The being known to Earth's legends as Dracula crossed the space of the lair to gaze out of the dimensional window over Tokyo. "Leave me." It did not bother looking over its shoulder to where Daemon awaited its orders. "I require rest. The transformation has left me drained. While I sleep, I wish for you to send more of your constructs out. Let them feed to their desire, but collect the energy that they gather so that I may consume it later."
"Of course, my Queen." Daemon bowed his head. "There is but one thing that still requires your attention." He gestured with his left hand. Out of the surrounding shadows floated Sailor Pluto's limp body. Dark chains bound her wrists, knees, ankles and throat, and her skin was ashen. She still lived, but only just. "What is to be done with this one? It was necessary to capture her, lest she alert the others to what was happening, but we have no real use for her."
"Leave her here. The humans you provided have left me sated for now, but I relish the feel of her agony."
"As you wish, my Queen." With that, Daemon bowed one last time and disappeared.

Trembling, unable to believe her fate, Usagi watched these proceedings while feelings of hopelessness washed over her yet again. When she had felt that . . . creature invade her body, she had thought herself done for. However, she had awakened some indeterminate time later in a tiny corner of darkness somewhere deep in the reaches of her mind.
Oh, gods, Pluto! When did they get her? Is she still alive? I can't tell; she doesn't look too alive. And where are they? I'd like to know where I am, for that matter. I have no idea why I'm still alive. Perhaps . . .
She hadn't put up much of a fight once the possession had begun. She hadn't really had a choice. There had only been that one opportunity to speak, and she had used it more to bolster the others' hope then for anything else. Honestly, she didn't actually have much hope.
Is this to be the all of my existence? To sit and watch the atrocities these creatures commit for all of eternity? I'd rather die . . . except that I don't really think I can die like this. Mamoru, guys, what do I do?
She could only wait.
***

Meanwhile, the other eight Senshi and Mamoru stood silently in front of the Door of Time.
"There must be some trick to making it work." Mamoru snapped his fingers. "Of course! Pluto would never have let them take her Garnet Orb. That thing must be the key to controlling the door! There's probably some sort of code to get it to appear." He started calling out random words, certain that one would work.
"Mamoru." There was a small tug on his sleeve.
"Not now! I think I'm getting somewhere. Her favorite color is green, right? So maybe . . ." When the tug repeated, he looking down in annoyance, only to be met with the sight of Saturn bearing the Orb. "How'd you do that?!"
The slim girl shrugged. "I called it and asked it to come." Mamoru stared at her in silent bafflement. So simple!
"Um . . . well, okay, Saturn. Any idea how it works?"
"I know." Chibi Moon stepped forward and took the orb from her friend. "Puu showed how when I used to visit her back in Crystal Tokyo. You focus on one occurrence and the orb does the rest. What should I think of?"
"I guess the easiest thing is that transformation that just occurred. If that isn't specific enough, I don't know what is," Mercury suggested.
"Okay. Here goes." The pink-haired girl stared straight ahead, into the Doorway. Images began to flash through it, too quickly for anyone to tell what they depicted. Suddenly, it stopped and began flashing between two totally diverse scenes.
In the first, Usagi, or whatever possessed her, stood triumphant over the rest of her former teammates. Upon closer inspection, the Senshi could see not only themselves, but also those they had fought with in the past: the Amazoness Quartet, the Sailor Stars and more. In the background, it was possible to see vampires as they stole the blood of every man, woman and child on earth.
"Dear gods," whispered Neptune. "We can't let that happen."
"But look at that other one!" gestured Mars. "Just look! Oh, she's beautiful."
Indeed. In the second scene, Usagi's black wings and costume were a gleaming white. Her eyes had returned to their normal azure hue, her skin was rosy, and the vampire fangs were gone. Before her cowered the vampires that had forced her transformation, and her friends stood behind, protecting and supporting their leader as they were meant to do.
"If we can figure out how to prompt the second possibility, we can win! We can get Usagi back!"

Usagi.
Usagi woke from the half-doze she had fallen into. "What? Who's there?" Although she had no body in this state, it felt almost as though she still controlled one. To make noise, she "spoke," and although it may have been only her imagination, she felt stiff and tired. Perhaps it was only the ghost pangs that she had once read about, that were experienced by individuals who had lost limbs or use of their bodies.
It's real, Usagi. I promise you, it's real. Though it is possessed by that monster, you can still feel your body.
"Who is that? What do you mean?" Dear gods, that sounds like-
It's Pluto, Usagi. Existing only in your mind as you do now, your psychic "ears" are sharp enough that I can still speak to you, mind to mind.
"Pluto! I really thought you were dead when I saw you!" An enormous wave of relief swept through Usagi. "Are you okay?"
Yes, for now. Now listen to me, because this is very important. Hidden away as you are, that monster could not follow you deep enough into your mind to completely destroy you. The ties to your body are still there, although they are tenuous. When he sleeps, his control relaxes enough that you can regain some of your powers.
"Really? But . . . but what good will that do? Even with my full strength, I couldn't save myself. I don't stand a chance like this!"
Usagi, I'm going to show you something that has never been revealed to one not of my line.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
The Guardian of Time has always been a Sailor Pluto. This is a mode of travel that my family uses when we have no other options available. Swear that, if we both survive this, you will never tell a soul. If I die, you must teach it to the next Guardian, one you yourself must choose.
"But-"
Pay attention. You are already one step there, because you are floating free inside of your mind, unbound by strong ties to the flesh. The monster is asleep. Reach deep inside and grasp what power you still have available to you.
"Okay." Though dubious, she reached for the power in the same way she always did when preparing an energy attack. A thin flow of power responded to her command and began to grow stronger. Slowly, so slowly, she could feel herself being becoming flushed with energy.
What seemed like hours later, when she could hold no more, Pluto's voice returned. Stop. Now follow me.
"But I can't see you."
A dim image began to appear. It wavered, then solidified into the ghostly figure of Pluto. Better? Now come on. We have to hurry. If the monster wakes up before we're gone, he'll know what's happening, and he'll destroy us. Give me your hand.
"But I don't have a-"
Look down at yourself. Usagi did so, and saw, to her surprise, a ghostly body similar to Pluto's. It was similar to her real body, but it gave off a glow of pure white and silver. This is your astral form. You couldn't see or feel it before because you weren't supplying yourself with energy.
"Why am I glowing?"
That's your aura. Everyone has one. The colors depend on the purity of your spirit. You, my dear Usagi, have the most pure spirit of anyone I know. If you look at the other Senshi while in this form, you will see that they have very similar auras. The monsters that have imprisoned you, however, have auras that are nearly pure black. There is no good whatsoever to be found in those creatures.
"How did you learn all of this? Did the last Sailor Pluto teach you?"
Sadly, no. My predecessor was killed in battle. Your own mother, Queen Serenity, taught me all of the knowledge I now hold. The Queen, or Princess, and the Guardian of Time are the only two who ever possess this knowledge. It is both my duty and my honor to be teaching you. However, the rest of the lesson will have to wait for another time. We really must hurry. Now come with me.
Usagi took a deep breath and followed the mysterious Guardian.
***

Mamoru, Saturn, Neptune and Mercury stood with the three cats in front of the Doorway. The others had left long ago, to fight the vampires that had been released within the city. It had been decided that these four were the best equipped to figure out a way to reach the more positive of the two possible futures. Having exhausted every scientific and magical resource they possessed, the four now simply stood and watched the two images frozen in the Doorway.
"Is there any way to figure out precisely when these futures take place? If we knew how much time we had, that might help." Neptune massaged her temples with gloved hands. How she wished that Haruka were there to do the same for her tight shoulders. But her love was desperately needed elsewhere, and she accepted that. It was just the way things were. Uranus was possible the strongest of the Senshi, not including Saturn and Sailor Moon.
"I think . . . there might be." Luna leaned forward to peer at the images. "The moon is visible in both scenes. Is it possible to learn just what phase it's in?
Mercury wearily lifted her laptop. "If I can scan it into the computer, I have some software that might be able to analyze the image." She took out an odd devise and held it up to the Doorway. "I built this portable mini-scanner for things like this. No better time to see if it works . . . and it does! I've got the first scene scanned and downloaded, and my program is analyzing the moon's shape. I'll just do the second one now. I don't know how long this will take, but I might be able to even give a time of day."
Mamoru leaned over and whispered to Neptune, "I didn't know you could do that sort of thing with a computer. Shows just how tech-wise I am."
Diana's sharp ears caught his remark. "Well, your technology can't, but I brought back some stuff that the future Mercury though this Mercury might enjoy. She's got stuff you couldn't even dream of." (AN: I know I haven't included Diana until now; I just forgot! And I have no idea if this sort of thing is technologically possible! ^-^)
Mamoru shook his head. "How convenient."
A soft chime fifteen minutes later brought heads up. Mercury peered at her screen. "It worked. According to this, the scene from the bad future only takes place in a few days. As for the other-" She broke off with a gasp.
"What?"
Saturn tilted her head to look at the screen. "If we're going to win this thing, we have to do it in four hours."
***