CHAPTER NINE: MARTIAL LAW!
Channel Six News Reporter Lyle Yoshii rode in the Helicopter that was slowly circling above the ruins of Kintaro's Electronics in Jubancho District. His throat was dry and for a long time he didn't know what to say. What he had just seen was the most incredible thing he'd seen since Dark Mercury came! This time the Sailor Scouts truly looked defeated!
"Lyle… We're live you know…" His Cameraman prompted.
Lyle shook himself out of his daze. "My… Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, for my silence… F-for those of you just joining us, this is Lyle Yoshii reporting live from Jubancho District. It appears that the Sailor Senshi, who so dramatically defeated Dark Mercury only a month ago, have finally met their match. Those of you watching understand what I mean. It seems the villain dubbed Executioner spent some time talking with the Senshi on the rooftop you see here before causing the entire building to explode and collapse on itself! The Senshi were completely caught by surprise and fell in with the wreckage. There's no movement now. No signs of life in the rubble. And Executioner has now flown off… to parts unknown. We'll attempt to give you updates as they come in… Either concerning Executioner or the situation with the Senshi--"
"Lyle! Got an update coming in from Channel Five. It's Executioner... She's touched down in front of City Hall. And she's causing a hell of a ruckus!" Lyle's partner Terry called from the Co-pilot's seat.
"Damn she moves fast!" Lyle exclaimed. "Get on her, Terry! We're not going to let Channel Five get the scoop on us!"
ssssss
"All Units! All Units! Police Choppers tracking Executioner's next move! She's headed for City Hall! All Units converge and protect the Mayor against possible attack!" Jed's radio screeched.
"What about the Senshi?" Jed asked as he turned his car down a different street. Things were moving a bit too fast for his comfort. "Hotaru what are you up to?!"
ssssss
"Yes! I know the situation is getting worse, Mister Prime Minister!" the Mayor of Tokyo, Bill Watase, bellowed into the phone. "Another one of my city's buildings has just fallen down thanks to that Executioner woman! My phone has been ringing off the hook ever since the Sailor Scouts got smashed! My Police forces are doing what they can, but no one seems to be able to stop this Vigilante! Before I declare a State of Emergency, where are those National Guard Units I requested?!"
The voice of Japan's Prime Minister buzzed over the other end, inaudible to everyone except the Mayor. Watase was in his office. His Secretary was running back and forth with stacks of papers in her hands and taking phone calls as fast as she could. Every single call-waiting button on the Mayor's phone had a flashing light next to it.
"Three hours?! With all due respect, sir, in three hours there might not be a Tokyo left to defend if this keeps up!" the Mayor listened for a few seconds more and sighed in frustration. "All the local units ARE alerted, I did that hours ago… Yes… Yes, three hours is the best you can do, I understand… In that case I'm going to call the American Embassy… Well, why not?! They got a blasted Aircraft Carrier parked in our Harbor, it's about time they made themselves useful!!"
Watase slammed the phone down. "That man doesn't care about anything but his own butt! Doesn't want an international incident my ASS! Linda! Get me the number to the American Embassy!"
There was a knock on his office door.
"What?!" Watase answered irritably.
"Sir! We've got a fix on Executioner! She's coming right this way, Mister Mayor!" shouted a breathless Security Guard.
Watase's face blanched several shades of gray. "Well you called the Police at least, didn't you?"
"They should be here right now, sir!"
The guard's prediction was made correct by the sounds of sirens and the blue and red flashes of light coming through the narrow lines of the vinyl shade over the only window outside. The Mayor walked to the window and pulled the cord to open the blinds wider. At least a dozen vehicles skidded to a halt in front of the marble steps leading up to the front door of the building.
"Excellent. But what would Executioner want to come to the Municipal District for?" the Mayor wondered.
He did not have to wait long for the answer. Even as he finished his question Executioner appeared overhead and descended to the street below. Shots rang out, but as usual the bullets bounced off of whatever invisible force field she had up around her. When her feet touched the ground she waved her Silence Glaive around in a windmill action and then buried the blade in the concrete.
The pavement in the middle of the street exploded upward and two Police Cars flipped into the air, each one landing atop another! Policemen scattered as Executioner advanced. Several smoke grenades landed at her feet and formed a thick cloud around her, but the Tear Gas had no effect. Executioner emerged from the smoke and this time she cleared another path through the blockade with that same invisible field that protected her. More cars and Cops were forcibly removed from her way.
"She's headed up the stairs, sir!" the Security Guard pointed out.
"Yes! I can see that!"
Some Policemen in Riot Gear ran forward with clubs and tried to beat Executioner into submission, but though they came close, Executioner would almost negligently repel them with counter attacks.
The first Cop swung, missed, and while he was off balance got backhanded down the steps.
A second one moved in and raised his arm, but he was stopped by a fist to the face before he could swing. Executioner did that one without even turning to look at him.
The third and fourth Cops moved in from both sides. Executioner went down into a squat, swept the third's legs out from under him with her own, and then rolled over backward and drove both her boots into the fourth's face. Then she lifted both of them up together in each of her fists and tossed them onto the windshield of a nearby Police Van.
The Mayor closed his blinds and backed away from his window, sweating profusely. "This is a disaster! What does she want me for?!"
"I don't know, sir! But I think it's time we got out of here, right?!" the Security Guard panicked.
There was an explosion outside the Mayor's door and the building shook slightly. Watase's Secretary screamed and then fell silent. Probably fainted.
"Quick! Through the window!" Watase pointed.
Now the office door exploded inward in a shower of splinters! The Security Guard looked at the new intruder, looked at her Silence Glaive, looked at his own measly Pepper Spray and Handcuffs, and ran screaming past her.
"Hey! You coward! You're supposed to cover her while I get out!!" Watase screamed.
"You're not getting away until you do something for me, Mister Mayor!" Executioner ignored the fleeing guard and lifted the poor Mayor up by the necktie. Her dark eyes burned with black fire. "I want you to call off your dogs. Then I want you to call every major News Network in here. You and I have a little announcement to make to the city of Tokyo."
ssssss
"… Failed… You failed… You FAILED!…" the voice of Executioner echoed in the depths of Sailor Moon's mind.
Serena awoke in darkness. It was a black, suffocating darkness.
"Guys? Tuxedo Mask? Sailor Venus? Sailor Jupiter? Sailor Neptune? Anybody??" she looked around, but all she saw was herself. Speaking of herself she was NAKED!
Serena covered herself, feeling embarrassed. "What's going on?!"
"You failed, Sailor Moon!" Executioner appeared from the darkness, surrounded by blue flames. "What would your Mother say?"
"My Mother?" Serena asked.
"Yes, Serena!" Her Earth Mother, Karen appeared from the darkness. "And you've been extremely irresponsible! How could you let us down like this?! How could you let Tokyo come to this point?!"
"Mom!" Serena protested.
"This is what comes of eating and sleeping all through High School and not studying!" her Dad appeared next to her Mom. "You're a failure! That's why you go to a second-rate college, work a second-rate job, and why you always need someone else to protect you or care for you!"
"But… Dad--"
"Stupid Sister! I knew she'd fail! I said it all along!" Sammy popped in.
"How many times have I told you not to be late, young lady?!" Ms. Haruna, her old Homeroom Teacher, stepped in beside her family. "You've pissed your life away and now your irresponsibility has cost us all our city!"
"Stupid Senshi can't even protect their friends!" Molly Osaka appeared. "Everyone is hurt because of your laziness!"
"This is what comes of thinking only about now and not about the future!" said Luna, walking between Molly's legs. Her ruby eyes stabbed Serena accusingly. "I've told you time and time again that you need to think like a leader and buckle down! Are you actually proud of the woman you've become?! If your Mother could see you now…"
"If your Mother could see you now!" echoed Molly.
"If your Mother could see…" shouted Ms. Haruna.
"She'd roll over in her Grave, SERENITY!" Darien stepped out of the shadows. "You're supposed to be a Queen, but you can hardly hold a steady job. I'm tired of supporting you and cheering you up all the time. I love you, but you can't even take care of yourself. You're an adult now! You've failed, Serena!"
"You've failed your legacy! You've failed your world! You've failed your Mother! You've failed yourself!!" Executioner repeated those harsh words. "It's all your fault Tokyo is in ruins! It's all your fault Amy Mizuno ran away!"
"It's all your fault I'm dead!" Raye Hino appeared.
"If it wasn't for your FAILURE, I'd be living happily with my wife, Ann!" Alan came forth.
"I loved you, Serena… But you failed me as well!" Seiya Kou pointed a finger at her angrily.
"It's ALL your fault!" Executioner yelled.
"It's all your fault! It's all your fault! It's all your fault! It's all your FAULT!!" everyone began to chant over and over again.
Serena began to cry. She looked around at everyone. More and more faces, including those of her friends, joined the crowd, until it seemed like the entire WORLD was accusing her of failing. She covered her face and sobbed. "Yes! Yes, it is! It IS my fault!! I'm sorry!! I'M SO SORRY!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!"
Silence fell over her again. Serena uncovered her face and found herself on the surface of the Moon. The old ruins of the Moon Kingdom looked alive once more. Water sparkled in the fountains dotting the vast Courtyard of the Palace. The Earth hung in the sky like a giant jewel. Serena began to cry again. "Please… not her. Don't make her come and tell me I've failed too!" she begged to the empty Courtyard.
"'Her' who?" asked a delicate voice behind her.
Serena opened her eyes and turned around. She was now dressed in her old Princess' gown and she looked upon her real Mother, Queen Serenity, her white hair done exactly as Serena's. With that familiar gentle smile on her face.
"I'm so sorry!" Serena burst into tears again. "Go ahead! Say it! I failed you! I failed my friends! I have no right to be Sailor Moon anymore!!"
Queen Serenity reached out and pulled her daughter close. Serena stopped crying, filled with warmth. Her face was buried in her Mother's shoulder. It felt comforting. An old wistful feeling washed over her. She'd been here before. The memory of the last time her Mother held her, shortly before the Moon Kingdom fell, lurked in the recesses of her consciousness.
"Don't worry… I have banished the awful demons," Queen Serenity soothed her with her voice. "The spirits of vengeful Youma you have vanquished in the past were trying to drag you into despair. But they're gone now."
"You chased them away?" Serena mumbled. "I couldn't fight them. Of course I couldn't… Someone is always coming to my rescue. I can't do anything by myself, can I?" she began to lose control again.
"Please, don't cry, my daughter," Serenity ran a gloved hand through Serena's blonde hair. "Do not let your heart be weakened by Executioner's weak words. You have failed no one, especially not myself. You have to be strong. Executioner represents everything that is wrong with the Senshi spirit, and she must be stopped."
"But what about the dead? I saw Raye, and Alan, and Seiya. It's true I let them down! I couldn't save them! And it's my fault Dark Mercury killed them!"
"Do not take more responsibility than you must, dear Serena," said the Queen. She lifted her head up and made her look to the right. "Let the Dream show you the truth."
Serena looked and saw Helios, Lord of Elysion, standing in the middle of the biggest fountain in his human form. He smiled at her and motioned to the water. "Touch the surface, Serena. Look upon the thoughts of everyone you know and love."
Serena reached out hesitantly and dipped a finger into the surface of the cool waters. The glassy surface rippled and her reflection distorted. When it returned it was a reflection of Amy, looking sadly out of the window of an Airplane. She was dressed the way she'd been the day she left Tokyo for the last time.
"I'm going to miss them," Amy's thoughts echoed in the air around Serena. "I don't want to do this. I want to stay with them. But this is for the better. If I stay I'll just continue being jealous of Serena and Darien, even after all that's happened. If I stay as a Sailor Senshi I'll give birth to Dark Mercury all over again. It's all my fault. It's all my fault Raye had to die."
The image shifted again, this time to Katsie, who sat, praying in front of the same fire Raye used to pray before. Her eyes were closed, but her face troubled. "I don't deserve this honor," thought Katsie. "To fight as a Sailor Senshi. And for Raye, who taught me what it was like to have a loving heart and to trust another person. I feel like I'm dancing on her grave every time I pick up the Martian Henshin Pen. God… Please tell me. Why did Raye have to die and a worthless nobody like me have to fill her shoes?"
"Oh, Katsie..." Serena whispered. The image shifted again.
This time it was Mina, playing volleyball at the local YMCA with her team. While she stood on the sideline she looked at the ceiling. "Everything seems so normal, but it's not. I miss Raye. And Ann looks like she wants to kill herself. What am I doing here enjoying life? It should have been me who figured out Dark Mercury's weak spot and destroyed her arm. Me. Not Raye. I feel so useless. I feel like it's my fault."
"The two of you are filling in very well," Lita's voice faded in as did an image of her talking with Katsie and Birdie. "I'm sure Raye and Amy are proud. I know Amy would tell you as much. And Kat… Grandpa says he's never had a better student. You shouldn't feel responsible. After all… I had my powers at the time and all I could do was watch," Lita's face became morose. "I'm going to try harder next time. I won't let anything happen to anyone else… Especially to Serena. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have any friends and I never would have become Sailor Jupiter. She may be a space case, but she's the best of us all. She never stops loving and caring. That's what I think a Senshi is REALLY supposed to be good at."
"I miss Hotaru so much." Amara and Michelle faded in together, standing over the grave located atop Mount Fuji. "And I feel so angry," said Amara. "Her death was so useless and unnecessary. If I had only moved faster… If I had only gotten to Dark Mercury first and pounded her into submission…"
"Don't blame yourself," Michelle hugged her tearfully.
"But it IS my fault!" Amara lowered her eyes. "I will always feel responsible for Hotaru!"
"As powerful as I was, I could do NOTHING to defeat Dark Mercury!" Jed Tokiba, driving in his Police Car, was thinking. "I used to think I was the most powerful man in existence. I thought I was some kind of genius for destroying the Moon Kingdom. I even blamed Sailor Moon for my own shortcomings rather than look at them as my own faults. And because of my arrogance… Because of my stupidity, Hotaru had to kill herself to save me. Maybe if I had used my power wisely… I could have saved all four of them… and this decrepit old city. That's why I'm a Cop now. Because I intend to atone for this and all my other mistakes."
"Alan… If only I hadn't gotten careless and let Dark Mercury beat me so badly," Ann faded in Jed's place. "It would be me and you both alive. Earth is such a nice place. I could even grow to like these Humans, as foolish as they are… But I miss Vanna, my love… I miss you. I feel like it's my fault you died for me. Why did it have to be this way?"
"Do you see now, Serena?" Queen Serenity turned her face away from the fountain. "Everyone blames themselves. Everyone feels responsible. But none of them are at fault. The woman who killed your friends made her own choice, based on her own petty hatreds and desires. It's natural to feel responsible for those you love. It's natural to look back and say 'what if I had done differently?'. But if that was all that you did… You'd be ignoring the opportunity to improve and not make that mistake again."
Helios walked across the top of the water, now in his Pegasus form and lowered his face to Serena's. "I feel terrible for not helping more against Dark Mercury. But I do not dwell on it. I have already been forgiven. But your Mother is right. What has happened is the fault of Dark Mercury and her alone. What happens next… is up to you."
"You have made me proud, as I've watched from the Kingdom, Serena," Queen Serenity said. "Never forget you are everything I wanted you to be. You are the ideal Sailor Senshi, despite your shortcomings. No one asked you to be perfect. You are my daughter and I will always love and be proud of you. The only way you could possibly fail me is by giving up before you tried to stop Executioner."
"And stop her you must, Sailor Moon," Helios joined. "Tokyo will fall further into dismemberment with her in control. Even now Executioner plans to cut it off from the rest of the world for eternity, unless she is stopped. And here is another warning. It saddens me to say it but I fear someone close to you is about to make a terrible decision concerning your lost friend Hotaru. If you wish to bring Sailor Saturn back, you may have to end up fighting one of those closest to you…"
"Now you must awaken, Serena," Queen Serenity concluded before Serena could ask more about what Helios said. "Time waits for no one and it is running out. Awaken and put a stop to Executioner. Free Hotaru. Save Tokyo. Even if you must perish trying."
"It is all up to you, Sailor Moon… I know you can do it…" Helios bowed and both of them began to fade away, as did her surroundings.
Serena gulped down the lump in her throat and waved to them. "Thank you, Mother… Helios. I'll carry on for you. And I swear Tokyo will not go another day under the threat of terror! I am Sailor Moon! And I would die before I let anything else bad happen to my home or my friends!"
ssssss
Sailor Moon awoke in darkness, but this time it was not the stifling darkness of a dream. Bits of sunlight poked through tiny holes above her. She felt weighed down by dozens of blocky objects. She was bruised and a bleeding a little, but that told her she was awake. She could hear no noises, not yet. But she concentrated her efforts. The symbol of the Moon appeared on her forehead and the pile of bricks atop her began to shift and fall away. Air and light began to seep in.
Finally, with one last convulsing push, Sailor Moon threw the bricks off of her body and clambered out of the rubble. There were scores of people all around who gasped and pointed at her in shock and amazement. A few actually looked happy to see her. Most were just astounded.
"Mother is right," Sailor Moon said, not caring if everyone heard her. "I have not failed yet! And I will never fail you! Do you hear me, Tokyo?! I will not fail to stop Executioner! I will die for this city! I will die for all of you if that's what it takes! I don't care if you love me or hate me! I will not let anyone here die or live another day in fear!" She turned and looked up at the sky. "EXECUTIONER!! YOU'RE MINE!!" she spread her wings and flew up into the sky.
ssssss
"Did you get all that, Steve?" asked Lyle Yoshii to his Cameraman.
"You bet! Good thing we stuck around a few minutes longer," Steve put his Camera up and stuck up his thumb. "That was incredible! Channel Five can keep Executioner!"
"That was amazing." said the Pilot. "It was like she was speaking through a huge megaphone. I could hear her over the rotors. But it was just her voice."
"I think all of Tokyo heard Sailor Moon," said Terry. "And look! More of the Senshi are getting up and flying off too! They're not dead!"
"Then what are we still doing here? Follow them! The final battle is about to go down and we're going to get every second of it!" Lyle pointed to the Horizon. "FOLLOW THOSE SENSHI!!"
ssssss
"Everyone still alive?" Sailor Uranus called out, emerging from the debris of the crumbled building.
"Barely…" Ann coughed, helping Sailor Jupiter to her feet. Jupiter's head was bleeding from a cut over her right eye. "Some of us took harder lumps than others."
"Where's Birdie? Where's Birdie?!" Sailor Mars looked around desperately.
"Y-you're… standing… on me…!" Mercury gasped from underneath her. Mars' face turned red and she backed off her Sister.
Mercury stood up. "I feel so stupid. I should have seen that coming."
"Don't worry about it. She let us live, and that's the last mistake Executioner will ever make," said Sailor Venus. "Where's Sailor Moon?"
"She took off already," Sailor Neptune dusted herself off and pointed skyward. "I think she's going to confront Executioner herself."
"What's she thinking?" asked Venus.
"Whatever it is we need to be there for her." said Tuxedo Mask. "Neptune... Which way did she go?"
TO BE CONTINUED.........
NEXT CHAPTER: SHOWDOWN FOR TOKYO!