By Yohann DeSabrais
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
It`s been a while since the last fanfic I wrote... major case of
writer`s block, you see.
Let`s hope it`s gone for good this time.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 11
NOT BY A LONGSHOT
Usagi couldn`t believe it.
Everything in her life seemed to be going right for once, all her
problems had vanished away.
Lady Daemonfang and her army had been vanquished, Mamoru totally
recovered his memories and had just proposed to her, Umino was
getting over his depression and her best friend had even been
resurrected by a powerful entity called The Prime. It was all
perfect... or so it seemed.
It was at that point that SHE showed up again from the future,
harbinger of trouble as always: Chibi-Usa, Usagi`s daughter whom
she would give birth to in a thousand years. The little girl was
two years older now; she was a few inches taller and her pink
ponytails reached halfway down her back. Even though she was more
mature from age and her repeated battles with the dark moon, her
sweet smile was untouched by the trials she went through.
"Aren`t you happy to see me?" she asked.
"Your arriving here is certainly a surprise. WHY are you here
anyway, small lady?" wondered Usagi.
"Mommy wants me to train in the past -your present- to become a
sailor scout like she was." answered Chibi-Usa.
"Didn`t you bring your luna ball?" asked Mamoru.
"I don`t need it anymore, mommy gave me this." said the little girl
as she pointed to a small locket on her blouse; it was identical in
every way to the moon prism Usagi wore when she first became Sailor
Moon until it was smashed in a battle against a cardian. "I can
transform into Sailor Chibi-Moon." she proudly said, mimicking
Sailor Moon`s victory pose.
"I suppose we can assume from this that our troubles with evil
monsters are far from over." said Usagi.
"Not by a longshot!" replied Chibi-Usa.
* * *
Ten worlds away from the blue planet, in a parallel dimension known
as the tenth sphere, an evil ruler called Lady Daemonfang was slowly
beginning to rebuild her forces after her crushing defeat at the
hands of those wretched sailor scouts and their allies. Most of her
troops had been destroyed in the battle, but that did not matter
much.
That`s what foot soldiers are for: cannon fodder.
She had successfully gaged her enemy`s strenght and knew that she
could not afford to underestimate them again. After all, they DID
manage to destroy her husband Ronmar, dread lord of darkness, first
knightmare of the spheres. The plan she would prepare could now take
these details into account. Of course, she could not act right away,
she needed to rebuild her army to full strenght and wait for the
dimensionnal nexus to realign itself; until then, she could only
send a few of her minions at a time to the first sphere. Time DID
flow faster on her side of the dimensional nexus, however, which
gave her an edge in rebuilding herself before her enemies did.
Besides, her master plan still required a crucial element vital to
the first step, which is exactly why she was on her way to meet her
allies at their usual meeting place. Flying through the gloomy dark
sky, she easily avoided the crashing lightning of one of the many
storms that permanently scarred the Changraloor landscape; a single
hit could kill even a powerful demon, but Daemonfang was quite
skilled in predicting its patterns as she`d flown through it
countless times. It only took minutes to leave the storm and she
finally made it to her rendezvous site, a boiling sulpher spring.
She landed gracefully and folded her smooth leathery wings on her
back. The putrid stench arising from the sulphurous waters made the
demon lord smirk as it reminded her of her deceased husband. She
missed his company- any warm blooded male`s company, actually.
Since her VERY devoted servant Jormunder had died at the hands of
Sailor Moon, none of the males from the tenth sphere could make her
blood boil anymore. She`d make sure she wouldn`t be alone too long,
however.
Dipping her toes in the hot waters and thought the temperature was
just right for her tough demon skin. She slowly curled away her
protective second skin like a flower blooming in the morning sun,
revealing openly her naked body. Stepping in carefully, she sat in
a tub carved in sheer bedrock and let the sulphur laced waters
soothe her skin.
"Now THIS is truly delicious." she told herself in a sweet,
slightly slithering voice.
"Do you mind if we join you?" asked a feminine voice behind her.
Turning her head, Daemonfang saw the two professional assassins who
had managed to sneak in unnoticed. These were the allies the demon
had come to meet, the twins Morthall and Deddlie Synn.
"Won`t you come in, it`s great for the pores, don`t you know." she
replied.
The two assassins removed their black clothes and stepped in the
putrid water, Deddlie guiding in her blind brother. Much like
Jormunder, they looked exactly like humans except for the fact
that they had no hair whatsoever.
"It`s been too long since we came here, sister." commented Morthall.
"My thoughts exactly." she replied.
The demon lord of Changraloor usually didn`t like the presence of
males while she bathed, considering it undermines her authority to
have her underlings see her in the nude, though Morthall`s blindness
put her right at ease.
"I called you here because I have a mission for you." she said.
"So we were told." replied Deddlie. " What do you have in mind?"
"I`m preparing a magic ritual, one who requires a rather... unique...
ingredient, wich you will
fetch for me."
"And where are we to find this ingredient?" asked Morthall.
"On the planet earth of the first sphere, in a city called Tokyo. My
mages will be able to provide the planar gate for the two of you.
Unfortunately, I can`t allow you to bring anyone else along; the
nexus is unstable right now, sending more than you two would be
stretching it. If you follow my plan, however, it will be easy..."
carefully explained the demon.
* * *
The evening ran smoothly in Tokyo, with many people going about
their own business with little concern of what tomorrow would bring.
In an appartment located above a successful jewelry store called
*Osa-P*, three apparently ordinary girls were having a conversation
about matters that concerned their lives and the strange twists they
had taken recently.
They only LOOKED ordinary. The first one was a teenage superhero
from the moon, reincarnated after her untimely death a thousand
years ago. The second was her young daughter from the future who
came back to the past in order to train and become a superhero
herself. The third one, though she had no powers or relatives from
across time, had just been resurrected the day before by a group
of reclusive superbeings and their creator as payment of an old
debt to a legendary spirit called Storm Seeker.
Let`s face it, life hardly gets any weirder than this.
"Almost everything I learned from the other side has melted away
while I slept last night, your explanations are really precious to
help me make sense of it all." said Naru to Usagi. "Okay, let`s see
if I have it all straight; Rei, Makoto, Laurella, Ami and Minako are
all sailor scouts, Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen, your brother just found
out he`s a Technum guardian and he helped to bring me back to
life..."
"In a nutshell, yeah." said Usagi.
"And Chibi-Usa here gets to hear all your secrets... because ?!?"
wondered Naru.
"Because I`m her daughter from the future." proudly answered
Chibi-Usa. Usagi nodded to agree.
"I`m having trouble to figure out at exactly what moment my life
fell into the Twilight Zone..." commented Naru.
"You don`t know the half of it yet." observed Usagi.
* * *
On the dark street below, two figures moved silently, unnoticed and
unheard. Wearing their usual slim fitting black costumes and masks,
they were almost impossible to detect. Only Deddlie Synn`s silver
eyes could be seen through her disguise, though they moved too fast
to allow detection. Her blind brother, needing no eyeholes for his
mask, was no more than a shadow blended into the night.
"It`s here, brother, Osa-P jewelry." whispered Deddlie.
"Just guide me to the door and watch me make the doorlock sing."
replied her brother.
With unearthly discretion, they moved to the front door which
Morthall proceeded to open in ten seconds flat.
They were in.
"Can you see the safe?" he asked.
"Yes, it`s on the back wall behind the counter. I`ll guide you
there." she said.
* * *
An alarm rang in the appartment above, warning of the thieves`
presence.
"Huh oh, there`s a break-in at the store, better call the police!"
said Naru, who realized a second later that Sailor Moon was right
there with her. "Perhaps you can help me?" she politely asked.
"Certainly! MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKEUP!"
Usagi transformed in a flash of radiance into the champion of love
and justice right in front of her amazed friend.
"For three years now I wanted you to see this!" said Usagi, a big
smile on her face.
"I`m going to help too!" said Chibi-Usa. "MOON PRISM POWER MAKEUP!"
The small lady transformed as well into a miniature replica of
Sailor Moon.
"Oh, you`re sooooo cute!!!" said Naru.
"Just remember to be careful down there, Chibi-Usa, it could be
dangerous." said Sailor Moon.
* * *
Keeping his highly sensitive ear on the safe`s cold metal door,
Morthall slowly turned the lock`s dial to find the right
combinaison. with a faint click, the door released its secure lock
and opened.
"Easy enough." he said.
The lights turned on throughout the store, surprising the two
burglars. Someone had been warned by the silent alarm wich protected
the store.
"What is it with evil ninjas robbing this place?!?" asked a blonde
warrior with long ponytails. "I am the pretty soldier Sailor Moon,
and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
Another smaller fighter took a heroic pose similar to Sailor Moon`s
and continued where the other one left off:
"And I am Sailor Chibi-Moon, and I fight for justice against all
evil!"
"Cute." commented Deddlie Synn.
"Tell me, sister, do they look as corny as they sound?" asked
Morthall Synn.
"More." she simply replied.
From sheaths hanging on their backs, they each pulled a wakizashi,
the short version of the famed katana. They both attacked Sailor
Moon, screaming their traditional battle cry, "SHUNZERHEIST!!!",
which can be loosely translated as "abandon all hope of existence".
Why do the strange ones ALWAYS have to stop here, thought Usagi as
she frantically dodged the slashing swords.
Chibi-Usa felt quite frustrated that the two villains paid no
attention to her at all.
"PINK SUGAR HEARTS ATTACK!" screamed the little girl, shooting a
stream of cute litle pink energy hearts into the eyes of Deddlie
who found it to be rather annoying. She turned her attention back
to Sailor Chibi-Moon and took from her pocket a long red ribbon
which she used as a lasso to tie up the little girl.
"It`s way past your bedtime, sugar." she said.
Although Morthall had been blind from birth, he had a strangely
accurate sense of direction whenever it came to fighting; his
slashes came ever so close to hitting the mark each time he swung
his short sword.
"Take this, scum bucket!" yelled Sailor Moon, kicking the masked
man in the jaw between two slashes and sending him crashing to the
floor. His sword clanked on the hard tiles as it hit the ground.
"You`ll pay for this, girl!" said his sister, reaching down her belt
for a dagger which she aimed straight at Sailor Moon`s heart.
Halfway across its trajectory, the silver projectile was deflected
by a red blur and fell harmlessly to the floor- a shooting red rose
had saved the young girl`s life. A masked man in tuxedo and cape
stood in the doorway, holding a cane designed for combat as much as
for appearance.
"Didn`t your mother ever teach you not to play with sharp objects?
You could put an eye out, you know." observed Tuxedo Kamen.
"That`s the whole idea!" said the recovering Morthall as he sprang
up sword in hand, slashing at the source of these taunting remarks.
The blade came close to inflicting a lethal blow to his head, but
gave him instead a long scratch that shaved a few hairs at the same
time. This surprise attack left him dazed for a second, though he
snapped out of it quickly, blocking all subsequent attacks with his
extended cane.
"Time to go, sister!" said Morthall.
"Right you are, brother!" said Deddlie.
Deddlie Synn threw a small flash bomb on the floor, blinding
everyone but the two thieves for a split second, just enough time to
afford them a quick escape. Only the ribbon tying up Sailor
Chibi-Moon proved that they`d been there at all. Tuxedo Kamen untied
it and Chibi-Usa decided to keep it.
"You`re bleeding!" said Sailor Moon with obvious concern for her
fiancee.
"It`s just a scratch, I`ll be fine." he replied.
"Let`s leave before the police gets here!" added Chibi-Usa. Her
parents agreed.
The trio left the scene as the sound of police sirens came closer
to the jewelry store. The thieves hadn`t stolen anything, so the
battle was won.
"I`ll bet not many people have family outings like ours!" observed
Usagi as she looked for a quiet spot to transform back into her
everyday clothes.
"Now THERE`s an understatement." said Mamoru.
* * *
Deep in a chamber of the Changraloor fortress, a magical laboratory
was waiting for its owner to begin her next experiment. A complex
network of black plantlike powerlines was steadily feeding energy to
a shapeless mass no larger than an orange held within a large
transparent globe.
Lady Daemonfang would begin her ritual as soon as her allies would
arrive with the critical ingredient to her wicked work.
"It shouldn`t take too long, now." she thought.
Surely enough, the secret door leading to this sanctuary of the
black arts opened and let in the twins, Deddlie guiding her blind
brother through the unfamiliar passages to help him avoid the
unseen obstacles in his way. They had obeyed their mission
objective, returning as fast as they could so that the ingredient
would not degrade and lose its inherent magical properties.
"Did you get it?" she asked.
"Indeed." replied Morthall. "Finding it was simple, so was the
extraction."
He handed over to Daemonfang an item wrapped in a silk scarf. She
quickly removed the blood stained scarf and revealed Morthall`s
sword, covered with dried blood that glued a few black hairs on
the blade.
"Excellent." commented Daemonfang. "You have done well and will
be rewarded accordingly."
The assassins bowed politely and left the secret laboratory, closing
the door behind them. The demon lord removed the hairs from the
sword and, pushing her hand right through the transparent sphere,
placed them on the grey shapeless mass wich readily accepted them.
"Grow, now, grow! Considering the sample I gave you, you will be
quite attractive."
* * *
EPILOGUE
Countless telescopes are pointed to the stars and the planets
surrounding the earth in the hope of one day finding new life
somewhere. Unfortunately for the people who built them, that life
doesn`t want to be found.
In orbit around the planet saturn, hidden between the ice asteroids
that form the beautiful rings this planet is famous for, a rather
large space station houses a group of beings whose existence had
shaped the existence of the solar system.
The Technum guardians.
Comfortably housed inside Saturn Station Beta, none of them was
supposed to ever interact with the human race again in order not
to risk a greedy individual to covet the guardians` huge power and
endanger the continued existence of the planetary Technum flux. In
the past year, however, many events had forced the guardians to
reveal themselves on more than one occasion, forcing them to go
against their thousand year old pledge of secrecy to Queen serenity.
The guardians`creator, the Prime, had decided that more or less
direct intervention was necessary to honor the spirit of their
pledge, if not its exact wording.
One of those guardians, Technuma Saturn, got more than his fair
share of meddling ever since the prison ship Pegasus had accidentaly
released Celeste, the fallen Sailor Mars, from her deep space
confinement. He tried desperately to stay out of human history but
kept getting dragged back in. The recent massacre of his student
Sailor Saturn was just one more problem that only his direct actions
could solve... although he wouldn`t do a thing if it meant breaking
his pledge yet again. Technuma was probably the most rigid guardian
as far as honoring the ancient pledge went, though he was almost
always the one forced to go against it when events went from bad to
worse.
The Prime wanted to meet him now, and he could already imagine he`d
be getting the "be true to your pledge" speech from his creator.
Well, it wouldn`t really be a speech, seeing how the Prime
communicated through an unusual form of telepathy; what he wanted
to tell you, you instantly knew. Don`t ask why, you just did.
The door to the Prime`s meditation room opened and Technuma walked
in. He was always impressed by the room`s layout, a totally
spherical glass room allowing anyone there to see the stars and
planets surrounding Saturn Station Beta, all of wich seemed in
complete harmony with the light grey skinned being sitting on a
small platform in the exact middle of the room. Technuma Saturn
took the narrow bridge connecting the door to the platform and sat
in a stiff lotus position in front of the ancient being.
"I believe I know why you called for me. No doubt it regards my
project *Second Coming*." said Technuma. The Prime looked at him
and instantly, Technuma knew what he meant to say.
"It was easy to guess. This project goes against everything our
pledge stands for, I was certain you`d reject it the instant I
submitted it two weeks ago." said Technuma.
The Prime frowned. Technuma was surprised by his "answer".
"You... didn`t... reject it yet? I don`t understand! Second Coming
was a project my conscience forced me to create, but I was sure
you`d never allow me to go forward!" protested Technuma, unsure
why the Prime would permit further intervention from the guardians.
The Prime`s expression changed again, turning to a neutral smile.
"Of course I want to do it, I thought of nothing but that since her
death at the hands of that tenth sphere monster! All I want to know
is... why are you allowing me to go ahead?" asked Technuma.
The Prime waved his left hand and a beautiful blue crystal appeared
out of nowhere, floating in front of Technuma. It projected a small
light beam wich formed an image of Queen Serenity who began to speak.
"Greetings, mighty guardian. As you stand now, I have passed away
for a very long time and your kind has stayed away from the
inhabitants of the silver millenium in order to protect them by
keeping your existence secret. Unfortunately, I foresee dark clouds
over my children and their own children, I fear for their safety.
You have trained the greatest protectors this kingdom has ever known,
though I`m afraid they might one day be overwhelmed by the evil they
face. In order not to endanger them by forcing you out of a
situation where only you and your kind may hold the key to victory,
I have given your creator, The Prime, permission to temporarily
release you from your pledge if he deems it necessary. If you are
viewing this message, then this moment has come and your
intervention is unavoidable." she declared.
She paused for a moment, then continued:
"If you are viewing this message, Technuma Saturn, then I must urge
you to please let go of your guilt; Laurella and Kitechnum`s deaths
were not your fault, as they were forged in destiny long before your
birth. Right now, your skills are required to save countless lives.
Please do not let the pain of the past stop you from forging the
glory of the future!"
The image disappeared and so did the blue crystal.
"Yes, I do understand now. I`ll get started right away." said
Technuma. He left the meditation room and headed straight for his
medical lab. The guardian had his work cut out for him, and he felt
once again the burning fire of passion he hadn`t felt in centuries.
He truly felt alive.
The End.
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
It`s been a while since the last fanfic I wrote... major case of
writer`s block, you see.
Let`s hope it`s gone for good this time.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 11
NOT BY A LONGSHOT
Usagi couldn`t believe it.
Everything in her life seemed to be going right for once, all her
problems had vanished away.
Lady Daemonfang and her army had been vanquished, Mamoru totally
recovered his memories and had just proposed to her, Umino was
getting over his depression and her best friend had even been
resurrected by a powerful entity called The Prime. It was all
perfect... or so it seemed.
It was at that point that SHE showed up again from the future,
harbinger of trouble as always: Chibi-Usa, Usagi`s daughter whom
she would give birth to in a thousand years. The little girl was
two years older now; she was a few inches taller and her pink
ponytails reached halfway down her back. Even though she was more
mature from age and her repeated battles with the dark moon, her
sweet smile was untouched by the trials she went through.
"Aren`t you happy to see me?" she asked.
"Your arriving here is certainly a surprise. WHY are you here
anyway, small lady?" wondered Usagi.
"Mommy wants me to train in the past -your present- to become a
sailor scout like she was." answered Chibi-Usa.
"Didn`t you bring your luna ball?" asked Mamoru.
"I don`t need it anymore, mommy gave me this." said the little girl
as she pointed to a small locket on her blouse; it was identical in
every way to the moon prism Usagi wore when she first became Sailor
Moon until it was smashed in a battle against a cardian. "I can
transform into Sailor Chibi-Moon." she proudly said, mimicking
Sailor Moon`s victory pose.
"I suppose we can assume from this that our troubles with evil
monsters are far from over." said Usagi.
"Not by a longshot!" replied Chibi-Usa.
* * *
Ten worlds away from the blue planet, in a parallel dimension known
as the tenth sphere, an evil ruler called Lady Daemonfang was slowly
beginning to rebuild her forces after her crushing defeat at the
hands of those wretched sailor scouts and their allies. Most of her
troops had been destroyed in the battle, but that did not matter
much.
That`s what foot soldiers are for: cannon fodder.
She had successfully gaged her enemy`s strenght and knew that she
could not afford to underestimate them again. After all, they DID
manage to destroy her husband Ronmar, dread lord of darkness, first
knightmare of the spheres. The plan she would prepare could now take
these details into account. Of course, she could not act right away,
she needed to rebuild her army to full strenght and wait for the
dimensionnal nexus to realign itself; until then, she could only
send a few of her minions at a time to the first sphere. Time DID
flow faster on her side of the dimensional nexus, however, which
gave her an edge in rebuilding herself before her enemies did.
Besides, her master plan still required a crucial element vital to
the first step, which is exactly why she was on her way to meet her
allies at their usual meeting place. Flying through the gloomy dark
sky, she easily avoided the crashing lightning of one of the many
storms that permanently scarred the Changraloor landscape; a single
hit could kill even a powerful demon, but Daemonfang was quite
skilled in predicting its patterns as she`d flown through it
countless times. It only took minutes to leave the storm and she
finally made it to her rendezvous site, a boiling sulpher spring.
She landed gracefully and folded her smooth leathery wings on her
back. The putrid stench arising from the sulphurous waters made the
demon lord smirk as it reminded her of her deceased husband. She
missed his company- any warm blooded male`s company, actually.
Since her VERY devoted servant Jormunder had died at the hands of
Sailor Moon, none of the males from the tenth sphere could make her
blood boil anymore. She`d make sure she wouldn`t be alone too long,
however.
Dipping her toes in the hot waters and thought the temperature was
just right for her tough demon skin. She slowly curled away her
protective second skin like a flower blooming in the morning sun,
revealing openly her naked body. Stepping in carefully, she sat in
a tub carved in sheer bedrock and let the sulphur laced waters
soothe her skin.
"Now THIS is truly delicious." she told herself in a sweet,
slightly slithering voice.
"Do you mind if we join you?" asked a feminine voice behind her.
Turning her head, Daemonfang saw the two professional assassins who
had managed to sneak in unnoticed. These were the allies the demon
had come to meet, the twins Morthall and Deddlie Synn.
"Won`t you come in, it`s great for the pores, don`t you know." she
replied.
The two assassins removed their black clothes and stepped in the
putrid water, Deddlie guiding in her blind brother. Much like
Jormunder, they looked exactly like humans except for the fact
that they had no hair whatsoever.
"It`s been too long since we came here, sister." commented Morthall.
"My thoughts exactly." she replied.
The demon lord of Changraloor usually didn`t like the presence of
males while she bathed, considering it undermines her authority to
have her underlings see her in the nude, though Morthall`s blindness
put her right at ease.
"I called you here because I have a mission for you." she said.
"So we were told." replied Deddlie. " What do you have in mind?"
"I`m preparing a magic ritual, one who requires a rather... unique...
ingredient, wich you will
fetch for me."
"And where are we to find this ingredient?" asked Morthall.
"On the planet earth of the first sphere, in a city called Tokyo. My
mages will be able to provide the planar gate for the two of you.
Unfortunately, I can`t allow you to bring anyone else along; the
nexus is unstable right now, sending more than you two would be
stretching it. If you follow my plan, however, it will be easy..."
carefully explained the demon.
* * *
The evening ran smoothly in Tokyo, with many people going about
their own business with little concern of what tomorrow would bring.
In an appartment located above a successful jewelry store called
*Osa-P*, three apparently ordinary girls were having a conversation
about matters that concerned their lives and the strange twists they
had taken recently.
They only LOOKED ordinary. The first one was a teenage superhero
from the moon, reincarnated after her untimely death a thousand
years ago. The second was her young daughter from the future who
came back to the past in order to train and become a superhero
herself. The third one, though she had no powers or relatives from
across time, had just been resurrected the day before by a group
of reclusive superbeings and their creator as payment of an old
debt to a legendary spirit called Storm Seeker.
Let`s face it, life hardly gets any weirder than this.
"Almost everything I learned from the other side has melted away
while I slept last night, your explanations are really precious to
help me make sense of it all." said Naru to Usagi. "Okay, let`s see
if I have it all straight; Rei, Makoto, Laurella, Ami and Minako are
all sailor scouts, Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen, your brother just found
out he`s a Technum guardian and he helped to bring me back to
life..."
"In a nutshell, yeah." said Usagi.
"And Chibi-Usa here gets to hear all your secrets... because ?!?"
wondered Naru.
"Because I`m her daughter from the future." proudly answered
Chibi-Usa. Usagi nodded to agree.
"I`m having trouble to figure out at exactly what moment my life
fell into the Twilight Zone..." commented Naru.
"You don`t know the half of it yet." observed Usagi.
* * *
On the dark street below, two figures moved silently, unnoticed and
unheard. Wearing their usual slim fitting black costumes and masks,
they were almost impossible to detect. Only Deddlie Synn`s silver
eyes could be seen through her disguise, though they moved too fast
to allow detection. Her blind brother, needing no eyeholes for his
mask, was no more than a shadow blended into the night.
"It`s here, brother, Osa-P jewelry." whispered Deddlie.
"Just guide me to the door and watch me make the doorlock sing."
replied her brother.
With unearthly discretion, they moved to the front door which
Morthall proceeded to open in ten seconds flat.
They were in.
"Can you see the safe?" he asked.
"Yes, it`s on the back wall behind the counter. I`ll guide you
there." she said.
* * *
An alarm rang in the appartment above, warning of the thieves`
presence.
"Huh oh, there`s a break-in at the store, better call the police!"
said Naru, who realized a second later that Sailor Moon was right
there with her. "Perhaps you can help me?" she politely asked.
"Certainly! MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKEUP!"
Usagi transformed in a flash of radiance into the champion of love
and justice right in front of her amazed friend.
"For three years now I wanted you to see this!" said Usagi, a big
smile on her face.
"I`m going to help too!" said Chibi-Usa. "MOON PRISM POWER MAKEUP!"
The small lady transformed as well into a miniature replica of
Sailor Moon.
"Oh, you`re sooooo cute!!!" said Naru.
"Just remember to be careful down there, Chibi-Usa, it could be
dangerous." said Sailor Moon.
* * *
Keeping his highly sensitive ear on the safe`s cold metal door,
Morthall slowly turned the lock`s dial to find the right
combinaison. with a faint click, the door released its secure lock
and opened.
"Easy enough." he said.
The lights turned on throughout the store, surprising the two
burglars. Someone had been warned by the silent alarm wich protected
the store.
"What is it with evil ninjas robbing this place?!?" asked a blonde
warrior with long ponytails. "I am the pretty soldier Sailor Moon,
and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
Another smaller fighter took a heroic pose similar to Sailor Moon`s
and continued where the other one left off:
"And I am Sailor Chibi-Moon, and I fight for justice against all
evil!"
"Cute." commented Deddlie Synn.
"Tell me, sister, do they look as corny as they sound?" asked
Morthall Synn.
"More." she simply replied.
From sheaths hanging on their backs, they each pulled a wakizashi,
the short version of the famed katana. They both attacked Sailor
Moon, screaming their traditional battle cry, "SHUNZERHEIST!!!",
which can be loosely translated as "abandon all hope of existence".
Why do the strange ones ALWAYS have to stop here, thought Usagi as
she frantically dodged the slashing swords.
Chibi-Usa felt quite frustrated that the two villains paid no
attention to her at all.
"PINK SUGAR HEARTS ATTACK!" screamed the little girl, shooting a
stream of cute litle pink energy hearts into the eyes of Deddlie
who found it to be rather annoying. She turned her attention back
to Sailor Chibi-Moon and took from her pocket a long red ribbon
which she used as a lasso to tie up the little girl.
"It`s way past your bedtime, sugar." she said.
Although Morthall had been blind from birth, he had a strangely
accurate sense of direction whenever it came to fighting; his
slashes came ever so close to hitting the mark each time he swung
his short sword.
"Take this, scum bucket!" yelled Sailor Moon, kicking the masked
man in the jaw between two slashes and sending him crashing to the
floor. His sword clanked on the hard tiles as it hit the ground.
"You`ll pay for this, girl!" said his sister, reaching down her belt
for a dagger which she aimed straight at Sailor Moon`s heart.
Halfway across its trajectory, the silver projectile was deflected
by a red blur and fell harmlessly to the floor- a shooting red rose
had saved the young girl`s life. A masked man in tuxedo and cape
stood in the doorway, holding a cane designed for combat as much as
for appearance.
"Didn`t your mother ever teach you not to play with sharp objects?
You could put an eye out, you know." observed Tuxedo Kamen.
"That`s the whole idea!" said the recovering Morthall as he sprang
up sword in hand, slashing at the source of these taunting remarks.
The blade came close to inflicting a lethal blow to his head, but
gave him instead a long scratch that shaved a few hairs at the same
time. This surprise attack left him dazed for a second, though he
snapped out of it quickly, blocking all subsequent attacks with his
extended cane.
"Time to go, sister!" said Morthall.
"Right you are, brother!" said Deddlie.
Deddlie Synn threw a small flash bomb on the floor, blinding
everyone but the two thieves for a split second, just enough time to
afford them a quick escape. Only the ribbon tying up Sailor
Chibi-Moon proved that they`d been there at all. Tuxedo Kamen untied
it and Chibi-Usa decided to keep it.
"You`re bleeding!" said Sailor Moon with obvious concern for her
fiancee.
"It`s just a scratch, I`ll be fine." he replied.
"Let`s leave before the police gets here!" added Chibi-Usa. Her
parents agreed.
The trio left the scene as the sound of police sirens came closer
to the jewelry store. The thieves hadn`t stolen anything, so the
battle was won.
"I`ll bet not many people have family outings like ours!" observed
Usagi as she looked for a quiet spot to transform back into her
everyday clothes.
"Now THERE`s an understatement." said Mamoru.
* * *
Deep in a chamber of the Changraloor fortress, a magical laboratory
was waiting for its owner to begin her next experiment. A complex
network of black plantlike powerlines was steadily feeding energy to
a shapeless mass no larger than an orange held within a large
transparent globe.
Lady Daemonfang would begin her ritual as soon as her allies would
arrive with the critical ingredient to her wicked work.
"It shouldn`t take too long, now." she thought.
Surely enough, the secret door leading to this sanctuary of the
black arts opened and let in the twins, Deddlie guiding her blind
brother through the unfamiliar passages to help him avoid the
unseen obstacles in his way. They had obeyed their mission
objective, returning as fast as they could so that the ingredient
would not degrade and lose its inherent magical properties.
"Did you get it?" she asked.
"Indeed." replied Morthall. "Finding it was simple, so was the
extraction."
He handed over to Daemonfang an item wrapped in a silk scarf. She
quickly removed the blood stained scarf and revealed Morthall`s
sword, covered with dried blood that glued a few black hairs on
the blade.
"Excellent." commented Daemonfang. "You have done well and will
be rewarded accordingly."
The assassins bowed politely and left the secret laboratory, closing
the door behind them. The demon lord removed the hairs from the
sword and, pushing her hand right through the transparent sphere,
placed them on the grey shapeless mass wich readily accepted them.
"Grow, now, grow! Considering the sample I gave you, you will be
quite attractive."
* * *
EPILOGUE
Countless telescopes are pointed to the stars and the planets
surrounding the earth in the hope of one day finding new life
somewhere. Unfortunately for the people who built them, that life
doesn`t want to be found.
In orbit around the planet saturn, hidden between the ice asteroids
that form the beautiful rings this planet is famous for, a rather
large space station houses a group of beings whose existence had
shaped the existence of the solar system.
The Technum guardians.
Comfortably housed inside Saturn Station Beta, none of them was
supposed to ever interact with the human race again in order not
to risk a greedy individual to covet the guardians` huge power and
endanger the continued existence of the planetary Technum flux. In
the past year, however, many events had forced the guardians to
reveal themselves on more than one occasion, forcing them to go
against their thousand year old pledge of secrecy to Queen serenity.
The guardians`creator, the Prime, had decided that more or less
direct intervention was necessary to honor the spirit of their
pledge, if not its exact wording.
One of those guardians, Technuma Saturn, got more than his fair
share of meddling ever since the prison ship Pegasus had accidentaly
released Celeste, the fallen Sailor Mars, from her deep space
confinement. He tried desperately to stay out of human history but
kept getting dragged back in. The recent massacre of his student
Sailor Saturn was just one more problem that only his direct actions
could solve... although he wouldn`t do a thing if it meant breaking
his pledge yet again. Technuma was probably the most rigid guardian
as far as honoring the ancient pledge went, though he was almost
always the one forced to go against it when events went from bad to
worse.
The Prime wanted to meet him now, and he could already imagine he`d
be getting the "be true to your pledge" speech from his creator.
Well, it wouldn`t really be a speech, seeing how the Prime
communicated through an unusual form of telepathy; what he wanted
to tell you, you instantly knew. Don`t ask why, you just did.
The door to the Prime`s meditation room opened and Technuma walked
in. He was always impressed by the room`s layout, a totally
spherical glass room allowing anyone there to see the stars and
planets surrounding Saturn Station Beta, all of wich seemed in
complete harmony with the light grey skinned being sitting on a
small platform in the exact middle of the room. Technuma Saturn
took the narrow bridge connecting the door to the platform and sat
in a stiff lotus position in front of the ancient being.
"I believe I know why you called for me. No doubt it regards my
project *Second Coming*." said Technuma. The Prime looked at him
and instantly, Technuma knew what he meant to say.
"It was easy to guess. This project goes against everything our
pledge stands for, I was certain you`d reject it the instant I
submitted it two weeks ago." said Technuma.
The Prime frowned. Technuma was surprised by his "answer".
"You... didn`t... reject it yet? I don`t understand! Second Coming
was a project my conscience forced me to create, but I was sure
you`d never allow me to go forward!" protested Technuma, unsure
why the Prime would permit further intervention from the guardians.
The Prime`s expression changed again, turning to a neutral smile.
"Of course I want to do it, I thought of nothing but that since her
death at the hands of that tenth sphere monster! All I want to know
is... why are you allowing me to go ahead?" asked Technuma.
The Prime waved his left hand and a beautiful blue crystal appeared
out of nowhere, floating in front of Technuma. It projected a small
light beam wich formed an image of Queen Serenity who began to speak.
"Greetings, mighty guardian. As you stand now, I have passed away
for a very long time and your kind has stayed away from the
inhabitants of the silver millenium in order to protect them by
keeping your existence secret. Unfortunately, I foresee dark clouds
over my children and their own children, I fear for their safety.
You have trained the greatest protectors this kingdom has ever known,
though I`m afraid they might one day be overwhelmed by the evil they
face. In order not to endanger them by forcing you out of a
situation where only you and your kind may hold the key to victory,
I have given your creator, The Prime, permission to temporarily
release you from your pledge if he deems it necessary. If you are
viewing this message, then this moment has come and your
intervention is unavoidable." she declared.
She paused for a moment, then continued:
"If you are viewing this message, Technuma Saturn, then I must urge
you to please let go of your guilt; Laurella and Kitechnum`s deaths
were not your fault, as they were forged in destiny long before your
birth. Right now, your skills are required to save countless lives.
Please do not let the pain of the past stop you from forging the
glory of the future!"
The image disappeared and so did the blue crystal.
"Yes, I do understand now. I`ll get started right away." said
Technuma. He left the meditation room and headed straight for his
medical lab. The guardian had his work cut out for him, and he felt
once again the burning fire of passion he hadn`t felt in centuries.
He truly felt alive.
The End.