Rated PG-13
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and everything affiliated with her are the property
of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansha, and DiC. They are not mine, I
am only borrowing them for a little while. Any other characters are mine.
If anyone wishes to use them, please notify me first.
Just a bit of clarification:
the * * signify a person's thoughts
the ***** before a section signify either a memory or a shift into
the mindscape or dreamscape (don't worry, this will make sense eventually, I
hope).
Please email me with your questions, comments, and/or criticisms at
jnkryo@yahoo.com. Heck, flame me if you want to. I'd like any
feedback I can get. Enjoy the story!
**Author's rant: Sorry for the delay in updating. I got caught up with Chinese New Year ^_^
Oh, and the Outer Scouts finally make their appearance in this chapter.**
Daughters of Destiny
Part 6
by: Johnny Ng
Bane and Trent materialized inside the sorcerer's dark quarters.
"Welcome to your new home, my servant. Have a seat. Let me cure
that poison that I infected you with." He held out his hand and a vial of
amber liquid appeared. "Drink this."
Trent looked at the sorcerer warily but took the vial and gulped down
the contents. He gagged slightly at the vile taste, but he did feel better.
While Trent was busy keeping down the antidote, Bane pressed a hidden
button on his desk. "Tell me, Trent, are there others on your planet that
are as gifted in the magical arts as you?"
Trent was really feeling a lot better since drank the antidote. In
fact, he'd never felt this good before. "Huh? Oh, well, I don't know.
There might be other latent magical users, but as far as I know, I am the
only mage on the planet. Unless you count Rhea, and the Sailor Scouts as
well." The room suddenly seemed to have gotten warmer.
Bane saw that his guest was starting to sweat. *Not long now.* "Ah
yes, your apprentice and those planetary avatars. Tell me, how did you get
involved with them?"
The room was starting to spin just a bit now in Trent's vision, but
surprisingly, he didn't mind it. "Well, Sailor Venus, the blond one without
the buns on her head, is my girlfriend. I met the others through her." His
eyes now felt heavy.
The sorcerer's eye gleamed. "You look tired, Trent. Perhaps I
should send for someone to show you to your quarters."
Trent smiled. "That might be a good idea..." His eyes glazed over
and his head fell forward onto his chest.
"All too easy," Bane remarked. His door chine sounded and he bid the
crewman enter. "Take our guest to the medical labs. Place him under the
care of Dr. Kavor."
The crewer paled. "Dr. Kav--? Uh, yes sir!" He hauled the
unconscious mage to his feet and teleported out.
When they were gone, Bane started laughing, long and loud.
Rhea was in a dark room. She couldn't move. An image of Bane and
Trent rose up in front of her. The Bane image flung out his robes and
innumerable black tendrils emerged from his body and shot out at Trent. They
grasped him and lifted him up.
The sorcerer laughed and looked at Rhea. "He is now mine, girl, and
I have you to thank for delivering him to me." The tendrils crackled with
energy and the mage screamed...and continued screaming.
Rhea tried to shut her eyes, but they wouldn't cooperate. "No...
no...stop it. Stop it! STOP IT!!!"
"Rhea! Wake up!"
The girl bolted upright in her bed. Her eyes were wide and wild
looking. It was took a moment for her to focus on Serena standing next to
her bed. "Wha...Serena?"
Serena smiled sadly. "You were having a nightmare."
"A nightmare? Wha-what time is it?"
"It's late in the afternoon. You've been asleep for several hours,
ever since..."
Rhea felt a chill run down her spine. "Oh no, Trent," she sobbed.
"It's all my fault! Mina must hate me!"
Serena drew the distraught girl into a hug. "It's going to all
right, Rhea. It's going to be all right. It's not your fault and Mina
doesn't hate you."
"But it is! If I had listened to Trent and stayed away from the
church..."
"No!" Serena said fiercely. "It is not your fault. If you have to
blame someone, blame Bane for taking him. Not yourself. We're going to get
him back, Rhea. I made that promise to Mina, and I'm making that promise to
you."
Rhea sniffled. "Th-thank you, Serena."
"Good. We're going to have a Scout meeting at Raye's shrine an hour
from now. We would have had it earlier, but we wanted you to rest. Do you
feel up to it?" At her nod, Serena smiled. "Ok, let's get you cleaned up
and we'll go."
The mood at the meeting was decidedly somber. Serena and Rhea were
the last ones to arrive.
Though she had scrubbed her face and put on clean clothes, Rhea still
looked exhausted. Her eyes were still puffy and red from crying and they had
a haunted look in them. When she saw Mina sitting by herself, she gave a low
cry and ran out the door sobbing.
Serena sighed and was about to follow her when she felt a hand on her
shoulder.
"Let me talk to her, Serena," Mina said softly.
Outside on the shrine grounds, Rhea was sitting under a tree next to
the small shrine pond weeping. Mina walked up to the girl slowly so not to
scare her.
"Rhea..."
Rhea spun around and when she saw who it was, she started to edge
away. "Mina...I-I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me."
Mina looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"It's all my fault. Trent was taken away because he came to rescue
me. You must hate me...I know I would."
The blond's features softened and tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh you
silly, silly girl. I could never hate you." She wrapped her arms around the
younger girl and rocked her gently. "It's not your fault. Serena promised
me that she would bring him back and I believe her. Do you believe her?"
Rhea nodded slowly not willing to trust her voice.
Mina smiled. "Well, then, we have nothing to worry about. Do you
feel like coming back inside now? The others might be getting worried."
Rhea nodded again and Mina helped her up.
The door to the Great Fire Room opened again and Mina walked in with
Rhea following close behind her.
"Everything all right?" Raye asked.
"Yeah," Rhea answered, "I just needed a little talk with Mina."
"I'm glad you're feeling better, Rhea," Luna said. "Let's get to
what this meeting was about. Getting Trent back. We know that Bane has him
on his ship and that the ship is next to the Moon."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Lita asked. "Let's teleport there
and get him."
Artemis shook his head. "I'm afraid we can't do that. We don't know
where the ship is."
"But didn't Luna just say--"
The white cat sighed. "Next to the Moon, yes, but where exactly?
Without an exact point of reference you can't teleport there."
"We could do what we did when we teleported to Fiore's Kisinian
flower," Serena ventured. "Just keep that bubble of air around us until we
can find the ship and get in."
"That requires too much energy, Serena. With Fiore, you knew where
his flower was, but not with Bane's ship," Luna said. "Also, Bane's ship
might have defenses that might be able to shoot you down if you come close to
it. I'm afraid the only option is to locate where the ship is precisely and
teleport directly to it."
Mina spoke up, "So how do we find out where the ship is?"
"I think I might have the answer to that," Amy said taking out her
minicomputer. "My computer has been monitoring the world's space agencies
and satellites for any unusual phenomena and I think I have found a promising
lead." She typed away at her keyboard trying to call up the information her
computer found--the same information it had downloaded from the little
country's computer database before it got erased.
"Ah, here we go. The image is a little fuzzy, but I think we can
make out the important elements to it." She turned her computer around so
that everyone could see the screen. On it was a grainy picture showing the
Moon...and nothing else.
Serena blinked. "Uh, Amy, I don't see the ship."
"Don't worry, it's coming."
A few seconds later, the light from the Moon reflected off a dark
object that was familiar to the Moon cats.
"That's the ship!" Luna exclaimed.
Amy grinned. "I hoping you would say that. I just needed to be sure
that this was what we were looking for. This footage was taken a few days
ago, so it's not accurate anymore, but I'm sure I can find it myself now."
She took back her computer and started inputting commands. After a few
moments she frowned. "That's strange. I can't find it." Amy typed in a
different set of commands and sighed. "There's a cloaking field in effect.
It must be generated by the ship. With that cloak in place, I can't detect
it."
"Well, looks like it's back to square one," Darien remarked. "What
do we do now?"
Everyone was silent, trying to think of an alternative. Rhea
happened to look over at Mina and noticed the pendant around her neck. An
idea began to take root in the apprentice mage's mind. "Mina, how does your
pendant work?"
"My pendant? It just lets me talk with Trent telepathically wherever
he is."
"I see." The apprentice turned to Amy. "Do you think you could use
that to find Trent...and Bane's ship?"
Mina gasped and Amy grinned. "If I could scan the pendant first..."
Mina hurriedly removed it and handed it to the girl-genius. After a minute
or so the minicomputer displayed the results of the scans and Amy smiled. "I
think it'll work."
Mina went over and gave the girl an enthusiastic hug. "How did you
know that my pendant would work?"
"I remember reading about it in my spellbook. Trent typed in
everything he did in that palmtop that was even remotely magical."
"Well, are we going to go today?" Lita asked, her eyes glinting. "I
know I'm ready for a fight."
Luna shook her head. "No, we'll go tomorrow. It's getting dark and
I think you should all get some rest before that. We'll meet here in the
morning to discuss the plan."
The meeting was rapidly winding down after that, but Serena raised a
question.
"What will we tell Trent's parents about him being missing?"
"It's ok for now. Both of them are out of town on business. They
won't be back for a week or so," Mina told her. And that was the end of the
meeting.
Serena walked home with Darien by her side. She had a troubled look
on her face and was chewing absently on her lip.
Darien noticed this and put his arm around her shoulders. "Penny for
you thoughts?"
The question startled Serena, and it also put her into quandary. She
had been thinking about what Queen Serenity had said to her in the church.
She was tempted to say this to Darien, but her mother expressly forbade her
to reveal the conversation to anyone. "Oh, it's nothing Darien. I was just
thinking about tomorrow."
The Earth Prince smiled. "Don't worry about it, love. Everything is
going to be fine. We'll teleport onto the ship, get Trent, then teleport
out. Once we have him back, we can decide on what to do with Bane later."
Serena sighed lightly but smiled. "You're right." *I just wish I
knew what my mother meant.*
There was a muted conversation going on somewhere nearby. Trent
tried to shut it out. Why couldn't they just let him sleep?
"C'mon...shut up...," Trent said groggily.
The voices stopped and there was the sound of footsteps coming his
way. "Ah, you're awake," an unfamiliar female voice said.
Trent tried to open his eyes the lights were too bright. "Who's
there?" he asked through slitted eyes.
"Don't try to overexert yourself." Trent felt a gentle hand on his
forehead. "Just lie back. You've just been through a major operation. You
must let your body heal."
"Wh-where am I?"
"Don't worry. You might experience some slight memory loss, but
that's normal. Do you know your name?"
"I'm...Trent, Trent Powers."
"Good, that's good. Don't try to rush it. Your memories will return
to you in time."
"Who're you...and can you turn down the lights, please?"
The lights dimmed and Trent was finally able to see the person he was
speaking to...and his jaw dropped. In front of him stood a strikingly beautiful
woman. She had smooth alabaster skin, which contrasted
sharply to her long fiery hair and luminous violet eyes.
"I'm Dr. Jana Kavor, the Chief Medical Officer on board the _Wrath_...and
I'm your wife."
In his quarters, Bane was watching the events occurring in the
medical bay on a vid screen with Captain Raze.
"Well, what do you think, Captain?"
Raze thought for a moment. "I don't know, Master. Brainwashing the
mage is one thing, but letting Dr. Kavor masquerade as his wife? That would
give her a certain amount of influence over him, if he actually believes that
she's his wife."
"Why don't you see for yourself, Raze." On the screen, the doctor
had helped Trent to his feet and they were embracing each other. "Our doctor
can be very persuasive, especially when she uses her telepathic powers."
"Is she using her powers now?"
"Why don't you ask _her_ that question, Captain?"
Raze wisely shut his mouth. As much as he feared his master, there
was just something about Dr. Kavor that chilled him to the bone. She seemed
to exude an overpowering aura of malevolence, and then there were the rumors
about her...experiments with certain crewmembers. He shuddered and tried to
think about something else, but his master interrupted him.
"I think I have changed my opinion about this planet, Captain."
"How so?"
"I have discovered that this planet is abundantly rich in mana when I
did battle with the mage. However, this mana is different from any other
mana I have encountered. More potent as it were. I would acquire this mana
for my own use. All of it."
Raze frowned slightly. "But, Master, if you would drain an entire
planet of its magical resources, it would be destroyed."
"I care nothing for this world, Raze. I have its mage, and I will
soon have its mana. Its destruction is irrelevant."
The _Wrath's_ captain nodded and continued watching the screen.
"Are you feeling better now, dear?" Dr. Kavor asked Trent as she
released the hug.
The mage sighed. "I think so. My head hurts, though."
"You were injured in a sparring match with General Riven. I had
warned you not to butt heads with him," she chided, "but you just couldn't
turn down a challenge."
"You know how I am, and the General had it coming to him anyway."
Jana smiled. *Good, he's susceptible to my mental powers, and the
implanted memories are taking root.* "Yes, I know exactly how you are. If
you feel up to it, the Master would like to speak with you."
"Master Bane? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Trent grabbed his
"wife" and kissed her fiercely. "I'll have a talk with you later, honey...
in our quarters," he said slyly.
When he left, Dr. Kavor chuckled. *I think I just may keep him.*
Trent ran all the way to Bane's quarters, but composed himself
outside the door. He pressed the chime and the door slid open. He walked
inside and stopped.
"Captain! Uh, if you're busy with Master Bane I can come back--"
Bane stepped forward, almost seeming to materialize out of the
shadows. "No, stay Trent. Captain Raze and I were just discussing you."
The mage nodded and took the seat next to Raze.
"I heard you had a little run-in with General Riven," the captain
said.
"More like he ran me over, sir."
"I trust that everything is all right," the sorcerer asked.
Trent was slightly unnerved by the sound of Bane's voice. "I-I'm
fine, Master. I was just checked out in the Medical Bay by Dr. Kavor."
"That is good to hear, my servant. As I said before, Captain Raze
and I were just speaking about you. We think that you would be the perfect
candidate to perform a certain task for me."
Trent bowed his head reverently. "It would be an honor, Master."
Bane pressed a switch on his desk and a hologram of the Earth
appeared. "The Earth is one of the most mana-rich planets I have encountered
in my existence. I have decided that I would have this mana. However,
unlike other planets, Earth's mana is stored in mana wells. Magical scans
performed by myself and the _Wrath's_ sensors have discovered three large
wells." The sorcerer touched the controls and three dots appeared on the
hologram.
"The first is on the continent of North America, at a place called
Devil's Tower." Bane gestured at the second dot. "The next is on the island
called Britain. There is a ring of stones there called Stonehenge. The last
is in Japan, at an abandoned church."
Trent spoke up, "What is it you want me to do?"
"We want to you to go to each of these places and open the mana
wells," Raze answered.
"How do I do that?"
The sorcerer turned off the holoimager. "You'll know when you get
there."
Michiru was brushing her hair in her hotel room when she suddenly
felt something. It wasn't anything major, just a slight buzzing feeling.
On a whim, she drew out her Aqua Mirror and gazed into it. Little by
little, the surface of the mirror started to shift until an image appeared. Michiru
frowned. *A flat mountain...but why?*
Haruka came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. "Is
something wrong, Michiru?"
The aqua-haired woman shook her head. "I...don't know. My mirror
showed me an image of a flat mountain, but I don't know what it means."
"Do you know where it was?"
A portal opened up in the middle of the room and Sailor Pluto stepped
through. "It is called Devil's Tower, and it's in the state of Wyoming.
Come with me. We must go there. There is something that you must see." The
time scout stepped back into her portal.
Michiru and Haruka looked at each other and shrugged. They
transformed and jumped into the portal after their friend.
They ended up standing at the top of the Tower. The ground was
littered with broken rocks and the sky was dark with large storm clouds.
Random flashes of lightning could be seen.
"Wonderful place you've brought us to, Pluto," Sailor Uranus said
sarcastically.
Sailor Neptune looked around. "What is it you've brought us to see?"
"That." Pluto pointed to the far side of the landscape.
The other two scouts squinted and made out a dark silhouette framed
against the lightning.
"Who is that?" Uranus asked walking forward.
"No." Pluto gripped her shoulder. "Just observe."
The blond scout grumbled but did as she was told. After a short
while, though, her curiosity got the better of her. "Just what's going on?"
"This is the end of it all...and the beginning of everything," the
time scout said cryptically.
Uranus groaned. "You just love saying those things, don't you?"
Neptune laughed. "Now, now be nice. But seriously, Pluto, what's
happening...and should we do something about it?"
"No, the Earth's mana wells are being opened. The future, and
Crystal Tokyo, now depend on what is going to happen in the next few days."
End Part 6