Sailor X #15 Alliances
By: John Brengman
Edited by: Thomas Schell
Sandra's Quarters aboard the Serena
"Come in," Sandra said, half-knowing who would be at her door. Only a few minutes before, she had stormed off the Bridge in a huff after yelling at Amy. She knew who was now paying her a visit…
The door opened and Victoria entered the dimly-lit room.
"Mind if I have a seat?" Victoria asked softly as she surveyed the large pools of darkness that seemed to collect themselves in the room.
"Please," Sandra said as she gestured to a chair across from her. Victoria seated herself in the chair and then stayed silent as though waiting for something.
The pause soon became too great for Sandra. "Well," she said. "I have a pretty good idea of why you are here."
Silence.
"You're here because of that scene with Amy."
"Really?" Victoria asked quietly. "How did you discern that?"
"I made an educated guess," Sandra quipped, her temper beginning to show.
"Was your 'scene with Amy' an educated guess?" Victoria asked. "Or, is there some other logical explanation for your actions that I am unaware of?"
"Look," Sandra said with a tired sigh. "I am sorry. Next time I see Amy, I'll apologize. I don't see why you had to come down here."
For the first time, force entered Victoria's quiet voice. "Because this time, simply apologizing is not enough!" As the question formed on Sandra's face, she continued: "We need to know that we have a leader who can hold up under fire. We need someone to be strong for us when we may not be strong. We need someone who can let emotions slide by them and think logically even when the situation screams with emotion."
"I can not be that…" Sandra interrupted.
"Yes you can," Victoria said simply, "and you already do…you just don't get many chances to lead from the command seat of a starship. But, each time you transform into Sailor Moon, you prove that you have what it takes to be a leader." With that, Victoria stood and turned to go. Sandra watched her go.
Just before Victoria got to the door, she heard a soft: "I miss her."
"I know," came the quiet response. "We all do, and we'll be there to help you get her back."
"If I had had my head on straight, then she never would have been captured in the first place.
Victoria whirled to face Sandra, who stood by one of the ports of the cabin, the faint light of the stars creating a slight shadow of her on the carpeted floor. "That's not true," she said firmly, "and you know that."
"Really?" Sandra replied with a sneer in her voice.
"Yes," Victoria said. "You did what you could against someone that from what I heard, knew our security, knew exactly who she was going after, and had the perfect disguise. Who in the palace would have stopped Lita, and don't forget that's who everyone, even you, thought she was."
"I know…" Sandra said distantly. Victoria approached her friend and gently took her hand.
"Look," Victoria said softly. "Don't beat yourself over it. It wasn't your fault, and now we have a chance to do something about it…and we will do something about it…trust me." Victoria looked over to the wall clock, which displayed Greenwich Mean Time in a soft green digital display. "I am late," she said as she started for the door. "I can come back later." Sandra nodded, then watched as Victoria quietly left her quarters.
Sandra sat back down at her table and was about to take a sip of a cup of tea she had made just before Victoria arrived when the comm unit mounted in the top of the table started beeping at her. Setting the cup down, she tapped at the comm controls. "Sandra here."
"Bridge here," a voice said. "Captain, we have arrived at Cyberworld, and we are holding at grid 325."
"Okay," Sandra said. "I'm on my way." With that, she started for the door.
== * SM * ==
The Bridge of the Serena
"Set course for Earth," Sandra said as the Bridge doors closed behind her and she approached her chair.
"Our course is on the board," the helmsman replied.
"Helm," Sandra said. "Take us to Earth."
Space started to move on the viewscreen, but the helmsman looked as though he was fighting with the controls. Sandra approached him as he tapped controls in frustration. "What is it?" She said.
"We are being pulled off course," the helmsman replied as he continued to try to force the Serena back on its intended path.
"It's a tractor beam," Amy said from the Science Station.
"From where?" Sandra demanded.
"Checking," Amy said as she started making inquiries of the ship's computer. Then she turned to Sandra. "If we were home," she said as she pulled up a map of the area, "we'd be heading directly into the Negaverse..." A small V appeared on the map among dots representing the known inhabited planets of the region and those planets that had been members of the Moon Kingdom. A small blue arrow led from the V shape to the dot representing Earth, but a red arrow seemed to lead off into nowhere. At the touch of a button, May rotated the map so that it showed a profile view of the area. As the map flipped onto its side, other areas became visible…these were other universes and sub-dimensions within the one the Serena was located in.
The red arrow now stretched across a dim line marking the boundary between the universe and a small pocket dimension…
"Helm," Sandra snapped. "Give me full reverse thrust on the engines. We have to break this beam."
"Aye sir," the helmsman replied. With a tap of a few buttons, the ship started to resist the pull of the tractor beam. The room shuddered slightly and the lights flickered. Sandra gazed intently at the viewscreen…and saw the motion detector drop….but not enough. The ship was still being dragged forward.
"Engineering," Sandra said. "Increase power to the engines." She tapped a few controls on her command console, then glared at the viewscreen. "That bastard's not going to take this ship," she muttered.
The whine of the engines increased in volume as more power was poured into them. The ship started shuddering more violently and a control panel on the far side of the room blew apart, showering the area with white sparks and smoke. The motion detector beside the viewscreen slowed, then stopped.
"Good," Sandra said grinning. "We've stopped moving."
"Yes," Amy replied as she joined Sandra near the helm station. "However, we are putting everything we have into the engines. There is nothing left to use to cut the beam itself…"
"So what do we do?" The helmsman asked.
"Engines at 120%," a voice reported.
Sandra glared at the viewscreen as if doing so would change the physics of the situation. Then: "Reduce engines to thrusters only. Let the beam pull us, but keep us aloft."
The ship slowly descended through space toward a flat planar surface that was nearly obscured in thick dark clouds. The clouds gave way grudgingly and soon, objects on the ground could be seen. On the Bridge, Amy magnified the view and individual buildings could be seen.
"There are no power readings except at Castle Beryl," Amy reported. A green square surrounded a dark object in the corner of the screen.
"There's nothing from Drabesh Palace?" Sandra asked.
"No," Amy replied. "In fact, I don't see any evidence that Drabesh Palace is standing."
"Interesting," Sandra murmured. Individual buildings could be picked out on the ground below. The ship seemed to be heading for a large bare area to the east of Castle Beryl.
"Get ready for landing," Sandra ordered.
== * SM * ==
Sailors Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn, along with Amy stepped off the ramp from the Serena and started toward the castle that loomed to the west. Castle Beryl seemed to leer at them as the group
approached.
The silence was almost deafening. No one talked, but also, no sounds could be heard from anything else. No people milled about, no vehicles could be seen….nothing. As the Sailors came to the front entrance of the castle, the feeling that the answers to a lot of questions awaited them inside swept through the young women.
Sailor Moon put her arms out to stop the others. "We have no idea of what is inside," she said. "So be careful." With that, she entered the "mouth" of the skull-like visage that was the front of the castle.
== * SM * ==
The first thing the Sailors noticed about the throne room was the computers….lots and lots of computers. Machinery clustered around the main entrance to the room and the wall to the right. Scattered among the computer modules and screens were star charts and maps of Earth. Only a people manned the computer stations, although there were enough seats for at least a dozen.
Almost forgotten in the shadows of the rest of the room was the throne, with its arms which were a part of the raised platform at the rear of the room. The gruesome countenance of a thin, zombie-like skull seemed to smile in the darkness, its razor-sharp teeth barely visible.
"At last," a voice seemed to boom from everywhere in the room. "You have come." A red-haired woman entered the room from a side alcove. Her black dress flowed around her like brackish water as she moved, and her hair rustled as though it was being blown by a breeze.
With a wordless nod, Queen Beryl dismissed the technicians working at the computers. Their gazes fell to the floor as they passed the group of Sailors. Beryl pressed a button, and a metal door slid shut behind them.
"Welcome to Cyberworld," Beryl said.
Any further comment from Beryl was cut off by Sailor Moon. "Why have you brought us here?" She demanded.
"I did not bring you," Beryl murmured as she approached the Sailors. "I had hoped I would find the Sailors who have defended Earth in the past." The queen started to walk down the line of Sailors as if she were inspecting a row of army recruits.
"I don't know you," Beryl said as she stalked past Sailor Mars.
Sailor Mercury growled softly. Amy placed a restraining hand on her shoulder and eyed the younger woman with a frown.
Beryl stopped in front of Sailor Venus. "Oh, I know you wear the uniforms," she said. "But you are not the Sailor warriors who defended Earth from the Negaverse."
The queen continued her inspection and finally reached Sailor Mercury and Amy, who were standing at the end of the line of Sailors. "Except you…" Queen Beryl mused, pointing at Amy. "I know your face…"
With a roar, Sailor Mercury launched herself at Queen Beryl. A slashing right hand drove the queen back quickly, but the raging Sailor lunged again. The Sailors and Amy overcame their momentary shock and started toward the fray.
Queen Beryl swiped at her attacker with her right hand, but only succeeded in opening her defenses up to the oncoming fury that was Sailor Mercury, who shot forward and grabbed Beryl by the neck before her comrades could reach her. With a thud, the two women slammed to the ebony-stoned floor.
"Imposter!" Mercury hissed as she shook the queen. "I am the queen! Damn you, I am the queen!" Amy and the Sailors managed to grab Mercury and began to pull her off amid shuts of shock and disbelief, but Mercury kept shouting: "I am the queen!"
"Indeed," Beryl said as she got to her feet. She shook her head as though she were relieving a minor annoyance, then approached the Sailors. Venus and Mars held Sailor Mercury while Amy busied herself with checking her pupil for signs of whatever could have caused her outburst. For her part, Mercury simply looked at Queen Beryl with a look that spelled murder.
The look only intensified after Queen Beryl backhanded her. "Don't you EVER do that again," she growled. Seeing that some of the Sailors were thinking about attacks of their own, Beryl backed up a few steps, then addressed Amy.
"Where are the Sailor warriors who defended Earth from the Negaverse?"
"That was twenty years ago," Amy replied. "Our powers have been passed on."
"Enough!" Sailor Moon shouted. "It's time you started answering our questions, Beryl. Why'd you bring us here?"
"Ah yes," Beryl smirked. "I see the young haven't grown any less impetuous." Sailor Moon glowered darkly and Beryl continued. "I'll answer your question with one of my own. What exactly are you doing in this universe?"
After an uncertain pause, Venus answered. "We came to free our queen from the cyborgs."
"How do you plan to do this?" Beryl asked simply.
Dead silence followed.
"I thought not," Beryl said. "You don't have any idea of where your queen is, or how you will get her out of whatever that place might be. That is why once I found out that you had crossed into this universe, I brought you here."
"What do you want?" Sailor Venus asked coldly.
Beryl walked over to a wall monitor and flipped a switch. On one screen, a map of the Earth appeared, with green dots representing the major cities on the planet. The other monitor showed Earth's solar system.
"Ever since the mid 90s," Beryl explained, "I have been waging a war against the Luna Foundation and its cyborgs. Now that you are here, you have made options available that were not there before."
"I don't see what this has to do with us," Sailor Moon said quietly.
"It's very simply really," Beryl replied. "Either you join with me, in which case you will get all of the information and support needed to rescue your queen, or you don't, and not only do you not save your queen, but the war against the cyborgs will be lost, and the next time you deal with them, they will be invading your world."
Despite their mistrust, it did not take the Sailors long to agree to aid Beryl against the Luna Foundation.
== * SM * ==
"When do we go after the queen?" Sailor Moon asked once all of the Sailors (excepting Mercury) agreed to join forces with Queen Beryl.
"In time. There are things that need to be done first," Beryl said. She nodded toward Sailor Mercury. "Bring her." With that, Beryl walked into the alcove that adjoined the throne room. Sailors Venus and Mars hauled Sailor Mercury with them as they followed. Sailor Moon followed also…she didn't yet trust Beryl.
They entered what appeared to be a medical room of sorts. Two beds dominated the center of the room, and cabinets and medical supplies covered most of three walls. The fourth wall was lost in the dim light at the other end of the room, and just beyond the beds, the walls and floor took on a cave-like look. In this room too, it seemed, the arts of magery and technology dueled.
Beryl seemed to continue that battle. Suddenly, her scrying orb appeared in her hands. None of the Sailors could remember her having it when she entered the room, but further question was silenced when Beryl motioned toward one of the beds. "Put her there," she ordered. The Sailors hauled Sailor Mercury onto the top of the table. Metal restraints quickly encircled Mercury's arms and legs and with a growl, she threw herself against them.
Beryl looked up at the Sailors standing at the table. "Leave us."
Neither Sailor moved. "What are you going to do to her?" Sailor Venus asked.
With a smirk, Beryl replied: "I'm going to do what has to be done…now leave us."
Staring back at their friend, Venus and Mars left the room and the door closed behind them.
== * SM * ==
Queen Beryl entered the throne room several hours later. Sailor Moon and the other Sailors were standing around the computers as a young man in a uniform discussed how the computer center operated. The briefing stopped as Sailor Moon noticed that Beryl was approaching. The queen came to the computer terminals and leaned on them as though she were exhausted.
"What happened?" Sailor Moon asked. "Is Sailor Mercury okay?"
"I pulled what I could of the wraith shard out of her," Beryl replied. "There is enough left of it that Sailor Mercury will be able to use all of her powers…"
"…and…?" Sailor Moon asked.
"And I can train her how to control all of those powers." Beryl said. "However, that can be dealt with later. Now, we need to proceed with my plan to destroy the Luna Foundation."
"How do we fit in?" Sailor Moon asked.
"I have modified the plan so that you can rescue your queen while the main plan proceeds. However, our forces don't work in a way that would make them useful."
"They're terrorists," Venus stated.
"How…" Beryl began.
Venus gestured toward the computers. "We took the time to look over your military setup."
"Then you know that until now, my focus has been on hit-and-run tactics and a guerilla war aimed at making it exhaustive for the Luna Foundation to maintain control."
"So, once again," Sailor Moon said. "How do we fit in?"
"Your ship would be the perfect escort for a troop carrier which will retrieve about 500 volunteers from Earth. These new soldiers will be a crucial part of our assault on the Foundation."
"Where are they at and how do we get to them?" Venus asked.
"General Jedite is in charge of the ground operation to bring these people together," Beryl stated. "There is an abandoned weapons storage facility outside Denver, Colorado." A map of the Denver area appeared on one of the overhead screens. "Jedite is having them group there. You will take your ship and the troop transport to this facility and retrieve the soldiers. Jedite will see that they are taken care of from that point on."
"I assume the Luna Foundation's not just going to let us waltz in and take these people," Sailor Mars quipped.
"Normally you'd be right," Beryl said. "However, I can equip your ship with a refracting shield which will bend the laser net the Luna Foundation uses to monitor transits to and from Earth. Once on the planet, security is your problem."
"Know this however," Beryl continued. "I expect that you will get detected by the Foundation, which is why I've provided the transport with an escort. Your job is to sneak in, get the troops, and get out any way you can. The troop transport itself is expendable, but the troops themselves are not."
"Anything else?" Sailor Moon asked.
"I've loaded a couple of fighters aboard the transport to give you some support, but they won't last long if you get trapped for any length of time."
"Okay," Sailor Moon said as she looked at the other Sailors. "Are we agreed we're doing this to help save our queen?"
"Yes ma'am," all of the Sailors shouted.
"Okay," Sailor Moon said simply. "We'll do it, Queen Beryl. Just so you know if you double-cross us…"
"I won't lie to you," Beryl said. "I am the same person your predecessors fought. However, if I am going to dominate this universe, I have to dispose of the current rulers, and for now, my plans, and your needs share a common enemy."
"Okay," Sailor Moon said. "Just so we understand each other."
Queen Beryl nodded.
== * SM * ==
Luna Foundation – Cyberworld
Somewhere within the vast complex that was the Luna Foundation a voice spoke:
SENSOR NETS IN TERRA GRID 34 HAVE DETECTED A POINT ZERO ZERO TWO FOUR VARIATION.
PROBABLE CAUSES: SENSOR MALFUNCTION, ENERGY FLUX, OR INTRUDER.
DEPLOY RESOURCE TO INVESTIGATE ALL PROBABLE CAUSES.
== * SM * ==
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal
Denver, Colorado, USA
"Get those people aboard, now!" Sandra yelled through the driving snow.
The Serena loomed behind her and dwarfed the tallest building on the old military base. The ship's silvery hull seemed to blend in with the gray sky and the wispy snow. In contrast, Queen Beryl had pressed an old cargo transport into service to haul troops. The Negaverse ship was blackened with soot and several gashes had been ripped in its outer hull plating. The ship looked like a huge submarine with its sides flattened off. Huge whisker-like antenna sprouted from various places along the sides of the ugly-looking ship.
However, the ship may have been ugly, but it was also space-worthy. After all, it had survived the trip to Earth.
Sandra watched the slow tide of would-be soldiers for Queen Beryl and shook her head to correct herself. These people weren't working for the Negaverse, at least, not the evil Negaverse that she knew…they had volunteered to pick up arms against the Luna Foundation, occupied Earth, and the Cybersailors.
"Hey!" Sandra yelled as she started toward the ramp that would take her aboard the Serena. "Pick up the pace! I'm sure we were detected on the way down!" A nod from a man atop the ramp of the transport ship acknowledged her order. The flow of people onto the transport barely changed, however.
Sandra entered the Bridge and went over to Brandy, who was manning the comm station. "Get a message to Jedite," she ordered sternly. "Tell him to lift off as soon as the last volunteer is aboard that ship and not a second later!" Brandy nodded and turned to the comm panels.
== * SM * ==
Near Castle Rock, Colorado
The computers sought out the twenty-four F-22 fighters flying in formation near the front range of the Rocky Mountains…
TARGETS DETECTED. COURSE: 015.19, RANGE: APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES.
TARGETS ARE TO BE DESTROYED UPON CONTACT.
The computerized aircraft acknowledged their orders and turned north toward the Denver metro area.
== * SM * ==
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal
Denver, Colorado, USA
"Jedite says the last volunteers are aboard," Brandy reported.
"Good," Sandra replied. "Helm, full thrust. Launch now!"
"Aye sir."
The thrusters on the Serena came to life with a roar that shook the buildings on the base. The thunder of the Negaverse ship's thrust soon joined the cacophony and even the steel-reinforced buildings that were common on the base were not able to stand the strain. Concrete shredded and fell away from over-stressed steel beams as the two ships rose into the sky with the arrow-shaped Serena in the lead.
No sooner did the Serena clear the southern boundary of the base then:
"Incoming ships," Amy reported from the science station. "Two squadrons of American F-22 air-superiority craft." In answer to Sandra's unspoken request, the viewscreen at the front of the Bridge activated. Against the backdrop of the snow-laden clouds, numerous small aircraft could be seen.
"They'll be here in seconds," Amy reported.
"Put us on a slow, steady climb out of the atmosphere," Sandra ordered. "And make sure we cover the transport as much as possible." The helmsman worked to comply with these orders.
"Here they come!" Amy shouted.
Sleek aircraft swept over the hull of the Serena, their rotary cannons blazing. Their shots plinked along the surface of the ship and within a second, the aircraft were either banking away to align themselves for another pass, or they banked downward to unleash their guns against the transport ship.
"No damage," Amy stated.
"CAN they damage us?" Sandra asked.
"Their machine guns won't do anything but superficial damage, however, since we can not use our fusion shielding until we leave the atmosphere, we are just as vulnerable to anti-aircraft missiles as any other aircraft."
"I wouldn't want too many of those cannon shells too close to the fusion reactors," the helmsman said.
"Okay," Sandra replied as the aircraft made their second pass over the ship. "Steady as she goes."
A red light blinked on Amy's console. She pressed it, then read a report that flashed on her screens. "Sandra," she said. "The transport is taking damage. Their hull is not as strong as ours, and they have no working shields."
"Damn…" Sandra muttered.
"You've got to allow us to fire back," the weapons officer said.
"Are there any lifeforms on those planes?" Sandra inquired.
"No," came the response.
"Okay," Sandra said just as the planes began their third strafing run. "Fire at will. Make sure you completely destroy them otherwise they might hurt someone if they crash."
The fighter planes' cannons were soon met with lasers from the Serena, and seven aircraft were soon reduced to molten metal. The remaining aircraft bore in on the transport ship with an almost angry determination that paid off as a plume of flames gushed from the rear section of the ship.
"Incoming communication," Brandy said. At Sandra's nod, the message appeared on the screen. Jedite's face looked grim. Dirt and soot were smeared across his face and his hair looked ragged. His blue eyes glistened with distress as he said, "Sandra, those fighters just took out our port thrusters and the stress is about to rip this ship apart. I'm going to detach the cargo area of the ship. You can grab it with a tractor beam…" The control room on the transport shook as the aircraft made another strafing run. Several more control panels burst into flames which spread pale blue smoke around the room.
Jedite continued. "Grab the cargo area with a tractor beam and get these soldiers to the Negaverse."
"How will we get the cargo section to the Negaverse?" Sandra asked. "I doubt we can tractor it all the way there."
"We can pull the two separate pods into the cargo bay," Amy replied. "It will be a tight fit, but we can accommodate the soldiers here."
"We'll see ya once you've arrived, Jedite." Sandra said.
"I won't be there." Jedite said grimly.
"Wha…" Sandra stammered.
"Someone has to stay aboard and pilot this thing long enough to make sure that it clears the city," Jedite said. "This ship has two fusion chambers…if they blow…"
"Roughly five million people will die," Amy replied.
"What if we tractored you out?" Sandra asked.
"Nice idea, but your ship can't carry this transport and make it out of the planet's gravity well," Jedite said.
"Okay," Sandra said. "We'll do it your way." The image flickered as the aircraft made another attack run.
"Sandra…" Jedite said.
"Yes?"
"Tell Queen Beryl that I'm sorry I failed her…" Jedite's face was then replaced with the scene outside.
Silence seemed to creep over the room…a silence only broken by the clicks, beeps, and whirs of the computers…
"Situation report," Sandra ordered.
"We are fifteen miles south of the arsenal," Amy replied. "Coming up on the cities of Sheridan, Parker and Littleton."
"And Jedite?"
"The transport is at 26% structural integrity and it is slowing.," Amy replied. "All but the starboard- forward thrusters are destroyed."
A green light appeared on Brandy's comm panel. "Jedite's ready," she said.
"Tell him to go ahead," Sandra said calmly.
With a clunking sound, the flat cargo pods fell away from the transport ship and began to plummet to the ground. A yellow beam lanced out from the Serena and speared both containers, stopping their fall. The beam then slowly retracted, drawing both pods to the cargo bays…
"The cargo pods are aboard!" Amy yelled as the ship shook under the guns of the attacking aircraft. Quickly checking her boards, she turned to Sandra. "We have minor damage to the starboard power relays, but nothing that will keep us from getting away."
"Good," Sandra said. "Helm, full speed, get us out of here."
"But what about Jedite?" Brandy asked.
"Helm," Sandra said again. "Now. That's an order."
Jedite stood within the wreckage of the control room of the transport. Smoke billowed about the ceiling and poured from the flames of numerous control stations. Heavy cables hung limply from holes in the ceiling. Scorched ceiling panels littered the floor.
Jedite quickly tapped the buttons of one of the few functioning control stations that was still operating. The status readouts above the controls told him the results of his efforts: 18% structural integrity and falling. All but one thruster destroyed. Engine integrity at 30% and falling…
The ship shook violently as the fighter aircraft pounded the battered transport. Jedite was thrown to the floor and as he landed, he heard a warning beep from the computer. He quickly got back to his feet and rushed back to the control station where he was greeted with a new problem amid the flashing red lights of the control panel…
"Sandra," Amy said. "The transport ship has lost all thrusters and their fusion reactors are going to go critical!"
"Get us back there!" Sandra ordered. "We've got to pull that ship out of there!"
"There's no time! The ship's already going down!"
As the fighters angled to the south to pursue the Serena, the tortured hulk that had been the transport ship angled down toward the ground….
Jedite screamed as the ground rushed toward him on the viewscreen…
A white flash lit up the sky over Denver. Within a few seconds of blistering heat and blinding light, almost everything from Longmont in the north and Castle Rock in the south was destroyed.
== * SM * ==
"Where did Jedite crash?" Sandra asked as she sunk into her chair. Star-speckled space appeared on the screen.
"The transport crashed just south of Littleton," Amy replied hollowly.
"Any sign of pursuit?"
"No," Amy replied. "The explosion destroyed them."
"Casualties?"
The answer came. "According to our computers, about seven million people lived in the area affected by the explosion."
"Set a course for the Negaverse," Sandra ordered as she got up and started to the door. The silence that she left behind her was not interrupted for a long time as the reality of what had happened sunk in.
== * SM * ==
The Luna Foundation
The table ascended into the room through a large square opening in the floor. The area around the cold metallic table was lit brightly from a bank of lights evenly spaced in a square somewhere above the table. The rest of the room was more dimly-lit with large spouts which discharged a heavy fog that clouded the floor and kept the room at a cool temperature. Various machines emitted green lights from their control surfaces as they worked and this light mixed with the fog to create an almost otherworldly feel.
Tables, like the one that had just emerged into the room were spaced out evenly along the edge of the room, arranged perpendicularly to the walls, between the machines.
Upon the tables rested naked female humans….but not just any female humans…
These females were identified by the Luna Foundation as being genetically identical to the Sailor soldiers of the alternate reality. Thus they were the basis for the Cybersailors. On the monitors that tracked the life signs of their subjects were the names… ANDERSON, AMY….HINO, RAYE…..KINO, LITA….and the others.
The only thing adorning the bodies of the women was a large metal brace-like device that covered the area from the abdomen to the upper thigh. Large tubes connected these devices to inverted pyramid-like machines which were attached to the ceiling. On each monitor, below the name of the subject was a computerized diagram of the reproductive system of each subject. Below that was a status indicator, which flashed a single word in bright green: INACTIVE.
Seven bodies were arranged in this way upon seven tables in this room.
Another opening appeared in the floor near the table in the center of the lit area of this room. A control panel, its surface sloped at a steep angle, rose and came to a position at the right side of the table. On the top half of the panel, various buttons winked off and on. On the bottom, a command box dominated. Then words appeared in the command box…
VOCAL COMMAND ACCESS AUTHORIZED
COMMAND NODE: GATES - LOGIN
COMMAND NODE: DELL - LOGIN
COMMAND NODE: DOW - LOGIN
COMMAND NODE: HIDEO - LOGIN
A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF NODES HAVE ENTERED TO ALLOW COMMAND ACCESS
AWAITING ADDITONAL COMMAND NODE LOGIN
A few moments passed…
VOCAL COMMAND ACCESS AUTHORIZED
And voices filtered into the room…
GATES: WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE CURRENT CLONING PROJECT?
DOW: PHASE ONE – BRAIN-TAPING HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
HIDEO: PHASE TWO, THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANY DEVICES USED BY THE SUBJECT
HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE DEVICE THE SUBJECT REFERS TO AS THE
'IMPERIUM SILVER CRYSTAL' HAS BEEN REPRODUCED WITH 100% ACCURACY.
DELL: PHASE THREE IS READY TO PROCEED.
GATES: AGREED. PROCEED.
A large hole opened in the ceiling and one of the metal braces descended toward the table. The prone form of the woman lay motionless, her feet enclosed in brackets near the side of the table. The device continued to drop toward the woman until its cold surfaces surrounded her pelvic area. A monitor like those that accompanied the other tables appeared on one side of the table near the subject's head…
SUBJECT: NEO-QUEEN SERENITY
HIDEO: THE EXTRACTION UNIT IS IN PLACE.
GATES: BEGIN EXTRACTION. SCAN FOR SUBJECT VIABILITY.
The extraction device began to whir quietly as the red ACTIVE light began to flash on its surface. As it worked, a computer diagram of Serenity's reproductive system began to form on the monitor. After a few minutes, the process was complete. Deep within Serenity's body, sensors now scanned the regions that contained her ovaries. Diagrams of both ovaries appeared on the monitor, then glowed red as the organs they represented were scanned. Information from the scan appeared on the control panel…
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM CONDITION IS STABLE AND VAIBLE.
TOTAL CELL COUNT: 34.7 MILLION CELLS
CELLS MISSING: 225 CELLS
CELLS DAMAGED: 0
CELLS DESTROYED: 0
GATES: BEGIN THE CLONING PROCESS. READY BRAIN TAPE FOR RE-IMPLANTATION. DEVISE SUITABLE RE-PROGRAMMING AND CYBERNETIC PROCEDURE AND IMPLEMENT THEM AS NECESSARY.
HIDEO: WHAT NODE SHALL WE ASSIGN TO HER?
The answer came: "CYBERQUEEN."
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: September 7, 1999
Release: 3rd Edition: February 10, 2001