Sailor X #23 Damaged
By: John Brengman
Edited by: Thomas Schell
From Sailor X #22:
"She doesn't seem to be responding to the drugs, doctor," a feminine voice said.
"It's the after-effects of 'Dragon,'" a male voice replied. "Prepare a level three treatment. First, administer a sedative to help her relax."
"Yes doctor," the female voice replied.
A needle bit into her arm, and almost immediately, a darkness rolled over the haze…"
"No…" the woman moaned. "Don't….don't take my…mind…"
== * SM * ==
"All I see is damage through the haze."
Queensryche:
"Promised Land" 1994
"Damaged"
Sunlight flickered through a window that didn't seem to have been there before. At least, the seven-year-old girl didn't remember the window being there. The bed, with its dirty white sheets and dusty blankets seemed taller than she remembered. There were two mattresses. She blinked. The bed was lower, and had one mattress. She glanced at the floor near the door and gasped.
The chalk outline that she had drawn was gone.
A loud crackle startled the girl and she turned back to the window…and saw the echo of a lightning bolt within a torrent of rain. Holes in the ceiling and walls appeared and a gust of cold wind howled through her hair.
The girl stepped to the edge of the nearest hole and gazed out. Rain fell in waves and she could not see beyond the concrete wall that surrounded the buildings of the hospital.
The girl stepped outside the hole.
::flash::
Gray clouds broiled overhead and a deep fog covered the ground. The eight-year old girl stood outside the brick wall that surrounded the hospital. Across the street, a street lamp flickered weakly, then burned brightly. The fog on the ground reflected the light softly.
Something inside told the girl it was time to leave this place. Crossing the street, the girl headed off into the fog-filled night.
== * SM * ==
A young pink-haired girl marched sternly into the Medical Center and saw Amy near the back of her office, intently studying the computer screen that was perched near the upper corner of the room near the diagnostic window that looked in on the medical beds in the next room.
The Sailors seemed to follow Rini as though she might snap at them if they didn't.
"Ahem," Rini growled.
"Oh," Amy jumped, startled. "Rini. You were the one who came through the Timegate?"
"Yep," Rini replied. "I was told I would be able to help my mom."
"I told her she was too late," Sailor Uranus said.
"But," Rini said with a touch of concern: perhaps Uranus was right, "Sailor Pluto told me that I would arrive here in time to save her."
"Hmmmm…" Amy murmured as she looked up at the computer screen and tapped the bottom of her chin with her thumb.
"You might be right, Rini."
"Huh?" The Sailors seemed to say in unison.
"I've done some checking," Amy said. "The Silver Crystal is attuned to the essence of Neo-Queen Serenity, while at the same time, it has its own innate properties. It is my belief that since we've cloned the queen, the Silver Crystal should attune itself to the clone."
Amy got up and walked into the next room. Through the glass, the Sailors and Rini watched as Amy picked up the golden locket that contained the Silver Crystal. Pressing the small button at the bottom, Amy opened the locket and was bathed in a faint pale light.
"It's still active," Amy reported. "But it's faint."
Putting the open locket down next to the body of the clone, Amy and the Sailors waited.
And waited.
And waited.
The Silver Crystal continued to glow faintly from the locket.
"Something should have happened by now," Sailor Moon said as she quietly slipped into the room from amongst the waiting Sailors.
"Yes," Amy replied. "I am trying to think about what might be wrong."
"Her life signs and brain waves are all normal," Sailor Venus said.
"Yes," Amy said. "And except for the death of the original Neo-Queen Serenity, the Silver Crystal is also okay." Something in Amy's voice made Venus glance over to her. And Venus saw it. As Amy continued to check on various things that might be the cause of the Silver Crystal's non-responsiveness, Venus could see that Amy was throwing herself into saving the queen in order to keep herself from falling into a deep chasm of despair. The worry on Amy's face loomed very large behind her blue eyes.
Sailor Moon also seemed lost in thought…
…Dropping the Moon Staff, Sailor Moon concentrated on the Crescent Moon Wand in the cyborg's hand. She visualized its surfaces, the handle, the curve of the crescent moon that encircled the crystal that was the heart of the wand. Then she visualized the Imperium Silver Crystal, with all of its facets all shimmering and sparkling with inner energy.
Even when the
Cyberqueen wrapped Sailor Moon in micro-filaments and again, jolts of energy
raced through the senshi, she fought through the burning pain to focus further
in on the Crescent Moon Wand and the Imperium Silver Crystal….until she could
feel a hint of the power within the crystal.
Just then, the
cyborg noticed the light coming from the Moon Wand. Having never used the
artifact, the Cyberqueen tossed it aside. The wand bounced off the scorched
wall and landed in front of the cyborg. The crystal at the center of the wand
flickered, pulsed, and flared, as if it were angry…
"A machine…" Sailor Moon murmured.
"What?" Amy asked.
"The Crystal is not seeing the clone as Neo-Queen Serenity," Sailor Moon answered. "Even though she has the same looks, she doesn't have the same mind."
"How do we help?" Venus asked.
After a brief silence, Amy spoke softly: "Maybe it's like amnesia, and the queen simply needs to be reminded of who she is."
"How do we do that?" Rini asked.
"I think I know…" Sailor Moon said. She knelt by the bed and closed her eyes. Reaching out across the short distance, her mind fleetingly felt the thin fabric of the bed sheets, then the warm softness of the queen's skin. Focusing on the queen, Sailor Moon mentally ran her fingers through her mother's hair, down her cheek. Feather-soft touches ran down her neck, onto her chest, and across her breasts. Her fingers continued further, tracing abdominal muscles to the pelvic area, along the legs and finally ending at the feet. The full image of Neo-Queen Serenity formed in Sailor Moon's mind. She could remember every inch of the person that was her mother.
"I see her," Sailor Moon said softly. "I am ready." She started to concentrate on her mother's head, her eyes, the deep black of her pupils.
"Ready for what?" Rini asked. "What do I do?"
"I am not sure," Sailor Moon said distantly. "You'll know what to do when it is time…"
And Sailor Moon then floated out of this world into that world created by the mind of someone else.
== * SM * ==
The nine-year old girl stepped up to the corner across from the park. Through the thick haze she could see towering trees with their thick branches and broad leaves. A paved walkway snaked its way into the haze amongst the trees into the park.
The girl stepped off the curb to cross the street and enter the park just as a truck appeared out of the mists to her left. From silence suddenly came the roar of a diesel engine.
The girl's head snapped around and she froze terrified in her tracks.
Sandra stepped out of the brick wall just in time to see the young girl step into the street. Suddenly, a diesel engine roared and a large truck appeared out of the haze. Grimly, Sandra lunged forward, running into the street. She leapt toward the terror-stricken girl and snatched her out of the way of the speeding vehicle. As Sandra rolled onto her stomach to protect the girl she had saved, she could feel the gush of air as the truck tore past. Raising her head, she saw the truck heading off into the mists.
Standing quickly, Sandra hauled the girl roughly to her feet.
"What in the hell do you think you were doing?" She shouted. "You almost got yourself killed! Can't you keep yourself safe even in your dreams?"
Big blue eyes looked back at her, then the girl simply shrugged and turned toward the park.
"Hey," Sandra muttered. "Wait up…"
== * SM * ==
The two girls walked through the lush park. Green leafy trees loomed gigantic and spread shade while golden sunlight peeked and poked its way through, lighting patches of the paved pathway.
"Mind if I ask you a question?"
"Sure," the young girl said.
"Who are you, and how did you get here?"
"That's two questions," the girl quipped.
"Huh?"
"You asked two questions."
"Just answer them."
"My mother told me never to talk to strangers."
Sandra groaned, then she stopped.
"Look at me!" She gasped. She stood about four foot tall and looked a lot younger than she knew she was. "What's happened?"
"I dunno," the girl replied. "I've been getting bigger, and you're getting smaller."
Despite this, somehow, Sandra didn't feel panicked about the situation. A sense of calmness seemed to flutter down from the sunlight.
"You still haven't answered my questions," Sandra said.
"Oh?"
"Who are you, and how did you get here?"
"Oh….those questions…" The two girls walked in silence for a moment. Sailor Moon gazed over at the young girl as if that act itself could drag the answers from her.
"I don't know how I got here," the girl replied. "But my name is Sarena Tsukino." *
"I'm…..Sandra," the other girl replied, "and I've come to….talk."
"Shhhh!" Usagi said angrily. In the quiet of the park, the sounds of a carnival fairway could be faintly heard in the distance.
"No talking," Usagi said just before she started to run. "Rides."
"Wait a second!" Sandra yelled as she started to run after the other girl. "I need to talk to you!"
== * SM * ==
The smells of hot popcorn, pretzels and other fairway delights enticed the girls into a small clearing in the trees. Beneath the towering boughs stood several red-white and blue-striped tents. The oom-pah-pah of the carnival music promised a care-free good time and a stray balloon escaped from somewhere and floated into new-found freedom.
Sandra stepped onto the dirt of the fairway and noticed…there were no other people here except her and Sarena, who was running toward one of the carnival rides. She only had a brief moment to ponder this strangeness before she yelled "Hey, wait up!" And off she ran after the other girl.
The hours went by. First there was the merry-go-round with the plastic horses. Then there was the ride that spun around and made people stick to the walls. Then there was the food, and the petting zoo.
Sandra tried to keep her cool and tag along, but the image of this very same girl in a more adult form laying on a bed in a medical center floated in the back of her mind.
"Sarena…" Sandra tried to say as she reached out for Sarena's hand, but the other girl pulled away. "Come on," she said. "The ferris-wheel is right over this way."
"Wait!" Sandra yelled, but to no avail. With a growl, she took off again after Sarena.
The ferris-wheel finally came to a stop after what seemed to be forever, and Sandra heard a voice yell: "Again!"
"No!" Sandra shouted. "Sarena, we have to go!"
The twelve-year old girl grumpily hopped down from the ride and headed toward the gate. As she exited from the turnstile she started to run toward the next ride that caught her attention only to be yanked back with a yelp.
"Now," Sandra said sternly. "We need to talk."
"But I wanna go on that ride," Sarena yowled, pointing at the nearby ride where people were flying through the air on glorified swing seats.
"No!" Sandra growled. "I need to talk to you now!"
"I don't wanna!"
::SLAP!!::
The thirteen-year old girl stumbled from the force of the blow, her hand grasping at her face. She could feel where her teeth had bruised the inside of her mouth and the pain pounded its way out from there.
Before Sandra could say anything, Sarena glared at her with eyes that welled up with tears.
"I hate you!" And with that, Sarena ran crying into the forest.
"Oh Hell.." Sandra sighed as she ran after the fleeing girl.
Behind her, the carnival had completely disappeared.
== * SM * ==
Sandra had only run a short way before she got back to the path. Funny…it seemed that the path had been further away when she had walked to the carnival.
A somber sunlight filtered through the trees and a breeze gusted through every now and then.
Sandra started to walk up the path in search of Sarena when she stopped suddenly.
The sixteen-year old girl sat under a large tree, her head on her left hand which itself was sitting on an outstretched leg. With her other hand, she played with some leaves and twigs, seemingly stirring all of them aimlessly. Her blonde hair flowed from two odangos and fell into the leaves. Her blue eyes matched the glumness of the scene around her.
Sandra slowly approached, but Sarena didn't seem to notice. She didn't seem to notice as Sandra came up and kneeled beside her.
"I'm sorry," Sandra said. "I should not have done that."
"Done what?" Sarena said with a gaze at the other girl. Sandra saw no red mark at all from where she had slapped Sarena.
"Nothing," She said. "Actually, it's not nothing. It's just that I have been frustrated with you for a while, and when you wouldn't listen, all of that just seemed to rush back in on me, and I lost control."
"You've been frustrated with me?" Sarena asked.
"Yes," came the reply. "For a long time. For years….I mean…"
"No," Sarena said. "Don't hide it. Please tell me."
"You won't understand."
"Try me," Sarena insisted. Sandra looked at Sarena and saw her eyes. Her blue eyes seemed bottomless and knowing. Quietly confident…and serious.
"May I ask you a question?" Sandra asked.
"Sure," came the quiet reply.
"Why did you push me into becoming Sailor Moon?"
Sarena leaned slowly back against the tree and closed her eyes for a second…
. "I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice. And I say,
on behalf of the Moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil." As she
finished the pose that went along with these particular phrases, an
angry-looking Sailor Moon said, "and that means you!"
Morga was
unimpressed. "Sailor Moon? Never heard of you, and I'm sure I never will
again!" The monster raised her hands and shouted, "arise my children and serve
the great power that is the Negaverse!" As Sailor Moon watched, the patrons of
the store arose with a collective moan. They all had blank, lifeless stares,
and they moved forward like zombies.
Sailor Moon
backed up as the crowd of zombies approached. "Luna," she half-pleaded. "Help
me.. I don't know what to do." The overweight woman-turned-zombie and several
others hurled themselves at Sailor Moon, who barely managed to dodge each of
them.
Sailor Moon
landed roughly on the floor near some of the stone pillars which supported the
building. An attack by Morga slammed Sailor Moon against one of the pillars
with a thud.
A near-panicked
Sailor Moon stared with a glazed look at the floor. "Oww. That hurt. I don't
want to do this anymore."
Luna slipped up
to Sailor Moon from behind the pillar. "Sailor Moon, what are you doing? You
must fight this evil monster, or the whole universe could cease to exist."
As if hearing
Luna's prediction of doom, Morga floated up to the ceiling on the far side of
the room and let out a blood-curdling laugh.
Sailor Moon
could not be moved. This was NOT a video game… "I don't want to play this game
anymore," she wailed. "Enough! I want to go home!"
"Fine!" Morga
shouted menacingly. "I'll send you away
for good!" With a growl, she shot her clawed hand out and down toward the
near-paralyzed Sailor.
The claws descended rapidly, and Sailor Moon could see their razor sharpness…
Luna gasped as
she sensed Sailor Moon's impending doom.
Sailor Moon
screamed in terror...
With a sigh, Sarena opened her eyes. "I was not ready to become Sailor Moon when Luna first appeared to me. I remember screaming my head off and crying about not wanting to play this game, and for a good long while, I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. There were times when the help I got from the others was the thing that kept me from getting seriously hurt. It seemed sometimes as though the Negaverse took their missions a lot more seriously than I did the job of defeating them."
"So," Sarena said. "I didn't want you to make the same mistake that I did, and I ended up making another one. I am sorry."
The two girls sat silently for a few moments. Sandra looked at Sarena and could see a strong maturity within her. The effect of her words was calming, and Sandra knew that Sarena had spoken them straight from her heart.
Lunging over to Sarena, Sandra hugged her. Her eyes closed, Sandra squeezed as though Sarena might escape. A tear slid from her eyelid as she whisped, "Thanks…thanks mom."
"I have a question for you," Sarena said. Sandra fell back to her sitting position and looked at Sarena again. The calmness was still there, as was the confidence, but the seriousness had sharpened into sternness.
"Yes?" Sandra asked.
"Why are you so violent as Sailor Moon?" Sarena asked quietly. "You have killed a number of villains, and you seem to take the more violent approach to dealing with them. Remember that love and compassion are as important to what Sailor Moon represents, if not more."
"I understand that," Sandra said. "But it seems as though the villains are more tenacious, they strike anywhere, and they strike at anyone. They've attacked you twice, and it just seems that I have done a poor job of protecting you. It seems that justice has become more important than love. I'm sorry."
"I understand," Sarena replied quietly, and then it was her turn to hug.
"Just remember one thing," Sarena said. She now looked to be about eighteen. "The other Sailors are there to help you. You are part of a team. Do not be afraid to lean upon then when you feel the situation is getting out of hand."
Both girls arose to their feet and started to walk further down the path. The forest thinned then broke into a clearing just in time for the girls to see a sunset that spread its golden yellows, deep reds, and dark purples across the sky.
== * SM * ==
The Medical Center
As the gathered Sailors watched, the Silver Crystal glowed brightly and arose from the locket sitting next to the still form of Neo-Queen Serenity. It bathed the queen and the onlookers with a bright pale glow. Then, the locket that Sandra wore around her neck popped open and her Silver Crystal pulsed with a red glow, then floated out to join the first, adding a bright ruby glow to the glow of the first crystal.
"Rini," Amy said quietly as she nudged the young girl who was transfixed by the two crystals hovering in front of her. She opened her locket, and her Silver Crystal floated out and added another pale light to the chorus of light that poured down upon Neo-Queen Serenity. The crystals that belonged to Sandra and Rini began to circle the first crystal.
"What's happening?" Venus asked.
"I'm not sure…" Amy replied. "I think….it's working."
== * SM * ==
A pale light erupted from the sky overhead and cascaded down upon Sarena. Her body faded away in the wash of light and as the light faded away, a translucent Sailor Moon stood a few steps further down the path.
"It is finished." Sailor Moon said. "I am complete."
Sandra nodded happily, tears starting to roll down her face.
"My daughter," Sailor Moon said. "I give you a gift." With that, she raised her hand in the air. The Moon Wand appeared in the upraised hand, its crescent-moon glittering from the remaining sunlight.
Sailor Moon lowered the wand and pointed it at Sandra. The Silver Crystal seemed to burn white-hot with energy.
"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!"
A burst of white light poured from the crystal and flowed over Sandra. She felt the first wave of the crystal's healing energy and was nearly thrown down by it. She grimaced as she tried to stay on her feet.
"Do not fight it," Sailor Moon's voice floated through her head. "If you resist, you will die. Please trust me."
Sandra let herself go and found that if she went with the flow of the energy, she would not fall. "Bend like a reed," she though to herself, "and you won't break like a stick." The healing energy flowed warmly over her. Sandra felt as light as a butterfly, as young as a small child…
A white light washed over her, and Sandra closed her eyes…
When she opened her eyes, the faint whisp of a red ribbon caught her attention, and she looked down. She was in her Sailor suit, but it had changed. Her skirt had a yellow, then red stripe around the fringe. A thin gold band encircled her waist. A silky red bow billowed itself from the small of her back.
"What is this?" Sandra asked as she continued to examine her suit.
"Purity has made you more powerful," came the faint reply. Sandra looked up to see that the image of Sailor Moon was fading away.
"Come on," Neo-Queen Serenity's voice said happily. "It's time to go home."
== * SM * ==
As her crystal settled into its locket, Neo-Queen Serenity opened her eyes. She was immediately swarmed by the Sailors welcoming her back. The only one crying however was Sandra.
"What's this?" Neo-Queen Serenity said as she wiped a tear away from her daughter's face.
"Nothing…" came the happy reply. "I was able to save you. I was in time."
== * SM * ==
Neo-Queen Serenity entered her chambers after seeing Rini was safely tucked into her bed. Rini would be returning to the future in the morning. Humming to herself, the queen padded into the bathroom and started some bath water.
Emerging from her bath, Neo-Queen Serenity wrapped a towel around herself and plopping herself on her bed, she began to run her comb through her long blonde hair. She looked at the mirror…
…and stopped…
…and I raise my
head and stare into the eyes of a stranger…
Neo-Queen Serenity shook her head and looked back at the mirror. Her own face stared back at her framed within the wooden frame.
With a growl, Serenity lunged from the bed. She didn't take her eyes from the mirror as she worked her way to her dresser and the potted plant that stood on a pedestal beside it. Hefting the ceramic pot in her hand, she went back to where she had been sitting.
Gazing at the mirror again, Serenity again saw her own face. "It's only a mirror," she said to herself.
…and I raise my
head and stare into the eyes of a stranger…
The pot flew into the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of shards of glass that rained down on the carpet.
***FINI***
* I realize that purists will hate this, but I decided that since I use the dub forms of the other original characters, I should do the same with Sarena, to be consistent. I also went back into SX5 and changed Sarena's introduction there to reflect this.
Fanfic ã2000 – 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: October 28, 2000
Release: 3rd Edition: February 11, 2001