Sailor X #6 Genesis of the CyberSailors
By: John Brengman
Edited by: Thomas Schell
== * SM
* ==
In space…
The darkness of
space was suddenly distrubed by a flare of light…as if a star had exploded. As
the sphere of blazing luminescence expanded, a comet-like object streamed forth
into the surrounding darkness. Particles of ice cascaded off the surface of the
comet and vaporized…adding to the luminous display. The comet now looked like a
flaming sword as it sailed through space toward a nearby solar system.
From within the
still expanding sphere of light, another object appeared…this one without the
coruscating fireworks that accompanied the comet. Unlike the comet, the second
object was not 'natural'. Its somber gray hull was punctuated by the light from
an open viewport. The ship was small…about twice the size of the comet it
followed…
== * SM
* ==
Aboard Pursuit Ship #898001887-891
In the small
command center of the ship a figure towered above the others, a dark shape
outlined by
the dull red of the various control panels. The computers
clicked and whirred to themselves…a conversation which also divulged
information to their masters.
The figure moved
to tap a few of the control buttons. They blinked twice in acknowledgement then
the computers started implementing their new commands. The
figure lifted its metallic hand from the panel
and strode forward into the center of the room. The red
light glinted off of almost every part of her body,
giving it an almost satanic aura.
"Status," a voice ordered. It sounded human…but some
mechanical elements still slipped in to its
tone and resonances…
"We are
approaching home," another quasi-mechanical voice replied. "We are
tracking the orb."
"Very good,"
the first voice said. "Open standard frequency to the Terra Control
Center."
A moment passed,
then: "There is no response on any of the normal or emergency
frequencies."
"That is
not possible," the first voice insisted. "Run a full scan."
The scan took a minute to complete…
"Scans show an abnormal level of magic-based energy in the area. Measuring
180 hps on the energy scale."
The first cyborg
stepped over to a control panel where another metallic human-like cyborg was
working.
"Is the orb responsible for this?"
The engaged
cyborg looked up from its work. "It is possible. It is also possible that
our scanners caught some magic-based energy when we passed through the vortex
it attacked us with."
"Should we divert to headquarters?" Another voice asked.
"No," the leader replied. "Our orders are to retrieve the orb. After that, we will take it to headquarters and intern it there."
All heads turned to gaze at the leader, a female human-like figure clad almost entirely in silver metal. Her left eye was that of a normal human…her right eye was a parabolic scope. She wore no clothes…in fact, none of the cyborgs did…there was no modesty left in their metallic shells. The only part of the
leader's appearance that was not silver was the gold tiara that rested on its forehead.
"Did you not understand my directives?"
"You directives were clearly received," came the chorus of voices. "Implementing."
"Good." With that, Cybermoon turned and stalked out of the room.
== * SM
* ==
Studios of Channel 7 10:00 PM
Senior news director Aino Urawa took a look at the screen next to him. The commercial currently coursing through the airwaves was about the end. He gestured to the cameraman, who nodded and turned the heavy camera toward the brightly-lit set of the station's news center and the petite news anchor who sat behind the 'wooden' desk.
As the commercial ended, Urawa pressed a button, and green lights atop the cameras lit. The anchorwoman nodded slightly, then started her next story.
"Anti-UN violence has escalated as protests outside the UN Outreach Center in central Tokyo turned into an armed confrontation." The picture shifted to a garish scene of mayhem. Rubble-filled trashcans were ablaze as fires consumed their contents. Anonymous figures used the fires to light the fuses on home-made projectiles that were immediately launched air-borne. The camera followed one of these missiles as it arced through the air. It descended, tumbling to the ground, where it burst open and bloomed into a fiery blaze. The sudden inferno forced police officers with riot shields to back away from their positions.
"Throughout most of the day," the news anchor continued as the brutal scene unfolded in the background, "these protests were peaceful." The camera panned down to a white placard that was being trampled by the militants. The blue UN symbol was crossed out, and it was framed by the words: GET OUT OF TOKYO! The camera panned back to the crowds, who were now trying to rush the police.
The anchor's voice continued. "However, as the police responded to the situation, the protests became violent. Despite all of this, police spokesman, Lt. Ryunosuke reports that the majority of the protests are under control…"
== * SM * ==
The Crystal Palace
The maintenance technician finished his work in the tunnels under the castle. This area, also called Sub-level B, was a catacomb-like maze that dated back to the original construction of the castle. The worker stepped down from a stool and started to walk away. After a couple of steps, he stopped and looked back at the overhead pipes he had been working near. He turned and started to walk toward the nearby corridor. He exited the maze and turned into the corridor…
"Boo!" A female voice yelled. The worker nearly jumped out of his skin. Turning, he saw Brandy with a huge smile on her face.
When the maintenance man didn't immediately react, Brandy flung herself against him and the two of them collided against the far wall.
"Tell me, Richard," Brandy said as she looked up at the man's startled expression. "Tell me I'm the best practical joker you've seen!"
"If not," Richard replied, "You're pretty close!"
Brandy gently brought Richard's mouth to hers and they kissed passionately…
In Sub-level B, all was dark and quiet. Various machines hummed to themselves as they performed their tasks dutifully. The few lights in the area barely held back the encroaching darkness.
One of the devices hid above the pipes and beeped and whirred softly to itself. It counted to itself…waiting until the proper time to perform its task…
…dutifully…
== * SM * ==
Aboard Pursuit Ship #898001887-891 (near Earth)
"We are closing on the orb," Cybermercury said as Cybermoon entered the command center. The comet-like orb flared as it continued its approach to Earth. "There are energy spikes emanating from the orb. It may be unstable."
As if on cue, the orb blossomed with light which would have blinded most creatures nearby. The machines aboard the pursuit ship simply observed this phenomena and processed it as efficiently as sentient machines could.
Their ship was not nearly so efficient.
"Primary sensors are inoperative," Cybermercury reported. "Switching to lateral sensors."
The orb seemed to arc away from the ship as it approached Earth.
"Why are we losing speed?" Cybermoon inquired.
Cybermars attempted to get an answer from its controls. "There is a build-up of unstable energy in the engine core. Probable cause: the orb."
"Status of engines?"
"Engine output is at 62% and falling…"
"Will we be able to intercept the orb?"
"No," Cybermercury replied, "not with our rate of deceleration."
"Increase power to the engines," Cybermoon ordered.
"That is not advisable," Cybermars stated. "Increasing power to the engines will result in an
overload, which will increase our deceleration."
Cybermoon pondered this pronouncement for a few seconds, then, "Find an alternate landing site."
The orb streaked away from its pursuer and slipped into Earth's atmosphere over the Mexican state of Veracruz. As it descended, the orb took on a halo of fire from the friction…it fell toward the blue of the Pacific Ocean, then somehow leveled its descent and screamed across the ocean at an almost unimaginable speed.
Three minutes later, the orb ripped across Japan, its shock wave obliterating everything for miles around. Having cut a swath across the southern end of the islands, the orb slashed into Asia. As it traveled it actually gained speed…
The primitive buildings that proliferated throughout the interior of China were no match for this fiery "demon". Thatch hovels were ripped to shards and blown at deadly speed in the wake of the orb, and yet it continued to travel faster…
The orb left China and entered the mountainous regions of Nepal at several times the speed of sound. It slammed into a mountain, shattering it. The rubble cascaded down and buried the orb deep within meters of heavy rock…
== * SM * ==
The Crystal Palace Observatory
Amy checked the readings of the observatory's refracting telescope again. Light from the Vega star system indicated that its star was going through some sort of disturbance and Amy found herself fascinated by all of it. She continued looking through the eyepiece as she wrote down her observations.
Suddenly a flash of white light drowned out the view of Vega. "What the…" Amy exclaimed as she quickly shrank away from the telescope. She blinked her eyes to rid them of the effects of the light.
"Artemis," she asked the castle's computer, instantly disliking whomever it was who decided that the machine should be named after one of their feline guardians. "Were any anomalies picked up within the past minute?"
"Affirmative," the computer replied, "one anomaly reported." Amy knew that answer, but used the question so the computer would focus on that one event.
"And the nature of the anomaly was?" She asked. The computer displayed its findings on a nearby screen. Amy quickly flipped a switch on the comm panel near the viewscreen.
"Vanessa, this is Amy. I am at the observatory."
Amy paused, then: "Something just happened…something big."
Within fifteen minutes, the Sailors had been informed that something from space had crashed on Earth. Neo-Queen Serenity gave her consent for the team to investigate.
== * SM * ==
Dreamland Amusement Park 11:20 PM
The alien ship landed in one of the park's wooded areas, which at this time of the night, were devoid of people. Not one to take chances, Cybermoon activated the ship's cloaking shields and it vanished into nothingness. Satisfied, Cybermoon turned to the three other cyborgs and said, "Let's find the parts we need quickly so we can resume our search for the orb!"
With that, the four started off toward the bright lights at the heart of the park.
"For my next trick," the stage magician shouted over the din of the nearby rides, "I will pull a rabbit out of my hat!" Most of the crowd that had gathered in front of the small stage in a small grassy area just off the fairway seemed enraptured by this simple announcement. A few watched anyway, hoping to uncover the secret behind what was obviously a parlor trick.
"As you can tell," the magician continued… "Nothing up my sleeve…", he pulled his coat sleeve open. Retrieving a green silk scarf from within the folds of his jacket, the magician smiled wryly. "Now," he chuckled, "How'd THAT get there?" The crowd laughed at this joke.
Using that as a distraction, the magician shifted around to the back of the table. "Okay," he said. "I will NOW pull that rabbit out of my hat!" He reached into his top hat and pulled out a young, white rabbit. The crowd went wild with applause. The magician bowed in respect to the crowd.
"Now, for my next trick," the magician said, "I will…what the…" Four tall figures stood near the rear
of the audience, the lights of the fairway reflecting off their metallic surfaces. One of them stepped forward and the crowds parted…not yet sure exactly what was standing in front of them.
"Demonstrations of magic or sorcery are forbidden by law!" Cybermoon shouted. "You are engaging in illegal activities and will submit to our authority. You will not resist."
"Excuse me," the magician said. "You're disrupting my show. Go find your own crowd!"
"Are you resisting arrest?" Cybermercury asked.
"Resisting? Resisting arrest for WHAT?" The magician started backing up as the crowds attempted to flee. Cybermars lowered a nasty-looking barrel at them. "Fleeing the scene of a crime is an illegal
activity. You are witnesses and participants in this crime. Surrender to our authority. You will not resist."
Meanwhile, Cybermoon and Cybermercury had gotten to the stage. "Resisting arrest is a criminal act
punishable by death. Preparing witness transcript for transmission preparatory to carrying out the death
sentence." There was a brief pause. The magician cowered near the curtains which framed the stage and the
two cyborgs stood still…
"Transmission failed," Cybermoon stated. "Mercury, attempt to transmit again. I will carry out the death sentence." The cyborg raised its hand to its forehead… "MOON TIARA ACTI…"
"Hold it!"
The cyborgs turned to the source of the voice, allowing the crowd to begin to flee.
"You have disturbed the joy and fun this place creates at a time when this city needs it! That can not
be allowed! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
"Identify yourself," Cybermoon ordered.
Sailor Moon stepped forward with a growl. "As IF you didn't know! I am Sailor Moon, champion of the
Innocent!"
A voice from beside Sailor Moon answered, "And I am Sailor Mars, defender of freedom!"
Another voice: "Sailor Jupiter here, ready to rock and rumble!"
And finally, "Sailor Venus has arrived!"
During all of this, Cybermercury had scanned the Scouts. Looking up from its scanner, it said, "I am
detecting magical energy from them."
Aiming her right arm at the Sailors, Cybermoon snarled, "Use of magic is an illegal act punishable by
the death penalty! Witness transcript stored for later transmission! MOON ELMINATION ATTACK
ACTIVATION!" Pure white energy burst out of the cyborg's arm and surged toward the Scouts who
dove out of the way.
Sailor Venus hit the ground roughly, rolled over and shouted, "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!"
The beam bounced from Venus, then shot toward Cybermercury, who absorbed the force of the blast.
Cybermars meanwhile turned its attention from the Sailors to the few remaining people who were trying to
get out of the area. A gout of flame erupted as it turned the barrel of a flame-thrower on the people.
"No!" Sailor Moon shouted as the flames enveloped a mother and child who failed to get away in time. The fuel from the blast splattered over the area in a rain of fire that ignited the brush where it landed. The
screams of the dying woman and her child shot right through the Scouts.
"You are DEAD!" Sailor Moon screamed as she raised her right hand in the air… "MOON STAFF!"
The staff appeared in her hand, its metallic ends glistening with a dull white glow… "Time to pay the piper," Sailor Moon growled. "MOON ZERO MAGIC!" A disk of destructive energy coalesced at the top
of the staff. When it had built up sufficient strength, Sailor Moon hurled the energy bolt at Cybermars, who was continuing its search for more "criminals".
Cybermars was swarmed by the energy that sheared metal plating from its exposed body parts. The deadly energy coursed over the cyborg, shorting out circuits, fusing internal parts. Finally the energy faded and disappeared, leaving a smoking hulk behind.
Slowly, Cybermars looked over to Sailor Moon. A laser scope sliced its beam through a shattered glass eyeball. The cyborg reached up with its hand and pulled the useless splinters from its face. The scope now glared at Sailor Moon as Cybermars growled. "I still function!"
Dodging a punch from Cybermercury, Sailor Mars faded back to Sailor Moon holding a metal shaft she had used to slap Cybervenus across the face. She hefted the shaft and yelled, "Not for long!"
Charging the injured cyborg, Mars let out a shrill cry that pierced the night air. She closed the distance quickly and Cybermars raised its arm to defend itself. Sailor Mars saw this and shifted her arm quickly. She slammed the tip of the metal shaft into the cyborg's chest. The tip scudded downward until it entered into the inner mechanisms through a tear in the skin. Blood and oil mingled and showered Sailor Mars as she lifted Cybermars off her feet. The shaft sliced through a power node and punched through the skin…the
Cyborg was impaled on the pole.
A pulse of electricity poured from the injured cyborg and cascaded over Sailor Mars. She dropped to her knee under the assault, but kept the pole raised like a torch. Gradually, Mars brought the shaft down and examined Cybermars. The red scope that now served as its left eye was dim and flickering…slowly dying. Some metal skin plates hung halfway off. Its head hung listless.
Clicking noises caused Mars to bend down to the cyborg's face, where she heard, "Terminal condition…
Initiating dest…reuct…." Then a stern beeping noise began...a countdown. Mars looked down at the cyborg's arm…to the barrel of the flame-thrower as it glimmered in the light of the still smoldering ground fires.
"Oh shit…"
Dropping the shaft, Mars looked over to see Sailor Jupiter unleashing one of her attacks on an already-injured Cybervenus. Cybermoon was the target of an assault from the Moon Staff, and a thick fog shrouded an area just beyond the fighting…Mars guessed that the remaining cyborg and Sailor Venus were there.
Launching herself to her feet, Sailor Mars ran back toward the battle, shouting, "Back off, you guys! We've got to get out of here!"
"What the…" Sailor Moon managed to get out before Mars reached her.
"Trust me," Mars insisted. "We have to go now!"
Sailor Moon made a quick decision. "Okay!" she said, then: "Retreat, Sailors!" Jupiter looked uncertainly at Sailor Moon, but she and Sailor Mars were already beating a path to the fairway.
As Venus retreated out of the corner of her eye to the right, Jupiter stood her ground and yelled, "You haven't seen the last of us, you overgrown sardine cans!"
"Jupiter, NOW!" Sailor Moon shouted. "That's an order!" With that, Jupiter turned and started to run. She got five steps before the area behind her melted with the implosion of Cybermars' fuel components. The force of the explosion threw Jupiter several yards and the fire seared over her. She screamed as she felt the fire consuming her. Using that pain, Jupiter centered herself in order to use her teleportation.
Suddenly, a deeper level seemed to open within her mind…
From within the firestorm, a haunting voice arose, "I call upon the primal forces of the planet, JUPITER!" The fires seemed to burn brighter with this declaration. "JUPITER GRAVITON POWER!
A wave of force blasted outward from Sailor Jupiter, shredding the buildings within a hundred yards from the Scout. Trees snapped like twigs and became projectiles. The wind produced by the force wave smothered the fire.
Sailor Jupiter dropped to the ground heavily after the force wave faded away.
Slowly, the other Sailors crawled out from under whatever rubble had fallen on them and approached to survey the scene.
Just a few yards beyond Sailor Jupiter's unconscious form lay the smoldering wreck that had been Cybervenus…most of her frame had been melted into slag. Only a slight ripple on the ground had directed the heat from the blast over Jupiter…
As the Scouts were examining the scorched form of the cyborg, its comrades landed in front of what had been the magician's stage.
"You have committed several criminal acts," Cybermercury stated. "All of which are punishable by the death penalty."
"You again!" Sailor Moon growled.
"Witness transcript saved for later transmission," Cybermercury continued. "You will surrender to our authority. You will not resist."
Assessing the situation, Cybermoon murmured, "We must retreat. We are outnumbered and outgunned."
Cybermercury didn't seem to hear its commander, and continued to approach the Scouts. It got to be too much for Sailor Venus, who muttered, "damn talking toasters…." then, "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" The beam sliced out and ricocheted off Cybermercury's head. The cyborg was undeterred…
"You have committed the crime of assaulting a legal officer of the Luna Foundation… That is a crime
punishable by death…"
Before it could finish this pronouncement, Cybermoon had loaded an armor-piercing round into the pistol mounted on its left arm. Raising its arm, Cybermoon murmured, "Unit Mercury has malfunctioned and is not responding to orders." With a twitch of its arm muscles, Cybermoon fired its arm pistol, and the AP round slammed into the back of Cybermercury's skull…
The fatally wounded cyborg took a step forward. "You… will..surren..der…" A thin line of blood dribbled out of the side of its mouth as it stood motionless, as if waiting for some sort of response…then it tried to take another step and fell forward. By the time Cybermercury hit the ground, Cybermoon had disappeared.
The Scouts gathered around the prone body of the cyborg and flipped it over onto its back. A light drizzle began to pour and the moisture on the ground matted the machine's hair to its head…its deep-blue eyes stared lifelessly into the air…
Finally, Sailor Moon turned to the others. "Take it, and the other one," she said pointing to Cybervenus.
"Let's get back to the castle."
== * SM * ==
Crystal Palace - Near Sub-level B
The two feline guardians routinely patrolled the hallways near the shuttle landing pads looking for rodents and other undesirables that may have sneaked into the palace by slipping unseen on one of the many shuttles that made the Earth – Moon trip. They were on their way back to the more populated
areas of the castle when Luna stopped, one forepaw in the air in mid-step.
"What is it?" Artemis asked.
"I hear something."
Artemis perked his ears, searching the background noises for anything unusual. "I don't hear anything," he replied.
"You're not down here enough," Luna scolded. "I know I hear something."
Artemis tried listening again, then shook his head. "You're hearing things," he said sternly. "Besides, I overheard some maintenance people complaining about having to do work in this area."
"Yes," Luna said, sill not quite convinced. "Perhaps its just some new machines or something."
"That has to be it," Artemis agreed. "Come on, let's get going."
With that, the two felines slipped down the corridors running through Sub-level B, passing under a large
cluster of pipes that ran along the ceiling…
…the hidden device continued its near-silent duty… 4:53…4:52…
== * SM * ==
Shuttle 4 – Nearing the Moon
Brandy checked the shuttle's approach vector as Sandra attended to Mariah's burns. The leader of the Sailors stopped briefly to lecture. "This would not have happened, had you obeyed my orders," she said with a stern look that barely masked a smile.
"I would insult the fine tradition of heroes everywhere if I left a bad-guy without some witty retort," Mariah protested.
"ETA to the palace is six minutes," Brandy said as she entered the compartment from the shuttle's cockpit. She pulled her blonde mane over her left shoulder and her blue eyes flickered with concern as she asked, "Do you know what happened to you out there?"
"No," Jupiter said, an equal amount of worry creeping into her voice.
"Well," Sandra said. "Both Mercury and Mars have demonstrated an apparently Eternal form with new powers. I can only assume we all have them."
"Yes," Cassandra replied. " Raye told me that the Eternal form can only manifest itself during a time of great stress, and that its power can be very hard to control at first…"
"It sounds like we have a lot of questions…." Brandy murmured.
"Yes," Sandra echoed, looking at the prone forms of the two 'dead' cyborgs… "A lot of questions." She turned to Brandy. "Call ahead and have the castle ready some security measures for our 'guests'.
Nodding, Brandy stepped over to a comm box on the wall. After punching a few buttons, she opened the channel. "Luna Control," she said. "This is Shuttle Four, en-route from Tokyo."
"Welcome home, Sailors," came the reply.
Looking out the pilot's window, Brandy could tell that the shuttle was approaching the mountain range that lay a few miles south of the castle…within a minute, the shuttle would clear the top of those mountains, and the castle would be visible.
Brandy continued. "We are bringing in a couple of…lifeforms…that we encountered on Earth. We'll need a security team to take custody of them when we land."
"Acknowledged," the voice said. "Is there anyth…" The question was drowned out by a roar, then static.
A minute pause quickly passed as Brandy tried to raise the castle on the comm system. Sandra arose and went to stand by Brandy. Looking out the window, she saw that the mountains still obscured the view of the castle.
"Castle Control…" Brandy stared at the comm panel as if it had betrayed her. "The transmitter is not working?"
Cass suddenly looked up from her seat, her eyes filled with dread. "No," she said disconnectedly, "That roar…it was an explosion!"
That grim pronouncement was confirmed a few seconds later when the mountains fell away, and the vista across Crystal Lake was revealed.
A torrent of fire bloomed on the east end of the castle. Mount Serenity seemed to be clothed in a hellish halo and the flames had spread to the castle's extension southeast of the mountain. The yellow and orange conflagration pulsed around the end of the castle it dominated, but the explosion had caused structural damage that radiated outward like a spider's web… The communications tower which had been located north of the castle's central dome, fell southward and toppled over in a heap, shaking the already-tortured foundations of the royal structure….
The shuttle, having been given no further orders continued on its course over the lake. The girls could now make out various rooms of the castle…all in flames…the theatre, the kitchens, the servants' quarters, the throne room…suddenly that realization hit the girls…
"My god…" Brandy said as tears filled her eyes….
"Mother…" Sandra murmured numbly…
FINI
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: December 14 , 1998
Release: 3rd Edition: January 16, 2001