Sailor X #3 Dark Sailor
By: John Brengman
Edited by: Jamie Lewis &
Thomas Schell
Scaramanga looked over the desolate landscape of the Negaverse from a spot atop the Ghora Cliffs. The bulk of the Negaverse…what little there was left of it could be seen from this here. The land below the cliffs was shrouded in a sullen darkness, as if waiting for some evil force to return and reclaim the glory that the Negaverse had been.
Nothing claimed the vacuum of power in the Negaverse after the downfall of Queen Beryl. The Negaverse was empty of evil but not of malice. The Black Moon hung in the sky to the east, a silent witness to the ravages below. Shards of darkforce energy showered the battered city below like meteors, leveling what they hit.
The forsaken people of the Negaverse were in a pathetic state. They lived below ground, the only place safe from the darkforce that rained from the sky. Used as in Queen Beryl's conquering armies or as energy sources, they were broken and cast away. With Beryl gone, they were useless in a dimension gone mad.
"Why do you insist on looking at this?" A voice inquired from the darkness.
"It reminds me of what was," Scaramanga replied. "It reminds me of my past, and if I am not careful, my future."
A woman clad in a black and gray version of a Sailor uniform emerged from the shadows and approached Scaramanga. She joined him in surveying the blasted remains of the city.
"I doubt you'd ever allow yourself to fall the way the peons have fallen," she said. "Your pride would kill you first."
"You're probably right," Scaramanga stated. "I didn't work my way up from the bottom to become another forgotten soul in this wasteland."
"I hope you didn't summon me for this dose of cheeriness," Dark Sailor said dryly. She looked vaguely annoyed, as if she thought he might have.
"No, I asked you here because I thought you would be interested in my new plan. It's brilliant, if I do say so myself. We steal much-needed energy from Earth and get rid of those annoying Sailors at the same time."
"Two birds with one stone, hmm…sounds promising," Dark Sailor said. "Fill me in."
Scaramanga nodded and continued. "Humans have an irritating knack for stumbling blindly upon universal truths. They usually appear in literature. One such truth is 'The star that shines the shortest, shines the brightest.'"
"I don't understand," Dark Sailor said. She sneered with contempt for humans.
"What matters is that I do," Scaramanga replied impatiently. "in any event, look at the human lifespan. In their youth, humans have so much energy. They waste most of it in frivolity. As they get older, humans lose more and more of their vital energy. Eventually, they grow old, run out of energy, and die. Thus, the universal truth: 'The star that shines the shortest shines the brightest.'"
Dark Sailor nodded, showing more interest.
"I called you here because of your abilities and skill with weaponry. You are perfectly suited for this mission. We steal children from Earth. This draws the Sailors to the Negaverse, where we attack and subsequently destroy them. At the moment of their death, you drain their energy." Scaramanga smiled. "Even if we fail to eliminate the Sailors, we will still have the children to drain."
"Sounds like a plan," Dark Sailor remarked wryly. The sneer was a permanent fixture of her face.
"Before we begin," the elder villain said, "I need to obtain my powers." Scaramanga raised his hands in the air and shouted "DARKFORCE POWER! Give me the power to destroy my enemies!" A hail of lightning bolts fell upon Scaramanga who endured the waves of energy in silent ecstasy. The bolts then splashed to a spot in front of him. They coalesced into the form of another villain.
"Ah!" Dark Sailor said when she saw the outline. "Mimic." She smiled with cruel anticipation and approval. Scaramanga stepped forward and let the outline envelop him. Once he was done merging with the energy outline, Scaramanga turned to Dark Sailor and clenched his fist triumphantly. "It's time to get some kids!"
== * SM * ==
Ginza Field, in Tokyo's Ginza District
4:02 PM
"It's the bottom of the second inning as the hometown Tokyo Ryoken come to bat," the announcer squawked over Raye's small radio, propped in the seat next to her. Surrounding it, and watching the action on the field below was Cass, Rachel, Mina, and Victoria. The Luna Foundation always sent someone
to the home games of the baseball team that they owned, but this was one of the largest contingents that
had attended a game in recent months.
The reason for their attendance was simple. The group had taken quite a beating at the hands of Hellfire only a few weeks ago, and Queen Serenity had noticed the group's morale sagging. Luna told the group, both active sailors and reserves, that the queen did not want to have to order them to find something fun to do, so the group of girls became regular visitors to Ginza Field.
"First up to the plate for the Tokyo Ryoken," the radio announcer said, "shortstop Adam Miller!" After two pitches, Miller belted a curve ball, sent it shooting out into left field for a base hit.
"How can you watch this? Raye asked quietly so as not to offend the fans near her.
"I think it's interesting!" Cass replied, her eyes glued to the action as the next batter took position in the batters' box.
"You just like the men," Mina scolded with a wink.
"I do NOT!" Cass squealed.
"Will you guys keep it down?" Rachel frowned with annoyance. "I'm trying to watch this."
"What does our yelling have to do with you seeing the game?" Raye sniped back, but further comment was stifled by a glare from Rachel. She turned her attention back to the game with a low growl. Victoria just sat through this argument watching everything. She sat back in her seat and made sure her long, braided black hair was neatly settled over her right shoulder, tip laying on her chest. Every so often, Mina would hand her the bag of popcorn and try to include her…but it was hard. Victoria was almost a carbon copy of her introverted mentor. With the additional crucible of muteness to bear, she carried out her role as Sailor Saturn with a grim efficiency that made the others shudder.
By the time things quieted down, the Ryoken had two men on base, two outs, and the fifth batter was at the plate. Mariko Katsuragi squared to bunt at the first pitch. Suddenly, he drew back and swung hard at the incoming pitch. With a CRACK, Katsuragi sent the baseball high into the air. It soared out of the play area and into the crowd. With a thud, it ricocheted off the cement steps near Raye, who ducked just in time to avoid being hit. The ball flew into Mina's lap, showering her and Victoria with popcorn. Mina stood up and dumped the rest of the popcorn on Rachel as she held up the ball and bowed to the nearby spectators.
"Admit it Raye," Cass grinned at Raye during all the commotion, "you like baseball."
"Perhaps," Raye murmured, grimacing a half smile to herself and hoping her reply was lost in the roaring of the crowd.
== * SM * ==
Downtown Tokyo, near the Imperial Palace 4:10 PM
Bus 49 proceeded along a major boulevard in central Tokyo. The bus was filled with children heading home from a picnic outing. Only their seat belts kept them from playing in the aisle. For some kids, a seat belt wasn't much of an obstacle. The teacher sat in the front seat behind the driver and waited for the school to come into view around the next corner…which would not happen for some time. Molly Baker sat in the mid-section of the bus, a tidal wave of kids engulfing her as she played both chaperone and entertainer to the fifth-graders. The other escort for the trip, Jordan Winston, sat at the back of the bus, the only area that was relatively calm…the eye in the hurricane of youngsters. Seated next to him was Karyn Anderson, the very essence of calmness. While Molly attempted to play rock-scissors-paper with about five kids, Jordan and Karyn talked…at least Jordan tried to.
"So, Karyn," he said, "you're good in school?"
"Yes," the girl replied, her deep-blue eyes looking at the teenage boy. "Not as good as mom, though."
"Do you want to be as good as her?" Jordan asked. He wasn't expecting the answer he got.
"No," Karyn replied simply. "I'm good at playing and ball and stuff…mom's good at other things."
It was at about this point that a dark-clothed figure appeared at the front of the bus. The figure turned and waved her hand over the steering wheel as the driver tried ineffectively to get her to go away. The woman grabbed the driver's shoulder and a dark aura quickly surrounded him. He moaned tiredly as his lifeforce was drained away.
Seeing the demise of the bus driver, the children attempted to get as far away as they could, nearly trampling Molly, who was on her way forward with a grim look on her face. Jordan looked around helplessly as the herd of children came his way. Karyn scanned the situation calmly.
"Stay out of my way and no one gets hurt!" Dark Sailor yelled as she waved her hand over the steering wheel again. The bus started to lift away from the ground.
"What do you think you're doing?" Molly demanded.
"I'm warning you," Dark Sailor said sternly. "Stay out of my way!"
This didn't deter Molly, who advanced upon the villain and grabbed her arm. The steering wheel continued to move by itself as if the bus were driving through the air. Dark Sailor grabbed her axe from her back with her left hand and bashed Molly with the flat of the weapon. She went down in a heap at the bottom of the stairs across from the driver's seat. Grinning wickedly, Dark Sailor opened the doors of the bus and Molly flew out. She grabbed the metal bar attached to the door at the last moment to prevent herself from falling to her death. It did not prevent her from letting out a terrified scream that rippled through the children as they saw what happened.
Karyn saw Molly fly out of the bus and tossed her book onto the seat. Since most of the kids were crowding on the seats to get a better view, Karyn made her way to the front of the bus quickly by crawling under the seats.
Dark Sailor's attention was focused on Molly and she did not see the girl approaching the front of the bus. Her axe whirled again and the metal attachment between the door lever and the door itself was shattered. Molly screamed again as she nearly slipped from her hold on what remained of the metal connecting rod.
When she reached the stairway, Karyn tightly grasped the metal railing on the other side of the stairs from the door mechanism and descended toward the shattered door. She reached the base of the stairs and yelled out, "Molly!" as she reached out to her friend.
"Karyn!" Molly screamed. "Get back, it's too dangerous!"
"I know," Karyn replied, tightening her grip on the railing. "Grab my hand!"
"I can't reach! Get back before you fall!"
"No!" Karyn shouted. "I don't want you to fall!"
At that point, a gust of wind caught the door and pushed it toward the bus. Molly grabbed Karyn's hand and pulled herself back aboard the bus.
Molly glared at the villain, who watched the whole rescue with a dispassionate gaze. "What now?"
Dark Sailor growled, "Get back with the others and leave me alone…or I'll bash you again!" The two girls obediently headed toward the back half of the bus, where the rest of the kids had gathered along with their adult protectors. All of them were now prisoners.
== * SM * ==
Crystal Palace 6:35 PM
The royal court finished dinner and returned to the throne room, commencing the traditional "Evening Hour" where various guests of the court could petition for aid. Although the Moon Kingdom was not officially recognized through diplomatic channels, the Luna Foundation contributed to charitable interests across the globe through dummy corporations and private donations. In return for access to the Luna Foundations vast resources, the Foundation had special privileges, and authority to take direct action on behalf if it's interests on earth.
Although Neo-Queen Serenity realized the necessity of granting these favors, she hated all of the groveling and posturing that came with it. At the moment, she was listening to an environmental group wanting the Luna Foundation to prevent oil drilling in northern Alaska. Part of the petition process required the supplicant to defend his or her position against the queen or another member of the royal court. The environmentalist was unlucky enough to square off against Princess Pluto.
After about ten minutes of listening to the debate, Serenity decided she'd heard enough and stopped the proceeding with a slight wave of her hand. "We'll contact you when we've made a decision. Princess," she nodded toward Pluto, "please show our guest to his ship, then return." With that, Serenity nodded to the court and rose. She approached Mina, Raye, and the others just returning from Tokyo with a relieved smile. "Well," she breathed a sigh of relief. She HATED that part of the schedule. "How was the game?"
"It was fun!" Cass said, bringing a smile to Rachel's face. "I had a blast!"
Raye yawned.
"So who won?" Serenity asked.
Rachel's grin widened. "Our team!"
"Although you could barely concentrate on the game with the way these two were yammering," Raye said, pointing at Cass and Mina. Victoria stood back as far as she could while remaining a part of the group. She was uncomfortable being in public, even in the castle.
"Cass was gawking at the guys," Mina said with mock sternness.
Cass turned to Mina with exaggerated shock on her face. "I was NOT!"
Mina continued, "I saw you! Your tongue was practically on the floor."
Cass growled menacingly.
"Please children," Sandra laughed said as she joined the gathering. That phrase lightened everyone's mood, coming from a teenager, and directed towards at least one adult.
"See what I mean?" Raye asked rhetorically.
The conversation was abruptly interrupted by a commotion outside the doors of the throne room. The doors burst open and a distraught Amy entered the room. The door person approached her, as was his duty when someone entered the throne room without the royal announcer or the queen. The princesses, of course were an exception, but anyone would attempt to stop a person, even a princess from entering the throne room and making a scene there.
"Princess," the doorman murmured nervously, "perhaps it would be better…" Amy looked at him with a look that could freeze Hell. "Don't try to stop me," she growled.
Not knowing Amy's intent, and only seeing her obvious distress, the doorman continued to attempt to fulfill his duties. "Madam, I must insist…"
"Randall," Sandra said as she approached. "It's OK. I'll escort her." Randall was about to protest, but a raised eyebrow from Sandra dared him to press the issue with a princess who obviously was not distraught.
Once the two women had joined the group, Sandra looked at her mother. "I don't think the people should see a princess in this state."
"You're right," Serenity replied quickly. "In fact, have all but our personnel removed from the grounds. If they protest, tell them that whatever they came to petition about can afford to wait." Sandra relayed this order to Randall and returned. As the people filed out of the throne room, Raye approached Amy and hugged her. Once Randall closed the throne room doors, the group turned to Amy.
"What is the matter?" Serenity asked.
Amy gathered herself up from Raye's shoulder which she had been leaning on and said with a voice quavering with fear and anger, "The Negaverse has kidnapped my daughter!" Amid the gasps of disbelief, Serenity turned and walked back to her throne. Once she was seated, the others joined her again, sitting themselves in a circle on the carpeted floor on the low stairs in front of the throne.
"How could this happen?" Serenity asked.
"The school bus she was riding never made it to the school from their outing today," Amy replied steadily regaining her composure.
"And you're sure it was the Negaverse?" Sandra asked.
"Yes. Greg and I retraced the route the bus was supposed to take. We found traces of Negaverse energy all over an area of downtown where people said they saw the bus simply float into the sky."
"How strong were the readings?" Mina inquired.
"Off the scale," Amy stated. "My computer stopped reading them after a short bit."
"Nothing like leaving a really BIG bread crumb," Rachel stated bluntly. "They're leading us on…and they know we'll fall for it."
"And we will fall for it," Raye said, "because we have no choice but to try to rescue the children."
"Yes," Serenity replied. "I agree."
"Good!" Amy said, standing, "I'll get the rest of the Sailors."
"Excuse me," Sandra said quietly. "That's my job."
"What?" Amy said, confused. "What about Lita and the others?"
"You forget," Sandra stated, "you and the rest of the princesses are no longer active Sailors. You are
a reserve that we call on if we need to, not before."
"But I want to help," Amy protested. "I must help my daughter!"
"And you have," Sandra replied slowly with emphasis on each word. "I mean no disrespect, but let us do our jobs."
"Amy," Raye said, "we selected them to be our successors as Sailors. If we jump into everything that comes along ourselves, then why did we bother giving the power to the new Sailors?"
Seeing she was outnumbered, Amy turned to Serenity for support. It was not there.
"I agree with Sandra and Raye," she said. "The Sailors will go to the Negaverse and rescue the children." Turning to Amy and Raye, she continued. "You and Raye, gather the other princesses and be ready to go to the Negaverse if the Scouts should need you." The women gathered before Serenity nodded their agreement and started about the task of preparing to go.
Serenity approached Sandra before she left the throne room. "Sandra, could you have Vanessa see me before you leave."
The queen's daughter looked at her mother. "We'll be ready in ten minutes."
"I won't take long," the queen replied.
Turning back to the throne, Serenity again approached Amy. Placing her hands on the princess' shoulders, she gazed comfortingly into her eyes. "Don't worry, Amy. We'll get Karyn back."
== * SM * ==
The Ghora Cliffs, in the Negaverse The Young Sailors
"So," Mars quipped, glancing around nervously, "where is the welcoming committee?"
"Like if ya ask nicely they'll come out and ask ya to fry em," Mercury remarked dryly.
"Cut the chatter," Sailor Moon ordered brusquely. "We don't have the time." She strode forward to look out at the desolation beyond the cliffs. The only buildings remaining standing besides the huge castle that Beryl inhabited seemed to be other castles erected in other areas of the Negaverse. Aside from the castles and a bizarre church-like building, which had been damaged but not destroyed, the picture in front of the Sailors looked like something out of an old war movie.
"How did this happen?" Sailor Uranus asked.
"Evil usually turns upon itself when defeat is near." Pluto replied. "This was no doubt the result of the death of Queen Beryl. With no new evil stepping in to fill the power vacuum, the Negaverse has torn itself apart."
A silence fell over the group and the only sound that could be heard was a hollow wind as it rustled by them. In the distance to the north, a darkforce shower pounded the area near a castle far to the northeast. "I wonder who lived there," Mars said quietly.
"That would be the castle belonging to Lord Malachite." Turning to Mars, Pluto said, "You really should try harder in history. Castle Malahrand is prominent in the history of the Negaverse."
The darkforce shower continued and grew worse. A huge piece of darkforce energy slammed into the area south of Malahrand, pulverizing an area the size of a city block.
"My god…" Sailor Moon murmured aloud.
"You are standing amidst the ruins," Scaramanga said from behind them, "of a place that God has forsaken. If He was ever here at all." The master villain nodded a silent greeting to the other Sailors, all of whom had turned at the sound of his voice.
"Welcome to the Negaverse," Scaramanga said. "I do hope you enjoy your stay, because you will be staying for a long while."
Sailor Moon stepped forward and calmly said: "I'm going to tell you this only once. Return the children you stole, and do it now."
"Oh?" The master villain replied, "and if I don't?"
"Then I intend to see that you don't walk away from this encounter alive."
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy, Sailor Moon," Scaramanga replied. "You're in the Negaverse now, and your threats mean nothing here, but I do thank you for trying. Anyway, now to the business of your deaths…ZAI!" A stream of darkforce bolts swarmed from the villain. The Sailors easily dodged the negative energy as the bulk of it assaulted the ground in front of them. It proved to be reason enough for some of the Scouts to retaliate, however.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM….BLAST!" was quickly followed by: "MERCURY SHARD!, MARS FIRE….IGNITE!, DEEP SUBMERGE! and MOON TIARA MAGIC!"
Scaramanga took the brunt of most of these attacks, batting away the tiara and the ice shard, and absorbing the force of the crescent beam, primal fire, and water funnel. He had been brought to one knee by the attacks, and when they subsided, his head was bowed as if in defeat.
Sailor Moon stepped forward and angrily said, "I don't like having to repeat myself! Return the children!"
Scaramanga looked up with an evil gleam in his eye. "You are in for a rude surprise, Sailor Moon." He stood up, somehow looking none the worse for wear after absorbing some of the best attacks that the Sailors could throw at him. He held out a hand and said: "DARKFORCE TIARA MAGIC!" A black replica of Sailor Moon's tiara appeared in his hand, its green gemstone gleaming hideously. Scaramanga threw the tiara at Sailor Mars with a flourish. The evil tiara screeched through the air and only Mars' timely dodge prevented her demise. Instead the tiara slammed into her right shoulder, pitching her roughly to the ground.
"Dark Sailor! Where are you?" Scaramanga yelled.
The Dark Sailor appeared at the villain's side. Instead of her black and gray sailor uniform, she was wearing a full suit of body armor. "I was waiting until you needed me."
"I need you now," Scaramanga replied. "Attack the Sailors!"
With a nod, Dark Sailor turned to the heroic women. "Get a load of this!" She shouted as she threw globs of darkforce energy at Sailors Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. The darkforce hit the ground near its targets and exploded into a sticky mess, entangling the Sailors. The evil force then started to drain the Sailors of their energy.
"SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE" echoed hauntingly through Sailor Moon's mind as Sailor Saturn called forth her weapon. With a sinister whisper, a six-foot tall glaive with a thin, black handle appeared in her hands.
"You challenge me?" Dark Sailor said with astonishment. Brandishing her axe, she approached the silent warrior. "Fine! I'll cut ya to ribbons!" She raised her axe and brought it down in a fierce arc, which Saturn deflected with the glaive. The axe thudded to the ground with a loud clang.
"You were lucky!" Dark Sailor roared as she pulled her axe out of the ground, "but not this time!" She swung her axe horizontally, forcing Saturn to retreat. With a yell, Dark Sailor raised her axe and brought it down toward Sailor Saturn again. Grasping her glaive with both hands, Saturn quickly raised its handle to meet the attack. The handle of the glaive, which looked like it would snap in two under this assault, instead held off the attack without so much as a scratch. Locked in a stalemate, the two combatants battled back and forth.
Meanwhile, the other Sailors grouped around Sailor Moon, who had been knocked out by a DARKFORCE SHARD attack. Mars stepped forward. "I'm taking you down!" She growled.
"Oh really," came the villain's reply, "this should be interesting." Mars rushed toward Scaramanga and threw a left hook at him. The villain took the blow and grinned. "I hope you can do better than that."
"How's this?" Mars shouted as she slammed a upper-cut into his jaw. Scaramanga staggered back out of range of the angry Sailor. "THAT'S IT!" He roared. "DARKFORCE FIRE IGNITE!" A ball of swirling darkforce energy appeared in Scaramanga's hand and he hurled it at Mars. The chaotic energy cascaded around both her and Sailor Pluto, who had rushed forward to assist. Both women struggled to remain standing under the onslaught.
"There's more where that came from," Scaramanga stated flatly. "DARKFORCE CRESCENT BEAM!"
The beam crashed into the two women, who collapsed.
"That's enough!" Sailor Venus shouted angrily. "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" This attack however was met with "DARKFORCE DEEP SUBMERGE!" and was extinguished. Venus herself was drowned into unconsciousness by the blast.
With a roar, Sailor Mercury rushed toward Scaramanga. She threw a punch at him and missed. "I grow tired of this," he growled as he drew his left hand forward. With a yell, he slammed it back and hit Mercury in the face. With satisfaction he heard the crushing of bones and a line of blood spurted from Mercury's mouth as she was thrown away from the villain. She landed in a tangled heap and lay very still.
Saturn could feel that Dark Sailor had committed herself to pressing her attack. Almost all of her weight was on the axe. Knowing it was either now or never, Sailor Saturn shifted her weight slightly, then dropped the hand nearest the head of the glaive. This time, the Dark Sailor joined her axe on the ground. Before she could recover, Saturn back-swung her glaive into the air. Once it was over her head, she grasped the deadly weapon with both hands and brought it down with full-force upon Dark Sailor's back. The armor protecting Dark Sailor's back shattered under the impact of the glaive, but no real damage was done. As Saturn again
raised the glaive above her head, the evil villain could see that she intended to change that.
Scaramanga heard the cry of "Help me!" off to his right and quickly shouted "DARKFORCE FIRE IGNITE!" releasing a dark primal attack which downed the silent Sailor. He approached Dark Sailor and roughly hoisted her to her feet.
"You couldn't even take out one frail girl!" Scaramanga yelled. "I am almost out of energy!"
"Stop your complaining," Dark Sailor replied through her teeth. "There's plenty of energy laying around." Turning to the downed Sailors, she winked. "Pick a Sailor, any Sailor."
"Aren't you being a bit premature?" asked a voice from behind them. "You haven't beaten us yet."
The villains turned and saw yet more Sailors. One stepped forward, "I am Sailor Venus, and I will fight for my friends! On behalf of the planet Venus, I will punish you!"
Seeing that they were seriously outnumbered by the eight new Sailors, Scaramanga shook his head and
replied, "Sorry, but we really must be going." With that, both he and Dark Sailor vanished.
== * SM * ==
Sandra awoke to see Mina hovering over her in concern. Relief swept over Mina's face as she realized Sandra was conscious. "What happened?" Sandra asked dazedly.
"The Queen was monitoring you," Venus relied. "She sent us when she knew you were in trouble. Don't worry," she added quickly. " Most of the others are okay." Her expression belied her reassurances.
"What about Mercury? Rachel was…" her words trailed off and she looked around with growing desperation.
Mina tried to
mask her concern as she replied,
"Rachel and Victoria were hit bad, but they're going to be fine too." Mina's eyes were shadowed. She was obviously less than certain that
this was so.
Sandra looked around to all her friends.
Cassandra stood near the edge of the cliffs, talking quietly with her
mentor. The Outer senshi were helping
the younger Sailors who had been trapped and drained by Scaramanga. Sandra noted with concern that the two women
representing the planet Uranus stood well away from each other, as if they both
tacitly agreed that now was not the time to get into an argument over personal
issues. These divisions would weaken
the group. She made a mental note to
herself that the duo needed to work out their differences as soon as
possible. Unfortunately, now was not
the time to get into that either. Sandra just hoped that they could keep focused through the rest of this
conflict, and not involve personal problems.
Sailor Jupiter was helping out Brandy,
while Mercury and Saturn both attended to Rachel.
After a few minutes the group assisting
Rachel broke up. With a sigh of relief,
Sandra saw that her young partner was fully recovered. All of the Sailors, young and old formed a
loose group in front of Sandra.
"As Sailor Moon, crown princess of the
moon," Mina stated simply. "You are the leader here."
"Thank you," Sandra said with a nod.
Looking north over the expanse of the Negaverse, she asked, "Where do we
start?"
"Well," Amy said, "Karyn, should have
activated the tracking device in her watch by now." She removed her computer
from its storage place and activated it. She quickly pulled up a signal and
reported. "The children are North East of us," She pointed toward the huge
skull-like structure that was Castle Beryl.
Raye nodded grimly. "There's a path down the cliffs. It's narrow, but we can manage."
"We go by names, ladies," Sandra said
crisply. " I will use my telepathy for the rest of this mission: it gives us an
edge over Scaramanga. We go now. Everyone stay alert and keep your eyes
open. We're not out of this yet."
== * SM * ==
Outside the Astra Chapel
The group of heroes reached the shattered building near the center of the city at the base of the Ghora Cliffs. They came this far with almost no contact with the natives. Most inhabitants the Sailors did see quickly scurried away. The more aggressive ones quickly thought twice when they discovered who they faced.
The younger Sailors led the group, and the elders brought up the rear. The group was quiet by general consensus. All were preoccupied with the haunted look of the people and the eerie emptiness of the city.
One small child straggled forth from the rubble of a nearby house and walked up to Victoria. The child displayed more curiosity and energy than anyone they had seen yet. Victoria picked her up with a smile. She walked a short way with the child in her arms, doing her best to wipe the soot away from her face. The other Sailors didn't seem to mind this, although Sandra had to remind Victoria that she could not take the child too far from her home.
Victoria put the child down and gave her a gentle push in the direction of her home. She rejoined the group a bit further back, near her mentor, and the two formed the rear guard. She was wielding her glaive with deadly precision and scanning the area vigilantly for any signs of the enemy.
Death nevertheless came as a surprise. With a silent hiss, Dark Sailor materialized next to Sailor Saturn, her axe unsheathed, its blade more wicked than before. Her teeth bared with triumph, Dark Sailor drove the blade of her weapon into Saturn's back. With a choked grunt, she jerked forward. Blood bubbled up in her mouth as her ribs shattered and organs burst. Her frail body was lifeless before it hit the ground.
Victoria was the first to turn. She saw Dark Sailor roughly rip her axe from the lifeless form of her beloved mentor. Victoria's wordless horror turned into rage as she saw the vile villain about to hack at the broken body again. Her scream broke the silence of the moment. It rang harsh on the silent cliffs and echoed weirdly through the air. As if ripped from her soul, Victoria screamed, "DEATH RIBBON DEVASTATION!!" Razor-sharp ribbons of deadly energy erupted from Victoria and flew like arrows towards Dark Sailor.
"Oh damn," Dark Sailor muttered as she realized she attacked the wrong Sailor. The next instant the fury of Victoria's attack slammed into her. Within moments, the villain was reduced to a mass of bleeding fleshy pulp as the ribbons scoured her flesh from her bones. Victoria collapsed woodenly, her right hand outstretched to clasp the hand of her fallen friend.
"What a waste," Scaramanga solidified near Saturn's prone form. "My servant had so much potential. "The very least she could do was thin the ranks before she died."
"I will see you dead for this, if it costs my very soul!" Venus shouted. Her voice quivered with rage, but not even anger could keep her face from crumpling with grief as tears spilled over her lashes. The elders grouped together behind Venus and squared off against Scramanga. Mercury saw the younger Sailors about to join them and hurriedly waved them off. "No," she said. "You must find the children. We'll deal with him!"
"But you need us!" Sandra cried aloud.
"If the children are not rescued, Hotaru's death will be meaningless," Amy cried out desperately between clenched teeth. "Now go! You have to go! Remember the Mission. Stay focused!"
Sailor Moon grimly turned and gestured for the other sailors to follow. "Lets go," she said as she headed for Castle Beryl at a steady run.
== * SM * ==
The girls kept their eyes peeled for
surprises as they headed for Castle Beryl, located 3 kilometers northwest of
the chapel. The group ran at a steady
pace, firm and focused. Each Sailor
struggled to block visions of the slender and physically diminutive Sailor
Saturn bashed violently to the ground. Their world had been rocked to the bone, but they had no time to grieve
or dwell on their sorrows until the mission was over. Unless they were successful, innocent children would die…they had
to prevent that at any cost.
Everyone ran silently except Sailor Mars,
whose sobbing finally brought Sailor Moon and the rest of the group to a stop.
"What's wrong?" Sailor Moon asked
briefly. She already knew the answer.
"Hotaru" Mars sobbed helplessly.
"Get over it." Sailor Moon said coldly. "We have people depending
on us, and we can't afford this now."
"Hotaru was depending on us!" Mars
shrieked through her tears.
Sailor Moon grabbed Mars and shook her.
"Stop it!" she yelled into Mars' face. Jupiter stepped up and took hold of Sailor Moon's arm. "That's enough. Don't touch her."
Sailor Moon stepped back almost
involuntarily, her face a blank mask of shock. Jupiter had never before spoken to her like this. No one had.
Jupiter spoke quietly to Mars. "Saturn knew the risks. She died doing her job. We have to do our jobs. We fight to honor her memory. We WILL complete this mission. You - are - not - a - quitter." Jupiter spoke these last words slowly and clearly. Mars looked up to meet Jupiter's level gaze. After a moment she nodded and straightened. Her face was still wet with tears, but her eyes were clear and penetrating. She was ready. Her gaze passed over Sailor Moon without a flicker or recognition. As if Sandra were not there.
As one, the Sailors ran
towards Castle Beryl. Faster now, as if
they felt time pressing them from behind.
== * SM * ==
"WORLD SHAKING!"
Scaramanga shook off the amber attack as it splashed against him and countered with, "DEEP SUBMERGE", sending torrential water at Sailor Uranus. "Your pathetic attacks are improving," Scaramanga taunted them, "but no challenge for me!"
Undaunted,
Sailor Neptune stepped forward. After a
concerned glance at her partner, trying to shake off the effects of the
villain's water attack, she shouted grimly, "Why are you doing this?"
"Why?" Scaramanga seemed truly
surprised that the Sailors didn't already know. "I want to show you who is truly pathetic! You look down on us! You think my people are beaten, broken. Well I am not! Anything you throw at me, I can reflect back! I am impervious to
your attacks, unaffected by your pleas…in short, I AM INVINCIBLE!"
Mars remained unconvinced even though her MARS FIREBIRD STRIKE had little effect on the sneering villain. "You seem to have a hearing problem, woman," he roared. "You can not hurt me with your attacks!"
Mercury took cover behind the scorched wall of a nearby hovel along with Venus. "He's right," Mercury said. "Nothing we throw at him works, he turns our attacks against us." Venus nodded her agreement. "Do you mind if I try something?"
"Try anything," Venus said through tight lips. "He can't win." They both knew that there was more at stake than pride. He would spare none of them.
Scaramanga sent a punishing attack towards that brought Jupiter
to her knees.
Mercury emerged from her hiding place at a dead run. "This ends now!" and without breaking her
stride she yelled "MERCURY BUBBLES…BLAST!" Thick fog surrounded the villain.
"Oh nooo, I can't see!"
Scaramanga laughed mockingly. "You
think fog will hurt me?" he managed to get out between gasps of laughter.
"Now," Mercury growled as she aimed at the ground by the villain's feet, "Let's see you absorb this: "MERCURY ICE STORM BLAST!" Swirling ice froze the ground and worked upwards until Scaramanga was frozen in a block of ice. Seeing that her work was done, Mercury joined Sailor Venus in tending to Victoria. Sailor Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto pressed their attack on the villain. Pluto shattered the ice block with her DEAD SCREAM attack, quickly followed by WORLD SHAKING and SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON. Under this barrage of rage, Scaramanga was forced back.
As he retreated, Scaramanga tripped and fell onto his back. He saw the three poised to fire their best attacks and shrank back involuntarily. His lips twisted with rage, and his malevolent gaze emcompassed all the Sailor Scouts. "Next time," he spat at them as he started to fade away. The Sailors tried in vain to grab him, but all they heard was mocking laughter as their hands grasped at thin air.
"Well, I guess that takes care of him," Jupiter murmured.
"Yes," Pluto replied bitterly, "for the moment." With that, she turned and went to check on Victoria.
== * SM * ==
Castle Beryl The Young Sailors
"I've never been here before," Sailor Moon said as they entered the Throne Room. "But I've heard stories from the elder Sailors."
"Well, duh, you've never been here," Melissa muttered under
her breath. She rolled her eyes.
"I heard the stories too," Pluto replied as she approached the throne. "None of them were good." She pulled a small device from her breast pocket. Brushing the dust off a murky globe the size of a softball, she placed the device atop it.
"Neo-Queen Serenity gave me direct orders to recover the conversion bed and the scrying orb specifically. They are too valuable to leave here where anyone has access to them." Any further comment from Pluto stopped when Mars staggered against the wall and collapsed. The Sailors rushed over to her.
"I feel the children," Mars forced the words from her jaws, clenched with the strength of her vision. "They're in danger! Very strong."
"I'll go," Sailor Moon said. "You keep a lookout here."
"That will not be necessary," an angry voice hissed from the shadows.
A sinister laugh echoed around the throne room, and a female voice added, "Yes. Why go looking for trouble when it is so eager to find you?" At that, the ghostly figures of Malachite and Zoisite stepped into the light.
"You thought you could defeat me," another voice whispered from the shadows near the throne, "You should know it takes more than a single attack from a weakling little girl to defeat me."
Queen Beryl coalesced from the blackness, and took a seat on her throne.
Sailor Mercury was the first to recover from the surprise at seeing these relics from the past. "I don't know what you are," she growled, "or where you came from. But you are trying my patience! You are already dead!"
"Yes," Beryl said, "and I sympathize. I know it's been a terrible day for you." Beryl's hand flicked Pluto's device from the top of her scrying orb and she activated it with a quick gesture. The Orb projected its contents into the space between Beryl and the Sailors. The girls were forced to re live the last, agonizing moments of Hotaru's life.
Beryl smiled cruelly. "That must have hurt."
Mercury screamed with rage. "MERCURY SHARD!" A jagged spear of ice formed in Sailor Mercury's hand. She launched it toward the mistress of the Negaverse. At the last moment, Malachite imposed himself between the shard and his queen. The ice shard was absorbed within the folds of his cape. "I believe you have forgotten someone," he said.
"Yes," Zoisite agreed. "ZOI!" Zoisite's darkforce attack stabbed toward Sailor Neptune's back. She shuddered as the hideous energy battered her defenses. Sailor Jupiter hurled a lightning attack at Zoisite, who had to abandon her darkforce attack to dodge.
The Sailors traded attack after attack with Beryl's lieutenants…
== * SM * ==
Outside Castle Beryl
Jedite laughed triumphantly as he watched the bus filled with screaming children fall slowly into the chasm next to the castle. The ledge the bus rested on was shattered, a result of repeated blasts of darkforce energy.
Jedite leaned forward to further inspect his handiwork. He was jerked out of his self-congratulatory reverie when a voice behind him said, "You always were a self-centered jerk, Jedite!"
Jedite smoothly turned and faced the newcomer. "You always were a weak fool, Nephrite!"
"I'm warning you," Nephrite growled. "Back off!"
"Why?" Jedite asked coldly. "I am obeying the queen's orders. What is it Nephrite? Have you gone soft? Why do you care if a few human brats get wasted? It's more power for you, me and the Negaverse!"
As the bus floated further into the depths of the chasm, the shouts and pleas of the young passengers grew more desperate and loud. One voice seemed to ring out over the others…
"Molly…" Nephrite gasped as he stepped toward the jagged cliff.
"What?" Jedite taunted. "Is someone you know down there? Well, whoever it is, they will soon feed the power that is the Negaverse!"
With a roar, Nephrite plowed into his ex-comrade.
== * SM * ==
The Throne Room
From her kneeling position, Sailor Jupiter shouted "JUPITER THUNDER DRAGON!" Her attack was aimed high and missed Zoisite. The attack screamed past him and crashed into the wall, showering the villain with a fine powder of soot.
Zoisite reacted just as Jupiter planned…she landed lightly on the ground. Jupiter lunged off the ground and slammed into Zoisite with the full force of her body.
Sailor Mars glared at Malachite, her eyes filled with venomous hate. "Feel the fire, Flyboy!" She yelled. "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE…SURROUND!" The swirling bolts of primal fire pelted Malachite and he stumbled to the ground with a thud. A film of rage veiled his eyes as he looked up at the hated Sailor Soldier. "I'll rip your heart out for that!" He rolled up from the ground enveloping Mars with darkforce bolts. She screamed, but held her ground. Mercury saw Mars fighting Malachite alone, and rushed to her defense. She threw up a field of fog that blocked Malachite's line of sight and forced him to break off his attack.
Sailor Uranus hacked desperately at Beryl with her sword. Beryl grinned with cruel amusement. "You can't hurt me with a sword!" She cackled mockingly.
"You'll have to kill me," Uranus stated flatly. "You'll have to kill all of us."
"Luckily, that's not a problem for me," Beryl smirked as she raked her sharp nails across Bethany's face. The injured Sailor fell to the stone floor in agony. "Taking you out will be too easy!"
== * SM * ==
Outside Castle Beryl
Jedite slammed his hand into Nephrite's torso, easily penetrating his chest cavity. Nephrite screamed and tried to pull away.
"Why do you
bother, Nephrite?" Jedite smiled
maliciously, "Give in! Let death come
quickly!"
"Ha!" Nephrite's choked laugh was
cut off abruptly as Jedite squeezed his fist tighter and tighter. He cried out through the pain, "You are as
stupid as you are selfish! We ARE dead!"
"Mind if we join this party?"
The two combatants glanced up in unison in the direction of the voice. The elder Sailors stood there defiantly.
"Certainly!" Jedite replied as he resumed his attack on Nephrite. "You will all have an equal opportunity to die!"
Nephrite growled in agony. "Sailors! Help me! The children…!" The rest of his words were choked off by Jedite's brutal assault.
Venus calmly stepped forward and delivered a crescent beam that knocked Jedite back and away from Nephrite. Mercury, who had to be held back by Mars and Jupiter broke free and ran forward.
"MERCURY ICE STORM BLAST!" Jedite was frozen in a thick block of ice.
Mercury grabbed Nephrite roughly and dragged him to the edge of the chasm. "Where are the children?" Mercury demanded. Nephrite pointed.
"Down there."
== * SM * ==
The Throne Room
"Enough with the pleasantries," Beryl snarled. "Time to die!" Spikes of darkforce energy shot out of her fingers and knifed into the Sailors. As the vile energy shimmered, the Sailors collapsed one by one. Beryl roared in victory.
"I believe you're celebrating a bit early," Sailor Moon growled as she fought to stand. "It's time to take you down a notch or two. I stand for love, justice, and my friends! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
Sailors Mars and Venus looked at each other and then: "MARS FIRE IGNITE!" and "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM!" The twinned attacks snaked forward and exploded around Malachite and Zoisite. As they were borne backwards by the force of the blast, they realized that they would not survive. They turned to each other.
Fighting through the agony, Zoisite smiled at her mate. "I love you." She said quietly.
"And I love you," Malachite replied. They then faded from view in a wisp of black smoke.
As the smoke died away, Beryl descended from her dais and stood proudly before her throne. "You still haven't won! You have not beaten me!"
"An oversight," Sailor Moon replied. "That we mean to correct!"
Sailor Mars stepped up and shouted "MARS STAR POWER!" She was sheathed in an angry field of fire. It flowed around and through the young woman, transforming her into a fiery phoenix. Shafts of brilliant light stabbed out in all directions, blinding everyone in the room and lighting up all of the shadows.
Beryl shrank back against the wall, away from the light. Mars' painful transformation was complete, and she charged Queen Beryl, who tried to flee into the next chamber. Mars grabbed her and pulled her into a bear hug!
Beryl screamed in horrible agony as the fire of the phoenix scorched her. She was enveloped in an angry sheath of flames. Her body wracked with pain, Beryl clawed at the young woman and tried to escape her embrace. Mars gritted her teeth with determination and squeezed tighter.
Sailor Mars whirled around so that Beryl's back faced the rest of the Sailors. "Sailor Moon!" She screamed. "Throw your tiara!"
Sailor Moon did not.
"DO IT NOW" Mars bellowed. Beryl slashed at her head, and viciously dug her nails into Mars' neck.
"I'll hit you!" Sailor Moon cried back.
Mars shook her head. "Throw it! Do your job!"
"No!" Sailor Moon was pale fire as she threw her hand in the air and shouted, "MOON STAFF!"
Light flared and the Moon Staff, a longer version of the Moon Scepter appeared in Sailor Moon's hands.
Beryl wrenched herself free and whirled around. Mars dropped to the floor, already unconscious. "MOON ZERO MAGIC!" A disk of destructive magic appeared at the tip of the staff and floated outward towards the queen.
Beryl roared as the energy consumed her. Scorching pain seared through the very fiber of her being. Her scream shook the Sailors to their bones as her body disintegrated before their eyes.
A wraithlike entity floated up from the spot Beryl's body occupied only moments before. With an evil laugh, the shadow-form swirled around the room. Beryl's voice boomed, "You still have not defeated me!"
The wraith rushed across the throne room and slammed into Sailor Mercury, knocking her to the ground as it vanished into the floor.
"She's gone!" Sailor Neptune shouted as she hugged Sailor Moon. Sailor Jupiter and the others ran checked on Mars and Mercury, both of whom seemed to be recovering quickly.
"You did so well," Mariah whispered to Cass as she helped the injured Sailor to her feet.
"Thank you, Jupiter," Mars smiled weakly, through tears.
The castle shook, throwing the women to the stone floor. "What the…" Sailor Uranus grunted
Nephrite burst into the room. "Sailors! Leave now! Beryl created a reaction within the darkforce underneath the castle. It's set to explode!"
"What happens then?" Neptune asked grimly.
"Most of the Negaverse goes away," Pluto answered, deadpan.
"Oh no! The children!" Sailor Moon shouted and turned for the door.
"There's no time!" Nephrite grabbed her arm. As she struggled to free herself from his grip, he said intently "That darkforce will go at any minute!"
Sailor Moon twisted free and twisted past Nephrite, out of the Throne Room and onto the ledge. She spotted the rest of the elder Sailors spread around the chasm, searching with growing desperation.
"Where are they?" Sailor Moon demanded.
"They're down there!" the elder Mercury sobbed. "We can't find them!"
Sailor Moon peered into the ravine for a moment, then muttered, "We don't have time for this…" She thought desperately, but had no idea how to proceed. Time, they needed time…there was no time. They were all lost. She relaxed her mind, and reached out to the children trapped in the darkness. She could tell them it was ok…but there was no way to save them.
== * SM * ==
The Crystal Palace
"Sandra," Serenity jerked out of her reverie. Suddenly alert, the Queen stood and walked to her throne room.
"She's in danger," the queen announced aloud to the empty room. She approached the crystal throne walking purposefully. Ascending it, she pressed a small button on the right arm. A hidden door slid open in the wall behind the throne.
Neo-Queen Serenity silently swished through the black square in the wall. It was a small circular room, its walls were crystal and lit by a large circle of nine clear globes, a crystal for each one of the planets dedicated to the defense of the Moon Kingdom. She stood in the center.
"May this power bring you all home safely," Serenity said quietly. Then, "PLANET POWER!"
All of the planet crystals flared to life, flooding the room with harsh, piercing light. Serenity raised her royal scepter in the air and shouted, "MOON REJUVINATION MAGIC!"
A bright beam of intense light shot from the floor and passed like a laser through the glass ceiling. Falling through space, the magical energy reached its destination, crossed the dimensional barrier and vanished.
== * SM * ==
The Negaverse
In the pools under Castle Beryl, the darkforce bubbled and frothed with the infusion of energy from the extinction of Beryl.
The Crystal Beam Penetrated the Dimensional Barrier.
The nether magic neared its boiling point, inexorably growing.
The light f Serenity's love cascaded down and lit up the sky over the Negaverse.
The darkforce exploded
Serenity's magic enveloped Castle Beryl.
The deadly energy, meant to obliterate the Negaverse rained softly down upon the dimension. Little by little the light gently transformed it. Blasted buildings melted away and were replaced by spacious cabins and stately mansions. The castles that dotted the once-horrid landscape transmuted to elegant villas. The somber, darkforce-soaked sky turned to crystal blue. The Negaverse became Elysium.
Molly stood atop the flower-speckled cliffs and waited for the
Moon Energy to take her home.
"Oh Nephrite," she looked up to the tall man next to her, "It's so beautiful!"
"Yes," Nephrite smiled down at her, "it is."
"The moon," Molly mused, pointing into the sky to the northeast, where the Dark Moon still hung, charcoal in the sky. "Why hasn't that changed?"
"The Dark Moon was originally populated by exiles from distant future," Nephlite explained. "Part of its creation involved the forces of good. Those same good forces cannot erase evil they create.
"What good is light without darkness…"
"What?" Nephrite asked.
"Oh nothing…just rambling," Molly replied. She smiled at him.
== * SM * ==
The Crystal Palace
Once the initial celebrations died down, the Sailors, the staff and the workers at the palace gathered to pay respects to their departed friend. Far above, in the depths of space, the Haruka led the palace's lone fighter wing on a flight path taking it over the palace.
One wingman dropped out of formation as it approached the palace. The fighter swooped over the crowd, performing the "Missing Man" salute to Sailor Saturn.
Although the children were safely at home, sorrow pervaded the
crowd.
Serenity silently bowed her head and prayed that no more of her friends would ever fail to return from a mission. She bit her lip and knew it was wishful thinking.
FINI
FOOTNOTES AND EXPLANATIONS
Quotes:
"What good is light without darkness?" – I believe the bad guy in "Legend" said something along this
line as he was being killed.
Notes:
- Sorry about the mixing of Japanese and NA names, but in the case of the outer Sailors / senshi, they do
not have names that everyone can agree on. Apologies also to all of the other things which would fall
into this category.
Fanfic ã1999 – John Brengman and Artemis Publishing
Sailor X series inspired by Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon,
ã 1992 by Toei Animation Co Ltd. and based on Kodansha's
manga production of "Sailor Moon", written by Naoko Takeuchi
This fanfic is freely distributed.
Release date: August 26, 1998
Edited: October 22, 1999
Release: 2nd Edition: October 22, 1999
Release: 3rd Edition: January 16, 2001