Chapter 2
Very Unusual Marionettes
Otaru awoke to the sensation of being shook. Otaru lifted his head from the desk where he lay to see Lorelei smiling at him.
"There are some people here who wish to see you."
She led Otaru into the repair area. Three heads immediately turned as he entered.
"OTARU!!""Master Otaru!""Otaru!" three voices shouted simultaneously. Otaru found himself wrapped up in the arms of Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry. Nearby the Saber Dolls watched with smiles on their faces.
Otaru was almost in tears as he returned the hugs. "I'm glad your alright." He said to them.
"Go ahead and take them home Otaru." Otaru looked up at Lorelei.
"Are you sure? I mean...Who's going to guard you?" Otaru pointed to Baiko and Tamasaburo who were still being worked on.
"Don't forget about us." said Panther.
"We'll watch her Otaru," said Tiger, "don't worry. Besides, Faust is on his way here, so here is where we'll wait."
Otaru nodded to the Saber Dolls. "Alright then." He then glanced over at Lorelei. "Let me know if you need anything or if you find out anything new."
Lorelei nodded. "I will."
Otaru turned to the girls, "Alright, Let's go home."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* I can't believe you got me to do this.... * A very irritated red head sent to her companions.
Sayoko glanced at Asuka from the corner of her eye. * There are no females on this planet, so we HAVE to look like marionettes. *
* Dressing up like a doll was not in my job description. * replied Asuka.
Two blocks away, Rei responded, * Quit grumbling, you don't hear the rest of us complaining. *
* This from a former doll herself. *
* HEY!! You red headed 100% Bitc.......... *
* SHUT-UP!! * A fourth voice immediately silenced Rei and Asuka. After it was quiet for a bit the voice spoke again. * Asuka, I know you don't like this, but that was not fair to Rei and you know it. What would Shinji and your daughter say to you if they heard about this? *
Asuka felt a pang of guilt, * Rei, I'm sorry. I... *
* Asuka, don't worry. It is forgotten. * replied Rei.
Sayoko glanced at Asuka a second time before she spotted something they had been looking for.
* Asuka, Rei, Aunt Skuld. I have subjects in sight. I see three of the marionettes and a mortal walking together. *
* Are you sure it's them? * asked Skuld.
* Unless you know of other marionettes who have emotions, Yeah these are it. *
* Follow them, find out exactly where they live. *
* Yes Auntie. What are you going to do? *
* Rei and I are going to patrol the outside of the castle. *
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...... it was really weird Otaru," said Bloodberry, "I've never seen Gartlant Sabers move that fast, or regenerate."
"From what Lorelei said, someone modified them." said Otaru.
"But what were they after?" asked Lime.
"The most valuable things in Castle Japoness," replied Cherry, "Lorelei and her clones."
"But why would they want Lorelei? Or her clones?"
"Without the clones, Terra 2 would have remained the same way it had for the last 300 years." replied Cherry. "The Shogun would have sacrificed his life for nothing."
"Grandpa?" Lime looked slightly surprised, then a very stern expression came on her face. "I won't let anything happen to Lorelei!"
"That's right," added Bloodberry, "We're a part of her, and we'll protect her, just like we protect Otaru!"
"Yeah!" shouted Lime. She threw her arms around Otaru. "I LOVE YOU OTARU!!" Otaru stumbled back into a passing marionette. He, Lime, and the other marionette tumbled to the ground in a pile.
Otaru glanced over at the Marionette that he and Lime had run into. It was quite beautiful, for a marionette. It had red hair and blue eyes. However, something else caught Otaru's attention.
"Scheist! Gott verdammt es!"
Otaru was slightly stunned, 'Did that marionette just swear?'
"I'm sorry." Lime said as she helped the marionette stand up. "I didn't mean to knock you over. My name is Lime." she offered her hand to the marionette, "What's yours?"
Otaru could have sworn that the marionette's face seemed to go pale. "uhhh uhhh."
"Asuka." Otaru turned to see a Brown haired Marionette standing just off to the side. This marionette was also rather beautiful and also had blue eyes. "The Master awaits us." the marionette said in a monotone. "You waste our time." The marionette quickly turned and walked off. The red headed marionette's face seemed to turn red for a second, before the marionette took off very quickly after its partner.
"Well that was rather rude." said Cherry. "Don't you agree Master Otaru?"
When Otaru did not answer, Cherry turned to look at Otaru. "Master Otaru?"
Lime waved her hand in front of Otaru. "Hey Otaru?"
Bloodberry moved her head next to his and followed his line of sight. "HEY! He's checking out those marionettes!!"
"WHAT!?!" shouted Lima and Cherry.
Otaru found himself being pulled in three different directions. "Master Otaru how could you?" "Yeah Otaru, your mine!" "Hey! I love Otaru." "Lime leggo! He's mine!" "Master Otaru is very dear to me!" "He needs a real woman, not some flat-chested girl like you!" "How dare you! You..you drunkard!" "Hey Otaru! What's a drunkard?" Otaru was reaching his limit when a fourth voice came into the fray.
"OTARU-KUN!!" shouted Hanagata as he popped out of nowhere. "Forget these machines! For only I can satisfy you!"
"ENOUGH!!!" shouted Otaru, "QUIET!" Otaru stared at the 4 in front of him. He turned and faced the 3 marionettes. "You three STOP FIGHTING! And you.." Otaru began turning towards Hanagata. " You can..."
"Yes Otaru-kun? My besttest friend in the world......"
Otaru let out a long sigh. "I give up. Girls...." Otaru began to walk away.
"Otaru-kun! Wait." Hanagata began to reach out to Otaru when 3 pairs of hands grabbed him. Hanagata turned to see 3 very unhappy marionettes.
"You got Otaru mad at us!" muttered Lime.
"The master was quite well till you butted in!" added Cherry.
Hanagata paled from the looks he was getting, "What are you going to do?" he asked.
Bloodberry held up her fist, "I hear Japoness is very pretty from space. Tell us all about it when you get back."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further up the street, Asuka was very pissed. * How could you treat me like that! They ran into me! You made it sound like I'm a screw-up! *
Sayoko glanced at Asuka. * If I didn't, you might have said something else that might blow the mission. And before you ask what I'm talking about, did I or did I not hear German cursing? *
Asuka seemed to calm down very quickly, * Sayoko... *
* Yes? *
* Thanks for putting up with me. *
* I've done it for 500 years, I don't intend to stop anytime soon either. *
* Hey Sayoko, did you notice something funny about that doll, Lime? *
Sayoko thought back a second. * Now that you mention it.....The voice sounded familiar. *
* It sounded like....... Rei. *
The sound of someone screaming came to their ears. They turned to see someone rapidly heading upwards toward the sky.
"YOU'RE SO CRUEL!!!" the person shouted as they flew by. Asuka and Sayoko looked at each other. Both then shrugged and continued walking.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelei let out a sigh and grabbed her cup of coffee as she pushed herself back from the computer. Luchs looked up from where she had been working.
"Anything wrong?"
Lorelei shook her head, "I'm just tired. I've been searching through the database trying to find something about that red orb. I know I've seen that before, I just can't remember where." Lorelei then typed in a command on the computer. "I did get this out of Baiko and Tamasaburo's memories." A series of pictures appeared in the screen. In several were the attacking Sabers. 3 contained pictures of the 3 Marionettes that eventually defeated the Sabers. And then there was one picture that showed a man with strange red markings on his face. Luchs stared curiously at the last picture.
"Who is that?"
"According to the Baiko," replied Lorelei, "this is the one who commanded the Sabers."
"Any I.D.?"
"No. And so far I have not found any reason for the facial markings."
Luchs looked down at the computer that Lorelei was typing into. "You're not using the full database...."
"Huh?" Lorelei looked at the terminal, "What do you mean?"
"There are files that you are not accessing," replied Luchs, "some involving secrets dating back to Earth. Faust might have to codes to access them."
Lorelei looked at Luchs curiously, "Why would Faust have access codes to a locked database on a Japoness computer system?"
"It goes back to the original crash landing. When the 6 originally set up their city states, each had a copy of that secured database and the codes to access it. Over time, it was forgotten, except by Faust, because..."
"I know, Each Faust clone received the memories of its predecessor, so that Faust has memories going all the way back to earth." Lorelei looked back to the computer. "When will he arrive?"
"Not soon enough."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamorr was once again on top of the rooftop, looking towards Castle Japoness. Behind him was another Demon, a female, and 4 more modified Sabers. Gamorr turned to the Demoness.
"You understand your orders, Calisto?"
"I understand that I am to try and eliminate the mortal Lorelei and her clones." replied Calisto, "But why must I bring these.....things with me?"
Gamorr let out a sigh, "These Sabers have been modified with S2 engines, giving them unlimited endurance. They have also received other upgrades which make them even more capable in combat."
"And yet they were defeated quickly with the arrival of 3 Goddesses."
Gamorr frowned at Calisto, "One Goddess, two Guardians. And those were the prototypes. These Sabers have something the others did not."
Calisto looked at Gamorr questioningly, "And that is?"
Gamorr turned back to the castle, "You'll find out. Now go."
"Yes sir." Calisto leaped from the building, the 4 Sabers following her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skuld and Rei were on their way around the castle for a second time when both felt a sudden chill. Both stared at each other a second in surprise, then turned and raced towards the castle wall.
* Asuka, Sayoko. Demons detected at the Castle. Move. * Skuld sent.
When Skuld and Rei were close to the wall, they jumped, as they soared over the wall, their outfits changed to their Battle outfits, complete with their helmets. They landed inside the castle walls, and continued towards the castle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelei stood up. "I'm going to go rest for a while. Let me know if you find anything."
Luchs nodded, "Alright."
Lorelei walked towards the elevator that would take her out of the underground facility and into the main castle area, when the room shuddered. Lorelei stepped backwards and turned to Luchs.
"What was that?"
Luchs looked upwards, her eyes glowed as she scanned the areas above. When she was done, she turned and looked at Lorelei.
"We're in trouble."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Panther and Tiger dove around a corner as the area where they had just been standing exploded.
"This isn't fun." muttered Panther.
"Tell me about it." replied Tiger.
"Come out Come out where ever you are!" came a female voice.
Tiger peered around the corner. She could see 5 marionettes, 4 looked like Gartlant Sabers, while the remaining one had red markings on its face. It was this one that was speaking.
"Awww Don't you want to play with Mistress Calisto?" the marionette called out. It then seemed to notice Tiger. "I SEE YOU!!" Calisto raised a hand. A ball of energy appeared and shot towards Tiger. Tiger's eyes went wide.
"MOVE!" she shouted to Panther. They ran down the corridor as the corner they had been standing at was shattered in another explosion. It was then they received a transmission.
"Tiger, Panther. What's going on?" came Luchs' voice.
"Panther and I are trying very hard not to become scrap." responded Tiger, "Some olds friends are back."
"Head for corridor 6." ordered Luchs, "I have a squad of Japoness Sabers waiting."
"Right." Tiger and Panther ran towards the indicated corridor. As they rounded the corner, they skidded to a halt. 20 Japoness Cherry Blossoms stood before them with spears drawn.
"Uh Tiger, Panther, maybe you should move out of their way?" came Luchs voice.
Tiger and Panther stood up against either wall as the Japoness Sabers moved towards the oncoming enemy. The sounds of fighting and explosions echoed throughout the hallways. Finally Tiger peered around the corner. The sight that met her eyes shocked her. The 5 enemy marionettes stood standing over a pile of twisted and broken Japoness Sabers. Calisto looked up at the sight of Tiger.
"Thanks for the warm-up. Now to move on with the main event!" Calisto began to move towards Tiger, the other Sabers following. Tiger quickly turned and ran off down the corridor, Panther just behind her.
"Any more ideas Luchs?" Tiger called out.
"Get down here." came Luchs reply. "Lime, Cherry, Bloodberry are on their way, and Lorelei is trying to get Baiko and Tamasaburo up."
Tiger and Panther entered the elevator and hit the button for the labs. The doors shut just as Calisto reached them.
"You only delay the inevitable." She muttered. She then turned to the 4 Sabers behind her. "Well? Don't just stand there! They went down! Get those doors open!"
"Yes Mistress." replied the Sabers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamorr watched as various areas of Japoness Castle exploded, showing him where Calisto was.
'Good, very good.' thought Gamorr, 'Lord Draco will be pleased.'
From below, the sound of a sonic boom reached his ears. He looked down to see marionette screeching to a halt. Further up the street, 2 more marionettes were heading towards the castle, followed by a mortal. Gamorr recognized the Marionettes from the other day.
* Calisto, more marionettes have arrived. What is your progress? *
* We are on our way down to an underground facility, Lorelei will not survive much longer. *
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tiger, Luchs, and Panther all stood around Lorelei. Lorelei was frantically trying to reactivate Tamasaburo and Baiko, but both still had problems. A loud crash from the elevator announced the arrival of the attacking Sabers. The doors were knocked away as the 4 former Gartlant Sabers stepped out, followed by Calisto. Calisto spotted Lorelei.
"Ah, the mortal female, at last. Prepare to die!"
"You have to get through us first." replied Tiger. She pulled out her energy whip, as the other Saber Dolls pulled out their weapons.
Calisto smirked at the Saber Dolls. "Heh, like you can stop me."
Panther finally had enough. "I'll show you." The star over her right eye began to glow. An energy beam shot forth directly at Calisto. Calisto made no move or effort to avoid the shot. Just as it was about to hit her, a red shield flared before her, causing the beam to deflect towards the wall. Panther stared stunned. Luchs then tossed her energy blades at one of the Gartlant Sabers. Her blades were halted by a hexagonal shield that formed in front of the Saber. Calisto smiled.
"As you can see, any resistance is hopeless." Her eyes then narrowed," Now...prepare to die."
The Saber Dolls all crouched, ready to fight to the end. Lorelei watched in fear as the Sabers began to walk forward. Calisto started to laugh rather sadistically. Lorelei closed her eyes.
"Please Lord, Help me."
Calisto's cackle was cut short as a ball of energy slammed into her. She flew back, crashing into the chamber wall. She looked up, her red eyes full of anger. The Saber Dolls and Lorelei all turned to see where the energy ball had come from. Two marionettes stood calmly near Lorelei's fallen cup of coffee. One was the blue hair marionette from the other day. The other had dark hair, and wore a red and white outfit. That one spoke first.
"You Demon's are all the same." said the Dark haired one. "You always have to give off that annoying cackle."
Calisto stared at the newcomers and got extremely pissed. "Forget the mortal!" she shouted at her Sabers. "GET THE GODDESSES!!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 4 Sabers immediately charged at the new targets. Skuld watched the other 3 marionettes grab Lorelei and moved her as far away from the battle as they could. Skuld then turned back and took careful aim. She cut loose with a force bolt at one of the oncoming Sabers. Once again the hexagonal shield appeared, deflecting the shot.
"Damn!" muttered Skuld. She quickly leaped into the air, allowing the charging Sabers to pass under her. Rei also took to the air, but as she jumped, she turned in mid flight and threw her staff at the back of one of the Sabers. The staff slammed into the hexagonal shield, but instead of deflecting, the staff transformed itself. The point seemed to split, becoming a Lance. In this form, the lance broke through the shields and impacted against the Saber, hitting it where the S2 Engine was located. The Saber jerked for a second before it fell backwards. A loud whine began to fill the air as the engine reached critical. The core exploded, knocking the other Sabers back towards Calisto and smashing equipment all around. The Saber Dolls moved over Lorelei, protecting her from the blast and the debris that rained down from the ceiling. Calisto looked up at the 2 Goddesses before her.
"You may not get them all," she said," There's still only 2 of you, and 4 of us."
"I beg to differ."
Calisto turned to see two new figures appearing within the chamber. Skuld and Rei smiled at the arriving help. The Saber Dolls easily recognized these two as the remaining marionettes from the day before, the red head, and the brunette, and continued to watch.
"Its now more even, don't you think?" continued Asuka.
Calisto's eyes flared. "GET THEM!"
The remaining Sabers charged at the closest target to them. Calisto also picked out a target.
"You Goddesses have interfered for the last time." She said to Rei.
"I'm not a Goddess," replied Rei, "I'm a Guardian."
Calisto's face paled a bit, "You're a... " she shook her head, "No matter, I will defeat you" To prove her point, Calisto charged at Rei, pulling out her demon sword as she ran. Rei dodged Calisto's first and seconds attacks. She then flipped over Calisto and ran towards where her weapon lay pierced into the floor. She grabbed it and raised it just in time to block a swipe from Calisto. Rei and Calisto exchanged dirty looks before continuing to battle around the chamber. While Rei continued to battle the Demon, Asuka, Skuld and Sayoko ran through the corridors of the castle with the enemy Sabers in pursuit.
"I love Demon programming," said Skuld with a smile, "They blindly obey the last orders they were given, no matter what."
Asuka glanced over at Skuld, "And this helps us how?"
"The farther we lead them away, the more likely Lorelei will survive. Rei can handle the Demoness."
"And how long do you expect us to keep running?" asked Asuka.
Skuld glanced at Asuka funny. "Who said we had to run?" With that, Skuld lifted her feet off the ground and flew along the corridors about 2 feet off the ground. Asuka stared at Skuld a second longer before taking off herself.
"500 years as a God-like being," muttered Asuka, "and I still forget the basics."
Sayoko smiled at Asuka before turning to her Aunt. "How much longer?"
"Lead them outside," replied Skuld, "I don't want to bring the castle down on us when they explode."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lime, Cherry, Bloodberry, and Otaru entered the chamber. Before them, 2 marionettes were locked in fierce combat.
Cherry and Bloodberry immediaty recognized one of the Marionettes.
"Master!" shouted Cherry, "That's one of the Marionettes that saved us yesterday."
Otaru was about to reply when he heard someone shout his name. Otaru turned to see Lorelei protected by the Saber Dolls, He and the girls immediately headed to them.
"Are you alright?" asked Otaru.
Lorelei nodded. "There are 6 other marionettes running around the castle, 3 of them are of the Gartlant type, the other 3 are like that one." Lorelei pointed to the blue haired marionette.
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Cherry.
"No." replied Tiger, "Some type of shield prevented us from doing anything. Only they seem to be able to break through."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rei was starting to get tired. The Demon just would not give up. She was just barely able to block the Demon's attacks. Finally, after blocking a blow, Rei forced the demon's sword into the floor and pinned it there with her staff. Calisto snarled in anger and swung her elbow into Rei's face. The Demon hit her with such force that Rei's face shield shattered along the right side, the Demon's elbow crashing into her face. Rei fell backwards, clutching her face as her helmet tumbled across the floor. Rei lay on the ground, stunned, blood dripped from her face. The Demon slowly walked over her.
"Now it ends....Guardian." Calisto raised her sword, preparing to deliver the death blow, when she was sent flying across the room from an impact, losing her sword in the process. Calisto looked up to see the red-headed marionette standing over her.
"That's not very nice to hit someone when their down." said Bloodberry with a smirk.
Calisto snarled and raised her hand.
Lorelei, having seen what raising a hand meant, shouted out, "MOVE BLOODBERRY!!"
Bloodberry jumped quickly out of the way, the force bolt slamming into the ceiling. Pieces of the ceiling collapsed onto Bloodberry, pinning her to the floor. Calisto got to her feet and began to walked towards the marionettes and mortals.
"That's it." Calisto raised her hand. "Now it ends."
"I agree."
Calisto turned around just in time to catch the force bolt directly in her chest. Rei watched as the bolt ate through Calisto, who gave out one final cry before she collapsed. Rei let out a sigh before she fell to her knees, still holding the side of her face. A loud gasp caused her to turn towards the mortals.
Lorelei stared at Rei in shock. "But its...You...It can't be...."
Rei's eyes widened as she realized she was no longer wearing her helmet and her face was in full view. She quickly vanished in a flash and a thunder clap. Lorelei continued to stare in shock.
Three loud explosions in succession caused all present to look towards the ceiling. Luchs walked over to one of the remaining functioning computers and brought up an outside camera view. 3 craters marked the spots where the sabers had exploded. Luchs saw the other 3 marionettes for a second before they vanished in a flash. Luchs turned back to the others.
"The attackers have been destroyed, and our defenders have vanished."
As Luchs spoke, Panther and Bloodberry walked over to the remains of the demon, while Lorelei walked over to the helmet that had been left. She picked it up, staring at the broken face shield. Cherry came up next to her. Noticing pieces of the shield on the ground, Cherry bent down and pick up one of the larger ones. Feeling something on the piece, Cherry dropped it and looked at her hand. Her finger tips were covered in a red fluid. She recognized it, even without her scanners.
"Lorelei," Cherry said shakily, "This is blood. That wasn't a marionette..."
"I know." Lorelei said quietly, still looking at the helmet. "She's real."
"Who was it?" Luchs asked, turning to Lorelei.
"An old friend." replied Lorelei, "One who should be dead."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamorr ducked as a chair hurtled past his head. "I'm sorry my Lord, but she is gone."
Draco snarled and threw another chair. "Dammit. That's 4 Demons in the last week. I want BLOOD!"
"What are your orders my Lord?" asked Gamorr.
Draco began to slowly walk towards Gamorr. "The Guardians and Goddesses on Terra 2 eliminated. They must be gone before we proceed any further in our plans. Do you understand."
"Yes my Lord."
Draco sat down on his throne. "Then be gone. I must think."
Gamorr vanished, leaving Draco to contemplate what his future held.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Very Unusual Marionettes
Otaru awoke to the sensation of being shook. Otaru lifted his head from the desk where he lay to see Lorelei smiling at him.
"There are some people here who wish to see you."
She led Otaru into the repair area. Three heads immediately turned as he entered.
"OTARU!!""Master Otaru!""Otaru!" three voices shouted simultaneously. Otaru found himself wrapped up in the arms of Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry. Nearby the Saber Dolls watched with smiles on their faces.
Otaru was almost in tears as he returned the hugs. "I'm glad your alright." He said to them.
"Go ahead and take them home Otaru." Otaru looked up at Lorelei.
"Are you sure? I mean...Who's going to guard you?" Otaru pointed to Baiko and Tamasaburo who were still being worked on.
"Don't forget about us." said Panther.
"We'll watch her Otaru," said Tiger, "don't worry. Besides, Faust is on his way here, so here is where we'll wait."
Otaru nodded to the Saber Dolls. "Alright then." He then glanced over at Lorelei. "Let me know if you need anything or if you find out anything new."
Lorelei nodded. "I will."
Otaru turned to the girls, "Alright, Let's go home."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* I can't believe you got me to do this.... * A very irritated red head sent to her companions.
Sayoko glanced at Asuka from the corner of her eye. * There are no females on this planet, so we HAVE to look like marionettes. *
* Dressing up like a doll was not in my job description. * replied Asuka.
Two blocks away, Rei responded, * Quit grumbling, you don't hear the rest of us complaining. *
* This from a former doll herself. *
* HEY!! You red headed 100% Bitc.......... *
* SHUT-UP!! * A fourth voice immediately silenced Rei and Asuka. After it was quiet for a bit the voice spoke again. * Asuka, I know you don't like this, but that was not fair to Rei and you know it. What would Shinji and your daughter say to you if they heard about this? *
Asuka felt a pang of guilt, * Rei, I'm sorry. I... *
* Asuka, don't worry. It is forgotten. * replied Rei.
Sayoko glanced at Asuka a second time before she spotted something they had been looking for.
* Asuka, Rei, Aunt Skuld. I have subjects in sight. I see three of the marionettes and a mortal walking together. *
* Are you sure it's them? * asked Skuld.
* Unless you know of other marionettes who have emotions, Yeah these are it. *
* Follow them, find out exactly where they live. *
* Yes Auntie. What are you going to do? *
* Rei and I are going to patrol the outside of the castle. *
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...... it was really weird Otaru," said Bloodberry, "I've never seen Gartlant Sabers move that fast, or regenerate."
"From what Lorelei said, someone modified them." said Otaru.
"But what were they after?" asked Lime.
"The most valuable things in Castle Japoness," replied Cherry, "Lorelei and her clones."
"But why would they want Lorelei? Or her clones?"
"Without the clones, Terra 2 would have remained the same way it had for the last 300 years." replied Cherry. "The Shogun would have sacrificed his life for nothing."
"Grandpa?" Lime looked slightly surprised, then a very stern expression came on her face. "I won't let anything happen to Lorelei!"
"That's right," added Bloodberry, "We're a part of her, and we'll protect her, just like we protect Otaru!"
"Yeah!" shouted Lime. She threw her arms around Otaru. "I LOVE YOU OTARU!!" Otaru stumbled back into a passing marionette. He, Lime, and the other marionette tumbled to the ground in a pile.
Otaru glanced over at the Marionette that he and Lime had run into. It was quite beautiful, for a marionette. It had red hair and blue eyes. However, something else caught Otaru's attention.
"Scheist! Gott verdammt es!"
Otaru was slightly stunned, 'Did that marionette just swear?'
"I'm sorry." Lime said as she helped the marionette stand up. "I didn't mean to knock you over. My name is Lime." she offered her hand to the marionette, "What's yours?"
Otaru could have sworn that the marionette's face seemed to go pale. "uhhh uhhh."
"Asuka." Otaru turned to see a Brown haired Marionette standing just off to the side. This marionette was also rather beautiful and also had blue eyes. "The Master awaits us." the marionette said in a monotone. "You waste our time." The marionette quickly turned and walked off. The red headed marionette's face seemed to turn red for a second, before the marionette took off very quickly after its partner.
"Well that was rather rude." said Cherry. "Don't you agree Master Otaru?"
When Otaru did not answer, Cherry turned to look at Otaru. "Master Otaru?"
Lime waved her hand in front of Otaru. "Hey Otaru?"
Bloodberry moved her head next to his and followed his line of sight. "HEY! He's checking out those marionettes!!"
"WHAT!?!" shouted Lima and Cherry.
Otaru found himself being pulled in three different directions. "Master Otaru how could you?" "Yeah Otaru, your mine!" "Hey! I love Otaru." "Lime leggo! He's mine!" "Master Otaru is very dear to me!" "He needs a real woman, not some flat-chested girl like you!" "How dare you! You..you drunkard!" "Hey Otaru! What's a drunkard?" Otaru was reaching his limit when a fourth voice came into the fray.
"OTARU-KUN!!" shouted Hanagata as he popped out of nowhere. "Forget these machines! For only I can satisfy you!"
"ENOUGH!!!" shouted Otaru, "QUIET!" Otaru stared at the 4 in front of him. He turned and faced the 3 marionettes. "You three STOP FIGHTING! And you.." Otaru began turning towards Hanagata. " You can..."
"Yes Otaru-kun? My besttest friend in the world......"
Otaru let out a long sigh. "I give up. Girls...." Otaru began to walk away.
"Otaru-kun! Wait." Hanagata began to reach out to Otaru when 3 pairs of hands grabbed him. Hanagata turned to see 3 very unhappy marionettes.
"You got Otaru mad at us!" muttered Lime.
"The master was quite well till you butted in!" added Cherry.
Hanagata paled from the looks he was getting, "What are you going to do?" he asked.
Bloodberry held up her fist, "I hear Japoness is very pretty from space. Tell us all about it when you get back."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further up the street, Asuka was very pissed. * How could you treat me like that! They ran into me! You made it sound like I'm a screw-up! *
Sayoko glanced at Asuka. * If I didn't, you might have said something else that might blow the mission. And before you ask what I'm talking about, did I or did I not hear German cursing? *
Asuka seemed to calm down very quickly, * Sayoko... *
* Yes? *
* Thanks for putting up with me. *
* I've done it for 500 years, I don't intend to stop anytime soon either. *
* Hey Sayoko, did you notice something funny about that doll, Lime? *
Sayoko thought back a second. * Now that you mention it.....The voice sounded familiar. *
* It sounded like....... Rei. *
The sound of someone screaming came to their ears. They turned to see someone rapidly heading upwards toward the sky.
"YOU'RE SO CRUEL!!!" the person shouted as they flew by. Asuka and Sayoko looked at each other. Both then shrugged and continued walking.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelei let out a sigh and grabbed her cup of coffee as she pushed herself back from the computer. Luchs looked up from where she had been working.
"Anything wrong?"
Lorelei shook her head, "I'm just tired. I've been searching through the database trying to find something about that red orb. I know I've seen that before, I just can't remember where." Lorelei then typed in a command on the computer. "I did get this out of Baiko and Tamasaburo's memories." A series of pictures appeared in the screen. In several were the attacking Sabers. 3 contained pictures of the 3 Marionettes that eventually defeated the Sabers. And then there was one picture that showed a man with strange red markings on his face. Luchs stared curiously at the last picture.
"Who is that?"
"According to the Baiko," replied Lorelei, "this is the one who commanded the Sabers."
"Any I.D.?"
"No. And so far I have not found any reason for the facial markings."
Luchs looked down at the computer that Lorelei was typing into. "You're not using the full database...."
"Huh?" Lorelei looked at the terminal, "What do you mean?"
"There are files that you are not accessing," replied Luchs, "some involving secrets dating back to Earth. Faust might have to codes to access them."
Lorelei looked at Luchs curiously, "Why would Faust have access codes to a locked database on a Japoness computer system?"
"It goes back to the original crash landing. When the 6 originally set up their city states, each had a copy of that secured database and the codes to access it. Over time, it was forgotten, except by Faust, because..."
"I know, Each Faust clone received the memories of its predecessor, so that Faust has memories going all the way back to earth." Lorelei looked back to the computer. "When will he arrive?"
"Not soon enough."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamorr was once again on top of the rooftop, looking towards Castle Japoness. Behind him was another Demon, a female, and 4 more modified Sabers. Gamorr turned to the Demoness.
"You understand your orders, Calisto?"
"I understand that I am to try and eliminate the mortal Lorelei and her clones." replied Calisto, "But why must I bring these.....things with me?"
Gamorr let out a sigh, "These Sabers have been modified with S2 engines, giving them unlimited endurance. They have also received other upgrades which make them even more capable in combat."
"And yet they were defeated quickly with the arrival of 3 Goddesses."
Gamorr frowned at Calisto, "One Goddess, two Guardians. And those were the prototypes. These Sabers have something the others did not."
Calisto looked at Gamorr questioningly, "And that is?"
Gamorr turned back to the castle, "You'll find out. Now go."
"Yes sir." Calisto leaped from the building, the 4 Sabers following her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skuld and Rei were on their way around the castle for a second time when both felt a sudden chill. Both stared at each other a second in surprise, then turned and raced towards the castle wall.
* Asuka, Sayoko. Demons detected at the Castle. Move. * Skuld sent.
When Skuld and Rei were close to the wall, they jumped, as they soared over the wall, their outfits changed to their Battle outfits, complete with their helmets. They landed inside the castle walls, and continued towards the castle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelei stood up. "I'm going to go rest for a while. Let me know if you find anything."
Luchs nodded, "Alright."
Lorelei walked towards the elevator that would take her out of the underground facility and into the main castle area, when the room shuddered. Lorelei stepped backwards and turned to Luchs.
"What was that?"
Luchs looked upwards, her eyes glowed as she scanned the areas above. When she was done, she turned and looked at Lorelei.
"We're in trouble."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Panther and Tiger dove around a corner as the area where they had just been standing exploded.
"This isn't fun." muttered Panther.
"Tell me about it." replied Tiger.
"Come out Come out where ever you are!" came a female voice.
Tiger peered around the corner. She could see 5 marionettes, 4 looked like Gartlant Sabers, while the remaining one had red markings on its face. It was this one that was speaking.
"Awww Don't you want to play with Mistress Calisto?" the marionette called out. It then seemed to notice Tiger. "I SEE YOU!!" Calisto raised a hand. A ball of energy appeared and shot towards Tiger. Tiger's eyes went wide.
"MOVE!" she shouted to Panther. They ran down the corridor as the corner they had been standing at was shattered in another explosion. It was then they received a transmission.
"Tiger, Panther. What's going on?" came Luchs' voice.
"Panther and I are trying very hard not to become scrap." responded Tiger, "Some olds friends are back."
"Head for corridor 6." ordered Luchs, "I have a squad of Japoness Sabers waiting."
"Right." Tiger and Panther ran towards the indicated corridor. As they rounded the corner, they skidded to a halt. 20 Japoness Cherry Blossoms stood before them with spears drawn.
"Uh Tiger, Panther, maybe you should move out of their way?" came Luchs voice.
Tiger and Panther stood up against either wall as the Japoness Sabers moved towards the oncoming enemy. The sounds of fighting and explosions echoed throughout the hallways. Finally Tiger peered around the corner. The sight that met her eyes shocked her. The 5 enemy marionettes stood standing over a pile of twisted and broken Japoness Sabers. Calisto looked up at the sight of Tiger.
"Thanks for the warm-up. Now to move on with the main event!" Calisto began to move towards Tiger, the other Sabers following. Tiger quickly turned and ran off down the corridor, Panther just behind her.
"Any more ideas Luchs?" Tiger called out.
"Get down here." came Luchs reply. "Lime, Cherry, Bloodberry are on their way, and Lorelei is trying to get Baiko and Tamasaburo up."
Tiger and Panther entered the elevator and hit the button for the labs. The doors shut just as Calisto reached them.
"You only delay the inevitable." She muttered. She then turned to the 4 Sabers behind her. "Well? Don't just stand there! They went down! Get those doors open!"
"Yes Mistress." replied the Sabers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamorr watched as various areas of Japoness Castle exploded, showing him where Calisto was.
'Good, very good.' thought Gamorr, 'Lord Draco will be pleased.'
From below, the sound of a sonic boom reached his ears. He looked down to see marionette screeching to a halt. Further up the street, 2 more marionettes were heading towards the castle, followed by a mortal. Gamorr recognized the Marionettes from the other day.
* Calisto, more marionettes have arrived. What is your progress? *
* We are on our way down to an underground facility, Lorelei will not survive much longer. *
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tiger, Luchs, and Panther all stood around Lorelei. Lorelei was frantically trying to reactivate Tamasaburo and Baiko, but both still had problems. A loud crash from the elevator announced the arrival of the attacking Sabers. The doors were knocked away as the 4 former Gartlant Sabers stepped out, followed by Calisto. Calisto spotted Lorelei.
"Ah, the mortal female, at last. Prepare to die!"
"You have to get through us first." replied Tiger. She pulled out her energy whip, as the other Saber Dolls pulled out their weapons.
Calisto smirked at the Saber Dolls. "Heh, like you can stop me."
Panther finally had enough. "I'll show you." The star over her right eye began to glow. An energy beam shot forth directly at Calisto. Calisto made no move or effort to avoid the shot. Just as it was about to hit her, a red shield flared before her, causing the beam to deflect towards the wall. Panther stared stunned. Luchs then tossed her energy blades at one of the Gartlant Sabers. Her blades were halted by a hexagonal shield that formed in front of the Saber. Calisto smiled.
"As you can see, any resistance is hopeless." Her eyes then narrowed," Now...prepare to die."
The Saber Dolls all crouched, ready to fight to the end. Lorelei watched in fear as the Sabers began to walk forward. Calisto started to laugh rather sadistically. Lorelei closed her eyes.
"Please Lord, Help me."
Calisto's cackle was cut short as a ball of energy slammed into her. She flew back, crashing into the chamber wall. She looked up, her red eyes full of anger. The Saber Dolls and Lorelei all turned to see where the energy ball had come from. Two marionettes stood calmly near Lorelei's fallen cup of coffee. One was the blue hair marionette from the other day. The other had dark hair, and wore a red and white outfit. That one spoke first.
"You Demon's are all the same." said the Dark haired one. "You always have to give off that annoying cackle."
Calisto stared at the newcomers and got extremely pissed. "Forget the mortal!" she shouted at her Sabers. "GET THE GODDESSES!!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 4 Sabers immediately charged at the new targets. Skuld watched the other 3 marionettes grab Lorelei and moved her as far away from the battle as they could. Skuld then turned back and took careful aim. She cut loose with a force bolt at one of the oncoming Sabers. Once again the hexagonal shield appeared, deflecting the shot.
"Damn!" muttered Skuld. She quickly leaped into the air, allowing the charging Sabers to pass under her. Rei also took to the air, but as she jumped, she turned in mid flight and threw her staff at the back of one of the Sabers. The staff slammed into the hexagonal shield, but instead of deflecting, the staff transformed itself. The point seemed to split, becoming a Lance. In this form, the lance broke through the shields and impacted against the Saber, hitting it where the S2 Engine was located. The Saber jerked for a second before it fell backwards. A loud whine began to fill the air as the engine reached critical. The core exploded, knocking the other Sabers back towards Calisto and smashing equipment all around. The Saber Dolls moved over Lorelei, protecting her from the blast and the debris that rained down from the ceiling. Calisto looked up at the 2 Goddesses before her.
"You may not get them all," she said," There's still only 2 of you, and 4 of us."
"I beg to differ."
Calisto turned to see two new figures appearing within the chamber. Skuld and Rei smiled at the arriving help. The Saber Dolls easily recognized these two as the remaining marionettes from the day before, the red head, and the brunette, and continued to watch.
"Its now more even, don't you think?" continued Asuka.
Calisto's eyes flared. "GET THEM!"
The remaining Sabers charged at the closest target to them. Calisto also picked out a target.
"You Goddesses have interfered for the last time." She said to Rei.
"I'm not a Goddess," replied Rei, "I'm a Guardian."
Calisto's face paled a bit, "You're a... " she shook her head, "No matter, I will defeat you" To prove her point, Calisto charged at Rei, pulling out her demon sword as she ran. Rei dodged Calisto's first and seconds attacks. She then flipped over Calisto and ran towards where her weapon lay pierced into the floor. She grabbed it and raised it just in time to block a swipe from Calisto. Rei and Calisto exchanged dirty looks before continuing to battle around the chamber. While Rei continued to battle the Demon, Asuka, Skuld and Sayoko ran through the corridors of the castle with the enemy Sabers in pursuit.
"I love Demon programming," said Skuld with a smile, "They blindly obey the last orders they were given, no matter what."
Asuka glanced over at Skuld, "And this helps us how?"
"The farther we lead them away, the more likely Lorelei will survive. Rei can handle the Demoness."
"And how long do you expect us to keep running?" asked Asuka.
Skuld glanced at Asuka funny. "Who said we had to run?" With that, Skuld lifted her feet off the ground and flew along the corridors about 2 feet off the ground. Asuka stared at Skuld a second longer before taking off herself.
"500 years as a God-like being," muttered Asuka, "and I still forget the basics."
Sayoko smiled at Asuka before turning to her Aunt. "How much longer?"
"Lead them outside," replied Skuld, "I don't want to bring the castle down on us when they explode."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lime, Cherry, Bloodberry, and Otaru entered the chamber. Before them, 2 marionettes were locked in fierce combat.
Cherry and Bloodberry immediaty recognized one of the Marionettes.
"Master!" shouted Cherry, "That's one of the Marionettes that saved us yesterday."
Otaru was about to reply when he heard someone shout his name. Otaru turned to see Lorelei protected by the Saber Dolls, He and the girls immediately headed to them.
"Are you alright?" asked Otaru.
Lorelei nodded. "There are 6 other marionettes running around the castle, 3 of them are of the Gartlant type, the other 3 are like that one." Lorelei pointed to the blue haired marionette.
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Cherry.
"No." replied Tiger, "Some type of shield prevented us from doing anything. Only they seem to be able to break through."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rei was starting to get tired. The Demon just would not give up. She was just barely able to block the Demon's attacks. Finally, after blocking a blow, Rei forced the demon's sword into the floor and pinned it there with her staff. Calisto snarled in anger and swung her elbow into Rei's face. The Demon hit her with such force that Rei's face shield shattered along the right side, the Demon's elbow crashing into her face. Rei fell backwards, clutching her face as her helmet tumbled across the floor. Rei lay on the ground, stunned, blood dripped from her face. The Demon slowly walked over her.
"Now it ends....Guardian." Calisto raised her sword, preparing to deliver the death blow, when she was sent flying across the room from an impact, losing her sword in the process. Calisto looked up to see the red-headed marionette standing over her.
"That's not very nice to hit someone when their down." said Bloodberry with a smirk.
Calisto snarled and raised her hand.
Lorelei, having seen what raising a hand meant, shouted out, "MOVE BLOODBERRY!!"
Bloodberry jumped quickly out of the way, the force bolt slamming into the ceiling. Pieces of the ceiling collapsed onto Bloodberry, pinning her to the floor. Calisto got to her feet and began to walked towards the marionettes and mortals.
"That's it." Calisto raised her hand. "Now it ends."
"I agree."
Calisto turned around just in time to catch the force bolt directly in her chest. Rei watched as the bolt ate through Calisto, who gave out one final cry before she collapsed. Rei let out a sigh before she fell to her knees, still holding the side of her face. A loud gasp caused her to turn towards the mortals.
Lorelei stared at Rei in shock. "But its...You...It can't be...."
Rei's eyes widened as she realized she was no longer wearing her helmet and her face was in full view. She quickly vanished in a flash and a thunder clap. Lorelei continued to stare in shock.
Three loud explosions in succession caused all present to look towards the ceiling. Luchs walked over to one of the remaining functioning computers and brought up an outside camera view. 3 craters marked the spots where the sabers had exploded. Luchs saw the other 3 marionettes for a second before they vanished in a flash. Luchs turned back to the others.
"The attackers have been destroyed, and our defenders have vanished."
As Luchs spoke, Panther and Bloodberry walked over to the remains of the demon, while Lorelei walked over to the helmet that had been left. She picked it up, staring at the broken face shield. Cherry came up next to her. Noticing pieces of the shield on the ground, Cherry bent down and pick up one of the larger ones. Feeling something on the piece, Cherry dropped it and looked at her hand. Her finger tips were covered in a red fluid. She recognized it, even without her scanners.
"Lorelei," Cherry said shakily, "This is blood. That wasn't a marionette..."
"I know." Lorelei said quietly, still looking at the helmet. "She's real."
"Who was it?" Luchs asked, turning to Lorelei.
"An old friend." replied Lorelei, "One who should be dead."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamorr ducked as a chair hurtled past his head. "I'm sorry my Lord, but she is gone."
Draco snarled and threw another chair. "Dammit. That's 4 Demons in the last week. I want BLOOD!"
"What are your orders my Lord?" asked Gamorr.
Draco began to slowly walk towards Gamorr. "The Guardians and Goddesses on Terra 2 eliminated. They must be gone before we proceed any further in our plans. Do you understand."
"Yes my Lord."
Draco sat down on his throne. "Then be gone. I must think."
Gamorr vanished, leaving Draco to contemplate what his future held.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------