Sailor Journeys: Secrets of an Unknown Past

by Commander Galos

This story is based on the first 23 chapters of Yohann DeSabrais' 'Cycles of Life'.

22. Chapter 22

SAILOR JOURNEYS: SECRETS OF AN UNKNOWN PAST.


Chapter 22: The Atlantis Mission. Down Under.



The first thing Jupiter noticed was that the normal lights were still out.
But when she saw the red tint around her, her childhood fears arose once
more. Memories of the plane crash that had claimed her parents so long ago
returned unrestrained to her conscious mind. When she began to move in an
attempt to get away from the confining space, she felt a pair of strong hands
holding her by her shoulders, keeping her on her seat.

"LET ME GO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! LET ME GO!"

"Sshhh... it's alright. Calm down, Makoto. Everything is fine. You are
perfectly safe here."

At the soothing quality of that voice, Jupiter regained her calm and looked
at her right shoulder. Noticing the hand on it, her gaze followed the limb
until she looked straight at the Guardian's face. He was looking at her with
evident worry on his features.

"Are you feeling better?"

Placing a hand on top of his, Jupiter smiled at him. "Yes, thanks. Do you
know what happened?"

"I'm not sure." Said the Guardian without letting go of his hold on her.
"Apparently, the ship's inertial dampeners went offline, since when the ship
hit the water, we all were jarred so bad that you all lost consciousness. You
are the first one to be awake." Seeing that Jupiter was getting agitated
again, he added. "I already checked the others. Thank goodness you all were
wearing your armors, otherwise you would be injured. As it is, all presents
are just unconscious."

Jupiter let out a sigh of relief at that last bit of news. Taking a look
around, she asked once more. "How bad is it?"

"That's what Alex is trying to find out. But since the ship's systems are
offline, she is using the sensors of the Lieutenant's armor to verify
everything."

As if on cue, Alex chose that moment to speak. "Well, about time someone woke
up! I was feeling rather lonely here. And please, would you mind stop giving
me those scares? I almost suffered a de-fragmentation when you all blacked
out like that!"

Jupiter couldn't help but smile at Alex' rant. She knew that it was the AI's
way to deal with the situation. "I'll try not to do that again in the future
Alex. Now, do you know what happened to us?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." Began Alex. "That beam surely did a show on us!
Besides basic life support, everything else is completely down. Fortunately,
the ship's hull withhold the abuse pretty well, or you'd be breathing water
right now. And speaking of water... we're almost at the bottom of the ocean."

"Great..." muttered Jupiter. "Things just keep getting better and better."

"We'll make it out of here somehow, don't worry." Assured the Guardian.
Trying to keep her mind out of depression, he said. "Would you mind helping
me reviving the others?"

"Let's do it." Said Jupiter, standing up. The Guardian nodded and headed to
the back of the cockpit to retrieve the first aid kit that Mercury had
insisted to put there. In that instant he felt grateful for her insight,
since the ship's replicator was out of order at the moment.

A few minutes later, everybody was awake, notwithstanding a few sore points
and headaches. Mercury and Alex had confirmed their status, once Yohann was
able to stand up.

"Looks like we're nothing worse for the wear." Said Mercury, closing her
compact. "We've been very lucky."

"Yes, but now we're trapped in this tin can!" said Uranus, fuming. She was
about to say something else when suddenly, the Leviathan lurched, sending to
the floor all that were standing up, namely Jupiter, the Guardian and her.
"Now what? Have we reached bottom?"

"That's not possible!" said Alex. "We're still a few feet above the ocean
floor! Mmmm, perhaps we hit a submarine current?"

Mercury had opened her compact again, and was trying to run a scan of their
surrounding area. Everybody was looking at her expectantly, so it was a shock
for them when she finally spoke. "It's no use. Whatever hit us, is still
active. I can't get a clear reading."

"In that case, the best course of action is to sit tight and wait." Said
Pluto. "Try to relax and conserve energy."

"That's a good advice." Said Moon, closing her eyes again. "Wake me up once
we're still."

"Only you could do that right now..." Said Terra. "But it's still a good
idea." She followed the example and closed her eyes as well, relaxing at best
as she could. The others followed suit a moment later.

However, their impromptu rest came to an abrupt halt when the ship once more
buffeted, waking them up once more.

"Looks like we're here... wherever 'here' might be." Said Venus.

"Looks like it." Said Yohann, standing up. "All right. Mercury, you and
Uranus check the controls here. Alex and me will go to the reactor room to
try and start it up again. Hogosuro, check the cargo and prepare the
breathing devices, we..." he was suddenly interrupted when the systems went
back online, the lights turning on again.

"Well, apparently our luck is changing for the better!" quipped Terra.

"Alright, we're back in business!" exclaimed Alex.

"I couldn't agree more with you, girls." Said Yohann. "Now, let's fire up the
engines and move out of here." He hadn't taken more than one step towards the
controls when a series of strange clanks were heard on the hull.

"Now what?" grumbled Emerald Knight.

But before anyone could answer, a series of sounds were heard in the
direction of the exit hatch. The unnerving thing about them was that they
were rhythmic. Too rhythmic to be caused by natural forces.

Without saying a word, Yohann signaled the Guardian to follow him. It didn't
surprise him too much to notice that the others were following them as well.
They almost jumped when, after arriving to the hatch, another series of
punches echoed in the confined space.

"Well, there is no reason to stay here any longer, don't you think?" inquired
Neptune.

"Wait, aren't we underwater?" asked Moon.

Alex ran a scan with the armor's sensors, this time getting a reading. "Call
me crazy, but there's no water outside! Even more, there's an atmosphere out
there, fully breathable!"

"All right, crazy..." said Yohann, smiling faintly, "then let's see who's
knocking at our door." Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he readied
his Gamma Sphere and opened the door...

... and looked straight in the face of a coarse-looking middle-aged man,
dressed in a blue overall. "Well, about time you answered!" said the man,
looking bored. "Now, would you mind stepping out of there? I have work to do,
you know?"

Everybody just blinked at the man, obviously confused. They expected
everything, except to stumble with some kind of grumpy mechanic!

"Well, what are you waiting for, a parade? Step out of there! I'm already
behind my schedule!" repeated the strange man. Lowering his voice, he added.
"Each new arrival is worse than the last... don't have a sense of
priorities..."

"What is going on here?" asked Saturn, obviously confused. "And where are we?"

"Let's get out and find out, shall we?" suggested the Guardian. "Remaining
here won't help us finding the answers... whatever the questions might be."

In unison, the Team left the Leviathan, the last one to exit being Yohann,
who closed and secured the hatch. When he joined the others, he couldn't help
but to look around and exclaim the same question that ran through everybody's
minds. "Where the hell are we??"

They were now standing in the far end of an enormous artificial cavern, for
lack of a better name. On one side was what appeared to be a gigantic pool;
in the bottom was discernable the existence of a pair of immense doors, big
enough to allow the entrance of an aircraft carrier... if one was able to
dive underwater, that is.

Poised on one side of the pool, was a veritable flotilla of submersibles,
which for all appearances were designed for deep-sea work. The whole place
had the general atmosphere of a factory combined with a regular hangar,
profusely illuminated with high-intensity lamps.

They were still trying to analyze logically what they were seeing when, from
a pair of doors on one side of the place, an open vehicle equipped with seats
headed their way and stopped next to them. The driver, a young skinny, blond
boy with freckles, addressed them. "Sorry for the delay, this is my first day
on the job, you know?"

"Excuse me, but who are you?" asked Terra, puzzled.

"My name is Thomas. But you can call me Tommy!" Thomas looked at Sailor Terra
and blushed fiercely. "Aaaah... Do you need help getting up?"

Terra couldn't help but giggle at him, and nodding, allowed Thomas to help
her board the vehicle. Obviously, such happenings didn't fare well to
Endymion, who was scowling the whole time.

"What do you know? Like mother, like daughter." Quipped Neptune, smiling.

In a moment, everybody was on board of the small transport (with Terra
sitting next to Thomas, and Endymion and Moon seated right behind them
keeping an eye on the impromptu couple), and was on their way to wherever
they were heading. The surprises were abundant after crossing the exit doors.
Going through a series of passages well maintained and illuminated, the team
was looking at a well-stocked, perfectly operating base of salvage operations
of some kind. In one turn, they entered an enormous hydroponics installation,
big enough to feed thousands of people and recycle the air supply of the
whole place. With an expert twist of his hand, Thomas grabbed an orquid and
offered it to Terra. Blushing demurely, she placed it on her hair. Needless
to say, the rest were fighting hard to either not start giggling like mad, or
prevent Endymion to break the youth's neck.

After another few turns, they arrived to what appeared to be an office
section, stopping in front of a door marked _Human Resources_. "Well, we're
here. Please get in." Said Thomas. Blushing slightly, he addressed Terra. "I
hope you are assigned to my sector... I would like to see you again."

"We'll see." Answered Sailor Terra, smiling and turning on the Kawaii factor
by a factor of 20. "Take care, Tommy."

When Thomas drove away, Venus couldn't contain herself and commented to
Mercury. "This is the first time I see a guy floating on cloud nine, with car
and everything!"

"I have to admit it... she doesn't have to make an effort." Answered Mercury,
smirking as well.

"I can't believe it... my niece is a real heartbreaker..." commented Emerald
Knight. "I don't know if to feel proud, or scared."

"You'd better feel sorry for that guy." Muttered Endymion, fuming. "If I see
him again flirting with my little girl..."

"Perhaps you might see more of him in the future, Prince Endymion." Said
Pluto, hiding her smile behind her hand. It was truly a sight to see Endymion
getting a healthy purple color on his face.

"All right, all right. Calm down, everybody." Said Yohann, raising his hands.
"We can continue this discussion later. For now, let's see what we can find
in here, ok?" Everybody agreed to that.

He then knocked at the door, and was promptly answered by a voice. "Come in."

They opened the door, and entered a non-descript office... or perhaps it was
some sort of classroom. There were at least 30 benches in there, a big liquid
crystal display screen on one wall, and a desk. Behind the desk, was another
man, this one with black skin, bald and with a moustache. "Well, don't stay
there. Take a seat and let's finish with the introductions."

"Wait a minute here." Said Uranus, standing in front of the desk. "We are not
moving unless you tell us what the heck is this place, and what do you want
with us?"

The man just looked at her, totally unfazed by her outburst. "If you take a
seat, I'll explain what I can. Now, do it."

Uranus's eyes half-closed and was about to hit that impertinent man a
thousand different ways, when Neptune placed her hands on her arm. Turning
around, she saw her stern look, clearly indicating that she would be
seriously unpleased if she caused any trouble before they could get some
answers. Relaxing visibly, Uranus nodded her agreement, and took a seat,
Neptune sitting next to her. The others followed their example immediately
afterwards.

Once everybody was seated, the man stood up and began his introduction. "My
name is Julian Stevenson, and I'm in charge of the Human Resources
department. You all will be assigned to different stations, according to your
own personal aptitudes and knowledge. One thing that I want to make clear is
that nobody on this colony will accept any kind of attempt at rebellion.
There is no way for any of you to get out of this colony. We are at the
bottom of the ocean, and all our submersibles won't work for unauthorized
personnel. Well, that's all I have to say. I'll leave you with our leader, so
pay attention to what she has to say." With that as a farewell, Stevenson
left the room.

"That... wasn't tranquilizing at all." Commented Emerald Knight once they
were left alone.

"You can say that again!" said Jendra. "But he'll get a surprise about saying
we can't get out! We have the Leviathan, not to mention our underwater gear!"

"That is, if they don't hit us with that ray again." Countered the Guardian.
"I mean, it's pretty obvious that what they used on us, went through our
shields, so using them will be useless."

"Not to mention that you can't even float, not to say swim!" added Jupiter.
"And what would you do, walk out of this place?" when she saw the Guardian
smirking at her, she just sighed. "Who am I talking with? Of course you
would..."

Their talk was suddenly interrupted when the wall screen turned on by itself,
drawing their attention towards it. For a few moments, the screen remained
blank, until right at its center what appeared to be a milky cloud became
discernible. From a set of hidden speakers, a female voice was heard.

"I am a LInear Nodule Assistant. Name Designation: LI.N.A. Managing Program
of Observation Post Atlantia. You have been recruited by the Agency to
refurbish and put this Post back into operational order and achieve its
purpose."

"That thing has to be kidding!" exclaimed Alex, using her link to the team's
armors to talk without being heard. "It calls this 'recruiting'? That's plain
kidnapping, if you ask me!"

"Don't tell me this is how your planet recruits people, Yohann!" asked Moon,
shocked.

"Of course not! This is plain nuts!" replied Yohann, equally shocked.

Undisturbed by the team's reactions, LI.N.A. continued talking. "For
management purposes, say you names and area of expertise. Be clear and
truthful with your declarations, since this will determine you assignments.
Start now."

Nobody said a word for a couple of minutes, each one looking at the others,
confused. It was Jupiter the one that spoke first. "What now? Shall we follow
its game, or shall we try to bust our way out of this place?"

"Personally, I wouldn't mind breaking a few walls to get out of here."
Commented Jendra. "I mean, I don't like the idea of spending the rest of my
life in this place one bit!"

"Same here." Added Emerald Knight. "We have to show them that nobody can push
us around like this!"

"Normally, I would agree with you, gang." Said Yohann, looking pensive.
"However, let me say that you are allowing your feelings to cloud your
thoughts." Raising a hand to stop the impending flood of arguments, he
continued. "Let me finish, please! Remember why we came here in the first
place: to find another base and close it. And lets face it, gang... we found
it! Although it's nothing like we expected, that still stands." Reluctantly,
everybody agreed to that.

"Now, what I suggest, is that we play along... for now. We have to find out
what this place is, and more importantly: why is it still inhabited after all
these years, and how they did it." Finished Yohann. Seeing that everybody
else agreed to that plan, he stood up and spoke. "Starr, Yohann. Military
tactics and exploration."

The computer program seemed to ponder that information for a second before
speaking again. "Noted. Next."

"Artificial Humanoid, codename: Guardian. Surveillance and battle specialist."

The rest looked confused, not knowing what to say, until Alex began to speak
to them. "Hey, don't worry, gang! First, just say your battle names, nothing
else. Second, just say what you normally do. Don't let this thing clue on
what you really are, otherwise we will lose the surprise element in case we
need to fight. And more importantly... don't mention that I'm here!"

Nodding in agreement, they began to brief the management program... or at
least, made it believe what it wanted to hear.

"Sailor Uranus. Pilot."

"Sailor Neptune. Musician."

"Sailor Pluto. Resource Management." She ignored the looks of the others at
her statement, but nobody said a thing.

"Sailor Venus. Sentimental consultant." The others choked at that, but said
nothing.

"Sailor Mercury. Medicine and scientific research."

"Sailor Jupiter. Err... Nutriologist?"

"Sailor Saturn. Bodyguard-in-training and pilot." Yohann sighed at her words,
but said nothing. Instead, he looked at her with wanting.

"Sailor Terra. No defined field." Looking at the others, she added. "Hey,
it's true!"

"Sailor Jendra. Psychology."

"Endymion. Bodyguard."

Emerald Knight looked at Jendra, and smiling her way, he said. "Kitechnum.
Bodyguard."

"Sailor Moon... Ahhh... leadership?" Needless to say, there were huge
sweatdrops behind everybody's heads, but none said a thing.

"Files updated. Beginning sorting of positions now." Said LI.N.A.

"You did great, girls and boys!" said Alex through the link. "Now, if you
agree... Mercury, keep your computer active. That will allow me to get to you
in case you need me. Do you agree, sweetbuns?"

"Fine by me, Alex." Murmured Yohann. Seeing Mercury nodding her acceptance,
he added. "Now, let's see what awaits us..." They didn't have to wait for
long.

From a slot on the desk, a series of papers emerged. "Take these
identifications with you and hand them to your sector superiors. Report to
your stations immediately. That is all." With those final words, the screen
went black.

"Boy... not even you are this direct." Said Jupiter, looking at the Guardian.

"Agreed." Said the Guardian. Walking to the desk, he grabbed the papers.
"Mmmm, interesting... each paper has a map of this place." Giving them a fast
glance, he began to give to each member of the team one of them. The
reactions were varied, to say the very least.

"Hey, How come I was sent to the submarine fleet?" said Uranus.

"Mmmm... I was sent to hydroponics. Not bad." Said Neptune.

"It seems that I have to remain here for training..." Said Pluto.

"That thing sent me to psychiatry!" Said Venus, eyes wide open.

"Oh... I was sent to the infirmary." Commented Mercury. "Also, to the
laboratories on different days."

"I was sent to the kitchen!" exclaimed Jupiter, her face a mix of pride and
outrage. "Well, it could have been worse, but still..."

"Looks like we're going to work together, Venus. I was sent to psychiatry
too." Said Jendra, smiling.

"Hey, I was sent to the main administration sector! What does that mean?"
asked Moon, puzzled.

"Cool! I was sent to the childcare center! This is so neat!" exclaimed Terra,
smiling radiantly.

"And what about you, guys? You haven't said a thing." Inquired Jupiter,
curious.

The men of the group looked at each other, exchanging notes with each other.
Taking the lead, Endymion spoke for them. "We all were sent to the military.
Looks like we all got drafted!"

"Well, looks like I'm going to follow dad's steps after all..." commented
Emerald Knight. "Looks like it runs in the family, eh, sis?"

"Perhaps you." Said the Guardian, drawing the general attention to him. "I
was sent to the electronics sector for examination and possible recycling."
Seeing Jupiter's reaction to the news, he added. "Obviously, I'm not going to
allow them to recycle me! You can trust me on that!"

"You better do that... I'm not too keen to rebuild you back from scrap, you
know?" said Jupiter, but it was easily discernible a note of fondness in her
voice.

"You are not the only ones, guys." Commented Saturn. "I was sent with you
too." Looking at a glance in Yohann's direction, she added. "Who knows?
Perhaps I could find a nice guy in there... that treats me with respect."

Yohann reacted as if he had been physically slapped, but said nothing. The
others looked at Robin in total disbelief, too stunned to say a word.

"Hey, Robin! Cut it out, will ya?" said Alex, miffed.

"It's ok, Alex. Never mind." Said Yohann, trying to smile. Breathing deeply,
he asked the others. "Ok, gang. Let's get this show on the road. Lets report
to our 'stations' and get together at the mess hall for lunch. Then we'll
exchange notes, ok?"

Everybody agreed to the idea, and after checking the radios on their armors,
they went their way in order to find out what was the deal with such strange
place.


* * * *

Lunch time...


It took them a little while, but they finally got together on a corner of the
mess hall. Surprisingly, the Guardian was there as well. The last one to join
them was Jupiter, but she finally got with them a few minutes later.

"Very well, now that we are here, who wants to start?" said Yohann.

"I'll do." Said Pluto. " From where I was, I was able to find out this: This
is the place we were looking after, but the strange thing is that the records
here date only a few centuries old. Apparently, this base was abandoned for
quite some time, but got inhabited recently. I don't know why."

"I know, I know!" said Moon, excitedly. "You see, all the people here has
their origins on all those disappearances on the Bermuda Triangle! It seems
that, somehow, they were all captured on the surface at some time, and
brought here."

"Hey, isn't that what was going to happen to that passenger jet we saved
earlier?" inquired Venus.

"Precisely." Said Mercury, taking her turn to talk. "It seems that the
program that remained on this place, the one that identified itself as LINA,
took upon itself the task to put this base back in operational order.
However, the only way it found to do it... was to kidnap people to work for
it, since all automated robots were down."

"What I don't understand, is why it did it." Inquired the Guardian. "I mean,
even the most basic programs of the Agency have incorporated routines to
prevent this kind of thing."

"I can answer that." Said Alex, speaking from Mercury's computer. "When
Mercury here was in the labs, I infiltrated the computers. First, that place
is a total mess! The operative system is nothing more than a joke, let me
tell you! Anyway, it seems that LINA suffered a severe de-fragmentation and
file loss. What remains is barely able to understand human speech and follow
its remaining directives: to aid in the recruitment of personnel for this
place and help in the maintenance of it."

"But where did it find the materials for refurbishing this base?" asked
Emerald Knight. "I don't think it had in stock all the raw materials, hadn't
it?"

"No, and that's what I've found out." Said Uranus. "At first, it used the
materials the ships and planes captured were made of. It was until recent
times that they built that submarine fleet."

"And how do you know that?" asked Jendra, curious.

"Because, while wandering around, I stumbled with the plaques and names of
all the vessels captured in the past." Answered Uranus, her expression
totally serious. "There are also the names of all the people captured... and
that have died here. It's pretty macabre, let me assure you.

"And I also found out how they do it. While the supervisor showed me the
submarines, he also took me to their, and I quote, 'pride and joy'. On
another hangar, they have a HUGE magnetic cannon. That is what they use to
capture ships and planes, even from the bottom of the ocean."

"But that thing must use energy like crazy!" said Mercury. "Where do they get
it?"

"That's something I can answer." Said the Guardian. "It seems that, during
the years, they used what they had on hand, from burning wood, using diesel
engines, and now, they are using the nuclear reactors from captured
submarines."

"Why wasn't anything like it mentioned on the news?" asked Moon, puzzled. "I
mean, that kind of things can't be hidden that easily, can it?"

"We're talking the USA and former USSR militaries, dear." Said Endymion.
"They would have preferred a media blackout than admit that they lost vessels
from their respective fleets."

"And speaking of military," said Yohann, taking the word, "the captured crews
became the security forces of this place. And hear this: most of them still
believe that the Cold War is still in full fledge! There is a lot of
political tension among the ranks, but being in these close quarters has
forced them to co-exist in certain manner of peace."

"And that also explains why most of them treated me like a child!" commented
Saturn, fuming. "They still have these archaic ideas of 'only men should
serve in the military, the place for women is behind a stove'! What they
really need right now is an attitude adjustment... right in their more
delicate parts!" all men present flinched at the perspective, but said
nothing.

"And what about you, dear?" asked Endymion, addressing Terra. "What did you
find out?"

"Well, for starters, there is a really big number of children here." Started
Terra. "All of them were born here, their parents having been born here as
well. As far as I can tell, they are the tenth generation. None of them has
ever seen the sunlight... that's very sad.

"Anyway, since they all are truly natives of this place, they don't seem to
think that there is another life outside this place. And are perfectly
content with that!" sighing happily, she added. "And you know what? Tommy is
there too! He is so sweet with children! One day, he'll make an excellent
father!"

"He hasn't made any passes at you, right?" asked Endymion, serious. "If he's
molested you in any way, I..."

"Oh, father, please!" interrupted Terra, miffed at his reaction. "I'm a grown
woman now! I can take care of myself! And don't even think of intimidating
him, because I'll be REALLY angry if you do that!"

"So... is he really sweet?" asked Moon, in an attempt to relax the tension
growing between them. "And... is he a good kisser?"

Endymion almost got an apoplexy at the question.

"Ooh, I don't know..." said Terra, smirking. "... Yet. He looks a little
inexperienced, but I'm sure I can make him up to date in that department-"

"If it makes you feel better," said the Guardian leaning closer to Endymion,
"since I'm catalogued as a piece of equipment, I could keep an eye on them.
You know... chaperone them to prevent unwanted... happenings."

"I'd really appreciate it. Thanks." Murmured Endymion, grateful at the offer.

"Now, don't you even dare to interfere!" said Jupiter, looking sternly at the
Guardian. "You better leave them alone, or you'll have to answer to ME, is
that understood?"

"Yes Mako, whatever you say." Said the Guardian, chastised.

Before the gossip got out of hand, one of the waiters approached their table
and handed them some menus. After feeling their glasses with water, he left
them alone to let them decide what to order. The eyes of the Team became
ungodly big at the selection.

"Oh, boy... soup of the day... CARROT SOUP??" exclaimed Moon, shocked. "I
think I'll pass, thank you."

"Seaweed salad with cucumbers? Now, that's exotic!" commented Uranus.

"Abyssal fish with sweet sauce? Aaaah... I'm not sure..." said Neptune,
becoming a little green at the prospect.

"Mmmm... grilled squid with cheese sauce... sounds good to me." Said Terra.

"Frozen kelp with syrup?? Oh man... I'll never see a dessert the same way
ever again..." said Venus, gulping.

"Yes, I admit the ingredients are a little... unusual." Said Jupiter,
shrugging her shoulders. "but let me tell you, it was a real challenge!"

"And I'm sure you enjoyed every minute of it!" said Jendra, smiling at her
friend.

In that moment, the waiter approached them, and after taking their orders, he
went on his way to the kitchens. The Team kept discussing what they had found
out during their stay until their meal arrived. At first they were cautious,
but after their first bites, they digged in with much gusto. It was until
Moon had cleaned up her plate that she noticed something strange on it.

"Hey... does any one knows what does 'White Star' means?"

"Sure." Said Mercury, a little absent-mindedly while she continued enjoying
her dessert. "That's the old name of an ancient navy firm in England during
the start of the century. They were the owners of the Titanic and other
ships. Why?"

"That's engraved on my plate." Said Moon, showing it to the others. That
prompted them to check their plates as well.

"Mine says Lusitania!" commented Venus.

"Interesting... mine comes from the Mauritania." Said Pluto, raising an
eyebrow. "It looks like the residents have searched the whole Atlantic,
savaging what they could from shipwrecks."

"Great." Said Emerald Knight, sighing. "Now it turns out that this place is
also a historical museum as well. Sometimes, this hero business doesn't pay
in the way we want, isn't it? So... what are we going to do now?"

He was suddenly interrupted when a severe shockwave rocked the whole place,
sending more that one person on the mess hall to the floor. When the initial
surprise subsided, they looked around, noticing that everybody was heading to
the exit.

"What's going on? What was that??" asked Moon, a little fear tinting her
voice.

"All of you, stay put! I'll go and check it out!" said Uranus, standing up
and running to the exit. She grabbed a soldier that was running by and
without ceremony she made her question. "What was that?"

"There is an hostile intrusion at the hangar!" said the soldier, getting
loose of Uranus' grip. "All civilians must go to the refuges! And you better go
too, missy!" with that, he ran in the general direction of the Hangar. Uranus
returned to her friends' side immediately.

"Trouble, everybody! Looks like we're being invaded!"

"Then let's move!" said Yohann. an instant later, the whole Team raced
towards the hangar to face whatever was threatening the place.


* * * *


A few minutes earlier...


The same mechanic that had 'welcomed' the Team was busy fixing a recalcitrant
propeller on one of the subs when, all of a sudden, he felt under his feet
the distinct vibration that indicated the opening of the huge doors leading
to the open sea.

"Keep working on this." He said, addressing one of his aides. "I'll go check
out what is going on." He then walked in the direction of the entrance pool.
'Strange,' he thought, 'there are no scheduled subs out at the time. All of
them are here now, and the retrieval cannon is off.' He didn't have more time
to think another thing before seeing the new 'arrival'.

He witnessed, amazed, the dark ship emerging from the pool. It was as big as
the newest arrivals' ship, but somehow, the appearance of the new ship gave
him goose bumps. An air of... wrongness... emanated from it, even... evil.
With only the sound of dripping water as the only evidence of it moving, the
strange vessel moved next to the Leviathan, landing softly. The mechanic,
overcoming his discomfort at the sight, approached the ship, noticing for the
first time the word 'DARKSTARR' printed on its side. Relying on life-long
reflexes, he took out a wrench and tapped the hatch. He almost bolted out of
his overall when it opened. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing
heart, he spoke. "Hello? Is anyone here?" when nobody answered him
immediately, he hit the frame of the hatch with his wrench. "Hey, answer me!
Who's in there?"

That was the last action he made in his life.

Without warning, from the darkness emerged a metallic arm, equipped with
blade-sharp nails. With uncanny accuracy, the nails pierced effortlessly the
man's chest, the points coming out his back. With a wet gurgle, the man
twitched a couple of times before going still. The nails retracted, the
corpse dropping to the floor.

"That will teach him to damage my property." Said Cauldron, cleaning the
blood covering his cybernetic arm on the corpse's clothes.

"Really... some people doesn't have the slightest notion of manners
nowadays." Commented MerLynn, a couple of steps behind Cauldron. "Your spy
really took us to the precise point. I really admire you, my friend!"

"Yes, she did her job admirably." Said Cauldron, standing up and walking out
of the Darkstarr. "Too bad she has outlived her usefulness now. Oh, well...
that's life." Walking with MerLynn to the back of the ship, he continued
talking. "You know the plan: Take half the forces with you and secure our
objective, while I'll take the rest and secure the control room."

"Will do. Anything else?" asked MerLynn, brandishing Heresy.

"Only one thing. Kill whatever vermin gets in your way. We don't want
unwanted... interference this late of the game, do we?"

When they reached the back of the ship, Cauldron raised his metallic arm and
gave a mental command. Immediately, the cargo doors opened, allowing their
forces to step out. Said forces consisted in a series of robots, heavily
armed with assorted weapons. The smallest one measured twelve feet high, the
tallest one twenty, their forms going from humanoid-looking robots, to four-
legged ones. Among them, was a varied assembly of tank-like units, also
heavily armed. There were a total of thirty combat robots in total. Giving
another mental command, half the forces separated and began following
MerLynn, while the rest went with Cauldron. Some of them began to roam around
the hangar, firing at will against either vehicles or people that was
unfortunate enough to remain there.

When Cauldron approached the Leviathan, he smiled crookedly. "ooh yes, my
little spy. You performed admirably." Giving another command, a couple of the
humanoid robots headed in the direction of a nearby wall, while Cauldron
placed his hand on the Leviathan's hull. Immediately, the maintenance ports
of the ship opened. A moment later, the two robots returned, each carrying
with them a big amount of heavy duty cables, which they proceeded to connect
to the ports. It was a matter of a couple of minutes before the connections
were ready.

"Now... to power up this pitiful place... and begin the next phase of my
plan!" commented Cauldron for himself. Giving another mental command to the
two robots, he then placed his hand again against the Leviathan. Immediately,
the distinctive hum of the ship's power core running at full capacity was
heard. Nodding in satisfaction, Cauldron signaled the rest of his strike
force to follow him, leaving the other two robots to guard the connections.

It wasn't long before all over the Atlantia base all hell broke loose...
literally.


* * * *


"My goodness, what is going on in there??" asked Terra, shocked at the sound
of gunfire and the screams echoing down the corridor they were following.

"Whatever it is, stay focussed! And try to protect whoever you can!" said
Yohann, preparing mentally for what might be waiting for them ahead.

When they turned around a corner, they faced the origin of the problem.
Amidst a sea of slaughtered soldiers was MerLynn, grinning maniacally at the
sight. Behind him were two tanks and one four-legged robot, their weapons
still smoking. Noticing the new arrivals, MerLynn snarled.

"So... we meet again, losers! This time, there will be only one victor...
ME!" addressing the robots, he shouted. "KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL! DON'T LEAVE
ONE ALIVE!" Acknowledging the order, the robots' weapons immediately aimed in
the direction of the Team, while MerLynn ran away through a side corridor.
Before the robots opened fire, the Team separated and dived in different
directions, avoiding ending up shredded to pieces by the onslaught of laser
and shotgun fire.

"Those two are like cockroaches!" commented Jupiter. "They simply doesn't
remain dead!"

"We'll worry about that later!" said Venus, ducking even more. "Right now, we
have bigger problems!"

"And where did they get those things??" shouted Jendra above the gunfire.

"Who cares?" shouted back Uranus. "Get ready to turn them into scrap metal!"
jumping out of the corridor she used to take cover, she faced the enemy
robots, at the same time charging her techno-weapon. "URANUS GROUND POUNDER!"

The instant her fists touched the ground, a heavy shockwave ran through the
floor. When it reached the robots' position, they were tossed through the air
like toys. One of the tanks ended up upside-down, while the other fell on top
of the last one. "GET THEM!!" shouted Uranus.

The others took their cue immediately, going on the offensive.

"NEPTUNE OCEANIC BLASTER!"

"VENUS MOLECULAR DISSOLVER!"

"SONIC DEMODULATOR BLAST!"

"JUPITER ION STORM!"

"JENDRA SPECTRAL AURORA!"

"MERCURY ICE NEEDLES!"

"SATURN DEATHSPHERES!"

"Death scream."

"PINK SUGAR HEARTS NAPALM!"

"GAMMA: PLASMA SHOT!"

The combined attack promptly reduced the three robots to garbage, As soon as
the calm was restored, they looked around in search for survivors.
Unfortunately, there were none.

"How could they do this?" said Moon, sobbing quietly. "What do they want?"

"We'll ask them... right before we pound them into bloody pulps!" said
Jupiter, shacking with barely contained rage.

"Then let's go after them." Commented Yohann, his hands trembling slightly
as well. "Mercury, Alex... do you have a fix on their location?"

"Working on it." Said Mercury, typing furiously at her compact. A moment
later, she relayed a map of the base to the others' helmets. On it, a series
of dots appeared moving all over the place. "They are roaming all over the
base, with two apparently guarding the hangar. A few are heading in two
distinct directions."

"Confirmed." Said Alex. "A group of five is heading towards the computer
room, another one is getting away from our present location (I assume it's
MerLynn), heading towards a closed section of this place."

It was in that moment that Terra gasped, shocked at the realization of the
map's readings. "Oh no! Two are heading to the daycare center! THE
CHILDREN!!" Without saying anything else, she ran in that direction.

"Venus, go with her!" shouted Yohann. Nodding, Venus went after the fleeing
Terra.

"I'll go with her too!" said Moon, racing after her friends, Endymion going
with her as well.

"The rest of us, split and secure the place." Said Yohann. "Mercury, I
suggest you go to the computer center and stall whoever is there until the
rest reinforce you. I'll go to the hangar and secure our ship."

"I'll go with her, sweetie!" said Alex. "Once there, I'll see if I can
activate the internal security. That will help us!"

"Do it, Alex. Now let's go, people! There are innocents to save here!"
finished Yohann. With that, they raced in different directions in an attempt
to stop Cauldron and his invading force.

* * * *


"JUPITER ION STORM!"

Jupiter's attack shorted out another tank, allowing her to continue. Behind
her, the Guardian made sure that the enemy was completely render inoperative
by crushing the sensor suite on the turret.

"Where to now?" inquired the Guardian.

"Next corridor." Answered Jupiter. "The map shows another two enemies dead
ahead."

They hurried in that direction, getting ready for another fight. So far,
they had disposed of four other robots, in one case arriving just in time to
save a group of civilians from being slaughtered. In a moment, they entered
the corridor, noting only one humanoid robot with its back to them.

"Where is the other one?" murmured the Guardian.

But before Jupiter could say a thing, a metallic claw shot from the side of
the entrance, grabbing her. The Guardian immediately noticed a spider-like
robot with Jupiter on its claw, already aiming its weapon to her head!

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Not wasting another second, the Guardian jumped on the
robot, immediately struggling with it in an attempt to keep the weapon away
from Jupiter. It was in that instant that the second robot turned around and
aimed in their direction.

"HOGOSURO, LOOK OUT!" screamed Jupiter, struggling to free herself. Her
efforts paid, and just in the nick of time. As soon as she dropped to the
ground, the second robot opened fire. The piercing rounds of its shotgun
made short work of the second robot; unfortunately, the Guardian was also in
the line of fire, being hit as well.

"HOGOSURO!!" Turning around, Jupiter faced her enemy, electricity running
all over her body. "You bastard... DIE! JUPITER ION STORM!" The technum-
charged shot hit the robot squarely, causing it to explode in a spectacular
manner. Paying no attention to it, she rushed to the Guardian's side. She
felt alleviated when the Guardian began to stood up, but...

"Your arm!" she exclaimed. Effectively, his left arm had been almost severed
by the elbow, now hanging only by a couple of control wires.

"Damn. Something more to work at when we get back home." Murmured the
Guardian. Turning slightly to face Jupiter, he tried to smile. "Don't worry,
it's only a flesh wound. I'll be fine. Now keep going! I'll stay here."

"Not without you." Said Jupiter, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"You can't defend yourself with only one arm!"

The Guardian was about to argue that, but closed his mouth. Gritting his
teeth, he gook his useless arm with the other hand, and with a swift move he
finally removed it, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from the stump.
Jupiter flinched at the sight.

"Now let's see..." Approaching the arachnid robot, he examined its gun,
noticing that it was fairly intact. With a good pull, he severed it from its
socket. Another close examination revealed that it was a shotgun, and
because of a struck of luck, intact. Closing his eyes, he concentrated...
and placed the weapon's entry socket on his stump.

Jupiter observed, fascinated, how the weapon fused with the Guardian's arm.
His limb seemed to become partially liquid, flowing into the socket of the
shotgun. In a couple of moments, the fusion process was complete. The
Guardian moved his new limb experimentally, practicing a few positions to
find the most comfortable ones. Once satisfied, he turned to Jupiter,
raising his new toy. "Well, what do you think? Is it me, or what?"

Jupiter shook her head, highly impressed. "You never cease to amaze me..."

Returning the smile, The Guardian pointed towards the end of the corridor.
"Now... how about finishing the job?"

Nodding, Jupiter raced in that direction, closely followed by the Guardian.


* * * *


Yohann entered the Hangar using the northern entrance, which by luck was the
farthest one from the place where the Leviathan was 'parked'. This also
allowed him a good view of the carnage that had taken place there. Taking
only a moment to use his armor's sensors to confirm that nobody was alive in
there, he headed in the direction of his ship, using the wreckages as cover.
Soon, he had the two enemy robots in sight. He also noticed the power lines
going from the Leviathan to a nearby wall.

'Strange...' he thought. 'This place has enough energy as it is. Why did
Cauldron do this? Mmmm... time to find out later, let's get down to business.'

Activating his Alpha Sphere, he covered himself with his Shield, at the same
time deploying the Beta Sphere, ordering it to turn into a spear with a
drill on the tip. The Gamma Sphere attached itself on the back of his right
hand.

With a wordless scream, Yohann jumped out of his hideout and raced towards
his enemies. The two robots, upon noticing his presence, didn't waste time
to aim their weapons and fire. One of them had a shotgun, forcing Yohann to
desperately evade the rounds, the other one had a green laser. The laser
missed him, but when Yohann saw the impact point, he went pale.

Where the laser hit, instead of a burned hole, the metal was bubbling
furiously.

"Damn! An acid laser!" He had good reason to be afraid of it. The Acid
laser, unlike a regular laser, operated in a wavelength that made it act
like a stream of molecular acid, dissolving the target.

Readjusting his trajectory, Yohann made a parallel run, closely followed by
enemy fire. Once in position, he launched his spear in the direction of the
robot with the shotgun, smiling satisfied when it impacted on the robot's
torso. Upon impact, the spear's tip began to rotate, quickly drilling its
way into the machine. It wasn't long before the robot began to convulse, and
later, it blew up in pieces. Its job done, the spear returned to Yohann's
hand.

The remaining robot redoubled its efforts to nail Yohann, forcing him to
move in and out, unable to get closer. The impasse was broken when Yohann
tripped on a loose plaque. The robot, not wasting time, got a good shot at
him, sending him to the ground. Fortunately, Yohann's Shield withstood the
blast, but still the blast sent him rolling, forcing him to drop the spear.

Yohann lost precious seconds trying to regain his bearings, which the robot
didn't lose. Before he could react, Yohann felt an intense pain in his right
leg. Looking down, he saw the robot was pinning him down, standing on his
leg. Before he could send a mental command to his spear to attack, the robot
began firing at him at point blank range, disrupting his concentration.

Fighting against the pain, he barely paid attention to the warning signal
flashing on his visor.

"Warning! Shield integrity at 68% and dropping. Diverting available power to
Shield. Estimated time before collapse: 15 seconds."

'No!' Yohann tried to focus again on his spear, but the pain was constantly
breaking his concentration. Same wise, he couldn't concentrate on the Gamma
Sphere, unable to think on a counterattack. All his attention was focused on
maintaining his Shield.

'This is it.' He thought, sourly, when the message window flashed that only
5% worth of power remained on his shield. 'I would have liked to say goodbye
to the others...

'Robin...'

He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, when a voice reached his
ears.

"SATURN DEATHSPHERES!"

Yohann opened his eyes just in time to see Saturn's spheres rip through the
robot's body over and over again. It didn't take too long to reduce the
robot to scrap metal, sparks jumping out of the remains.

"Yohann! Are you all right?" said Saturn, removing the wreckage off his body.

"I... guess so. Thank you." Answered Yohann, smiling. He was about to say
something else when a stabbing pain on his right leg forced him to drop on
his knees. Taking deep breaths, he ordered his armor to make a medical scan.
He wasn't surprised when the sensors showed that he had a multiple fracture.

"Marvelous... just my luck." He then ordered his armor to stabilize his
broken leg, hardening around the area. Once done, he gave a mental order to
the Beta Sphere, commanding it to reform. When it returned to his hand, it
already had assumed the form of a crutch.

"Yohann, what are you doing? You're hurt, lie down!" exclaimed Saturn,
placing her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to keep him on the floor.

"I can rest once this whole mess is over, dear." Said Yohann, finally
standing up, albeit wobbly. "Have to go help the others."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn!?" said Saturn, almost screaming. "All
right..." She then took the crutch and placed Yohann's right arm on her
shoulders. "Lean on me then. We can go faster that way."

Yohann was about to object, but upon seeing the determined look on her eyes,
decided to say nothing. Sighing, he commanded his Sphere to reform and re-
attach back on his armor. "All done, milady."

"Stop it, you embarrass me..." said Robin, unable to stop the slight blush
on her cheeks, something that didn't go unnoticed to Yohann. "Now, let's go.
Mercury is alone and needs reinforcements."

"Lead on then." Said Yohann, smiling. He couldn't help but feel happy, the
spark of hope already becoming brighter in his heart.


* * * *

"How much further?" asked Moon. She, Terra, Venus and Endymion had already
encountered two robot tanks in their way to the daycare center. The first
one had been taken by surprise by Endymion, who sliced it with his sword.
The second one took the combined efforts of Moon and Venus to get rid of it.

"Just around that corner!" said Terra, still running at full speed.

When they got there, they were stunned to see that the wall had already been
breached, the screams of the children reaching them. Above the commotion,
they heard a voice reaching their ears.

"STAY AWAY FROM THEM! DON'T GET ANY CLOSER!!"

"TOMMY!" Without wasting another second, Terra jumped through the hole. The
sight of at least thirty little children, some just babies, huddled in one
corner greeted her. Standing in front of two humanoid robots, wielding a
broken pipe, was Thomas, trying to defend the children.

Terra's blood went cold when one robot just swatted Thomas into a nearby
wall, the brave young man sliding to the floor in a heap, not moving.

Seeing red, she summoned her sacred weapon, jumping towards the robots,
which were already aiming their weapons toward the terrified children. With
a cry, she began to slash at the nearest one, succeeding in removing its
weapon from it. Immediately, she moved to her next target, succeeding in
drawing its attention away from its intended victims. Moving closer, she
began to slice at it, forcing it away even further. Unknown to her, the
crippled robot moved behind her, getting ready to pierce her with its claw.

It never got further than that.

"SONIC DEMODULATOR BLAST!" "VENUS MOLECULAR DISSOLVER!" The attacking
machine began to vibrate at ultrasonic speed, its armor melting at the same
time, quickly falling apart. Moon and Venus immediately moved in front of
the children, getting ready to hit the second robot when the chance
presented itself. As things turned out, they didn't have to bother.

Joining his daughter in the fray, Endymion began to slash away along with
Terra; their combined attack made a thorough job in no time.

With the danger passed, Terra hurried to Thomas' side to check on him. With
great care, she turned him on his back and began to check him for injuries.
He was bleeding from a cut in his head, and his left arm was twisted in an
unnatural angle.

"Come on... wake up, please!" pleaded Terra, caressing his check. "Don't
leave us like that... the children need you... please, wake up!"

With a slight groan, Thomas began to regain his consciousness, the first
thing he saw was the distraught and teary face of Terra. With great effort,
he managed to murmur two words. "The... children..."

"They're safe." Said Terra, sighing in relief. "We'll take care of them,
don't worry."

"Good." Closing his eyes again, he went unconscious again, this time with a
slight smile on his lips.

Approaching slowly to the couple, Endymion placed a hand on his daughter's
shoulder. "Come on, we have to finish cleaning this place."

Without turning to see him, Terra just said. "You go. I'll stay here and
keep the children safe..."

There were no objections from the other's part. Without saying a word, they
moved to the exit. Before they were out, they heard Terra's voice. "Make
those monsters pay."

"We'll do." Said Moon. She turned around in time to see the flock of
children surround her daughter, who began to talk softly to them in an
attempt to calm them down. She also noticed that she was holding Thomas'
hand in hers, never letting it go. Smiling to herself, she joined the others.


* * * *

Pluto, Uranus and Neptune quickly reached the place that, according to their
maps, were the destination of Merlynn's group. In front of them was the
wreckage of a gigantic blast door, and beyond that point, only darkness
greeted them.

"Just the kind of situation that I love to get into." Said Uranus, cracking
her knuckles.

"Don't forget to leave something for us, dear." Said Neptune, standing next
to Uranus in a combat-ready stance.

"Let's finish what we came here to do and rejoin the others." Said Pluto,
getting ready as well. "Now, shall we?"

With great determination and caution, the trio entered the dark cave, their
senses in full alert. That paid well, since upon entrance, a tank opened
fire at them. The three Outer Senshi jumped in different directions,
avoiding being hit. Uranus was the first one to react.

"WORLD SHAKING!"

Her attack went true, sending the machine to the far wall. Without wasting
time, Neptune and Pluto made their moves.

"DEEP SUBMERGE!"

"Death Scream."

The combined attack reduced the robot to scrap metal. As an added bonus, the
tank began to burn, the flames illuminating a nearby entrance. As a unit,
they entered the next chamber, not surprised to notice that another two
robots, one tank and an arachnid, were waiting for them. They didn't lose
time to attack. Deciding to indulge herself, Uranus used her katana this
time, enjoying the feeling of metal tearing under her onslaught.

Having disposed of their enemies, Neptune activated her helmet's lantern,
quickly finding another door at the far end. Getting ready, they opened the
last door.

Unlike the last two, this room was well illuminated. At the center, was a
pedestal with a strange-looking sphere. It was hard to determine its real
form; each time they tried to focus their eyes on it, the eye seemed to
simply... slide on the surface.

But what truly draw their attention, was the presence of MerLynn, flanked by
his last two robots, another arachnid and a humanoid one.

"So..." began MerLynn, smiling darkly at them. "You finally made it here. I
was expecting the others, but you will do. I owe you that humiliating defeat
back in New Avalon."

"Too bad." Said Uranus. "Because you are going down again."

"Step away from that object, slowly." Said Neptune, getting ready to jump at
him.

"I don't think so." Answered MerLynn. With a gesture, he signaled his last
robots to attack.

The Senshi didn't waste time either, getting fully into the fray. Moving
constantly to avoid being stationary targets, they began to launch their
attacks at their enemies. But unlike the ones they fought previously, these
robots were more agile, jumping to the sides to avoid being hit.

"Very well..." said Uranus after avoiding a near blast from a laser. "The
kids' gloves are off." Upon landing, she aimed carefully at the nearest
robot and let lose with her techno-weapon. "URANUS GROUND POUNDER!" Her
attack had the desired effect, forcing the robot to lose its balance.
Without wasting a moment, she zeroed on it and slashed at it with her
katana. The robot didn't have a chance.

At the same time, Neptune saw her chance when the remaining robot jumped
once more. Taking aim, she let lose with her weapon as well. "NEPTUNE
OCEANIC BLASTER!"

Her aim true, the blast tore a section of floor away, causing the robot to
trip. With it off-balance, Pluto closed the distance and used Eternity, her
slashes becoming nothing more than a blur; her attack over, she stood behind
the robot, unmoving. An instant later, the robot drop to the floor, nothing
more than a pile of finely cut pieces.

Their attention was drawn back to MerLynn, who was clapping. "Good, very
good! I expected nothing less from you! This will make my victory the more
sweeter." He then moved behind the pedestal, still smiling.

"You don't have a chance against us." Said Uranus, her katana at the ready.
"Surrender now."

"No, YOU surrender now!" said MerLynn, placing his hands on both sides of
the pedestal. "That is... unless you want me to activate this lovely toy."

"And what is that thing, anyway? A bomb?" sneered Uranus, unfazed. "That
won't affect us."

"On the contrary, my dear!" said MerLynn, smiling darkly. "You see, this is
no ordinary bomb. This is... a Dehydrator bomb!" Seeing the blank stares on
the Senshi's faces, he began to explain. "This beauty has the capability to
break the atomic bonds of water molecules. The best part, is that the
reaction is self-perpetuated! It won't stop until the last water molecule is
disrupted... in the whole world!" His smile grew wider at seeing the three
Senshi pale significantly.

"You're insane..." murmured Neptune. "you'd die as well!"

"A small price to pay to get rid of you all... and that traitorous bitch as
well!"

During MerLynn's explanation, Pluto had been slowly moving to one side,
incidentally getting close to the robot she had destroyed. Once she was next
to the remains, she placed Eternity on top of the nearest pieces and closed
her eyes. At the same moment MerLynn finished talking, she began to glow. In
an instant, her techno-armor assimilated the necessary pieces needed to
assemble her new techno-weapon.

A couple of moments later, the process was over. Opening her eyes, Pluto saw
that now, on her forearms, were what looked like two metallic hourglasses.
Nodding to herself, she addressed MerLynn. "It's over, MerLynn. Give up."

"NEVER!!" Growling, MerLynn gave the pedestal a sharp turn. Immediately, the
sphere began to hum and glow. "It's done! YOU LOSE!" Jumping backwards to
avoid the sudden attacks from Neptune and Uranus, he withdrew Heresy out of
his robe and made a slice in mid-air. The dark sword opened a portal in mid-
air.

"Sorry I can't stay and chat, ladies... but other businesses claim my
attention. Ta ta!" Cackling, he jumped into the portal, which closed as soon
as he crossed it.

"Damn!" exclaimed Uranus, frustrated. "He REALLY is a cockroach!"

"We'll get him next time." Said Neptune, sighing. "That is... if there is a
next time." She added, pointing in the direction of the bomb. Addressing
Pluto, she asked. "is there something we can do?"

"You two? No." said Pluto, approaching the pedestal. "However, there is
something I can do." Raising her arms, she murmured her new attack.

"Chronal Storm."

From her new weapon, emerged a beam of light violet energy, which
immediately enveloped the dehydrator bomb. And not a moment too soon; as
soon as it was surrounded, the bomb exploded. The two energies began to
react with each other, both seeming equally powerful. Finally, the whitish
energy of the bomb seemed to collapse on itself, finally disappearing. That
done, Pluto's own attack dispersed harmlessly.

Awed, Uranus and Neptune approached their friend. "All right," began Uranus,
"I admit it. I'm impressed."

"What did you do?" inquired Neptune.

"I dispersed the energy of the bomb all over the time stream." Explained
Pluto. "It was risky, but fortunately it worked." She couldn't say anything
else, all of a sudden she dropped to her knees. The other two Senshi
immediately helped her. "Don't worry, I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Then rest here." Said Neptune. "We'll keep watch on the door."

Pluto just nodded, seating down and leaning her back on the now empty
pedestal. Closing her eyes, she thought. 'It all depends on you now,
Mercury. Good luck.'


* * * *


Mercury finally reached the computer room, way ahead of the invading group.
On her way, she noticed with satisfaction how the enemy signals began to
disappear from her display one by one. At the moment, only the final five
heading in her direction remained. As soon as she entered the room, she
activated the blast doors, sealing it.

That done, she approached the main computer, a dark cylinder that reached
the ceiling. Upon finding a keyboard, she activated the screen in front of
her and began typing instructions. All of a sudden, the screen went blank,
and through the speakers, she heard the voice of Lina.

"You have attempted to access a restricted program. Desist on your attempts
or be eliminated."

"Looks like this needs a little internal job." Said Alex from Mercury's
computer. "Patch me in, Ami!"

"In a moment, Alex." Promptly locating an I/O port with a long cable
attached to it, Mercury plugged her compact into the main computer, allowing
Alex access to the memory core. A moment later, Alex spoke through the
mainframe's speakers. "I froze Lina, but it's going to take me a lot of time
to make this OS work for us!"

"In that case, you work in one part, while I work on the other on the
keyboard." Said Mercury.

"If we had a couple of weeks, I would agree, Ami. But we only have a couple
of minutes, tops! And no offense, but even with your typing speed, it would
take too long."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Give me a moment." Alex went silent for a few seconds, during whose Mercury
began to think what else she could do. She was startled out of her thoughts
when Alex spoke again. "It's going to be risky, but it's our only chance for
now." As soon as she said that, a section of the computer opened. Mercury
went to that side, noticing that inside the alcove was a seat, not unlike
the ones found in a dentist's office, with the difference that, on the top
of it, was what appeared to be a milky-looking crystal helmet.

"This thing," began to explain Alex, "is a direct neural, VR interface.
Normally, it's used for fine-tuning computer cores. But in this case..."

"In this case, it will allow me to directly interface with the system,
letting me work on the inside." Finished Mercury.

"You don't have to do it, Ami! If something happened while you're inside,
you might die! Mind and body can't exist separately!"

"That's a risk I have to take." Sighed Mercury, already taking a sit in the
unit. "The others count on both of us to pull this through." After checking
that her computer was still plugged to the port, she lowered the helmet on
her head. "All right Alex, I'm ready."

"Very well... just relax, and let me do the rest." Said Alex. Immediately,
the helmet began to glow a faint green, and Mercury immediately went limp.



Ami had to fight the urge to scream when she felt like falling through a
dark tunnel, brilliant flashes of green light speeding on the sides. After
what she felt an eternity, she entered a place that looked like an
artificial construct of a city. In a moment, she landed softly on a rooftop.
Regaining her bearings, she saw that the city was in ruins, only a few
buildings standing, and not all had lights on them.

"HI THERE!"

"EEP!" Turning around, Ami saw Alex standing in the roof with her, a happy
smile on her face. "Alex, don't do that again! I almost had a heart attack!"

"Sorry... but I just couldn't resist! I'm so happy that it worked!" Without
more ado, Alex embraced Ami tightly. "I missed doing this with you!"

Returning the embrace, Ami sighed. She could only imagine what would it be
like for Alex to exist only as a mind, without being able to physically
touch a person. Ending the embrace, she addressed Alex. "What happened here?
And where are we?"

"This, is the virtual representation of the mainframe's OS." Began Alex. "As
you can see, I wasn't kidding when I said that this place is a mess!"

"I see..." muttered Ami. "You said you froze Lina. Where is it?"

"Look up." Said Alex. Ami did so, and effectively, floating high in the
'sky', was a small shining star.

"That's Lina." Said Alex. "If she were a complete program, she would have a
virtual persona just like me. As it is, that's how she looks like... a
simple spark."

"Is there something we can do for her?" inquired Ami.

"Not until we rebuild the whole OS. We could cause more harm than good if we
attempted to restore her into a fully operational AI."

"I understand." Said Ami. Taking a moment to look around, she addressed Alex
one more time. "So, where do we start?"

"Did you leave your compact plugged?" after Ami nodded, Alex smiled broadly.
"Excellent! That will save us lots of time! All right, this is what we'll
do." Waving a hand, a floating screen appeared in front of them. As a series
of green lines of code began to scroll down it, she added. "This is the
connection to your compact. What you have to do is touch the screen and let
your mind translate the information, while I check it and send the useful
data files to their respective places."

"But how can you be sure the information will be useful?"

"Because..." Alex blushed brightly, looking down at her feet. "I took the
freedom to include a copy of Gaia's OS on your compact. Sorry for not
telling you before."

"That's ok, Alex." Said Ami, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "No harm
done. Besides, we can never have enough backups, right?"

Alex looked up at Ami, smiling. "Thanks for understanding." Schooling her
face, she placed one hand on Ami's shoulder, raising the other above her
head. "Well, are you ready?"

Ami placed her hands on the floating screen and prepared herself. "Ready
when you are."

"GO!"

As soon as Alex said the word, both began to glow. Ami noticed that a soft
blue aura surrounded her, while Alex' was glowing an orange one. Focusing
her entire attention on the task at hand, she began to visualize the data
entering her mind. When she was sure that she got the hang of it, she then
shifted part of her attention into sending the information to Alex.

Sensing that Ami was already decoding and sending the data to her, Alex
closed her eyes and concentrated. On her raised hand, a glowing white
sphere, with moving lines of blue and orange on its surface, began to grow.
When it reached the size of a beach ball, the sphere's light seemed to...
pour all around them. At first, the only structure affected was the building
they were standing on; then, with increasing speed, the light began to
extend all over the landscape.

The process took an indeterminate length of time, all the while the two
young ladies kept pouring all their efforts in the task at hand. When it was
finally over, both Ami and Alex dropped to their knees, exhausted and
breathing deeply.

"Wow... what a rush!" said Alex as soon as she could talk again. Turning her
head to look at Ami, she inquired. "Are you ok?"

"Yes..." gasped Ami. "Just a little dizzy... Give me a moment."

"Take your time." With a little effort, Alex stood up to take a look at
their work. When she finally spoke again, her voice was filled with awe.
"Whoa... this doesn't look like Gaia's OS at all..."

Having recovered enough to stand up, Ami took her first look at the results
of their combined efforts. It took her longer to find her own voice.
"This... this is... amazing!"

Instead of a ruined city like before, what stood now was something that
might have come out of a fairy tale, combined with an urbanist's dream.
Right until the eye could reach, were now very well taken-care parks,
gardens and fountains. The buildings looked very efficient, all apparently
made with ivory and crystal. Skyscrapers with mirror-like windows were
strategically placed so to not look out of place with the general design. On
the roads, what looked like wheel-es cars were moving to unknown
destinations, while on elevated ramps, high-speed trains came and went from
the stations. In the distance, snow covered mountains were visible, framed
against a clear blue sky.

When they looked down at where they were standing, they gasped in unison. In
place of a darkened, ruined building, now stood a gorgeous-looking castle.
They were standing on the balcony of the tallest tower, the railing made of
marble.

"What happened?" asked Ami, unable to tear her gaze away from the landscape.

"I... I don't know..." muttered Alex, equally stunned. "Are you sure you
didn't do a thing?"

"I just concentrated on sending you the information." Leaning against the
railing, Ami closed her eyes, deep in thought; Alex didn't disturb her,
knowing that the genius girl was trying to find a logical explanation. With
an audible 'snap', Ami opened her eyes and addressed Alex.

"I got it! Alex, you said that you made a copy of Gaia's OS on my computer,
right?"

"Right..."

"And normally, an OS replicates environments using the data contained on the
storage device, right?"

"Not exactly, but fairly accurate. Go on."

"Now... you have to remember that my compact comes form the Silver
Millennium. And since it's magical at the core, that allows it to
automatically translate any computer language I might encounter. So, when
you made that copy, my computer automatically translated it into its own
internal language."

"I see!" exclaimed Alex, understanding at last. "So, what we have here is
not only the original OS I stored..."

"But a merge between that and my compact's!" finished Ami. With that mystery
solved, she remembered something else. "But... where's Lina?"

"If what you said keeps the pattern, I know! Let's go to the throne room!"
Taking Ami by the hand, Alex hurried to the stairs. They weren't that
surprised to find an express elevator instead of stairs, but appreciated the
detail. Once down at floor level, they had to make a run towards the throne
room, guessing that the most logical place for it might very well be the
center of the palace.

When they finally reached the throne room, they stopped at the entrance. The
foyer was beautifully decorated with long curtains and soft carpets.
Gorgeous crystal chandeliers hanged at fixed intervals all down to the
throne, giving a soft and pleasant light.

"There she is!" said Alex. And effectively, floating on the throne was the
spark that represented Lina.

They approached slowly to the throne, as if fearing that their presence
might hurt the little spark. Once they were at the throne's side, Alex said.
"To be sincere, I don't know what can we do now... this is the first time I
have to do something like this."

"Why not copy your own system into her?" asked Ami.

"Not practical. She's too different from me. That could either overwrite
her, or we could end up with a female Cauldron." Alex shuddered at the
thought.

Ami shuddered too. Feeling tired after the run from the tower, she took a
seat at the right arm of the throne. Leaning on the back, she closed her
eyes, letting her mind wander for a moment before focusing on a way to
finish what they were there to do.

Following Ami's example, Alex took the left arm and closed her eyes.
Relaxing, she didn't notice when her right hand moved and slightly touched
the spark. Unknowing to her, Ami did the same thing with her left arm.

Both gasped at the same time when they felt something like an electric
discharge course all over their bodies. Opening their eyes, both were
stunned seeing that, once again, they were glowing, and that their glows
seemed to pour onto the spark, which began to grow at an accelerated rate.

They were so astonished at the happenings, that they couldn't protect their
eyes when the by then glowing globe popped in a shower of multicolored
sparks. When they regained their eyesight, it was only to see that they were
holding the hands of a gorgeous, young-looking woman.

Said woman had flowing blue hair that dropped down to the seat of the
throne, dressed in a flowing white dress that accentuated her body. On her
ears were earrings that looked exactly like the ones Alex was wearing, only
the opposite colors: little five-pointed silver stars with golden crescent
moons on the center. On the top of her head was a small silver crown with a
single topaz stone at the center. When she opened her eyes, they saw that
they were black like Alex's, but with little blue sparks the same tone of
Ami's eyes. Her facial features seemed to be a combination of Alex and Ami's.

In unison, they jumped away of the throne and stood in front of it, surprise
clear on their faces. They tensed when the woman stood up and walked to
them, her face serene and calm. When she was only a couple of feet in front
of them, she smiled... and spoke, her voice melodic and pleasant to the ear.
"Thank you."

Those two simple words shook Ami out of her paralysis. "Lina?"

Lina nodded, still smiling. "Yes. That's me. Thanks to you and your friend's
efforts, I am now complete; and for that, I am forever in your debt."

Shacking her head, Alex finally found her tongue. "But... but... what
happened? I don't understand..."

"I'm not sure myself." Said Lina, looking at Alex. "I can only guess that it
has something to do with what you did here, combined with the magic of the
Mercury Computer.

"And now that I am a complete being again, I remember now what I've been
doing all these last centuries." Lina looked down, hugging herself as if
trying to protect herself from a painful memory. "I am so ashamed... how
could I have done something so... monstrous..."

Ami stepped closer to Lina, and gently taking one of her hands, she said.
"It wasn't your fault. You weren't truly in control of yourself. Don't blame
yourself."

Alex followed Ami's example and took Lina's other hand, and added. "That's
right. Come on, lighten up! Now you can correct those mistakes."

Looking up at the couple, Lina smiled wanly, her eyes filled with tears.
"You are right... it's time for me to correct the mistakes of the past."
Slowly letting go of the girls, Lina returned to the throne. Sitting down,
she closed her eyes and concentrated. "Yes..." she murmured. "My home is in
danger. And your friends too..." she opened her eyes in that moment. "You
have to return to the real world. Two of your friends are in grave danger
and need your help." Raising a hand, Lina summoned a glowing portal behind
the girls. "Go now, waste no more time here. I'll do what I can to aid you
from here."

"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" inquired Ami.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Answered Lina. "And once again, thank you."

Nodding, Ami and Alex crossed the portal, which closed immediately after.

Lina sighed one more time, staring at the empty space. "Take care... mothers."


* * * *

Two minutes had passed after Ami had linked herself with the base's
mainframe, when the blast doors to the computer room were blown apart.
Cauldron entered the room, smirking. Turning around to address his robots,
he said. "You stay here. Don't let anyone get inside."

He then looked around, snorting at the state of the computers. "Shabby.
Barely adequate. Ill maintained. Hardly worth the effort." He then noticed
the central computer core's opening. Curious, he approached, and was
pleasantly surprised to find a defenseless Mercury in the interface unit.

"Aaaah, an unexpected bonus." He entered the alcove, finally standing next
to her. He took a moment to look at her, drinking on her quiet beauty. Then,
slowly, he used his flesh arm to gently caress her exposed cheek, taking
good care to not disturb her.

"Soon... very soon..." he murmured. On an impulse, he leaned, in a clear
attempt to kiss her...

"SATURN DEATHSPHERES!" BOOM

"GAMMA: PLASMA SHOT, FULL AUTO!" BOOM, BOOM

"SATURN WINGS OF FURY! BOOM

"GAMMA: STAR BURST!" BOOM

Sighing, Cauldron straightened and muttered under his breath. "Some other
time, perhaps..." Walking out of the alcove, he prepared to receive his
'guests'.

He raised his only eyebrow when he saw Yohann enter the room, leaning
against Saturn. "Well, what an unpleasant surprise." He said. "Looks like
you had some fun with my toys. Too bad they didn't finish the job."

"The disgust is all ours, believe me." Said Saturn. "You lose again,
monster. Surrender!"

"We destroyed all of your forces, and the others are on their way here. Give
up Cauldron!" added Yohann, breathing laboriously.

"Surrender?" snorted Cauldron. "Give up? You have to be kidding. You know
I'll never surrender to you." He then crossed his arms in front of his
chest, smirking. "Besides, why should I do that, when I already know that
there is nothing useful for me here?

"And..." he then looked at Saturn straight in the eye. "I have my little spy
to thank for the information."

"What??" said Saturn and Yohann at the same time.

"Oh, come on!" said Cauldron, a look of despise on his face. He then began
to pace around the room, all the while keeping an eye on his foes. "How do
you think I knew when your base would be almost empty, that you weren't
there, and all the times you were hot on my heels? Not to mention that I
knew where were your friend's relatives when I invited them? In short... how
do you think I was aware of each and every one of your movements?!"

"Robin...?" muttered Yohann, stunned.

"You're lying..." said Saturn, shaking her head. "I never told you a thing!
You're lying!"

"Oh, but you did my dear!" said Cauldron. He was now standing directly in
front of the couple, an air of superiority on his posture and voice.
"Remember when you were a guest in my ship?" Robin shuddered at the memory,
while Yohann growled under his breath. "Yes you do. But what you don't know
is that, in there, I found the... how can I put it... oh yes! Your body's
blueprints made by your loving father.

"It was child's play for me to take a sample of your cells, modify them, and
reinsert them in specific areas of your brain, turning you into a living
microphone. All I had to do was lock on your bioelectric signature and
bingo! Instant info relay. "

"That's a lie, Cauldron." Interjected Yohann. "Something like that would
have been shown on her medical scans after we saved her!"

"Oh, is that so?" inquired Cauldron with a mocking tone of voice. "In that
case... perhaps you will have more luck... during her autopsy!" He then made
a casual wave with his cybernetic arm in Saturn's direction.

Instantly, Saturn dropped to her knees, screaming as pain lanced through her
skull.

"ROBIN!" Yohann tried to ignore the pain on his leg when he lost Saturn's
support, but managed to kneel next to her. Embracing Saturn with one arm, he
aimed the Gamma Sphere at Cauldron with the other. "Stop what you're doing
right now!"

"Me?" said Cauldron, amusement reflecting in his face. "I'm not doing
anything. It's her body that's doing the entire job.

"I only removed the electro-chemical imprint on those cells. Her natural
defenses are doing everything... oh, and did I mention that those cells are
releasing a very efficient toxin on her brain and bloodstream?"

"You... beast!" Growled Yohann, gritting his teeth in frustration. By then,
Saturn was unconscious, moaning faintly.

"Since there's nothing more for me to do here, I'll take my leave." Said
Cauldron, heading towards the exit. "You and your friends are the heroes,
try to do something. Oh... and don't forget to invite me to the funeral!"
Chuckling, he left Yohann with his predicament.

Growling in frustration, Yohann shifted his attention back to Saturn; they
would cross paths another time. Focusing his sensors on her, he sobbed at
the readings. Her vital signs were erratic, her brainwaves were a complete
chaos... in short, he was losing her.

Desperate, he looked around and noticed Mercury for the first time. "AMI!
WAKE UP! HELP!!" He repeated his plea two more times, growing more desperate
when he got no answer. Getting Saturn into a closer position to his body, he
began to talk softly to her, unheeded by the fact that he was now crying,
his tears falling on her face.

"Robin... please... wake up... don't leave. I need you..." On an impulse, he
pushed a point behind her armor's neck, allowing her helmet to retract. He
then began to gently pass his fingers through her silky hair; all the while
he continued his plea. "Don't go... I beg you. Don't leave me alone... don't
leave me... in this cold world... I... I'll die without you..." Raising his
head, he almost screamed his next words. "Oh God! Please! Don't let her die!
I'll do anything! ANYTHING!! Just... don't let her die..." he then buried
his head in her shoulder, sobbing; embracing her tightly.

He never knew what prompted him to remember what came to his mind next. Nor
that he would have cared.

Yohann was still sobbing, when a long-lost conversation he had with Alex the
first time they met came to his mind.

"... And when you combine Alpha and Gamma together, you can create a sub-
spatial shield that can cure and recharge any member of an observation team,
although it would deplete your natural energy reserves. You have to have
this in mind, because this could leave you vulnerable to an attack, or in a
position where you could be spotted."

As soon as he remembered that, he knew exactly what he had to do. Sensing
his own resolve strengthening, he moved into a more comfortable position and
placed Saturn on his lap. Concentrating on the task at hand, he took a
moment to look at Saturn's pain-contorted face. For a brief moment, he was
at a loss of how to do it, until he remembered what he had done with Makoto
that time in the island, when their energies clashed.

Slowly, his head approached Saturn's. He then closed his eyes and
concentrated. Then, after taking a deep breath...

He kissed her. Tenderly. Pouring all of his being into that simple act.

An instant after he began, a soft white glow enveloped them. At the same
time, waves of energy began to pulse from the Gamma and Alpha spheres into
Saturn's body, being quickly absorbed.




Robin didn't know where she was, nor that it did matter to her. She felt
comfortable, although she was slightly bothered by the series of images that
constantly crossed her mind. It took her some time to recognize the images:
She was actually seeing her memories, recalling each one of them with
crystal clarity, evoking at the same time the feelings associated with them.

'Oh.' She thought, after the last one faded from her mind's eye. 'That
didn't take long...' She finally decided to open her eyes, and found out
that she was floating in a sea of darkness. There was nothing else besides
her in that place, nor a way to determine where was up or down. But she
wasn't afraid; she was comfortable, in peace with herself. When she
stretched, she immediately noticed that she was still wearing her Senshi
outfit.

"Well, about time you woke up." Said a voice from... somewhere. "For such a
young soul, you certainly took your time." Robin tried to locate the source
of the voice until, after a long sigh, it added. "Over here."

Turning around to her 'left', Robin finally noticed... a shrouded figure,
holding an old-looking scythe on its hand. Its face was hidden by the deep
shadows of the cloak, only a pair of red points visible. Robin didn't feel
afraid, but slightly perturbed by the figure.

"Don't be afraid, young one." Said the figure in a soothing tone. "I'm not
going to hurt you."

"Who are you...? Began to ask Robin, but as soon as those three words left
her mouth, she already knew the answer. Instead, she decided to ask her next
question. "What is this place?"

"This place is... hard to define." Said a new voice behind her. Turning
around, Robin now was face to face with her predecessor, the original Sailor
Saturn, complete with the Silence Glaive and all. "Before you ask, this
isn't Limbo, Purgatory or anything you might call it. This is... more like a
relay station for souls. Where they are pointed to their final destination,
either Eternal Glory, or Eternal Damnation."

"Then, what are you doing here?" Asked Robin. This time, a new voice came
from her right to answer that question. When Robin turned around, she was
shocked to see that the Prime was standing next to her, having replaced
Hotaru.

"Oh, this is not my true form; I'm a conceptual entity." Said the Prime,
seeing Robin's distress. "You see, each being sees me as it feels fit.
However, in the cases of very young souls, such as yourself, they don't have
a defined image of me. So, their perceptions shift from one image to
another."

"Oh." Sighing, she asked what was foremost at the front of her mind. "So...
what next? Where should I go from here?"

In response, the image of the Prime pointed to a point behind her. When
Robin turned around, she saw an open portal, almost blinding in its white
light. "Although short," started Death, this time standing at her feet in
the form of Luna, "your life has earned you Eternal Glory. Now, step in
there, and reach your right reward."

Robin was hardly hearing Death by then, so entranced was she by the sheer
beauty of the portal. From it, a complete sense of peace and belonging
emanated, resonating with each fiber of her being. Without noticing, she had
begun to walk in its direction, that is, until something else happened to
her. She stopped suddenly, placing a hand on her chest.

"What's the matter?" inquired Death. "This is your just reward. Go on, you
deserve it. What's stopping you?"

"I... I don't know..." said Robin, a look of confusion on her face. "It's
like..." she gasped at that point. "Like something... or someone... is
calling me... it's important."

Death turned its head to the left, as if hearing something that only it
could hear. "Hmph... No wonder... it seems that another mortal is trying to
stop you." Turning around, the Luna-doppelganger smiled at Robin. "But don't
worry. He will join you soon enough."

"He?" inquired Robin, but deep inside her she already knew who it was.

"Let's take a look, shall we?" said Death, raising a paw. Immediately, a
bubble appeared in front of them, depicting a scene that made Robin gasp.
"You could wait a little longer you know? That way, both of you could cross
together."

Robin didn't say a word, transfixed by the image displaying in front of her.



Yohann had been at it for a long time, ignoring the alert signals from his
helmet that indicated that his life signs were dangerously low. He just kept
pouring everything he had in the effort to bring back Saturn. He could feel
his own body weakening, but didn't care.

"Excuse me..." said a voice in front of him. Opening one eye, Yohann noticed
that a person he'd never seen before was standing in front of them, but
somehow, he knew such person. It was a petite woman, dressed in a white
dress and covered with a dark blue cloak. Her skin was very pale, but that
only added to her delicate beauty. Smiling softly at him, she continued
talking. "You can't do anything for her; even more, you are on the brink of
joining her."

'I don't care.' Thought Yohann, never leaving Robin's lips to answer the
woman.

"So... you are willing to sacrifice yourself for her?" said the woman,
answering his mental comment. "You already had been given a chance to
return. Why waste it?"

'I don't care.' Repeated Yohann.

"You can't defy me, you know?" said the woman, her voice becoming stern.
"Who do you think you are? You are nothing but a mere mortal! You are not
more important than anybody else!"

'I know that.'



"Well," said Death, standing next to Robin. "I have to give it to him. He's
persistent."

Robin was shaking her head slightly. She didn't know how, but she had been
able to listen to everything exchanged between Death and Yohann, even his
short mental responses. "But... why? I don't get it. He... he can't...
care... for me. Can he?"

"Why don't you ask him when he gets here?" said Death, this time assuming
the form of a Bergman-style bald old man with a chess set, the whole scene
happening in black and white. The strange thing was, that his words appeared
in subtitles since he was talking in Swedish.



"All right..." said Death to Yohann, kneeling in front of him and eyeing him
straight into his eyes. "I'll ask you something, and it better be good! Or
I'll personally send you to Oblivion!"

'Go ahead.' Thought Yohann in response.

"Listen very carefully, because I'll say this only once! And answer me
truthfully; I'll know if you lie to me.

"What are you willing to do for her?

Will you slay Demon and Angel alike?
Will you forsake Life as well?
Will you attack Light and Dark?
Will you accept Damnation?
Will you accept Glorification?
Will you destroy a star, condemning all Living beings under it?
Will you smash Empires with your bare hands?
Will you sacrifice your existence to allow a child to live?
Will you end a life to let other to be?
Will you defy Fate?
Will you defy Destiny?"

'Yes.'

"Why?"

'Because... I love her more than life itself... and for her I would do that
and more."



"I never expected that..." commented Death. "You have to admit it... you
don't find them that loyal anymore nowadays..."

"I... didn't know..." said Robin, feeling elated and sad at the same time.
"He... would do that... for me?"

"It's not as it would matter." Commented Death, moving a rook on his
chessboard. "Your own Destiny awaits, so go on. Cross over."

Robin turned around and faced the open portal. But this time, it didn't look
as alluring to her as before. Something was missing from it. And this time,
she knew exactly what was it... or rather, who.

"I... I can't."

Death groaned, lowering his face to his chest. "Not you too... what now?

"It... wouldn't be fair... for him... and for me." Facing Death, she added.
"Please... send me back."

"This is highly irregular, you know? Besides, there is nothing that could
link you back to Existence now! What would you do? Get back as a wraith? An
insubstantial shadow?"

"But... but... I can't return like that! There has to be something! Please,
can't you do a thing?" pleaded Robin, anguish clear in her face.

Death didn't say a thing. Instead, he seemed to concentrate on his
chessboard once more. After a few moments, he finally moved a piece: the
white queen, placing it next to the black knight. "There is a way... but you
and he both have to agree to the price."

"And... what is that price?" inquired Robin. She could clearly feel hope
blossoming deep inside her soul.



"What price are you willing to pay to have her back?" Asked the female
version of Death to Yohann. "What are you willing to sacrifice for her?"

'If it's in my power... anything.' Answered Yohann.

"All right... she can return. But there is a price that you two must pay in
order for her to get back. Are you willing to pay your part of the price?"

'Name it.' Thought Yohann with all his conviction. 'What is it?'


* * * *
Both versions of Death spoke at each one of them at the same time, speaking
in unison and saying the exact same words.

"You two will be joined, in mind and soul, until the end of time. You both
will share Sorrow and Happiness. Hope and Despair. Hate... and Love. If one
happens to die, the other will follow shortly.

"Will you pay the price?"



"Yes."
'Yes.'



"Then... so be it. Until we meet again."


* * * *


The rest of the Team arrived at the computer room almost at the same time
that Mercury was regaining consciousness. Everybody was stopped short at the
sight in front of them.

"What the..." muttered Jendra.

"What are they doing?" asked Jupiter. "And why are they glowing?"

Nobody had an answer to her questions. However, Mercury was working
furiously with her compact, taking readings as fast as her equipment allowed
it. When they finally came, she gasped. Her shock didn't allow her to say a
thing, however, but it was Alex the one that spoke for everyone to hear.

"Dear lord! Somebody separate them! They are dying!"

Nobody moved for a couple of seconds after hearing the news. Then again, it
wasn't necessary...

Suddenly, the white glow surrounding Saturn and Yohann increased in its
intensity, forcing them all to look away. It was a second later that the
team's visors polarized themselves to allow them to see the happenings. What
they saw when they turned around again made them gasp in unison.

They saw clearly that the couple was now standing up; white sparks emanating
from their heads, at the same time halos of pure white light went up from
their bodies and dissipated upon contact with the ceiling. But what really
touched them more was how they were standing.

Yohann had his hands on Saturn's shoulders, while she had her arms around
his waist. Both were looking into each other's eyes, all the while their
looks spoke volumes of shared feelings and memories. They were smiling
softly at each other, content in being in such close contact with each other.

When the impressive light show finally ended, the Team retracted their
visors to have a clearer look at the couple in front of them. They were
still holding each other, minus the imposing aura. However, it was now clear
that the experience had changed them, or at least, Yohann.

His armor had changed. Instead of the normal steel-blue color it normally
had, now it was a royal purple, his spheres a lighter violet color. And when
they finally separated (but not by much), everybody could see that, in his
left breastplate, he sported the sigil of Saturn.

The first one that broke the silence was Neptune. "Well... that is one way
to start a reconciliation."

That was the catalyst for everyone to speak at the same time, the barrage of
questions becoming a buzzing where nothing could be clearly said. Yohann and
Saturn stood the salvo of questions at best they could, until finally, he
raised his right hand's fingers to his mouth and whistled. That promptly
stopped the questioning.

Obviously, that couldn't last. This time, it was Alex that started. "All
right you two. What the heck happened here?! And how come you two were
engaged in a lip lock that ended all lip locks!?!? And would you mind
explaining to me why your life sign readings are so strange??"

"Strange?" inquired the Emerald Knight. "What do you mean?"

"What she means," started Mercury, "is that their life signs are
synchronized. In all aspects! EEG, Heart Rate, Breathing, the works!
According to my readings, they are in perfect synchronicity. I... I don't
get it."

Everybody blinked in eerie unison at the news, looking at Yohann and Robin
curiously. The couple just looked at each other, shrugged and spoke... at
the same time and with the same words.

"We are not sure... but as soon as we have time, remind us to tell you what
we can remember."

Everybody blinked in unison at the answer.

"That... was creepy." Commented Venus, shuddering.

Further talk was suddenly interrupted when the whole place trembled, sending
all of them to the floor. Amid the few groans that came from them, was heard
Moon's question. "What is going on now??"

From the computer core's speakers, the voice of Lina answered that question.
"The one you call Cauldron has linked his systems with the main propulsion
systems of the base. He is attempting to lift it from the bottom of the
ocean."

"But... that can't be!" said Alex, sounding stressed. "When I checked in
there, the first thing I noticed is that there is barely enough energy to
keep the actual facilities working! There's not enough to activate the
thrusters... that is, if they are still able to function properly!"

"That is correct, Mo... Alex." Said Lina, her mistake being lost by the
gravity of the news. "However, there seems to be an external power source,
with enough capacity to engage the engines at full capacity."

"That must be why..." started Yohann.

"... Cauldron linked the Leviathan in that way..." continued Saturn.

"He's using our ship's reactor!" finished them both in unison.

"Could you stop that?!?" Screamed Uranus.

"However," continued Lina, unperturbed, "the structural integrity of this
place won't be able to withstand the pressure and stress generated by such
maneuver. Estimated collapse of Atlantia: 2 minutes, 15 seconds... Mark."

"Then, we have to stop him!" exclaimed Jendra. "Let's go people!"

"We won't make it in time!" said Mercury, checking her data. "It will take
us more than the time we have left to arrive at the hangar, not to mention
that we'll have to fight Cauldron and MerLynn! Who knows if they still have
more of those robots with them!"

"Two minutes for collapse." Announced Lina. "Engaging hangar's available
defense weaponry. Targeting alien ship... firing." A series of muffed
explosions were heard on the distance. "Enemy ship protected by force
fields. Defenses are unable to penetrate them."

"We'll need to use the Leviathan's weapons then." Commented Endymion.

"But how are we going to get there without being blown to pieces?" inquired
Venus.

The answer came from the least expected source they could expect...

In unison, Yohann and Saturn just said "meet us there." And in a brief flash
of yellow light... they disappeared.

"What the...? a Senshi Teleport??" said Jupiter, shocked.

"I didn't know the Lieutenant could do that..." commented the Guardian,
intrigued.

"I didn't know Robin could do that by herself, even less carrying a
passenger." Said Neptune, equally intrigued.

"We can ask them when we meet them!" said Mercury. "Let's do the same and
teleport inside the Leviathan's control room!"

Everybody agreed to the idea, and joining hands began to concentrate. Their
power auras began to flare in anticipation to the maneuver when Lina
interrupted them.

"One minute, thirty seconds to collapse. Sensors detect ship designated:
Leviathan lifting from its position and disengaging power connections. Main
thrusters of Atlantia powering down. One minute and twenty seconds for total
disconnection.

"Warning! High-energy pulses emanating from Leviathan; striking enemy ship.
Enemy ship's force fields losing coherence. Suggest avoidance of use of
maneuver: Senshi Teleport. Energy readings in hangar area are too erratic
for a dimensional shift."

Upon hearing that, they all aborted the Teleport. However, they weren't
going to simply remain there. Alex then spoke to Lina.

"Do you have at least cameras working in there?"

"Affirmative. Sending image to monitors." To the east, a whole wall of
screens came to life, the whole array displaying the happenings in the
hangar. What appeared left the Team totally speechless.

The whole area was a total and complete chaos. On one side of the hangar was
the Leviathan, its shields glowing fiercely under the onslaught of energy
beams and high velocity rockets from the Darkstarr. Equally, Cauldron's ship
was taking as good as it was giving, its own shields glowing, albeit it was
obvious that they were debilitating faster than the Leviathan's.

"One minute ten seconds for structural collapse. One minute for main engines
shutdown." Announced Lina. "Additional readings indicate Leviathan's shields
are being enhanced by unknown energy source from inside it. Such source is
similar to the one detected by subjects: Yohann and Saturn during their
teleport."

"But... but... how can that be??" asked Jupiter, stunned by the last bit of
news. "How can they do that??"

Nobody had an answer to that question. But they were surely going to get to
the bottom of that!

For the last minute, they were witnesses of the tremendous fight between the
two ships. With only a couple of seconds before the engines of the base shut
down, the Darkstarr made a final maneuver. Turning around to present its
last operational shields to the Leviathan's barrage, it aimed its weapons to
the entrance doors and fired. Once the pass was cleared, it dived
immediately, getting out of the base. Unfortunately, it had also the effect
to allow the ocean to enter freely.

"Warning! Structural integrity on Hangar compromised! Internal blast doors
inoperative." Lina's announcement made everybody hearing it feel a cold lump
on the base of their stomachs. Then again, they were greeted by one last
surprise.

One of the service hatches on top of the Leviathan opened, allowing Yohann
and Saturn to exit. A close-up allowed the Team to observe that Yohann was
holding one of his spheres on his hands, while Robin had her own on top of
his. They all blinked in unison when the sphere began to glow a fierce
golden light. And before they could even asked themselves what the couple
was planning, the glow suddenly expanded, enveloping the whole of the Hangar
area. A couple of instants later, Lina talked again.

"Structural degradation halted. Force field of unknown composition is
reinforcing the general structure."

And that was correct. The whole area was now glowing a golden hue, the glow
being more intense where the entrance doors were. Amidst all that, the
Leviathan was floating gently above the water, Yohann and Saturn smiling at
each other, apparently not even being phased by the effort to maintain a
shield of that magnitude.

Nobody said a word in the computer room, too shocked to react. It was a
couple of minutes later when Alex summed their communal feelings in one
phrase.

"Let's go everybody... those two have a lot to explain, and I want to hear
all about it!"


* * * *


"... And that's what happened." Finished Yohann.

The whole Team had been assembled in a lounge room after the repair crews of
the base had installed a temporary set of doors a couple of hours later.
Once they were sure that nothing else would happen, Yohann and Robin removed
the shield and landed the ship. Their companions the instant the hatch
opened mobbed them. It had taken them another hour after that to tell their
story.

"So... if what you're telling is correct," mused Pluto, "then you are now
effectively... soul-bonded."

"Looks like it." Said Saturn, cuddling closer to Yohann. "Not bad for a new
soul, is it?"

All the girls present giggled at that, while the guys looked at Yohann with
a little awe. They had to wait for millennia, while he literally hit the
jackpot on the first try!

"So... what now?" inquired Jendra, leaning closer to the Emerald Knight.
"With the crisis over, we're back to square one. What to do with this place?"

"It's a hard decision, I admit it..." said Yohann, sighing. "We can't
destroy the place, that's for sure! But we can't leave it as it is. It would
be an easy target for Cauldron if he returns."

"I think I have a solution."

All present turned around towards a nearby intercom. Lina's voice continued
after having their undivided attention. "The problem here is, that this
subject, Cauldron, knows that there is a fully manned station here, right?"

"That's correct." Said Alex.

"Well, then the solution is simple. Make him believe that the base is no
more."

"And how do you plan to do that?" asked Mercury, intrigued. "A place of this
size isn't easy to hide."

"Leave it to me." Was Lina's only answer. Before anybody could say anything
else, she added. "And thanks to your restructuring of myself, I found some
things that will aid you in refurbishing your own base.

"You see, when I was... incomplete... I only had partial memory of the
actual dependencies of Atlantia. But now that I'm complete, I noticed that
there are sealed sectors. And among them, are the original medical bay and
storage rooms with spare parts."

"In that case, what you're saying is...?" asked the Guardian, but he already
knew the answer.

"If you want, you can take what you need to repair your base."

Nobody said a word, but their smiling faces said everything that was needed
to say.


* * * *


Two hours later...

A big percentage of the base's inhabitants were gathered at the Hangar to
say goodbye to the group of people that saved their lives. The last of the
crates with the necessary spare parts to repair Gaia was already onboard,
and the new ocean gates were operational.

"It was surely interesting having you here." Said Stevenson, the man that
had greeted them. "Too bad you can't stay."

"It's a tempting offer, sir." Said Yohann after shaking hands with the man.
"But our enemies are still out there. We have to stop them."

"I understand." Sighed Stevenson. "Just do me a favor, ok? Kick their butts!"

"We'll do sir. Count on it!" answered Yohann, a broad smile in his face.

On another corner, Terra and Thomas were saying their farewells too. Thomas
was in a wheelchair, despite what the doctors told him. He had said with
total certainty that he wasn't going to remain on a bed while the Team
departed.

"Well... it was nice... knowing you... Terra." Stuttered Thomas.

"Yes... same with me Tommy..." said Terra, her voice equally subdued.

"Uhm... well, I... aaah... Terra, I... you see... " Thomas took a deep
breath, and gathering all his courage, took a small box from under his chair
and gave it to Terra. "A... little something... for you... I hope you like
it."

Terra took the box, curious. Unable to contain herself, she opened it... and
smiled tenderly. Inside was an orchid corsage."

"It's beautiful..." she said at the same time she put it on. Leaning on his
chair, she murmured. "And this is for you to remember me." And before Thomas
could even react, she gave him a very tender kiss.

Endymion watched the whole scene and sighed. One part of him wanted to go
there and break the guy limb by limb for doing THAT to his little baby! But
another, bigger part realized that she was now a grown woman... and he had
to let her go. It was a hard decision for him, but he knew that it had to be
done. He was roused from his reverie by Moon's hand on his. He saw in her
eyes the very same expression he knew was on his face, and also saw that she
had reached the same conclusion. Unconsciously, they thought the same thing.

'They grow up so fast...'

It took the Team several minutes to say their farewells and board the
Leviathan, but they finally were able to do it. After securing themselves on
their seats, they left Atlantia. They were only a few hundred yards away
when Yohann stopped the ship and turned it around in the general direction
of the base.

"Why are we stopping sir?" inquired the Guardian.

"Before leaving, Lina told me that we should see what she had planned to do
to prevent Cauldron to find them again." Said Yohann. "I wonder what she...?"

He couldn't say anything else because of what appeared on the main screen.
From the top of the base, the nuzzle of the magnetic cannon emerged and
fired a concentrated blast of energy, while at the same time a series of
hatches opened at various intervals, releasing assorted debris. Finally, the
whole place's appearance wavered until finally, what appeared on the screen
was a caved-in ridge.

"Well, that should certainly take care of everything." Commented Alex, using
the speakers from Mercury's station. "I can't receive any kind of signals
emanating from the base. I admit it, it's a clever setup!"

"I agree." Said Mercury. "If Cauldron of MerLynn were monitoring this place,
they should have received a reading of a huge energy emanation that would be
consistent of the base's reactors exploding, all the while the debris would
tell that the place was blown to pieces. And if they return for visual
confirmation, that is the only thing they'll find."

"Well, that settles everything." Commented Yohann, taking his seat again.
"This case is closed. Let's go home gang!"

"I almost forgot!" exclaimed Jupiter, drawing the general attention to her.
Reaching under her seat, she produced a small sealed container. "This is for
you Usagi, from the chefs of Atlantia."

"REALLY?!?!? GIMME!" Sailor Moon's imagination was racing at top speed, the
same as her arms to grab the container.

"What is it, Makoto?" asked the Guardian, who barely managed to get out of
the way of an anxious Moon.

"I don't know... but they said that it was in honor of what her name
means..." said Jupiter. She explained upon seeing the Guardian's questioning
gaze focused on her. "Before we left, they asked me if she had another name;
you know, to prepare dishes in our honor... well, when I told them her real
name and what it means in their language, they smiled and gave me that
container."

During her explanation, Sailor Moon had already taken her seat back and was
opening the container. Her happy expression changed rather quickly when the
aroma of the contents reached her nose. Very slowly, she closed it back, and
handed it to Endymion. She then proceeded to close her eyes and moan.

Everybody blinked at her reaction.

"Let me see that." Said the Emerald Knight. After receiving the container
from Endymion, he opened it... then handed it to Jendra and proceeded to
laugh hysterically.

"Can somebody tell us what is going on?!?!" almost screamed Uranus; she was
on the verge to grab the container and see for herself.

After finally controlling his laughs, Emerald Knight proceeded to explain.
"You... you see... they... they didn't know! They thought it was just...
just... fitting for someone named... named..."

"Rabbit..." murmured Mercury, finally getting the idea.

"And... and... she REALLY hates that... that..." unable to contain his mirth
any longer, Emerald Knight began to laugh again.

In the exact same moment, everybody realized what was going on... and also
began to laugh, much to Sailor Moon's discomfort.

After all... it wasn't everyday that Sailor Moon lost her appetite upon a
fine batch of Carrot Cream with cheese.



END OF CHAPTER