Act Fourteen - An Indecent Proposal
Sailor Moon stared into the darkness at those fluorescent green eyes, so full of evil. He was staring straight at her, causing her to shiver in fear. It was almost as if he could see directly into her soul.
The shadows surrounding him suddenly lifted, revealing both Damian and his mother, the notorious Queen Jade, who was sitting on her cast-iron throne.
Sailor Moon stepped backwards, unsure of what to do. She wished the others were here with her.Why did she ever leave the camp? Now she was all alone and nobody could save her.
"Are you Queen Jade?" she asked, her voice quivering.
"The one and only, sweetheart," the witch replied. "And of course, you remember my son, Prince Damian, don't you, Sailor Moon?"
Damian walked over to the spot where Sailor Moon stood and kissed her trembling hand as he had done at the Crystal Ball. The dance was so long ago, yet she vividly remembered their single romantic waltz together. To discover that it was he who stole the crystal that very night turned her blood cold with hate.
"It is indeed a pleasure to meet you again, my dear Princess Lady Serenity."
Appalled by his actions, she quickly yanked her hand away and slapped him across his arrogant face, but instead of making him angry, Damian simply laughed.
"Where's the Silver Crystal, Damian?" Sailor Moon asked, gaining back her courage. "Give the crystal back to me, or you'll regret the day you were born!"
"It's nice to meet a girl with a good sense of humor these days," he sneered. "Face it, Sailor Moon. Without your friends to help you out, you're nothing. The war is over, victory belongs to the Dark Kingdom, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"You're wrong, Damian!"
Sailor Moon pulled out her scepter and pointed it directly toward him. "I will turn you into moon dust. CELESTIAL RO--"
Before she could finish her attack, a giant mass of negative energy came toward her, knocking the wand out of her hands. Sailor Moon could only look on helplessly as it shattered into a million tiny pieces in front of her feet.
"My Rose Petal Scepter has broken?" she said to herself, not really believing what had happened.
She fell to her knees and grabbed a handful of the small fragments of glass, letting fall through her fingers. This was impossible! The Rose Petal Scepter was supposed to be invincible. What was she going to do?
"You're not so brave without your little toy, are you?" Jade laughed. "Honestly, I was expecting more from the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity. But if you are interested, we may be able to come to an understanding."
"No deal, Jade. I would rather die than give into your demands!"
Jade stood up, a knowing smile playing upon her blood red lips. "I wouldn't be so quick to answer, Sailor Moon. Guards, bring our prisoner to the throne room!"
Sailor Saturn and Diana felt along the wall, trying to find a switch or a button that would make the golden door reappear. They had to find Sailor Moon before it was too late. Diana sensed her mistress was in grave danger.
"Small Lady, we'll find you somehow. I promise you we will. Just please be okay…"
The others rushed to their side and began to help them find the door, but even with theadditional assistance, they were unable to discover the trigger. Uranus punched the wall in frustration. It was just an ordinary cement wall, nothing special about it at all.
"It's hopeless!" Venus wailed. "There's no way to make the door appear again, and I've already broken two nails."
"Maybe there is a way in, Venus," Saturn said, amazed she didn't think of it sooner.
SATURN GHOSTLY APPEARANCE!
She attempted to pass through the wall in her phantom form, but was pushed back by some kind of energy. "I don't understand. This worked the first time I used it. What's stopping us?"
Using her mother's VR goggles, Mercury quickly analyzed the situation. "There's a negative energy barrier surrounding the wall. We'll have to find another way in."
"Where are we, anyway, Mercury?" Neptune asked. "It's so cold and creepy down here."
She pulled out her computer and brought the map back on the screen. "Here we are," she said, pointing to their location. "We are near the prison cells."
"But why would Sailor Moon want to go to the dungeon? It doesn't make sense."
"I have no idea, Neptune, but it also looks like Queen Jade's lair is on the other side of this wall," Mercury informed them. "If we just continue on the way we planned, I'm sure we'll find the entrance."
Saturn groaned. "It might take hours before we reach the real door, and I don't think we have enough time, especially since it appears Sailor Moon has been captured by Jade. Are you sure there's no other way?"
"I'm afraid not, Saturn," Mercury replied. "We better start walking if we are to have any chance of saving the princess. Let's get going."
Mercury took the lead as the rest of the Neo-Soldiers followed closely behind, anxious to find their friend. Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion would never forgive them if something happened to their daughter. It was their duty to protect Princess Lady Serenity.
As they walked past the prison, Mars suddenly stopped in her tracks, nearly stepping on Diana's tail, and told everybody to get up against the wall.
"What is it, Mars?" Pluto asked in a soft whisper. "Do you sense something?"
"I heard some voices."
She put her finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet. In the dead silence, two male voices could plainly be heard.
"That Princess Lady Serenity is some looker, heh, Seth?" one of the voices said. "I tell you, Prince Damian sure knows how to pick them."
The second man laughed as he pulled out a jumble of keys. "I have to admit I wouldn't mind waking up next to that every morning instead of that cow I call a wife."
Mars glanced around the corner, curious to what the two men were going to do. The one with the keys unlocked one of the cells as the other went inside to get the prisoner. When he reappeared a few moments later, she couldn't help but gasp as she realized the identity of the third man. Suddenly, Sailor Moon's midnight visit to the dungeons didn't seem so crazy.
"Hey, Cain," the second guard said. "Didja hear something?"
"Must have been your imagination. Come on. We better get this prisoner to Queen Jade before she gets angry."
Cain shoved the prisoner forward as a second golden door appeared. Sailor Mars prepared to attack, but they quickly disappeared into the wall, the door vanishing as it did the first time.
"Mars, what just happened?" Jupiter asked. "Why did you seem so surprised?"
"It's Helios-sama!"
Sailor Moon's heart pounded against her rib cage as she stared at the wall the two guards had walked through to retrieve the prisoner. Had they captured one of the Sailor Neo-Soldiers? She would never forgive herself if something happened to her friends while she was supposed to have been watching over them.
A few minutes later, the golden door reappeared as Seth and Cain entered the room, flanking each side of the prisoner, whose eyes remained glued to the floor. Sailor Moon gasped and attempted to run to his side, but was held back by another of Queen Jade's guards. Helios still was unaware of her presence.
The guard with the keys roughly pushed Helios forward. "Bow when you are in the presence of the great and powerful Jade, queen of the Dark Kingdom."
"I only bow to the true rulers, Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion of Silver Millennium," Helios declared in his strong and steady voice.
"You will show honor to Queen Jade," the other guard said, sending a burst of energy at his back, which caused Helios to fall to his knees against his will.
Sailor Moon couldn't just stand by and watch Helios being treated this way. Almost with superhuman strength, she managed to free herself from the guard's grasp and ran over to help him. This time, they made no attempt to stop her.
"Helios, are you okay?" she asked, the concern apparent in her voice. He looked up at her large ruby eyes, then immediately glanced back down. "Look at me, please," she said.
He again glanced up at her and weakly smiled, wanting to take Sailor Moon in his arms, but he was unable to because of his handcuffs. "I'm fine, maiden," he assured her as she gently traced the scratch on his cheek with her thumb. He winced in pain. "It's just a scratch."
Sailor Moon helped Helios stand back up, then turned toward Damian and his mother, the anger burning in his eyes. "Let Helios go, Jade! He has nothing to do with this. I'll do anything, just free him."
Jade's thin lips turned up in a smile. Her plan was working perfectly.
"I had a feeling you would come to see things my way, Sailor Moon," Jade replied. "Here's the deal. Marry my son, and I'll let Priest Helios live. Refuse, and you will send your lover to his death!"