CHAPTER SIX: TWILIGHT'S END!
The Japanese Army Command Headquarters was little more than a giant tent pitched outside Tokyo City Limits. Colonel Yamada shook his head disgustedly. The situation was steadily getting more and more nightmarish for his forces! The casualty list was mounting and thus far his units had done little more than annoy the enemy. The mysterious Jedite, on the other hand, remained cool and collected.
"How can you be so blasted calm?!" Colonel Yamada demanded of him. "You act like war is second-nature to you or something! How can you be so cold when my people are dying out there?!"
"Things aren't as bleak as they appear, Colonel," Jedite coolly replied. "Didn't I tell you that the Senshi are the only ones who can stop this enemy? Eventually they'll overcome the enemy's superior defenses and then you can strike back. I did warn you to keep your forces as far from the action as possible."
"The Japanese Army does NOT sit on the sidelines and let others do the job for it, mister!" Yamada exploded.
Jedite crossed his arms and frowned. "You're doing nothing right now but making your military look foolish and at the same time needlessly sacrificing troops. If you want to make a difference you'll do as I say and wait for the right moment."
Yamada glowered at Jedite, then turned to his Lieutenant. "Get him out of here," he grunted.
Jedite shrugged away from the Lieutenant's outstretched hand. "No need to be rude. I'm going. I guess I should have known you wouldn't listen to my advice. I know a thing or two about being in charge of a proud and mighty military force and it can go to one's head. But go ahead. Ignore my warnings and kill your own soldiers. Maybe you'll be able to better explain it to their families than I would."
Jedite was at the Tent's entrance when Yamada called out. "Stop!"
Jedite hesitated and turned. "Make up your mind, Colonel! I'm a busy man!"
Yamada smirked. "You know I knew there was something strange about you when you appeared. That uniform of yours. You're a soldier, and not just ANY soldier either. You're an officer of some kind. You have that air of command about you that I've seldom ever seen in my own superiors. Do you really guarantee that my troops would be better served to wait for the results of this battle?"
"I guarantee nothing, this is war," Jedite turned around fully and faced the Colonel. "However I believe the Senshi will overcome the odds. I have personal experience with them. They can make miracles happen if you give them a chance. Even the coiled snake knows when best to strike. Sometimes the obvious answer isn't the right one. It may seem foolhardy to hold back at this point, but it's not. I'm not looking to take command of this operation, I just want you to trust me!"
Yamada sighed. For several long minutes the Tent was silent. The soldiers all stood by and waited for their orders. Yamada bowed his head in deep thought. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife! Finally the Colonel spoke: "Alright. Captain, signal the Fighters. Call them back and tell them to stand by for the orders for an all-out attack on the Mothership!"
"Yes, sir," said the Captain.
Yamada turned to Jedite. "I hope for our sake you're right about these. Senshi of yours."
Jedite thought about the oddity of that statement. It seemed strange that he refer to them as HIS Senshi. Years ago that might have been insulting to him, yet now it gave him a slight tinge of pride. "I hope for this world's sake that I'm right about this as well, Colonel," he replied, looking up at the ceiling.
* * * *
Sailor Nova Hercules flattened herself against the wall and stood still as a group of Security Drones ran by, alerted by the shrill alarm screaming through the hallways. She peaked around the corner as soon as their footfalls faded around the corner.
"It's like a maze in here!" she said in a low voice.
Sailor Nova Beetelgeuse poked her head out of the shadows right next to her and looked up and down the hallway. "It's a good thing Proxy remembered her Visor. Otherwise we'd be in this ship for weeks. And this Planet doesn't HAVE weeks under these circumstances."
Hercules nodded in agreement. It was very rare for her to talk unless it was absolutely necessary.
"It seems the coast is clear," Beetel stepped out of the darkness. "Except for that bothersome alarm everything is quiet." After the three Nova Senshi had cleared the opening and fought their way into the Gorgonite a few miles, the fighting broke off and they managed to shake their pursuit. For the past half hour or so they had been stalking the corridors, fighting only when it was absolutely necessary. Now it appeared the search for them had shifted to another part of the ship.
"Something else is drawing them away from us," said Proxima, coming around the corner from the direction the guards were running.
"What could be more important than us, I wonder?" Beetel asked.
"Apparently Starfighter and the others couldn't follow simple directions," Proxima sounded a bit miffed. "They've entered the ship. They're still around the entrance though, and they're engaging the majority of the soldiers there."
Hercules cleared her throat. "Well. that's not really a bad thing. I mean they've drawn most of the enemy's attention from us. Why fight our way all the way to the Reactor if we can just snoop around?"
"Hera! I believe that's the most words I've heard you utter in a single statement since we were kids!" Beetel beamed at the Senshi Giant.
Hercules blushed and looked away uncomfortably. "Well. I just. thought. you know."
Proxima chuckled. "Of course you're right, Hera. Perhaps they thought they could help us a bit further. Well as long as they're doing the fighting for us, what say we take advantage of their distraction? The Reactor is close. My homing signal is indicating we're only fifty levels from the Core."
"Great. What's another fifty?" Beetel asked with a bit of sarcasm. "And I suppose we have to do it quietly, seeing as we've now become the Shadow Team in this operation."
"Uh-huh," said Proxima. "I've already checked and the elevators have been shut down."
"Fly up," Hercules suggested.
"How? We can't blast our way up," said Beetel. "That would make noise and we don't want that."
"The shafts," Hercules pointed to a nearby Elevator hatchway.
"Oh." Beetelgeuse sweat-dropped. "Silly me. I'm such an idiot. Hera you really must speak up more often. You're as smart as you are strong."
"That's the plan then. We'll fly in hard and fast. I've already calculated and flying using the Elevator Shafts will get us there in ten point eight seconds. also." she paused in thought. "It would be smart of the enemy to have a bunch of their forces mustered at the Reactor to defend it. Hercules. I want you to provide us with an opening. There's no shaft that goes entirely into the Reactor Chamber, and so we'll need a hole. Rip one open for us and go out firing on all cylinders! We'll be right behind you, keeping your hind side clear."
Hercules clenched her hand into a fist and nodded. She swung at the elevator door and smashed her fist into the crack. With her other hand she gripped the edge of the hole she created and ripped the doors off their tracks! Then with a curtsey she stepped aside and motioned the other two inside.
"Why thank you, Hera. You're such a darling," Beetel cooed as she walked by.
The three of them had a brief laugh as they dropped into the pitch-black darkness of the Elevator Shaft. Proxima pointed up and the three of them shot upwards as fast as they could fly!
* * * *
"Commander! They're headed for our Reactor Core!"
Commander Zinc nodded. "Of course they are! Did you think they'd come to the bridge? What good would that do? I was expecting this! I go now!"
"Go?! Go where?!" asked the Officer.
"My Lady Dark Mercury risks her life outside fighting the evil Senshi! I shall not recoil from this danger! I will personally defend the Reactor Core from the Nova Senshi! You can come, or you can cower here in terror like a worm!" Zinc shot him a cold glare. "Either way, you'll probably DIE!"
The Officer gulped and stood up. He jerked his head up and down nervously.
"That's more like it!" Zinc brandished his sword, a fierce weapon studded with mean looking hooks and barbs meant for maiming an enemy from the inside out! "For my beloved Dark Mercury I will fight Galaxia herself if need be!!"
* * * *
Even the Sailor Senshi, who had seen much in their short lives thus far, had to stand back in awe as what appeared to be the final combat began! No one, not even Serena herself, would have expected Sailor Moon to be capable of such anger! Yet it was plain to all who watched that both fighters were now EQUALLY determined to destroy one another!
Each punch and kick was like an explosion! The wind howled and the sky filled with dark clouds, flashing with lightning from within! It was as if the Earth itself were responding to the power of the moment!
The Senshi who was named Neo-Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo met Dark Mercury's charge with equal ferocity! All her inhibitions and timidity had been shed! She could feel power rushing through her veins that even SHE never thought she was capable of! She felt like a Goddess, but she did not allow herself to be carried away with the feeling! For the person she was fighting was nigh unto a Goddess herself! A Goddess of HATE!!
The two fighters locked hands and pushed with all their might against one another! Their gazes never flinched away from the other's eyes! For several long heartbeats they were locked in this test of strength, neither one giving so much as an inch!
At last came the break! Dark Mercury released Sailor Moon's hands and aimed her elbow at her opponent's face! Sailor Moon blocked the blow and countered with her own kick! Dark Mercury knocked that hit aside with her metal arm! From there things quickly escalated!
Sailor Moon rained punches down on Dark Mercury, but the Dark Senshi met each hit with a block of her own! When one fighter finished with a combination, the other one took up the slack! They were dead even! In terms of determination and raw power not one could outdo the other. for the moment!
Dark Mercury must have, at some point, taken Sailor Moon's full measure! Clearly she finally met an incarnation of her greatest enemy who was just as unwilling to back down as she was! It was slightly frightening in a way, to see someone usually so full of love and gentleness pushed to the point of animalistic fury! Yet part of Dark Mercury felt a sense of wicked joy at finally seeing the one TRUE Sailor Moon! Her true foe was at last revealed!!
Dark Mercury leapt back and called forth her Staff! She stuck the end in the ground, causing the torn gravel road to freeze with a sheet of ice! Sailor Moon's feet were caught in the torrent of ice, but she easily blasted free and jumped into the air! She stuck out a boot as if to kick Dark Mercury on the way down!
Dark Mercury cracked the ice with her weapon, and sent a shower of razor sharp ice shards flying up in Sailor Moon's face! Sailor Moon threw her arms up to shield her eyes, and Dark Mercury had her opening! She jumped, grabbed Sailor Moon's leg, and plowed her into the wall of a nearby building! Powering up quickly, she sent Sailor Moon flying with a dark blast!
Sailor Moon flew through, and came out the other side of the crippled building! However she rolled off the blast without missing a beat! Her great wings unfurled and she was suddenly screaming straight toward Dark Mercury! She plowed through the other side of the building as if the concrete and steel had no effect on her! As the building lurched and came crashing down in a cloud of dust, Sailor Moon burst forth and finally landed a haymaker on Dark Mercury's chin!
Dark Mercury actually staggered from the blow! Sailor Moon wasted no time in pressing the advantage! She took Dark Mercury's arm and swung her skyward, where it would take a few seconds for her to regain the upper hand! With another flap of her wings, she changed direction and was instantly vertical! Both her fists connected with Dark Mercury's spine! Dark Mercury screamed in pain and stiffened! Sailor Moon then spun in midair and dropkicked her back down to Earth!
Dark Mercury met the ground hard enough to gouge a canyon in the bedrock! More dust flew up! Sailor Moon called forth her Moon Scepter!
"Moon Scepter Elimination!!" She howled. The blast of pink energy was incredible! It strafed over the spot Dark Mercury was last seen falling like a Nuclear Laser! The explosion made everyone fall on their knees or clutch their ears! The shockwave rocked the very Planet!
"Sweet Jesus!!" Sailor Jupiter cried. "There won't be a building left standing in all of Tokyo if this keeps up!!"
* * * *
The four Sisters barely kept up with Galaxia's determined pace. The Golden Senshi looked like she wanted very badly to fly and help her friends, yet she knew also that a moment of extreme importance had to happen first! At last they came to the spot where Sailor Mars had fallen. The last few Tokyo Paramedics were trying to lift her dead body onto a gurney!
"Oh, no! RAYE!!" Katsie broke into a dead run, past Galaxia, who had stopped moving, and pushed her way to the gurney.
"Hey!" shouted one of the coroners. Katsie shoved him aside roughly and looked down upon the Martian Senshi. There was a huge hole in her midsection and she was covered in blood! Her skin and lips were pale, her eyelids and fingernails were purple! There was no question she was dead!
"NOOOOOOO!!!!" Katsie fell to her knees, clutching Raye's hand. "OH GOD NO!! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!!?"
"Just a few minutes ago," said the surprised coroner. "Her friends went off fighting that Dark Mercury chick."
"Wow! Look at that!" Prisma pointed downtown and everyone turned to see buildings collapsing and explosions erupting from seemingly nowhere! The ground shook, and a sound like thunder clapped in everyone's ears!
"They're not holding anything back anymore." Birdie commented.
Galaxia, for once, looked truly stunned. She moved forward, her eyes containing a reverence for the display of power before her! "Senshi Prime." she whispered.
Birdie looked at Galaxia curiously. What did she mean by those words? she wondered.
Katsie was still crying. Avery had taken to trying to comfort her younger sister. Something twinkled nearby on the ground and she looked at the source of the light. Some object was glowing faintly red and pulsing magically.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to it.
Birdie tore her gaze from Galaxia and looked down at it. "It's. It's the Martian Henshin Pen! My God, you shouldn't just leave that thing lying around!"
Galaxia turned her head and looked also at the Pen. Something seemed to click in her mind just then. "It calls. It needs a new owner before it vanishes forever." Galaxia looked at Katsie meaningfully.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Katsie trembled. All eyes were now on her.
"First things first!" Galaxia extended her hand and the air seemed to ripple like water. Suddenly everyone except Galaxia and the four Sisters fell to the ground unconscious!
"We can't have witnesses at this critical juncture!" Galaxia headed off the obvious questions. "Katsie! You know what you must do! Take up the Mars Power, immediately!"
"But I'm NOT Sailor Mars!" Katsie protested.
"No, you are not! But your powers, they are similar to hers! In fact one might say you were a suitable back-up!"
"I'm confused." Birdie raised her hand timidly. "I thought only a Senshi could use the power. Is this what you meant by us having a part yet to play?"
"I knew before even you yourselves did," Galaxia explained. "Ayakashi, your family name, is also a 'Senshido' word. You four were the Four Senshi Sisters of Nemesis! In the beginning you were born as reflections of the Four Inner Guardian Senshi of this Solar System! However Doom Phantom found you first, turned your powers and your tendencies to evil! Sailor Moon took away your evil, and hid your powers! You did not lose them as you thought you did. They merely lie within you, as they do within ALL Senshi! You four are unique in this Universe because you exist to fulfill any unnatural gap that appears in the ranks of the Four Guardians! This is just such a moment! A Senshi's life. and the lives of millions in this city. must be avenged the horrors of today! Katsie! You and you alone are able to take up that artifact and become the NEW Sailor Mars!"
Katsie blinked, as if taking in this new information. Surprisingly she didn't seem as shocked as the other three were. Perhaps deep down inside she had always known! She looked down at the Mars Henshin Pen, and reached out for it tentatively.
"Do not be afraid, my child," Galaxia's tone became oddly motherly. "It is your destiny."
* * * *
Sailor Moon strode amidst the ruins like an avenging Angel! She knew Dark Mercury wasn't finished yet! The air was filled with relative quiet as she searched the pulverized rubble for signs of movement. The smoke and dust lay like a fog across everything, obscuring vision.
She heard a crack of rock behind her, turned, and caught Dark Mercury's metal fist in her own! Throwing the fist aside, she thrust her own fist straight ahead, only to meet a raised forearm!
The fight began again in earnest! Both combatants moved like the wind! Their fists blurred with speed! They dodged and punched all in singular motion! Every so often one of them would grunt or gasp as a blow made its way through and made contact with a soft spot!
Finally the two jumped away from one another and began running parallel to one another, out of the cloud of dust, facing each other. Dark Mercury had her Staff in hand once again, and Sailor Moon now had her Kaleidoscope Wand back in hand. She brandished it like a sword!
Just then, Sailor Moon jumped and came down on Dark Mercury with her Wand angled downward. Dark Mercury parried with her Staff and swung high. Sailor Moon flipped backward and touched down, gracefully avoiding the counter- attack! She swiped again and again at Dark Mercury. Dark Mercury backed away, blocking the intense strokes! The air rang with clashing weapons!
The Senshi followed along, not missing a beat! Once again they were relegated to audience as two powerful warriors clashed in battle!
"Times like this make me feel so useless!" said Sailor Neptune in chagrin.
"No kidding! They're in a league of their own! Sailor Moon. Remind me never again to get you pissed off!" said Sailor Venus.
"It should be me." Serena said quietly. "I should be out there avenging Raye's death!"
"You'll have your chance," said Sailor Pluto. "While I stand stunned at your future self's power and skill, for even I had no idea you would eventually grow so strong, no ONE person can hope to defeat Dark Mercury! As always it will take all of us combined to finish her!" She continued her line of thought in her head. However. Why could I not see. Sailor Moon DID have another level above that of Eternal! I thought such a thing impossible! This reminds me of a legend I heard once, long ago, yet she couldn't be. She couldn't be Senshi Prime! Could she?! Charon! I wish you were here now to share your wisdom!
Dark Mercury changed her tactics, whirling away from the next stroke instead of blocking it. Sailor Moon, in her zealousness, over-extended her swing that time! Dark Mercury spun her Staff around and caught her on the back of her head, causing the Lunar Senshi to stumble forward! Dark Mercury's knee met with her midsection!
"She's an intelligent fighter, no doubts there," said Sailor Uranus.
"She didn't get this far on raw power alone," said Mercury.
Dark Mercury went on a savage offensive! She kicked Sailor Moon into the air and jumped after her! When she caught up with Sailor Moon, she grabbed her ankle and was suddenly in freefall! She aimed Sailor Moon straight at another skyscraper and swung with all her might! Sailor Moon screamed briefly before she was slammed into the sharp point of the skyscraper! The roof caved in and smoke exploded out of every window on every level, as Sailor Moon plunged through every single floor before hitting the bottom! Dark Mercury powered up and sent a needle of energy straight down through the vertical shaft of the building! Like a scene from Independence Day, the skyscraper exploded downward in a blue column of flames and was literally vaporized!
Just when the fight seemed over, Sailor Moon arced up out of the inferno, blood streaming down her face, yet undaunted! She spin-kicked and caught a surprised Dark Mercury across the left cheek! The Dark Senshi sailed down and crashed through a row of glass high-rises before smashing to Earth at the foot of the famous Tokyo Tower!
Sailor Moon was on her like white on rice! She pummeled Dark Mercury for all she was worth, keeping her on the defensive and slowly pounding away her reserves! Both fighters were digging deep now! Like weary boxers at the end of a long match, they swung with all their might at each other! Sailor Moon kneed Dark Mercury in the chin, only to catch a double fisted blow on the top of the skull!
Sailor Moon set her feet and blasted Dark Mercury in the midsection with her hardest hit yet! Dark Mercury lurched and spat up blood!
"It's over! Your rampage stops here!!" Sailor Moon swung again and caught Dark Mercury in the temple! Dark Mercury was sent airborne again, and she crashed through one of the steel supports holding the Tokyo Tower aloft! She came to a stop somewhere in the center and didn't move from her resting place on the ground.
Sailor Moon was breathing heavily and sweating! Blood and sweat intermingled on her torn and tattered uniform! Her hair had come loose from her Odangoes and was frizzled and singed! She practically staggered her way over to Dark Mercury's prone body and raised her Wand as if to deliver the killing blow!
"SAILOR MOON! WATCH OUT!!" Sailor Pluto cried.
Just at that second, Dark Mercury opened her eyes and grabbed Sailor Moon by the throat! With a feral roar, she lifted Sailor Moon off her feet and pointed her metal hand at Sailor Moon's face. Energy shot out again and again like artillery out of a Cannon! From point blank range she pounded blast after blast into Sailor Moon's face. Sailor Moon shook with every hit, and slowly her body became limp as the blasts overwhelmed her and her consciousness faltered. Her wings shrank and her aura started to flicker wildly, like a guttering candle!
"NO! NOT ANOTHER ONE!!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. "THIS IS FOR RAYE!! YOU DEMON!!! JUPTER THUNDER HAMMER!!" She took off at full speed and caught a completely unaware Dark Mercury on the side of the head with her lightning charged Sledge! Dark Mercury let Sailor Moon go and went flying again to the ground, opening up yet another crater! Lightning danced amidst the steel supports of Tokyo Tower, conducting the lightning like the world's biggest Lightning Rod!
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE!!!" Sailor Jupiter snarled at Dark Mercury.
Dark Mercury got up, this time a lot more slowly. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and a gash had opened up just above her brow where Jupiter had walloped her! "Damn you! You seek to steal my final victory from me?!" she spat another mouthful of blood and pointed at Jupiter. "You forget how determined I am! My hate runs so deep I'll DIE to kill Sailor Moon just one. last. TIME!!"
"Take a look around you, Dark Mercury!" Jupiter pointed with her mallet. "You forget just how determined WE ARE to stop you!!"
Sailor Moon was helping her elder self to her feet. Serenity was wobbling unsteadily and looked out of it. It was clear she was on her last leg! "Killing my best friend was the WORST thing you could have done next to killing my parents!" Serena spoke.
"We're not going to hold anything back now! We're no longer afraid to die if we have to. to KILL YOU!!" Sailor Uranus shouted.
Dark Mercury looked to see ALL of the Sailor Senshi surrounding her now! Her eyes became filled with something that might have resembled chagrin! Uncertainty was slowly replacing her confidence! Never before had she been taken to the absolute limit like this! She suddenly wondered if victory was possible anymore! It was at that moment that she realized, and her enemies must have seen it too. the tables had just been turned! Now SHE was on the defensive!
* * * *
"Put pressure on it, just like that," Tuxedo Mask told Mrs. Nanako. He took the woman's hand and pressed it down on the patch covering her daughter's leg wound. "The paramedics should eventually come around to you. Right now they're setting up the Field Hospitals on the hillside."
"Thank you, Tuxedo Mask," Mrs. Nanako bowed her head in gratitude. "I'll be okay. You continue to take care of people. We really appreciate your help."
Darien stood up, feeling better for having heard such words. At least his job wasn't totally thankless anymore. More and more people, as they learned about more about the people helping save Tokyo from Dark Mercury, were expressing appreciation, and even a bit of awe at his friends. Darien wondered just how long that would last. He looked out at Tokyo. Recovery for this city would be a long time coming. Poverty would be the only thing worse than the death toll! Fully half the city was in ruins. Though the damage was localized now to only a few sectors, thanks to the Senshi, the true impact of Dark Mercury had only just begun. Suddenly Tuxedo Mask wanted to be with his beloved fiancée again. Was she alright? Were they winning against Dark Mercury? Were any of them DEAD?!!
"King Endymion. your highness." Darien heard the voice in his mind. It was soothingly familiar, and he closed his eyes where he stood, knowing that when he did he would see the form of he who was talking to him.
Sure enough he stood there. The majestic Pegasus standing among a field of flowers and blooming trees. The stars were dancing in the night sky, and a rainbow formed a ring around the Moon.
"Is this Elysion?" Darien asked, faintly aware he was dressed in his alter ego's form, rather than his tuxedo in this vision.
"It's the vision of your sweetest dream," Helios replied calmly. "It is one from your childhood long ago. You were only five years old."
"Where have you been? Everyone else we've ever known has been involved in this affair so far. I always wondered where you were," said Darien.
Helios gave a small razzberry. There was sadness in his eyes. "Please forgive me my absence. Dark Mercury's rampage is felt even in Elysion. As Sailor Pluto has no doubt already told you, the Time Stream is unraveling at a geometric rate! From future to past it's eating away at itself! The chaos is felt in our realm because we exist in a pocket of the Fourth Dimension. We're intrinsically connected to the Time Stream and it's tearing our world apart. Everyone who has the ability to is busy trying to keep our Kingdom from falling apart, otherwise I would have long ago thrown in the Amazon Senshi to help you. However I feel terrible not doing at least something, and your last wish has reached my ears. I cannot stay for long, yet I can at least transport you from where you are currently and back to the front lines where you can make more of a difference if need be. Please take this meager contribution as my formal apology."
Darien smiled at the ashamed Pegasus. "Hey, I understand now. Before I did not, but now I do. It's alright. You have to keep Elysion together. That's your first priority. If you could take me to where Sailor Moon is right now I will accept your apology gladly."
Pegasus brightened up. "Your kind words ease my troubled spirit, my King. Your wish shall be granted. When you open your eyes you shall be standing beside your beloved. Protect her, my King. The future is no more, but together you can create a new one the way it is supposed to be."
Darien's vision fell to darkness and Pegasus faded away like a ghost's silhouette. Opening his eyes, he could see the nearby Tokyo Tower and there were the Sailor Senshi, standing in a loose circle around Dark Mercury. All at once they attacked the Dark Senshi! The fight was on once again! Tuxedo Mask took off at a dead run toward the battle.
* * * *
Sailor Nova Hercules performed her job impressively! She blasted a hole through the ceiling of the Elevator Shaft with a single punch and was through it in a heartbeat. There came several shouts of surprise and chagrin as she roared full tilt into the Reactor Core and took the waiting enemy completely by surprise! They all had thought the fight was still further down! They were caught flat-footed by Hercules' noisy entrance!
However they were professional soldiers who recovered quickly. The whole chamber was lit up with laser blasts and magical spells aimed at Hercules, who streaked around the chamber, taking out as many people as possible who stood in her path! Her astronomical strength became apparent as she pulverized steel, flesh, armor. whatever got in her way!
Her teammates were right behind her. Just as the first soldiers were tracking around to fire at Hercules, Proxima and Beetelgeuse slipped inside the chamber and went on a virtual rampage! Sailor Nova Proxima's Flame Sword flashed into action and she hacked many confused soldiers into pieces! Beetelgeuse showed her spectacular maneuvering skills by turning loops in midair and deftly avoiding whatever was fired in her direction. She dodged lasers and magic the way one coolly avoids a person walking straight toward her. Every so often she would fire a pinpoint shot that would incinerate whoever stood in its path!
The three Nova Senshi were more than a match for the Black Moon Forces! Very few Senshi in the Galaxy were better fighters and almost none were more professional and cool under pressure! It looked for a moment like this would be an easy battle.
However when a side hatch opened in the spherical chamber and hundreds of fresh troops poured through just as aggressively as the Nova Senshi had upon their entrance, suddenly the momentum was shifted against them!
"Reinforcements! Beetel! Seal off the room!!" Proxima shouted.
"I would if I could, but I CAN'T!!" Beetelgeuse was already battling the first wave. Hercules was still busy with the remainder of the first group. Proxima found herself faced with a swarm of angry soldiers, and at their head was a handsome blonde young man with hair covering half his face. He was highly decorated and his sword was a study in horror stories! No doubt he was the Captain of this ship!
Commander Zinc grinned. "Only three of them. If they thought they could infiltrate the Gorgonite so deeply with so few in number, they thought wrong indeed!" He held forth his sword at Proxima. "Make no further moves, Senshi! You will DIE if you come any closer!"
"I don't think so, 'Studley'!" shouted a new voice. Sailor Nova Proxima looked behind her and saw the three Sailor Starlights flying in through the previous hole in the wall! They came to a landing right next to Proxima. Starfighter smiled with all her teeth and held her hand out with two fingers sticking up in a 'victory' sign.
"Tell me you didn't leave Orion and Sirius back at the beginning with no support!" Proxima scolded her.
"Don't worry about it," Saiya shrugged. "It was Sirius and Orion who ordered US to go on ahead. They were worried you might meet even more resistance up here! I guess Sirius was right about one thing. The three of you alone might be overwhelmed pretty soon if things like this keep up."
Proxima sighed heavily. "Sirius is as intelligent as she is stubborn and foolish! Not a healthy combination! Very well. I suppose it can't be helped. Destroying the 'Gorgonite' is the first priority!"
"Looks like one hell of a party!" said Yaten. Zinc shouted back. "These Daimons and Robots are special, Nova Senshi! They are all trained in the art of killing, and are specially designed to counter Senshi abilities and techniques!" Saiya snorted. "Sounds like fun, eh girls?" she cracked her knuckles. "Anyone else wanna get wet?!" Nova Proxima and the others got into their fighting stances. "We'll show these freaks what it means to stand in the way of the Senshi!"
* * * *
Dark Mercury was knocked into the steel structure of the tower! She quickly dodged a follow-up slam by Sailor Uranus, but the battle was getting out of hand! The Sailor Scouts were finally fighting as a single unit! Seven Sailor Scouts against one opponent! If she were at full strength, she would laugh even at those odds! But she was far from full strength.
This battle had taken her all to survive. First Galaxia, who almost defeated her then and there; Then Alan and Ann, who had taken some of her wind out of her sails with their stored up and explosive powers; then Sailor Mars, who had taken out her prized weapon! The very gauntlet she spent days making with her own hands! The weapon that had helped her win battles a thousand times over! Then Neo-Queen Serenity had gone all out and just about broke some of her bones! Her mind still could hardly believe that this was actually coming to pass! That she was no longer on the offensive, but fighting for her very life! Worse yet, she was losing! Her speed and strength were down significantly!
As she barely got away from another blast from Sailor Venus, she felt sluggish and desperate! But she still had her reserves. Tapping into them would drain her dry, but it would also destroy her attackers once and for all! Smiling suddenly, she began to power up one final time! The Senshi hesitated, fear now coming into their faces.
"Lord!" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "Is there no end to her power?!"
"I commend you, girls!" said Dark Mercury. "You have caused me more damage than any other of your counterparts in any other time! I will remember you all fondly after I destroy you. once and for all!"
Digging down deep, Dark Mercury found her reserves, tapped them, and felt her body surge like it was good as new! This would really exhaust her, but she could kill the Senshi with this attack! That was all that was important to her! Nothing else mattered as long as she killed Sailor Moon just one more time!
She reached her limit, and then exploded in rage! Taking Sailor Uranus by the arms, she swung her around and smacked Neptune with her! Sailor Pluto had seen what she'd done, and swooped down with her Rod at the ready. But Dark Mercury was stoked. She felt like they were all moving slowly, and she threw them all back in fury! They were surprised and chagrined from having the battle so quickly become out of control!
Uranus got back to her feet. "Neptune! Are you alright?!"
Neptune stirred. "It hurts. but I won't stop now!"
"I think this is her last hurrah, Michelle!" Uranus summoned her Space Sword. "She must be on the brink! All we need to do is turn momentum one last time!"
"And what if it isn't her last?" Neptune asked.
Uranus could find no answer for that. Instead she waited for everyone to be knocked out of the way and then struck quickly and silently. Dark Mercury turned around to face her, but Uranus did not swing for the body like she thought she would. Just as Dark Mercury threw a punch, Uranus side-stepped and swung upward through her right arm, the one carrying the metallic claw!
Dark Mercury howled in shocked surprise as her claw went flying off! Oil and hydraulic fluid gushed out of the severed limb, but no blood could be seen! In fact the truth about Dark Mercury's metal hand became apparent at that very moment! Her metal hand wasn't just an accessory! It was a prosthetic! An artificial LIMB!!
"What?!" Uranus leapt backward out of reach. "DON'T TELL ME SHE'S A FREAKIN' CYBORG!!?"
Dark Mercury clutched the stump that used to be her right arm painfully and coughed up more blood. She glared at Uranus hatefully.
"Now wasn't the ONLY time Dark Mercury has come up against determined and stoic enemies," Pluto explained. "September 19th, 3535 AD I believe it was. Sailor Saturn cleaved her real arm off just as you just did. Before then her gauntlet was little more than a glove with buttons on it. What you just took off was the artificial replacement she cooked up for her missing arm!"
"I don't know whether to be really sickened or else just shocked!" Sailor Venus said. "But the rest of her is flesh and blood?"
"Maybe. but JUST as soulless as a machine and twice as evil as the Devil!" Neptune accused.
"It's true!" Dark Mercury replied. "I did lose my arm once! Rest assured Saturn and the rest of the Senshi paid dearly that day for their transgression!"
Serena was just about to retort when she felt a presence behind her, and turned to see Tuxedo Mask landing less than five yards away.
"Darien!" exclaimed Serena. "Are you finished?"
"Yeah, pretty much," said Tuxedo. "The Army said they could handle the rest. I would have come over anyway though, I felt an immense amount of emotional turmoil from you guys just ten minutes ago."
Serena burst into tears and ran into his arms. "Oh... Darien!" she sobbed. "Raye is dead! She was killed by that maniac!"
Darien felt his heart drop like a stone. "Are you serious?!"
"She's right," said Trista, her head bowed. "We were evacuating just like you, when Sailor Mars destroyed Dark Mercury's power gauntlet. It took out Dark Mercury's major advantage over all of us, but at a terrible cost!"
Darien was speechless. This was like hearing someone in his family had died! He had hoped that Hotaru would be the last! Apparently that wasn't the case.
"I thought Galaxia was going to take care of things," he said, his voice shaky.
"She was defeated as well," said Serenity. "She's buried in a fallen building somewhere downtown. Alan and Ann are beaten terribly. I think maybe Ann could be in a coma, as for Alan he looks no better! We're the last line of defense now!"
"No, Sailor Moon! You ARE wrong about one thing!" Sailor Galaxia touched down beside them. "It will take more than a building to fell the mighty Galaxia!"
"Galaxia! You're alright too! Thank God!!" Serena hugged her.
Galaxia smiled faintly, but her eyes were still angry as they stared at Dark Mercury. "She is on her heels, but hitting her like this is doing nothing! We could spend the rest of tonight wearing her away like the Ocean beats on a rock. Or we could go for the kill before risking any more damage!"
"Do you have a plan?" Sailor Pluto asked.
Galaxia nodded. "It should be obvious! When the enemy is ripe for the taking, what is it you always did, Sailor Moon?"
Pluto gasped. "I'm such a fool! Why didn't we just do that before?!"
"We combine our powers!" Neo-Queen Serenity stumbled into their huddle. "But that's not QUITE enough. Not yet. She could dodge an attack of that magnitude, but not if someone holds her!"
Galaxia looked at her. "You're saying you shall do this?"
Serenity nodded, looking at everyone else. "Why not? After all, I'm as good as dead when the dust settles anyhow. I might as well die taking down my worst enemy! I want to avenge my wedding, my husband, my unborn child, and my friends, as well as the countless trillions who have died at this monster's hands!"
"Your majesty!" Serena ran forward and embraced her. "Thank you! It's been a pleasure working with you!"
"We need a distraction now," Tuxedo Mask drew his Cane. "And I want one last crack at her myself!"
Sailor Moon wanted to protest. Both of them did, but Galaxia silenced them with a wave of her arm. She looked at them again as Tuxedo Mask walked toward Dark Mercury challengingly. "Let him at least play THIS part in her ultimate destruction!" she told them. "In the meantime you must know that you don't have enough power without Sailor Mars to defeat Dark Mercury."
"Then why did you just come up with such a foolhardy plan?!" Serenity demanded angrily.
"Do not worry. The Sailor Mars you fought so long together with is no more, yet all is not lost. For I have provided you with another. The only person in the entire Universe who could have stepped forward and saved the day! She was under your nose the entire time!" Galaxia stepped aside. "Come forward, Sailor Mars, and introduce yourself."
Katsie Ayakashi stepped forward. She was dressed exactly as the old Sailor Mars had dressed, except that the 'Cat Ears' in her hair were bejeweled with red rubies just like Sailor Moon's Odangoes were. The rubies were triangular to fit the hairstyle. Katsie had an uncertain look on her face, yet one that earnestly wanted to make a contribution.
"Katsie!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed. "Oh my God, Katsie! You look. You look wonderful!"
"It's as if she was born for the role, alright!" Sailor Jupiter added. She wiped away a tear. "It's almost a miracle you showed up tonight, Katsie! Thank you so much for taking up the role of Sailor Mars!"
Katsie choked a sob and looked away painfully. "I know I can't ever hope to be Raye Hino. But I want to do her memory proud. I want to help strike the final blow against Dark Mercury!"
"You knew this all along." Sailor Pluto looked thoughtfully at Galaxia.
"There is precious little I do not know, Pluto," Galaxia said with a completely straight face. "I'm surprised to find that you missed such an important piece of the puzzle. After all, don't you find it more than a bit odd that things came together so well today? Isn't it strange how everyone you ever came in contact with seemed to be there to help you win today? Fate is strange in a way. Even you must be aware that more than one force has come to stop Dark Mercury once and for all."
"Yes. The Lord works in mysterious ways." murmured Katsie.
"I never thought about it before, yet you're right. Fate does seem to be acting rather strange today." Sailor Pluto looked around.
Galaxia looked sharply at the young Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon! Many have sacrificed themselves so that this moment might finally arrive! Those that came before and those that are yet to come are counting on you to strike the final blow! I cannot defeat Dark Mercury. You and you alone can take her down! This is your world! You must defend it to the last breath!"
Sailor Moon set her jaw in determination. "You're right. I won't let you down!" She turned to her teammates. "Let's do this! The whole world is in our hands now!"
* * * *
At that very moment, as the Senshi planned their final attack, Tuxedo Mask faced off one final time against Dark Mercury!
Darien swung his cane like a sword and kept trying to land blows on Dark Mercury. The Dark Senshi blocked the swings with her only good arm remaining. Her robotic arm hung limp at her side. Tuxedo Mask tried to thrust his cane at her throat, but his cane was grabbed and held fast. Tuxedo Mask struggled to break free from her strong grip.
"Darien. This is your chance." Dark Mercury said to him smugly. "Think about the future, Darien. Behind us they plot our demise, yet they cannot truly defeat me! I will win eventually, and when I rule, just think. You could rule at my side! You could be my King over all of Time itself!!"
"And rule. a Kingdom of Bones and Ghosts?!" Darien snapped at her. "If you destroy everything there will be nothing worth ruling!!"
"When Time collapses. and make no mistake it WILL. I shall recreate everything from scratch. in MY image! Imagine! All the Sailor Scouts shall be your slaves! Every man, woman, and child would wait on you hand and foot, and we would be worshipped like GODS!!"
Darien grunted. "We would be feared like DEMONS!!" he retorted. "And you forget one thing! You haven't won YET!! And I will be six feet under before I allow you to destroy this Universe I've come to love!! As bad as it is, it will ALWAYS be better than any that YOU RULE!!"
Tuxedo Mask snapped his cane in half and jabbed the broken end into Dark Mercury's good eye! Dark Mercury screamed and covered her face with her hand! "YOU NO GOOD. ROTTEN. SON OF A BITCH!!" she howled.
"He may be a son of a bitch, Dark Mercury!" shouted Sailor Moon. "But he's MY son of a bitch!!" Dark Mercury felt a pair of strong arms grip her shoulders and two hands locked fingers behind her neck! Suddenly she was caught in a 'Full Nelson' and she was unable to get free!
Struggle though she tried, she could not shake the grip. "You... fools!" she grunted with her efforts. "You can't hold me down forever! You can't stop me!" "Actually," Neo-Queen Serenity spoke into her ear, tightening her grip. "We don't NEED to hold you forever! You see. Hotaru gave us the inspiration for this maneuver!"
The others Senshi gathered in a circle around Dark Mercury and Serenity. "During the minute Darien distracted Dark Mercury, Galaxia told us what to do," said Sailor Uranus. "I can't believe you fell for such a cheap trick."
Dark Mercury gritted her teeth, but she could not break away from the hold. Desperation replaced her anger. "You... can't... kill... me!!" she struggled harder.
"Watch us, Amy!" said Darien. "Let's do this, today, Sailor Scouts!"
As instructed, Serena took to the sky. She brought out her Crescent Moon wand, an item she hadn't used in a long time. "Will this do?" she asked Sailor Pluto.
"Yes, perfectly," Trista replied. "That's what I was going to suggest actually. The powers of the wand, along with the Senshi' power, will tear the evil of Dark Mercury to pieces. Once we kill the evil, she will be dead."
"Let's do it, Sailors!" shouted Sailor Jupiter. "For Raye, for Hotaru, for Alan and Ann!"
"MERCURY PLANET POWER!"
"VENUS PLANET POWER!"
"JUPITER PLANET POWER!"
"URANUS PLANET POWER!"
"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"
"PLUTO PLANET POWER!"
Galaxia smiled with satisfaction as all the Senshi powered up at once. She turned again to Katsie. "It's your turn, Sailor Mars! Add your powers to theirs! Don't think about it! Just let it flow!"
Katsie raised her hands in the air and closed her eyes. "MARS PLANET POWER!!" she cried.
Sailor Moon smiled at Katsie and then focused her own energies, channeling them through the Silver Crystal. Thank you, Serenity, for your sacrifice! May you rest in peace. Then she cried out, completing the circle:
"MOON ETERNAL POWER!!"
One by one eight beams of energy lanced out and struck both Dark Mercury and Neo-Queen Serenity from all sides! Both women screamed in pain, yet Serenity continued to hold Dark Mercury fast until the bitter end! The light at the center of the blast grew brighter and brighter, while at the same time the cacophony of energy swelled up like a balloon! Finally, the screaming at the center suddenly cut off, and there was an enormous blast of energy that exploded forth from Ground Zero!! It rose up like a column of flames and shot high into the sky, lancing through the clouds, past the 'Gorgonite' and billowing out into a grand Mushroom Cloud that could be seen for hundreds of miles in all directions!
* * * *
"Sweet Ghost of Hirohito!" Colonel Yamada ran outside his tent and looked up at the vast cloud. "It's Hiroshima all over again!!"
Jedite calmly walked out after him. "That IS a rather alarming sight." He wondered just who was at the epicenter though. Did she do it? Did Sailor Moon finally defeat her? Or is this truly the end?
* * * *
"Sir! Take a look at that!" an Ensign cried out from the watch tower of the Carrier: USS Abraham Lincoln. "Is that what I think it is?!"
General Marshal looked out the window through his binoculars and gaped. "What are they dropping Nukes over there or what?!" he turned to Captain Gant. "Get me the President-" he looked down and saw that the Captain was already holding the phone out to him.
"Go ahead," said Captain Gant dryly. "He's listening."
* * * *
Lyle Yoshii looked at Tokyo and the huge explosion that hovered over it! Never in all his life did he imagine he would cover a story so horrible, and yet so HUGE at the same time! Will there be anything left of Tokyo when all is said and done?! he wondered.
* * * *
The blast knocked everyone away, and the two beings at ground zero were engulfed in the explosion! Smoke and white light blinded the Senshi for minutes on end! Many were forced to cling to buildings and other objects to keep from being swept away by the blast force! Windows citywide shattered in the conflagration! Those who had evacuated looked at the explosion from afar in a mixture of wonder and fear! The whole world, for one brief instant seemed to stand still!
Then, the explosion receded and died away. At the epicenter of the blast, there was a gigantic crater left behind! Tokyo Tower was still intact, amazingly enough, but it was leaning precariously at a seventy degree angle now! Several more buildings fell down from the force! In the midst of it all, there was no trace of either Dark Mercury or Neo-Queen Serenity!
For one unbelievable moment, the Sailor Senshi stood up and looked at the crater. They expected Dark Mercury to appear out of nowhere, laughing at them in contempt, like she always had. But she didn't. It took another moment before the Senshi would allow themselves to believe that they had finally done it!
Dark Mercury, at last, was dead!
* * * *
The battle in the Reactor Core was violent and confused. There were hundreds of warriors from the Negaverse against just six of the universe's best Senshi! They swarmed upon the invaders like flies, but ended up getting in each other's way most of the time. This allowed the Nova Senshi and the Sailor Starlights to methodically take apart the Black Moon Army.
Their powers flashed and burst everywhere, taking dozens of Daimons down at a time! They also had the advantage in maneuverability, since they themselves were spread thin, and seldom got in the way of their teammates. But time was beginning to drag on, and Nova Proxima's internal clock was telling her that time was growing short! Their ten-minute mission was way over the mark! The enemy could win simply by delaying the strike long enough to destroy Tokyo outside!
"Senshi, listen up!" she shouted into her communicator over the din of battle. "We need to take out the Reactor now! We're running out of time!"
"You'll have to go through ME first!" a man's voice said behind her.
Proxima turned to see the leader of this band, Zinc his name was, ready to strike with his cruel sword! She kicked him in the stomach, and then swooped out in a giant arc, away from the swing of the blade!
"Damn you!" Zinc coughed, holding his belly.
"You want a fight?!" Proxima challenged, "then I will do whatever it takes to beat you. Nova Flame Broadsword!" A huge sword, engulfed in fire, appeared in her hands. She struck a fighting pose, and stood ready for Zinc.
Zinc was no coward, he jumped down to where she stood and the two got ready for battle. The whole room stopped to watch this fight.
Zinc attacked first, swinging his sword high, and missing Proxima's throat by mere inches as she dodged backward. She brought her sword up for the next swing, and the blades met with a clash that rang in everyone's ears! Zinc pressed the attack, swinging for all he was worth, high, low, wherever he could jab or slash. Proxima had been an expert swordsman for centuries, however, and she blocked the blows with swiftness and comparative ease. Zinc was good, but he was hampered by only a single lifetime's worth of experience.
Finally, Zinc backed off and caught his wind. He was bewildered by his opponent's skill in fending him off. He changed his tactics, and leapt up and over Proxima's head. He struck again, but was met by an equally fast Proxima! He continued to jump around, striking and then leaping away. A hit and run tactic that Proxima had to admire. This man had done much with only a single lifetime of swordplay.
Proxima finally stopped defending however, and charged Zinc with her own sword blazing hot with fire! Zinc parried the first few blows, backing away each time. She tried to press him against the wall of the reactor several times, but this man was skilled enough to know he was running out of space and would leap over her head to get away. Proxima was enjoying the sword fight. She seldom met an opponent who displayed such professional skill, if not eagerness. Though she knew that she would inevitably beat him, she enjoyed playing with him a little at first.
But that all changed instantly! Zinc was NOT enjoying the fight! He was beginning to feel very outmatched, so he decided, during one of his attack runs that he would blast at her with some energy as well. Proxima saw the move ahead of time and somersaulted away from the hit. Zinc's sword arced and missed the spot her head would have been had the blast connected!
Proxima felt angry. It was an honorable fight, until Zinc had decided to cheat. Zinc saw the look on her face and hesitated, apprehensive. Proxima decided to finish him now! She charged the commander, her blazing sword burning bright, like her anger! She let loose with a combination of strokes that no warrior in the universe had a defense for! It began with a swipe at the legs, which the opponent always managed to dodge. Then a series of overhand strokes aimed at the head. This forced the opponent to raise the sword and block them. She would do this seven, or eight times, until the enemy would anticipate another. The final swing was a feint to the head, which Zinc fell for just like everyone else did. Proxima instead rotated her wrist and her shoulder, and turned the stroke into a stabbing motion aimed right at his chest!
Zinc didn't have a chance! The sword plunged into his chest, before he could even THINK of moving his weapon to defend it! His eyes bulged with surprise and pain. A collective gasp went up from the Daimons who watched. Zinc looked down at his chest, and coughed up a mouthful of blood! Proxima withdrew her blade, and Zinc collapsed in a heap on the floor! His shallow breaths soon stopped, and his twitching body stilled!
The forces of the Black Moon, seeing their leader dead, began to retreat from the room. A few still fought, but the rest fled in terror. The Senshi obliterated those who stayed behind.
"They're gonna try and escape the ship," said Yaten, landing on the floor next to Proxima.
"Let them," said Proxima. "Nova Sirius and Nova Orion will meet them as they come out. The rest will not make it out in time."
She looked at the gigantic reactor and studied it for weaknesses.
"None," she said at last. "A marvel of engineering. Most likely another invention by Dark Mercury. The only way to destroy it is by blocking the flow of energy. Such a move would require the sacrifice of a single life force!"
"You mean one of us has got to sacrifice herself to take this ship down?" Saiya asked. Her eyes became thoughtful.
"Who's going to do it?" asked Taiki.
"I will," Saiya suddenly spoke up. "I volunteer."
"Are you out of your mind, Saiya?!" Yaten shouted. "Where did you come up with that fool idea?!"
"We don't have time to discuss this," said Proxima. "But don't worry. I will do this. It is my duty as a Nova Senshi to save the Universe from destruction with my very life."
"No!" Saiya insisted. "I wanna do it! I volunteered for god's sake!!"
Yaten grabbed her by the collar. "Do you have a death wish?! You heard the lady, let's get out of here before the whole thing blows!"
"Yes," said Nova Beetelgeuse worriedly. "We must escape the explosion."
"I will give you all twenty seconds to escape," said Proxima. "Then I will throw myself into the reactor. The chain reaction caused by the blockage of energy will backfire the whole works. The ship will self destruct after that."
"C'mon," said Taiki. "We need to go, now!"
Saiya looked glum, but followed the group toward the exit. She caught her eye on a device lying on the floor near Commander Zinc's body. It was a teleport device. She recognized the design from similar modules used on Alpha Senshi. She smirked wickedly as an idea came to her mind.
She waited until all the others were through to the other side, and out of sight, before turning abruptly around and snatching up the device from the floor. Nova Proxima caught this motion with her eye, and turned to see Saiya coming up straight at her.
"Sailor Starfighter?" she asked, "what in the name of the Princess are you doing here still?!"
"Sorry, Proxy," said Saiya. "No time to explain!" She punched Proxima, a move that the Nova Senshi hadn't expected! She slapped on the teleport device and activated the sequence!
"Starfighter! How dare you-"
"Shut up!" said Saiya, pulling her close. "Do me a favor... Tell Sailor Moon... that I love her very much!" With that, the device teleported a protesting Proxima outside the ship!
Saiya turned and counted twenty seconds in her head, then, offering up one last prayer, she leapt into the stream of energy, and screamed briefly before the energy tore her body apart! The energy backed up, and the resulting power surge kicked off a chain reaction that started breaking the ship apart!
The Nova Senshi and Starlights just emerged from the hole they had entered, when Yaten spied Nova Proxima already out there looking bewildered.
"What's going on?" asked Yaten. "I thought you were going to destroy the reactor!"
"I was..." said Proxima, disbelief clouded her features. "But Saiya... she... she..."
Taiki tapped Yaten on the shoulder, "Ummm... Yaten. Saiya didn't leave the ship with us!"
Yaten turned around, and looked at the hovering ship. Her eyes were shocked and outraged. She clenched her fist and said through a tightened jaw: "WHY THAT STUPID, STUBBORN PIECE OF SH-"
An enormous explosion rocked the huge vessel and knocked the Senshi away from the hole! Flames began punching through the surface of the ship! The whole ship shuddered violently!
"NOOOOO!!!!" Yaten couldn't believe Saiya had actually pulled such a knuckle-headed stunt! She felt tears sting her cheeks as she realized that Saiya had wanted to do it. She had wanted to die to save the Universe. Why?! There was no dishonor in surviving to tell about it!!
Taiki read her mind. She put a hand on her shoulder. "You should know Saiya by now," she said softly, tears escaping her eyes as well. "She would rather die than let someone else get the glory. This time she actually did."
"The stupid... little... FOOL!" Yaten said.
"Hate to break up the Mass," said Nova Orion. "But she's going down! We need to push this thing into the ocean where it won't flatten anyone!"
The five Nova Senshi and the Sailor Starlights, minus one member, went around to the side facing away from the harbor, and gave the massive ship a push with all their might!
* * * *
From down below the sudden demise of the 'Gorgonite' became readily apparent.
"Look!" shouted Sailor Uranus. "It's going down! The 'Gorgonite' is finished!"
"Oh my God! It's going to crush Tokyo!!" Sailor Moon panicked.
"I used up all my energy killing Dark Mercury! I can't do anything! I don't think I could even fly anymore!" Sailor Mercury cried.
Galaxia leapt into flight. "I have some reserves left! Leave this to me!!" She flew up and up until she was directly behind the 'Gorgonite' where the others had gathered. "Nova Senshi! Sailor Starlights! Move out of the way!!" she commanded them.
"Big G!" Sailor Nova Orion waved. "Good to see you're still alive! Is Dark Mercury.?"
"Yes!" said Galaxia impatiently. "Move! NOW!!"
"She means YOU, Lunkhead!" Sirius yanked her aside by the scruff of Orion's collar!
Sailor Galaxia powered up and clenched her teeth. One good blast would change this ship's trajectory and send it sailing out over the Pacific Ocean where it would land harmlessly in the water!
"GALAXY GUN FIRE!!" Galaxia blasted her energy at the falling 'Gorgonite' and her beam of energy pushed the vast Starship out over the water slowly but surely.
* * * *
"THEY DID IT!!" Jedite couldn't contain his excitement. "The 'Gorgonite' is falling!!" he grabbed Colonel Yamada. "Colonel! Their shields are down now! Their fighters are completely helpless! You may now order your counteroffensive!"
Yamada fumbled for his radio and flicked it on. "This is Colonel Yamada calling all planes and ground forces! Fire at will! FIRE AT WILL!! BRING THOSE SONS OF BITCHES DOWN IN THE NAME OF JAPAN!!"
A series of whoops and rebel yells eminated from the radio in reply as dozens of F-14's and Harrier Jets screamed by overhead and began chasing the now beleaguered remnants of the Black Moon Fleet! The fighters must have known they were in trouble, because they tried running. However in reality they had nowhere left to run. One by one the Japanese Army took them down. At last normal people were getting the opportunity to take revenge for Tokyo!
"Isn't it the most beautiful sight you ever saw?!" Yamada had tears of unbridled joy running down his face.
Jedite sighed and finally felt his tense muscles relax. "So that explosion WAS Dark Mercury after all. Sailor Moon. I don't know how you do it, but you've pulled victory from the jaws of defeat once again! You truly ARE a better warrior than I. Congratulations on teaching me one more lesson."
"What did you just say?" asked the exultant Yamada.
"Nothing." Jedite replied, waving his hand airily. "Nothing at all."
* * * *
The people of Tokyo watched from outside city limits, most were still in their cars as they watched. They saw the great ship start to descend on the city! But then, just as quickly, they saw it begin to rise again, and head out to sea! Flames and explosions erupted from all around the ship!
"It's the Sailor Senshi!" exclaimed a man with a pair of binoculars. "I can see one of them, like a tiny dot, yet she's lifting that entire ship and pushing it out to the ocean!"
The crowd erupted in a gigantic cheer. Twenty million people whistled and screamed like a crowd at a baseball game! The noise was so tremendous, it reached the ears of the Senshi on the ground as they Galaxia. They looked to see all the people just outside town on their feet, waving and hollering their names. They were heroes! They had saved Tokyo!
With one final push, Galaxia heaved the titanic ship over the water, and watched it splash into the water. The surface of the ocean roared and exploded upward with majestic fury, then just as quickly the water quieted again. From below the surface the lights on the outside of the 'Gorgonite's' hull could be seen as it sank into the black depths! Then, as the ship lost the last of its power, they flickered and went out. The people stopped cheering and a hush fell over them as the Moon rose over the edge of the Horizon. Its pale light fell upon Tokyo, revealing a graveyard of broken buildings and torn streets! Smoke rose in vast columns from many places! As the relief of victory washed over everyone, so too did the realization of the FULL price of victory! As if frozen in time, Tokyo sat in the brightening moonlight. Twenty million people stood in revered silence over what had transpired this day!
The silence seemed to last forever.
The Japanese Army Command Headquarters was little more than a giant tent pitched outside Tokyo City Limits. Colonel Yamada shook his head disgustedly. The situation was steadily getting more and more nightmarish for his forces! The casualty list was mounting and thus far his units had done little more than annoy the enemy. The mysterious Jedite, on the other hand, remained cool and collected.
"How can you be so blasted calm?!" Colonel Yamada demanded of him. "You act like war is second-nature to you or something! How can you be so cold when my people are dying out there?!"
"Things aren't as bleak as they appear, Colonel," Jedite coolly replied. "Didn't I tell you that the Senshi are the only ones who can stop this enemy? Eventually they'll overcome the enemy's superior defenses and then you can strike back. I did warn you to keep your forces as far from the action as possible."
"The Japanese Army does NOT sit on the sidelines and let others do the job for it, mister!" Yamada exploded.
Jedite crossed his arms and frowned. "You're doing nothing right now but making your military look foolish and at the same time needlessly sacrificing troops. If you want to make a difference you'll do as I say and wait for the right moment."
Yamada glowered at Jedite, then turned to his Lieutenant. "Get him out of here," he grunted.
Jedite shrugged away from the Lieutenant's outstretched hand. "No need to be rude. I'm going. I guess I should have known you wouldn't listen to my advice. I know a thing or two about being in charge of a proud and mighty military force and it can go to one's head. But go ahead. Ignore my warnings and kill your own soldiers. Maybe you'll be able to better explain it to their families than I would."
Jedite was at the Tent's entrance when Yamada called out. "Stop!"
Jedite hesitated and turned. "Make up your mind, Colonel! I'm a busy man!"
Yamada smirked. "You know I knew there was something strange about you when you appeared. That uniform of yours. You're a soldier, and not just ANY soldier either. You're an officer of some kind. You have that air of command about you that I've seldom ever seen in my own superiors. Do you really guarantee that my troops would be better served to wait for the results of this battle?"
"I guarantee nothing, this is war," Jedite turned around fully and faced the Colonel. "However I believe the Senshi will overcome the odds. I have personal experience with them. They can make miracles happen if you give them a chance. Even the coiled snake knows when best to strike. Sometimes the obvious answer isn't the right one. It may seem foolhardy to hold back at this point, but it's not. I'm not looking to take command of this operation, I just want you to trust me!"
Yamada sighed. For several long minutes the Tent was silent. The soldiers all stood by and waited for their orders. Yamada bowed his head in deep thought. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife! Finally the Colonel spoke: "Alright. Captain, signal the Fighters. Call them back and tell them to stand by for the orders for an all-out attack on the Mothership!"
"Yes, sir," said the Captain.
Yamada turned to Jedite. "I hope for our sake you're right about these. Senshi of yours."
Jedite thought about the oddity of that statement. It seemed strange that he refer to them as HIS Senshi. Years ago that might have been insulting to him, yet now it gave him a slight tinge of pride. "I hope for this world's sake that I'm right about this as well, Colonel," he replied, looking up at the ceiling.
* * * *
Sailor Nova Hercules flattened herself against the wall and stood still as a group of Security Drones ran by, alerted by the shrill alarm screaming through the hallways. She peaked around the corner as soon as their footfalls faded around the corner.
"It's like a maze in here!" she said in a low voice.
Sailor Nova Beetelgeuse poked her head out of the shadows right next to her and looked up and down the hallway. "It's a good thing Proxy remembered her Visor. Otherwise we'd be in this ship for weeks. And this Planet doesn't HAVE weeks under these circumstances."
Hercules nodded in agreement. It was very rare for her to talk unless it was absolutely necessary.
"It seems the coast is clear," Beetel stepped out of the darkness. "Except for that bothersome alarm everything is quiet." After the three Nova Senshi had cleared the opening and fought their way into the Gorgonite a few miles, the fighting broke off and they managed to shake their pursuit. For the past half hour or so they had been stalking the corridors, fighting only when it was absolutely necessary. Now it appeared the search for them had shifted to another part of the ship.
"Something else is drawing them away from us," said Proxima, coming around the corner from the direction the guards were running.
"What could be more important than us, I wonder?" Beetel asked.
"Apparently Starfighter and the others couldn't follow simple directions," Proxima sounded a bit miffed. "They've entered the ship. They're still around the entrance though, and they're engaging the majority of the soldiers there."
Hercules cleared her throat. "Well. that's not really a bad thing. I mean they've drawn most of the enemy's attention from us. Why fight our way all the way to the Reactor if we can just snoop around?"
"Hera! I believe that's the most words I've heard you utter in a single statement since we were kids!" Beetel beamed at the Senshi Giant.
Hercules blushed and looked away uncomfortably. "Well. I just. thought. you know."
Proxima chuckled. "Of course you're right, Hera. Perhaps they thought they could help us a bit further. Well as long as they're doing the fighting for us, what say we take advantage of their distraction? The Reactor is close. My homing signal is indicating we're only fifty levels from the Core."
"Great. What's another fifty?" Beetel asked with a bit of sarcasm. "And I suppose we have to do it quietly, seeing as we've now become the Shadow Team in this operation."
"Uh-huh," said Proxima. "I've already checked and the elevators have been shut down."
"Fly up," Hercules suggested.
"How? We can't blast our way up," said Beetel. "That would make noise and we don't want that."
"The shafts," Hercules pointed to a nearby Elevator hatchway.
"Oh." Beetelgeuse sweat-dropped. "Silly me. I'm such an idiot. Hera you really must speak up more often. You're as smart as you are strong."
"That's the plan then. We'll fly in hard and fast. I've already calculated and flying using the Elevator Shafts will get us there in ten point eight seconds. also." she paused in thought. "It would be smart of the enemy to have a bunch of their forces mustered at the Reactor to defend it. Hercules. I want you to provide us with an opening. There's no shaft that goes entirely into the Reactor Chamber, and so we'll need a hole. Rip one open for us and go out firing on all cylinders! We'll be right behind you, keeping your hind side clear."
Hercules clenched her hand into a fist and nodded. She swung at the elevator door and smashed her fist into the crack. With her other hand she gripped the edge of the hole she created and ripped the doors off their tracks! Then with a curtsey she stepped aside and motioned the other two inside.
"Why thank you, Hera. You're such a darling," Beetel cooed as she walked by.
The three of them had a brief laugh as they dropped into the pitch-black darkness of the Elevator Shaft. Proxima pointed up and the three of them shot upwards as fast as they could fly!
* * * *
"Commander! They're headed for our Reactor Core!"
Commander Zinc nodded. "Of course they are! Did you think they'd come to the bridge? What good would that do? I was expecting this! I go now!"
"Go?! Go where?!" asked the Officer.
"My Lady Dark Mercury risks her life outside fighting the evil Senshi! I shall not recoil from this danger! I will personally defend the Reactor Core from the Nova Senshi! You can come, or you can cower here in terror like a worm!" Zinc shot him a cold glare. "Either way, you'll probably DIE!"
The Officer gulped and stood up. He jerked his head up and down nervously.
"That's more like it!" Zinc brandished his sword, a fierce weapon studded with mean looking hooks and barbs meant for maiming an enemy from the inside out! "For my beloved Dark Mercury I will fight Galaxia herself if need be!!"
* * * *
Even the Sailor Senshi, who had seen much in their short lives thus far, had to stand back in awe as what appeared to be the final combat began! No one, not even Serena herself, would have expected Sailor Moon to be capable of such anger! Yet it was plain to all who watched that both fighters were now EQUALLY determined to destroy one another!
Each punch and kick was like an explosion! The wind howled and the sky filled with dark clouds, flashing with lightning from within! It was as if the Earth itself were responding to the power of the moment!
The Senshi who was named Neo-Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo met Dark Mercury's charge with equal ferocity! All her inhibitions and timidity had been shed! She could feel power rushing through her veins that even SHE never thought she was capable of! She felt like a Goddess, but she did not allow herself to be carried away with the feeling! For the person she was fighting was nigh unto a Goddess herself! A Goddess of HATE!!
The two fighters locked hands and pushed with all their might against one another! Their gazes never flinched away from the other's eyes! For several long heartbeats they were locked in this test of strength, neither one giving so much as an inch!
At last came the break! Dark Mercury released Sailor Moon's hands and aimed her elbow at her opponent's face! Sailor Moon blocked the blow and countered with her own kick! Dark Mercury knocked that hit aside with her metal arm! From there things quickly escalated!
Sailor Moon rained punches down on Dark Mercury, but the Dark Senshi met each hit with a block of her own! When one fighter finished with a combination, the other one took up the slack! They were dead even! In terms of determination and raw power not one could outdo the other. for the moment!
Dark Mercury must have, at some point, taken Sailor Moon's full measure! Clearly she finally met an incarnation of her greatest enemy who was just as unwilling to back down as she was! It was slightly frightening in a way, to see someone usually so full of love and gentleness pushed to the point of animalistic fury! Yet part of Dark Mercury felt a sense of wicked joy at finally seeing the one TRUE Sailor Moon! Her true foe was at last revealed!!
Dark Mercury leapt back and called forth her Staff! She stuck the end in the ground, causing the torn gravel road to freeze with a sheet of ice! Sailor Moon's feet were caught in the torrent of ice, but she easily blasted free and jumped into the air! She stuck out a boot as if to kick Dark Mercury on the way down!
Dark Mercury cracked the ice with her weapon, and sent a shower of razor sharp ice shards flying up in Sailor Moon's face! Sailor Moon threw her arms up to shield her eyes, and Dark Mercury had her opening! She jumped, grabbed Sailor Moon's leg, and plowed her into the wall of a nearby building! Powering up quickly, she sent Sailor Moon flying with a dark blast!
Sailor Moon flew through, and came out the other side of the crippled building! However she rolled off the blast without missing a beat! Her great wings unfurled and she was suddenly screaming straight toward Dark Mercury! She plowed through the other side of the building as if the concrete and steel had no effect on her! As the building lurched and came crashing down in a cloud of dust, Sailor Moon burst forth and finally landed a haymaker on Dark Mercury's chin!
Dark Mercury actually staggered from the blow! Sailor Moon wasted no time in pressing the advantage! She took Dark Mercury's arm and swung her skyward, where it would take a few seconds for her to regain the upper hand! With another flap of her wings, she changed direction and was instantly vertical! Both her fists connected with Dark Mercury's spine! Dark Mercury screamed in pain and stiffened! Sailor Moon then spun in midair and dropkicked her back down to Earth!
Dark Mercury met the ground hard enough to gouge a canyon in the bedrock! More dust flew up! Sailor Moon called forth her Moon Scepter!
"Moon Scepter Elimination!!" She howled. The blast of pink energy was incredible! It strafed over the spot Dark Mercury was last seen falling like a Nuclear Laser! The explosion made everyone fall on their knees or clutch their ears! The shockwave rocked the very Planet!
"Sweet Jesus!!" Sailor Jupiter cried. "There won't be a building left standing in all of Tokyo if this keeps up!!"
* * * *
The four Sisters barely kept up with Galaxia's determined pace. The Golden Senshi looked like she wanted very badly to fly and help her friends, yet she knew also that a moment of extreme importance had to happen first! At last they came to the spot where Sailor Mars had fallen. The last few Tokyo Paramedics were trying to lift her dead body onto a gurney!
"Oh, no! RAYE!!" Katsie broke into a dead run, past Galaxia, who had stopped moving, and pushed her way to the gurney.
"Hey!" shouted one of the coroners. Katsie shoved him aside roughly and looked down upon the Martian Senshi. There was a huge hole in her midsection and she was covered in blood! Her skin and lips were pale, her eyelids and fingernails were purple! There was no question she was dead!
"NOOOOOOO!!!!" Katsie fell to her knees, clutching Raye's hand. "OH GOD NO!! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!!?"
"Just a few minutes ago," said the surprised coroner. "Her friends went off fighting that Dark Mercury chick."
"Wow! Look at that!" Prisma pointed downtown and everyone turned to see buildings collapsing and explosions erupting from seemingly nowhere! The ground shook, and a sound like thunder clapped in everyone's ears!
"They're not holding anything back anymore." Birdie commented.
Galaxia, for once, looked truly stunned. She moved forward, her eyes containing a reverence for the display of power before her! "Senshi Prime." she whispered.
Birdie looked at Galaxia curiously. What did she mean by those words? she wondered.
Katsie was still crying. Avery had taken to trying to comfort her younger sister. Something twinkled nearby on the ground and she looked at the source of the light. Some object was glowing faintly red and pulsing magically.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to it.
Birdie tore her gaze from Galaxia and looked down at it. "It's. It's the Martian Henshin Pen! My God, you shouldn't just leave that thing lying around!"
Galaxia turned her head and looked also at the Pen. Something seemed to click in her mind just then. "It calls. It needs a new owner before it vanishes forever." Galaxia looked at Katsie meaningfully.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Katsie trembled. All eyes were now on her.
"First things first!" Galaxia extended her hand and the air seemed to ripple like water. Suddenly everyone except Galaxia and the four Sisters fell to the ground unconscious!
"We can't have witnesses at this critical juncture!" Galaxia headed off the obvious questions. "Katsie! You know what you must do! Take up the Mars Power, immediately!"
"But I'm NOT Sailor Mars!" Katsie protested.
"No, you are not! But your powers, they are similar to hers! In fact one might say you were a suitable back-up!"
"I'm confused." Birdie raised her hand timidly. "I thought only a Senshi could use the power. Is this what you meant by us having a part yet to play?"
"I knew before even you yourselves did," Galaxia explained. "Ayakashi, your family name, is also a 'Senshido' word. You four were the Four Senshi Sisters of Nemesis! In the beginning you were born as reflections of the Four Inner Guardian Senshi of this Solar System! However Doom Phantom found you first, turned your powers and your tendencies to evil! Sailor Moon took away your evil, and hid your powers! You did not lose them as you thought you did. They merely lie within you, as they do within ALL Senshi! You four are unique in this Universe because you exist to fulfill any unnatural gap that appears in the ranks of the Four Guardians! This is just such a moment! A Senshi's life. and the lives of millions in this city. must be avenged the horrors of today! Katsie! You and you alone are able to take up that artifact and become the NEW Sailor Mars!"
Katsie blinked, as if taking in this new information. Surprisingly she didn't seem as shocked as the other three were. Perhaps deep down inside she had always known! She looked down at the Mars Henshin Pen, and reached out for it tentatively.
"Do not be afraid, my child," Galaxia's tone became oddly motherly. "It is your destiny."
* * * *
Sailor Moon strode amidst the ruins like an avenging Angel! She knew Dark Mercury wasn't finished yet! The air was filled with relative quiet as she searched the pulverized rubble for signs of movement. The smoke and dust lay like a fog across everything, obscuring vision.
She heard a crack of rock behind her, turned, and caught Dark Mercury's metal fist in her own! Throwing the fist aside, she thrust her own fist straight ahead, only to meet a raised forearm!
The fight began again in earnest! Both combatants moved like the wind! Their fists blurred with speed! They dodged and punched all in singular motion! Every so often one of them would grunt or gasp as a blow made its way through and made contact with a soft spot!
Finally the two jumped away from one another and began running parallel to one another, out of the cloud of dust, facing each other. Dark Mercury had her Staff in hand once again, and Sailor Moon now had her Kaleidoscope Wand back in hand. She brandished it like a sword!
Just then, Sailor Moon jumped and came down on Dark Mercury with her Wand angled downward. Dark Mercury parried with her Staff and swung high. Sailor Moon flipped backward and touched down, gracefully avoiding the counter- attack! She swiped again and again at Dark Mercury. Dark Mercury backed away, blocking the intense strokes! The air rang with clashing weapons!
The Senshi followed along, not missing a beat! Once again they were relegated to audience as two powerful warriors clashed in battle!
"Times like this make me feel so useless!" said Sailor Neptune in chagrin.
"No kidding! They're in a league of their own! Sailor Moon. Remind me never again to get you pissed off!" said Sailor Venus.
"It should be me." Serena said quietly. "I should be out there avenging Raye's death!"
"You'll have your chance," said Sailor Pluto. "While I stand stunned at your future self's power and skill, for even I had no idea you would eventually grow so strong, no ONE person can hope to defeat Dark Mercury! As always it will take all of us combined to finish her!" She continued her line of thought in her head. However. Why could I not see. Sailor Moon DID have another level above that of Eternal! I thought such a thing impossible! This reminds me of a legend I heard once, long ago, yet she couldn't be. She couldn't be Senshi Prime! Could she?! Charon! I wish you were here now to share your wisdom!
Dark Mercury changed her tactics, whirling away from the next stroke instead of blocking it. Sailor Moon, in her zealousness, over-extended her swing that time! Dark Mercury spun her Staff around and caught her on the back of her head, causing the Lunar Senshi to stumble forward! Dark Mercury's knee met with her midsection!
"She's an intelligent fighter, no doubts there," said Sailor Uranus.
"She didn't get this far on raw power alone," said Mercury.
Dark Mercury went on a savage offensive! She kicked Sailor Moon into the air and jumped after her! When she caught up with Sailor Moon, she grabbed her ankle and was suddenly in freefall! She aimed Sailor Moon straight at another skyscraper and swung with all her might! Sailor Moon screamed briefly before she was slammed into the sharp point of the skyscraper! The roof caved in and smoke exploded out of every window on every level, as Sailor Moon plunged through every single floor before hitting the bottom! Dark Mercury powered up and sent a needle of energy straight down through the vertical shaft of the building! Like a scene from Independence Day, the skyscraper exploded downward in a blue column of flames and was literally vaporized!
Just when the fight seemed over, Sailor Moon arced up out of the inferno, blood streaming down her face, yet undaunted! She spin-kicked and caught a surprised Dark Mercury across the left cheek! The Dark Senshi sailed down and crashed through a row of glass high-rises before smashing to Earth at the foot of the famous Tokyo Tower!
Sailor Moon was on her like white on rice! She pummeled Dark Mercury for all she was worth, keeping her on the defensive and slowly pounding away her reserves! Both fighters were digging deep now! Like weary boxers at the end of a long match, they swung with all their might at each other! Sailor Moon kneed Dark Mercury in the chin, only to catch a double fisted blow on the top of the skull!
Sailor Moon set her feet and blasted Dark Mercury in the midsection with her hardest hit yet! Dark Mercury lurched and spat up blood!
"It's over! Your rampage stops here!!" Sailor Moon swung again and caught Dark Mercury in the temple! Dark Mercury was sent airborne again, and she crashed through one of the steel supports holding the Tokyo Tower aloft! She came to a stop somewhere in the center and didn't move from her resting place on the ground.
Sailor Moon was breathing heavily and sweating! Blood and sweat intermingled on her torn and tattered uniform! Her hair had come loose from her Odangoes and was frizzled and singed! She practically staggered her way over to Dark Mercury's prone body and raised her Wand as if to deliver the killing blow!
"SAILOR MOON! WATCH OUT!!" Sailor Pluto cried.
Just at that second, Dark Mercury opened her eyes and grabbed Sailor Moon by the throat! With a feral roar, she lifted Sailor Moon off her feet and pointed her metal hand at Sailor Moon's face. Energy shot out again and again like artillery out of a Cannon! From point blank range she pounded blast after blast into Sailor Moon's face. Sailor Moon shook with every hit, and slowly her body became limp as the blasts overwhelmed her and her consciousness faltered. Her wings shrank and her aura started to flicker wildly, like a guttering candle!
"NO! NOT ANOTHER ONE!!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. "THIS IS FOR RAYE!! YOU DEMON!!! JUPTER THUNDER HAMMER!!" She took off at full speed and caught a completely unaware Dark Mercury on the side of the head with her lightning charged Sledge! Dark Mercury let Sailor Moon go and went flying again to the ground, opening up yet another crater! Lightning danced amidst the steel supports of Tokyo Tower, conducting the lightning like the world's biggest Lightning Rod!
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE!!!" Sailor Jupiter snarled at Dark Mercury.
Dark Mercury got up, this time a lot more slowly. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and a gash had opened up just above her brow where Jupiter had walloped her! "Damn you! You seek to steal my final victory from me?!" she spat another mouthful of blood and pointed at Jupiter. "You forget how determined I am! My hate runs so deep I'll DIE to kill Sailor Moon just one. last. TIME!!"
"Take a look around you, Dark Mercury!" Jupiter pointed with her mallet. "You forget just how determined WE ARE to stop you!!"
Sailor Moon was helping her elder self to her feet. Serenity was wobbling unsteadily and looked out of it. It was clear she was on her last leg! "Killing my best friend was the WORST thing you could have done next to killing my parents!" Serena spoke.
"We're not going to hold anything back now! We're no longer afraid to die if we have to. to KILL YOU!!" Sailor Uranus shouted.
Dark Mercury looked to see ALL of the Sailor Senshi surrounding her now! Her eyes became filled with something that might have resembled chagrin! Uncertainty was slowly replacing her confidence! Never before had she been taken to the absolute limit like this! She suddenly wondered if victory was possible anymore! It was at that moment that she realized, and her enemies must have seen it too. the tables had just been turned! Now SHE was on the defensive!
* * * *
"Put pressure on it, just like that," Tuxedo Mask told Mrs. Nanako. He took the woman's hand and pressed it down on the patch covering her daughter's leg wound. "The paramedics should eventually come around to you. Right now they're setting up the Field Hospitals on the hillside."
"Thank you, Tuxedo Mask," Mrs. Nanako bowed her head in gratitude. "I'll be okay. You continue to take care of people. We really appreciate your help."
Darien stood up, feeling better for having heard such words. At least his job wasn't totally thankless anymore. More and more people, as they learned about more about the people helping save Tokyo from Dark Mercury, were expressing appreciation, and even a bit of awe at his friends. Darien wondered just how long that would last. He looked out at Tokyo. Recovery for this city would be a long time coming. Poverty would be the only thing worse than the death toll! Fully half the city was in ruins. Though the damage was localized now to only a few sectors, thanks to the Senshi, the true impact of Dark Mercury had only just begun. Suddenly Tuxedo Mask wanted to be with his beloved fiancée again. Was she alright? Were they winning against Dark Mercury? Were any of them DEAD?!!
"King Endymion. your highness." Darien heard the voice in his mind. It was soothingly familiar, and he closed his eyes where he stood, knowing that when he did he would see the form of he who was talking to him.
Sure enough he stood there. The majestic Pegasus standing among a field of flowers and blooming trees. The stars were dancing in the night sky, and a rainbow formed a ring around the Moon.
"Is this Elysion?" Darien asked, faintly aware he was dressed in his alter ego's form, rather than his tuxedo in this vision.
"It's the vision of your sweetest dream," Helios replied calmly. "It is one from your childhood long ago. You were only five years old."
"Where have you been? Everyone else we've ever known has been involved in this affair so far. I always wondered where you were," said Darien.
Helios gave a small razzberry. There was sadness in his eyes. "Please forgive me my absence. Dark Mercury's rampage is felt even in Elysion. As Sailor Pluto has no doubt already told you, the Time Stream is unraveling at a geometric rate! From future to past it's eating away at itself! The chaos is felt in our realm because we exist in a pocket of the Fourth Dimension. We're intrinsically connected to the Time Stream and it's tearing our world apart. Everyone who has the ability to is busy trying to keep our Kingdom from falling apart, otherwise I would have long ago thrown in the Amazon Senshi to help you. However I feel terrible not doing at least something, and your last wish has reached my ears. I cannot stay for long, yet I can at least transport you from where you are currently and back to the front lines where you can make more of a difference if need be. Please take this meager contribution as my formal apology."
Darien smiled at the ashamed Pegasus. "Hey, I understand now. Before I did not, but now I do. It's alright. You have to keep Elysion together. That's your first priority. If you could take me to where Sailor Moon is right now I will accept your apology gladly."
Pegasus brightened up. "Your kind words ease my troubled spirit, my King. Your wish shall be granted. When you open your eyes you shall be standing beside your beloved. Protect her, my King. The future is no more, but together you can create a new one the way it is supposed to be."
Darien's vision fell to darkness and Pegasus faded away like a ghost's silhouette. Opening his eyes, he could see the nearby Tokyo Tower and there were the Sailor Senshi, standing in a loose circle around Dark Mercury. All at once they attacked the Dark Senshi! The fight was on once again! Tuxedo Mask took off at a dead run toward the battle.
* * * *
Sailor Nova Hercules performed her job impressively! She blasted a hole through the ceiling of the Elevator Shaft with a single punch and was through it in a heartbeat. There came several shouts of surprise and chagrin as she roared full tilt into the Reactor Core and took the waiting enemy completely by surprise! They all had thought the fight was still further down! They were caught flat-footed by Hercules' noisy entrance!
However they were professional soldiers who recovered quickly. The whole chamber was lit up with laser blasts and magical spells aimed at Hercules, who streaked around the chamber, taking out as many people as possible who stood in her path! Her astronomical strength became apparent as she pulverized steel, flesh, armor. whatever got in her way!
Her teammates were right behind her. Just as the first soldiers were tracking around to fire at Hercules, Proxima and Beetelgeuse slipped inside the chamber and went on a virtual rampage! Sailor Nova Proxima's Flame Sword flashed into action and she hacked many confused soldiers into pieces! Beetelgeuse showed her spectacular maneuvering skills by turning loops in midair and deftly avoiding whatever was fired in her direction. She dodged lasers and magic the way one coolly avoids a person walking straight toward her. Every so often she would fire a pinpoint shot that would incinerate whoever stood in its path!
The three Nova Senshi were more than a match for the Black Moon Forces! Very few Senshi in the Galaxy were better fighters and almost none were more professional and cool under pressure! It looked for a moment like this would be an easy battle.
However when a side hatch opened in the spherical chamber and hundreds of fresh troops poured through just as aggressively as the Nova Senshi had upon their entrance, suddenly the momentum was shifted against them!
"Reinforcements! Beetel! Seal off the room!!" Proxima shouted.
"I would if I could, but I CAN'T!!" Beetelgeuse was already battling the first wave. Hercules was still busy with the remainder of the first group. Proxima found herself faced with a swarm of angry soldiers, and at their head was a handsome blonde young man with hair covering half his face. He was highly decorated and his sword was a study in horror stories! No doubt he was the Captain of this ship!
Commander Zinc grinned. "Only three of them. If they thought they could infiltrate the Gorgonite so deeply with so few in number, they thought wrong indeed!" He held forth his sword at Proxima. "Make no further moves, Senshi! You will DIE if you come any closer!"
"I don't think so, 'Studley'!" shouted a new voice. Sailor Nova Proxima looked behind her and saw the three Sailor Starlights flying in through the previous hole in the wall! They came to a landing right next to Proxima. Starfighter smiled with all her teeth and held her hand out with two fingers sticking up in a 'victory' sign.
"Tell me you didn't leave Orion and Sirius back at the beginning with no support!" Proxima scolded her.
"Don't worry about it," Saiya shrugged. "It was Sirius and Orion who ordered US to go on ahead. They were worried you might meet even more resistance up here! I guess Sirius was right about one thing. The three of you alone might be overwhelmed pretty soon if things like this keep up."
Proxima sighed heavily. "Sirius is as intelligent as she is stubborn and foolish! Not a healthy combination! Very well. I suppose it can't be helped. Destroying the 'Gorgonite' is the first priority!"
"Looks like one hell of a party!" said Yaten. Zinc shouted back. "These Daimons and Robots are special, Nova Senshi! They are all trained in the art of killing, and are specially designed to counter Senshi abilities and techniques!" Saiya snorted. "Sounds like fun, eh girls?" she cracked her knuckles. "Anyone else wanna get wet?!" Nova Proxima and the others got into their fighting stances. "We'll show these freaks what it means to stand in the way of the Senshi!"
* * * *
Dark Mercury was knocked into the steel structure of the tower! She quickly dodged a follow-up slam by Sailor Uranus, but the battle was getting out of hand! The Sailor Scouts were finally fighting as a single unit! Seven Sailor Scouts against one opponent! If she were at full strength, she would laugh even at those odds! But she was far from full strength.
This battle had taken her all to survive. First Galaxia, who almost defeated her then and there; Then Alan and Ann, who had taken some of her wind out of her sails with their stored up and explosive powers; then Sailor Mars, who had taken out her prized weapon! The very gauntlet she spent days making with her own hands! The weapon that had helped her win battles a thousand times over! Then Neo-Queen Serenity had gone all out and just about broke some of her bones! Her mind still could hardly believe that this was actually coming to pass! That she was no longer on the offensive, but fighting for her very life! Worse yet, she was losing! Her speed and strength were down significantly!
As she barely got away from another blast from Sailor Venus, she felt sluggish and desperate! But she still had her reserves. Tapping into them would drain her dry, but it would also destroy her attackers once and for all! Smiling suddenly, she began to power up one final time! The Senshi hesitated, fear now coming into their faces.
"Lord!" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "Is there no end to her power?!"
"I commend you, girls!" said Dark Mercury. "You have caused me more damage than any other of your counterparts in any other time! I will remember you all fondly after I destroy you. once and for all!"
Digging down deep, Dark Mercury found her reserves, tapped them, and felt her body surge like it was good as new! This would really exhaust her, but she could kill the Senshi with this attack! That was all that was important to her! Nothing else mattered as long as she killed Sailor Moon just one more time!
She reached her limit, and then exploded in rage! Taking Sailor Uranus by the arms, she swung her around and smacked Neptune with her! Sailor Pluto had seen what she'd done, and swooped down with her Rod at the ready. But Dark Mercury was stoked. She felt like they were all moving slowly, and she threw them all back in fury! They were surprised and chagrined from having the battle so quickly become out of control!
Uranus got back to her feet. "Neptune! Are you alright?!"
Neptune stirred. "It hurts. but I won't stop now!"
"I think this is her last hurrah, Michelle!" Uranus summoned her Space Sword. "She must be on the brink! All we need to do is turn momentum one last time!"
"And what if it isn't her last?" Neptune asked.
Uranus could find no answer for that. Instead she waited for everyone to be knocked out of the way and then struck quickly and silently. Dark Mercury turned around to face her, but Uranus did not swing for the body like she thought she would. Just as Dark Mercury threw a punch, Uranus side-stepped and swung upward through her right arm, the one carrying the metallic claw!
Dark Mercury howled in shocked surprise as her claw went flying off! Oil and hydraulic fluid gushed out of the severed limb, but no blood could be seen! In fact the truth about Dark Mercury's metal hand became apparent at that very moment! Her metal hand wasn't just an accessory! It was a prosthetic! An artificial LIMB!!
"What?!" Uranus leapt backward out of reach. "DON'T TELL ME SHE'S A FREAKIN' CYBORG!!?"
Dark Mercury clutched the stump that used to be her right arm painfully and coughed up more blood. She glared at Uranus hatefully.
"Now wasn't the ONLY time Dark Mercury has come up against determined and stoic enemies," Pluto explained. "September 19th, 3535 AD I believe it was. Sailor Saturn cleaved her real arm off just as you just did. Before then her gauntlet was little more than a glove with buttons on it. What you just took off was the artificial replacement she cooked up for her missing arm!"
"I don't know whether to be really sickened or else just shocked!" Sailor Venus said. "But the rest of her is flesh and blood?"
"Maybe. but JUST as soulless as a machine and twice as evil as the Devil!" Neptune accused.
"It's true!" Dark Mercury replied. "I did lose my arm once! Rest assured Saturn and the rest of the Senshi paid dearly that day for their transgression!"
Serena was just about to retort when she felt a presence behind her, and turned to see Tuxedo Mask landing less than five yards away.
"Darien!" exclaimed Serena. "Are you finished?"
"Yeah, pretty much," said Tuxedo. "The Army said they could handle the rest. I would have come over anyway though, I felt an immense amount of emotional turmoil from you guys just ten minutes ago."
Serena burst into tears and ran into his arms. "Oh... Darien!" she sobbed. "Raye is dead! She was killed by that maniac!"
Darien felt his heart drop like a stone. "Are you serious?!"
"She's right," said Trista, her head bowed. "We were evacuating just like you, when Sailor Mars destroyed Dark Mercury's power gauntlet. It took out Dark Mercury's major advantage over all of us, but at a terrible cost!"
Darien was speechless. This was like hearing someone in his family had died! He had hoped that Hotaru would be the last! Apparently that wasn't the case.
"I thought Galaxia was going to take care of things," he said, his voice shaky.
"She was defeated as well," said Serenity. "She's buried in a fallen building somewhere downtown. Alan and Ann are beaten terribly. I think maybe Ann could be in a coma, as for Alan he looks no better! We're the last line of defense now!"
"No, Sailor Moon! You ARE wrong about one thing!" Sailor Galaxia touched down beside them. "It will take more than a building to fell the mighty Galaxia!"
"Galaxia! You're alright too! Thank God!!" Serena hugged her.
Galaxia smiled faintly, but her eyes were still angry as they stared at Dark Mercury. "She is on her heels, but hitting her like this is doing nothing! We could spend the rest of tonight wearing her away like the Ocean beats on a rock. Or we could go for the kill before risking any more damage!"
"Do you have a plan?" Sailor Pluto asked.
Galaxia nodded. "It should be obvious! When the enemy is ripe for the taking, what is it you always did, Sailor Moon?"
Pluto gasped. "I'm such a fool! Why didn't we just do that before?!"
"We combine our powers!" Neo-Queen Serenity stumbled into their huddle. "But that's not QUITE enough. Not yet. She could dodge an attack of that magnitude, but not if someone holds her!"
Galaxia looked at her. "You're saying you shall do this?"
Serenity nodded, looking at everyone else. "Why not? After all, I'm as good as dead when the dust settles anyhow. I might as well die taking down my worst enemy! I want to avenge my wedding, my husband, my unborn child, and my friends, as well as the countless trillions who have died at this monster's hands!"
"Your majesty!" Serena ran forward and embraced her. "Thank you! It's been a pleasure working with you!"
"We need a distraction now," Tuxedo Mask drew his Cane. "And I want one last crack at her myself!"
Sailor Moon wanted to protest. Both of them did, but Galaxia silenced them with a wave of her arm. She looked at them again as Tuxedo Mask walked toward Dark Mercury challengingly. "Let him at least play THIS part in her ultimate destruction!" she told them. "In the meantime you must know that you don't have enough power without Sailor Mars to defeat Dark Mercury."
"Then why did you just come up with such a foolhardy plan?!" Serenity demanded angrily.
"Do not worry. The Sailor Mars you fought so long together with is no more, yet all is not lost. For I have provided you with another. The only person in the entire Universe who could have stepped forward and saved the day! She was under your nose the entire time!" Galaxia stepped aside. "Come forward, Sailor Mars, and introduce yourself."
Katsie Ayakashi stepped forward. She was dressed exactly as the old Sailor Mars had dressed, except that the 'Cat Ears' in her hair were bejeweled with red rubies just like Sailor Moon's Odangoes were. The rubies were triangular to fit the hairstyle. Katsie had an uncertain look on her face, yet one that earnestly wanted to make a contribution.
"Katsie!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed. "Oh my God, Katsie! You look. You look wonderful!"
"It's as if she was born for the role, alright!" Sailor Jupiter added. She wiped away a tear. "It's almost a miracle you showed up tonight, Katsie! Thank you so much for taking up the role of Sailor Mars!"
Katsie choked a sob and looked away painfully. "I know I can't ever hope to be Raye Hino. But I want to do her memory proud. I want to help strike the final blow against Dark Mercury!"
"You knew this all along." Sailor Pluto looked thoughtfully at Galaxia.
"There is precious little I do not know, Pluto," Galaxia said with a completely straight face. "I'm surprised to find that you missed such an important piece of the puzzle. After all, don't you find it more than a bit odd that things came together so well today? Isn't it strange how everyone you ever came in contact with seemed to be there to help you win today? Fate is strange in a way. Even you must be aware that more than one force has come to stop Dark Mercury once and for all."
"Yes. The Lord works in mysterious ways." murmured Katsie.
"I never thought about it before, yet you're right. Fate does seem to be acting rather strange today." Sailor Pluto looked around.
Galaxia looked sharply at the young Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon! Many have sacrificed themselves so that this moment might finally arrive! Those that came before and those that are yet to come are counting on you to strike the final blow! I cannot defeat Dark Mercury. You and you alone can take her down! This is your world! You must defend it to the last breath!"
Sailor Moon set her jaw in determination. "You're right. I won't let you down!" She turned to her teammates. "Let's do this! The whole world is in our hands now!"
* * * *
At that very moment, as the Senshi planned their final attack, Tuxedo Mask faced off one final time against Dark Mercury!
Darien swung his cane like a sword and kept trying to land blows on Dark Mercury. The Dark Senshi blocked the swings with her only good arm remaining. Her robotic arm hung limp at her side. Tuxedo Mask tried to thrust his cane at her throat, but his cane was grabbed and held fast. Tuxedo Mask struggled to break free from her strong grip.
"Darien. This is your chance." Dark Mercury said to him smugly. "Think about the future, Darien. Behind us they plot our demise, yet they cannot truly defeat me! I will win eventually, and when I rule, just think. You could rule at my side! You could be my King over all of Time itself!!"
"And rule. a Kingdom of Bones and Ghosts?!" Darien snapped at her. "If you destroy everything there will be nothing worth ruling!!"
"When Time collapses. and make no mistake it WILL. I shall recreate everything from scratch. in MY image! Imagine! All the Sailor Scouts shall be your slaves! Every man, woman, and child would wait on you hand and foot, and we would be worshipped like GODS!!"
Darien grunted. "We would be feared like DEMONS!!" he retorted. "And you forget one thing! You haven't won YET!! And I will be six feet under before I allow you to destroy this Universe I've come to love!! As bad as it is, it will ALWAYS be better than any that YOU RULE!!"
Tuxedo Mask snapped his cane in half and jabbed the broken end into Dark Mercury's good eye! Dark Mercury screamed and covered her face with her hand! "YOU NO GOOD. ROTTEN. SON OF A BITCH!!" she howled.
"He may be a son of a bitch, Dark Mercury!" shouted Sailor Moon. "But he's MY son of a bitch!!" Dark Mercury felt a pair of strong arms grip her shoulders and two hands locked fingers behind her neck! Suddenly she was caught in a 'Full Nelson' and she was unable to get free!
Struggle though she tried, she could not shake the grip. "You... fools!" she grunted with her efforts. "You can't hold me down forever! You can't stop me!" "Actually," Neo-Queen Serenity spoke into her ear, tightening her grip. "We don't NEED to hold you forever! You see. Hotaru gave us the inspiration for this maneuver!"
The others Senshi gathered in a circle around Dark Mercury and Serenity. "During the minute Darien distracted Dark Mercury, Galaxia told us what to do," said Sailor Uranus. "I can't believe you fell for such a cheap trick."
Dark Mercury gritted her teeth, but she could not break away from the hold. Desperation replaced her anger. "You... can't... kill... me!!" she struggled harder.
"Watch us, Amy!" said Darien. "Let's do this, today, Sailor Scouts!"
As instructed, Serena took to the sky. She brought out her Crescent Moon wand, an item she hadn't used in a long time. "Will this do?" she asked Sailor Pluto.
"Yes, perfectly," Trista replied. "That's what I was going to suggest actually. The powers of the wand, along with the Senshi' power, will tear the evil of Dark Mercury to pieces. Once we kill the evil, she will be dead."
"Let's do it, Sailors!" shouted Sailor Jupiter. "For Raye, for Hotaru, for Alan and Ann!"
"MERCURY PLANET POWER!"
"VENUS PLANET POWER!"
"JUPITER PLANET POWER!"
"URANUS PLANET POWER!"
"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"
"PLUTO PLANET POWER!"
Galaxia smiled with satisfaction as all the Senshi powered up at once. She turned again to Katsie. "It's your turn, Sailor Mars! Add your powers to theirs! Don't think about it! Just let it flow!"
Katsie raised her hands in the air and closed her eyes. "MARS PLANET POWER!!" she cried.
Sailor Moon smiled at Katsie and then focused her own energies, channeling them through the Silver Crystal. Thank you, Serenity, for your sacrifice! May you rest in peace. Then she cried out, completing the circle:
"MOON ETERNAL POWER!!"
One by one eight beams of energy lanced out and struck both Dark Mercury and Neo-Queen Serenity from all sides! Both women screamed in pain, yet Serenity continued to hold Dark Mercury fast until the bitter end! The light at the center of the blast grew brighter and brighter, while at the same time the cacophony of energy swelled up like a balloon! Finally, the screaming at the center suddenly cut off, and there was an enormous blast of energy that exploded forth from Ground Zero!! It rose up like a column of flames and shot high into the sky, lancing through the clouds, past the 'Gorgonite' and billowing out into a grand Mushroom Cloud that could be seen for hundreds of miles in all directions!
* * * *
"Sweet Ghost of Hirohito!" Colonel Yamada ran outside his tent and looked up at the vast cloud. "It's Hiroshima all over again!!"
Jedite calmly walked out after him. "That IS a rather alarming sight." He wondered just who was at the epicenter though. Did she do it? Did Sailor Moon finally defeat her? Or is this truly the end?
* * * *
"Sir! Take a look at that!" an Ensign cried out from the watch tower of the Carrier: USS Abraham Lincoln. "Is that what I think it is?!"
General Marshal looked out the window through his binoculars and gaped. "What are they dropping Nukes over there or what?!" he turned to Captain Gant. "Get me the President-" he looked down and saw that the Captain was already holding the phone out to him.
"Go ahead," said Captain Gant dryly. "He's listening."
* * * *
Lyle Yoshii looked at Tokyo and the huge explosion that hovered over it! Never in all his life did he imagine he would cover a story so horrible, and yet so HUGE at the same time! Will there be anything left of Tokyo when all is said and done?! he wondered.
* * * *
The blast knocked everyone away, and the two beings at ground zero were engulfed in the explosion! Smoke and white light blinded the Senshi for minutes on end! Many were forced to cling to buildings and other objects to keep from being swept away by the blast force! Windows citywide shattered in the conflagration! Those who had evacuated looked at the explosion from afar in a mixture of wonder and fear! The whole world, for one brief instant seemed to stand still!
Then, the explosion receded and died away. At the epicenter of the blast, there was a gigantic crater left behind! Tokyo Tower was still intact, amazingly enough, but it was leaning precariously at a seventy degree angle now! Several more buildings fell down from the force! In the midst of it all, there was no trace of either Dark Mercury or Neo-Queen Serenity!
For one unbelievable moment, the Sailor Senshi stood up and looked at the crater. They expected Dark Mercury to appear out of nowhere, laughing at them in contempt, like she always had. But she didn't. It took another moment before the Senshi would allow themselves to believe that they had finally done it!
Dark Mercury, at last, was dead!
* * * *
The battle in the Reactor Core was violent and confused. There were hundreds of warriors from the Negaverse against just six of the universe's best Senshi! They swarmed upon the invaders like flies, but ended up getting in each other's way most of the time. This allowed the Nova Senshi and the Sailor Starlights to methodically take apart the Black Moon Army.
Their powers flashed and burst everywhere, taking dozens of Daimons down at a time! They also had the advantage in maneuverability, since they themselves were spread thin, and seldom got in the way of their teammates. But time was beginning to drag on, and Nova Proxima's internal clock was telling her that time was growing short! Their ten-minute mission was way over the mark! The enemy could win simply by delaying the strike long enough to destroy Tokyo outside!
"Senshi, listen up!" she shouted into her communicator over the din of battle. "We need to take out the Reactor now! We're running out of time!"
"You'll have to go through ME first!" a man's voice said behind her.
Proxima turned to see the leader of this band, Zinc his name was, ready to strike with his cruel sword! She kicked him in the stomach, and then swooped out in a giant arc, away from the swing of the blade!
"Damn you!" Zinc coughed, holding his belly.
"You want a fight?!" Proxima challenged, "then I will do whatever it takes to beat you. Nova Flame Broadsword!" A huge sword, engulfed in fire, appeared in her hands. She struck a fighting pose, and stood ready for Zinc.
Zinc was no coward, he jumped down to where she stood and the two got ready for battle. The whole room stopped to watch this fight.
Zinc attacked first, swinging his sword high, and missing Proxima's throat by mere inches as she dodged backward. She brought her sword up for the next swing, and the blades met with a clash that rang in everyone's ears! Zinc pressed the attack, swinging for all he was worth, high, low, wherever he could jab or slash. Proxima had been an expert swordsman for centuries, however, and she blocked the blows with swiftness and comparative ease. Zinc was good, but he was hampered by only a single lifetime's worth of experience.
Finally, Zinc backed off and caught his wind. He was bewildered by his opponent's skill in fending him off. He changed his tactics, and leapt up and over Proxima's head. He struck again, but was met by an equally fast Proxima! He continued to jump around, striking and then leaping away. A hit and run tactic that Proxima had to admire. This man had done much with only a single lifetime of swordplay.
Proxima finally stopped defending however, and charged Zinc with her own sword blazing hot with fire! Zinc parried the first few blows, backing away each time. She tried to press him against the wall of the reactor several times, but this man was skilled enough to know he was running out of space and would leap over her head to get away. Proxima was enjoying the sword fight. She seldom met an opponent who displayed such professional skill, if not eagerness. Though she knew that she would inevitably beat him, she enjoyed playing with him a little at first.
But that all changed instantly! Zinc was NOT enjoying the fight! He was beginning to feel very outmatched, so he decided, during one of his attack runs that he would blast at her with some energy as well. Proxima saw the move ahead of time and somersaulted away from the hit. Zinc's sword arced and missed the spot her head would have been had the blast connected!
Proxima felt angry. It was an honorable fight, until Zinc had decided to cheat. Zinc saw the look on her face and hesitated, apprehensive. Proxima decided to finish him now! She charged the commander, her blazing sword burning bright, like her anger! She let loose with a combination of strokes that no warrior in the universe had a defense for! It began with a swipe at the legs, which the opponent always managed to dodge. Then a series of overhand strokes aimed at the head. This forced the opponent to raise the sword and block them. She would do this seven, or eight times, until the enemy would anticipate another. The final swing was a feint to the head, which Zinc fell for just like everyone else did. Proxima instead rotated her wrist and her shoulder, and turned the stroke into a stabbing motion aimed right at his chest!
Zinc didn't have a chance! The sword plunged into his chest, before he could even THINK of moving his weapon to defend it! His eyes bulged with surprise and pain. A collective gasp went up from the Daimons who watched. Zinc looked down at his chest, and coughed up a mouthful of blood! Proxima withdrew her blade, and Zinc collapsed in a heap on the floor! His shallow breaths soon stopped, and his twitching body stilled!
The forces of the Black Moon, seeing their leader dead, began to retreat from the room. A few still fought, but the rest fled in terror. The Senshi obliterated those who stayed behind.
"They're gonna try and escape the ship," said Yaten, landing on the floor next to Proxima.
"Let them," said Proxima. "Nova Sirius and Nova Orion will meet them as they come out. The rest will not make it out in time."
She looked at the gigantic reactor and studied it for weaknesses.
"None," she said at last. "A marvel of engineering. Most likely another invention by Dark Mercury. The only way to destroy it is by blocking the flow of energy. Such a move would require the sacrifice of a single life force!"
"You mean one of us has got to sacrifice herself to take this ship down?" Saiya asked. Her eyes became thoughtful.
"Who's going to do it?" asked Taiki.
"I will," Saiya suddenly spoke up. "I volunteer."
"Are you out of your mind, Saiya?!" Yaten shouted. "Where did you come up with that fool idea?!"
"We don't have time to discuss this," said Proxima. "But don't worry. I will do this. It is my duty as a Nova Senshi to save the Universe from destruction with my very life."
"No!" Saiya insisted. "I wanna do it! I volunteered for god's sake!!"
Yaten grabbed her by the collar. "Do you have a death wish?! You heard the lady, let's get out of here before the whole thing blows!"
"Yes," said Nova Beetelgeuse worriedly. "We must escape the explosion."
"I will give you all twenty seconds to escape," said Proxima. "Then I will throw myself into the reactor. The chain reaction caused by the blockage of energy will backfire the whole works. The ship will self destruct after that."
"C'mon," said Taiki. "We need to go, now!"
Saiya looked glum, but followed the group toward the exit. She caught her eye on a device lying on the floor near Commander Zinc's body. It was a teleport device. She recognized the design from similar modules used on Alpha Senshi. She smirked wickedly as an idea came to her mind.
She waited until all the others were through to the other side, and out of sight, before turning abruptly around and snatching up the device from the floor. Nova Proxima caught this motion with her eye, and turned to see Saiya coming up straight at her.
"Sailor Starfighter?" she asked, "what in the name of the Princess are you doing here still?!"
"Sorry, Proxy," said Saiya. "No time to explain!" She punched Proxima, a move that the Nova Senshi hadn't expected! She slapped on the teleport device and activated the sequence!
"Starfighter! How dare you-"
"Shut up!" said Saiya, pulling her close. "Do me a favor... Tell Sailor Moon... that I love her very much!" With that, the device teleported a protesting Proxima outside the ship!
Saiya turned and counted twenty seconds in her head, then, offering up one last prayer, she leapt into the stream of energy, and screamed briefly before the energy tore her body apart! The energy backed up, and the resulting power surge kicked off a chain reaction that started breaking the ship apart!
The Nova Senshi and Starlights just emerged from the hole they had entered, when Yaten spied Nova Proxima already out there looking bewildered.
"What's going on?" asked Yaten. "I thought you were going to destroy the reactor!"
"I was..." said Proxima, disbelief clouded her features. "But Saiya... she... she..."
Taiki tapped Yaten on the shoulder, "Ummm... Yaten. Saiya didn't leave the ship with us!"
Yaten turned around, and looked at the hovering ship. Her eyes were shocked and outraged. She clenched her fist and said through a tightened jaw: "WHY THAT STUPID, STUBBORN PIECE OF SH-"
An enormous explosion rocked the huge vessel and knocked the Senshi away from the hole! Flames began punching through the surface of the ship! The whole ship shuddered violently!
"NOOOOO!!!!" Yaten couldn't believe Saiya had actually pulled such a knuckle-headed stunt! She felt tears sting her cheeks as she realized that Saiya had wanted to do it. She had wanted to die to save the Universe. Why?! There was no dishonor in surviving to tell about it!!
Taiki read her mind. She put a hand on her shoulder. "You should know Saiya by now," she said softly, tears escaping her eyes as well. "She would rather die than let someone else get the glory. This time she actually did."
"The stupid... little... FOOL!" Yaten said.
"Hate to break up the Mass," said Nova Orion. "But she's going down! We need to push this thing into the ocean where it won't flatten anyone!"
The five Nova Senshi and the Sailor Starlights, minus one member, went around to the side facing away from the harbor, and gave the massive ship a push with all their might!
* * * *
From down below the sudden demise of the 'Gorgonite' became readily apparent.
"Look!" shouted Sailor Uranus. "It's going down! The 'Gorgonite' is finished!"
"Oh my God! It's going to crush Tokyo!!" Sailor Moon panicked.
"I used up all my energy killing Dark Mercury! I can't do anything! I don't think I could even fly anymore!" Sailor Mercury cried.
Galaxia leapt into flight. "I have some reserves left! Leave this to me!!" She flew up and up until she was directly behind the 'Gorgonite' where the others had gathered. "Nova Senshi! Sailor Starlights! Move out of the way!!" she commanded them.
"Big G!" Sailor Nova Orion waved. "Good to see you're still alive! Is Dark Mercury.?"
"Yes!" said Galaxia impatiently. "Move! NOW!!"
"She means YOU, Lunkhead!" Sirius yanked her aside by the scruff of Orion's collar!
Sailor Galaxia powered up and clenched her teeth. One good blast would change this ship's trajectory and send it sailing out over the Pacific Ocean where it would land harmlessly in the water!
"GALAXY GUN FIRE!!" Galaxia blasted her energy at the falling 'Gorgonite' and her beam of energy pushed the vast Starship out over the water slowly but surely.
* * * *
"THEY DID IT!!" Jedite couldn't contain his excitement. "The 'Gorgonite' is falling!!" he grabbed Colonel Yamada. "Colonel! Their shields are down now! Their fighters are completely helpless! You may now order your counteroffensive!"
Yamada fumbled for his radio and flicked it on. "This is Colonel Yamada calling all planes and ground forces! Fire at will! FIRE AT WILL!! BRING THOSE SONS OF BITCHES DOWN IN THE NAME OF JAPAN!!"
A series of whoops and rebel yells eminated from the radio in reply as dozens of F-14's and Harrier Jets screamed by overhead and began chasing the now beleaguered remnants of the Black Moon Fleet! The fighters must have known they were in trouble, because they tried running. However in reality they had nowhere left to run. One by one the Japanese Army took them down. At last normal people were getting the opportunity to take revenge for Tokyo!
"Isn't it the most beautiful sight you ever saw?!" Yamada had tears of unbridled joy running down his face.
Jedite sighed and finally felt his tense muscles relax. "So that explosion WAS Dark Mercury after all. Sailor Moon. I don't know how you do it, but you've pulled victory from the jaws of defeat once again! You truly ARE a better warrior than I. Congratulations on teaching me one more lesson."
"What did you just say?" asked the exultant Yamada.
"Nothing." Jedite replied, waving his hand airily. "Nothing at all."
* * * *
The people of Tokyo watched from outside city limits, most were still in their cars as they watched. They saw the great ship start to descend on the city! But then, just as quickly, they saw it begin to rise again, and head out to sea! Flames and explosions erupted from all around the ship!
"It's the Sailor Senshi!" exclaimed a man with a pair of binoculars. "I can see one of them, like a tiny dot, yet she's lifting that entire ship and pushing it out to the ocean!"
The crowd erupted in a gigantic cheer. Twenty million people whistled and screamed like a crowd at a baseball game! The noise was so tremendous, it reached the ears of the Senshi on the ground as they Galaxia. They looked to see all the people just outside town on their feet, waving and hollering their names. They were heroes! They had saved Tokyo!
With one final push, Galaxia heaved the titanic ship over the water, and watched it splash into the water. The surface of the ocean roared and exploded upward with majestic fury, then just as quickly the water quieted again. From below the surface the lights on the outside of the 'Gorgonite's' hull could be seen as it sank into the black depths! Then, as the ship lost the last of its power, they flickered and went out. The people stopped cheering and a hush fell over them as the Moon rose over the edge of the Horizon. Its pale light fell upon Tokyo, revealing a graveyard of broken buildings and torn streets! Smoke rose in vast columns from many places! As the relief of victory washed over everyone, so too did the realization of the FULL price of victory! As if frozen in time, Tokyo sat in the brightening moonlight. Twenty million people stood in revered silence over what had transpired this day!
The silence seemed to last forever.