
"I wasn't controlled, Hogosuro..." began to say Sailor Pluto. "It was
more like... I don't know... like if part of me was... trapped inside,
asking for my help to get out and... redeem."
"Redeem? Redeem for what?" asked Sailor Jupiter, joining the
conversation. Neptune and Uranus joined them too.
"Good question." Said Sailor Neptune. She then eyed the strange
'coffin'. "Why don't we go and check it out? It seems safe now."
Everybody nodded, and approached the 'coffin' cautiously, the
Guardian aiming his blaster towards it all the time. When they saw
the 'coffin's' contents, more questions popped in their minds.
"What the...?" said Sailor Uranus.
"I can't believe it..." murmured Sailor Neptune.
"How...? Why...? Is this a dream?" said Sailor Jupiter.
"If it is, it's the first one I've had since my activation." Offered
the Guardian. "Not to mention that it's a collective one."
Sailor Pluto just kept steering at the 'coffin', her expression now
neutral.
The cause of their confusion was that, inside the strange object, was
a woman. She was dressed in Middle Age-type clothes, her dress
gracefully hugging her delicate body. Her skin was white, like
alabaster. Her hair was reddish brown, with red highlights, and it
was covered with a silver hair net, studded with stars and precious
stones. Her hands were covered with what looked like scaled, open
metal gloves, also made of silver. But what drawed their attention
was what she was holding in her hands.
It was a sword... a broad sword, to be precise. Exquisitely crafted,
it showed no signs of oxidation nowhere. The handle had precious
stones embedded on it, but the most impressive one was located in
the blade. It resembled...
"The Ginzuishou??" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "What is it doing
here?? I thought that it merged with Sailor Moon when she obtained
her Soul Power!"
"It's not it." Said Sailor Pluto. "Although I can sense an enormous
power emanating from that gem... a power that rivals the Ginzuishou."
"You have to be kidding, Pluto." Said Sailor Uranus. "Where did
this... person... got a hold of a crystal that's been on the Moon
Royalty's hands for millennia, and placed it on a sword, of all
things?"
"Why don't we ask her...?" murmured Sailor Pluto, again looking like
she was in a trance. Without thinking, she placed the Garnet Orb on
top of the 'coffin'. Immediately, the Orb began to glow, the energy
conveying all over the surface of the strange object. After a brief
moment, she removed the Orb, and stepped back. The others did the
same.
A soft humming was heard, coming from the base of the 'coffin', at
the same time, the top of it began to retract, freeing the woman.
Once free, a soft reddish glow enveloped her for a minute, then
stopped. And everybody looked, amazed, when the woman began to stir!
"She's alive..." murmured Sailor Neptune, narrowing her eyes.
"It seems that the object was a suspended animation capsule."
Murmured back the Guardian. "Logical, if you consider the alternative
that she might be a survivor from the original crash."
"But why did the Garnet Orb activated it? It doesn't make any sense
to me." Murmured Sailor Jupiter.
"Heads up, everyone... she's moving." Said Sailor Uranus.
The strange lady stood up, very slowly, as if her body couldn't
remember how to move by itself. Once on her feet, she opened her
eyes, and everybody noticed that they were blue, as the sky on a
spring day. She was at least 5' 8", and her posture was at the same
time, straight and relaxed... almost regal. The mysterious woman then
looked straight at the girls and the Guardian, and began to walk
towards them. Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter and the Guardian prepared
their attacks, but were stopped by Sailor Pluto.
"No..." she said. "I don't think she wants to harm us." And without
saying anything else, she began to walk towards the lady as well,
while the rest were ready to strike if the situation required it.
When Sailor Pluto and the strange woman were face-to-face, Pluto
talked first. "Greetings. Who are you?" The woman just kept staring at
Pluto, her expression unreadable. Sailor Pluto continued. "We mean no
harm. My friends and I came here to stop a terrible evil from
obtaining a device we believe is hidden in this place." Same results.
Pluto continued. "If we don't stop that being, a terrible fate awaits
the inhabitants of this planet, and others as well. Can you
understand me?"
"It's no use, Pluto." Said Sailor Uranus. "I don't think she can
understand a word of what you said."
"I... understand." Began to say the strange lady. With the exception
of Sailor Pluto, everybody looked at her, surprised by the turn of
events. "Need... more... words."
"Need more words? What do you mean?" asked Sailor Neptune.
"Talk." Answered the woman. "Learn... understand... speak... me."
"If I got that one right," began Sailor Jupiter, "what you want from
us, is to speak to you, so you can learn our language, is that
correct?"
"Correct. Speak. Please." Finished the woman, smiling at Jupiter.
"Well... here goes nothing." Said Sailor Uranus. With that, everybody
began to take turns speaking, helping the mysterious woman to learn
their language, and hoping that she would aid them to stop Cauldron
from getting the T/S distortion device...
* * * *
Meanwhile...
Cauldron had arrived to one sealed cavern, after inspecting all the
other caverns on his path. "What do we have here?" he mused, although
he already knew what was there. With a seemingly effortless punch, he
reduced the obstacle to debris, opening the chamber. He entered,
followed by eight silent silhouettes. When he saw the contents of the
sealed chamber, a wicked half smile crossed his face.
Sitting in the middle of the cavern, was a strange looking device.
Comprised of a series of crystals, metal plaques, tubes, vials with
strange colored liquids, and parts that looked almost organic, the
T/S distortion device waited for someone to find and use it.
Unfortunately, the first one that found it was the one that intended
to use it against its creators.
"At last... after all this time." Murmured Cauldron. "With you,
nothing will stop me!" He then began to circle the device, a
triumphant expression in his face. When Cauldron reached the back of
the machine, he noticed what seemed like a bank vault door on the far
wall. "Woah! An extra bonus!" he said. Cauldron approached the door,
and using his cybernetic eye, began to scan it. After a minute or so,
he dwindled with the door, and opened it. "You, stay here and guard
the device. Don't let anyone get near it." Ordered Cauldron. Eight
figures nodded in unison; satisfied, Cauldron entered the mysterious
chamber.
What he found was not what he expected, not by a long shot! Inside,
was a strange looking device that reminded him the stasis pods on
Cryssalid. Upon approach, Cauldron saw a man inside, dressed like
some sort of magician, complete with the pointed hat! The clothes
were midnight blue, and the man had a very impressive grey beard. But
what draw Cauldron's attention was what was resting next to him.
A black sword, so black that light seemed to run away from it, led at
the left side of the strange subject. "Mmmm... yes. A VERY tasty
extra bonus, indeed!" said Cauldron to himself, and immediately
proceeded to activate the reanimation sequence of the pod. "Once this
fool is awake, I'll extract every bit of information his feeble brain
has, and then turn him into my slave... yes, that will do." Muttered
Cauldron.
A moment later, the sequence was complete, and the pod opened.
Cauldron looked satisfied as the man began to stir, and awaken. But
what he didn't anticipate was that the bearded man recovered so
quickly! When he looked at Cauldron, he grabbed the black sword, and
began attacking the cyborg with all his might. Cauldron began to
parry with his metallic arm, surprised that someone recovered from
the suspended animation so quickly.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!!" Screamed Cauldron, and moving swiftly, he punched
the bearded man with all his might. The man tried to stop the punch
with the sword, but it wasn't enough. Cauldron hit him with enough
force to send him tumbling back, dizzied. "A nice little bug... with
a nice looking stinger." Commented Cauldron. "Too bad your venom
doesn't affect me... huh?" His last expression was because the
strange man raised his arms, and spoke in a tongue he couldn't
identify at first. When the man finished, he leveled the sword,
pointing it towards Cauldron... and from it, a stream of what looked
black flames erupted, engulfing Cauldron!
Cauldron had learned from his past encounters with Sailor Moon, and
was prepared, nevertheless. He erected a force field around him,
deflecting the flames. And jumping over them, he landed next to the
man, and kicked the sword away from his hands, while slapping the man
hard with his organic hand. When the man took a couple of steps away
from Cauldron towards the sword, the cyborg moved and grabbed the
man, and prepared himself to kill that nuisance. But when he was
about to tear the man apart, he looked at his eyes, and what he saw
made him change his mind.
Madness. A dark intelligence. And hate. Pure... undeniable hate
irradiated from those eyes. Things that Cauldron understood, and
welcomed with all his being. "Perhaps you can be useful to me after
all." Said Cauldron. He then placed his cybernetic hand on top of the
man's head, and began to emit an electromagnetic frequency akin to
the human brain. The man screamed for a moment, trying to stop
Cauldron's intrusion on his head. Few seconds later, the man relaxed,
and accepted the data Cauldron forced inside his brain.
"Ok... let's try again, shall we?" said Cauldron, once he finished.
"Who are you, and what were you doing inside that pod?"
The bearded man looked at Cauldron, dizzy, his eyes unfocussed. After
a moment, he regained his bearings and began to talk. This time, he
began to talk... in Japanese. "I... I... I am... MerLynn..."
* * * *
"How long do you think we have to go?" Asked Sailor Chibi-Moon. They
had reached the cavern network that served as habitats for the now
disappeared crew of New Avalon, and after checking each one of the
rooms, were back on the central tunnel, heading back.
"We'll go as far as we need." Said Sailor Mars, matter-of-factly. She
was growing desperate by the minute.
"Calm down, Mars." Said Sailor Moon, walking next to Sailor Mars.
"I'm eager too, but losing our tempers won't solve anything."
"She's right." Said Yohann. "Letting your emotions rule your rational
thoughts will only put you right where Cauldron want you. We all have
to calm down, and continue."
"But it's so hard! I'm worried for my parents..." said Sailor Venus.
Her voice almost cracked when she mentioned her parents.
"You don't have to continue, you know?" said Yohann, worried for the
girls. "Let Hogosuro and myself handle Cauldron..."
"Don't even mention that again, Yohann!" retorted Sailor Mercury,
interrupting him. Yohann looked at her, slightly surprised by this
unusual emotional outburst of her. "This time is personal, and we're
the ones that will save them. This is our fight, and that's final."
"Mercury, I..." began to say Alex. She then decided to correct what
she was about to say. "Girls... perhaps you don't believe me, but I
understand you. I know this has to be hard on you, but please! Try to
calm down. Cauldron's not going to give us any slack when we finally
find him."
Emerald Knight chuckled at Alex' remark, although without any humor.
"Thanks for trying, Alex. I needed that."
"The point here, everybody... is that we have to focus here." Said
Sailor Jendra. "Yohann and Alex are right. If we don't calm down,
he'll mow us down." She then walked next to EK, and grabbed his hand.
He smiled at her, grateful of her gesture.
They walked a little more, alert in case Cauldron left more surprises
along the way. After a few more minutes, Sailor Saturn walked next to
Yohann. "Do you think they're ok?" she asked.
Yohann looked at her, and noticed that she was worried for her
friends, as well as for her father's fate. "If you mean them..." he
cast a furtive glance at the girls, "no. But perhaps that's the edge
we'll have once we found Cauldron. And if you mean your father and
their relatives..." He looked at her eyes, and saw that she was
anxious for something that raised her hopes. "They'll be fine, don't
worry. Cauldron wouldn't risk losing the only edge he has against us.
Don't worry, love."
Sailor Saturn grabbed his hands, and smiled sadly at Yohann. "You are
a lousy liar, you know?"
Yohann sighed, and not daring to look at her, he asked. "Am I that
transparent?"
"I'm afraid so. To me, anyway, you are." Answered Sailor Saturn. "But
thank you, anyway."
Yohann felt his heart cringe. He hated to lie to her, but he had to
try. It pained him to see them all so bad emotionally, and regretted
for the thousand time letting himself be convinced to let them follow
him to that place.
"Heads up, people!" said Alex in that moment. "Seems that we found
our man. Look ahead."
The Team had reached the place where Cauldron made his entrance. For
a moment, the only sounds heard were their fists clinching, their
resolves setting.
"At last..." said Sailor Moon. "Let's go and get our parents."
"Hold it, Moon!" said Alex. "We can't go in there just like this! I
bet all my files that Cauldron is waiting for us there. He's no fool,
you should know that already!"
"She's right, Sailor Moon." Said Yohann. "Let's make sure about it,
ok? Alex!"
"Yes, baby!"
"Send the hovertanks ahead." Continued Yohann. "Let Cauldron know
that we mean business."
"Right away, sweetbuns! On their way." Said Alex. In that moment, the
three hovertanks that were with them moved, and floated inside the
cavern.
A moment later, three loud explosions echoed, announcing the
destruction of the three units. A maniac's laugh followed the
destruction of the hovertanks, and a voice everybody loathed was
heard. "Is that the best you can throw at me? Come on, you people!
Why don't you step inside, and play?"
"Well... now we're sure he's in there. Let's move everybody, and let
him know that NO ONE messes with us!" said Sailor Moon, and without
waiting for an answer, she entered the chamber.
The rest didn't hesitate either, following her inside. Yohann sighed,
and steeling himself, followed everyone inside...
TO BE CONTINUED.