Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos
Episode 19 'Unfortunate Arrival'
It wasn't the cold that returned Sailor Venus to consciousness, but the fact
that she had been in between unconsciousness and sleep for long enough that
her energy had returned enough for her body to begin working again. If it
wasn't for the fact that she was in senshi guise she would have awoken long
ago due to the absence of the little bit of energy it took from herself to
maintain it. But if she had been merely Minako, the cold probably would have
frozen her to death hours ago. Aside from all those excess possibilities,
the first thing she noticed before opening her eyes was the fact that it was
freezing cold. Although her fuku protected her from freezing, she still felt
the icy cold hand of death on her shoulder.
Wait a minute, she really did feel an icy cold hand on her shoulder!
Half-awake and relying primarily on first instincts she cried out, pushed
the hand off her shoulder and shoved herself aside. Unfortunately, she moved
out a little too far and discovered an empty space which had suddenly
appeared below her. Quite promptly she suddenly found that there was now a
couple feet of water between her head and breathable air.
Now it only took a fraction of a second for Sailor Venus to realize that the
temperature of the water was hovering around the freezing point, so you can
pretty much imagine what her reaction was. Sputtering and now completely
awake, she quickly assessed her surroundings.
She was on a shore of snow, but warm ocean currents had kept ice from
forming. The sky was a gray overcast, it was in the evening, and Tuxedo Kamen
was unconscious and floating in the water beside her. She grabbed his
shoulder and tried to shake him awake. "Mamoru, are you all right? Wake up!
Mamoru!"
She drew her hand away to find it covered with a thin layer of blood. "Oh my
God, are you....." Venus shuddered and quickly banished the thought. Sliding
the piece of driftwood they had tied themselves to aside, she carefully
lifted herself out of the water and then easily lifted Mamoru out with her
senshi strength and laid him down upon the snow. She quickly put her first
two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse and placed her ear over his
mouth. It seemed to take an eternity but she finally felt a brush of air on
her cheek and a small thump on his neck. She realized she had been holding
her breath and let it out it one great woosh. Thank the heavens he was
alive, but his heartbeat and breathing were really slow; but strong.
Relieved to find him living she slowly began to lift open his clothing to
find how badly he was hurt. Giving herself a clear view of his shoulder and
backside she was startled by something she hadn't expected to see. What
shocked her wasn't the enormity of the wound, but what his body was doing to
repair it.
Golden threads of light were flowing in and out of the gash that went from
shoulder to hip. Apparently his body had stopped or slowed down all of his
bodily functions except for the essentials so that his energy could be
poured into the healing of his wound. Sailor Venus wasn't sure exactly what
was going on but accepted it with all of the other strange happenings she
had learned to cope with. All of the senshis' powers were rapidly evolving
and changing. She just hoped that she'd still be able to control them.
With the complete assurance that his transformation would protect him but
uneasy about leaving him alone she considered her options. She could either
leave him here, go find help and hope that she'd be able to find him or him
find her again; or she could take him along with her and increase her
vulnerability to being attacked, as well as his condition being worsened.
Not favouring the former course of action she fell back on to the latter.
And anyway, Usagi would never forgive her if she left him behind. Well,
maybe she would, but she would be heartbroken if something happened to
Mamoru.
That problem was easily solved, now to the next one. She would draw a lot of
attention to herself if she started walking around in a miniskirt in a
snowdrift. But if she changed back to Mina she wouldn't be able to transform
again without Jupiter's help, she wouldn't be able to carry Mamoru, and
she'd be a hell of a lot colder. Three to one the fuku stays, and she needed
a disguise. Fortunately, that was easily obtainable. Gathering around
herself the strands of magic which mainly only the senshi could utilize she
was able to fashion herself a dark-coloured robe. Forming a blanket around
Mamoru she easily lifted him into her arms and put the hood up on her robe.
Pointing herself towards the Command Point she began her journey across the
plains of endless snow.
**********
After a couple of hours, if it hadn't been for the Command Point, Sailor
Venus probably wouldn't have known where she was. Although she could have
taken a bearing off of her footsteps, her walking was staggered and fairly
inconsistent. Plainly put and obviously clear, she was exhausted. She should
have stopped and taken a break before running inland but it was too late
now. The sun was going down and the wind speed was increasing. They would
have to stop for the night. Running a little farther she came to a step hill
and set Mamoru aside. She used her Crescent Crush to make a hole in the snow
and moved Mamoru into it. Actually, it was a lot bigger than she would have
liked; it was more like a crater. Now using the strands of magic she formed
a crude-shaped dome which somehow managed to keep most of the snow and wind
out. Completely exhausted she laid down and immediately fell asleep.
*****
Not the following morning but the morning after that there was finally a
change in Mamoru's condition. Sailor Venus had slept right through a whole
day, but it was worth it. She at least felt a little better. It was around
noon when Mamoru made a few signs of waking up. "Huh? Where am I?" he
moaned. "Why can't I see anything? Is anyone there?"
Sailor Venus was immediately by his side. "You're safe Mamoru. We're in the
arctic region. I'm trying to find us some help. You've been badly wounded
but it's going to be all right."
There was some sign that Mamoru had heard her, but he continued as if he
almost hadn't. "I have to find her, have to protect her. -can't let it
happen again. Is Usagi okay? I... I can't move my legs. Someone help! I
can't feel or move my legs. I-" Sailor Venus was barely able to get some
water into his mouth before he fell unconscious again. It was apparently as
she had feared. Not only had Mamoru's back been sliced up but he had been
paralyzed from the waist down. Hopefully Sailor Moon or Saturn would be able
to repair it.
Under a clear morning sky she continued her journey towards the Command
Point.
For some reason the polar(polar meaning north and south, not arctic)
regions were smaller than the others so it was
just about midday when Sailor Venus found herself on the last stretch of
snow, approaching the Command Point. As she reached the top of the rise she
was currently climbing she stopped to take a look ahead. She had estimated
that there would be one more valley and then a hill, and although the
terrain was as she had guessed, what she saw was not what she had expected.
All sorts of people were running over the next hill into the valley
in between them and Venus. She decided to hurry down there to find out what
was going on; maybe she could do something to help them, and them her.
It wasn't until she started up the other side that people started to pass
her. But none of them would stop to talk to her. In order to get someone to
stop for her she was forced to throw back her hood and to jump right in
front of someone. "What's going on?! What are you running away from?" she
barked but the man didn't listen to her.
"Run for your life?" he cried. "It's all going to explode. They're getting
their revenge!"
"What's go-" she tried to ask but the man had gotten around her and was
running on down the hill. Deciding that trying to get the people to talk to
her was a waste of time she muttered a few choice words under her breath and
continued up the hill side to see the problem for herself. By now there were
a lot more people charging down the hill and Venus wondered if she should be
following their example and be running for her life. Unfortunately her
curiosity got the better of her as always and as she tipped the hillside she
was able to see what was getting all of these people so worked up.
Everything was down in the valley below her. Directly below her was one city
that was primitively built. Behind that and to the right was the Command
City, identified by the 10 foot wall surrounding it and the black metal it
was made out of, and then behind and towering over them both was the
mountainous Command Point. The people were all piling out of the city made
mostly of snow-covered mounds in front of her. The reason was obvious. There
was a beam of red light shining down on the whole city from a tower in the
Command City.
It was then that Sailor Venus realized that all of the people weren't going
to get away in time. Too many of them were going to die. She had just
started down towards the city when a beam of light shot from the tower to
land in the center of the other city. Before Venus had a chance to react
there was a flash of light and she was finding herself being thrown back to
the ground. With the force of Tuxedo Kamen landing on top of her she had the
wind knocked out of her followed by dizziness and a wave of nausea. For a
moment she could feel pain in very part of her body but it quickly subsided.
Before she could move anywhere there were two men in white robes at her
side.
"Come on sir,"
"you have to get up."
Sailor Venus put her hand over Mamoru's face and was relieved to find him
still breathing. Meanwhile the two men had gotten her into a sitting
position but were arguing with each other.
"I'm telling you, he was outside of the barrier."
"And I'm telling you, that that's completely impossible! You saw what
happened to those who weren't under the shield."
"Well I guess so but..."
Venus shut their voices out to take a quick look at the area. Most of the
city had been completely destroyed, just a giant hole remained where it had
been. All except for one circular area near the gates where people were now
running away from. Anywhere else where she had seen anyone they were now no
longer there. Realizing that she was still in danger she was about to hop to
her feet but reminding herself that there were people around now she put on
a show of struggling to her feet as she lifted herself with Mamoru still in
her arms to her feet. Even with her superior strength Mamoru was starting to
put a strain on her muscles.
"Are you all right sir?" The men were still there. Venus nodded. Her hood
had gone back over her head and she realized that these men hadn't yet seen
that she was a woman. "Good. You better hurry up and get out of here." She
nodded again and they ran off to keep the crowd of people moving away from
the Command City. Sailor Venus had sensed from them though that they weren't
just ordinary people. She didn't really want to get involved in the politics
here but it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. If she approached the
Command City they would assume that she was one of the people they were
trying to destroy in the city. Deciding that anonymity was probably the
safest way to go for the moment Venus ran off to join the crowd.
Although there were people swarming all around her she made sure to keep
close to the edge of the crowd, and always tried to keep her eye on at least
one of the people in white robes. Obviously they were the ones who were
really in control of the situation -or at least trying to be.
It wasn't until they had gotten over the hill and started on the next one
that the cause of their intended haste was made apparent. Directly in front
of them a few men in white suits burst out of the snow holding rifles.
Without hesitation they shot a few bursts of energy into the crowd. Sailor
Venus took a quick look around and saw that similar men were popping out of
the snow all around them. Without a pause four of the robed men ran for the
center of the crowd. Standing back to back to back to back they held their
arms out in front of them and there was only a slight glistening as Sailor
Venus saw the protective dome surround all of the people. Of course, she
could also see the strands of magic being used to hold the shield together.
Any shots that the men in suits shot at the dome were dissipated. But Sailor
Venus could see the strands of magic unraveling where the men were
concentrating their shots. These men in robes were evidently not very
efficient. Balancing Tuxedo Kamen on one arm Venus used the other hand and
her mind to reinforce the dome. She of course could probably maintain it all
herself but she would leave them to do it. The four robed men in the middle
were too distracted to see who had fixed their shield in a way they had
never seen before and the other two in the crowd didn't have time to find
out. Instead they started shooting fireballs at the ones outside the dome.
With it only taking one fireball per person they were fairly quickly able to
take care of most of the threat. Venus knew from experience of course that
if one of them knew what they were doing they could just get all of the
people to duck and send out one attack to wipe them all out but she kept her
silence. Since there were plenty of people who wanted her dead she was
better off remaining hidden for as long as possible. Everything was looking
safe as the robed men picked off the last of the attackers.
When there weren't any enemies remaining everything seemed to just stop. The
men who had been shooting fireballs just stood there and the four holding up
the shield just stood there, exhausted, but not taking down the dome. That's
when Venus realized that they hadn't taken down the dome because they didn't
know how. They didn't know how to take it apart without having the backlash
rip them apart. Sailor Venus was just about to help them undo it when
something caught the edge of her eye. She turned to see more men in white
uniforms come hurtling over the hill from the hill in the direction of the
cities. Only this time there were a lot more of them. Where they had only
been ambushed by maybe between 15-20, this was a squad of nearly a hundred.
The people around her all stayed ducked down as she now was, analyzing the
situation. The four people in the middle were down on their knees now and
the other two were sagging. Maybe even considering surrendering if it meant
they could keep their lives. The only sound was of the wind and the
crunching of the soldiers' boots on the snow. Sailor Venus heard the order
clearly.
"Exterminate all of them."
That was when Sailor Venus was left with only one decision. Fight or die.
Not a really difficult decision, but one she truly wished she didn't have to
make. But she stood up anyway and threw back her hood. Then she walked
towards the two robed men, who were inbetween her and the soldiers. Even
though she was concentrating very hard, she was careful not to step on any
of the people cowering below her. When she reached the two men the sign of
Venus was glowing brightly on her forehead and the men could not think of
anything to say as she shoved Mamoru into their arms. Without a gesture she
released the strands of magic which were forming her cloak and allowed it to
burst into dust as she stepped out in front of the people. With her giant
back bow she must have seemed like an angel to the people on the ground. An
angel of death, she thought bitterly. These weren't monsters she fighting
this time, but actual people. Skipping the usual introductions she went
right into action. The soldiers were already concentrating their shots on
the barrier. "VENUS CRESCENT CROSS.......crush...." She had turned away
before whispering the last word as a giant blast of energy exploded behind
her. Unfortunately she had little time to be mournful as the entire dome
around them began to collapse.
Sailor Venus leapt towards the four people who were loosing control of their
defensive dome. If they had been working with the one of their own design
they could have easily handled it, but with the one surrounding them they
couldn't even get the strands unraveled. They were completely unaware of the
second group of soldiers who had come from the city and were all greatly
shocked to find themselves right in the middle of this swirling mass of
energy. But suddenly one moment it was tumbling apart and then the next
moment control of the magic strands had been taken right away from them so that they
couldn't feel any of the backlash. They swung around to find a person in the
oddest clothing had jumped right in between all of them where they usually
directed all of the supports for the dome. They didn't understand what she
was doing, but did realize that if those strands of magic didn't return to
where they had come from they would all be destroyed in a powerful explosion
in a few seconds.
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, when she had grabbed all of the
strands of magic, but now her strategy was backfiring. Before Sailor Venus
could do anything to stop it the loose strands started to shoot themselves
through her. And it hurt. She tried to stop them but they wouldn't yield. It
was just stab after stab after stab after stab. It wouldn't stop. By now she
was down on her knees and the pain was non-stop. Then something happened
that she hadn't expected. The star holding her front bow dissolved and the
rest of her fuku melted into ribbons. The uncontrolled strands of magic must
have interrupted the ones that were maintaining her transformation, and now
there were just orange ribbons floating around her body. Then the pain came
again, only ten times worse since her transformation was no longer providing
protection to buffer the energy. It was like a dam had just fell part.
Minako did the only thing she could do. She screamed.
The people could see no reason as to why this girl was screaming her head
off. But if anyone tried to get close to her they were thrown back with
either their brains toasted or completely dead. The robed ones could see the
strands of magic swirling around and passing through her. As far as they
could tell she should have been dead by now but the ear-piercing screams
argued otherwise. Seeing nothing they could do to help they continued to
herd the people away to safety.
Life was pain. That's all there was. She saw nothing, heard nothing, and
felt nothing -except for the pain of course. She didn't even hear herself
screaming. But in one part of her mind there was something else.
It was the essence of her soul, her thinking consciousness, that was
desperately trying to find a way to make the pain go away, trying to resist
the energies flowing through her body.
Ami went through this before. What did she do? Minako wished Ami had been
willing to talk about it. But then again, Ami's mind was quite different
from her own and Minako probably wouldn't have been able to copy it. She was
fighting the magic as hard as she could but nothing was happening. So logic
told her to do the opposite.
She just gave up.
She allowed full reign to the magics passing through her body. And
miraculously, the pain gradually subsided to be replaced with a burning
excitement. She was now fully aware of herself and everything around her.
She could see for miles; she could feel each individual snowflake, hear each
cry of the people within at least a one mile radius. But she ignored them
all and focused on the feeling of righteousness that the rush of energy was
creating in her body. It had gone from the worst feeling in the world to the
absolute greatest.
As the last of the magic passed through her the sign on her forehead took on
a glow that lit up the snow around her. As she knelt there on the ground a
copy of the sign of Venus floated out in front of her, and she watched in
delight as it formed her eternal transformation wand. She reached out and
grabbed it. Suddenly a column of orange light surrounded her, rising from
the ground to the heavens. Slowly she floated upwards until her feet were
just above the ground. Minako held the stick over her head and called out,
"Venus Eternal, Unite!"
More golden ribbons burst from the stick and swirled around the ones that
were already floating around it. Then they all tightened around her and from
her feet up to her head her sailor fuku formed. The orange column of light
burst to travel throughout the sky as her feet were lowered to the ground.
She was now complete once again.
She looked around to find that everyone had left. Everyone that is, except
for the enemies. She was now surrounded. A giant minotaur stood in front of
her. "Venus Crescent Cro-" Before she could finish her attack everything
went black.
*****
Because of the friendly climate of Toria and Kaipo, they were the two
regions with the highest population. Kaipo with it's farms and fields and
Toria with its forests, factories and marketplace. There was a great influx
of trade between the two continents as a result. Unfortunately, this also
meant that all of the boundary shores were closely watched for smugglers. It
was Ami's misfortune which brought her to the shores of Kaipo and awake to
find a dog slobbering all over her face.
When the Command Point had come into view from out on the water she had
reverted from Sailor Mercury. It was tiring her out just to maintain the
transformation. She had hoped that she would be awake when she reached land
but sleep won in the end.
Wondering where this friendly dog had come from she slowly began to lift
herself from the ground, but froze in mid-action. It wasn't really a dog.
She saw the black and red collar around its neck and the glowing red eyes
staring deep into her blue ones. The animal stiffened. It sensed her unease.
Its teeth bared and it began to growl. This wasn't a dog. It was one of the
servants of the Creator, and in a perfect position to rip out her throat in
a heartbeat.
Moving her fingers as slightly as possible she tried to get a strand of
magic in between her and the 'dog'. It must have sensed what she was doing
because it lunged for her throat. Fortunately she had the magic ready in
time and a burst of energy sent the animal tumbling backwards. It quickly
regained its posture and lunged at Ami once again. This time it was rewarded
with a frozen muzzle. Ami was always able to weave ice magic much faster
than anything else. With that she ran away from the open beach and took off
along the walkways which ran around the continent where the sandy shore
shifted to grass. Several explosions around her only indicated to her that
she had gained the attention of others.
'Just my luck,' she thought. 'They are armed with weapons which are fueled
off of the strands of magic!'
Ami ran as fast as she could. If she were Mercury she could have easily
escaped or fought, but if she stopped to take the time to transform they
would surely catch her. Every few metres she would throw back an energy
shield across the path. From the yelps of pain it was slightly helping.
She was paying so much attention to the enemies behind her that she didn't
even notice the one in front of her until he had his gun leveled at her and
was starting to pull the trigger. She just avoided being fried as she dodged
onto a side path. Without stopping she settled her balance and continued
down the path. Right around the corner.... and right into a wall.
Forcing herself to think she looked around for an escape route but
discovered she was at a dead end. Spinning around she began to gather
strands of magic with her right hand and reached for her transformation wand
with her left. Hopefully she could erect a barrier which would protect her
while she transformed. Holding up her left hand she cried, "Eternal Mercury
Power, make u-ahhhhhh!"
Ami felt her hand explode in pain. She fell to her knees and could barely
comprehend that there was a stub where her left hand and forearm used to be.
The transformation stick disappeared before it even hit the ground. With her
concentration gone the strands of magic she had been preparing to wield fell
apart and Ami cried out again as the energies shocked her. Ami fell to the
ground.
She weakly lifted her head to find the bounty hunter with a gun to her head.
All she saw was his cruel smile before everything went black.
Episode 19 'Unfortunate Arrival'
It wasn't the cold that returned Sailor Venus to consciousness, but the fact
that she had been in between unconsciousness and sleep for long enough that
her energy had returned enough for her body to begin working again. If it
wasn't for the fact that she was in senshi guise she would have awoken long
ago due to the absence of the little bit of energy it took from herself to
maintain it. But if she had been merely Minako, the cold probably would have
frozen her to death hours ago. Aside from all those excess possibilities,
the first thing she noticed before opening her eyes was the fact that it was
freezing cold. Although her fuku protected her from freezing, she still felt
the icy cold hand of death on her shoulder.
Wait a minute, she really did feel an icy cold hand on her shoulder!
Half-awake and relying primarily on first instincts she cried out, pushed
the hand off her shoulder and shoved herself aside. Unfortunately, she moved
out a little too far and discovered an empty space which had suddenly
appeared below her. Quite promptly she suddenly found that there was now a
couple feet of water between her head and breathable air.
Now it only took a fraction of a second for Sailor Venus to realize that the
temperature of the water was hovering around the freezing point, so you can
pretty much imagine what her reaction was. Sputtering and now completely
awake, she quickly assessed her surroundings.
She was on a shore of snow, but warm ocean currents had kept ice from
forming. The sky was a gray overcast, it was in the evening, and Tuxedo Kamen
was unconscious and floating in the water beside her. She grabbed his
shoulder and tried to shake him awake. "Mamoru, are you all right? Wake up!
Mamoru!"
She drew her hand away to find it covered with a thin layer of blood. "Oh my
God, are you....." Venus shuddered and quickly banished the thought. Sliding
the piece of driftwood they had tied themselves to aside, she carefully
lifted herself out of the water and then easily lifted Mamoru out with her
senshi strength and laid him down upon the snow. She quickly put her first
two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse and placed her ear over his
mouth. It seemed to take an eternity but she finally felt a brush of air on
her cheek and a small thump on his neck. She realized she had been holding
her breath and let it out it one great woosh. Thank the heavens he was
alive, but his heartbeat and breathing were really slow; but strong.
Relieved to find him living she slowly began to lift open his clothing to
find how badly he was hurt. Giving herself a clear view of his shoulder and
backside she was startled by something she hadn't expected to see. What
shocked her wasn't the enormity of the wound, but what his body was doing to
repair it.
Golden threads of light were flowing in and out of the gash that went from
shoulder to hip. Apparently his body had stopped or slowed down all of his
bodily functions except for the essentials so that his energy could be
poured into the healing of his wound. Sailor Venus wasn't sure exactly what
was going on but accepted it with all of the other strange happenings she
had learned to cope with. All of the senshis' powers were rapidly evolving
and changing. She just hoped that she'd still be able to control them.
With the complete assurance that his transformation would protect him but
uneasy about leaving him alone she considered her options. She could either
leave him here, go find help and hope that she'd be able to find him or him
find her again; or she could take him along with her and increase her
vulnerability to being attacked, as well as his condition being worsened.
Not favouring the former course of action she fell back on to the latter.
And anyway, Usagi would never forgive her if she left him behind. Well,
maybe she would, but she would be heartbroken if something happened to
Mamoru.
That problem was easily solved, now to the next one. She would draw a lot of
attention to herself if she started walking around in a miniskirt in a
snowdrift. But if she changed back to Mina she wouldn't be able to transform
again without Jupiter's help, she wouldn't be able to carry Mamoru, and
she'd be a hell of a lot colder. Three to one the fuku stays, and she needed
a disguise. Fortunately, that was easily obtainable. Gathering around
herself the strands of magic which mainly only the senshi could utilize she
was able to fashion herself a dark-coloured robe. Forming a blanket around
Mamoru she easily lifted him into her arms and put the hood up on her robe.
Pointing herself towards the Command Point she began her journey across the
plains of endless snow.
**********
After a couple of hours, if it hadn't been for the Command Point, Sailor
Venus probably wouldn't have known where she was. Although she could have
taken a bearing off of her footsteps, her walking was staggered and fairly
inconsistent. Plainly put and obviously clear, she was exhausted. She should
have stopped and taken a break before running inland but it was too late
now. The sun was going down and the wind speed was increasing. They would
have to stop for the night. Running a little farther she came to a step hill
and set Mamoru aside. She used her Crescent Crush to make a hole in the snow
and moved Mamoru into it. Actually, it was a lot bigger than she would have
liked; it was more like a crater. Now using the strands of magic she formed
a crude-shaped dome which somehow managed to keep most of the snow and wind
out. Completely exhausted she laid down and immediately fell asleep.
*****
Not the following morning but the morning after that there was finally a
change in Mamoru's condition. Sailor Venus had slept right through a whole
day, but it was worth it. She at least felt a little better. It was around
noon when Mamoru made a few signs of waking up. "Huh? Where am I?" he
moaned. "Why can't I see anything? Is anyone there?"
Sailor Venus was immediately by his side. "You're safe Mamoru. We're in the
arctic region. I'm trying to find us some help. You've been badly wounded
but it's going to be all right."
There was some sign that Mamoru had heard her, but he continued as if he
almost hadn't. "I have to find her, have to protect her. -can't let it
happen again. Is Usagi okay? I... I can't move my legs. Someone help! I
can't feel or move my legs. I-" Sailor Venus was barely able to get some
water into his mouth before he fell unconscious again. It was apparently as
she had feared. Not only had Mamoru's back been sliced up but he had been
paralyzed from the waist down. Hopefully Sailor Moon or Saturn would be able
to repair it.
Under a clear morning sky she continued her journey towards the Command
Point.
For some reason the polar(polar meaning north and south, not arctic)
regions were smaller than the others so it was
just about midday when Sailor Venus found herself on the last stretch of
snow, approaching the Command Point. As she reached the top of the rise she
was currently climbing she stopped to take a look ahead. She had estimated
that there would be one more valley and then a hill, and although the
terrain was as she had guessed, what she saw was not what she had expected.
All sorts of people were running over the next hill into the valley
in between them and Venus. She decided to hurry down there to find out what
was going on; maybe she could do something to help them, and them her.
It wasn't until she started up the other side that people started to pass
her. But none of them would stop to talk to her. In order to get someone to
stop for her she was forced to throw back her hood and to jump right in
front of someone. "What's going on?! What are you running away from?" she
barked but the man didn't listen to her.
"Run for your life?" he cried. "It's all going to explode. They're getting
their revenge!"
"What's go-" she tried to ask but the man had gotten around her and was
running on down the hill. Deciding that trying to get the people to talk to
her was a waste of time she muttered a few choice words under her breath and
continued up the hill side to see the problem for herself. By now there were
a lot more people charging down the hill and Venus wondered if she should be
following their example and be running for her life. Unfortunately her
curiosity got the better of her as always and as she tipped the hillside she
was able to see what was getting all of these people so worked up.
Everything was down in the valley below her. Directly below her was one city
that was primitively built. Behind that and to the right was the Command
City, identified by the 10 foot wall surrounding it and the black metal it
was made out of, and then behind and towering over them both was the
mountainous Command Point. The people were all piling out of the city made
mostly of snow-covered mounds in front of her. The reason was obvious. There
was a beam of red light shining down on the whole city from a tower in the
Command City.
It was then that Sailor Venus realized that all of the people weren't going
to get away in time. Too many of them were going to die. She had just
started down towards the city when a beam of light shot from the tower to
land in the center of the other city. Before Venus had a chance to react
there was a flash of light and she was finding herself being thrown back to
the ground. With the force of Tuxedo Kamen landing on top of her she had the
wind knocked out of her followed by dizziness and a wave of nausea. For a
moment she could feel pain in very part of her body but it quickly subsided.
Before she could move anywhere there were two men in white robes at her
side.
"Come on sir,"
"you have to get up."
Sailor Venus put her hand over Mamoru's face and was relieved to find him
still breathing. Meanwhile the two men had gotten her into a sitting
position but were arguing with each other.
"I'm telling you, he was outside of the barrier."
"And I'm telling you, that that's completely impossible! You saw what
happened to those who weren't under the shield."
"Well I guess so but..."
Venus shut their voices out to take a quick look at the area. Most of the
city had been completely destroyed, just a giant hole remained where it had
been. All except for one circular area near the gates where people were now
running away from. Anywhere else where she had seen anyone they were now no
longer there. Realizing that she was still in danger she was about to hop to
her feet but reminding herself that there were people around now she put on
a show of struggling to her feet as she lifted herself with Mamoru still in
her arms to her feet. Even with her superior strength Mamoru was starting to
put a strain on her muscles.
"Are you all right sir?" The men were still there. Venus nodded. Her hood
had gone back over her head and she realized that these men hadn't yet seen
that she was a woman. "Good. You better hurry up and get out of here." She
nodded again and they ran off to keep the crowd of people moving away from
the Command City. Sailor Venus had sensed from them though that they weren't
just ordinary people. She didn't really want to get involved in the politics
here but it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. If she approached the
Command City they would assume that she was one of the people they were
trying to destroy in the city. Deciding that anonymity was probably the
safest way to go for the moment Venus ran off to join the crowd.
Although there were people swarming all around her she made sure to keep
close to the edge of the crowd, and always tried to keep her eye on at least
one of the people in white robes. Obviously they were the ones who were
really in control of the situation -or at least trying to be.
It wasn't until they had gotten over the hill and started on the next one
that the cause of their intended haste was made apparent. Directly in front
of them a few men in white suits burst out of the snow holding rifles.
Without hesitation they shot a few bursts of energy into the crowd. Sailor
Venus took a quick look around and saw that similar men were popping out of
the snow all around them. Without a pause four of the robed men ran for the
center of the crowd. Standing back to back to back to back they held their
arms out in front of them and there was only a slight glistening as Sailor
Venus saw the protective dome surround all of the people. Of course, she
could also see the strands of magic being used to hold the shield together.
Any shots that the men in suits shot at the dome were dissipated. But Sailor
Venus could see the strands of magic unraveling where the men were
concentrating their shots. These men in robes were evidently not very
efficient. Balancing Tuxedo Kamen on one arm Venus used the other hand and
her mind to reinforce the dome. She of course could probably maintain it all
herself but she would leave them to do it. The four robed men in the middle
were too distracted to see who had fixed their shield in a way they had
never seen before and the other two in the crowd didn't have time to find
out. Instead they started shooting fireballs at the ones outside the dome.
With it only taking one fireball per person they were fairly quickly able to
take care of most of the threat. Venus knew from experience of course that
if one of them knew what they were doing they could just get all of the
people to duck and send out one attack to wipe them all out but she kept her
silence. Since there were plenty of people who wanted her dead she was
better off remaining hidden for as long as possible. Everything was looking
safe as the robed men picked off the last of the attackers.
When there weren't any enemies remaining everything seemed to just stop. The
men who had been shooting fireballs just stood there and the four holding up
the shield just stood there, exhausted, but not taking down the dome. That's
when Venus realized that they hadn't taken down the dome because they didn't
know how. They didn't know how to take it apart without having the backlash
rip them apart. Sailor Venus was just about to help them undo it when
something caught the edge of her eye. She turned to see more men in white
uniforms come hurtling over the hill from the hill in the direction of the
cities. Only this time there were a lot more of them. Where they had only
been ambushed by maybe between 15-20, this was a squad of nearly a hundred.
The people around her all stayed ducked down as she now was, analyzing the
situation. The four people in the middle were down on their knees now and
the other two were sagging. Maybe even considering surrendering if it meant
they could keep their lives. The only sound was of the wind and the
crunching of the soldiers' boots on the snow. Sailor Venus heard the order
clearly.
"Exterminate all of them."
That was when Sailor Venus was left with only one decision. Fight or die.
Not a really difficult decision, but one she truly wished she didn't have to
make. But she stood up anyway and threw back her hood. Then she walked
towards the two robed men, who were inbetween her and the soldiers. Even
though she was concentrating very hard, she was careful not to step on any
of the people cowering below her. When she reached the two men the sign of
Venus was glowing brightly on her forehead and the men could not think of
anything to say as she shoved Mamoru into their arms. Without a gesture she
released the strands of magic which were forming her cloak and allowed it to
burst into dust as she stepped out in front of the people. With her giant
back bow she must have seemed like an angel to the people on the ground. An
angel of death, she thought bitterly. These weren't monsters she fighting
this time, but actual people. Skipping the usual introductions she went
right into action. The soldiers were already concentrating their shots on
the barrier. "VENUS CRESCENT CROSS.......crush...." She had turned away
before whispering the last word as a giant blast of energy exploded behind
her. Unfortunately she had little time to be mournful as the entire dome
around them began to collapse.
Sailor Venus leapt towards the four people who were loosing control of their
defensive dome. If they had been working with the one of their own design
they could have easily handled it, but with the one surrounding them they
couldn't even get the strands unraveled. They were completely unaware of the
second group of soldiers who had come from the city and were all greatly
shocked to find themselves right in the middle of this swirling mass of
energy. But suddenly one moment it was tumbling apart and then the next
moment control of the magic strands had been taken right away from them so that they
couldn't feel any of the backlash. They swung around to find a person in the
oddest clothing had jumped right in between all of them where they usually
directed all of the supports for the dome. They didn't understand what she
was doing, but did realize that if those strands of magic didn't return to
where they had come from they would all be destroyed in a powerful explosion
in a few seconds.
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, when she had grabbed all of the
strands of magic, but now her strategy was backfiring. Before Sailor Venus
could do anything to stop it the loose strands started to shoot themselves
through her. And it hurt. She tried to stop them but they wouldn't yield. It
was just stab after stab after stab after stab. It wouldn't stop. By now she
was down on her knees and the pain was non-stop. Then something happened
that she hadn't expected. The star holding her front bow dissolved and the
rest of her fuku melted into ribbons. The uncontrolled strands of magic must
have interrupted the ones that were maintaining her transformation, and now
there were just orange ribbons floating around her body. Then the pain came
again, only ten times worse since her transformation was no longer providing
protection to buffer the energy. It was like a dam had just fell part.
Minako did the only thing she could do. She screamed.
The people could see no reason as to why this girl was screaming her head
off. But if anyone tried to get close to her they were thrown back with
either their brains toasted or completely dead. The robed ones could see the
strands of magic swirling around and passing through her. As far as they
could tell she should have been dead by now but the ear-piercing screams
argued otherwise. Seeing nothing they could do to help they continued to
herd the people away to safety.
Life was pain. That's all there was. She saw nothing, heard nothing, and
felt nothing -except for the pain of course. She didn't even hear herself
screaming. But in one part of her mind there was something else.
It was the essence of her soul, her thinking consciousness, that was
desperately trying to find a way to make the pain go away, trying to resist
the energies flowing through her body.
Ami went through this before. What did she do? Minako wished Ami had been
willing to talk about it. But then again, Ami's mind was quite different
from her own and Minako probably wouldn't have been able to copy it. She was
fighting the magic as hard as she could but nothing was happening. So logic
told her to do the opposite.
She just gave up.
She allowed full reign to the magics passing through her body. And
miraculously, the pain gradually subsided to be replaced with a burning
excitement. She was now fully aware of herself and everything around her.
She could see for miles; she could feel each individual snowflake, hear each
cry of the people within at least a one mile radius. But she ignored them
all and focused on the feeling of righteousness that the rush of energy was
creating in her body. It had gone from the worst feeling in the world to the
absolute greatest.
As the last of the magic passed through her the sign on her forehead took on
a glow that lit up the snow around her. As she knelt there on the ground a
copy of the sign of Venus floated out in front of her, and she watched in
delight as it formed her eternal transformation wand. She reached out and
grabbed it. Suddenly a column of orange light surrounded her, rising from
the ground to the heavens. Slowly she floated upwards until her feet were
just above the ground. Minako held the stick over her head and called out,
"Venus Eternal, Unite!"
More golden ribbons burst from the stick and swirled around the ones that
were already floating around it. Then they all tightened around her and from
her feet up to her head her sailor fuku formed. The orange column of light
burst to travel throughout the sky as her feet were lowered to the ground.
She was now complete once again.
She looked around to find that everyone had left. Everyone that is, except
for the enemies. She was now surrounded. A giant minotaur stood in front of
her. "Venus Crescent Cro-" Before she could finish her attack everything
went black.
*****
Because of the friendly climate of Toria and Kaipo, they were the two
regions with the highest population. Kaipo with it's farms and fields and
Toria with its forests, factories and marketplace. There was a great influx
of trade between the two continents as a result. Unfortunately, this also
meant that all of the boundary shores were closely watched for smugglers. It
was Ami's misfortune which brought her to the shores of Kaipo and awake to
find a dog slobbering all over her face.
When the Command Point had come into view from out on the water she had
reverted from Sailor Mercury. It was tiring her out just to maintain the
transformation. She had hoped that she would be awake when she reached land
but sleep won in the end.
Wondering where this friendly dog had come from she slowly began to lift
herself from the ground, but froze in mid-action. It wasn't really a dog.
She saw the black and red collar around its neck and the glowing red eyes
staring deep into her blue ones. The animal stiffened. It sensed her unease.
Its teeth bared and it began to growl. This wasn't a dog. It was one of the
servants of the Creator, and in a perfect position to rip out her throat in
a heartbeat.
Moving her fingers as slightly as possible she tried to get a strand of
magic in between her and the 'dog'. It must have sensed what she was doing
because it lunged for her throat. Fortunately she had the magic ready in
time and a burst of energy sent the animal tumbling backwards. It quickly
regained its posture and lunged at Ami once again. This time it was rewarded
with a frozen muzzle. Ami was always able to weave ice magic much faster
than anything else. With that she ran away from the open beach and took off
along the walkways which ran around the continent where the sandy shore
shifted to grass. Several explosions around her only indicated to her that
she had gained the attention of others.
'Just my luck,' she thought. 'They are armed with weapons which are fueled
off of the strands of magic!'
Ami ran as fast as she could. If she were Mercury she could have easily
escaped or fought, but if she stopped to take the time to transform they
would surely catch her. Every few metres she would throw back an energy
shield across the path. From the yelps of pain it was slightly helping.
She was paying so much attention to the enemies behind her that she didn't
even notice the one in front of her until he had his gun leveled at her and
was starting to pull the trigger. She just avoided being fried as she dodged
onto a side path. Without stopping she settled her balance and continued
down the path. Right around the corner.... and right into a wall.
Forcing herself to think she looked around for an escape route but
discovered she was at a dead end. Spinning around she began to gather
strands of magic with her right hand and reached for her transformation wand
with her left. Hopefully she could erect a barrier which would protect her
while she transformed. Holding up her left hand she cried, "Eternal Mercury
Power, make u-ahhhhhh!"
Ami felt her hand explode in pain. She fell to her knees and could barely
comprehend that there was a stub where her left hand and forearm used to be.
The transformation stick disappeared before it even hit the ground. With her
concentration gone the strands of magic she had been preparing to wield fell
apart and Ami cried out again as the energies shocked her. Ami fell to the
ground.
She weakly lifted her head to find the bounty hunter with a gun to her head.
All she saw was his cruel smile before everything went black.