The sand of Earth 314 blew angrily through the intruder, trying in vain to
destroy that which was determined to conquer it. The biting winds and sharp
sands passed right through the woman. Amazonia had left herself insubstantial
so as to avoid the harsh climate of her new planet. She looked around in
annoyance. When Mathus has said it was a backwater planet, he hasn't been
kidding. In tones of yellow and brown, the planet already seemed dead.
Amazonia growled irritably. She needed to find a city, a building, a *person*
to destroy. The winds died down enough to allow the faint shadow of a city to
rise like an enchanted cobra from a crater basket. With a smile of
satisfaction, she dematerialized and moments later appeared completely within
the city walls.
"At last." She smiled cruelly, eyes agleam with demonic lust. From the sheath
resting on her hip, she drew her favorite dagger, gleaming bright silver in
the sunlight. With a loving caress, she ran her fingers along the sapphire
facets of the large gem inset in the hilt. She eyed the city streets, traffic
scurrying by and not paying notice to the stranger standing in the street.
Taking her dagger firmly in her grasp, she knelt and buried it hilt-deep in
the loose sand of the street. Concentrating for a moment, she released her
venom into the ground. The earth split from the force, cracking in a spiderweb
through the streets. The startled screams of people filled Amazonia's ears
with their melody.
"Beautiful..." Amazonia purred as a building nearby sank with a roar into the
split earth. The quake didn't bother her and she walked as smoothly as if she
were on ice. People were frantically running and stumbling past her as the
violent quakes threw them to their feet. She could see that they were
attempting to reach the crater wall for protection, but it wasn't in her mind
the let them go so easily.
"Come on! Hurry, or you won't make it to safety!" a passing man shouted over
the din, taking her arm in an attempt to drag her with him. Amazonia narrowed
her eyes coldly.
"Don't touch me." She said with murderous calm. There was a hideous snap, and
the man shrieked in horror as he looked at the ragged, bleeding stump where
his harm had been. Amazonia held the missing article in her hand, examining
where she had broken it from his body. The break was mostly clean, and
bleeding plenty. From the corner of her eye she saw the man stumbling away in
fear, clutching his bleeding arm desperately. A few people who had witnessed
the encounter were hurrying him along, casting nervous glances back at the
violent woman standing calmly in the street.
"Where are you going?" Amazonia called sweetly, bending to rip her dagger from
the ground. Immediately, the ongoing quake stopped. A muffled wail arose from
the people on the streets, and the man's eyes widened with terror as he
watched her. Breaking free of his supported, he stumbled quickly away from her
but in one fluid toss of her wrist he found the dagger had ripped through his
chest. The last thing his saw as he slumped to the ground was the clean,
shining weapon buried in the rock wall before him.
Amazonia knelt by the corpse and ran her fingers through the sticky hole in
his chest. She inhaled the metallic scent of blood and death and happily
brought her fingers to her lips, sucking on the thick red blood that ran down
her palm and pooled around herself and the man. "Sweet..." she crooned softly,
her eyes closed in bliss. She lingered there for a moment, reveling in the
tenderness of the days first kill. Slowly, she took her dagger from the wall
and turned to her audience, only to find they had fled. A smirk crossed her
face. "Time to go hunting..."
People were running. All they could do was keep running. They were afraid.
They were afraid of the desert, which loomed before them with its dangerous
winds. They were afraid of the city, which had crumbled and held the terrible
woman, who searched hungrily for them. They were afraid of the sky, which had
begun to crumble and fall with burning rain. Wails rose in terrible gales,
mingling horribly with the roaring winds beyond the crater walls and the
hissing of the fiery rain. The vile scent of scorched flesh and blood filled
the humid air. Tira ran like the others, not daring to glance back. Her long
braids clung to each other, matted together with grit, blood and sweat. Death
filled her nostrils with its putrid presence. People scrambled over one
another as they attempted to race into the screeching winds of the desert. Far
better a death in a familiar land than a death by this heartless invader.
Tira risked a glance over her shoulder as she climbed up the rocky crater
wall. There was the horrible beauty, her dagger held high as she directed the
flaming rain towards the waves of people. Pain shot through Tira's body as her
frantic kinsmen treaded upon her. With a grunt, she felt herself losing her
grip on the rock. She tumbled down through the masses, towards the enemy.
Loose gravel ripped at her body and clothing, punching through her side and
arms and bringing dark blood to the surface. Feet trampled over her hair, no
one bothered to help the young teen that fell away from the crowd. She rolled
to a stop at the bottom of the crater and at the feet of Amazonia. A small
river of blood trickled down her forehead and into the crooks of her eyes,
partially blinding her.
"Well, at least one of you stayed to keep me company. I was so sad that
everyone ran away," Amazonia drawled above the fallen girl, eyeing her
hungrily. "When all I wanted to do was have a little fun!" her boot met
soundly with Tira's side and the teen cried out in pain, rising partially from
her laying position on the ground. Through a haze of red, Tira saw the bodies
of men, women, children and pets lining the fallen streets where Amazonia had
left them. Shakily, she drew herself into a sitting position and glared up at
the woman.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" She demanded, her voice cracking with the
dust that caught in her throat.
"I am Amazonia, second sister in the Gorgon Trio." Amazonia crowed, placing
the tip of her dagger under Tira's chin and lifting her face to look at her.
"And now, I am your sovereign, unless I decide to kill you first." Tira's eyes
flashed, causing Amazonia to chuckle. It was a heartless sound that made the
teen's blood curdle in her veins. "You don't like the sound of that, I see.
That's such a shame. I should think you would be grateful that I've let you
live this long, child. You amuse me. But I don't appreciate ungrateful
servants!" she pressed her dagger into Tira's throat. Blood began to well out
from the wound, and the girl's eyes rolled back into her head. Fighting
unconsciousness, she managed to spit at the woman's feet. The blade dug deeper
into her flesh.
"Amazonia!" a curt feminine voice barked. The pressure of the blade lessened.
Tira took a shaky breath and dared a glance at her savior as blood rushed to
her head, blackening her sight rapidly. Behind Amazonia stood another woman.
She looked exactly like Amazonia, only her hair hung to her ankles in waves.
Amazonia let her captive drop, finally in the bliss of unconsciousness.
"Regina." She sneered at her sister. She tucked her dagger away in its sheath.
The fire rain ceased at once, as did the tremors that still shook the ground
slightly.
"I can't believe you did this without my consent!" Regina fumed. Amazonia
shrugged lazily. "What were you thinking? You're crazy. We are not yet ready
for battle."
"But sister dear, I have done you a great deed." Amazonia responded politely,
her eyes agleam. "Your Shadows are not powerful enough to fight without
vessels. Here, I have captured an entire planet of vessels for you to use."
She waved an arm vaguely at the destruction she had wreaked. Regina
reluctantly cast her eyes to the sight.
"This is true." She conceded, still refusing to let her anger subside
completely.
"Of course it is." Amazonia purred, wrapping her arm around her sister's waist
affectionately. "I wanted to make you happy. I began the tirade earlier than
planned as a surprise to you. Now, we have already begun to expand our
kingdom. This planet will bow to our greater will without question, after the
lesson that I have taught them. We can begin our conquest of the Upsilon
Andromedae system, and after that, the rest of the galaxy. Then the universe.
This is what we wanted! Don't be angry with me."
"You just want blood." Regina scowled, narrowing her eyes at her sister. "It
will destroy you someday. I won't save when it happens." Something, it may
have been hurt, flitted momentarily behind Amazonia's eyes.
"If that's the way you want it." She at last replied, letting go of her
sister's waist. Regina looked around at the city, which was now a wasteland of
blood and fire. She smiled at her sister in an almost affectionate way.
"You certainly are thorough, but did you have to make such a mess?" she asked.
"Come, let us take the dead back home. I have enough Shadows to occupy them."
She began to pool her dark essence into a black ball in her hand. Taking
careful aim, she pointed her finger at the mess of corpses. Transparent black
tendrils oozed from the ball, wrapping themselves around the lifeless forms.
Thousands of tendrils roamed the city, latching themselves onto the scent of
death, creating a dark web through the city streets.
"This one too." Amazonia demanded, nudging Tira's limp body with her foot. The
girl groaned but did not move. Queen Regina frowned.
"She's not dead. What use have we for her?"
"I want her." Amazonia replied coldly. "She's mine now. Take her too." With a
shrug, Regina sent one final tendril to wrap itself around the gypsy girl's
body.
"Fine then. Let us go." The sisters faded out of existence once again, and
those that had been wrapped in the Dark Magic also eased out. The city was
empty once again. Those people watching from the crater walls knew that this
was the beginning of their Hell on Earth. There was nothing to be done but
wait for the return of their invaders.
***
Every television in the school was turned to the news. The hallway speakers
were tuned to the reports. It was impossible to escape the horrors that poured
out through the speakers.
"Today there was an attack on Earth 314. Facts are still hazy, but satellites
in the area have sent back images of destruction befalling the entire planet.
No one knows the casualty rate at the moment, but it is estimated to be in the
thousands already. The planet has undergone terrible damage and it is feared
that it might collapse entirely. Rescue ships are currently being sent to
retrieve any survivors, but there is something in the atmosphere that is
preventing entry to the planet's surface..." the reports droned on, each
report vague but filled with the terror of the attack. For once, the entire
academy was silent with the news. Some cried, others remained in shocked
silence.
Xi paced, refusing to let emotional heartbreak bring visible tears to her cold
grey eyes. The rest of her class had their eyes fixed upon the television
screen, which displayed the horrible images transmitted by the satellites.
There was her home, the yellow haze of the atmosphere charred black and red.
Her home...home...
"Miss Lan, would you please be seated?" the teacher gently said. It sounded
like a request, but Xi knew it to be a command. Well, too bad. With a glare,
she spun on her heels and walked briskly from the classroom. The teacher,
sensing something deeper, was not unkind and let her go without a fight. Her
hurt quickly boiled into anger as she went through the mostly empty halls. Her
ears were filled with the reports. A strike of terror, an impending war,
destruction...words of foreboding doom floated through the air. Xi brushed
them off, focusing instead on her own anger as she made her way across the
campus lawn to the beach.
The sun sparkled beautifully on the clear green water as it ebbed and flowed
across the white sand. Xi found herself hating the fact that it was so pretty.
Nothing deserved to be pretty. She kicked a pebble into the water angrily.
"Damn them. Damn them all!" she snarled. Her mother...her father...Tira...how
dare they? How dare they destroy her home? How dare they kill those close to
her? How dare they?
"You used to live there, didn't you?" a voice asked from behind. Xi whirled
around to see Astraea lounging on the grass above the beach line. She watched
Xi carefully over her yellow glasses, and the teen found it impossible to read
the expression in her red eyes. Xi scowled.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded irritably, wishing to be alone.
"Vela--"
"Don't you call me that." Xi snapped. "I listened to your bull the other day
because I felt compelled to. I don't have to take it anymore."
Astraea sighed and ran a hand through her red-streaked hair while she looked
up into the crystalline sky. After a moment, she focused her gaze once more on
the irritable student. "I understand how you feel. It's not fair, about your
home."
Xi rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock." She muttered. "Go away."
"No." Astraea replied simply. Xi scowled again, and walked away down the
beach. She didn't want to be around anyone. Astraea watched her walk a few
paces before calling out to her. "You could have stopped it. You could have
saved everything, and none of this would have happened." Xi stopped in her
tracks. The gentle crash of the waves by her feet was the only sound that
filled the distance between the two women. Ever so slowly, Xi turned to the
Guardian.
"What do you mean?" Their eyes locked.
"You could have stopped it all. If the entire division was gathered, then none
of this would have happened." Astraea spoke smoothly and seriously. "This is
exactly what the Senshi were reborn to defend against. You must find the
remaining three soldiers if you have any desire at all to keep other planets
from befalling the same fate, you must accept your role."
Xi remained in angry silence, Astraea's words ringing a taunting truth in her
mind. She set her gaze to the watery horizon, and Astraea remained thankfully
silent. Thoughts sped through the teen's mind. She felt she should have done
something to protect those she loved, perhaps it was true that she was senshi.
Then again, perhaps it was only natural to wish to defend something so much.
Lulled by the rhythmic splash of the sea, it took a few moments for the voice
to register.
"Xi? Xi, are you all right?" Morgan stood on the shore where Astraea had been
sitting. The Guardian had disappeared, and Xi wondered just how long she had
been standing on the beach, her mind whirling as she watched the water.
Morgan's eyes held a look of deep concern and she took a step onto the sand.
There was a sharp intake of breath from Xi and her eyes widened. Morgan noted
the expression and stepped towards the girl, genuine concern painted on her
face. Without a word, Xi grabbed her arm in a steel grip. "Xi?? What's wrong?
Ow, you're hurting me..."
"Come with me." Xi said, dragging the other second year student across the
campus with her. In her eyes, the green glow surrounding Morgan was
unmistakable. Morgan stumbled behind her friend's long, steady strides.
"Where are we going?" Morgan pleaded. Xi didn't respond immediately, instead
ragging her back into the academic wings through the third year halls. Her
ears were closed to the news reports that still droned over the intercom. She
threw open the door to a classroom, and all heads turned to stare. Morgan
stood limply behind the firm Xi, looking ashamed while the latter looked
menacing.
"Cecelia." Xi spoke sharply. The lavender haired girl met her eyes and slowly
rose from her seat.
"Miss LeGruin..." the professor began to protest, but Cecelia gave a charming
smile.
"I'll return in a moment, ma'am."
"Yes, of course." Cecelia strode from the room into the hallway and looked
steadily at Xi.
"Well?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and looking down at the
younger teen.
"Tien said that Dean had it as well. Who is he?" Xi demanded.
"You're not going to start that whole thing again, are you? Listen, I'm not
getting involved. It's all childish nonsense."
"We're gathering. Every last one of us." Xi growled, her eyes narrowing
dangerously. Cecelia turned her head away and started to go back into the
classroom, but Xi flung Morgan into her. The girl stumbled and looked up at
Cecelia, rubbing her arm where Xi had gripped her.
"Hello, my name's Morgan O'Claire. Are you a friend of Xi's, I take it?" She
asked, completely confused.
"I don't believe Xi is capable of having friends." Cece drawled icily.
"You see the auras as plainly as I do." Xi snapped, ignoring Morgan's friendly
attempts. "You heard the reports. That's my home they destroyed."
"Then I'm sorry for your loss." Cecelia responded. Xi lunged for her and threw
the older girl against the wall. She pinned Cecelia's arms at her sides with
amazing strength for one so scrawny. Xi's eyes blazed and she shook her
captive.
"Damned if you're *sorry*. We're going to stop this, once and for all. If you
don't want to be part of the team, who gives a fuck? I'm the leader, according
to Astraea, and I'm telling you, *commanding* you, to bring me to Dean." She
gave Cecelia another rattling shake.
"Xi! What's gotten into you?" Morgan cried, struggling to free Cecelia from
her friend's grip. Neither of the girls answered the redhead's pleas. At last,
Cecelia nodded, and Xi released her.
"He's in class." Cecelia said, starting down the hall. Xi followed her.
"Come on Morgan." Xi called. Confused, curious, and slightly worried, Morgan
trotted after the two girls. Cecelia paused outside another classroom. Over
the tall girl's shoulder, Xi could see that the television was turned to news
of the attack, like everyone else. Cecelia opened the door and stepped inside.
Xi and Morgan stood in the doorway as Cecelia made her way to the professor's
desk. She whispered some words to the teacher, glancing around the classroom
as she spoke. There was a little debate between the two, but at last the
teacher nodded. Cecelia smiled.
"Miss Johannson, Mr. Castor, please come see me." The professor called. Dean
and Erica exchanged glances and slowly rose, approaching the desk cautiously.
Cecelia smiled encouragingly at them. There was a little more conferencing,
and at last Cecelia ushered her two friends out into the hall, where Xi and
Morgan were waiting.
"Are you satisfied now, Xi?" Cecelia demanded. Xi set her eyes to the other
third year students and looked over them critically.
"Grey and pink. Glad you found the her," she nodded at Erica. "so we won't
have to look for the final one." She muttered before looking at herself,
Morgan and Cecelia. "Purple, green and red. Let's go find Tien." She headed
off down the hallway towards the first year wing.
"Cece, what's going on?" Erica whispered as the other four slowly followed
after the girl.
"You really don't want to know." Cecelia sighed.
"Is this the same Tien you introduced to me yesterday?" Dean asked eagerly.
"Yes. This time, try to be nice and keep your mouth shut?" Cecelia asked.
Retrieving Tien wasn't as difficult, and Xi let Tien lead the group back to
her dorm. Dean tried to follow behind the short first year, but a glare from
Xi kept him beside Erica and Cece. Morgan tugged at Xi's arm.
"Xi, talk to me," She said quietly. "What's going on? You don't look well."
"I'm fine, Morgan." Xi replied steadily. She almost smiled. "Sorry for making
you worry, but there is something that we all need to discuss." She didn't say
anything else. Tien led the group up the stairs to her dorm room and opened
the door. On the bed sat Astraea. She looked up.
"Well, I'm glad you all decided to come." Her eyes peered over her sunglasses
and she silently counted the figures attempting to squeeze into the small
room. "All of you? I'm impressed Xi. You were quick in collecting the entire
division."
"What's going on here?" Castor demanded. Astraea slowly rose from the bed.
"Ah, Draco. You ask more questions than you used to." She put a hand on his
shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"Who are you? What did you call me?" Astraea chuckled.
"Come." She cried, ushering the students out the door. "I have my van
downstairs. We must take a ride. I'll explain to you in the car."
"We're taking a trip? This will be fun!" Erica giggled, skipping out after the
woman. Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and followed. Morgan cast a glance
at Xi before she too went through the door. Tien, Cecelia and Xi remained in
the room for a moment more.
"Miss Xi, Miss Cecelia, it's nice to see you again." Tien said, looking at the
ground.
"This is all ridiculous." Cecelia scoffed.
"We'll see." Xi replied coolly before sweeping out of the small dorm room.
Tien scurried behind her. After a few more moments, Cecelia at last followed
the rest of the group out the door.
destroy that which was determined to conquer it. The biting winds and sharp
sands passed right through the woman. Amazonia had left herself insubstantial
so as to avoid the harsh climate of her new planet. She looked around in
annoyance. When Mathus has said it was a backwater planet, he hasn't been
kidding. In tones of yellow and brown, the planet already seemed dead.
Amazonia growled irritably. She needed to find a city, a building, a *person*
to destroy. The winds died down enough to allow the faint shadow of a city to
rise like an enchanted cobra from a crater basket. With a smile of
satisfaction, she dematerialized and moments later appeared completely within
the city walls.
"At last." She smiled cruelly, eyes agleam with demonic lust. From the sheath
resting on her hip, she drew her favorite dagger, gleaming bright silver in
the sunlight. With a loving caress, she ran her fingers along the sapphire
facets of the large gem inset in the hilt. She eyed the city streets, traffic
scurrying by and not paying notice to the stranger standing in the street.
Taking her dagger firmly in her grasp, she knelt and buried it hilt-deep in
the loose sand of the street. Concentrating for a moment, she released her
venom into the ground. The earth split from the force, cracking in a spiderweb
through the streets. The startled screams of people filled Amazonia's ears
with their melody.
"Beautiful..." Amazonia purred as a building nearby sank with a roar into the
split earth. The quake didn't bother her and she walked as smoothly as if she
were on ice. People were frantically running and stumbling past her as the
violent quakes threw them to their feet. She could see that they were
attempting to reach the crater wall for protection, but it wasn't in her mind
the let them go so easily.
"Come on! Hurry, or you won't make it to safety!" a passing man shouted over
the din, taking her arm in an attempt to drag her with him. Amazonia narrowed
her eyes coldly.
"Don't touch me." She said with murderous calm. There was a hideous snap, and
the man shrieked in horror as he looked at the ragged, bleeding stump where
his harm had been. Amazonia held the missing article in her hand, examining
where she had broken it from his body. The break was mostly clean, and
bleeding plenty. From the corner of her eye she saw the man stumbling away in
fear, clutching his bleeding arm desperately. A few people who had witnessed
the encounter were hurrying him along, casting nervous glances back at the
violent woman standing calmly in the street.
"Where are you going?" Amazonia called sweetly, bending to rip her dagger from
the ground. Immediately, the ongoing quake stopped. A muffled wail arose from
the people on the streets, and the man's eyes widened with terror as he
watched her. Breaking free of his supported, he stumbled quickly away from her
but in one fluid toss of her wrist he found the dagger had ripped through his
chest. The last thing his saw as he slumped to the ground was the clean,
shining weapon buried in the rock wall before him.
Amazonia knelt by the corpse and ran her fingers through the sticky hole in
his chest. She inhaled the metallic scent of blood and death and happily
brought her fingers to her lips, sucking on the thick red blood that ran down
her palm and pooled around herself and the man. "Sweet..." she crooned softly,
her eyes closed in bliss. She lingered there for a moment, reveling in the
tenderness of the days first kill. Slowly, she took her dagger from the wall
and turned to her audience, only to find they had fled. A smirk crossed her
face. "Time to go hunting..."
People were running. All they could do was keep running. They were afraid.
They were afraid of the desert, which loomed before them with its dangerous
winds. They were afraid of the city, which had crumbled and held the terrible
woman, who searched hungrily for them. They were afraid of the sky, which had
begun to crumble and fall with burning rain. Wails rose in terrible gales,
mingling horribly with the roaring winds beyond the crater walls and the
hissing of the fiery rain. The vile scent of scorched flesh and blood filled
the humid air. Tira ran like the others, not daring to glance back. Her long
braids clung to each other, matted together with grit, blood and sweat. Death
filled her nostrils with its putrid presence. People scrambled over one
another as they attempted to race into the screeching winds of the desert. Far
better a death in a familiar land than a death by this heartless invader.
Tira risked a glance over her shoulder as she climbed up the rocky crater
wall. There was the horrible beauty, her dagger held high as she directed the
flaming rain towards the waves of people. Pain shot through Tira's body as her
frantic kinsmen treaded upon her. With a grunt, she felt herself losing her
grip on the rock. She tumbled down through the masses, towards the enemy.
Loose gravel ripped at her body and clothing, punching through her side and
arms and bringing dark blood to the surface. Feet trampled over her hair, no
one bothered to help the young teen that fell away from the crowd. She rolled
to a stop at the bottom of the crater and at the feet of Amazonia. A small
river of blood trickled down her forehead and into the crooks of her eyes,
partially blinding her.
"Well, at least one of you stayed to keep me company. I was so sad that
everyone ran away," Amazonia drawled above the fallen girl, eyeing her
hungrily. "When all I wanted to do was have a little fun!" her boot met
soundly with Tira's side and the teen cried out in pain, rising partially from
her laying position on the ground. Through a haze of red, Tira saw the bodies
of men, women, children and pets lining the fallen streets where Amazonia had
left them. Shakily, she drew herself into a sitting position and glared up at
the woman.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" She demanded, her voice cracking with the
dust that caught in her throat.
"I am Amazonia, second sister in the Gorgon Trio." Amazonia crowed, placing
the tip of her dagger under Tira's chin and lifting her face to look at her.
"And now, I am your sovereign, unless I decide to kill you first." Tira's eyes
flashed, causing Amazonia to chuckle. It was a heartless sound that made the
teen's blood curdle in her veins. "You don't like the sound of that, I see.
That's such a shame. I should think you would be grateful that I've let you
live this long, child. You amuse me. But I don't appreciate ungrateful
servants!" she pressed her dagger into Tira's throat. Blood began to well out
from the wound, and the girl's eyes rolled back into her head. Fighting
unconsciousness, she managed to spit at the woman's feet. The blade dug deeper
into her flesh.
"Amazonia!" a curt feminine voice barked. The pressure of the blade lessened.
Tira took a shaky breath and dared a glance at her savior as blood rushed to
her head, blackening her sight rapidly. Behind Amazonia stood another woman.
She looked exactly like Amazonia, only her hair hung to her ankles in waves.
Amazonia let her captive drop, finally in the bliss of unconsciousness.
"Regina." She sneered at her sister. She tucked her dagger away in its sheath.
The fire rain ceased at once, as did the tremors that still shook the ground
slightly.
"I can't believe you did this without my consent!" Regina fumed. Amazonia
shrugged lazily. "What were you thinking? You're crazy. We are not yet ready
for battle."
"But sister dear, I have done you a great deed." Amazonia responded politely,
her eyes agleam. "Your Shadows are not powerful enough to fight without
vessels. Here, I have captured an entire planet of vessels for you to use."
She waved an arm vaguely at the destruction she had wreaked. Regina
reluctantly cast her eyes to the sight.
"This is true." She conceded, still refusing to let her anger subside
completely.
"Of course it is." Amazonia purred, wrapping her arm around her sister's waist
affectionately. "I wanted to make you happy. I began the tirade earlier than
planned as a surprise to you. Now, we have already begun to expand our
kingdom. This planet will bow to our greater will without question, after the
lesson that I have taught them. We can begin our conquest of the Upsilon
Andromedae system, and after that, the rest of the galaxy. Then the universe.
This is what we wanted! Don't be angry with me."
"You just want blood." Regina scowled, narrowing her eyes at her sister. "It
will destroy you someday. I won't save when it happens." Something, it may
have been hurt, flitted momentarily behind Amazonia's eyes.
"If that's the way you want it." She at last replied, letting go of her
sister's waist. Regina looked around at the city, which was now a wasteland of
blood and fire. She smiled at her sister in an almost affectionate way.
"You certainly are thorough, but did you have to make such a mess?" she asked.
"Come, let us take the dead back home. I have enough Shadows to occupy them."
She began to pool her dark essence into a black ball in her hand. Taking
careful aim, she pointed her finger at the mess of corpses. Transparent black
tendrils oozed from the ball, wrapping themselves around the lifeless forms.
Thousands of tendrils roamed the city, latching themselves onto the scent of
death, creating a dark web through the city streets.
"This one too." Amazonia demanded, nudging Tira's limp body with her foot. The
girl groaned but did not move. Queen Regina frowned.
"She's not dead. What use have we for her?"
"I want her." Amazonia replied coldly. "She's mine now. Take her too." With a
shrug, Regina sent one final tendril to wrap itself around the gypsy girl's
body.
"Fine then. Let us go." The sisters faded out of existence once again, and
those that had been wrapped in the Dark Magic also eased out. The city was
empty once again. Those people watching from the crater walls knew that this
was the beginning of their Hell on Earth. There was nothing to be done but
wait for the return of their invaders.
***
Every television in the school was turned to the news. The hallway speakers
were tuned to the reports. It was impossible to escape the horrors that poured
out through the speakers.
"Today there was an attack on Earth 314. Facts are still hazy, but satellites
in the area have sent back images of destruction befalling the entire planet.
No one knows the casualty rate at the moment, but it is estimated to be in the
thousands already. The planet has undergone terrible damage and it is feared
that it might collapse entirely. Rescue ships are currently being sent to
retrieve any survivors, but there is something in the atmosphere that is
preventing entry to the planet's surface..." the reports droned on, each
report vague but filled with the terror of the attack. For once, the entire
academy was silent with the news. Some cried, others remained in shocked
silence.
Xi paced, refusing to let emotional heartbreak bring visible tears to her cold
grey eyes. The rest of her class had their eyes fixed upon the television
screen, which displayed the horrible images transmitted by the satellites.
There was her home, the yellow haze of the atmosphere charred black and red.
Her home...home...
"Miss Lan, would you please be seated?" the teacher gently said. It sounded
like a request, but Xi knew it to be a command. Well, too bad. With a glare,
she spun on her heels and walked briskly from the classroom. The teacher,
sensing something deeper, was not unkind and let her go without a fight. Her
hurt quickly boiled into anger as she went through the mostly empty halls. Her
ears were filled with the reports. A strike of terror, an impending war,
destruction...words of foreboding doom floated through the air. Xi brushed
them off, focusing instead on her own anger as she made her way across the
campus lawn to the beach.
The sun sparkled beautifully on the clear green water as it ebbed and flowed
across the white sand. Xi found herself hating the fact that it was so pretty.
Nothing deserved to be pretty. She kicked a pebble into the water angrily.
"Damn them. Damn them all!" she snarled. Her mother...her father...Tira...how
dare they? How dare they destroy her home? How dare they kill those close to
her? How dare they?
"You used to live there, didn't you?" a voice asked from behind. Xi whirled
around to see Astraea lounging on the grass above the beach line. She watched
Xi carefully over her yellow glasses, and the teen found it impossible to read
the expression in her red eyes. Xi scowled.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded irritably, wishing to be alone.
"Vela--"
"Don't you call me that." Xi snapped. "I listened to your bull the other day
because I felt compelled to. I don't have to take it anymore."
Astraea sighed and ran a hand through her red-streaked hair while she looked
up into the crystalline sky. After a moment, she focused her gaze once more on
the irritable student. "I understand how you feel. It's not fair, about your
home."
Xi rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock." She muttered. "Go away."
"No." Astraea replied simply. Xi scowled again, and walked away down the
beach. She didn't want to be around anyone. Astraea watched her walk a few
paces before calling out to her. "You could have stopped it. You could have
saved everything, and none of this would have happened." Xi stopped in her
tracks. The gentle crash of the waves by her feet was the only sound that
filled the distance between the two women. Ever so slowly, Xi turned to the
Guardian.
"What do you mean?" Their eyes locked.
"You could have stopped it all. If the entire division was gathered, then none
of this would have happened." Astraea spoke smoothly and seriously. "This is
exactly what the Senshi were reborn to defend against. You must find the
remaining three soldiers if you have any desire at all to keep other planets
from befalling the same fate, you must accept your role."
Xi remained in angry silence, Astraea's words ringing a taunting truth in her
mind. She set her gaze to the watery horizon, and Astraea remained thankfully
silent. Thoughts sped through the teen's mind. She felt she should have done
something to protect those she loved, perhaps it was true that she was senshi.
Then again, perhaps it was only natural to wish to defend something so much.
Lulled by the rhythmic splash of the sea, it took a few moments for the voice
to register.
"Xi? Xi, are you all right?" Morgan stood on the shore where Astraea had been
sitting. The Guardian had disappeared, and Xi wondered just how long she had
been standing on the beach, her mind whirling as she watched the water.
Morgan's eyes held a look of deep concern and she took a step onto the sand.
There was a sharp intake of breath from Xi and her eyes widened. Morgan noted
the expression and stepped towards the girl, genuine concern painted on her
face. Without a word, Xi grabbed her arm in a steel grip. "Xi?? What's wrong?
Ow, you're hurting me..."
"Come with me." Xi said, dragging the other second year student across the
campus with her. In her eyes, the green glow surrounding Morgan was
unmistakable. Morgan stumbled behind her friend's long, steady strides.
"Where are we going?" Morgan pleaded. Xi didn't respond immediately, instead
ragging her back into the academic wings through the third year halls. Her
ears were closed to the news reports that still droned over the intercom. She
threw open the door to a classroom, and all heads turned to stare. Morgan
stood limply behind the firm Xi, looking ashamed while the latter looked
menacing.
"Cecelia." Xi spoke sharply. The lavender haired girl met her eyes and slowly
rose from her seat.
"Miss LeGruin..." the professor began to protest, but Cecelia gave a charming
smile.
"I'll return in a moment, ma'am."
"Yes, of course." Cecelia strode from the room into the hallway and looked
steadily at Xi.
"Well?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and looking down at the
younger teen.
"Tien said that Dean had it as well. Who is he?" Xi demanded.
"You're not going to start that whole thing again, are you? Listen, I'm not
getting involved. It's all childish nonsense."
"We're gathering. Every last one of us." Xi growled, her eyes narrowing
dangerously. Cecelia turned her head away and started to go back into the
classroom, but Xi flung Morgan into her. The girl stumbled and looked up at
Cecelia, rubbing her arm where Xi had gripped her.
"Hello, my name's Morgan O'Claire. Are you a friend of Xi's, I take it?" She
asked, completely confused.
"I don't believe Xi is capable of having friends." Cece drawled icily.
"You see the auras as plainly as I do." Xi snapped, ignoring Morgan's friendly
attempts. "You heard the reports. That's my home they destroyed."
"Then I'm sorry for your loss." Cecelia responded. Xi lunged for her and threw
the older girl against the wall. She pinned Cecelia's arms at her sides with
amazing strength for one so scrawny. Xi's eyes blazed and she shook her
captive.
"Damned if you're *sorry*. We're going to stop this, once and for all. If you
don't want to be part of the team, who gives a fuck? I'm the leader, according
to Astraea, and I'm telling you, *commanding* you, to bring me to Dean." She
gave Cecelia another rattling shake.
"Xi! What's gotten into you?" Morgan cried, struggling to free Cecelia from
her friend's grip. Neither of the girls answered the redhead's pleas. At last,
Cecelia nodded, and Xi released her.
"He's in class." Cecelia said, starting down the hall. Xi followed her.
"Come on Morgan." Xi called. Confused, curious, and slightly worried, Morgan
trotted after the two girls. Cecelia paused outside another classroom. Over
the tall girl's shoulder, Xi could see that the television was turned to news
of the attack, like everyone else. Cecelia opened the door and stepped inside.
Xi and Morgan stood in the doorway as Cecelia made her way to the professor's
desk. She whispered some words to the teacher, glancing around the classroom
as she spoke. There was a little debate between the two, but at last the
teacher nodded. Cecelia smiled.
"Miss Johannson, Mr. Castor, please come see me." The professor called. Dean
and Erica exchanged glances and slowly rose, approaching the desk cautiously.
Cecelia smiled encouragingly at them. There was a little more conferencing,
and at last Cecelia ushered her two friends out into the hall, where Xi and
Morgan were waiting.
"Are you satisfied now, Xi?" Cecelia demanded. Xi set her eyes to the other
third year students and looked over them critically.
"Grey and pink. Glad you found the her," she nodded at Erica. "so we won't
have to look for the final one." She muttered before looking at herself,
Morgan and Cecelia. "Purple, green and red. Let's go find Tien." She headed
off down the hallway towards the first year wing.
"Cece, what's going on?" Erica whispered as the other four slowly followed
after the girl.
"You really don't want to know." Cecelia sighed.
"Is this the same Tien you introduced to me yesterday?" Dean asked eagerly.
"Yes. This time, try to be nice and keep your mouth shut?" Cecelia asked.
Retrieving Tien wasn't as difficult, and Xi let Tien lead the group back to
her dorm. Dean tried to follow behind the short first year, but a glare from
Xi kept him beside Erica and Cece. Morgan tugged at Xi's arm.
"Xi, talk to me," She said quietly. "What's going on? You don't look well."
"I'm fine, Morgan." Xi replied steadily. She almost smiled. "Sorry for making
you worry, but there is something that we all need to discuss." She didn't say
anything else. Tien led the group up the stairs to her dorm room and opened
the door. On the bed sat Astraea. She looked up.
"Well, I'm glad you all decided to come." Her eyes peered over her sunglasses
and she silently counted the figures attempting to squeeze into the small
room. "All of you? I'm impressed Xi. You were quick in collecting the entire
division."
"What's going on here?" Castor demanded. Astraea slowly rose from the bed.
"Ah, Draco. You ask more questions than you used to." She put a hand on his
shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"Who are you? What did you call me?" Astraea chuckled.
"Come." She cried, ushering the students out the door. "I have my van
downstairs. We must take a ride. I'll explain to you in the car."
"We're taking a trip? This will be fun!" Erica giggled, skipping out after the
woman. Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and followed. Morgan cast a glance
at Xi before she too went through the door. Tien, Cecelia and Xi remained in
the room for a moment more.
"Miss Xi, Miss Cecelia, it's nice to see you again." Tien said, looking at the
ground.
"This is all ridiculous." Cecelia scoffed.
"We'll see." Xi replied coolly before sweeping out of the small dorm room.
Tien scurried behind her. After a few more moments, Cecelia at last followed
the rest of the group out the door.