THE PRICE OF FREEDOM,
Part Five: "The Divided House"
By Bill K.
Four senshi waited as Sailor Mercury whispered commands to her computer. Her visor was up. She would scan the terrain for a time, then look at the analysis on her computer screen. None of the others could tell from Mercury's intense expression whether her readings were encouraging or not.
Sailor Venus glanced over at Sailor Vesta. The girl would alternately look intently at Mercury, as if trying to will her to find something, and scan the area as if she hoped to see something that Mercury's visor couldn't. Venus tried to remember when she was Vesta's age and wore her emotions on her sleeve. She felt sorry for the girl, because Pallas was missing and Pallas clearly meant more to Vesta than most things did. At the same time, Vesta seemed wound tight enough that the least little thing might set her off - - and they knew what Vesta was capable of when set off.
"Keep your head," Venus whispered, slipping up behind the girl unnoticed. Her hand gripped Vesta's shoulder, both for support and control. "I know Pallas means a lot to you, but you're not going to do her any good if you lose it."
"Yes," Vesta said, swallowing her embarrassment in mid-sentence, "Sensei Venus-sama. I-I'm trying. I am."
"I know," Venus replied, the words almost as hard for her.
"Anything?" Jupiter asked Mercury.
"There's a lot to filter out," Mercury told her. "This area is teeming with life forms."
"Where?" Sailor Juno asked.
"There are heavy concentrations in the caves," Mercury continued. "There are heavy concentrations underground, in what looks to be a mine. And I'm getting other clusters."
"Is there a way to tell which one is Pallas and Saturn?"
"Oh yes," Mercury smiled reassuringly. "I've made some modifications to my visor and computer over the years."
"'Some modifications'?" Jupiter teased. "You could probably control the entire Japanese cyber-net from that computer."
"You're exaggerating," Mercury sighed.
"It's a good thing you're not the dictator type," smirked Jupiter. Mercury blushed slightly, a reaction that mystified Juno.
"As I was saying," Mercury continued, "I have biological and magnetic aura information for all the current and original senshi stored in my database. Once my visor scans matching aura I'll be able to triangulate with the polar north on this world and establish the location of both Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pallas."
"Wow," marveled Juno. "Can you find Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, too?"
"No. Unfortunately I don't have scan data for either of them. Their last visit to Earth was in 2917. That was prior to my making these specific modifications."
"What's taking so long?" Venus heard Vesta say softly. She gripped the girl's shoulder harder.
"There!" Mercury said. Every eye turned to her. "Along the base of that mountain range. They're both together. They seem to be headed for the mine. Saturn is staying close to the foot of the mountain."
"Probably to keep from being seen by any of those guards we met up with," Venus judged.
"Saturn always was a smart kid," nodded Jupiter.
Venus noticed Vesta's anxiety, but she was holding back trying to verbally prod the others. It drew a smile of compassion.
"Come on," Venus said to the others. "Let's get them before they run into any more of those jack-booted goons."
The team set out, Mercury in the lead and Venus behind her, with the two Asteroids in the middle and Jupiter guarding the flank. As they walked, Juno eased up to Vesta.
"She'll be all right," Juno whispered.
"I hope so," Vesta replied. "I could have found her, you know. I could have changed into a bloodhound and gotten her scent, or scouted from the air as some bird." She left the rest unspoken.
"Well, they're just used to doing it their way," offered Juno.
"No," Vesta shook her head. "They still don't trust me. Maybe they're right. Maybe I would have just screwed it up."
"Ves, you can't spend the rest of your life second-guessing yourself. People mess up."
"I did more than mess up."
"OK, you messed up and almost killed the princess. It doesn't mean it'll happen again if you're careful. But you can't function if you're afraid." She grasped Vesta's hand. "You're guarding my back. I have to know you'll be there."
Vesta looked down.
"Come on, Ves! I need you to be strong for me! And Pallas is going to need you! You can't let one mistake cripple you!"
Vesta's brow was knit. She wanted so badly to be anywhere but here.
"Ves?" Juno persisted.
"OK," Vesta said at last. "You don't have to worry. I won't let anything happen to you or Pallas. No matter what it costs me."
"Ves, that's not . . .!"
"AAAAAAAAH!" they heard Venus cry out. She was in the midst of spinning to her knees even as the buzz of an energy weapon registered.
Mercury crouched next to Venus even as she scanned the area to spot where the attack came from. Several more energy blasts kicked at the ground. Vesta and Juno tried to get a visual fix on their attacker. Jupiter pushed past them, her lightning rod extended and electricity crackling in her hands.
"Savage Lightning!" Jupiter called out. Volts of electricity leaped from her hands to her tiara, then fanned out in a dozen lightning strikes ahead of her. The area shuddered with the resulting crack of thunder from the super-heated air molecules and there was a momentary blinding flash.
"Where are you hit?" Mercury demanded.
"My side," hissed Venus. "Something caught me. Felt like energy more than a projectile." Mercury peeled away Venus' hand. They both saw a four-inch long, quarter-inch wide burn along the woman's waist on the left side. "Damn it! How am I going to wear something with an open midriff now?"
"Nice to know you're fine," Mercury muttered. She produced a spray from a small kit and sprayed a liquid epidermal over the wound.
"Aqua Initiation!" Juno called out, gesturing at what they could now see was a squadron of black uniform guards. The ground beneath their feet rumbled and a dozen water geysers spat up out of the ground, bowling several over.
"Nice trick," Jupiter nodded with a smile. That drew a thrilled return smile from Juno. "Let's me do this. Jupiter! Oak Evolution!"
Aided by the water soaking the guards, Jupiter's electrical bursts were conducted through the guards effortlessly. All six guards went rigid, then slumped to the ground.
"How did they spot us?" Juno asked.
"Perhaps they weren't looking for us," Mercury proposed. "Perhaps they were just a routine patrol."
"Maybe, but I don't think so," Venus replied. "It looked to me like they were a search patrol. They were after somebody."
"Like Saturn and Pallas?" Jupiter wondered aloud. That was all Vesta needed to hear.
"Fauna Assimilation - - tiger!" she called out. Despite her wound, Venus moved to tackle Vesta's tiger form as it sped past her, headed toward the mountain range. However, she was too slow.
"Damn it, I'm going to put my foot up that girl's . . .!" Venus snarled, holding her side as she stood.
"Don't go after her!" Mercury warned, grabbing Venus by the wrist. "You're injured!"
"Somebody's got to and I'm the one responsible for her!" Venus snapped, ripping her hand out of Mercury's grasp. "You three get to Saturn and Pallas and continue the mission! We'll meet you there!" She started off, then turned around. "And nobody else run off!"
The trio closed ranks as they watched Venus chase after Vesta.
"Minako's so scary when she gets maternal," Mercury smirked.
"Blondie as a mother - - now THAT IS scary," Jupiter joked. "You still have a fix on Saturn?"
"Give me a moment," Mercury replied. To the computer, she said, "Update." Juno could see the display change instantly. "Yes. They seem to be headed down into the mine. Jupiter - - what if this isn't a penal colony? What if it's a forced labor camp?"
"And Michiru's down there?" Jupiter gulped. "But where's Haruka? Of the two, you'd think she would be the one in a labor camp. She's bigger and stronger than Michiru - - always has been."
"Unless," Mercury ventured, then stopped before she finished the thought.
And just like that, Jupiter pitched forward onto the ground. Her body convulsed on the ground. Mercury's trained eye immediately spotted the two prongs in her back and deduced that the projectiles transmitted an electrical charge that temporarily paralyzed Jupiter. Ironic, if she had more time to dwell on it.
Venus felt her side begin to burn in protest, trying to dissuade her from running any more. She ignored it and persisted onward. Vesta was rushing blindly toward the mine - - just like she was - - and could be running headlong into more trouble than she could handle.
Part of her wanted to throttle Vesta. This was just the sort of blindly emotional stunt that got people killed. The experienced warrior in her knew Vesta was fragmenting the force and endangering herself and everyone else.
But another part of her admired the girl's loyalty at the same time. Vesta was dedicated to her sister Asteroids, if nothing else, and her own life and safety were secondary. You don't find deep-seeded loyalty like that all the time. As she ran, Venus thought back to all the times Serenity and her other senshi would risk personal safety to protect each other. Was Vesta doing anything different now?
"Maybe you ought to cut her some slack, Aino," Venus thought as she ducked behind some rocks and observed the mine entrance. "After all, you made your share of bad judgment calls over the years - - starting with Ace."
There was no sign of Vesta at the entrance - - only more women in black guard uniforms.
"They must breed their guards to be big," Venus muttered, noting the positions of the three guards in relation to the mouth of the mineshaft. She looked around the area, surveying it for ways she could access the tunnel without being spotted, as well as for signs of Vesta. She half expected to see a tiger bound out of the bushes at any moment and take on the three guards.
Then a motion caught her eye. A small rodent, looking like a rat at this distance, skittered along the rocks near the mouth of the mine entrance. It was headed for the mouth with cautious haste.
"A rat?" thought Venus. "Couldn't you have picked something smaller? They're bound to notice you."
Prophetic thoughts, because just then one of the guards noticed the skittering creature. She gestured to it with her stun club.
"Ahhh!" gasped the second guard in revulsion. "Everywhere in this place, nothing but vermin! The people in the Cloud City don't know how good they have it!"
"Think you can hit it?" asked the first.
Venus tensed.
"Why should I waste an energy blast on vermin?" sneered the second.
"Ten driads says you can't hit it," the third chimed in.
The second looked at her. "You have it on you?"
The third produced some bills. Venus swallowed.
"Easy money," smirked the second guard. She drew an energy pistol and took aim.
"Narrow beam," cautioned the first.
"Don't be insulting," sneered the second. The rodent was still about a meter from the mine entrance as she aimed.
"I doubt you could hit it!" Venus called out, stepping from concealment out into the open. "How about I give you a bigger target!"
Startled, the other guards reached for their weapons belts while the one with the energy pistol tracked from the rodent to Venus. Venus only smiled.
"Venus Love Me Chain!" she called out.
The chain appeared and shot out, striking the energy pistol and knocking it away even as the weapon was being aimed at her. While the startled guard stared at her now empty hand, Venus pivoted, whipping the chain around. It struck one guard's hand on a downward stroke, ripping the club from her grasp. The upstroke in the figure eight pattern carried the chain to the other guard's hand, disarming her and whipping the weapons belt from her waist. Venus allowed herself a glance at the shaft entrance. The rodent stood pressed against the rock near the entrance, eyes riveted on the battle.
"Go, Vesta!" Venus thought as she retracted her chain. "I'm got them distracted!"
The guards began to advance on Venus, trying to surround her and neutralize her swinging chain at close quarters. Suddenly the end of the chain slammed down, biting at the turf just in front of the lead guard. They watched the chain, then looked at Venus.
"Come on," Venus urged them on. She wore a satisfied smile and there was a gleam in her eye. "I promise I won't hurt you too bad."
Just then Venus caught sight of a fly amid the three guards. She only saw it because the fly was in the process of enlarging, changing before her eyes into a polar bear. Startled, Venus glanced over to the shaft entrance. The rodent was still there, in the process of obtaining whatever cover was to be had. The bear reared up on its hind legs and swatted one of the guards to the ground, then landed on her middle with both front legs to drive the wind from the unconscious woman.
Instantly seizing the advantage in the confusion, Venus flung her chain forward. It wrapped itself around the neck of the lead guard. With a violent jerk, Venus spun the woman around and she fell to the ground, unconscious as well. Vesta made short work of the third, then turned as Venus ran up.
"What are you doing?" demanded Venus.
"No offense!" the bear replied defensively. "I thought you needed help! Why'd you jump out from behind the rocks like that! You left yourself totally exposed!"
"I thought you were the rat!"
"I was going in as a fly! It's a lot harder to spot than a rat! Duh!"
Venus wanted to argue further, but suddenly realized she didn't have anything to argue about. Vesta had assessed the situation and acted properly. She'd broken cover only to come to the aid of a teammate. Venus barely stifled a giggle, making Vesta regard her curiously.
"Anyway, I'm sorry if I messed things up again," Vesta said, chagrined. "I was just - - trying to help."
Venus felt that feeling of shame again.
"No harm done, I guess," Venus offered with a timid smile. "We just got our wires crossed." Vesta looked up to her mentor, hope in her eyes. "As long as we're here, we may as well find Pallas and Saturn."
The pair turned for the entrance. However, they didn't get two paces before Venus sharply grabbed Vesta by the shoulder. Vesta turned to her inquiringly.
"We've got company," Venus hissed.
No sooner had they turned to their right than the two senshi found a squadron of guards headed toward them. A guard in the lead took aim with an energy pistol and fired.
Venus pushed Vesta aside while she dived in the other direction. Instantly her side began to burn again. Undeterred, she glanced over to Vesta to establish the girl's position.
"Get cover!" Venus ordered.
Vesta scrambled behind an outcropping of rocks.
"Stay back!" Venus yelled, hoping Vesta could hear and would obey. Her hand shot to her side. "Venus! Love and Beauty Shock!"
The shock wave slammed into the squadron of guards, bowling them over. Venus used this time to scrabble behind a rock formation. Looking back at her adversaries, she could see they also were behind the cover of the rocks by the mountain range. Vesta suddenly appeared beside her.
"This isn't good," Venus told her. "They can keep us pinned down until they can surround us with reinforcements."
"Your shock powers can't hurt them?" Vesta asked.
"The rocks would absorb most of the shock wave," Venus said. "And they're probably waiting for me to pop up so they can cut me down." Venus looked around. "Our best bet is to crawl away now and try to find or make another way into this mine."
"I can get into the mine!" Vesta asserted. "They won't even see me in insect form, let alone hit me!"
"Fine, but you don't know what's inside that mine, do you?" Venus asked her point blank. "There could be another squad of goons waiting for you or some security device that could trap you or worse. Think before you act, Vesta! You'll live longer!"
"OK!" Vesta huffed. Venus nudged her.
"Come on, don't pout," Venus said. "I'm sure you'd rather learn it this way than have your head handed to you. Right?"
"Yes, Sensei Venus-sama," Vesta replied, chastened.
Venus patted her arm, then looked around to plan her next move. Suddenly she heard Vesta gasp in pain.
"What is it?" Venus asked. "Are you hit?"
"Pallas!" Vesta gasped. "I-I just felt Pallas! Something's happened to her! Fauna Assimilation - - Fly!"
Before Venus could grab her, Vesta was off again. She headed straight for the mine and disappeared inside.
"Just great," Venus scowled, clutching her injured side. An energy blast glanced off the rock she hid behind.
Mercury and Juno turned from the fallen Jupiter and found another squadron of black uniformed guards behind them. Several pointed weapons at them while the others were armed with stun clubs. Mercury sensed Juno tensing to attack.
"Don't do it," she told the young senshi in a low voice. "You would be cut down before you got your phrase out."
"But Sensei Mercury-sama," Juno began.
"A chance will come," Mercury told her. "Your job is to remain alive and healthy in order to take advantage of it."
While several weapons remained trained on the senshi, three of the guards detached from the squadron and came up to them, each holding metal collars with chains and shackles dangling from them. One snapped a collar around the helpless Jupiter and began shackling her wrists and ankles. The other two came up to Mercury and Juno and did the same. Juno wanted to resist, but followed Mercury's lead and submitted peacefully. When the three were restrained, the squadron leader walked up.
"So what do we have here?" the squadron leader, a tall woman, taller than Mercury, with an imposing figure and harsh features set off by black hair pulled back from her face.
"I am Sailor Mercury of the planet Earth," Mercury began. "I and my companions are looking for . . ."
"Silence!" bellowed the squadron leader.
That was the moment the power of the collar revealed itself to Sailor Mercury. She wanted to continue explaining, but her will to resist suddenly drained away. She looked down at the shackles around her wrists, but they seemed to be ordinary metal. Then she noticed the collar around Juno's throat giving off a faint blue glow. Her eyes grew wide.
"Neural inhibitors?" Mercury whispered, drawing a look from Juno. "A generated electro-encephalic field that inhibits certain chemical reactions in the brain. Oh dear." Then she felt her jaw squeezed in the gloved fingers of the squadron leader and her head wrenched around until she looked the woman in the eye.
"Do you know what I see here?" the woman asked, as much for her squad as for Mercury's benefit. "I see another exotic wench for the queen's harem. I see another green-haired piece of dirt for the mines." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, riveted on Mercury the entire time. "And I see - - a traitor to her own kind. And you ladies know what we do to traitors, don't you?"
A general murmur of assent peppered with nasty chuckling and rude remarks told Sailor Mercury that she'd miscalculated the situation - - badly.
Continued in chapter 6
Part Five: "The Divided House"
By Bill K.
Four senshi waited as Sailor Mercury whispered commands to her computer. Her visor was up. She would scan the terrain for a time, then look at the analysis on her computer screen. None of the others could tell from Mercury's intense expression whether her readings were encouraging or not.
Sailor Venus glanced over at Sailor Vesta. The girl would alternately look intently at Mercury, as if trying to will her to find something, and scan the area as if she hoped to see something that Mercury's visor couldn't. Venus tried to remember when she was Vesta's age and wore her emotions on her sleeve. She felt sorry for the girl, because Pallas was missing and Pallas clearly meant more to Vesta than most things did. At the same time, Vesta seemed wound tight enough that the least little thing might set her off - - and they knew what Vesta was capable of when set off.
"Keep your head," Venus whispered, slipping up behind the girl unnoticed. Her hand gripped Vesta's shoulder, both for support and control. "I know Pallas means a lot to you, but you're not going to do her any good if you lose it."
"Yes," Vesta said, swallowing her embarrassment in mid-sentence, "Sensei Venus-sama. I-I'm trying. I am."
"I know," Venus replied, the words almost as hard for her.
"Anything?" Jupiter asked Mercury.
"There's a lot to filter out," Mercury told her. "This area is teeming with life forms."
"Where?" Sailor Juno asked.
"There are heavy concentrations in the caves," Mercury continued. "There are heavy concentrations underground, in what looks to be a mine. And I'm getting other clusters."
"Is there a way to tell which one is Pallas and Saturn?"
"Oh yes," Mercury smiled reassuringly. "I've made some modifications to my visor and computer over the years."
"'Some modifications'?" Jupiter teased. "You could probably control the entire Japanese cyber-net from that computer."
"You're exaggerating," Mercury sighed.
"It's a good thing you're not the dictator type," smirked Jupiter. Mercury blushed slightly, a reaction that mystified Juno.
"As I was saying," Mercury continued, "I have biological and magnetic aura information for all the current and original senshi stored in my database. Once my visor scans matching aura I'll be able to triangulate with the polar north on this world and establish the location of both Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pallas."
"Wow," marveled Juno. "Can you find Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, too?"
"No. Unfortunately I don't have scan data for either of them. Their last visit to Earth was in 2917. That was prior to my making these specific modifications."
"What's taking so long?" Venus heard Vesta say softly. She gripped the girl's shoulder harder.
"There!" Mercury said. Every eye turned to her. "Along the base of that mountain range. They're both together. They seem to be headed for the mine. Saturn is staying close to the foot of the mountain."
"Probably to keep from being seen by any of those guards we met up with," Venus judged.
"Saturn always was a smart kid," nodded Jupiter.
Venus noticed Vesta's anxiety, but she was holding back trying to verbally prod the others. It drew a smile of compassion.
"Come on," Venus said to the others. "Let's get them before they run into any more of those jack-booted goons."
The team set out, Mercury in the lead and Venus behind her, with the two Asteroids in the middle and Jupiter guarding the flank. As they walked, Juno eased up to Vesta.
"She'll be all right," Juno whispered.
"I hope so," Vesta replied. "I could have found her, you know. I could have changed into a bloodhound and gotten her scent, or scouted from the air as some bird." She left the rest unspoken.
"Well, they're just used to doing it their way," offered Juno.
"No," Vesta shook her head. "They still don't trust me. Maybe they're right. Maybe I would have just screwed it up."
"Ves, you can't spend the rest of your life second-guessing yourself. People mess up."
"I did more than mess up."
"OK, you messed up and almost killed the princess. It doesn't mean it'll happen again if you're careful. But you can't function if you're afraid." She grasped Vesta's hand. "You're guarding my back. I have to know you'll be there."
Vesta looked down.
"Come on, Ves! I need you to be strong for me! And Pallas is going to need you! You can't let one mistake cripple you!"
Vesta's brow was knit. She wanted so badly to be anywhere but here.
"Ves?" Juno persisted.
"OK," Vesta said at last. "You don't have to worry. I won't let anything happen to you or Pallas. No matter what it costs me."
"Ves, that's not . . .!"
"AAAAAAAAH!" they heard Venus cry out. She was in the midst of spinning to her knees even as the buzz of an energy weapon registered.
Mercury crouched next to Venus even as she scanned the area to spot where the attack came from. Several more energy blasts kicked at the ground. Vesta and Juno tried to get a visual fix on their attacker. Jupiter pushed past them, her lightning rod extended and electricity crackling in her hands.
"Savage Lightning!" Jupiter called out. Volts of electricity leaped from her hands to her tiara, then fanned out in a dozen lightning strikes ahead of her. The area shuddered with the resulting crack of thunder from the super-heated air molecules and there was a momentary blinding flash.
"Where are you hit?" Mercury demanded.
"My side," hissed Venus. "Something caught me. Felt like energy more than a projectile." Mercury peeled away Venus' hand. They both saw a four-inch long, quarter-inch wide burn along the woman's waist on the left side. "Damn it! How am I going to wear something with an open midriff now?"
"Nice to know you're fine," Mercury muttered. She produced a spray from a small kit and sprayed a liquid epidermal over the wound.
"Aqua Initiation!" Juno called out, gesturing at what they could now see was a squadron of black uniform guards. The ground beneath their feet rumbled and a dozen water geysers spat up out of the ground, bowling several over.
"Nice trick," Jupiter nodded with a smile. That drew a thrilled return smile from Juno. "Let's me do this. Jupiter! Oak Evolution!"
Aided by the water soaking the guards, Jupiter's electrical bursts were conducted through the guards effortlessly. All six guards went rigid, then slumped to the ground.
"How did they spot us?" Juno asked.
"Perhaps they weren't looking for us," Mercury proposed. "Perhaps they were just a routine patrol."
"Maybe, but I don't think so," Venus replied. "It looked to me like they were a search patrol. They were after somebody."
"Like Saturn and Pallas?" Jupiter wondered aloud. That was all Vesta needed to hear.
"Fauna Assimilation - - tiger!" she called out. Despite her wound, Venus moved to tackle Vesta's tiger form as it sped past her, headed toward the mountain range. However, she was too slow.
"Damn it, I'm going to put my foot up that girl's . . .!" Venus snarled, holding her side as she stood.
"Don't go after her!" Mercury warned, grabbing Venus by the wrist. "You're injured!"
"Somebody's got to and I'm the one responsible for her!" Venus snapped, ripping her hand out of Mercury's grasp. "You three get to Saturn and Pallas and continue the mission! We'll meet you there!" She started off, then turned around. "And nobody else run off!"
The trio closed ranks as they watched Venus chase after Vesta.
"Minako's so scary when she gets maternal," Mercury smirked.
"Blondie as a mother - - now THAT IS scary," Jupiter joked. "You still have a fix on Saturn?"
"Give me a moment," Mercury replied. To the computer, she said, "Update." Juno could see the display change instantly. "Yes. They seem to be headed down into the mine. Jupiter - - what if this isn't a penal colony? What if it's a forced labor camp?"
"And Michiru's down there?" Jupiter gulped. "But where's Haruka? Of the two, you'd think she would be the one in a labor camp. She's bigger and stronger than Michiru - - always has been."
"Unless," Mercury ventured, then stopped before she finished the thought.
And just like that, Jupiter pitched forward onto the ground. Her body convulsed on the ground. Mercury's trained eye immediately spotted the two prongs in her back and deduced that the projectiles transmitted an electrical charge that temporarily paralyzed Jupiter. Ironic, if she had more time to dwell on it.
Venus felt her side begin to burn in protest, trying to dissuade her from running any more. She ignored it and persisted onward. Vesta was rushing blindly toward the mine - - just like she was - - and could be running headlong into more trouble than she could handle.
Part of her wanted to throttle Vesta. This was just the sort of blindly emotional stunt that got people killed. The experienced warrior in her knew Vesta was fragmenting the force and endangering herself and everyone else.
But another part of her admired the girl's loyalty at the same time. Vesta was dedicated to her sister Asteroids, if nothing else, and her own life and safety were secondary. You don't find deep-seeded loyalty like that all the time. As she ran, Venus thought back to all the times Serenity and her other senshi would risk personal safety to protect each other. Was Vesta doing anything different now?
"Maybe you ought to cut her some slack, Aino," Venus thought as she ducked behind some rocks and observed the mine entrance. "After all, you made your share of bad judgment calls over the years - - starting with Ace."
There was no sign of Vesta at the entrance - - only more women in black guard uniforms.
"They must breed their guards to be big," Venus muttered, noting the positions of the three guards in relation to the mouth of the mineshaft. She looked around the area, surveying it for ways she could access the tunnel without being spotted, as well as for signs of Vesta. She half expected to see a tiger bound out of the bushes at any moment and take on the three guards.
Then a motion caught her eye. A small rodent, looking like a rat at this distance, skittered along the rocks near the mouth of the mine entrance. It was headed for the mouth with cautious haste.
"A rat?" thought Venus. "Couldn't you have picked something smaller? They're bound to notice you."
Prophetic thoughts, because just then one of the guards noticed the skittering creature. She gestured to it with her stun club.
"Ahhh!" gasped the second guard in revulsion. "Everywhere in this place, nothing but vermin! The people in the Cloud City don't know how good they have it!"
"Think you can hit it?" asked the first.
Venus tensed.
"Why should I waste an energy blast on vermin?" sneered the second.
"Ten driads says you can't hit it," the third chimed in.
The second looked at her. "You have it on you?"
The third produced some bills. Venus swallowed.
"Easy money," smirked the second guard. She drew an energy pistol and took aim.
"Narrow beam," cautioned the first.
"Don't be insulting," sneered the second. The rodent was still about a meter from the mine entrance as she aimed.
"I doubt you could hit it!" Venus called out, stepping from concealment out into the open. "How about I give you a bigger target!"
Startled, the other guards reached for their weapons belts while the one with the energy pistol tracked from the rodent to Venus. Venus only smiled.
"Venus Love Me Chain!" she called out.
The chain appeared and shot out, striking the energy pistol and knocking it away even as the weapon was being aimed at her. While the startled guard stared at her now empty hand, Venus pivoted, whipping the chain around. It struck one guard's hand on a downward stroke, ripping the club from her grasp. The upstroke in the figure eight pattern carried the chain to the other guard's hand, disarming her and whipping the weapons belt from her waist. Venus allowed herself a glance at the shaft entrance. The rodent stood pressed against the rock near the entrance, eyes riveted on the battle.
"Go, Vesta!" Venus thought as she retracted her chain. "I'm got them distracted!"
The guards began to advance on Venus, trying to surround her and neutralize her swinging chain at close quarters. Suddenly the end of the chain slammed down, biting at the turf just in front of the lead guard. They watched the chain, then looked at Venus.
"Come on," Venus urged them on. She wore a satisfied smile and there was a gleam in her eye. "I promise I won't hurt you too bad."
Just then Venus caught sight of a fly amid the three guards. She only saw it because the fly was in the process of enlarging, changing before her eyes into a polar bear. Startled, Venus glanced over to the shaft entrance. The rodent was still there, in the process of obtaining whatever cover was to be had. The bear reared up on its hind legs and swatted one of the guards to the ground, then landed on her middle with both front legs to drive the wind from the unconscious woman.
Instantly seizing the advantage in the confusion, Venus flung her chain forward. It wrapped itself around the neck of the lead guard. With a violent jerk, Venus spun the woman around and she fell to the ground, unconscious as well. Vesta made short work of the third, then turned as Venus ran up.
"What are you doing?" demanded Venus.
"No offense!" the bear replied defensively. "I thought you needed help! Why'd you jump out from behind the rocks like that! You left yourself totally exposed!"
"I thought you were the rat!"
"I was going in as a fly! It's a lot harder to spot than a rat! Duh!"
Venus wanted to argue further, but suddenly realized she didn't have anything to argue about. Vesta had assessed the situation and acted properly. She'd broken cover only to come to the aid of a teammate. Venus barely stifled a giggle, making Vesta regard her curiously.
"Anyway, I'm sorry if I messed things up again," Vesta said, chagrined. "I was just - - trying to help."
Venus felt that feeling of shame again.
"No harm done, I guess," Venus offered with a timid smile. "We just got our wires crossed." Vesta looked up to her mentor, hope in her eyes. "As long as we're here, we may as well find Pallas and Saturn."
The pair turned for the entrance. However, they didn't get two paces before Venus sharply grabbed Vesta by the shoulder. Vesta turned to her inquiringly.
"We've got company," Venus hissed.
No sooner had they turned to their right than the two senshi found a squadron of guards headed toward them. A guard in the lead took aim with an energy pistol and fired.
Venus pushed Vesta aside while she dived in the other direction. Instantly her side began to burn again. Undeterred, she glanced over to Vesta to establish the girl's position.
"Get cover!" Venus ordered.
Vesta scrambled behind an outcropping of rocks.
"Stay back!" Venus yelled, hoping Vesta could hear and would obey. Her hand shot to her side. "Venus! Love and Beauty Shock!"
The shock wave slammed into the squadron of guards, bowling them over. Venus used this time to scrabble behind a rock formation. Looking back at her adversaries, she could see they also were behind the cover of the rocks by the mountain range. Vesta suddenly appeared beside her.
"This isn't good," Venus told her. "They can keep us pinned down until they can surround us with reinforcements."
"Your shock powers can't hurt them?" Vesta asked.
"The rocks would absorb most of the shock wave," Venus said. "And they're probably waiting for me to pop up so they can cut me down." Venus looked around. "Our best bet is to crawl away now and try to find or make another way into this mine."
"I can get into the mine!" Vesta asserted. "They won't even see me in insect form, let alone hit me!"
"Fine, but you don't know what's inside that mine, do you?" Venus asked her point blank. "There could be another squad of goons waiting for you or some security device that could trap you or worse. Think before you act, Vesta! You'll live longer!"
"OK!" Vesta huffed. Venus nudged her.
"Come on, don't pout," Venus said. "I'm sure you'd rather learn it this way than have your head handed to you. Right?"
"Yes, Sensei Venus-sama," Vesta replied, chastened.
Venus patted her arm, then looked around to plan her next move. Suddenly she heard Vesta gasp in pain.
"What is it?" Venus asked. "Are you hit?"
"Pallas!" Vesta gasped. "I-I just felt Pallas! Something's happened to her! Fauna Assimilation - - Fly!"
Before Venus could grab her, Vesta was off again. She headed straight for the mine and disappeared inside.
"Just great," Venus scowled, clutching her injured side. An energy blast glanced off the rock she hid behind.
Mercury and Juno turned from the fallen Jupiter and found another squadron of black uniformed guards behind them. Several pointed weapons at them while the others were armed with stun clubs. Mercury sensed Juno tensing to attack.
"Don't do it," she told the young senshi in a low voice. "You would be cut down before you got your phrase out."
"But Sensei Mercury-sama," Juno began.
"A chance will come," Mercury told her. "Your job is to remain alive and healthy in order to take advantage of it."
While several weapons remained trained on the senshi, three of the guards detached from the squadron and came up to them, each holding metal collars with chains and shackles dangling from them. One snapped a collar around the helpless Jupiter and began shackling her wrists and ankles. The other two came up to Mercury and Juno and did the same. Juno wanted to resist, but followed Mercury's lead and submitted peacefully. When the three were restrained, the squadron leader walked up.
"So what do we have here?" the squadron leader, a tall woman, taller than Mercury, with an imposing figure and harsh features set off by black hair pulled back from her face.
"I am Sailor Mercury of the planet Earth," Mercury began. "I and my companions are looking for . . ."
"Silence!" bellowed the squadron leader.
That was the moment the power of the collar revealed itself to Sailor Mercury. She wanted to continue explaining, but her will to resist suddenly drained away. She looked down at the shackles around her wrists, but they seemed to be ordinary metal. Then she noticed the collar around Juno's throat giving off a faint blue glow. Her eyes grew wide.
"Neural inhibitors?" Mercury whispered, drawing a look from Juno. "A generated electro-encephalic field that inhibits certain chemical reactions in the brain. Oh dear." Then she felt her jaw squeezed in the gloved fingers of the squadron leader and her head wrenched around until she looked the woman in the eye.
"Do you know what I see here?" the woman asked, as much for her squad as for Mercury's benefit. "I see another exotic wench for the queen's harem. I see another green-haired piece of dirt for the mines." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, riveted on Mercury the entire time. "And I see - - a traitor to her own kind. And you ladies know what we do to traitors, don't you?"
A general murmur of assent peppered with nasty chuckling and rude remarks told Sailor Mercury that she'd miscalculated the situation - - badly.
Continued in chapter 6