Consequence
The Guardsman Chronicles, Chapter Twelve
by Rick Federle
Mina rolled over and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Mina." Artemis told her from
the doorway.
Mina bounced out of bed then went over and picked the cat
up, hugging him. "Thanks, Artemis." She said with a smile.
"So, what are your plans today?" Artemis asked as Mina
held him out to arms length.
"I'm going shopping, then I'm going to stop by the temple
and see the girls, then I'm going over to William's for dinner."
Mina declared brightly, her face glowing with happiness. She put
Artemis down and changed out of her pajamas and into her cream
sleeveless dress.
"Bye mom!" Mina called as she stopped in the foyer long
enough to put on her faded white loafers.
"Are you going to come home tonight?" Her mother called
from the other room. "You're never home."
"Probably not until late." Mina admitted, opening the door.
"I want you home for dinner." Her father told her.
"But I promised William we'd have dinner together
tonight." Mina protested.
"You spend too much time with him." Her mother said.
"The least you can do on your birthday is have dinner with your
parents."
"I'm going to have dinner with him." Mina stated
stubbornly.
"We'll wait until eight for you." Her father informed her.
"I'll be with William tonight." Mina repeated, turning to the
door. She opened it and stepped outside.
"If you're not home by eight, we're assuming that you're
not coming home."
Mina stopped, letting go of the door and it closed by itself
with a sudden hollow thud. She turned to look at the door and then
there was the harsh click of the lock being engaged.
"Oh come on, Mina. They didn't really mean it." Serena
tried to reassure her later.
Mina had her head propped up on her elbows, her chin sunk
in her palms, a depressed look on her face. "It was very harsh.
Like they were rejecting me." She'd just wandered for a bit before
heading to the temple to talk with the other girls.
"They're just concerned because of the amount of time you
spend with William." Raye suggested.
"I don't spend too much time with William." Mina said
quietly.
"Well . . . " Raye began.
Mina sat up, her eyes snapping into focus. "Oh, so you
agree too." She interrupted, an edge entering her voice.
"It's just that . . . " Raye tried again.
"Everyone's against us." Mina cut her off again as she
stood up. "It's him or you. Then fine, I chose him." With that,
she turned and fled from the room, the door hanging open, left that
way by her during her abrupt passage, the sounds of her sobbing
echoing back to the other girls.
"What were you trying to do, huh?" Serena got in Raye's
face. "She came to us for reassurance and look what you do. Now
she's run off who knows where. She could get hurt because she's
not thinking straight."
"Wait a minute!" Raye became defensive. "I was just going
to tell her that her parents were worried about her. I wasn't about
to agree with them."
"Well, you couldn't tell that from the way you were
talking."
"Hold it, you two." Lita shoved them apart. "Let's go find
Mina. Given the way she is now, she could go anywhere."
"Where do we start looking?" Serena asked.
"I'll try to get ahold of William." Amy commented,
drawing the other's attention to her. "If she doesn't go there she'll
probably go to one of the places she used to hang out."
"Let's split up and try and find her." Serena said, drawing a
nod from the other girls.
"Shh. I'm here." William said soothingly, stroking Mina's
hair as he held her close.
Mina sniffed back the tears, not able to recall how she'd
gotten into William's arms, much less his apartment. She must
have come here while she was crying. It was the only place she had
left now. Mina tightened her grip on him. "My parents told me not
to come back if I wasn't home tonight. They don't want me to
spend time with you anymore." Mina sniffed again, rubbing her
face in his shirt. He continued to stroke her hair soothingly. "The
girls agree. They want me to leave you."
"Shh." William kissed the top of her head. "I'm here. I'm
not going to leave you."
"I know." Mina looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "I'm
not going to leave you no matter what anyone else wants. I want
to be with you. Only you." She rested her head against his chest
again.
"Take off your shoes and wash your face." William said as
he stopped stoking her hair. "Then go lie down." He let go of her.
"Will you join me?" Mina asked as she let go of him.
"I will." He promised.
Mina reached down and took off her loafers, resting one
hand against William for support. William kissed the top of her
head again. Mina hugged him briefly and headed from the bedroom
into the bathroom. William walked into the living room and picked
up the phone.
Mina looked at the reflection of herself in the mirror after
splashing some cold water on her face. The face that looked back
at her was sad, the eyes filled with regret. "At least I still have
William." Mina said quietly. "He's all I have left now." Mina
turned to find William standing in the doorway. She stepped into
the circle of his arms, hugging him tight. "Can I stay here?" She
asked, locking her eyes with his.
"Yes." The single word said volumes.
"They've rejected us both." Mina said quietly.
"Shh." William hugged her close.
Mina stretched upward, her lips seeking his. Tentatively
their lips met and as the kiss went on, it grew more passionate.
"William?" Mina asked when he stepped back from her.
He shook his head as he took her in his arms again. "You
need some sleep." He suggested, looking down into her eyes.
"You'll feel better."
"All right." Mina agreed reluctantly.
* * *
"You summoned me, Great Negaforce?" Azmaria asked,
bowing.
"Yes, Azmaria. You have failed to carry out my orders.
Why?"
Azmaria paused, taking the time to straighten up. "Because
the Sailor Scouts are much stronger than they were when Queen
Beryl confronted them."
"Strip the defenses to a bare minimum then capture one of
the Sailor Scouts and bring her here. I will destroy the Scouts."
The Negaforce declared.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Azmaria asked.
"Do as I say." The Negaforce commanded. "Now go and
do my bidding."
"Yes, my master." Azmaria bowed and vanished.
I'm not going to weaken our defenses just because the
Negaforce wants revenge. I've just taken enough of the guards to
make it look good. Azmaria smiled slightly at the thought as she
materialized near one of the portal chambers, a very large group of
warriors materializing in stages behind her. If it wants to destroy
itself trying to kill the Scouts, so much the better.
"Open the portal and do not close it until instructed
otherwise." Azmaria commanded. "You all, come with me." The
Negawarriors nodded in agreement.
* * *
"I can't believe it." Serena said. "I can't believe that Mina
just went off like that. And when we couldn't find her we thought
we'd better get ahold of you."
"What happened?" Susan asked.
"Mina's parent's threatened to lock her out if she wasn't
home by eight." Raye explained. "We suggested that maybe her
parents thought she was spending too much time with William. She
took it the wrong way, I guess, and stormed out of here crying.
Like we'd rejected her or something."
"Well, she's probably with William." Michelle suggested.
"She'll go to the only place she thinks she has left."
Serena's eyes took on a determined look. "Then let's go
right over there and straighten this out."
"Right." The others nodded in agreement.
"Drain them." Azmaria commanded, pointing to a fleeing
group of people. "We'll get the attention of the Scouts soon
enough." The Negawarriors caught some of the people in energy
tentacles, the rest made good their escape.
"That's enough, Negacreaps!" Sailor Moon called from the
top of a nearby building. She and the other Inners landed facing
Azmaria. "For love and justice, I am
Sailor Moon. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you."
"Take them." Azmaria commanded.
Mina and William looked over at the sound of Mina's wrist
communicator. It lay on the floor nearby where Mina had tossed it.
"All call." William said quietly to the woman in his arms.
"Let them rot." Mina snapped, pressing her face against his
chest, pulling the sheets up slightly to cover her shoulders.
"We should help them." William suggested.
"Why?" Mina snuggled up against him.
"Because we have a responsibility to do so." William
reminded her. Mina looked up at him. "Just once more. For me."
"All right." Mina agreed.
The ground was scattered with gaping holes and walls had
whole sections blown out. Energy flared back and forth between
the two groups, the Scouts on one and Azmaria and her
Negawarriors on the other. The struggle was indecisive and was
only serving to wear out the Scouts as neither could gain the upper
hand. More and more Negawarriors poured from the nearby portal,
which stood invitingly open. The Scouts had been pressed back
into a circle for the moment..
"How many of them are there?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Too many." Neptune commented.
"Dead Scream."
"World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
The Negawarriors scattered briefly before the combined
attack, this time forcing the Scouts apart when they pressed the
attack again.
"Venus Meteor Shower!"
Azmaria raised the crystal blade in her hand, preparing to
throw it at Sailor Venus. I'm going to get rid of one of these
Scouts. Azmaria thought.
"Venus! Duck!" The Guardsman called as he tackled
Azmaria. Azmaria's crystal blade went flying.
"You'll do." Azmaria said as they fell and she pressed her
hands against the sides of the Guardsman's head so that energy
sparks shot from her hands into his head. The Guardsman gasped
in pain as he passed out. "Through the portal." Azmaria
commanded, then vanished with a flicker, taking the Guardsman
with her. The Negawarriors vanished a heartbeat later.
The Guardsman Chronicles, Chapter Twelve
by Rick Federle
Mina rolled over and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Mina." Artemis told her from
the doorway.
Mina bounced out of bed then went over and picked the cat
up, hugging him. "Thanks, Artemis." She said with a smile.
"So, what are your plans today?" Artemis asked as Mina
held him out to arms length.
"I'm going shopping, then I'm going to stop by the temple
and see the girls, then I'm going over to William's for dinner."
Mina declared brightly, her face glowing with happiness. She put
Artemis down and changed out of her pajamas and into her cream
sleeveless dress.
"Bye mom!" Mina called as she stopped in the foyer long
enough to put on her faded white loafers.
"Are you going to come home tonight?" Her mother called
from the other room. "You're never home."
"Probably not until late." Mina admitted, opening the door.
"I want you home for dinner." Her father told her.
"But I promised William we'd have dinner together
tonight." Mina protested.
"You spend too much time with him." Her mother said.
"The least you can do on your birthday is have dinner with your
parents."
"I'm going to have dinner with him." Mina stated
stubbornly.
"We'll wait until eight for you." Her father informed her.
"I'll be with William tonight." Mina repeated, turning to the
door. She opened it and stepped outside.
"If you're not home by eight, we're assuming that you're
not coming home."
Mina stopped, letting go of the door and it closed by itself
with a sudden hollow thud. She turned to look at the door and then
there was the harsh click of the lock being engaged.
"Oh come on, Mina. They didn't really mean it." Serena
tried to reassure her later.
Mina had her head propped up on her elbows, her chin sunk
in her palms, a depressed look on her face. "It was very harsh.
Like they were rejecting me." She'd just wandered for a bit before
heading to the temple to talk with the other girls.
"They're just concerned because of the amount of time you
spend with William." Raye suggested.
"I don't spend too much time with William." Mina said
quietly.
"Well . . . " Raye began.
Mina sat up, her eyes snapping into focus. "Oh, so you
agree too." She interrupted, an edge entering her voice.
"It's just that . . . " Raye tried again.
"Everyone's against us." Mina cut her off again as she
stood up. "It's him or you. Then fine, I chose him." With that,
she turned and fled from the room, the door hanging open, left that
way by her during her abrupt passage, the sounds of her sobbing
echoing back to the other girls.
"What were you trying to do, huh?" Serena got in Raye's
face. "She came to us for reassurance and look what you do. Now
she's run off who knows where. She could get hurt because she's
not thinking straight."
"Wait a minute!" Raye became defensive. "I was just going
to tell her that her parents were worried about her. I wasn't about
to agree with them."
"Well, you couldn't tell that from the way you were
talking."
"Hold it, you two." Lita shoved them apart. "Let's go find
Mina. Given the way she is now, she could go anywhere."
"Where do we start looking?" Serena asked.
"I'll try to get ahold of William." Amy commented,
drawing the other's attention to her. "If she doesn't go there she'll
probably go to one of the places she used to hang out."
"Let's split up and try and find her." Serena said, drawing a
nod from the other girls.
"Shh. I'm here." William said soothingly, stroking Mina's
hair as he held her close.
Mina sniffed back the tears, not able to recall how she'd
gotten into William's arms, much less his apartment. She must
have come here while she was crying. It was the only place she had
left now. Mina tightened her grip on him. "My parents told me not
to come back if I wasn't home tonight. They don't want me to
spend time with you anymore." Mina sniffed again, rubbing her
face in his shirt. He continued to stroke her hair soothingly. "The
girls agree. They want me to leave you."
"Shh." William kissed the top of her head. "I'm here. I'm
not going to leave you."
"I know." Mina looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "I'm
not going to leave you no matter what anyone else wants. I want
to be with you. Only you." She rested her head against his chest
again.
"Take off your shoes and wash your face." William said as
he stopped stoking her hair. "Then go lie down." He let go of her.
"Will you join me?" Mina asked as she let go of him.
"I will." He promised.
Mina reached down and took off her loafers, resting one
hand against William for support. William kissed the top of her
head again. Mina hugged him briefly and headed from the bedroom
into the bathroom. William walked into the living room and picked
up the phone.
Mina looked at the reflection of herself in the mirror after
splashing some cold water on her face. The face that looked back
at her was sad, the eyes filled with regret. "At least I still have
William." Mina said quietly. "He's all I have left now." Mina
turned to find William standing in the doorway. She stepped into
the circle of his arms, hugging him tight. "Can I stay here?" She
asked, locking her eyes with his.
"Yes." The single word said volumes.
"They've rejected us both." Mina said quietly.
"Shh." William hugged her close.
Mina stretched upward, her lips seeking his. Tentatively
their lips met and as the kiss went on, it grew more passionate.
"William?" Mina asked when he stepped back from her.
He shook his head as he took her in his arms again. "You
need some sleep." He suggested, looking down into her eyes.
"You'll feel better."
"All right." Mina agreed reluctantly.
* * *
"You summoned me, Great Negaforce?" Azmaria asked,
bowing.
"Yes, Azmaria. You have failed to carry out my orders.
Why?"
Azmaria paused, taking the time to straighten up. "Because
the Sailor Scouts are much stronger than they were when Queen
Beryl confronted them."
"Strip the defenses to a bare minimum then capture one of
the Sailor Scouts and bring her here. I will destroy the Scouts."
The Negaforce declared.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Azmaria asked.
"Do as I say." The Negaforce commanded. "Now go and
do my bidding."
"Yes, my master." Azmaria bowed and vanished.
I'm not going to weaken our defenses just because the
Negaforce wants revenge. I've just taken enough of the guards to
make it look good. Azmaria smiled slightly at the thought as she
materialized near one of the portal chambers, a very large group of
warriors materializing in stages behind her. If it wants to destroy
itself trying to kill the Scouts, so much the better.
"Open the portal and do not close it until instructed
otherwise." Azmaria commanded. "You all, come with me." The
Negawarriors nodded in agreement.
* * *
"I can't believe it." Serena said. "I can't believe that Mina
just went off like that. And when we couldn't find her we thought
we'd better get ahold of you."
"What happened?" Susan asked.
"Mina's parent's threatened to lock her out if she wasn't
home by eight." Raye explained. "We suggested that maybe her
parents thought she was spending too much time with William. She
took it the wrong way, I guess, and stormed out of here crying.
Like we'd rejected her or something."
"Well, she's probably with William." Michelle suggested.
"She'll go to the only place she thinks she has left."
Serena's eyes took on a determined look. "Then let's go
right over there and straighten this out."
"Right." The others nodded in agreement.
"Drain them." Azmaria commanded, pointing to a fleeing
group of people. "We'll get the attention of the Scouts soon
enough." The Negawarriors caught some of the people in energy
tentacles, the rest made good their escape.
"That's enough, Negacreaps!" Sailor Moon called from the
top of a nearby building. She and the other Inners landed facing
Azmaria. "For love and justice, I am
Sailor Moon. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you."
"Take them." Azmaria commanded.
Mina and William looked over at the sound of Mina's wrist
communicator. It lay on the floor nearby where Mina had tossed it.
"All call." William said quietly to the woman in his arms.
"Let them rot." Mina snapped, pressing her face against his
chest, pulling the sheets up slightly to cover her shoulders.
"We should help them." William suggested.
"Why?" Mina snuggled up against him.
"Because we have a responsibility to do so." William
reminded her. Mina looked up at him. "Just once more. For me."
"All right." Mina agreed.
The ground was scattered with gaping holes and walls had
whole sections blown out. Energy flared back and forth between
the two groups, the Scouts on one and Azmaria and her
Negawarriors on the other. The struggle was indecisive and was
only serving to wear out the Scouts as neither could gain the upper
hand. More and more Negawarriors poured from the nearby portal,
which stood invitingly open. The Scouts had been pressed back
into a circle for the moment..
"How many of them are there?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Too many." Neptune commented.
"Dead Scream."
"World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
The Negawarriors scattered briefly before the combined
attack, this time forcing the Scouts apart when they pressed the
attack again.
"Venus Meteor Shower!"
Azmaria raised the crystal blade in her hand, preparing to
throw it at Sailor Venus. I'm going to get rid of one of these
Scouts. Azmaria thought.
"Venus! Duck!" The Guardsman called as he tackled
Azmaria. Azmaria's crystal blade went flying.
"You'll do." Azmaria said as they fell and she pressed her
hands against the sides of the Guardsman's head so that energy
sparks shot from her hands into his head. The Guardsman gasped
in pain as he passed out. "Through the portal." Azmaria
commanded, then vanished with a flicker, taking the Guardsman
with her. The Negawarriors vanished a heartbeat later.