Chapter 6: Crucial Decision
The next day was somewhat overcast and cloudy, a gentle fog settling over the city. The blanket of clouds held out the warm rays of the sun, retaining much of the colder temperatures of the preceding night. Perhaps this cloud was almost as if some omen or symbolism woven by nature, reflecting the confused and clouded condition of Evan's mind and heart, or perhaps such a comparison is a bit unrealistic. Nonetheless, Evan determined to, for the moment anyway, do as the mysterious Marissa had requested, keeping her visit a secret as well as determining to find out whatever the truth may be regarding Neo Queen Serenity. But regardless of his own plans, the day was already vastly scheduled out for him, and he would have to find the time during his free hours to investigate the matter of who to trust.
The first item on his list, of course, was breakfast. Uranus was waiting at Evan's door and escorted him to the dining hall, although Evan was mostly silent in light of last night's occurrences. Once more, the palace kitchen staff served up a grand buffet, ranging from various styles of eggs and breakfast meats, to a hand-picked selection of cereals and baked goods, to various other items like little Rini's personal favorite, blueberry pancakes. Evan selectively tried a little bit of everything, and once more gained a few favorites to add to his personal list. There was much talk, especially amongst the Sailors. It seemed Neo Queen Serenity and King Darien had an important meeting later in the day with planetary and off-world dignitaries and diplomats, concerning a vast array of half-mentioned issues like mining rights, territory borders, and natural resources. Other than that, breakfast was quite ordinary, even to Evan.
Shortly after breakfast, and taking up the better portion of the day, were lessons with Sailor Pluto. With Uranus constantly shadowing them both, Pluto took Evan to the palace library, and encouraged him to feel free to borrow any book on the shelves before sitting him down to begin the 'lesson', which mostly comprised of her asking Evan what he most wanted to learn about and making recommendations concerning his interests. Topmost on Evan's list were history, outer space, everything related to the Sailor Scouts, and, strangely, music. Uranus made the suggestion that maybe Neptune could help Evan find an instrument to fit his tastes and abilities, as well as teach Evan the basics of musical expression. That suggestion settled well with both Pluto and Evan. The next several hours were spent with Pluto guiding Evan to resource materials related to his interests, starting of course with the more basic materials, and Evan reading away, a fascinated expression on his features as he read and asked questions. It was obvious from moment one that Evan had an intense hunger for knowledge; whether that was in direct relation to his amnesia or if it was an inherent part of his personality was impossible to distinguish, but nonetheless he went through four large volumes in five hours, two on earth's history, one about astronomy, and one a book on the Silver Millennium. His questions ranged from simplistic and almost childlike, to intellectual and thought provoking: "How big is the universe?", "Why are planets round?", "Who is Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin?", "How come Napoleon looks so short?", "Why are other planets so different from earth?", "Are stars just big explosions that stay in one place?", "What causes gravity?", "What started the Silver Millennium?", "What's the Negaverse?", "What made Queen Beryl turn evil?", and the whooper of them all "Who made the universe?", and more. Pluto did her best to answer as best she could to each one, but more than once she was forced to admit she didn't know and explain to Evan that humans can't know everything, not even Sailor Scouts. In the end, Evan ended up borrowing six books to read on his own, mostly dealing with the Silver Millennium, makeup of the universe, periods in history prior to the New Silver Millennium but after the end of the first one, and on simple scientific concepts.
"If he keeps learning like this, I won't be able to keep up with him after long." Pluto commented discretely to Uranus as Evan checked out his books at the main desk.
"No kidding. I've never seen anyone quite this fast with books. You may end up needing Amy's help soon; maybe between the two of you you'll be able to keep pace."
"Maybe, but if he keeps this pace up he might even wear both of us out. I'm starting to think you got the easier task concerning Evan."
Uranus smirked. "Maybe."
The next two hours were taken up with a tour of the east wing of the palace, during which Uranus was accompanied by Neptune and Jupiter, following up with Neo Queen Serenity's request to be Evan's friends. As they walked, Uranus told Neptune about Evan's musical interest, and Neptune gladly agreed to become Evan's music tutor. The tour showcased a good deal of the great artwork of the crystal palace, not just the sculptures and statues and murals and paintings, but also some of the architecture as well. They visited several large meeting halls and multi-purpose chambers, making a detour to show Evan the gala ballroom, then heading out into the grand gardens. It was in the gardens that Evan began the conversation that led him towards his critical decision.
As they strolled down the crystal walkways, with beautiful ivy and blossoms and a vast array of pleasant plants, Evan asked if Neo Queen Serenity was trustworthy. The question stopped all three Sailor Scouts dead in their tracks.
"Of course. Why would you think otherwise?" Jupiter inquired.
"... How do I know she isn't just interested in me because of my powers?" Evan responded, a deep sincerity and confusion in his voice. "I know she's been nice to me, but..."
"Evan," Uranus walked in front of him and looked Evan square in the eye. "I'll be totally honest with you. Yes, Neo Queen Serenity does have somewhat of an interest in your powers, there's no getting around that. But her interest in your powers is only because she doesn't want them to be put to improper or dangerous use. Part of the reason she brought you here was so you could learn to use your abilities so you could control them, to keep you from hurting yourself or other people. But it isn't just about your powers."
"That's right." Neptune added. "Our queen has a great compassion for all people. Because there was really nowhere else for you to go, and because you'd lost your memory, she hoped that by bringing you here she could help you."
"But how do I know that she isn't just helping me so she can use my powers?" Evan reasserted, placing his stack of borrowed books on the pathway beside him for the moment.
"Believe me Evan, Neo Queen Serenity doesn't have any selfish ambitions concerning your powers. She only wants what's best for you."
"But how do I know who I can trust? How do I know what's the truth, and what isn't?" He paused for a moment and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry... I want to trust but I don't know how. Nothing makes sense to me."
There was a long pause, then Jupiter came up alongside him and looked him in the eye.
"There's no shame in needing a reason to trust people, Evan. In fact, you should ask who you can trust and why, because it will help you find out who really has your best interests at heart." She placed her hands on her hips. "And if there's one criteria that always works, it's how much the person cares about you. And let me tell you something: during the entire time I've been a Sailor Scout, Neo Queen Serenity has put herself at risk to save my life and the lives of other people more times than I can count. More than once she was literally prepared to die in order to save me and the other Sailors. That kind of selflessness can always be trusted: it's the kind of friendship that's willing to give up everything, and asks nothing in return." She smiled reassuringly, emphasizing her point with the gesture. "And if there's one person I know I can trust, it's Neo Queen Serenity."
For a long moment, Evan just stood there, dumbstruck,... then a silent tear began to form in his left eye. Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter looked on with confused amazement as Evan began to cry, not making a sound, but tears streaming from his eyes nonetheless. Something Jupiter had said had obviously struck a cord in his heart, or perhaps brought back a memory or at least the feeling of a memory deeply buried. Then, wiping his tears, he looked up at Jupiter and smiled, a strange kind of smile that came from deep in his heart. It was a peculiarly striking wonder, the likes of which the three Sailors had only seldom witnessed it's equal.
And then Evan told them about his nightmares, and his encounter with Marissa.
"It would seem that the mystery concerning Evan has just reached another level." Neptune stated, the trio of Sailors having intercepted Neo Queen Serenity on her way to the meeting with the delegates. Fortunately, she and Darien had not yet left the palace, but were almost at the main gates when the three Sailors reached her.
"Why? What has happened?" She inquired, a slightly concerned tone in her voice.
"It's best if we discuss it in private." Uranus stated, and the five of them quickly made their way to an empty conference room and locked the door.
They quickly informed both her and Darien of what Evan had told them, retelling the encounter between him and the enigmatic 'Marissa' as best as possible from what Evan had told them. Jupiter added that it seemed this Marissa character was likely to be involved with or one of Dr. Matthew's theorized attackers, who had caused Evan's crashing to earth in the first place. It became quite apparent, as the group further analyzed Evan's tale, that this Marissa was quite blatantly lying to Evan about a few things: primarily, if she'd truly suspected that Evan's room was monitored, as she'd stated, she wouldn't have left the signaling crystal. Either that, or she wasn't very intelligent, or had a short memory span, but that seemed unlikely.
"Sensors detected nothing last night out of the ordinary, and the guards on duty claim to have seen nothing unusual." Uranus stated. "Which means either there's sabotage and conspiracy involved, or this 'Marissa' somehow eluded our detection grid and defenses. I personally don't like the prospects of either scenario."
"Agreed." Darien concurred, a concerned look on his face. "This matter, for now, should stay within the Sailor Scouts only, particularly the inner and outer Senshi."
"Where's Evan?" Neo Queen Serenity inquired.
"We left him with Rini and the Quartet in the gardens, and Saturn is watching him from a distance." Neptune volunteered, much to the queen's relief.
"So the question is, how do we respond to this intruder?" Darien wondered.
"We cannot let her get near Evan again, that's for certain." Serena stated, looking at Darien. "The worst possible thing that could happen right now is if he were to be kidnaped, or worse."
"What if we set an ambush?" Jupiter suggested. "Have Evan signal this 'Marissa', then move him to somewhere he'll be safe. When the intruder arrives, the Sailor Scouts should be able to capture her without much difficulty. Even if she is a Sailor, which Evan's description of her seemed to suggest."
"But if so, that brings up an entire new set of questions." Darien stated.
"The only way we'll find out is if we try this ambush idea." Neo Queen Serenity concluded. She turned to Uranus. "Have Evan touch the black crystal Marissa gave him, then quickly escort him to the underground shelter. Have the Quartet guard him there, then assemble the rest of the Sailors and prepare for the ambush. If possible, try to force whatever combat there might be into the gardens, so we lessen the risk of damage to the palace. We can replace the plants, but we must protect this building and the people in it if at all possible. Darien and I will go to the diplomatic conference, so that no one involved in this suspects that we're onto them. Uranus, we're leaving you in charge of the ambush. In the meantime, have Pluto do a discrete but thorough diagnostic of our defense grid and all our computer systems related to it. Try to track down how this person bypassed our security measures. I'm counting on you."
"Rest assured, majesties. The Sailor Scouts will not fail you, I promise." Uranus assured, with a quick bow. The other two did likewise. "By your leave."
Within an hour, the stage was set. The crystal had been triggered, and now glowed with a gentle blue luminescence, though it's energy and whatever signals it was sending were invisible to all but Mercury's specially-attuned scanners. Evan, after having been explained what was going to happen, was relocated to the underground shelter and accompanied by the Amazon Quartet and Princess Rini, now transforming into Sailor ChibiMoon in readiness for whatever would occur. The rest of the Sailors were informed of the situation in secret, and preparations for the ambush were made. Pluto's diagnostic of the palace's computers revealed no tampering; somehow, 'Marissa' had shielded herself from the sensors, or simply had no energy that the sensors were capable of detecting. Inquiry of the guards was withheld for the moment, the Sailors not wanting to tip off anyone involved as to their plan.
At last, the appointed hour was at hand.