Story of the Future
Episode Three
"Good News...and Bad"
"Darien...Darien, wake up." a familiar voice echoed in Darien's ears as he was brought back to reality. He opened his eyes and saw two deep blue eyes staring at him. The voice rung in his ears, and he tried to place it. It was so near, like he had heard it everyday. But he couldn't remember.
"Serena?" he asked. The blue eyes blinked and the face pulled back. It was not Serena, it was a stranger. "Who are you?"
The face smiled. "I'm Ariana. We met just a few minutes ago. I hope you didn't hit your head too hard."
Darien felt no pain at all. Probably because he was accustomed to rougher and thicker pain. "I'm fine. Where's Serena?"
"She hasn't come back. You've been out for about two minutes."
Suddenly it came back to Darien. "Oh my god, she's pregnant! I'm going to be a father!"
Ariana smiled and helped him up. The customers stared at him for a moment and went back to their dinner. "Congratulations. I take it you weren't expecting that."
"No! I mean, I'm happy. It's just a surprise. That's all. Oh man, I better find her. She's probably a mess." Darien said as he paid the bill and grabbed his coat.
Ariana stared at him for a moment. "Have we met before?" she finally asked.
Darien looked up at her. [[She feels it, too]] he thought. "No." he said and walked out.
Whatever that was, it was over. Now he had to patch things up with Serena.
***
Lita clutched her stomach again. But this time it wasn't in nausea. It was pain. "Aaaaahhhh!" she cried out and fell to the floor.
Lita halfway expected Andrew to run in, but he didn't. No one was in her apartment at all. She knew something was terribly wrong, but the pain was so unbearable. Almost as bad as her "transition" from the 20th century to the 30th.
As the pain subsided, she felt a small bit of moisture. She gasped and grabbed for the phone.
"Hello, Amy here." a familiar voice said.
Lita panicked, "Amy!" she said.
Amy heard the panic in Lita's voice. Instantly her instincts went up. "Lita, what's wrong?"
"It's hurts. Amy, I hurt!" she said, barely unable to get the words out for fear that another spurt of pain would jolt her.
"Lita, calm down. You're going to need to transform to Sailor Jupiter, and then I'll transport you here." Amy said, struggling to keep her voice calm. She wasn't sure what Lita was talking about, but she sounded extremely scared.
"Okay..." Lita said, almost afraid to transform. "JUPITER POWER!" she cried out.
As Lita transformed, pain roared throughout her body. It was sharp, unmerciful pain that would not cease to torment her. When she had finished, she cried out in extreme pain. Amy heard her and got a lock on her.
Lita was transported to a private room. There, Amy had her detransform and checked out.
"I think...I think it's the baby..." she whispered.
Amy did a double-take. "A baby? Good Lord!" She quickly undress Lita and performed an examination on her. Lita's face was strewn with tears as Amy pulled out an ultrasound machine. She slid the cold gel onto Lita's abdomen and gently move the mechanism around.
"What...what is it?" Lita was scared to ask.
Amy shook her head. "I dunno, the picture's fuzzy for a moment. Does this hurt?" she asked, concern in her eyes.
"Yes, but nothing I can't handle. It's okay." Lita said, her eyes focused on the screen.
"Are you sure you were pregnant? How long?" Amy asked.
"Four months. I had an ultrasound." Lita said, her voice choked when the picture remained blank.
Amy kept searching the screen. Finally, she noticed a small clump on the screen. She focused in on it and pursed her lips together. "Lita...I'm sorry." she said quietly.
Lita felt herself falling down a large black hole. "No!" she cried out. "I can't be! It was healthy! I did nothing wrong!"
Amy put her arms around her friend. "Lita, these things happen. For no reason. But your baby is dead."
***
"A new soldier." the Emperor muttered under his breath [[I don't want to chance that the Sailor Scouts can meet this soldier. We must attack now.]] he thought to himself.
"Your highness, I have begun to build up an attack force. Using the energy of Imperium sources no longer in use, I now have enough to begin construction on a large weapon." a voice said behind him.
He turned and saw his trusted messenger. "Ah, thank you Sorcia. Any other news?"
The female general pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "No. However, I recommend we send down a few preliminary youmas. Just to see what we're up against." Sorcia said.
"Absolutely not! We can't let the Scouts know we're at odds against them. We have to attack fast and strong. And it has to be one move. They can't know of an enemy. That'll give them a chance to build their defenses up." he said and turned around. Sorcia nodded in agreement and walked in the opposite direction.
As Sorcia was walking, she felt something tug at her. She sensed a presence coming, something unknown. But she knew it would not be good for the empire. The loss of Tanya and Scott had proven that. She was determined to beat these Scouts at their own game.
"Sorcia!" a male voice called.
Sorcia turned in time to see Rilian, another general come towards her. She groaned and put on a smile. "Rilian, how nice to see you."
"What's this I hear about you undertaking the emperor's plan to rid the Sailor Scouts?" he commanded.
Sorcia's fake smile took on a sneering quality. "Yes, I have been selected to work with that project."
"A FEMALE general on such a terrible mission? I think I will consult the Emperor on this matter." Rilian said, taken aback.
She grinned evilly, "Consult all you want, but I've been put on the project."
Rilian gave her a withering glare as he started off in the direction of the emperor. Sorcia chuckled to herself. Sure, Rilian may be stronger and faster than her, but she had outmaneuvered him. And she felt good about it.
***
"Serena? Please open the door." Darien called out. He had tried for over half an hour to talk to her, and had failed miserably. "Sweetheart? Please. Can we just talk?"
The door opened. Instead of seeing his beautiful, happy bride, he saw a stone face, the type she wore to battles. And it was directed to him. She threw a blanket and pillow out to him. Then slammed the door.
[[Guess I'm not sleeping in the bed.]] he thought glumly as he made up the couch. Not that he could blame his wife. After all, he had blown it. He should've known better. And it wasn't the first time he had been made to sleep on the couch. He recalled the time he had called Queen Serenity "Meatball-head" in front of the royal members of Mercury. He spent two weeks on the couch for that.
As he lied on the couch, he heard Serena sobbing quietly. [[Oh, great! There goes any chance of sleeping. I have to fix this.]] he thought as he stood up. But she had locked the door. How was he going to get in?
A thought occurred to him and he quietly transformed to Tuxedo Mask. Opening the window, he could easily jump to their bedroom. Of course, if he lost his footing, it would be 24 floors down.
Effortlessly, he jumped from window to window. He pushed on the pane lightly, only to find it open. He could see his beloved face down, crying into a pillow.
He silently jumped in and shut the window. Transforming back in Darien, he walked over to the bed and sat down. Serena didn't look up, but her sobs quieted. Darien brought her up to him and held her closely.
"I'm sorry, Serena. I don't know what came over me. It was a horrible thing to do." he said apologetically.
Serena continued crying into his chest, but she nodded her agreement. He continued, "And I understand if you want a divorce. I mean, after all the death, rebirths, and destinies, we can end it all because I was being a moronic jerk."
Serena paused, but then continued crying. Darien took a breath and went on, "Of course, I don't know who will defend Earth. Or who will rule Crystal Tokyo. And god knows what the tabloids will say."
This got a giggle out of Serena. She sniffled and looked up at him. Her eyes swollen from crying and her hair tousled, she was still the most beautiful creature Darien had ever laid eyes on.
"You were a jerk." she said.
"That's an understatement." he answered.
"A complete moron!" she continued.
"Absolutely."
Serena felt more empowerment. "A horrible piece of pond scum!"
Darien smiled and nodded. "You know it."
Serena glared at him, half serious. "A MAN!" she said.
"Whoa, now that's going too far!" Darien stood up, acting offended.
Serena smiled and stood up next to him. "I forgive you." she said softly. "Now get your blankets and come back here." she whispered. "And use the door this time," she added.
Darien smiled and grabbed his bedding. He joined Serena at the foot of the bed.
"So does this mean we're okay?" he asked her.
"How could I not forgive the father of my daughter?" Serena asked softly, her hand drifting to her abdomen.
His heart overflowed with love for his wife and their unborn child. Feeling his eyes mist, he kneeled down and gently kissed her abdomen. "And what a miraculous daughter she will be." he whispered to her.
***
Raye closed her eyes. She felt a very dangerous presence near. "Scott." she whispered.
Scott opened his eyes. He sat up next to her on the bed and looked down. Her face contorted. "Scott." she whispered again.
He knew she was sensing something. He had been feeling darkness around him ever since he had gotten sick. But now that he was better, he took as a bad sign. It meant the Imperium had gained enough energy.
"Raye, I'm here. What do you see?" he asked her. He knew she could sense things about the future.
"It's so dark...so incredibly dark." she whispered.
Scott nodded. She was feeling the Imperium's power. Dark masses of energy that could engulf a person forever.
"No light..." she whispered.
Scott saw that as a bad sign. The light of the Sailor Scouts wasn't in her vision. The Imperium was planning something major.
"And...a ship in the stars." she said. Then, without warning, she opened her eyes.
Scott held her close. "It's okay sweetheart. You can discuss this at another meeting." he said.
Raye nodded, holding back her fear.
Episode Three
"Good News...and Bad"
"Darien...Darien, wake up." a familiar voice echoed in Darien's ears as he was brought back to reality. He opened his eyes and saw two deep blue eyes staring at him. The voice rung in his ears, and he tried to place it. It was so near, like he had heard it everyday. But he couldn't remember.
"Serena?" he asked. The blue eyes blinked and the face pulled back. It was not Serena, it was a stranger. "Who are you?"
The face smiled. "I'm Ariana. We met just a few minutes ago. I hope you didn't hit your head too hard."
Darien felt no pain at all. Probably because he was accustomed to rougher and thicker pain. "I'm fine. Where's Serena?"
"She hasn't come back. You've been out for about two minutes."
Suddenly it came back to Darien. "Oh my god, she's pregnant! I'm going to be a father!"
Ariana smiled and helped him up. The customers stared at him for a moment and went back to their dinner. "Congratulations. I take it you weren't expecting that."
"No! I mean, I'm happy. It's just a surprise. That's all. Oh man, I better find her. She's probably a mess." Darien said as he paid the bill and grabbed his coat.
Ariana stared at him for a moment. "Have we met before?" she finally asked.
Darien looked up at her. [[She feels it, too]] he thought. "No." he said and walked out.
Whatever that was, it was over. Now he had to patch things up with Serena.
***
Lita clutched her stomach again. But this time it wasn't in nausea. It was pain. "Aaaaahhhh!" she cried out and fell to the floor.
Lita halfway expected Andrew to run in, but he didn't. No one was in her apartment at all. She knew something was terribly wrong, but the pain was so unbearable. Almost as bad as her "transition" from the 20th century to the 30th.
As the pain subsided, she felt a small bit of moisture. She gasped and grabbed for the phone.
"Hello, Amy here." a familiar voice said.
Lita panicked, "Amy!" she said.
Amy heard the panic in Lita's voice. Instantly her instincts went up. "Lita, what's wrong?"
"It's hurts. Amy, I hurt!" she said, barely unable to get the words out for fear that another spurt of pain would jolt her.
"Lita, calm down. You're going to need to transform to Sailor Jupiter, and then I'll transport you here." Amy said, struggling to keep her voice calm. She wasn't sure what Lita was talking about, but she sounded extremely scared.
"Okay..." Lita said, almost afraid to transform. "JUPITER POWER!" she cried out.
As Lita transformed, pain roared throughout her body. It was sharp, unmerciful pain that would not cease to torment her. When she had finished, she cried out in extreme pain. Amy heard her and got a lock on her.
Lita was transported to a private room. There, Amy had her detransform and checked out.
"I think...I think it's the baby..." she whispered.
Amy did a double-take. "A baby? Good Lord!" She quickly undress Lita and performed an examination on her. Lita's face was strewn with tears as Amy pulled out an ultrasound machine. She slid the cold gel onto Lita's abdomen and gently move the mechanism around.
"What...what is it?" Lita was scared to ask.
Amy shook her head. "I dunno, the picture's fuzzy for a moment. Does this hurt?" she asked, concern in her eyes.
"Yes, but nothing I can't handle. It's okay." Lita said, her eyes focused on the screen.
"Are you sure you were pregnant? How long?" Amy asked.
"Four months. I had an ultrasound." Lita said, her voice choked when the picture remained blank.
Amy kept searching the screen. Finally, she noticed a small clump on the screen. She focused in on it and pursed her lips together. "Lita...I'm sorry." she said quietly.
Lita felt herself falling down a large black hole. "No!" she cried out. "I can't be! It was healthy! I did nothing wrong!"
Amy put her arms around her friend. "Lita, these things happen. For no reason. But your baby is dead."
***
"A new soldier." the Emperor muttered under his breath [[I don't want to chance that the Sailor Scouts can meet this soldier. We must attack now.]] he thought to himself.
"Your highness, I have begun to build up an attack force. Using the energy of Imperium sources no longer in use, I now have enough to begin construction on a large weapon." a voice said behind him.
He turned and saw his trusted messenger. "Ah, thank you Sorcia. Any other news?"
The female general pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "No. However, I recommend we send down a few preliminary youmas. Just to see what we're up against." Sorcia said.
"Absolutely not! We can't let the Scouts know we're at odds against them. We have to attack fast and strong. And it has to be one move. They can't know of an enemy. That'll give them a chance to build their defenses up." he said and turned around. Sorcia nodded in agreement and walked in the opposite direction.
As Sorcia was walking, she felt something tug at her. She sensed a presence coming, something unknown. But she knew it would not be good for the empire. The loss of Tanya and Scott had proven that. She was determined to beat these Scouts at their own game.
"Sorcia!" a male voice called.
Sorcia turned in time to see Rilian, another general come towards her. She groaned and put on a smile. "Rilian, how nice to see you."
"What's this I hear about you undertaking the emperor's plan to rid the Sailor Scouts?" he commanded.
Sorcia's fake smile took on a sneering quality. "Yes, I have been selected to work with that project."
"A FEMALE general on such a terrible mission? I think I will consult the Emperor on this matter." Rilian said, taken aback.
She grinned evilly, "Consult all you want, but I've been put on the project."
Rilian gave her a withering glare as he started off in the direction of the emperor. Sorcia chuckled to herself. Sure, Rilian may be stronger and faster than her, but she had outmaneuvered him. And she felt good about it.
***
"Serena? Please open the door." Darien called out. He had tried for over half an hour to talk to her, and had failed miserably. "Sweetheart? Please. Can we just talk?"
The door opened. Instead of seeing his beautiful, happy bride, he saw a stone face, the type she wore to battles. And it was directed to him. She threw a blanket and pillow out to him. Then slammed the door.
[[Guess I'm not sleeping in the bed.]] he thought glumly as he made up the couch. Not that he could blame his wife. After all, he had blown it. He should've known better. And it wasn't the first time he had been made to sleep on the couch. He recalled the time he had called Queen Serenity "Meatball-head" in front of the royal members of Mercury. He spent two weeks on the couch for that.
As he lied on the couch, he heard Serena sobbing quietly. [[Oh, great! There goes any chance of sleeping. I have to fix this.]] he thought as he stood up. But she had locked the door. How was he going to get in?
A thought occurred to him and he quietly transformed to Tuxedo Mask. Opening the window, he could easily jump to their bedroom. Of course, if he lost his footing, it would be 24 floors down.
Effortlessly, he jumped from window to window. He pushed on the pane lightly, only to find it open. He could see his beloved face down, crying into a pillow.
He silently jumped in and shut the window. Transforming back in Darien, he walked over to the bed and sat down. Serena didn't look up, but her sobs quieted. Darien brought her up to him and held her closely.
"I'm sorry, Serena. I don't know what came over me. It was a horrible thing to do." he said apologetically.
Serena continued crying into his chest, but she nodded her agreement. He continued, "And I understand if you want a divorce. I mean, after all the death, rebirths, and destinies, we can end it all because I was being a moronic jerk."
Serena paused, but then continued crying. Darien took a breath and went on, "Of course, I don't know who will defend Earth. Or who will rule Crystal Tokyo. And god knows what the tabloids will say."
This got a giggle out of Serena. She sniffled and looked up at him. Her eyes swollen from crying and her hair tousled, she was still the most beautiful creature Darien had ever laid eyes on.
"You were a jerk." she said.
"That's an understatement." he answered.
"A complete moron!" she continued.
"Absolutely."
Serena felt more empowerment. "A horrible piece of pond scum!"
Darien smiled and nodded. "You know it."
Serena glared at him, half serious. "A MAN!" she said.
"Whoa, now that's going too far!" Darien stood up, acting offended.
Serena smiled and stood up next to him. "I forgive you." she said softly. "Now get your blankets and come back here." she whispered. "And use the door this time," she added.
Darien smiled and grabbed his bedding. He joined Serena at the foot of the bed.
"So does this mean we're okay?" he asked her.
"How could I not forgive the father of my daughter?" Serena asked softly, her hand drifting to her abdomen.
His heart overflowed with love for his wife and their unborn child. Feeling his eyes mist, he kneeled down and gently kissed her abdomen. "And what a miraculous daughter she will be." he whispered to her.
***
Raye closed her eyes. She felt a very dangerous presence near. "Scott." she whispered.
Scott opened his eyes. He sat up next to her on the bed and looked down. Her face contorted. "Scott." she whispered again.
He knew she was sensing something. He had been feeling darkness around him ever since he had gotten sick. But now that he was better, he took as a bad sign. It meant the Imperium had gained enough energy.
"Raye, I'm here. What do you see?" he asked her. He knew she could sense things about the future.
"It's so dark...so incredibly dark." she whispered.
Scott nodded. She was feeling the Imperium's power. Dark masses of energy that could engulf a person forever.
"No light..." she whispered.
Scott saw that as a bad sign. The light of the Sailor Scouts wasn't in her vision. The Imperium was planning something major.
"And...a ship in the stars." she said. Then, without warning, she opened her eyes.
Scott held her close. "It's okay sweetheart. You can discuss this at another meeting." he said.
Raye nodded, holding back her fear.