"7. Ami is actually completely stupid. She only acts smart. Serena is her math tutor"
-The top twelve horrible secrets of the Sailor Senshi
****
Much has been made about the ties between faith and duty. Indeed, from a certain perspective, many of the worst crimes in history were committed because the perpetrators believed doing so was their duty as laid down by their faith, that in fact, they were doing good.
While faith didn't motivate Raylene Hino to earn Bunny's wrath by dating Deputy Shields, it did bring her to the OSA-P Sunday afternoon in the course of her duty as youth minister for the Mount Ryland Baptist Church, which her grandfather presided over.
Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. Her throat was parched from singing during services that morning and for some reason, the OSA-P had the best cream sodas she had ever tasted.
"Aftanoon, Miss Hino," said Molly from behind the counter. "The usual?" Raylene fought down a frown and nodded as she took a seat on one of the stools.
After her mother had died and her father became a county judge, he had left her in the care of his father in law who had raised his granddaughter the only way he knew how; to follow in his faith.
Young Rayelene had embraced his teaching eagerly, desperate for anything to take her mind off her mother. But somewhere along the way, she found herself questioning his faith. It was as though part of her was...away...connected to something else that she couldn't put a name to. In the end, Rayelene had quit believing. But she was still the youth minister and as such, she had her duty.
She put all of that aside for the moment as Molly placed the cream soda float in front of her. Raising the straw to her lips, she sucked down the clear liquid, moving her head back and forth until she had maximum suction. After a few minutes, she stuck the spoon into the slowly melting ice cream and swirled it around a bit for a few minutes while she tried to figure out the best way to broach what was on her mind.
"How well do you know Amy Lynn?" Raylene asked at last.
"Don't," Molly said flatly. "She's got no interest in religion, and I still don't."
"But the-
Molly held up a warning finger. "No. Mebbe Mom buys into that black book, but I don't. It was written by men, an' as far as I'm concerned that doesn't make it God's word." She pulled a rag out of her back pocket and began to wipe down the countertop. "Person don't need to sit in a building singin songs and listening to speeches to believe. Whole thing's useless."
At that moment, from under the counter, there was the sound of something banging and muffled cursing. Something clanged and a door flew off, bouncing and sliding across the floor as smoke belched forth from the opening. The cursing became louder as somebody scrambled out, swearing sulphurlously. They stood up and staggered out from the smoke, coughing and calling upon the wrath of every deity humanity had ever worshipped in language that would make Satan go; "Well really, that's a bit rude don't you think?"
To Raylene's surprise, it was Amy Lynn. After a few more minutes, she either ran out of curses or breath and fell silent. Leaning over the counter Raylene realized that Amy Lynn had emerged from the access panel that led to the wiring of the massive freezer/refrigerator unit/display case. She looked back at Amy Lynn, who was dressed in a worn mechanic's coverall. She held a monkey wrench in one hand, and her face was grease smeared.
Her eyes fell on Raylene, and she smiled in greeting before turning to Molly. "It's shot, I'm afraid," she said, with no trace in her voice of the language she had been using only moments earlier. "Most of the wiring is substandard, and you've been placing more and more demands on the motor as you expand the unit."
"Can ya fix it?"
"I'd have to take it apart completely and even then, I make no promises."
"So that's a no then?" Amy Lynn nodded and Molly uttered a few dirty words of her own. "Mom's gonna love that."
Raylene, her ears burning, went to work on her drink.
****
The Crown Motel bore the honor of being Juuban Hollow's finest hotel. It also held the town's finest restaurant. Ed and Ned's Bar and Grill. To be fair, the sawdust on the restaurant's floor was at least somewhat fresh and the menu offered a choice between meat and more meat.
Amy Lynn stared at the check inside the card her Father had just given her and then back up at him. It was her birthday and he had taken her out to dinner.
"Dad...I...a blank check? You don't have--"
"I want to. You're going into Lawson next week for your driver's test. The least I can do is get you a car to put your license to use in. I want you to get yourself a car you like, okay?"
"I can't...Mom..."
"This isn't about your mom, Honey. I know it sounds like I'm trying to buy your love or something, but I'm not."
Amy Lynn stared at him. She knew he felt guilty for missing most of her life and that more then anything, he wanted to make up for lost time, but she felt that this was the wrong way to go about it. She glanced out the window. It wasn't even Halloween yet, but snow had come early to Juuban Hollow and the ground outside was covered in a white blanket. Two figures ran past, and it took her a moment to realize it was Bunny and Luna running to Bunny's truck, which was parked near the restaurant.
On the other hand...
Amy Lynn stared back down at the check and felt a demented smile spread across her face. "Freedom, " she whispered.
****
Amy Lynn grabbed the dashboard as Bunny weaved the truck in and out of the light traffic on the highway, the paper of her temporary license crinkled in the front pocket of her overalls. Luna sat on the seat between them, apparently used to Bunny's driving. There was no sign of the snowfall from last week, and Bunny drove with her usual disregard for speed limits.
"This is so exciting," Bunny said, for once not taking her eyes off the road. "Your own car. How'd your mom take it?"
"Hit the roof," Amy Lynn said, wincing as the truck nearly kissed the side of a convertible in the next lane, the driver responding with a series of speculations on Bunny's ancestry.
"Go fuck a tailpipe!" Bunny called back cheerfully, as the distance between the cars began to widen. "You think they'll ever get along again?" She was aware of why Amy Lynn's parents had divorced, but apparently believed that the terms homosexual and gay had something to do with breeding happy monkeys.
Amy Lynn had decided that it would probably be for the best not to correct her. She simply didn't have that kind of time. "I don't know," she replied, letting out a grunt as she was thrown against the door as Bunny suddenly sent the truck speeding across the lanes and down the exit ramp.
"Watch it!" Luna yelled.
Bunny ignored her as she took the truck through a tight curve, through a yellow light, and down a side street. After several minutes, she made another sharp turn onto a dirt road which ended at a large fenced in yard filled with cars and trucks, some barely recognizable as such. The sign over the gate read, "Jones Auto Salvage Yard. J. Jones, Propieter." As Bunny brought the truck to a screeching halt, the door to the trailer in the center of the yard opened and a large man emerged. He was stocky rather then fat, but nevertheless bore a noticeable middle. His dark hair was combed back and he carried himself with a calm sereness.
"Ah, Miss Tsukino, how may I be of assistance?"
"This is Amy Lynn," Bunny said. "She needs a car."
"Naturally. If you'll step this way?"
"No need," Bunny said. "Show her Roller."
"Roller?" Amy Lynn asked.
"Trust me," Bunny said. "This is the perfect car for you."
"Of course," Jones said and led them around the trailer to a small lot. In the middle of the lot, was an old pickup truck. However, somebody had mounted it on large tires and then chopped off the back of the cab and added a backseat and over that, a rollbar. Then, a tarp had been tied to the back of the cab and roll bar. At one point, the truck had been a deep gold color, but the paint was now faded and chipped.
"So what's the specs?" Bunny asked.
"Automatic with four-wheel drive, completely rebuilt engine and new transmission. Three Thousand Dollars, including fees. Would you care to test drive it?"
Five Minutes Later...
Amy Lynn brought the truck to a stop back in the yard and smiled broadly at Bunny. "You're right," she said.
****
By the time they returned to Juuban Hollow, the sun was beginning to set. While Bunny parked her truck at the curb, Amy Lynn steered Roller onto the clinic's front lawn and parked it there. With her mom's convertible and the clinic's truck in the driveway, there was no room, and to be honest, Amy Lynn was fairly sure that no one would notice one more car parked on a lawn.
"Well, I see you chose with care," Doctor Anderson said as she descended the clinic's steps. "I trust your father will be pleased that his money was invested so...wisely." Amy Lynn winced at her mother's cold sarcasm. "I know I'm ecstatic to see that you will be in such an...utilitarian vehicle."
Nearby, Bunny shivered. "Ouch," she said to Luna. "I'm glad she's not my mom." Luna nodded agreement.
****
Malachite stood, arms crossed, as he watched Jeddite convince their queen that his latest plan was worth utilizing the Dark Kingdom's limited supply of energy, the bulk of which was directed at keeping the dimensional tear open between the pocket dimension hidden under the mountain upon which Black Mountain Plantation sat and the outer world.
"And so, my Queen," Jeddite said, concluding his plan. "While the humans celebrate their version of Samhain, the youma will strike, drawing Diana and Mercury's pawns out where the reserve force will crush them. Then they will slaughter the town and we may search unimpeded."
"I disagree, Highness," Malachite said before he could stop himself. "The humans will not go down easily," he continued, thinking fast, "and most of them will no doubt be armed with some sort of weapon. There is also the fact that the human military is still investigating the crater left behind by the last youma. They too, are armed and more formidably then the townsfolk. Our youma are not invincible, after all."
"A good point, dear," Beryl replied, holding up the tunic she was mending to the light to check the stitching. "But I wonder, if you speak out of concern for the success of Jeddite's plan, or for your daughter, who will undoubtably be at the festival."
To his credit, Malachite kept his shock off his face even as his mind raced. Jeddite had preferred not to acknowledge the fact that their blood lived in the body of a human and wouldn't have said anything to Beryl unless directly asked. Nephrite had never been told, but that didn't mean he hadn't figured it out. However, he to was not in the habit of volunteering information unless directly asked. Which meant...his eyes slid to Zoisite, who stood nearby. The younger man smirked, ever so slightly.
Malachite's body turned cold with rage, and then that cold faded to be replaced by an icy numbness which then faded into a calm sereneness. He did not see Nephrite's eyes narrow. For the older man had trained Malachite and thus knew him better then anyone in the room. Malachite had just entered, what was for him, a berserker rage.
"Speaking of which," Beryl continued. "Have you determined if she has inherited any sort of power?"
"No," Malachite replied, his mouth moving seemingly of it's own volition, as though someone else was speaking through it. "I get flashes, brief sensations, hints of power, though nothing definite. But I believe that given time, she can be awakened. She would be a powerful ally, Queen Beryl. I promise you that she will join us or die."
"That's nice, dear, but you've run out of time. Jeddite. When your youma strike, be a sweetie and make sure the child and her mother die. That will be all." Deep inside the recesses of Malachite's mind, something seemed to click.
"As you command," Jeddite said, and vanished.
"Now run along and finish your chores," she said to the others. The remaining generals filed out.
No sooner had the doors closed behind them, then Malachite grabbed Zoisite by the throat, lifting the younger man off the floor. "Why?"
"I'm doing you a favor!" Zoisite gasped. "You don't need a daughter running around."
"And taking my attention away from you?" Malachite asked, struck by a sudden flash of insight. "You disgust me, Zoie." His white gloved fingers began to tighten. "You're a small minded man clinging to my boots while you formulate your self-serving plots." He smiled thinly. "I really ought to rip out your throat."
"Malachite," Nephrite said, laying his hand on the white-haired General's arm. "Put him down. If you kill him, Beryl will know and then she will act against you. You don't want that, do you? Do you? Look at me, Malachite, do you really want to be put in conflict with Beryl?"
"He went behind my back," Malachite replied. "That's not the sort of thing you do to someone you love." He looked up at Zoisite, who was now turning a nice shade of blue. "You do love me, don't you, Zoie?" Zoisite nodded frantically, his efforts to loosen Malachite's hold on his windpipe weakening by the second. "See? He does love me," Malachite said. There was no sign in his voice or on his face that he was in fact, in the grip of a terrible rage. "Of course, that still doesn't excuse what he did, right, Zoie?"
"Gak!"
Nephrite chose his next words carefully. While he had the edge in experience, Malachite possessed the raw power to tear him apart without trying and as mad as he was, there was no telling what the younger man might do. "Listen, Malachite. We need him, even if he is an underhanded weasel. Four Generals, remember the Prophecy? All Four have to be present before we can crack open our prize. Let me take care of him, okay? You go get something to eat and leave his discipline to me."
"No, he's mine."
"Trust your teacher, Malachite. Trust me. I will deal with him, okay?"
"Very well," Malachite said, letting Zoisite fall. "But he had better be out of my cottage by the time I return from my rounds."
"Naturally." Nephrite watched his pupil go and then turned to look at Zoisite. "Idiot," he said softly.
****
Say what you wanted about Juuban Hollow, Amy Lynn admitted to herself as she walked into Mount Ryland's courtyard, they sure knew how to throw a Halloween party.
Grinning Jack O Lanterns lined the fence and the air was thick with the smell of cooked food as around her, children shouted as they ran back and forth.
In the center of the yard, a huge bonfire burned, adults assiting children with the roasting of marshmellows. She paused for a moment to watch the kids bobbing for apples and then turned at the sound of her name.
Molly was standing behind a makeshift counter next to another girl who was selling cans of soda. As Amy Lynn approached, Molly fished a can out and tossed it at her. "On the house," Molly called as the can thudded into Amy Lynn's hand. "Nice catch."
"Five years of community softball," Amy Lynn replied.
"Oh? What position?"
"Shortstop."
"Cool."
****
Janice Anderson zipped up her windbreaker and watched as the bar and the BBQ did a brisk bisinuess. Juuban Hollow's new doctor squirmed slightly as she tried to find a more comfortable way to sit on the fence. She had elected to sit here so that she could keep an eye on who was buying beer. Logic dictated that he who drank the most beer would probably also wind up needing a doctor the most by the end of the night. Arthur had assured her that she would probably only need to treat a few first degree burns, but Janice knew her fellow townsfolk and thusly, everything she'd need short of surgery had been crammed into the large black bag on the ground at her feet.
"Hello, Janice."
Turning her head, Janice found herself looking at a woman she had once called friend.
"Pat," Janice said stiffly, her tone of voice speaking volumes.
Patrica Haruna visibly flinched. "I deserved that," she said. "But Janice, you should have told me you--" she broke off as Janice held up a hand.
"Don't," Janice said softly. "Just...don't..."
"R--right. Janice, can we talk, teacher to parent?"
"About?"
"It's Amy Lynn. I'm not so sure public school is right for her. I think she would be better off at a...special school more her speed." Janice turned her head and stared daggers at Haruna.
"What?" she asked softly. "Are you saying that there's something wrong with my daughter?"
"Yes! I mean no! I--Damnit, Janice, she not only got the tractor working but made it hover five feet above the ground during lunch last week. Working, Janice, and she made it hover. You know damn well that it hasn't had an engine in thirty years--you helped me and Myron take it out and bury it--and it still weighs at least two or three tons. Yet somehow, it's not only working, but hovering! I'm a public school teacher! I don't know how to deal with this.
And do you know what she said when I asked her how she did it? She said it occcured to her while studying the wrinkles in the page of her math book. Said it looked like a diagram for a car battery, hooch, and a kitchen magnet wired together with paper clips. How do you make the leap from wrinkles on a page to making a three ton cast iron rusty hunk of junk float five feet off the ground?"
Janice didn't answer that, partially because she didn't know how the answer either. But she did know what she'd say. It was one of the few things she and Micheal agreed on even after the divorce. Amy Lynn must never be treated differently just because she was a genius. She would be raised like any ordinary child. Though they had been only trying to act for the best, it had backfired. Amy Lynn thought that things like coming up with three different cures for the common cold while in the tub was perfectly normal and didn't understand that nobody else did things like that.
Uneasily, Janice thought of the trunk in her room. Under the false bottom was her gun and other dangerous things. But underneath the second false bottom was sketches of things that Amy Lynn had come up with over the years. Things that could be twisted for an evil purpose. Sketches for things like a mind reading machine, artifical intelligence, teleport, time travel, and a host of others. It could mean disaster if somebody...untrustworthy it's hands on them. Or worse, the U.S. goverment. She knew she should destroy the sketches, but Amy Lynn had made them and the mother in her would not let her throw away anything her child had come up with. "Amy-Lynn is a perfectly normal child with a few gifts that she should use to the fullest" Janice said. "That's what her father and I taught her. There's nothing wrong with her."
"N-normal?"
"Normal," Janice said, a note of finality in her voice. Her tone practically dared Haruna to argue the point. "Just ask her that the next time she gets an idea, to run it past you first. Then when she does, compliment her and try not to think about what she's presented you with."
"And that works?"
"It's what I told her science teacher."
"And it--" Haruna started, but broke off as the bonfire in the middle of the courtyard exploded outwards. Screams filled the air as burning chunks of wood struck people gathered nearby, setting clothes on fire. Janice fell backwards off the fence, pain shooting through her skull as stars danced before her eyes.
Willing the pain to subside, Janice got to her feet swearing every oath she had learned in the barracks and looked at the fire.
Standing there was a young man with short blond hair. Then her eyes narrowed as the man's face began to change. The skin darkened, his ears extended to a point and his blond hair became a pale white. He wore an military uniform of some kind and his expression was a cruel smile. Standing next to him was a creature that seemed to be half woman, half cat. Its hands were covered by metal gloves who's fingers were tipped with long knives.
"My name is Jeddite," the man said. "Would Doctor Janice Anderson and her daughter Amy Lynn step forward?" He waited a few seconds and then nodded to the cat creature. With fluid grace, it grabbed the arm of the nearest person, a pregnant woman struggling to get to her feet, and proceeded to cut her to pieces, its arms moving almost to fast to see. Her screams died only when she did. "I'll not ask again," the man said.
Janice swallowed hard and moved to the front of the row. "I'm Doctor Anderson," she said.
"A pleasure. And your daughter?"
"I don't know." She answered honestly.
"I see. Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find her once you're dead." He held out his hand, palm facing her as a sphere of energy began to form.
"Dead?"
"Orders. Your presence is distracting General Malachite and she won't have that. So..." he shrugged. "Nothing personal." The sphere began to glow with an inner light and Janice made a decison. Nothing to lose now. Maybe he would be startled enough that she could do something,
"Krishna De Vouga," she replied softly, so that only he could hear. "Calnagh, Cutah Mak Ganhorg...Guntah." she spat out the last word.
Jeddite's eyes narrowed. "Well, well, well, the queen will reward me--" he broke off as a spike of ice shattered the sphere. "What in the..." He jerked his head around to see where the ice had come from. Standing in the gateway were two young women. One was dressed in white and gold, the other in what appeared to be some kind of armor. Both were armed with swords. Between them, a giant black wolf, teeth bared as it growled.
"The priestesses. This must be my lucky night. I'll be right with you. "He jerked his head and the cat creature sprang forward. The wolf sprang forward as well and the thud as their bodies collided was heard across the courtyard. "Now then, Doctor, where--" the ground between them sprouted a long spear.
"How dare you lay your hands on someone sworn to save lives?" Standing on the branches of the big oak tree was a man dressed in a centurion's armor, the helmet hiding his face. A large shield was on his left wrist and in his hand was a sword. "A healer's task is an honorable one and I cannot let you touch her."
"Why me?" Jeddite sighed. As though it was some sort of signal, a second cat creature dropped onto the centurion from above, knocking him from the branch and driving him into the the ground. "Now," Jeddite said, looking back at Doctor Anderson, only to see no one there. "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"
"'Cause we don't roll ovah and play dead, Pointy," the woman in white said as she raised the longer of the two swords she held and pointed it at him.
"You? You're pawns, pieces in a game, the both of you." With quick, precise, gestures, he traced a rune in the air, and placed his hand under it, palm up. "A game I will win." He moved his hand as though to push it forward and the rune fired dozens of beads of energy, tearing up the courtyard as they flew at the priestesses, who were forced to dodge for their lives. Conjuring his own swords, Jeddite leapt forward, swinging both his blades in a deadly arc.
****
The chapel shook as yet another blast exploded outside, and Rayelene let out a frightened squeak as dust and plaster rained down from the ceiling. "Please, Heavenly Father," she prayed. "Please forgive me. I ask you to give me strength to face the demons even if it costs me my life. I know I've strayed, but I see now the error of my ways and--"
Hearing a noise, Rayelene spun. Standing on the back of one of the pews was a woman. She was tall, almost statuesque, with alabaster white skin, platinum white hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore white leather boots that came up to just below her knees. Her pants and button down shirt were also white. Her long coat came down to mid-calf. Her eyes, twin pools of ebony glittered softly, and her smile was kind. Feathered wings sprouted from her back.
"An angel," Raylene breathed.
"No," the woman said. "Not an angel." She stepped down from the pew and studied the statue of Christ over the altar. "A good man," she said softly, and then turned to look at Rayelene. "You pray for straying, but you were forgiven long ago, for there is a task you must complete.
Your soul is an old one, with many lives. In one of them, you served another and were his avatar and champion. He has called you to his service one last time." She held out what looked like a pen. Almost as though it had a mind of it's own, Raylene's hand took it and she gasped as it seemed to tingle with its own fire and she dropped it as though stung.
"I will not serve a false God!" Raylene exclaimed.
"You say the words, but your heart isn't in them. You preach His word out of duty, not out of faith. You teach, but you do not believe. Tis an empty life to be a messenger who doesn't believe what she delivered."
"But it's all I have."
The woman came over to her and picked up the pen and then knelt in front of her, laying one hand on Rayelene's shoulder. "No. You have friends. Friends who need you." She pressed the pen into Raylene's hand, closing her fingers around it. "
"Friends?" Raylene asked. She had never had friends before. The woman nodded.
"Answer the call, Rayelene," she kissed the younger woman's forehead. "This is your destiny." Rayelene closed her eyes for a moment as her lips touched her forehead and when she opened them, the woman was gone. She looked down at the pen and then up at the statue. "I'm sorry," she said, and fled the chapel.
****
Amy Lynn glanced at Bunny and then back at the one called Jeddite. The fight had taken them away from Mount Ryland and onto one of the old mining roads that went down Whatchamankinmu Hill and then followed the the Pipsqueakacha river out towards Buchabonville, some twenty miles north of Juuban Hollow. On the other side of her was the strange man in the centurion costume, his sword, wet with the blood of the cat creatures, was back in it's sheath and he stood in an almost crouch, shield raised, the spear angled to intercept any strike that the shield might miss.
Before them, the man called Jeddite. His uniform bore numerous rips and scratches through them, his cuts healed over, outlined in green blood. His expression was not unlike that of a cornered animal and his slightly hunched over posture reinforced that. Luna covered the far side, teeth bared in a growl. In a sense, they had Jeddite boxed in, each of them forming one point of a sqaure. That was, of course, assuming that the mysterious man in Roman garb was on their side. Amy Lynn frowned as the tatical analysis whizzed through her mind and then produced a conclusion. The enemy of her enemy was her friend. Centurion, as she thought of him, was Jeddite's enemy, or at least was doing a very good job of pretending to be and therefore was nominally on her and Bunny's side. She gave herself a small mental shake. She had too many what ifs in the eqaution and made herself look at it like a scientific problem. Centurion had stopped Jeddite from murdering her mother and once he had dealt with the cat creature, he had repeatedly attacked Jeddite at every opening.
Therefore, logic dictated that he was Jeddite's enemy and their friend.
And logic was always right.
"All right, pointay," Bunny said. "Y'all wanna scurry back under yer rock or do we gotta beat yor sorry ass some more?"
"No, no, I think not." Jeddite's arm twitched and the sword sprouted from Bunny's shoulder. The blonde went down with a strangled cry but that was nothing compared to the roar of sheer rage that Centurion let out as he leapt at Jeddite, who spun, his blade glinting in the starlight as it slashed a diagonal line up Centurion's chest armor, followed by a kick that forced Centurion to double over, curled up in pain as he hit the dirt.
Jeddite then turned and locked eyes with Amy Lynn as he began to walk towards her. "And then there was one. Mercury's child, alone and powerless."
"I am not powerless," Amy Lynn shot back, fighting the urge to run as self-preservation screamed at her. Raising her hand, she fired ice spikes at Jeddite, but he simply knocked them aside with the flat of his blade.
"I can smell your fear, Ice Mage," he said softly. "I can taste it. It's like a drug, it fills me, empowers me, makes me whole." He laughed softly. "The masking spell is really very good, Amy Lynn, except that this close, I can smell your halfblood stink." Caught off gaurd, Amy Lynn could only stare as Jeddite raised his blade and then staggered to the side as a fireball struck him. Several more followed and then there was a sound of a thousand windows shattering at once and Jeddite vanished.
"Well," said woman's voice. Turning her head, amy Lynn found herself staring at a woman dressed in a red and black form fitting jumpsuit, her hair a mass of flames and her eyes glowing bright red. Again the veil seemed to fall away and Amy Lynn found herself staring at Rayelene Hino.
"Oh, no," Luna said softly.
****
Much has been made about the ties between faith and duty. Indeed, from a certain perspective, many of the worst crimes in history were committed because the perpetrators believed doing so was their duty as laid down by their faith, that in fact, they were doing good.
While faith didn't motivate Raylene Hino to earn Bunny's wrath by dating Deputy Shields, it did bring her to the OSA-P Sunday afternoon in the course of her duty as youth minister for the Mount Ryland Baptist Church, which her grandfather presided over.
Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. Her throat was parched from singing during services that morning and for some reason, the OSA-P had the best cream sodas she had ever tasted.
"Aftanoon, Miss Hino," said Molly from behind the counter. "The usual?" Raylene fought down a frown and nodded as she took a seat on one of the stools.
After her mother had died and her father became a county judge, he had left her in the care of his father in law who had raised his granddaughter the only way he knew how; to follow in his faith.
Young Rayelene had embraced his teaching eagerly, desperate for anything to take her mind off her mother. But somewhere along the way, she found herself questioning his faith. It was as though part of her was...away...connected to something else that she couldn't put a name to. In the end, Rayelene had quit believing. But she was still the youth minister and as such, she had her duty.
She put all of that aside for the moment as Molly placed the cream soda float in front of her. Raising the straw to her lips, she sucked down the clear liquid, moving her head back and forth until she had maximum suction. After a few minutes, she stuck the spoon into the slowly melting ice cream and swirled it around a bit for a few minutes while she tried to figure out the best way to broach what was on her mind.
"How well do you know Amy Lynn?" Raylene asked at last.
"Don't," Molly said flatly. "She's got no interest in religion, and I still don't."
"But the-
Molly held up a warning finger. "No. Mebbe Mom buys into that black book, but I don't. It was written by men, an' as far as I'm concerned that doesn't make it God's word." She pulled a rag out of her back pocket and began to wipe down the countertop. "Person don't need to sit in a building singin songs and listening to speeches to believe. Whole thing's useless."
At that moment, from under the counter, there was the sound of something banging and muffled cursing. Something clanged and a door flew off, bouncing and sliding across the floor as smoke belched forth from the opening. The cursing became louder as somebody scrambled out, swearing sulphurlously. They stood up and staggered out from the smoke, coughing and calling upon the wrath of every deity humanity had ever worshipped in language that would make Satan go; "Well really, that's a bit rude don't you think?"
To Raylene's surprise, it was Amy Lynn. After a few more minutes, she either ran out of curses or breath and fell silent. Leaning over the counter Raylene realized that Amy Lynn had emerged from the access panel that led to the wiring of the massive freezer/refrigerator unit/display case. She looked back at Amy Lynn, who was dressed in a worn mechanic's coverall. She held a monkey wrench in one hand, and her face was grease smeared.
Her eyes fell on Raylene, and she smiled in greeting before turning to Molly. "It's shot, I'm afraid," she said, with no trace in her voice of the language she had been using only moments earlier. "Most of the wiring is substandard, and you've been placing more and more demands on the motor as you expand the unit."
"Can ya fix it?"
"I'd have to take it apart completely and even then, I make no promises."
"So that's a no then?" Amy Lynn nodded and Molly uttered a few dirty words of her own. "Mom's gonna love that."
Raylene, her ears burning, went to work on her drink.
****
The Crown Motel bore the honor of being Juuban Hollow's finest hotel. It also held the town's finest restaurant. Ed and Ned's Bar and Grill. To be fair, the sawdust on the restaurant's floor was at least somewhat fresh and the menu offered a choice between meat and more meat.
Amy Lynn stared at the check inside the card her Father had just given her and then back up at him. It was her birthday and he had taken her out to dinner.
"Dad...I...a blank check? You don't have--"
"I want to. You're going into Lawson next week for your driver's test. The least I can do is get you a car to put your license to use in. I want you to get yourself a car you like, okay?"
"I can't...Mom..."
"This isn't about your mom, Honey. I know it sounds like I'm trying to buy your love or something, but I'm not."
Amy Lynn stared at him. She knew he felt guilty for missing most of her life and that more then anything, he wanted to make up for lost time, but she felt that this was the wrong way to go about it. She glanced out the window. It wasn't even Halloween yet, but snow had come early to Juuban Hollow and the ground outside was covered in a white blanket. Two figures ran past, and it took her a moment to realize it was Bunny and Luna running to Bunny's truck, which was parked near the restaurant.
On the other hand...
Amy Lynn stared back down at the check and felt a demented smile spread across her face. "Freedom, " she whispered.
****
Amy Lynn grabbed the dashboard as Bunny weaved the truck in and out of the light traffic on the highway, the paper of her temporary license crinkled in the front pocket of her overalls. Luna sat on the seat between them, apparently used to Bunny's driving. There was no sign of the snowfall from last week, and Bunny drove with her usual disregard for speed limits.
"This is so exciting," Bunny said, for once not taking her eyes off the road. "Your own car. How'd your mom take it?"
"Hit the roof," Amy Lynn said, wincing as the truck nearly kissed the side of a convertible in the next lane, the driver responding with a series of speculations on Bunny's ancestry.
"Go fuck a tailpipe!" Bunny called back cheerfully, as the distance between the cars began to widen. "You think they'll ever get along again?" She was aware of why Amy Lynn's parents had divorced, but apparently believed that the terms homosexual and gay had something to do with breeding happy monkeys.
Amy Lynn had decided that it would probably be for the best not to correct her. She simply didn't have that kind of time. "I don't know," she replied, letting out a grunt as she was thrown against the door as Bunny suddenly sent the truck speeding across the lanes and down the exit ramp.
"Watch it!" Luna yelled.
Bunny ignored her as she took the truck through a tight curve, through a yellow light, and down a side street. After several minutes, she made another sharp turn onto a dirt road which ended at a large fenced in yard filled with cars and trucks, some barely recognizable as such. The sign over the gate read, "Jones Auto Salvage Yard. J. Jones, Propieter." As Bunny brought the truck to a screeching halt, the door to the trailer in the center of the yard opened and a large man emerged. He was stocky rather then fat, but nevertheless bore a noticeable middle. His dark hair was combed back and he carried himself with a calm sereness.
"Ah, Miss Tsukino, how may I be of assistance?"
"This is Amy Lynn," Bunny said. "She needs a car."
"Naturally. If you'll step this way?"
"No need," Bunny said. "Show her Roller."
"Roller?" Amy Lynn asked.
"Trust me," Bunny said. "This is the perfect car for you."
"Of course," Jones said and led them around the trailer to a small lot. In the middle of the lot, was an old pickup truck. However, somebody had mounted it on large tires and then chopped off the back of the cab and added a backseat and over that, a rollbar. Then, a tarp had been tied to the back of the cab and roll bar. At one point, the truck had been a deep gold color, but the paint was now faded and chipped.
"So what's the specs?" Bunny asked.
"Automatic with four-wheel drive, completely rebuilt engine and new transmission. Three Thousand Dollars, including fees. Would you care to test drive it?"
Five Minutes Later...
Amy Lynn brought the truck to a stop back in the yard and smiled broadly at Bunny. "You're right," she said.
****
By the time they returned to Juuban Hollow, the sun was beginning to set. While Bunny parked her truck at the curb, Amy Lynn steered Roller onto the clinic's front lawn and parked it there. With her mom's convertible and the clinic's truck in the driveway, there was no room, and to be honest, Amy Lynn was fairly sure that no one would notice one more car parked on a lawn.
"Well, I see you chose with care," Doctor Anderson said as she descended the clinic's steps. "I trust your father will be pleased that his money was invested so...wisely." Amy Lynn winced at her mother's cold sarcasm. "I know I'm ecstatic to see that you will be in such an...utilitarian vehicle."
Nearby, Bunny shivered. "Ouch," she said to Luna. "I'm glad she's not my mom." Luna nodded agreement.
****
Malachite stood, arms crossed, as he watched Jeddite convince their queen that his latest plan was worth utilizing the Dark Kingdom's limited supply of energy, the bulk of which was directed at keeping the dimensional tear open between the pocket dimension hidden under the mountain upon which Black Mountain Plantation sat and the outer world.
"And so, my Queen," Jeddite said, concluding his plan. "While the humans celebrate their version of Samhain, the youma will strike, drawing Diana and Mercury's pawns out where the reserve force will crush them. Then they will slaughter the town and we may search unimpeded."
"I disagree, Highness," Malachite said before he could stop himself. "The humans will not go down easily," he continued, thinking fast, "and most of them will no doubt be armed with some sort of weapon. There is also the fact that the human military is still investigating the crater left behind by the last youma. They too, are armed and more formidably then the townsfolk. Our youma are not invincible, after all."
"A good point, dear," Beryl replied, holding up the tunic she was mending to the light to check the stitching. "But I wonder, if you speak out of concern for the success of Jeddite's plan, or for your daughter, who will undoubtably be at the festival."
To his credit, Malachite kept his shock off his face even as his mind raced. Jeddite had preferred not to acknowledge the fact that their blood lived in the body of a human and wouldn't have said anything to Beryl unless directly asked. Nephrite had never been told, but that didn't mean he hadn't figured it out. However, he to was not in the habit of volunteering information unless directly asked. Which meant...his eyes slid to Zoisite, who stood nearby. The younger man smirked, ever so slightly.
Malachite's body turned cold with rage, and then that cold faded to be replaced by an icy numbness which then faded into a calm sereneness. He did not see Nephrite's eyes narrow. For the older man had trained Malachite and thus knew him better then anyone in the room. Malachite had just entered, what was for him, a berserker rage.
"Speaking of which," Beryl continued. "Have you determined if she has inherited any sort of power?"
"No," Malachite replied, his mouth moving seemingly of it's own volition, as though someone else was speaking through it. "I get flashes, brief sensations, hints of power, though nothing definite. But I believe that given time, she can be awakened. She would be a powerful ally, Queen Beryl. I promise you that she will join us or die."
"That's nice, dear, but you've run out of time. Jeddite. When your youma strike, be a sweetie and make sure the child and her mother die. That will be all." Deep inside the recesses of Malachite's mind, something seemed to click.
"As you command," Jeddite said, and vanished.
"Now run along and finish your chores," she said to the others. The remaining generals filed out.
No sooner had the doors closed behind them, then Malachite grabbed Zoisite by the throat, lifting the younger man off the floor. "Why?"
"I'm doing you a favor!" Zoisite gasped. "You don't need a daughter running around."
"And taking my attention away from you?" Malachite asked, struck by a sudden flash of insight. "You disgust me, Zoie." His white gloved fingers began to tighten. "You're a small minded man clinging to my boots while you formulate your self-serving plots." He smiled thinly. "I really ought to rip out your throat."
"Malachite," Nephrite said, laying his hand on the white-haired General's arm. "Put him down. If you kill him, Beryl will know and then she will act against you. You don't want that, do you? Do you? Look at me, Malachite, do you really want to be put in conflict with Beryl?"
"He went behind my back," Malachite replied. "That's not the sort of thing you do to someone you love." He looked up at Zoisite, who was now turning a nice shade of blue. "You do love me, don't you, Zoie?" Zoisite nodded frantically, his efforts to loosen Malachite's hold on his windpipe weakening by the second. "See? He does love me," Malachite said. There was no sign in his voice or on his face that he was in fact, in the grip of a terrible rage. "Of course, that still doesn't excuse what he did, right, Zoie?"
"Gak!"
Nephrite chose his next words carefully. While he had the edge in experience, Malachite possessed the raw power to tear him apart without trying and as mad as he was, there was no telling what the younger man might do. "Listen, Malachite. We need him, even if he is an underhanded weasel. Four Generals, remember the Prophecy? All Four have to be present before we can crack open our prize. Let me take care of him, okay? You go get something to eat and leave his discipline to me."
"No, he's mine."
"Trust your teacher, Malachite. Trust me. I will deal with him, okay?"
"Very well," Malachite said, letting Zoisite fall. "But he had better be out of my cottage by the time I return from my rounds."
"Naturally." Nephrite watched his pupil go and then turned to look at Zoisite. "Idiot," he said softly.
****
Say what you wanted about Juuban Hollow, Amy Lynn admitted to herself as she walked into Mount Ryland's courtyard, they sure knew how to throw a Halloween party.
Grinning Jack O Lanterns lined the fence and the air was thick with the smell of cooked food as around her, children shouted as they ran back and forth.
In the center of the yard, a huge bonfire burned, adults assiting children with the roasting of marshmellows. She paused for a moment to watch the kids bobbing for apples and then turned at the sound of her name.
Molly was standing behind a makeshift counter next to another girl who was selling cans of soda. As Amy Lynn approached, Molly fished a can out and tossed it at her. "On the house," Molly called as the can thudded into Amy Lynn's hand. "Nice catch."
"Five years of community softball," Amy Lynn replied.
"Oh? What position?"
"Shortstop."
"Cool."
****
Janice Anderson zipped up her windbreaker and watched as the bar and the BBQ did a brisk bisinuess. Juuban Hollow's new doctor squirmed slightly as she tried to find a more comfortable way to sit on the fence. She had elected to sit here so that she could keep an eye on who was buying beer. Logic dictated that he who drank the most beer would probably also wind up needing a doctor the most by the end of the night. Arthur had assured her that she would probably only need to treat a few first degree burns, but Janice knew her fellow townsfolk and thusly, everything she'd need short of surgery had been crammed into the large black bag on the ground at her feet.
"Hello, Janice."
Turning her head, Janice found herself looking at a woman she had once called friend.
"Pat," Janice said stiffly, her tone of voice speaking volumes.
Patrica Haruna visibly flinched. "I deserved that," she said. "But Janice, you should have told me you--" she broke off as Janice held up a hand.
"Don't," Janice said softly. "Just...don't..."
"R--right. Janice, can we talk, teacher to parent?"
"About?"
"It's Amy Lynn. I'm not so sure public school is right for her. I think she would be better off at a...special school more her speed." Janice turned her head and stared daggers at Haruna.
"What?" she asked softly. "Are you saying that there's something wrong with my daughter?"
"Yes! I mean no! I--Damnit, Janice, she not only got the tractor working but made it hover five feet above the ground during lunch last week. Working, Janice, and she made it hover. You know damn well that it hasn't had an engine in thirty years--you helped me and Myron take it out and bury it--and it still weighs at least two or three tons. Yet somehow, it's not only working, but hovering! I'm a public school teacher! I don't know how to deal with this.
And do you know what she said when I asked her how she did it? She said it occcured to her while studying the wrinkles in the page of her math book. Said it looked like a diagram for a car battery, hooch, and a kitchen magnet wired together with paper clips. How do you make the leap from wrinkles on a page to making a three ton cast iron rusty hunk of junk float five feet off the ground?"
Janice didn't answer that, partially because she didn't know how the answer either. But she did know what she'd say. It was one of the few things she and Micheal agreed on even after the divorce. Amy Lynn must never be treated differently just because she was a genius. She would be raised like any ordinary child. Though they had been only trying to act for the best, it had backfired. Amy Lynn thought that things like coming up with three different cures for the common cold while in the tub was perfectly normal and didn't understand that nobody else did things like that.
Uneasily, Janice thought of the trunk in her room. Under the false bottom was her gun and other dangerous things. But underneath the second false bottom was sketches of things that Amy Lynn had come up with over the years. Things that could be twisted for an evil purpose. Sketches for things like a mind reading machine, artifical intelligence, teleport, time travel, and a host of others. It could mean disaster if somebody...untrustworthy it's hands on them. Or worse, the U.S. goverment. She knew she should destroy the sketches, but Amy Lynn had made them and the mother in her would not let her throw away anything her child had come up with. "Amy-Lynn is a perfectly normal child with a few gifts that she should use to the fullest" Janice said. "That's what her father and I taught her. There's nothing wrong with her."
"N-normal?"
"Normal," Janice said, a note of finality in her voice. Her tone practically dared Haruna to argue the point. "Just ask her that the next time she gets an idea, to run it past you first. Then when she does, compliment her and try not to think about what she's presented you with."
"And that works?"
"It's what I told her science teacher."
"And it--" Haruna started, but broke off as the bonfire in the middle of the courtyard exploded outwards. Screams filled the air as burning chunks of wood struck people gathered nearby, setting clothes on fire. Janice fell backwards off the fence, pain shooting through her skull as stars danced before her eyes.
Willing the pain to subside, Janice got to her feet swearing every oath she had learned in the barracks and looked at the fire.
Standing there was a young man with short blond hair. Then her eyes narrowed as the man's face began to change. The skin darkened, his ears extended to a point and his blond hair became a pale white. He wore an military uniform of some kind and his expression was a cruel smile. Standing next to him was a creature that seemed to be half woman, half cat. Its hands were covered by metal gloves who's fingers were tipped with long knives.
"My name is Jeddite," the man said. "Would Doctor Janice Anderson and her daughter Amy Lynn step forward?" He waited a few seconds and then nodded to the cat creature. With fluid grace, it grabbed the arm of the nearest person, a pregnant woman struggling to get to her feet, and proceeded to cut her to pieces, its arms moving almost to fast to see. Her screams died only when she did. "I'll not ask again," the man said.
Janice swallowed hard and moved to the front of the row. "I'm Doctor Anderson," she said.
"A pleasure. And your daughter?"
"I don't know." She answered honestly.
"I see. Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find her once you're dead." He held out his hand, palm facing her as a sphere of energy began to form.
"Dead?"
"Orders. Your presence is distracting General Malachite and she won't have that. So..." he shrugged. "Nothing personal." The sphere began to glow with an inner light and Janice made a decison. Nothing to lose now. Maybe he would be startled enough that she could do something,
"Krishna De Vouga," she replied softly, so that only he could hear. "Calnagh, Cutah Mak Ganhorg...Guntah." she spat out the last word.
Jeddite's eyes narrowed. "Well, well, well, the queen will reward me--" he broke off as a spike of ice shattered the sphere. "What in the..." He jerked his head around to see where the ice had come from. Standing in the gateway were two young women. One was dressed in white and gold, the other in what appeared to be some kind of armor. Both were armed with swords. Between them, a giant black wolf, teeth bared as it growled.
"The priestesses. This must be my lucky night. I'll be right with you. "He jerked his head and the cat creature sprang forward. The wolf sprang forward as well and the thud as their bodies collided was heard across the courtyard. "Now then, Doctor, where--" the ground between them sprouted a long spear.
"How dare you lay your hands on someone sworn to save lives?" Standing on the branches of the big oak tree was a man dressed in a centurion's armor, the helmet hiding his face. A large shield was on his left wrist and in his hand was a sword. "A healer's task is an honorable one and I cannot let you touch her."
"Why me?" Jeddite sighed. As though it was some sort of signal, a second cat creature dropped onto the centurion from above, knocking him from the branch and driving him into the the ground. "Now," Jeddite said, looking back at Doctor Anderson, only to see no one there. "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"
"'Cause we don't roll ovah and play dead, Pointy," the woman in white said as she raised the longer of the two swords she held and pointed it at him.
"You? You're pawns, pieces in a game, the both of you." With quick, precise, gestures, he traced a rune in the air, and placed his hand under it, palm up. "A game I will win." He moved his hand as though to push it forward and the rune fired dozens of beads of energy, tearing up the courtyard as they flew at the priestesses, who were forced to dodge for their lives. Conjuring his own swords, Jeddite leapt forward, swinging both his blades in a deadly arc.
****
The chapel shook as yet another blast exploded outside, and Rayelene let out a frightened squeak as dust and plaster rained down from the ceiling. "Please, Heavenly Father," she prayed. "Please forgive me. I ask you to give me strength to face the demons even if it costs me my life. I know I've strayed, but I see now the error of my ways and--"
Hearing a noise, Rayelene spun. Standing on the back of one of the pews was a woman. She was tall, almost statuesque, with alabaster white skin, platinum white hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore white leather boots that came up to just below her knees. Her pants and button down shirt were also white. Her long coat came down to mid-calf. Her eyes, twin pools of ebony glittered softly, and her smile was kind. Feathered wings sprouted from her back.
"An angel," Raylene breathed.
"No," the woman said. "Not an angel." She stepped down from the pew and studied the statue of Christ over the altar. "A good man," she said softly, and then turned to look at Rayelene. "You pray for straying, but you were forgiven long ago, for there is a task you must complete.
Your soul is an old one, with many lives. In one of them, you served another and were his avatar and champion. He has called you to his service one last time." She held out what looked like a pen. Almost as though it had a mind of it's own, Raylene's hand took it and she gasped as it seemed to tingle with its own fire and she dropped it as though stung.
"I will not serve a false God!" Raylene exclaimed.
"You say the words, but your heart isn't in them. You preach His word out of duty, not out of faith. You teach, but you do not believe. Tis an empty life to be a messenger who doesn't believe what she delivered."
"But it's all I have."
The woman came over to her and picked up the pen and then knelt in front of her, laying one hand on Rayelene's shoulder. "No. You have friends. Friends who need you." She pressed the pen into Raylene's hand, closing her fingers around it. "
"Friends?" Raylene asked. She had never had friends before. The woman nodded.
"Answer the call, Rayelene," she kissed the younger woman's forehead. "This is your destiny." Rayelene closed her eyes for a moment as her lips touched her forehead and when she opened them, the woman was gone. She looked down at the pen and then up at the statue. "I'm sorry," she said, and fled the chapel.
****
Amy Lynn glanced at Bunny and then back at the one called Jeddite. The fight had taken them away from Mount Ryland and onto one of the old mining roads that went down Whatchamankinmu Hill and then followed the the Pipsqueakacha river out towards Buchabonville, some twenty miles north of Juuban Hollow. On the other side of her was the strange man in the centurion costume, his sword, wet with the blood of the cat creatures, was back in it's sheath and he stood in an almost crouch, shield raised, the spear angled to intercept any strike that the shield might miss.
Before them, the man called Jeddite. His uniform bore numerous rips and scratches through them, his cuts healed over, outlined in green blood. His expression was not unlike that of a cornered animal and his slightly hunched over posture reinforced that. Luna covered the far side, teeth bared in a growl. In a sense, they had Jeddite boxed in, each of them forming one point of a sqaure. That was, of course, assuming that the mysterious man in Roman garb was on their side. Amy Lynn frowned as the tatical analysis whizzed through her mind and then produced a conclusion. The enemy of her enemy was her friend. Centurion, as she thought of him, was Jeddite's enemy, or at least was doing a very good job of pretending to be and therefore was nominally on her and Bunny's side. She gave herself a small mental shake. She had too many what ifs in the eqaution and made herself look at it like a scientific problem. Centurion had stopped Jeddite from murdering her mother and once he had dealt with the cat creature, he had repeatedly attacked Jeddite at every opening.
Therefore, logic dictated that he was Jeddite's enemy and their friend.
And logic was always right.
"All right, pointay," Bunny said. "Y'all wanna scurry back under yer rock or do we gotta beat yor sorry ass some more?"
"No, no, I think not." Jeddite's arm twitched and the sword sprouted from Bunny's shoulder. The blonde went down with a strangled cry but that was nothing compared to the roar of sheer rage that Centurion let out as he leapt at Jeddite, who spun, his blade glinting in the starlight as it slashed a diagonal line up Centurion's chest armor, followed by a kick that forced Centurion to double over, curled up in pain as he hit the dirt.
Jeddite then turned and locked eyes with Amy Lynn as he began to walk towards her. "And then there was one. Mercury's child, alone and powerless."
"I am not powerless," Amy Lynn shot back, fighting the urge to run as self-preservation screamed at her. Raising her hand, she fired ice spikes at Jeddite, but he simply knocked them aside with the flat of his blade.
"I can smell your fear, Ice Mage," he said softly. "I can taste it. It's like a drug, it fills me, empowers me, makes me whole." He laughed softly. "The masking spell is really very good, Amy Lynn, except that this close, I can smell your halfblood stink." Caught off gaurd, Amy Lynn could only stare as Jeddite raised his blade and then staggered to the side as a fireball struck him. Several more followed and then there was a sound of a thousand windows shattering at once and Jeddite vanished.
"Well," said woman's voice. Turning her head, amy Lynn found herself staring at a woman dressed in a red and black form fitting jumpsuit, her hair a mass of flames and her eyes glowing bright red. Again the veil seemed to fall away and Amy Lynn found herself staring at Rayelene Hino.
"Oh, no," Luna said softly.