Chapter Two: Crash Dive
Raye looked at the handsome young man that assisted her and the
others as they climbed down the ladder into the tight packed quarters
of the submarine.
He smiled. "Hi, welcome aboard. I'm Ensign Bell. Let me get you
all some blankets to warm up with."
A voice came over the intercom. "ALL HANDS! THIS IS THE CAPTAIN!
DIVE! DIVE!"
Artemis looked around him as Ensign Bell moved past them. This
situation wasn't good. They were now submerging. Lt. Akano turned to
Darien. "All of you will wait here while I get the Captain."
Darien nodded feeling nervous. Serena clung to him. He glanced
back into the worried faces of Mina and Amy. Behind them, Lita glanced
around her at the several men that watched them at their stations..
The noise of men coming forward made Artemis turn. Luna looked at
him and indicated not to do anything. The first man had on a Captain's
hat. He looked at the girls and Darien and then he frowned. "Civilians.
I was expecting military personnel. What were you doing on that boat?"
Lt. Akano stepped forward and said in clear japanese, "This is
Captain Jamison, commander of the "USN Hunter". He wants to know what
you were all doing out there on that boat?"
Darien looked at Serena. She was scared. He turned to Lt. Akano.
"I told you on the deck. We were on a trip but, the boat was
attacked..."
Lt. Akano translated quickly to the Captain. Captain Jamison
nodded and said something else in english. Akano smiled. "The Captain
thinks that, given the situation, you are perhaps the children of high
military officers." He looked at the woman lying unconscious on the
deck. Two men were attending her. "Medic, will she live?"
The first man looked up. He said something in english which the
Captain responded to. Then, they carried the woman into the next
compartment. Artemis and Luna watched feeling apprehensive. Lt. Akano
said something to the Captain then turned back to Darien. "The Captain
doesn't fully believe your story. So, your going to have to stay here
for now until we can put you in a relocation center."
The girls looked frightened. Darien glanced sidelong at Artemis
and Luna and both looked concerned. "We..we haven't done anything
wrong.." Darien began.
"This is war. We have to protect our security and, we have no idea
what the true reason is you were out here." Lt. Akano said something to
the Captain who nodded and then looked at Darien. He then turned and
exited the compartment.
Artemis followed him and, noticing a radioman nearby jumped up on
his station. Being a cat, he was less conspicuous. The man glanced at him.
"Hi kitty. How are you? Did you have a nice swim? I'm Seaman Martin. You
remind me of a cat I had once."
The radioman returned to his work. He was switching channels and
rechecking frequencies, and seemed a bit confused. Artemis glanced at
the date on some papers...and froze! August the 14th..1945! This submarine
was from the past!!! But how??? His fear rose and he looked at the crew.
All of them were working but also watching their guests.
*This unknown Sailor Scout might have something to do with this!*
Luna sent, in a mental message. *We should go and see if we can help
revive her. Maybe she can help.* Artemis agreed and the two moved
carefully out of the room as.
*********************
Raye glanced up at the handsome young American officer who stood
near her. He was very cute and he seemed to like her. While they stood
waiting, he smiled at her. "Did that blanket help warm you up?"
"Yes." Raye said in japanese. She could tell he was trying to
help. For some reason, he seemed drawn to her. But, Raye wasn't sure
why and, she didn't know how to react. She smiled and looked up at him.
In broken english she said,
"Please... we... not harm anyone. We.. only.. on trip.. but were..
hit.. by.."
Ensign Bell nodded. "I...know.." he said slowly. "I'll... try... to...
help.. you. I'll... talk.. to.. the.. Captain." He grinned at her and Raye
felt grateful. She looked at the other girls and, Mina winked at her. Raye
blushed, which seemed to please Ensign Bell.
Serena turned to Darien. "Darien, what's going to happen to us?
Will we really be taken to a relocation camp? What is all this? What's
going on?"
Darien looked confused himself. "I have no idea. But, this is
really beginning to bug me." He turned to Lt. Akano. "What are you
going to do with us in the meantime?"
Lt. Akano's voice sounded grim. "We'll have to hang onto you and
guard you until we figure this whole thing out."
"Are we prisoners?" Darien asked bluntly. "What war are you
talking about?"
Lt. Akano stared at him and smiled. "Don't be stupid. You know
what's going on. I have my theories why you were out there." He smiled.
"All these beautiful women.. one guy. You were taking them someplace for
a reason."
"Look, I don't know what you're thinking but..."
Suddenly the Captain came forward. "Lt. Akano, I want a straight
answer from them! They must be either japanese royalty or spies!" Before
Darian could respond, another voice cut in over the intercom.
"CAPTAIN! THIS IS SEAMAN MARTIN! THE RADIO TRAFFIC HAS GONE
NUTS!!!"
Captain Jamison grabbed a microphone while still pointing the gun
at Darien. "What are you talking about Martin?"
"SIR! It must be a Jap trick or something! The messages I'm
getting are talking about a summit to China...but..some President named
Nixon is going! And Sir, they mentioned the date! August the
14th...1969!!!!"
Jamison stared at Darien in shock. "What...what the hell is going
on???"
Darien swallowed hard. Now...they were really in trouble!!!
********************
Artemis and Luna moved into the compartment where the unknown
Scout lay. The men had her on oxygen but, she wasn't responding. One
left and, the other leaned over her. Artemis nodded to Luna. Both had
agreed to try to see if they could reach the unknown Scout's mind and
help her. Right now, she appeared to be in a coma.
Artemis moved closer and Luna came up behind him. The man turned
and looked at them. He smiled then moved over to a table to work on
something.
Artemis leaped up on the bed. Luna and he looked at each other and
then began to merge together.
*Be careful* Luna said. *We don't know what she's been through and
we have to do this delicately.*
*I know.* Artemis began to enter her mind gently. The woman
stirred slightly and Artemis felt slight resistance. *Got to move more
carefully* Artemis thouht to himself. Luna heard his thoughts and
supported him.
As Artemis moved inward, he felt like he was encountering
something. Memories that he didn't recognize. He probed deeper gently
against something but wasn't sure what....
The woman suddenly awoke! She snapped her eyes open and stared at
him.
*It's okay.* Artemis said. *We're here to help you.*
The woman gasped feeling him and Luna in her mind. Then, at
lightning speed, she threw both of the cats off her breaking the
link!!! Artemis slammed headlong into a wall. Luna fell against the
table!
The man who had been working was surprised as the unknown Scout
awoke. "What the..?"
"YOU ARE EVIL!" the woman shouted. "DON'T TOUCH ME!!!"
"Wait a minute.." the man tried to reach for her. The woman moved
so fast he never saw it coming. She slammed him hard against the
bulkhead and he collapsed! Artemis still dazed from the combination of
hitting the wall and the sudden break in his mind link looked up and
saw the unknown Scout run from the room.
Shaking off the last of the dizziness, Artemis raced after the
unknown Scout. As he ran around a corner, he spotted the woman ahead.
Several of the Hunter's men had cornered her, and were drawing their
guns.
"DON'T FIRE!!!" Artemis shouted at them.
Stunned the men stared at him. The unknown Scout also stared at
him.
"Please....trust me." Artemis said to her. He looked at the men.
"Don't any of you move! Don't hurt her!"
Still in shock the men merely nodded.
The unknown Scout looked at him. "Who..who are you? You can talk!"
"I'm here to help you." Artemis said slowly trying to appear as
non-threatening as he could. "Please listen to me. I think there's
something wrong with you. I want to help."
The unknown Scout glared at him. "I don't trust you! I don't trust
anyone! What is this place?"
Arteis knew he had to proceed carefully. "Alright. I promise you
no one is going to hurt you. Please don't attack anymore. My name is
Artemis. I think I have faint memories of you but, I'm not sure. Could
you tell me your name please?"
The unknown Scout began to answer then, she gasped and bent over.
The men behind her still in shock watched as she fell to her knees.
"Pain! SUCH PAIN!! Help me!!!" She grit her teeth and held her head. "I
can't remember! I don't know who I am!" Her eyes turned wild and she
looked up. "WHO ARE YOU?? There's something about a talking cat! But it
hurts..."
Artemis backed off slowly. "Please..I want to help. If it hurts to
think then don't. Take it easy on yourself."
The woman tried to answer but, no words came. Then, her eyes
rolled upward and, she collapsed in a heap.
Artemis leaped forward. "YOU MEN! PICK HER UP NOW! HELP HER!!"
The men still not believing a cat had spoken reached down and
picked up the unconscious Scout. The first one turned to Artemis.
"I...I'm Chief Graham. This is too had to believe. A cat is
speaking to me. What...do we do now?"
Artemis nodded. "I know this hard to accept but, we have to help
her. And all of us. We need to rejoin the others..."
Lt. Akano stared at him. "I...I think I need a drink."
Ensign Bell returned. "Sir, the radio is very strange. Seaman
Martin is scanning all frequencies but, none of them seem to make any
sense. A lot of our old channels no longer have anything! We can't
raise Command or anyone!"
Artemis nodded. "Something has happened to time as we know it.
And, we have to figure it out. I need to know what your mission
was...please."
Lt. Akano swallowed. "This..this is all too much. I can't believe
any of this. I can't give out any information without authorization
from the Captain."
Luna turned to Lt. Akano and spoke for the first time. "The young
woman there. Please handle her with special care. Could we have a place
for her to lie down so we can help her?"
Lt. Akano stared at her. "You talk too! What the hell is this?? We
can't do that until we have a place. The bunks and infirmary are still
flooded.
"Lt. Akano, please listen to us." Sailor Mercury said.
Everyone turned to her.
Sailor Mercury smiled. "We just want to help you. And ourselves.
We are from your future. A time when our countries are at peace. We
don't know any more about what's going on than you do... but we will
have to work together if we're to return home."
Artemis looked at her. *Sailor Mercury...when you get some time,
look in your computer. See if you can find a history on this sub..what
it's mission might have been.*
Sailor Mercury nodded and moved slightly back as the men all
continued to stare at them....
Artemis and Luna watched as the unknown Sailor Scout was laid down
on the floor. He nodded to Luna and, together they prodded her mind.
The woman awakened and stared at them! "What...?"
*Please...remember me?* Artemis sent to her. *Trust me. I'm trying
to help you. I think someone did something to your mind and, in order
to help you, I need to enter it. Will you allow this?*
The woman stared suspiciously at the men nearby. "Don't let them
touch me!" she said audibly. The men blinked confused.
*I won't* Artemis smiled at Luna and they merged minds. *I'm going
to be very slow and careful okay? Please trust me. Here I go.* Artemis
moved into her mind. Slowly supported by Luna, he began to try to move
around the mental block that was keeping her from remembering. *Who are
you?* he said. *Where are you from?*
The woman didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on Serena who stood
looking at her along with the others. Her eyes went wide....
"Queen...Serenity!!!" she gasped...
Luna gasped and Artemis looked at Serena as the unknown Scout
looked past him at her. All of the crew around them looked on
wordlessly.
Artemis moved his mind inward. *I can help you. Please tell
me..who are you?*
The woman gritted her teeth and struggled against something unseen
in her mind. Artemis nodded to Luna *Mind block* he sent to her
telepathically. *Someone is trying to keep her from talking.*
*Be gentle but, try to reach her.* Luna encouraged.
Artemis more carefully now moved around the unseen block. *I'm
your friend.* he sent gently. *Please trust me. Open your mind as much
as you can without hurting yourself.*
The woman looked terrified but closed her eyes and opened her mind
more. She shook her head. "It hurts!" she cried.
*I know.* Artemis answered.
"What the hell is going on?" Lt. Akano stared at this scene
totally lost. "She's talking to herself!"
"Please trust us." Luna said.
Lt. Akano looked at the girls. Other then the one called Sailor
Mercury who seemed to be typing furiously on some kind of small box,
they all looked nervous.
Artemis felt something push against his mind. He gently pushed
back trying not to hurt her...and...suddenly memories overwhelmed
him!!!!
In a flash, Artemis saw some darkness which he couldn't
comprehend. The woman was running and, she seemed to be trying to
defend herself against it. Then, she was overcome and one of them had
her in an energy field of some sort. He saw her scream in pain but, at
the last moment before possible death took her, she ripped herself away
and dove into the gateway!! Her memories were filled with tortured
pain. Artemis winced as he used his mental skills to ease the nerve
centers in her brain..hoping to use this as a means to protect her from
the pain.
*Who are you?* he asked again gently.
"Sailor....Pluto." the woman said slowly.
Luna gasped. "Sailor Pluto! I've heard that name."
Serena moved forward hesitantly. The woman opened her eyes and
looked at her again.
"Queen...Serenity." she gasped out. Her face was filled with pain.
Serena bent down and put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Pluto...
it's okay. I'm Princess Serenity..not Queen. I don't know what is going
on but, we're going to help you."
"Queen!!!" Lt. Akano stared at them. "I knew it! All this garbage
about the future can't be true! I know exactly what is going on here!"
He spun around and stared at Darien pulling his gun. "These girls must
all be japanese royalty! You may be too. You were all trying to escape
our fleet before we invade!!!"
Darien stared at him feeling helpless. "No..you know that's not
true. What Artemis really said about the future is true. Please..."
"THIS CAN'T BE TRUE!!" Lt. Akano shouted.
"Please listen to us!" Artemis yelled back. "Do you really think
that your radio frequencies would have nothing on them? How do you explain
Luna and I?"
"I..I don't know." Akano looked lost.
"Then for now.. believe us!" Raye said in broken english.
She looked at Ensign Bell for help.
Bell looked at her and smiled. "I believe them Sir. This is all
too strange to be a japanese trick."
Artemis ignored this and returned to his mind link with Sailor
Pluto.
*What happened to you?*
Pluto gasped and tried to remember. "It...it hurts too much!" she
said.
Artemis nodded to Luna and, with her added strength, he gently
pushed around the barrier. *Try to remember what you can.*
Pluto nodded. "I...I was defending...Crystal Tokyo... from...
something. Most of us were defeated. I don't know what happened to the
Queen...and SMALL LADY!! They got Small Lady!!" She cried and tears
came down her cheeks. "I failed."
Serena smiled and squeezed Pluto's shoulder encouragingly. "No,
you didn't. We can help. You just have to tell us what to do. Do you
remember anything else?"
Artemis noticed the precense of Serena seemed to have a calming
effect on Sailor Pluto. He withdrew slightly.
Lt. Akano sighed and put the gun away. Darien smiled feeling
relieved. The other girls relaxed more.
Artemis turned to Luna. *She's from the future. I'm not sure what
happened but some future enemy has attacked Crystal Tokyo! They lost
the fight and, she alone escaped into the time corridor. We have to
help!*
Luna nodded. *We need to know more. This could be dangerous to our
very existence.*
Artemis agreed then turned to Sailor Pluto.*Do you remember
anything else?*
Sailor Pluto cried and winced in pain. Artemis pulled back.
*Okay..rest for now. I'll try to help you more later. I'm your friend.
Please don't attack anymore.*
Pluto nodded feeling drained and laid down on the floor. Lt. Akano
looked flabbergasted. "Why is she hurt so much?"
"I can't really explain that right now except, she's not herself
and we're doing what we can to help."
Akano looked at Bell and, Bell smiled. "I believe them Sir."
"Im glad you do. Now what the hell do we do?"
Artemis jumped up on a chair and looked at Akano directly.
"Lieutenant...I know it isn't standard procedure to have a japanese
american as first officer. Please...what is your mission?"
Suddenly, everyone winced as they felt dizzy. Darien grabbed the
bulkhead to steady himself and, the other girls all supported each
other. Lt. Akano shook his head. "What the hell??" he gasped.
Sailor Pluto sat up her eyes wide..."Time...shift..."
"What???" Artemis answered.
Akano looked around him at the men. All of them looked scared. He
was about to say something when, a voice sounded over the intercom!!!
"Lieutenant!!! This is Seaman Martin!! I'm getting something on
the radio that is really strange!!!"
Akano hit the intercom. "Go ahead."
"Sir...I heard a message that the United Asian Empire has
succeeded in it's war against the United Confederation..and is going to
launch a complete and full invasion!!"
"The...United Confederation..?" Akano puzzled.
"Asian Empire??" Bell echoed.
"It's begun..the time shift." Pluto answered looking at Serena.
"If we can't stop it...all our realities will cease to exist!!
Raye looked at the handsome young man that assisted her and the
others as they climbed down the ladder into the tight packed quarters
of the submarine.
He smiled. "Hi, welcome aboard. I'm Ensign Bell. Let me get you
all some blankets to warm up with."
A voice came over the intercom. "ALL HANDS! THIS IS THE CAPTAIN!
DIVE! DIVE!"
Artemis looked around him as Ensign Bell moved past them. This
situation wasn't good. They were now submerging. Lt. Akano turned to
Darien. "All of you will wait here while I get the Captain."
Darien nodded feeling nervous. Serena clung to him. He glanced
back into the worried faces of Mina and Amy. Behind them, Lita glanced
around her at the several men that watched them at their stations..
The noise of men coming forward made Artemis turn. Luna looked at
him and indicated not to do anything. The first man had on a Captain's
hat. He looked at the girls and Darien and then he frowned. "Civilians.
I was expecting military personnel. What were you doing on that boat?"
Lt. Akano stepped forward and said in clear japanese, "This is
Captain Jamison, commander of the "USN Hunter". He wants to know what
you were all doing out there on that boat?"
Darien looked at Serena. She was scared. He turned to Lt. Akano.
"I told you on the deck. We were on a trip but, the boat was
attacked..."
Lt. Akano translated quickly to the Captain. Captain Jamison
nodded and said something else in english. Akano smiled. "The Captain
thinks that, given the situation, you are perhaps the children of high
military officers." He looked at the woman lying unconscious on the
deck. Two men were attending her. "Medic, will she live?"
The first man looked up. He said something in english which the
Captain responded to. Then, they carried the woman into the next
compartment. Artemis and Luna watched feeling apprehensive. Lt. Akano
said something to the Captain then turned back to Darien. "The Captain
doesn't fully believe your story. So, your going to have to stay here
for now until we can put you in a relocation center."
The girls looked frightened. Darien glanced sidelong at Artemis
and Luna and both looked concerned. "We..we haven't done anything
wrong.." Darien began.
"This is war. We have to protect our security and, we have no idea
what the true reason is you were out here." Lt. Akano said something to
the Captain who nodded and then looked at Darien. He then turned and
exited the compartment.
Artemis followed him and, noticing a radioman nearby jumped up on
his station. Being a cat, he was less conspicuous. The man glanced at him.
"Hi kitty. How are you? Did you have a nice swim? I'm Seaman Martin. You
remind me of a cat I had once."
The radioman returned to his work. He was switching channels and
rechecking frequencies, and seemed a bit confused. Artemis glanced at
the date on some papers...and froze! August the 14th..1945! This submarine
was from the past!!! But how??? His fear rose and he looked at the crew.
All of them were working but also watching their guests.
*This unknown Sailor Scout might have something to do with this!*
Luna sent, in a mental message. *We should go and see if we can help
revive her. Maybe she can help.* Artemis agreed and the two moved
carefully out of the room as.
*********************
Raye glanced up at the handsome young American officer who stood
near her. He was very cute and he seemed to like her. While they stood
waiting, he smiled at her. "Did that blanket help warm you up?"
"Yes." Raye said in japanese. She could tell he was trying to
help. For some reason, he seemed drawn to her. But, Raye wasn't sure
why and, she didn't know how to react. She smiled and looked up at him.
In broken english she said,
"Please... we... not harm anyone. We.. only.. on trip.. but were..
hit.. by.."
Ensign Bell nodded. "I...know.." he said slowly. "I'll... try... to...
help.. you. I'll... talk.. to.. the.. Captain." He grinned at her and Raye
felt grateful. She looked at the other girls and, Mina winked at her. Raye
blushed, which seemed to please Ensign Bell.
Serena turned to Darien. "Darien, what's going to happen to us?
Will we really be taken to a relocation camp? What is all this? What's
going on?"
Darien looked confused himself. "I have no idea. But, this is
really beginning to bug me." He turned to Lt. Akano. "What are you
going to do with us in the meantime?"
Lt. Akano's voice sounded grim. "We'll have to hang onto you and
guard you until we figure this whole thing out."
"Are we prisoners?" Darien asked bluntly. "What war are you
talking about?"
Lt. Akano stared at him and smiled. "Don't be stupid. You know
what's going on. I have my theories why you were out there." He smiled.
"All these beautiful women.. one guy. You were taking them someplace for
a reason."
"Look, I don't know what you're thinking but..."
Suddenly the Captain came forward. "Lt. Akano, I want a straight
answer from them! They must be either japanese royalty or spies!" Before
Darian could respond, another voice cut in over the intercom.
"CAPTAIN! THIS IS SEAMAN MARTIN! THE RADIO TRAFFIC HAS GONE
NUTS!!!"
Captain Jamison grabbed a microphone while still pointing the gun
at Darien. "What are you talking about Martin?"
"SIR! It must be a Jap trick or something! The messages I'm
getting are talking about a summit to China...but..some President named
Nixon is going! And Sir, they mentioned the date! August the
14th...1969!!!!"
Jamison stared at Darien in shock. "What...what the hell is going
on???"
Darien swallowed hard. Now...they were really in trouble!!!
********************
Artemis and Luna moved into the compartment where the unknown
Scout lay. The men had her on oxygen but, she wasn't responding. One
left and, the other leaned over her. Artemis nodded to Luna. Both had
agreed to try to see if they could reach the unknown Scout's mind and
help her. Right now, she appeared to be in a coma.
Artemis moved closer and Luna came up behind him. The man turned
and looked at them. He smiled then moved over to a table to work on
something.
Artemis leaped up on the bed. Luna and he looked at each other and
then began to merge together.
*Be careful* Luna said. *We don't know what she's been through and
we have to do this delicately.*
*I know.* Artemis began to enter her mind gently. The woman
stirred slightly and Artemis felt slight resistance. *Got to move more
carefully* Artemis thouht to himself. Luna heard his thoughts and
supported him.
As Artemis moved inward, he felt like he was encountering
something. Memories that he didn't recognize. He probed deeper gently
against something but wasn't sure what....
The woman suddenly awoke! She snapped her eyes open and stared at
him.
*It's okay.* Artemis said. *We're here to help you.*
The woman gasped feeling him and Luna in her mind. Then, at
lightning speed, she threw both of the cats off her breaking the
link!!! Artemis slammed headlong into a wall. Luna fell against the
table!
The man who had been working was surprised as the unknown Scout
awoke. "What the..?"
"YOU ARE EVIL!" the woman shouted. "DON'T TOUCH ME!!!"
"Wait a minute.." the man tried to reach for her. The woman moved
so fast he never saw it coming. She slammed him hard against the
bulkhead and he collapsed! Artemis still dazed from the combination of
hitting the wall and the sudden break in his mind link looked up and
saw the unknown Scout run from the room.
Shaking off the last of the dizziness, Artemis raced after the
unknown Scout. As he ran around a corner, he spotted the woman ahead.
Several of the Hunter's men had cornered her, and were drawing their
guns.
"DON'T FIRE!!!" Artemis shouted at them.
Stunned the men stared at him. The unknown Scout also stared at
him.
"Please....trust me." Artemis said to her. He looked at the men.
"Don't any of you move! Don't hurt her!"
Still in shock the men merely nodded.
The unknown Scout looked at him. "Who..who are you? You can talk!"
"I'm here to help you." Artemis said slowly trying to appear as
non-threatening as he could. "Please listen to me. I think there's
something wrong with you. I want to help."
The unknown Scout glared at him. "I don't trust you! I don't trust
anyone! What is this place?"
Arteis knew he had to proceed carefully. "Alright. I promise you
no one is going to hurt you. Please don't attack anymore. My name is
Artemis. I think I have faint memories of you but, I'm not sure. Could
you tell me your name please?"
The unknown Scout began to answer then, she gasped and bent over.
The men behind her still in shock watched as she fell to her knees.
"Pain! SUCH PAIN!! Help me!!!" She grit her teeth and held her head. "I
can't remember! I don't know who I am!" Her eyes turned wild and she
looked up. "WHO ARE YOU?? There's something about a talking cat! But it
hurts..."
Artemis backed off slowly. "Please..I want to help. If it hurts to
think then don't. Take it easy on yourself."
The woman tried to answer but, no words came. Then, her eyes
rolled upward and, she collapsed in a heap.
Artemis leaped forward. "YOU MEN! PICK HER UP NOW! HELP HER!!"
The men still not believing a cat had spoken reached down and
picked up the unconscious Scout. The first one turned to Artemis.
"I...I'm Chief Graham. This is too had to believe. A cat is
speaking to me. What...do we do now?"
Artemis nodded. "I know this hard to accept but, we have to help
her. And all of us. We need to rejoin the others..."
Lt. Akano stared at him. "I...I think I need a drink."
Ensign Bell returned. "Sir, the radio is very strange. Seaman
Martin is scanning all frequencies but, none of them seem to make any
sense. A lot of our old channels no longer have anything! We can't
raise Command or anyone!"
Artemis nodded. "Something has happened to time as we know it.
And, we have to figure it out. I need to know what your mission
was...please."
Lt. Akano swallowed. "This..this is all too much. I can't believe
any of this. I can't give out any information without authorization
from the Captain."
Luna turned to Lt. Akano and spoke for the first time. "The young
woman there. Please handle her with special care. Could we have a place
for her to lie down so we can help her?"
Lt. Akano stared at her. "You talk too! What the hell is this?? We
can't do that until we have a place. The bunks and infirmary are still
flooded.
"Lt. Akano, please listen to us." Sailor Mercury said.
Everyone turned to her.
Sailor Mercury smiled. "We just want to help you. And ourselves.
We are from your future. A time when our countries are at peace. We
don't know any more about what's going on than you do... but we will
have to work together if we're to return home."
Artemis looked at her. *Sailor Mercury...when you get some time,
look in your computer. See if you can find a history on this sub..what
it's mission might have been.*
Sailor Mercury nodded and moved slightly back as the men all
continued to stare at them....
Artemis and Luna watched as the unknown Sailor Scout was laid down
on the floor. He nodded to Luna and, together they prodded her mind.
The woman awakened and stared at them! "What...?"
*Please...remember me?* Artemis sent to her. *Trust me. I'm trying
to help you. I think someone did something to your mind and, in order
to help you, I need to enter it. Will you allow this?*
The woman stared suspiciously at the men nearby. "Don't let them
touch me!" she said audibly. The men blinked confused.
*I won't* Artemis smiled at Luna and they merged minds. *I'm going
to be very slow and careful okay? Please trust me. Here I go.* Artemis
moved into her mind. Slowly supported by Luna, he began to try to move
around the mental block that was keeping her from remembering. *Who are
you?* he said. *Where are you from?*
The woman didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on Serena who stood
looking at her along with the others. Her eyes went wide....
"Queen...Serenity!!!" she gasped...
Luna gasped and Artemis looked at Serena as the unknown Scout
looked past him at her. All of the crew around them looked on
wordlessly.
Artemis moved his mind inward. *I can help you. Please tell
me..who are you?*
The woman gritted her teeth and struggled against something unseen
in her mind. Artemis nodded to Luna *Mind block* he sent to her
telepathically. *Someone is trying to keep her from talking.*
*Be gentle but, try to reach her.* Luna encouraged.
Artemis more carefully now moved around the unseen block. *I'm
your friend.* he sent gently. *Please trust me. Open your mind as much
as you can without hurting yourself.*
The woman looked terrified but closed her eyes and opened her mind
more. She shook her head. "It hurts!" she cried.
*I know.* Artemis answered.
"What the hell is going on?" Lt. Akano stared at this scene
totally lost. "She's talking to herself!"
"Please trust us." Luna said.
Lt. Akano looked at the girls. Other then the one called Sailor
Mercury who seemed to be typing furiously on some kind of small box,
they all looked nervous.
Artemis felt something push against his mind. He gently pushed
back trying not to hurt her...and...suddenly memories overwhelmed
him!!!!
In a flash, Artemis saw some darkness which he couldn't
comprehend. The woman was running and, she seemed to be trying to
defend herself against it. Then, she was overcome and one of them had
her in an energy field of some sort. He saw her scream in pain but, at
the last moment before possible death took her, she ripped herself away
and dove into the gateway!! Her memories were filled with tortured
pain. Artemis winced as he used his mental skills to ease the nerve
centers in her brain..hoping to use this as a means to protect her from
the pain.
*Who are you?* he asked again gently.
"Sailor....Pluto." the woman said slowly.
Luna gasped. "Sailor Pluto! I've heard that name."
Serena moved forward hesitantly. The woman opened her eyes and
looked at her again.
"Queen...Serenity." she gasped out. Her face was filled with pain.
Serena bent down and put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Pluto...
it's okay. I'm Princess Serenity..not Queen. I don't know what is going
on but, we're going to help you."
"Queen!!!" Lt. Akano stared at them. "I knew it! All this garbage
about the future can't be true! I know exactly what is going on here!"
He spun around and stared at Darien pulling his gun. "These girls must
all be japanese royalty! You may be too. You were all trying to escape
our fleet before we invade!!!"
Darien stared at him feeling helpless. "No..you know that's not
true. What Artemis really said about the future is true. Please..."
"THIS CAN'T BE TRUE!!" Lt. Akano shouted.
"Please listen to us!" Artemis yelled back. "Do you really think
that your radio frequencies would have nothing on them? How do you explain
Luna and I?"
"I..I don't know." Akano looked lost.
"Then for now.. believe us!" Raye said in broken english.
She looked at Ensign Bell for help.
Bell looked at her and smiled. "I believe them Sir. This is all
too strange to be a japanese trick."
Artemis ignored this and returned to his mind link with Sailor
Pluto.
*What happened to you?*
Pluto gasped and tried to remember. "It...it hurts too much!" she
said.
Artemis nodded to Luna and, with her added strength, he gently
pushed around the barrier. *Try to remember what you can.*
Pluto nodded. "I...I was defending...Crystal Tokyo... from...
something. Most of us were defeated. I don't know what happened to the
Queen...and SMALL LADY!! They got Small Lady!!" She cried and tears
came down her cheeks. "I failed."
Serena smiled and squeezed Pluto's shoulder encouragingly. "No,
you didn't. We can help. You just have to tell us what to do. Do you
remember anything else?"
Artemis noticed the precense of Serena seemed to have a calming
effect on Sailor Pluto. He withdrew slightly.
Lt. Akano sighed and put the gun away. Darien smiled feeling
relieved. The other girls relaxed more.
Artemis turned to Luna. *She's from the future. I'm not sure what
happened but some future enemy has attacked Crystal Tokyo! They lost
the fight and, she alone escaped into the time corridor. We have to
help!*
Luna nodded. *We need to know more. This could be dangerous to our
very existence.*
Artemis agreed then turned to Sailor Pluto.*Do you remember
anything else?*
Sailor Pluto cried and winced in pain. Artemis pulled back.
*Okay..rest for now. I'll try to help you more later. I'm your friend.
Please don't attack anymore.*
Pluto nodded feeling drained and laid down on the floor. Lt. Akano
looked flabbergasted. "Why is she hurt so much?"
"I can't really explain that right now except, she's not herself
and we're doing what we can to help."
Akano looked at Bell and, Bell smiled. "I believe them Sir."
"Im glad you do. Now what the hell do we do?"
Artemis jumped up on a chair and looked at Akano directly.
"Lieutenant...I know it isn't standard procedure to have a japanese
american as first officer. Please...what is your mission?"
Suddenly, everyone winced as they felt dizzy. Darien grabbed the
bulkhead to steady himself and, the other girls all supported each
other. Lt. Akano shook his head. "What the hell??" he gasped.
Sailor Pluto sat up her eyes wide..."Time...shift..."
"What???" Artemis answered.
Akano looked around him at the men. All of them looked scared. He
was about to say something when, a voice sounded over the intercom!!!
"Lieutenant!!! This is Seaman Martin!! I'm getting something on
the radio that is really strange!!!"
Akano hit the intercom. "Go ahead."
"Sir...I heard a message that the United Asian Empire has
succeeded in it's war against the United Confederation..and is going to
launch a complete and full invasion!!"
"The...United Confederation..?" Akano puzzled.
"Asian Empire??" Bell echoed.
"It's begun..the time shift." Pluto answered looking at Serena.
"If we can't stop it...all our realities will cease to exist!!
