Disclaimer: Well, hope you like this, and this wets your appetite for the WHOLE story. Note, I'm obviously a Non-Yaoi writer, and a person who tends to write sappy stories, so if you don't like this kind of story, then GET OUT NOW!!! Please note that I don't any of the characters, except Nova and the villains. This does have a Sailor Moon crossover in it. Well, here's some more stuff that falls on my plot line.
Author's Note: The story comes down to this final moment. How will this end? Who will die, and who will survive? Just read!
Gundam Wing: Raptures of Paradise
Chapter 25---------- The Ultimate Sacrifice
By Sailor Celaeno
The five former pilots only gaped at the two women. "Why should we believe a single word you say?" Wufei stared coldly at them.
"What other choice do you have? After all, we're Raptures. We could simply turn you over to the guards and say that those two that are unconscious were attacked by you. Or perhaps say they were trying to help you escape. Either way, you're the ones that will get into lots of trouble," added Midii.
"If we were to trust you, what made you change your minds?" asked Quatre. He was very curious for their reasons.
"A certain young woman, reminded me that I have someone that I love very much. Someone who believed in fighting for peace and to protect it as long as possible," Midii replied, though she slyly looked towards Trowa.
Esmeralda only said, "I looked at things differently and realize that I was wrong."
"Hn-what's your plan?" asked Trowa.
"Three of you will be given weapons. You have to run around this complex and distract the guards. The other two will go with us to the prison cells. We caught the senshi. The four of us will pretend that only two of you were re-captured and then we knock out the prison guards and free the senshi. Assuming that the other three don't get caught, we will meet in lower level sector green. That's where the ceremony will be held. Now who's going to be our prisoners and who will escape?" asked Midii.
"I'll stay with you," said Quatre.
"I'll stay too," replied Trowa.
Esmeralda nodded her head. "Fine. Here are some rifles and a data chip you can input into your computer watches. They are detailed maps of this complex, and includes a program that detects the guards. The red lights are the guards, and the blue lights are the rest of us. We also have secret passages and short cuts highlighted in yellow. You must meet us in the room that is highlighted in green. Clear?"
"Roger," nodded Heero. Wufei just nodded, and Duo also agreed.
"Good, now you three leave and scatter. We'll give you a five minute head start before we call the guards on you. Starting, now!" noted Midii as she stared at her watch. The three pilots raced off in three different directions.
Heero raced left back towards where they came. It was a short cut and he was intrigued at an area they had passed by. He managed to elude three guards and was able to sneak into a closed off room. Heero noted it was an storage room filled with food and other devices that would be useful. He quickly began manipulating a bomb. However his presence was soon detected. "Halt!" a guard shouted.
Heero glared as he followed them out, then he quickly dashed down a path that was supposed to lead to another hiding place. He was promptly shot at, but he dodged the bullets easily. "Hn... going as planned," he noted as he ran into another room that proved to be empty.
"Damn it!" Midii grunted.
"What is it Miss Midii?" asked Quatre.
"Heero was detected just a minute ago. I have to call the guards." Midii pressed her communicator. "Alert! Three prisoners are loose in the building. Capture them immediately! Do not harm them."
Duo groaned. "Heero or Wufei must have been spotted. I should have gotten another two minutes." Duo raced along another bend. "Hm.. this thing says I should be near the security room. It's empty for the moment." Duo ran another twenty yards and went to take a look around the room. "Hm... wow, this setup is pretty high-tech. Hm... and state of the art."
Duo looked around and found switches that controlled cameras. He also found a panel that controlled the heating and ventilation systems in various sectors of the complex. "Hm... if they need a distraction, I'll give them something. Let's see which part of the building the others are not in..."
Wufei growled as he raced down the hallway. He found a short cut to a room that contained several energy pods. Quint has said that if he broke the pods, he could release the energy and it would return to their owners. The fastest route was through several heating ducts. He leaped up and scrambled into a vent. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to find a way to maneuver through. "Hn... those women had better not be lying or they will pay later."
It was rather awkward for Midii and Esmeralda, Quatre and Trowa to walk down the hallway. "Emsie, I---"
"Quatre, you don't have to say a word. There's not much that can be said. I think you should hate with every last bit of hate you can gather from in your body. I could have easily killed Dorothy with what my jealous heart could feel. I despised her, but now I see that she deserves your compassion more than I," Esmeralda said as she led Quatre down the hallway.
"Emsie, hating you won't make me feel any better. I have felt the coldness that anger has brought me. I suppose I'm angry, but I can't really hate you. In a way I've always been angry since that time years ago. But I could never really hate you. After all, I can't feel angry like that unless you mean something to me, right?"
"You mean... I still do? How can that be Quatre? I've lived without love and when I realized I had it, I felt such dark envy in my heart. All I wanted was for you to love me. Your love was real and I wanted it. I took Dorothy's energy just for that."
"Emsie, I realize that. I will have a place in my heart for you. But I can't love you like that anymore. My life has moved on and I can't give you more than what I can."
"I know that now, Quatre. Oh don't look at me like that. I know, you only feel sorry for me. I don't want you to ever feel sorry for me because pity only makes me all the more wretched for it."
Midii and Trowa walked a few yards away and had a conversation of their own. "I will thank you on behalf of everyone else. I know you must risking a lot to help us," Trowa started.
"That's not necessary for you to say, Trowa. I owed you for sparing my life."
"... you still want me to kill you?"
"I did say that I won't die for anyone or by anyone except you, Trowa Barton. The one who gave me my new life shall take it away from me."
"New life? How did I give you that?"
"That day you decided to let me live completely changed my life forever. I left that rebel camp, I couldn't live envying people that have nothing. I had to live to help my family. I needed a reason to live and you reminded me of that. It's only fair that only you can do that," Midii answered.
"Is that really the reason why you've come back to my life? Just so I can kill you? Or is there another reason why you wanted to see me?" Trowa had a suspicion about Midii.
Midii blushed lightly. "Why would you think that?"
"You should realize that I don't play games with people's lives like you want me to do with yours."
"What do you want me to say? That I only came back because I love you? That I've been in love with you for the last 8 years?"
"Only speak the truth, Midii Une. Don't say anything less than that."
"Then you know all that needs to be said."
They continued walking down the hallway. It was all that passed between them. Soon Trowa stopped walking. Midii turned back to stare at him for a moment. "Why'd you stop here?"
Trowa only walked to her and lightly pressed his lips on her. Midii had closed her eyes and lightly touched her lips. "You looked very sad. I thought maybe that might make you feel better."
"That's more like something I would do, Trowa." She couldn't help, but smirk at him.
"Did it work?"
"Not bad, Barton."
Heero had narrowly dodged more guards, and shot a few of them. He was able to finish making a bomb from one that he had found earlier. "This should certainly be quite a distraction for these guards. I should head for the room down below." He found an unoccupied room and hid the bomb as he installed it.
Duo played with several buttons. He made the soldiers' barracks 20 degrees above normal. He made the shower rooms 20 degrees colder than normal. He tricked the sprinkler system into thinking that the hallways in several sectors were on fire. He laughed as he saw the looks on the faces of people in those immediate areas.
Soon there was an announcement. "Someone has been tampering with the climate controls. Search for the source of these disturbances!"
Duo snickered to himself. "I'll just be on my way." He checked his computer to see that there was a fairly clear path to the rendezvous point.
Wufei double-checked to make sure that the coast was clear before he jumped out of the vent. He could see that the pod room was only a few yards away. He stealthily made his way in. He was able to knock out the two guards in the room. "Hm... there are twenty pods in this room." The pods were about the size of a small briefcase and appeared very easy to open. They were placed in compartments that locked energy within the pods.
Wufei pried open them all, and soon an alarm rang. His computer quickly told him that 10 guards were approaching. He also saw there was another heating duct that connected the room to a hallway that was clear of guards. He quickly scrambled towards the duct and was able to reseal it before the guards burst in.
Three minutes later, Wufei emerged in a hallway about 4 sections away. "Good, no one saw me. I still have time to go to the rendezvous point." He quickly made his way.
"We have two prisoners," reported Esmeralda. The two guards stared at them. They soon nodded and lead them deeper into the prison area. After the doors closed, Trowa and Quatre quickly moved to knock out the guards. The guards' keys were soon taken.
"They're cells are a few meters down that path. We'll keep an eye out for more guards," Midii shouted as Trowa and Quatre raced down the hallways.
"I can't believe they were able to catch us!" groaned Amara.
"We can't help that Amara. After all, they surprised and outnumbered us," noted Hotaru.
"That may be true, but we should have been strong enough to fight them off!" huffed Lita.
"Look, let's just stay cool about this. After things could just look up," smiled Mina.
"Hello ladies," chimed a familiar voice.
"Quatre!" squealed Rini with joy. She and the others perked up with excitement as the two ex-pilots pulled out keys and proceeded to unlock the doors.
"We thought we'd never get out of here!" sighed Raye as she walked through the prison bars.
"Don't start celebrating just yet. We still have to save Relena and stop Tempest," noted Trowa.
Amy nodded. "He's right. I remember the guards were talking about something was happening downstairs, and there's been more movement in the hallways."
"Are you okay?" Midii huffed as she approached.
Many of the senshi glared at Midii as they remembered seeing her when they were captured. "What's she doing here?" growled Amara.
"Look you can hate me all you like later. But right now, there are much more important things to focus on," Midii said calmly.
Rini stepped forward. "Well whatever made you change your mind, I'm very glad that you did. You're doing the right thing, Midii."
"I very much hope that I can change what I've done," Midii said quietly.
"You're already doing a great deal right now," added Hotaru.
"We have to hurry. I think there are guards that are coming," called Esmeralda.
"Look we'll split up. Some of us will stay to fight the guards. The rest will go stop the ceremony," Trista replied plainly.
They all nodded in agreement. "The outer senshi will stay," noted Michelle.
"Alright then," Trowa replied and they all split into two groups.
"Tempest, there are reports of explosions, and prison escapes. Also several weapons fire. We have uninvited guests in the building," reported Hecate.
"Fools! They think their silly little games will stop me? This ceremony will continue as planned. Bring her in!" Tempest said as she looked over a large scroll. "I have waited a millennium for this moment. I won't let pests stop me!"
"Indeed," Hecate said.
Relena was soon led into the room by a guard and Flamethrower. "What are you going to do to me exactly?" Relena began, as she tried hiding her fear.
"Well my dear. I think that it was selfish of Proserpine to drag an innocent person into a feud that I've had with her mother and Queen Serenity," smirked Tempest.
"Why can't you just give up? You'll never win, even if you kill me. People like you will never win in the end," spouted Relena.
"I can assure you, Miss Relena. All that is irrelevant. It's not just for power. I want revenge. Empress Nova and Queen Serenity deprived me of my destiny! All those centuries ago, I could feel power flowing through me. Power that could have made me as great and wise as them. They feared my power because they knew I could surpass them in power. So they had me locked away in a prison dimension that was designed to slowly deprive me of my true abilities. Now that I'm free, I'll finish my final evolution. The true epitome of my abilities, to surpass the limitations that other mortal beings are given when they first appeared in this universe. Now you will be a witness to the birth of a new age Miss Relena. How lucky you are!" cackled Tempest.
"And how does Kari feel? Rose can still feel her inside of that body," asked Relena.
"Never address us by that name again!" roared Tempest. "Kari has been dead for years. There is only Avatar, Tempest reborn and incarnated. Soon all will know that name and learn to fear its power!"
"You still haven't answered me. Is this what she want?"
Avatar's voice re-emerged. "Yes Miss Relena. My happiness was deprived because I was too powerful for any normal human to control. Now I will show them all what happens when the weak try to control those that are stronger!"
Relena frowned. "Then there is no hope for you. You are truly lost forever."
"Proserpine! You have until the sand in this minute class to leave Relena's body. Or else, I will kill her to get you. Such terms aren't difficult to understand."
"I don't think so!" shouted Heero as they burst into the room.
"Heero??!! Get out please!" pleaded Relena.
"You think that your lives are worth throwing away just to save hers?" shouted Tempest mockingly.
"It may not seem that way, but the more important thing is that we stop you!" glared Wufei.
"Let's see what you head-strong pilots can do to stop me!" Tempest cackled as they began firing.
Midii and Esmeralda quickly shot at several guards. Quatre and Trowa tried to fight back as well, but they were soon running out of ammo. "We're going to have to make a run for it. Otherwise, they'll trap us here and catch us!" shouted Midii over the weapons-fire.
Esmeralda quickly shot two men. Soon the gun-fight ended and they managed to scramble from behind a console that they used as a barrier. "I think we got them all," Quatre huffed.
"I guess so," Trowa searched with his eyes. None of the soldiers were moving.
They walked away not noticing one soldier slowly take aim.
"Uranus... World... Shaking!" Sailor Uranus shouted as some men fell through an opening that formed at the attack.
"We have to be careful. This fortress is built above some unstable ground!" noted Trista as the ground began shaking.
Michelle frowned as they ran to find the others.
Sailor Celaeno watched the whole business unfolding from her dimension. "I see that it's coming very quickly. Soon, this battle will end, but their journey is far from over. It's about time I make my entrance." With that Sailor Celaeno glowed and teleported.
Flamethrower blasted seething hot flames at the three pilots. They each scrambled and narrowly avoided serious burns. "That's just the beginning of our power. You can still leave here alive, but I won't be so merciful if you don't!"
Wufei proceeded to shoot his enhanced rifle aiming at Flamethrower. She was hit and soon collapsed. Her masked loosened off. "Her?! I should have suspected. I knew I didn't trust her for a reason."
A bright silver glow appeared and Sailor Celaeno appeared. "You?! Bitch! How dare you show yourself here? I will destroy your precious pilots and senshi. Just so I can see the look of despair and sorrow as your beloved watches are lost to your darkest enemy!"
"You proceed to act like you know so much about the ways of this existence. But you know as much as the next person. You couldn't even begin to understand how it works. This universe is a never ending cycle of life and death, Blissful Joy and never-ending Suffering, Hope and despair, Light and Darkness, Destiny and Chance. How dare you make yourself so capable of understanding. I have existed long before you were even an atom of existence. I have seen and felt all those things. You cannot even begin to understand if you cannot live and think beyond the limits of your human emotions. You cannot move beyond anger and fury. That is why you didn't deserve your powers. You weren't willing to give up and embrace the darkness along with light."
"You, senshi of destiny! How dare you decide who can be deprived of their destiny. I was destined for this power!"
"You were destined for this power because you chose to believe that. Your powers showed you want you wanted them to show you. In your heart you wanted power over all things and that was what made your powers show you the vision you had. This power doesn't belong to you and you know it!"
"ARGH!!!! screamed Tempest as she formed a giant energy beam to attack Sailor Celaeno head on. The bright flash engulfed the room with strong light. However despite the power, Sailor Celaeno used her twin swords to create a force field strong enough to block the attack.
"You cannot fight the destiny you have chosen. You've made your choices and it's about time faced the consequences!" Sailor Celaeno only replied.
Lucrezia and Milliardo stared at their small daughter. "I wished this didn't happen this way," Lucrezia said sadly.
Milliardo stared at the baby too. "I know Noin. You never meant for this to happen. I can't possibly blame you, just as I can't blame myself. It's not anybody's fault."
The sad couple could only watch sadly as their first-born laid in her incubator struggling to live. Anastasia, their little Annie couldn't last long like that way, which was their dreaded fears. "Please, don't let Annie die."
Quatre, Trowa, Midii, and Esmeralda checked the next hallway. There was no one and they hurried. Esmeralda turned around as she thought she heard something behind them. She turned in time to see the barrel of a gun aiming towards them. "NO!!!" she screamed.
"It's a few turns away," noted Trista.
"Right. They're going to need all the help they can get," Amara said as they went racing.
"I only hope that we won't be too late," sighed Hotaru. As Sailor Saturn, she was strong enough to run and fight.
"We can only try. The other senshi will need us," agreed Michelle.
The four outer senshi raced to find the other senshi and the pilots.
"I certainly am not afraid. In fact, I've been waiting for the chance to destroy you, as you have done to my hopes and dreams!" Tempest made a sword appear in her hand. "It's about time to see if I can defeat you. But first..." She snapped her fingers, and Heero, Duo, and Wufei were in chains against the walls.
"But what about Rose?" asked Hecate.
"Begin."
"I won't let you!" Sailor Celaeno tried using her powers to stop Hecate.
Tempest used her powers to block off the attack. "Fight me!" And the two swordswomen were clashing swords all over the room.
"I call with the powers of the Negaverse. Come forth Proserpine, she whose power over the light will light the way into ever-lasting power!"
Relena gasped as she could feel a surging energy flowed through her. "What are... you... doing?" She began wheezing.
"It's about time I see my sister again," laughed Hecate.
Heero glared as he saw Relena writhing from the energy. He struggled even harder to get free. "Damn it Why won't these give?" Duo and Wufei also struggled harder. One of them had to get free to stop Hecate and Tempest.
Slowly they could see a ghostly twin of Hecate start to leave Relena. "Help me please," gasped Relena as she fainted into unconsciousness.
"Come to me sister!" Hecate laughed as her twin slowly came towards her. They were soon joined to form one woman. The three pilots gasped as they witnessed something that no one could have anticipated.
"Esmeralda!" Midii fired her gun at the soldier.
Quatre gently shifted Esmeralda towards him to comfort his poor friend. She had taken a bullet for him. "Emsie! What have you done?" He had tears forming in his eyes.
"Nothing at all. You didn't deserve to die. You weren't meant to die by someone's bullet. Promise me something?"
"What? Anything at all!" Quatre said desperately to his friend.
"Make sure my boy turns out okay?" Esmeralda gasped as she collapsed in his arms.
Quatre shook her lightly, but he knew she was dead. He could feel liquid on his shirt and saw that she had been shot in the chest. "I promise." Quatre moved her against a wall and closed her eyes.
"I'm very sorry, Quatre," Trowa put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I know Trowa." Quatre sniffed a little. "I know you took that bullet so I could help save the world. I won't make you regret that decision, Emsie." He looked up at Midii and Trowa. "We should go."
The other two nodded solemnly and ran with Quatre.
Lucrezia and Milliardo watched their daughter again. She looked so helpless as she laid there in her tiny bed breathing slowly. As quickly as they turned away, her heart machine began beeping. "Zechs! She's dying!" Lucrezia looked with horror as she saw her baby slowly deteriorate in her condition.
Soon nurse and doctors converge over Anastasia to try to save her.
"You thought you would be strong enough to control me Hecate. But I have now shown you that I'm the stronger one now," Proserpine hugged her sister and they soon merged into one body. One woman again. "You're not going to win. I won't let you."
"What? I won't be defeated!!!" Tempest concentrated and the whole building shook with fury.
Heero, Duo and Wufei were freed. Heero ran and freed Relena. He carried her in his arms and checked to see if she was breathing. He could hear soft, slow breaths. The floor began cracking beneath their feet. "We have to get out fast!" shouted Duo.
Sailor Mercury ran into the room. "We have to leave now. The walls are already starting to crack."
"That witch is still free. We need to stop Tempest. She can still try to destroy the world," shouted Wufei over the rumbling.
"We're too late?" Quatre sighed as he, Trowa, and Midii appeared.
"This stack is going to blow really soon! But we still have to stop that maniac from getting loose!" shouted Duo.
Suddenly Tempest began quivering and her eyes glowed as she spoke. "Kari is trying to fight with her," noted Sailor Celaeno.
"Everything around us is falling apart. You can't get anything done now! I knew you were using me to all this and now everything is falling apart!" Avatar snapped.
"We can still destroy them all if you trust me," coaxed Tempest.
"Everything you've said has led to nothing but failure after failure. This will blow up in our faces!"
"Listen you little fool! I have control of this body now. And you will listen to me!"
Midii couldn't stand it any longer. She could see that Tempest/Avatar was standing very close to a large hole that had formed. She gathered her courage and raced towards them. Everyone stared with wife eyes as they saw Midii and Tempest fall over the edge. "Midii!" Trowa gasped. He raced to the hole.
He saw that Midii hung precariously over the edge. "Trowa?"
"You're a crazy fool, Midii Une. Why'd you have to do this?"
"What's the matter Trowa? Afraid that you wouldn't get the chance to kill me?" she smirked.
Trowa inwardly smirked, but he remained just as indignant. "Stop joking. Let me help you up."
Just as Midii reached for his hand, she screamed as she felt Tempest pulling on her leg. "You are clever. By being in this body, you can easily kill me. But you have to die too in order to kill me."
Midii looked up at Trowa. She smiled sweetly. "Trowa?"
"Hn?" Trowa looked down at her with some concern showing in his eyes.
"I do love you Trowa Barton. One day, you must kill me for what I've done to you. It's only fair!" Midii said as she shoved herself from the wall.
"Midii!" he shouted down at her. His eyes widened slightly as he saw her throw herself from the edge, dragging Tempest screaming to their apparent deaths.
The building stopped shaking. Everyone stared at each other in disbelief. They weren't quite sure that they could believe the craziness that they were witnessing. Proserpine broke the silence. "I must leave."
"Where are you going now?" asked Sailor Mercury.
"I have been revived, but I am a spirit without a body. Now that I have given a second chance at life, I think I should give someone else a chance to live."
"Like who?" Duo stared blankly.
Sailor Celaeno then spoke, "A little baby girl that is dying?"
Proserpine nodded her head. "You don't mean..." trailed Quatre.
"I must hurry. There is still a chance to save her. A baby that doesn't have a soul, that spark of life, will no survive. I shall be her spark and be born again." Proserpine turned into a glowing light that raced towards a hospital several miles away.
Lucrezia sighed and began crying as she saw her dead baby. She had to hold her in her arms. "I wish you could hear me, Annie. I wish you could hear mommy." She held the tiny cold hand.
It broke Milliardo's heart as well. He couldn't help, but feel sorrowful that his first child was dead. He reached to touch the cold little face. He looked up and saw a strange light appear in their room. A girl was smiling at them comfortingly. "Who are you?"
"Are you Annie's angel?" asked Lucrezia.
"It was because of my darker half that your daughter died. It is only right that I fix that terrible thing."
"How could you do that?" asked Milliardo.
"Relena saved my life by being my host, the source of strength that I needed to bring back love and hope to those that Tempest and the Negaverse has done to the people of this world. To show my thanks, I will help someone she loves. She loves you both, and most of all, she loves your daughter." She gestured to the dead baby. "She loved that little girl, even though she had not seen her. She dreamed she would see that little girl and be her godmother. If you are willing to be my parents?"
Lucrezia smiled a little at Proserpine. "I am your new mother."
"I will be your new father."
Proserpine smiled and changed into a brilliant butterfly that flew and landed on Anastasia. She faded inside the baby. Anastasia felt warm and began crying loudly. Two lives were reborn that day.
Well, the story is pretty much over, but what do I have stored for you readers next? You have to read the final part Chapter 26!
Author's Note: The story comes down to this final moment. How will this end? Who will die, and who will survive? Just read!
Gundam Wing: Raptures of Paradise
Chapter 25---------- The Ultimate Sacrifice
By Sailor Celaeno
The five former pilots only gaped at the two women. "Why should we believe a single word you say?" Wufei stared coldly at them.
"What other choice do you have? After all, we're Raptures. We could simply turn you over to the guards and say that those two that are unconscious were attacked by you. Or perhaps say they were trying to help you escape. Either way, you're the ones that will get into lots of trouble," added Midii.
"If we were to trust you, what made you change your minds?" asked Quatre. He was very curious for their reasons.
"A certain young woman, reminded me that I have someone that I love very much. Someone who believed in fighting for peace and to protect it as long as possible," Midii replied, though she slyly looked towards Trowa.
Esmeralda only said, "I looked at things differently and realize that I was wrong."
"Hn-what's your plan?" asked Trowa.
"Three of you will be given weapons. You have to run around this complex and distract the guards. The other two will go with us to the prison cells. We caught the senshi. The four of us will pretend that only two of you were re-captured and then we knock out the prison guards and free the senshi. Assuming that the other three don't get caught, we will meet in lower level sector green. That's where the ceremony will be held. Now who's going to be our prisoners and who will escape?" asked Midii.
"I'll stay with you," said Quatre.
"I'll stay too," replied Trowa.
Esmeralda nodded her head. "Fine. Here are some rifles and a data chip you can input into your computer watches. They are detailed maps of this complex, and includes a program that detects the guards. The red lights are the guards, and the blue lights are the rest of us. We also have secret passages and short cuts highlighted in yellow. You must meet us in the room that is highlighted in green. Clear?"
"Roger," nodded Heero. Wufei just nodded, and Duo also agreed.
"Good, now you three leave and scatter. We'll give you a five minute head start before we call the guards on you. Starting, now!" noted Midii as she stared at her watch. The three pilots raced off in three different directions.
Heero raced left back towards where they came. It was a short cut and he was intrigued at an area they had passed by. He managed to elude three guards and was able to sneak into a closed off room. Heero noted it was an storage room filled with food and other devices that would be useful. He quickly began manipulating a bomb. However his presence was soon detected. "Halt!" a guard shouted.
Heero glared as he followed them out, then he quickly dashed down a path that was supposed to lead to another hiding place. He was promptly shot at, but he dodged the bullets easily. "Hn... going as planned," he noted as he ran into another room that proved to be empty.
"Damn it!" Midii grunted.
"What is it Miss Midii?" asked Quatre.
"Heero was detected just a minute ago. I have to call the guards." Midii pressed her communicator. "Alert! Three prisoners are loose in the building. Capture them immediately! Do not harm them."
Duo groaned. "Heero or Wufei must have been spotted. I should have gotten another two minutes." Duo raced along another bend. "Hm.. this thing says I should be near the security room. It's empty for the moment." Duo ran another twenty yards and went to take a look around the room. "Hm... wow, this setup is pretty high-tech. Hm... and state of the art."
Duo looked around and found switches that controlled cameras. He also found a panel that controlled the heating and ventilation systems in various sectors of the complex. "Hm... if they need a distraction, I'll give them something. Let's see which part of the building the others are not in..."
Wufei growled as he raced down the hallway. He found a short cut to a room that contained several energy pods. Quint has said that if he broke the pods, he could release the energy and it would return to their owners. The fastest route was through several heating ducts. He leaped up and scrambled into a vent. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to find a way to maneuver through. "Hn... those women had better not be lying or they will pay later."
It was rather awkward for Midii and Esmeralda, Quatre and Trowa to walk down the hallway. "Emsie, I---"
"Quatre, you don't have to say a word. There's not much that can be said. I think you should hate with every last bit of hate you can gather from in your body. I could have easily killed Dorothy with what my jealous heart could feel. I despised her, but now I see that she deserves your compassion more than I," Esmeralda said as she led Quatre down the hallway.
"Emsie, hating you won't make me feel any better. I have felt the coldness that anger has brought me. I suppose I'm angry, but I can't really hate you. In a way I've always been angry since that time years ago. But I could never really hate you. After all, I can't feel angry like that unless you mean something to me, right?"
"You mean... I still do? How can that be Quatre? I've lived without love and when I realized I had it, I felt such dark envy in my heart. All I wanted was for you to love me. Your love was real and I wanted it. I took Dorothy's energy just for that."
"Emsie, I realize that. I will have a place in my heart for you. But I can't love you like that anymore. My life has moved on and I can't give you more than what I can."
"I know that now, Quatre. Oh don't look at me like that. I know, you only feel sorry for me. I don't want you to ever feel sorry for me because pity only makes me all the more wretched for it."
Midii and Trowa walked a few yards away and had a conversation of their own. "I will thank you on behalf of everyone else. I know you must risking a lot to help us," Trowa started.
"That's not necessary for you to say, Trowa. I owed you for sparing my life."
"... you still want me to kill you?"
"I did say that I won't die for anyone or by anyone except you, Trowa Barton. The one who gave me my new life shall take it away from me."
"New life? How did I give you that?"
"That day you decided to let me live completely changed my life forever. I left that rebel camp, I couldn't live envying people that have nothing. I had to live to help my family. I needed a reason to live and you reminded me of that. It's only fair that only you can do that," Midii answered.
"Is that really the reason why you've come back to my life? Just so I can kill you? Or is there another reason why you wanted to see me?" Trowa had a suspicion about Midii.
Midii blushed lightly. "Why would you think that?"
"You should realize that I don't play games with people's lives like you want me to do with yours."
"What do you want me to say? That I only came back because I love you? That I've been in love with you for the last 8 years?"
"Only speak the truth, Midii Une. Don't say anything less than that."
"Then you know all that needs to be said."
They continued walking down the hallway. It was all that passed between them. Soon Trowa stopped walking. Midii turned back to stare at him for a moment. "Why'd you stop here?"
Trowa only walked to her and lightly pressed his lips on her. Midii had closed her eyes and lightly touched her lips. "You looked very sad. I thought maybe that might make you feel better."
"That's more like something I would do, Trowa." She couldn't help, but smirk at him.
"Did it work?"
"Not bad, Barton."
Heero had narrowly dodged more guards, and shot a few of them. He was able to finish making a bomb from one that he had found earlier. "This should certainly be quite a distraction for these guards. I should head for the room down below." He found an unoccupied room and hid the bomb as he installed it.
Duo played with several buttons. He made the soldiers' barracks 20 degrees above normal. He made the shower rooms 20 degrees colder than normal. He tricked the sprinkler system into thinking that the hallways in several sectors were on fire. He laughed as he saw the looks on the faces of people in those immediate areas.
Soon there was an announcement. "Someone has been tampering with the climate controls. Search for the source of these disturbances!"
Duo snickered to himself. "I'll just be on my way." He checked his computer to see that there was a fairly clear path to the rendezvous point.
Wufei double-checked to make sure that the coast was clear before he jumped out of the vent. He could see that the pod room was only a few yards away. He stealthily made his way in. He was able to knock out the two guards in the room. "Hm... there are twenty pods in this room." The pods were about the size of a small briefcase and appeared very easy to open. They were placed in compartments that locked energy within the pods.
Wufei pried open them all, and soon an alarm rang. His computer quickly told him that 10 guards were approaching. He also saw there was another heating duct that connected the room to a hallway that was clear of guards. He quickly scrambled towards the duct and was able to reseal it before the guards burst in.
Three minutes later, Wufei emerged in a hallway about 4 sections away. "Good, no one saw me. I still have time to go to the rendezvous point." He quickly made his way.
"We have two prisoners," reported Esmeralda. The two guards stared at them. They soon nodded and lead them deeper into the prison area. After the doors closed, Trowa and Quatre quickly moved to knock out the guards. The guards' keys were soon taken.
"They're cells are a few meters down that path. We'll keep an eye out for more guards," Midii shouted as Trowa and Quatre raced down the hallways.
"I can't believe they were able to catch us!" groaned Amara.
"We can't help that Amara. After all, they surprised and outnumbered us," noted Hotaru.
"That may be true, but we should have been strong enough to fight them off!" huffed Lita.
"Look, let's just stay cool about this. After things could just look up," smiled Mina.
"Hello ladies," chimed a familiar voice.
"Quatre!" squealed Rini with joy. She and the others perked up with excitement as the two ex-pilots pulled out keys and proceeded to unlock the doors.
"We thought we'd never get out of here!" sighed Raye as she walked through the prison bars.
"Don't start celebrating just yet. We still have to save Relena and stop Tempest," noted Trowa.
Amy nodded. "He's right. I remember the guards were talking about something was happening downstairs, and there's been more movement in the hallways."
"Are you okay?" Midii huffed as she approached.
Many of the senshi glared at Midii as they remembered seeing her when they were captured. "What's she doing here?" growled Amara.
"Look you can hate me all you like later. But right now, there are much more important things to focus on," Midii said calmly.
Rini stepped forward. "Well whatever made you change your mind, I'm very glad that you did. You're doing the right thing, Midii."
"I very much hope that I can change what I've done," Midii said quietly.
"You're already doing a great deal right now," added Hotaru.
"We have to hurry. I think there are guards that are coming," called Esmeralda.
"Look we'll split up. Some of us will stay to fight the guards. The rest will go stop the ceremony," Trista replied plainly.
They all nodded in agreement. "The outer senshi will stay," noted Michelle.
"Alright then," Trowa replied and they all split into two groups.
"Tempest, there are reports of explosions, and prison escapes. Also several weapons fire. We have uninvited guests in the building," reported Hecate.
"Fools! They think their silly little games will stop me? This ceremony will continue as planned. Bring her in!" Tempest said as she looked over a large scroll. "I have waited a millennium for this moment. I won't let pests stop me!"
"Indeed," Hecate said.
Relena was soon led into the room by a guard and Flamethrower. "What are you going to do to me exactly?" Relena began, as she tried hiding her fear.
"Well my dear. I think that it was selfish of Proserpine to drag an innocent person into a feud that I've had with her mother and Queen Serenity," smirked Tempest.
"Why can't you just give up? You'll never win, even if you kill me. People like you will never win in the end," spouted Relena.
"I can assure you, Miss Relena. All that is irrelevant. It's not just for power. I want revenge. Empress Nova and Queen Serenity deprived me of my destiny! All those centuries ago, I could feel power flowing through me. Power that could have made me as great and wise as them. They feared my power because they knew I could surpass them in power. So they had me locked away in a prison dimension that was designed to slowly deprive me of my true abilities. Now that I'm free, I'll finish my final evolution. The true epitome of my abilities, to surpass the limitations that other mortal beings are given when they first appeared in this universe. Now you will be a witness to the birth of a new age Miss Relena. How lucky you are!" cackled Tempest.
"And how does Kari feel? Rose can still feel her inside of that body," asked Relena.
"Never address us by that name again!" roared Tempest. "Kari has been dead for years. There is only Avatar, Tempest reborn and incarnated. Soon all will know that name and learn to fear its power!"
"You still haven't answered me. Is this what she want?"
Avatar's voice re-emerged. "Yes Miss Relena. My happiness was deprived because I was too powerful for any normal human to control. Now I will show them all what happens when the weak try to control those that are stronger!"
Relena frowned. "Then there is no hope for you. You are truly lost forever."
"Proserpine! You have until the sand in this minute class to leave Relena's body. Or else, I will kill her to get you. Such terms aren't difficult to understand."
"I don't think so!" shouted Heero as they burst into the room.
"Heero??!! Get out please!" pleaded Relena.
"You think that your lives are worth throwing away just to save hers?" shouted Tempest mockingly.
"It may not seem that way, but the more important thing is that we stop you!" glared Wufei.
"Let's see what you head-strong pilots can do to stop me!" Tempest cackled as they began firing.
Midii and Esmeralda quickly shot at several guards. Quatre and Trowa tried to fight back as well, but they were soon running out of ammo. "We're going to have to make a run for it. Otherwise, they'll trap us here and catch us!" shouted Midii over the weapons-fire.
Esmeralda quickly shot two men. Soon the gun-fight ended and they managed to scramble from behind a console that they used as a barrier. "I think we got them all," Quatre huffed.
"I guess so," Trowa searched with his eyes. None of the soldiers were moving.
They walked away not noticing one soldier slowly take aim.
"Uranus... World... Shaking!" Sailor Uranus shouted as some men fell through an opening that formed at the attack.
"We have to be careful. This fortress is built above some unstable ground!" noted Trista as the ground began shaking.
Michelle frowned as they ran to find the others.
Sailor Celaeno watched the whole business unfolding from her dimension. "I see that it's coming very quickly. Soon, this battle will end, but their journey is far from over. It's about time I make my entrance." With that Sailor Celaeno glowed and teleported.
Flamethrower blasted seething hot flames at the three pilots. They each scrambled and narrowly avoided serious burns. "That's just the beginning of our power. You can still leave here alive, but I won't be so merciful if you don't!"
Wufei proceeded to shoot his enhanced rifle aiming at Flamethrower. She was hit and soon collapsed. Her masked loosened off. "Her?! I should have suspected. I knew I didn't trust her for a reason."
A bright silver glow appeared and Sailor Celaeno appeared. "You?! Bitch! How dare you show yourself here? I will destroy your precious pilots and senshi. Just so I can see the look of despair and sorrow as your beloved watches are lost to your darkest enemy!"
"You proceed to act like you know so much about the ways of this existence. But you know as much as the next person. You couldn't even begin to understand how it works. This universe is a never ending cycle of life and death, Blissful Joy and never-ending Suffering, Hope and despair, Light and Darkness, Destiny and Chance. How dare you make yourself so capable of understanding. I have existed long before you were even an atom of existence. I have seen and felt all those things. You cannot even begin to understand if you cannot live and think beyond the limits of your human emotions. You cannot move beyond anger and fury. That is why you didn't deserve your powers. You weren't willing to give up and embrace the darkness along with light."
"You, senshi of destiny! How dare you decide who can be deprived of their destiny. I was destined for this power!"
"You were destined for this power because you chose to believe that. Your powers showed you want you wanted them to show you. In your heart you wanted power over all things and that was what made your powers show you the vision you had. This power doesn't belong to you and you know it!"
"ARGH!!!! screamed Tempest as she formed a giant energy beam to attack Sailor Celaeno head on. The bright flash engulfed the room with strong light. However despite the power, Sailor Celaeno used her twin swords to create a force field strong enough to block the attack.
"You cannot fight the destiny you have chosen. You've made your choices and it's about time faced the consequences!" Sailor Celaeno only replied.
Lucrezia and Milliardo stared at their small daughter. "I wished this didn't happen this way," Lucrezia said sadly.
Milliardo stared at the baby too. "I know Noin. You never meant for this to happen. I can't possibly blame you, just as I can't blame myself. It's not anybody's fault."
The sad couple could only watch sadly as their first-born laid in her incubator struggling to live. Anastasia, their little Annie couldn't last long like that way, which was their dreaded fears. "Please, don't let Annie die."
Quatre, Trowa, Midii, and Esmeralda checked the next hallway. There was no one and they hurried. Esmeralda turned around as she thought she heard something behind them. She turned in time to see the barrel of a gun aiming towards them. "NO!!!" she screamed.
"It's a few turns away," noted Trista.
"Right. They're going to need all the help they can get," Amara said as they went racing.
"I only hope that we won't be too late," sighed Hotaru. As Sailor Saturn, she was strong enough to run and fight.
"We can only try. The other senshi will need us," agreed Michelle.
The four outer senshi raced to find the other senshi and the pilots.
"I certainly am not afraid. In fact, I've been waiting for the chance to destroy you, as you have done to my hopes and dreams!" Tempest made a sword appear in her hand. "It's about time to see if I can defeat you. But first..." She snapped her fingers, and Heero, Duo, and Wufei were in chains against the walls.
"But what about Rose?" asked Hecate.
"Begin."
"I won't let you!" Sailor Celaeno tried using her powers to stop Hecate.
Tempest used her powers to block off the attack. "Fight me!" And the two swordswomen were clashing swords all over the room.
"I call with the powers of the Negaverse. Come forth Proserpine, she whose power over the light will light the way into ever-lasting power!"
Relena gasped as she could feel a surging energy flowed through her. "What are... you... doing?" She began wheezing.
"It's about time I see my sister again," laughed Hecate.
Heero glared as he saw Relena writhing from the energy. He struggled even harder to get free. "Damn it Why won't these give?" Duo and Wufei also struggled harder. One of them had to get free to stop Hecate and Tempest.
Slowly they could see a ghostly twin of Hecate start to leave Relena. "Help me please," gasped Relena as she fainted into unconsciousness.
"Come to me sister!" Hecate laughed as her twin slowly came towards her. They were soon joined to form one woman. The three pilots gasped as they witnessed something that no one could have anticipated.
"Esmeralda!" Midii fired her gun at the soldier.
Quatre gently shifted Esmeralda towards him to comfort his poor friend. She had taken a bullet for him. "Emsie! What have you done?" He had tears forming in his eyes.
"Nothing at all. You didn't deserve to die. You weren't meant to die by someone's bullet. Promise me something?"
"What? Anything at all!" Quatre said desperately to his friend.
"Make sure my boy turns out okay?" Esmeralda gasped as she collapsed in his arms.
Quatre shook her lightly, but he knew she was dead. He could feel liquid on his shirt and saw that she had been shot in the chest. "I promise." Quatre moved her against a wall and closed her eyes.
"I'm very sorry, Quatre," Trowa put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I know Trowa." Quatre sniffed a little. "I know you took that bullet so I could help save the world. I won't make you regret that decision, Emsie." He looked up at Midii and Trowa. "We should go."
The other two nodded solemnly and ran with Quatre.
Lucrezia and Milliardo watched their daughter again. She looked so helpless as she laid there in her tiny bed breathing slowly. As quickly as they turned away, her heart machine began beeping. "Zechs! She's dying!" Lucrezia looked with horror as she saw her baby slowly deteriorate in her condition.
Soon nurse and doctors converge over Anastasia to try to save her.
"You thought you would be strong enough to control me Hecate. But I have now shown you that I'm the stronger one now," Proserpine hugged her sister and they soon merged into one body. One woman again. "You're not going to win. I won't let you."
"What? I won't be defeated!!!" Tempest concentrated and the whole building shook with fury.
Heero, Duo and Wufei were freed. Heero ran and freed Relena. He carried her in his arms and checked to see if she was breathing. He could hear soft, slow breaths. The floor began cracking beneath their feet. "We have to get out fast!" shouted Duo.
Sailor Mercury ran into the room. "We have to leave now. The walls are already starting to crack."
"That witch is still free. We need to stop Tempest. She can still try to destroy the world," shouted Wufei over the rumbling.
"We're too late?" Quatre sighed as he, Trowa, and Midii appeared.
"This stack is going to blow really soon! But we still have to stop that maniac from getting loose!" shouted Duo.
Suddenly Tempest began quivering and her eyes glowed as she spoke. "Kari is trying to fight with her," noted Sailor Celaeno.
"Everything around us is falling apart. You can't get anything done now! I knew you were using me to all this and now everything is falling apart!" Avatar snapped.
"We can still destroy them all if you trust me," coaxed Tempest.
"Everything you've said has led to nothing but failure after failure. This will blow up in our faces!"
"Listen you little fool! I have control of this body now. And you will listen to me!"
Midii couldn't stand it any longer. She could see that Tempest/Avatar was standing very close to a large hole that had formed. She gathered her courage and raced towards them. Everyone stared with wife eyes as they saw Midii and Tempest fall over the edge. "Midii!" Trowa gasped. He raced to the hole.
He saw that Midii hung precariously over the edge. "Trowa?"
"You're a crazy fool, Midii Une. Why'd you have to do this?"
"What's the matter Trowa? Afraid that you wouldn't get the chance to kill me?" she smirked.
Trowa inwardly smirked, but he remained just as indignant. "Stop joking. Let me help you up."
Just as Midii reached for his hand, she screamed as she felt Tempest pulling on her leg. "You are clever. By being in this body, you can easily kill me. But you have to die too in order to kill me."
Midii looked up at Trowa. She smiled sweetly. "Trowa?"
"Hn?" Trowa looked down at her with some concern showing in his eyes.
"I do love you Trowa Barton. One day, you must kill me for what I've done to you. It's only fair!" Midii said as she shoved herself from the wall.
"Midii!" he shouted down at her. His eyes widened slightly as he saw her throw herself from the edge, dragging Tempest screaming to their apparent deaths.
The building stopped shaking. Everyone stared at each other in disbelief. They weren't quite sure that they could believe the craziness that they were witnessing. Proserpine broke the silence. "I must leave."
"Where are you going now?" asked Sailor Mercury.
"I have been revived, but I am a spirit without a body. Now that I have given a second chance at life, I think I should give someone else a chance to live."
"Like who?" Duo stared blankly.
Sailor Celaeno then spoke, "A little baby girl that is dying?"
Proserpine nodded her head. "You don't mean..." trailed Quatre.
"I must hurry. There is still a chance to save her. A baby that doesn't have a soul, that spark of life, will no survive. I shall be her spark and be born again." Proserpine turned into a glowing light that raced towards a hospital several miles away.
Lucrezia sighed and began crying as she saw her dead baby. She had to hold her in her arms. "I wish you could hear me, Annie. I wish you could hear mommy." She held the tiny cold hand.
It broke Milliardo's heart as well. He couldn't help, but feel sorrowful that his first child was dead. He reached to touch the cold little face. He looked up and saw a strange light appear in their room. A girl was smiling at them comfortingly. "Who are you?"
"Are you Annie's angel?" asked Lucrezia.
"It was because of my darker half that your daughter died. It is only right that I fix that terrible thing."
"How could you do that?" asked Milliardo.
"Relena saved my life by being my host, the source of strength that I needed to bring back love and hope to those that Tempest and the Negaverse has done to the people of this world. To show my thanks, I will help someone she loves. She loves you both, and most of all, she loves your daughter." She gestured to the dead baby. "She loved that little girl, even though she had not seen her. She dreamed she would see that little girl and be her godmother. If you are willing to be my parents?"
Lucrezia smiled a little at Proserpine. "I am your new mother."
"I will be your new father."
Proserpine smiled and changed into a brilliant butterfly that flew and landed on Anastasia. She faded inside the baby. Anastasia felt warm and began crying loudly. Two lives were reborn that day.
Well, the story is pretty much over, but what do I have stored for you readers next? You have to read the final part Chapter 26!