(Version 1.2)
SailorsPathfinder : Love and Without
By : MakotoJade – makotojade@hotmail.com
Episode 9 : Gathering and Attack
Anyone get the number of that bus?
The first thing Rei realized was that she had a tremendous
headache... then she realized that meant she was alive... and she
certainly hadn't thought she would be. The youma had trapped her in a
crystal, just like Mamoru, it had shattered, and then nothing-
Wait... if I'm still alive that might mean-
"MAMORU!?!" Rei sat up with a start and flicked open her eyes.
Her head reeled and the headache pounded in her skull, but she
forced it off as she looked around her. She was in a field of some-sort.
A ways ahead of her was a building. Fences extended from it on either
side, and moved off, surrounding the field in a circular fashion. She
judged from the looks of it she was in about the center of the field. Her
eyes followed the fence, and she turned to look behind her-- and gasped.
At least a hundred girls cowered in the back part of the field,
some of them in sailor fuku, most in other kinds of clothes.
"Hello?" she asked. Suddenly those in fuku sprang up and ran to
crowd around her.
"You! You speak the tongue!!" one shouted.
"Japanese?" she asked, but none of them heard her... they were all
speaking at once.
"Are you a Senshi, too? ... Why are you here? ... What happened to
us? ... What about those crystals? ... And the youma-"
Rei suddenly stood. They stopped and stepped a bit away from her.
She looked at their sailor fuku... they were all identical... but not one of
them looked like hers...
She thrust her hand into the air, "MARS POWER!!!"
In another 16 seconds Sailor Mars stood before them... they who
now gaped at her...
"YOU!!! ... She-she has the fuku of an Earth System Senshi... And
it's red ... Why, she can't be real!! ... Ghost? ... Crazy!! ... Can't
be ... Thought they died!! ... you, and the others and the Princess ..
Felt you die..."
Suddenly two of them hit their knees and the rest followed suit,
bowing down before her.
Mars stared at them, "WHAT is going ON!?!?"
One looked up, "You are Sailor Mars, are you not?"
"Well, yes... but, who are all of you?"
They looked at her, confused. One of them spoke up, "We're
Senshi..."
Mars sighed, "Well, obviously... but from where?"
One of the other girls, one not in a fuku, suddenly appeared at
Mars' elbow, "Su say na kurotu? Yo me... ni kodarte... conet?"
Mars looked from her to the others, "What did she say?"
One of the others shook their heads, "Don't know... she's speaking
in whatever dialect her home speaks in."
"How come all of you speak Japanese? Are you all from Japan?"
Another Senshi stared at her, "Japanese? We're speaking in
galactic basic..."
"JAPANESE is Galactic Basic?!?"
"If they call it Japanese where you are from, then yes, it is. It
is the language common to all those who lived during the time of the
Silver Millennium."
Mars was as confused as the non-Senshi girl standing beside her,
"Okay-- I have no idea what's going on, but I need to know one thing
first. Where am I?"
"You don't know?"
Mars sighed, "No, I do not."
"Dang! Well, neither do we, we were hoping you did."
Suddenly there was a noise behind her and Mars spun to see Ami's
body fall to hit the ground. "AMI!!!" she screamed as she ran towards
her.
She knelt down next to her friend and checked for vital signs.
Ami seemed to be okay, just a little bruised.
Another Senshi was leaning over her shoulder, "Is that who I think
it is? Only one Senshi had blue hair like that!"
Sailor Mars looked up at the girl, "She's Sailor Mercury-"
"I KNEW IT!! I knew you all didn't die!! Does this mean the
Princess is still alive, too?!?"
"Princess Serenity? Yes, she's alive-"
"Then the queen might have summoned us!"
Another Senshi hit the other's arm, "With YOUMA?!? Get real!"
Mars heard a groan and looked down to see Ami opening her eyes.
"Rei?" she asked in a rather raspy voice.
"Yeah, it's me, and I'm glad you're here, Ami. Maybe you can help
me figure this out..."
* * *
Risa looked through the seers carefully and then handed them to
Tuxedo Mask. He took them and stared off at the castle. "Much better
than my binoculars..."
"What was that?" she asked.
He shook his head, "Nothing... Are Sage and Leeota sure they're
ready, and are you certain you can give them the signal when it's their
time to go?"
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and smiled,
"Yes and Yes. Everything is set."
He nodded, "Alright then, let's do this." He noticed her bow her
head for a moment. "Risa?"
She looked up, and then off at the castle. "Many people will die
today. Just a quick thought, a quick prayer..."
He nodded and then looked back off at the castle. She's right...
battle always ends in destruction, doesn't it? I've seen too much of
it... He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and then picked up the
comm unit next to him. "Double A this is Mask. Ann, Alan? Do you see
everything clearly on your side? Things check out?"
In a moment Alan's voice crackled in the comm, "Yep, ready to go
on this side, just start givin' the signals! Double A out!"
Tuxedo Mask sighed, and looked at Risa as he started to give the
command, "Mask to all units... deploy on my mark... Hex One... away. Hex
Two... away. Hex Three..."
* * *
Hex Four leader was a strict man. Never let his soldiers see his
emotions. He was glad of this, because they might have wanted to know
what he felt at the moment. And what he felt was cold fear ripping him
apart, fear not for him, but for all of the men and women who would die
today... for indeed... many of them would be dying.
He gazed around at them, memorizing their faces, hoping maybe
there would be people to remember them... and hoping that that they would
be remembered for bringing the downfall of the evil on this world.
"Mask to all units..." His comm crackled, he recognized the voice
as the one named Tuxedo Mask. The young man began to deploy the different
squadrons... and then- "Hex Four... away."
Hex Four leader turned to his team, "This is it... go... NOW!!"
* * *
Hydra absentmindedly played with the pendant on her neck...
Nephlite... you loved causing destruction... I wish you could see the
havoc I've created here... why it's so lovely! I-
"My Queen!!" Hydra turned at the call... a General, gasping at
the door to her chambers.
Her eyes flashed as an orange glow began about her fist, "How dare
you interrupt me!!"
"Bu-But My Queen!! The humans-"
"WHAT!?!? What about the humans?"
"Th-They're attacking My Queen!!!"
Hydrazite was so shocked for a second she gaped at the General.
Then she fled to her window. Outside human vermin swarmed over the castle
borders.
She spun to the General, her eyes aflame, "THE FOOLS!! THEY
ATTACK!!!"
"M-My Que-"
Hydra sent a brilliant, flaming wave of energy through him and
then stormed into the hall screaming.
"GENERALS!!! WHAT IN BERYL'S NAME IS GOING ON!?!? GET THE
DARKNITES OUTSIDE!!!!!!!"
Countless denizens of the castle began scrambling about, fleeing
outside to attack.
In a rage she ran to follow them, outside, DAMMIT IF I WON'T PICK
OFF ALL OF THE VERMIN MYSELF!!
* * *
Tuxedo Mask watched as all of the Hex Squadrons came down on all
sides of the castle. He was waiting for his own mental signal to order
the Senshi to attack. It was gruesome... but he had to wait...
Then he saw one of the Soldiers die... then another. Damnit...
what a signal...
He looked at Risa, "The soldiers are dying, it is time for your
intervention... send in the Senshi, and remember to listen for my signal."
Risa nodded, closed her eyes for a moment... and then vanished in
a wash of red.
He picked up the comm, "Double A this is Mask, Senshi are in, wait
for my signal if you're needed. Mask out."
Tuxedo Mask watched as his plan unfolded before his eyes. All of
the DarkNites were facing outward, trying to kill the soldiers coming in.
They hadn't counted on an attack from behind them...
He only saw a handful of flashes from his angle, but abruptly the
battle shifted. DarkNites began falling, as the Senshi attacked them.
They were either killed directly by the attack, or driven into the mass of
soldiers where they were killed.
Tuxedo Mask swore... Why does the death have to continue though?
he thought as one after another, soldiers fell- when all of the sudden...
a wave of pain and sheer agony ripped through him.
He held his head and screamed, it was so painful... what had
happened?
* * *
Risa almost lost her concentration when the wave of anguish, of
death in agony, reached her... Sweet Heavens... not a Pathfinder!!! But
she knew it had to be true, one of her friends was dead. A Senshi had
fallen. Tears welled up in her eyes, why did this have to happen... Her
sadness turned to anger as she continued to attack, waiting, desperately,
for Tuxedo Mask's signal so that the battle would be almost over...
Then maybe they would finally be free...
* * *
Tuxedo Mask watched the battle again, the feeling of pain still
lingering in his mind, but he knew he had to keep watching...
Looks as if their numbers are dwindling enough... in a second I
can-
Suddenly a wave of energy swept down on one side of the castle,
orange flames ripping through several soldiers...
"NOO!!" Tuxedo Mask yelled as he stood up suddenly. But the
energy took no heed as it swept another swath of death through the masses
of soldiers. It even killed a few of the DarkNites in the process.
DAMN!! It's Hydrazite!!! It has to be!!
Hurriedly he "yelled" as loud as he could in his mind, directly at
Risa. NOW!!! NOW!! SWITCH ATTACKS NOW AND GET SAGE AND LEEOTA IN THERE
FAST!!
He grabbed the comm unit and screamed into it, "ALAN!! ANN!! GET
OUT THERE AND HELP THEM!!! THE QUEEN HERSELF IS ATTACKING!!"
"QUICK!!"
* * *
In the back of her mind Risa suddenly heard a voice... and she
knew who's voice it was. She reached out with her own thoughts and
screamed at Sage and Leeota, telling them to get inside.
Then she mind-called all of the other senshi. "Switch attack!!
Now!!"
Then she looked for a spot... and teleported... and was then
facing the castle, on the side of the soldiers, driving back the
DarkNites.
* * *
Sage and Leeota sat halfway down a hill, just a ways beyond the
castle. "Risa just asked if we were ready," said Sage.
Leeota looked at her, "So we'll be going in any minute now, eh?"
The other Pathfinder nodded, then looked at her friend, "Are we
ready?"
"I am... are you?"
Sage looked away, and off into the distance, "Yeah, it's just
that, well, I've never been this nervous going into an attack before..."
she trailed off.
Leeota spoke after a moment, "Well, you've always had a hand in
planning the attacks before. Now you're just following orders."
Sage put her palms on the ground behind her and then leaned back
to stare up into the sky, "Yeah, but this is a good plan. I don't think
it's really that at all... for the first time in my life, I'm afraid.
Afraid of getting fried. What if we get in there and my judgment fails
me, and I do something superbly dumb, huh? What if-"
"Oh Sage stop it!! You're judgment is fine!" Sage moved as if
she was going to say something, but Leeota continued too quickly for her
to even get a syllable out, "Truly, Sage... If any of the other
Pathfinders had stayed to protect the O.F., would they have lived? No.
You fired at them yourself. There was a force field around them, and even
if it could have been taken out, they came in so fast... Sage...
What happened happened, and there is nothing you can do to change it, and
you did nothing wrong at all, in fact, had those Senshi remained, they
most likely would have died-"
As she said the word... a spasm of pain and agony took over them.
Sage's arms failed her, and she fell back; Leeota's face quickly lowered
into her hands as they both cried out... so much pain...
"A Pathfinder... a Pathfinder is dead." Leeota sobbed the
obvious.
Sage pushed herself back up, and blurily looked at Leeota,
"WHY?!? Why does it have to happen?"
Leeota shook her head as they both tried to push it away... they
still had a job to do.
They sat in silence for a little bit... and then Risa's mental
scream put them both on their feet.
Sage looked at Leeota, "Time to go." The blonde nodded. "Good
Journey..."
Leeota smiled back at her, "Good Journey."
They were gone in a flash of pink and green.
* * *
Tuxedo Mask watched as the energy claimed more and more lives.
Then he saw the shimmering which meant Senshi were teleporting to the new
attack places. As soon as Leeota and Sage bring the thing down, it'll
all be over... But the orange wave kept taking away life after life...
He suddenly charged down the hill, Shit, if they can give their
lives, so can I... I might not be able to do much more then throw a few
roses here and there, but I can't just watch this!!
He stormed into the battle.
* * *
* * *
The large drainage pipe underneath the main highway of town was a
popular attraction for little children. They called it their clubhouse...
played in it, hiding for hours from their parents or baby-sitters, just
having fun. If you listened carefully, you could hear them laughing as
you passed over.
But, had one been listening tonight, the sound wasn't as joyous...
In fact, sobs echoed in the night. It sounded as if someone had just lost
a part of their soul... a part of themselves...
Jupiter stood at one of the open ends of the pipe, right hand
resting on a metal rung, supporting her, and stared off into the night.
Stars sparkled in the sky; the city had begun to shut down, lights fading
off; there was the gentle buzzing of the insects; an occasional car passed
over, though none had in the past few minutes... She sighed, Everything
seems so normal, peaceful... God!! Why is this happening... the world
is turning upside down!!
She had moved her two friends here. It had taken awhile, both
were distraught... and gushing like waterfalls. It hadn't occurred to her
to go anywhere else, this seemed the perfect place.
She turned now, and looked in at her two friends. Venus sat with
her head in her hands, her blonde hair tumbling all about her, it and her
hands covering her face... Sailor Moon sat against the side of the pipe,
her knees pulled against her chest, chin on her knees, eyes glassy staring
a the other side of the pipe. Luna had gone out looking for Artemis long
ago... and Jupiter had no idea where she was...
She turned back around and stared off into the night. This can't
be happening, IT CAN'T!! We always win! We save the world, we live, go
on, and do it again... we DON'T die!!
A sudden light flashed through the sky. She watched as it
descended towards Earth... Shooting star... God!! Why? If they had
to die, at least they should have been fighting for SOMETHING! Winning a
battle... ANYTHING!!
She heard a bending and snapping noise to her right and looked to
discover that she'd twisted the metal rung from the wall. She held it in
her hands, turning it. She fought the tears welling up in her eyes with
all her might.
Suddenly a hand rested on her shoulder and she spun... to discover
Sailor Moon standing at her shoulder. The girl still had tears in her
eyes, and running down her face. Jupiter quickly looked away to hide her
own eyes. "What?"
"It's so calm, doesn't feel like the right world, does it?"
Jupiter was surprised by how calm Sailor Moon's voice was. She
answered the blonde, "No."
Both stood in silence for a long moment. Finally Sailor Moon
spoke, "Do you think they'll be back? Do you think they are going to kill
the rest of us?"
Jupiter stared off into the distance, "Who knows... I mean who ARE
"they"? We have no idea what's going on, who, when, where, why, how...
DAMN!!!" She suddenly lost the battle, and the tears freely came down
her face. Her voice quavered as she tried to keep talking, "Shit... I
mean they could have told us something... anything... damned angles of
death popping out of the sky and killing people for no reason
whatsoever..."
Sailor Moon was suddenly standing in front of her, and then was
hugging her. For a moment, she wouldn't let herself give in... Damnit!
What does it matter.... and then she was sobbing into her shoulder.
After a moment, Venus joined them and the three stood, hugging
each other... thinking about what they had lost.
Jupiter looked over Venus' shoulder and off into the night.
Another light flashed through the sky... but closer... near the ground...
Almost looks like the same shooting star... wait a minute... it can't
be... what in blazes?!?!??
She pushed her friends away from her and looked out... Suddenly
she could tell it was coming in fast... and directly at... "US!!!" she
shouted her completed thought aloud.
She turned and pushed her friends towards the other end of the
pipe.
"RUN!!!!"
They dove out the other end as the thing streaked through the
tunnel. Immediately Jupiter was on her feet, Venus was up in the next
second, Sailor Moon on the third.
The thing suddenly stopped and they saw it's true form. A youma
stared at them... several crystals floating beside it.
Before Jupiter could summon a wave of green thunder, a Crescent
Beam suddenly ripped through the air- but the thing dodged. It spoke at
them, in a mocking, whining voice. "I've been warned of you... I won't be
defeated so easily... can't say the same for you, though." A crystal
suddenly lurched out towards Venus.
Everything went into slow motion, Jupiter seemed unable to move as
she tried to blast at the crystal, her hands wouldn't point in the proper
direction fast enough... and then Venus' body stretched awkwardly and was
pulled into the crystal. Then the crystal shattered.
Her hands finally blasted green energy... but through an empty
expanse of air. She turned again to face the youma, but the thing was
throwing a crystal towards Sailor Moon.
Jupiter tried to move again... but it was all happening so fast,
she was still in slow motion...
Just before Sailor Moon disappeared into the crystal, their eyes
locked. Her friend seemed so calm, peaceful, even internally. The other
girl simply smiled at her, and was gone... the crystal shattering after
her.
Normal time seemed to resume as Jupiter's outcry ripped through
the air. She suddenly summoned all of the energy she could and released
it in the direction of the youma.
But once again, the energy was wasted. The thing had moved, and
she could hear it laughing behind her.
She turned to face it, and was met with the sight of a beautiful
crystal spinning not one foot from her...
And suddenly she was within it, staring out, the world distorted
at odd angles. The world... She stared at it, lovingly, and all dark
emotions left her soul, I tried my hardest.. I did... I hope it lives on
without me... without us...
Suddenly, blackness.
End Ep. Nine.
(Version 1.2)
