Picture Perfect
The Guardsman Chronicles, Chapter Nine
by Rick Federle
Azmaria leaned back in her chair, the viewing globe fading
into darkness as she drew her attention away from it. She was
fairly sure she'd identified the place of origin of all the Scouts,
except for just one. Only one eluded identification, the one named
Sailor V.
Azmaria was confident her warriors could eliminate all the
other Scouts. She was fairly certain what the limitations of the
other Scouts were. And the Guardsman should prove no problem,
after all, the Negaverse had killed all of the other Guard on the
Moon with relative ease. This one should be no different.
Azmaria figured that she'd wasted enough of her warriors
testing the Scouts. Once she had figured out what this last Scout
could do then she'd be ready to launch an attack that could
eliminate all the Scouts permanently. And to figure out what this
last Scout could do would require drawing her out.
As Azmaria leaned forward again, the viewing globe began
to glow again, revealing an image. Yes, this would do nicely. She
thought.
* * *
"It must be spring." Mina commented.
"Why?" William inquired.
"Because all the summer clothes are out."
"It is April, love."
"What do you think?" Mina asked, holding up a blouse for
William's approval.
William leaned against the clothing rack, watching her.
"Gorgeous."
"I meant the blouse." Mina modeled it for him.
"Oh, the blouse." William smiled. "I don't know why
you're buying more clothes. You'll need less not more when we
get married."
"Meaning what?"
William gave her a suggestive smirk as he straightened up.
Mina giggled, throwing her arms around his neck, causing
him to put his arms around her. "All right, no more clothes." She
promised then gave him a quick kiss. She put the blouse back on
the rack. "Let's go grab a snack."
"Fine with me." William agreed, letting go of her as she
slipped out of his arms. "Then let's stop and pick up a movie for
tonight."
"Okay." Mina agreed as she took his hand, interlacing her
fingers with his.
The two left the clothing store, emerging back into the main
walkway of the mall. The two began to walk toward the food
court, which happened to be located on the other end of the mall.
"Now why is the food always on the other end of the mall from the
clothes?" William asked.
"So you can work off all those calories from snacking by the
time you get to the clothes you want." Mina suggested.
"Say, wasn't there an event you wanted to see today?"
William asked after a moment.
"Yeah." Mina said. "There's a Sailor V look alike contest
today."
"Do you remember where?"
"Main stage, I think. Let's check the event listings and
see." Mina suggested.
The two located and checked a board which gave a listening
of events the mall was hosting for the week. "Main stage."
William found it first, pointing it out.
"All right, let's go."
The two straightened back up and weaved their way
through a successively thicker crowd on their way to the main
stage. "This just isn't going to do." Mina said after a few minutes.
"Let's find someplace with a better view."
William looked around, squeezed her hand gently to get her
attention, then pointed. Mina agreed with a nod and the two
located a good vantage point just as the contest began. Mina
leaned against the railing overlooking the stage, her forearms
resting on the railing. William stood behind her, his arms around
her waist, his chin resting on her right shoulder.
"There's just no substitute for the real thing." William
whispered into Mina's ear after a few contestants had come and
gone.
"Some of them are close, though." Mina whispered back.
"Not that close." William kissed her on the cheek.
"True." Mina giggled in agreement and the two refocused
their attention back on the stage below.
"And the winner is . . . Cammy." The announcer said after
the judges had passed on their decision. The appropriate model
stepped up next to the announcer. "What's your full name,
Cammy?"
"Cammy as in Chameleon." The model said.
The announcer took on a puzzled look. "I don't . . . " his
sentence trailed off as the model changed into a shimmering blue
skinned Negamonster.
"Give me your energy." Chameleon grabbed the announcer
and began to draw energy out of him. With a gasp, he fainted.
Chameleon tossed him aside and turned to the other assembled
models.
Azmaria and half a dozen Negawarriors materialized behind
Chameleon. "Don't go anywhere just yet." Azmaria raised a hand,
locking the models in place. "The Negaverse wants your energy."
Azmaria told the frightened girls. "Drain them, Chameleon." She
commanded.
Chameleon sent an energy tentacle into each of the girls and
it began to siphon energy from them. After a moment, the girls
collapsed.
"Next." Azmaria called. Fortunately, the bulk of the crowd
had already made good their escape. A curious few, however, had
ducked behind cover to watch. Azmaria pointed toward the tail end
of the crowd. "Bring me more." She commanded and Chameleon
and the half dozen Negawarriors began to move toward the
escaping crowd.
"Crescent Beam!"
Chameleon spun around, slamming nose first into the
ground as the beam tore into its shoulder. Everyone froze and all
eyes turned in the direction where the beam had come from.
"All those other girls can't measure up to the original." A
voice called from the shadows as a figure emerged. The crowd
gave a gasp of recognition as the figure landed facing Azmaria.
"There's only one Sailor V." Sailor V flashed her a smile. "Don't
you just hate surprises?"
Azmaria glared at her. "Chameleon!"
Chameleon rolled back to its feet, and leaped toward Sailor
V.
"Rainbow Beam Shatter!" The volley of rainbow light tore
through the Negamonster, shattering it into so much dust.
"If you can't play nice, I'll have to take away your toys."
The Guardsman landed on the stage between Sailor V and where
Chameleon had been. "I've got them, take care of her."
"Gotcha." Sailor V agreed, her eyes locked with Azmaria's.
The Guardsman drew his sword as he began walking toward
the Negawarriors. "Who's first?"
The six exchanged a glance then leaped at him.
"I'm going to pound you into paste." Azmaria said.
"Keep dreaming, Negacreap." Sailor V said. "Sailor V
kick!" With that, she launched a series of attacks.
"Come on, you can do better than that." The Guardsman
taunted, his sword cutting into one of the Negawarriors. "Next!"
He called as the warrior crumpled.
"Not bad." Azmaria commented after a few minutes. "Not
that it's going to help you much." She glanced back as she felt
someone tap her shoulder.
"Hi." The Guardsman said with a smile as he wiggled his
fingers hello.
"What did you do with my warriors?" Azmaria asked,
leaping away from the two of them.
"Them?" He thumbed over his shoulder. "Dusted." He
waved his hand dismissively.
Azmaria's eyes narrowed then she teleported out.
"I was holding my own." Sailor V protested.
"I know, love." The Guardsman agreed. "I just wanted to
inform her that I was finished playing with that group and needed
some more."
Sailor V laughed as she threw her arms around him and
kissed him. "Time to go." She said after a moment.
He nodded in agreement and the two leaped together into
the shadows.
* * *
Azmaria paced back and forth. How could her warriors be
defeated so easily? She wondered. The Guardsman had proved a
far more formidable opponent than she would have expected,
especially since he had rejoined the Sailor Scouts. She'd expected
he'd be much easier to defeat, but she'd been wrong.
She paused in mid-step, a small smile playing on her lips as
an idea came to her. With practiced ease, she began to manipulate
energy, sending it into the other dimension.
* * *
"I just hope it's worth it." William told Mina later that
night as they were cuddled up together on the couch.
"What? The movie?" Mina glanced at him.
"No. The movie will be fine." William sighed. "Tonight's
session."
Mina closed her eyes and pressed her face against him. "I'm
going to be here as long as you need me."
He kissed her on the top of her head. "I hope these
nightmares stop eventually."
"They're not occurring as frequently." Mina reminded him
as she looked up at him, locking his eyes with hers.
"I know, but every time I have to fight the Negaverse, it all
comes back."
"As long as we're together, we can deal with anything."
The Guardsman Chronicles, Chapter Nine
by Rick Federle
Azmaria leaned back in her chair, the viewing globe fading
into darkness as she drew her attention away from it. She was
fairly sure she'd identified the place of origin of all the Scouts,
except for just one. Only one eluded identification, the one named
Sailor V.
Azmaria was confident her warriors could eliminate all the
other Scouts. She was fairly certain what the limitations of the
other Scouts were. And the Guardsman should prove no problem,
after all, the Negaverse had killed all of the other Guard on the
Moon with relative ease. This one should be no different.
Azmaria figured that she'd wasted enough of her warriors
testing the Scouts. Once she had figured out what this last Scout
could do then she'd be ready to launch an attack that could
eliminate all the Scouts permanently. And to figure out what this
last Scout could do would require drawing her out.
As Azmaria leaned forward again, the viewing globe began
to glow again, revealing an image. Yes, this would do nicely. She
thought.
* * *
"It must be spring." Mina commented.
"Why?" William inquired.
"Because all the summer clothes are out."
"It is April, love."
"What do you think?" Mina asked, holding up a blouse for
William's approval.
William leaned against the clothing rack, watching her.
"Gorgeous."
"I meant the blouse." Mina modeled it for him.
"Oh, the blouse." William smiled. "I don't know why
you're buying more clothes. You'll need less not more when we
get married."
"Meaning what?"
William gave her a suggestive smirk as he straightened up.
Mina giggled, throwing her arms around his neck, causing
him to put his arms around her. "All right, no more clothes." She
promised then gave him a quick kiss. She put the blouse back on
the rack. "Let's go grab a snack."
"Fine with me." William agreed, letting go of her as she
slipped out of his arms. "Then let's stop and pick up a movie for
tonight."
"Okay." Mina agreed as she took his hand, interlacing her
fingers with his.
The two left the clothing store, emerging back into the main
walkway of the mall. The two began to walk toward the food
court, which happened to be located on the other end of the mall.
"Now why is the food always on the other end of the mall from the
clothes?" William asked.
"So you can work off all those calories from snacking by the
time you get to the clothes you want." Mina suggested.
"Say, wasn't there an event you wanted to see today?"
William asked after a moment.
"Yeah." Mina said. "There's a Sailor V look alike contest
today."
"Do you remember where?"
"Main stage, I think. Let's check the event listings and
see." Mina suggested.
The two located and checked a board which gave a listening
of events the mall was hosting for the week. "Main stage."
William found it first, pointing it out.
"All right, let's go."
The two straightened back up and weaved their way
through a successively thicker crowd on their way to the main
stage. "This just isn't going to do." Mina said after a few minutes.
"Let's find someplace with a better view."
William looked around, squeezed her hand gently to get her
attention, then pointed. Mina agreed with a nod and the two
located a good vantage point just as the contest began. Mina
leaned against the railing overlooking the stage, her forearms
resting on the railing. William stood behind her, his arms around
her waist, his chin resting on her right shoulder.
"There's just no substitute for the real thing." William
whispered into Mina's ear after a few contestants had come and
gone.
"Some of them are close, though." Mina whispered back.
"Not that close." William kissed her on the cheek.
"True." Mina giggled in agreement and the two refocused
their attention back on the stage below.
"And the winner is . . . Cammy." The announcer said after
the judges had passed on their decision. The appropriate model
stepped up next to the announcer. "What's your full name,
Cammy?"
"Cammy as in Chameleon." The model said.
The announcer took on a puzzled look. "I don't . . . " his
sentence trailed off as the model changed into a shimmering blue
skinned Negamonster.
"Give me your energy." Chameleon grabbed the announcer
and began to draw energy out of him. With a gasp, he fainted.
Chameleon tossed him aside and turned to the other assembled
models.
Azmaria and half a dozen Negawarriors materialized behind
Chameleon. "Don't go anywhere just yet." Azmaria raised a hand,
locking the models in place. "The Negaverse wants your energy."
Azmaria told the frightened girls. "Drain them, Chameleon." She
commanded.
Chameleon sent an energy tentacle into each of the girls and
it began to siphon energy from them. After a moment, the girls
collapsed.
"Next." Azmaria called. Fortunately, the bulk of the crowd
had already made good their escape. A curious few, however, had
ducked behind cover to watch. Azmaria pointed toward the tail end
of the crowd. "Bring me more." She commanded and Chameleon
and the half dozen Negawarriors began to move toward the
escaping crowd.
"Crescent Beam!"
Chameleon spun around, slamming nose first into the
ground as the beam tore into its shoulder. Everyone froze and all
eyes turned in the direction where the beam had come from.
"All those other girls can't measure up to the original." A
voice called from the shadows as a figure emerged. The crowd
gave a gasp of recognition as the figure landed facing Azmaria.
"There's only one Sailor V." Sailor V flashed her a smile. "Don't
you just hate surprises?"
Azmaria glared at her. "Chameleon!"
Chameleon rolled back to its feet, and leaped toward Sailor
V.
"Rainbow Beam Shatter!" The volley of rainbow light tore
through the Negamonster, shattering it into so much dust.
"If you can't play nice, I'll have to take away your toys."
The Guardsman landed on the stage between Sailor V and where
Chameleon had been. "I've got them, take care of her."
"Gotcha." Sailor V agreed, her eyes locked with Azmaria's.
The Guardsman drew his sword as he began walking toward
the Negawarriors. "Who's first?"
The six exchanged a glance then leaped at him.
"I'm going to pound you into paste." Azmaria said.
"Keep dreaming, Negacreap." Sailor V said. "Sailor V
kick!" With that, she launched a series of attacks.
"Come on, you can do better than that." The Guardsman
taunted, his sword cutting into one of the Negawarriors. "Next!"
He called as the warrior crumpled.
"Not bad." Azmaria commented after a few minutes. "Not
that it's going to help you much." She glanced back as she felt
someone tap her shoulder.
"Hi." The Guardsman said with a smile as he wiggled his
fingers hello.
"What did you do with my warriors?" Azmaria asked,
leaping away from the two of them.
"Them?" He thumbed over his shoulder. "Dusted." He
waved his hand dismissively.
Azmaria's eyes narrowed then she teleported out.
"I was holding my own." Sailor V protested.
"I know, love." The Guardsman agreed. "I just wanted to
inform her that I was finished playing with that group and needed
some more."
Sailor V laughed as she threw her arms around him and
kissed him. "Time to go." She said after a moment.
He nodded in agreement and the two leaped together into
the shadows.
* * *
Azmaria paced back and forth. How could her warriors be
defeated so easily? She wondered. The Guardsman had proved a
far more formidable opponent than she would have expected,
especially since he had rejoined the Sailor Scouts. She'd expected
he'd be much easier to defeat, but she'd been wrong.
She paused in mid-step, a small smile playing on her lips as
an idea came to her. With practiced ease, she began to manipulate
energy, sending it into the other dimension.
* * *
"I just hope it's worth it." William told Mina later that
night as they were cuddled up together on the couch.
"What? The movie?" Mina glanced at him.
"No. The movie will be fine." William sighed. "Tonight's
session."
Mina closed her eyes and pressed her face against him. "I'm
going to be here as long as you need me."
He kissed her on the top of her head. "I hope these
nightmares stop eventually."
"They're not occurring as frequently." Mina reminded him
as she looked up at him, locking his eyes with hers.
"I know, but every time I have to fight the Negaverse, it all
comes back."
"As long as we're together, we can deal with anything."