Chapter 14
Tartarus
Day 12 of Serena's incarceration. Early afternoon . . .
Sitting up slowly, Michiru looked around at her surroundings, uncomprehending. Locked within walls of, what looked like, black glass, full understanding dawned along with an almost tangible fear. She was alone. Standing up, she attempted to transform. Nothing. Sighing slightly, she sat back down on the makeshift cot and struggled over the memories that flooded her mind. Sunstarr and Wise Man were one and the same . . . And the Guardians? Evil? It was almost inconceivable. Yet, she could clearly recall the other Scouts' faces mirroring the horror and anger of her own. Michiru stood up and began to pace, an undignified and nasty habit she'd picked up from Darien, but it served to calm her thoughts. The need for survival being the most prevalent one, she knew she had to find a way out and find the others, if they were still alive.
"I see you're awake."
Michiru spun toward the voice. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she viewed the man before her, "I remember you. Sunstarr. Or should I say, Wise Man?"
"Whichever you prefer." He shifted slightly and the form of Wise Man, an eerie, glowing creature swathed in robes, appeared in front of her. "Actually, I had almost grown accustomed to my human form . . . " He paused, "As imperfect as it was . . . "
A thousand questions were running through her mind and she interrupted his rhetoric, "Where's Serena? And the others?"
Seeing the play of emotions on the girl's face, Wise Man smiled to himself and replied in a muted tone, "Oh, your young princess? She's quite well. I assure you. I believe she's preparing for her wedding."
Forgetting her fear for the moment, Michiru reacted to his words, driven by the solitary need to do some serious damage to the creature that was attempting to destroy all their lives. And immediately fell back, screaming in pain, when she touched the electrically charged wall of Dark Energy surrounding the other. She drew in quick gasps of air between clenched teeth and gently rubbed her injured hands.
"I would not try that again if I were you." Wise Man reproached harshly. "Next time, it will be lethal." He raised his arm slightly and the walls around them began to hum and vibrate.
Alarmed, Michiru took a swift step away. With a grind that echoed through the chamber, the walls slowly moved upward. In moments, she could hear the others and, never taking her eyes from Wise Man, called out, "In here, guys! Now!" When the walls stopped Raye, Lita, Mina, Amy, and Setsuna came into her room cautiously. By the bleak faces, Michiru guessed they, too, had tried to transform. She looked beyond them and realized that her cell seemed to be central to theirs. In her mind, that was conceivably the reason why Wise Man had chosen her to make his appearance. Amy went to Michiru when she waved her over, and the others approached Wise Man. "Careful, guys." Michiru advised, "He's shielded with something."
Stopping just short of him, Setsuna demanded, "Where are the others?"
Wise Man neither moved nor answered.
She started to take a step forward, but Lita laid a restraining hand on her arm and whispered, "Easy. We don't need to lose any more of us."
Setsuna took a deep breath and rephrased her question, "Where's Hotaru?"
This time Wise Man did reply. "Ah, yes, the one known as Sailor Saturn. I couldn't risk her being able to overcome the Dark Power and regain use of her powers. She's . . . Shall we say . . . Subdued?"
"What did you do to her? And where's Darien?" Lita hissed, angered by the seeming hopelessness of their situation.
"You are in no position to question me!" Wise Man snapped fiercely. "You would do best to see to what's left of your group! As for your Prince, he's been detained elsewhere. It shouldn't be very much longer and he'll be dead anyway."
The girls gasped slightly, looked at each other quickly, then looked at him. "What do you mean?" Amy asked warily.
Wise Man shrugged, unconcerned. "He's been immobilized. I could not have him so near the Princess for fear he would contact her."
"Then we are in Tartarus, as I suspected," Amy mused.
"Serena . . . " Raye whispered.
"Indeed you are," Wise Man answered, startling Amy because she had not realized she'd spoken aloud. He turned to Raye and, with a perverse need to taunt them with Serena's pain, continued, "About now, I would say she's with Dimando." No one said anything, but from the looks of obvious skepticism he saw on their faces, he added, "As I'm sure you already know, she's plagued with terrifying nightmares. What you don't know is that they are a product of my imagination."
"Twisted imagination," Lita sneered.
He paused for a moment at the interruption, "So true. You see, these are so overwhelming that even the purest of hearts can't resist. Only Dimando has the power to take them away."
The words were barely spoken when Lita erupted. "You bastard!" Before anyone could warn her again of the danger, she hurled herself at the floating figure and met with same unresisting wall of Energy as had Michiru. She hit it with enough force to ricochet her off and into the next room, rendering her unconscious.
"Lita!" The girls shrieked.
Waving to the others to stay where they were, Amy ran to her and called out, "The best I can tell, she's okay. Just out cold."
"That was very, very stupid. My powers are more vast than you can imagine . . . Even the most wary cannot escape my strength."
"Wary?" Mina repeated softly.
Setsuna looked thoughtful for a moment, "The Guardians, Mina."
"Hmm, yes . . . The Guardians. A rather fitting name, I think, all things considered." Wise Man paused, debating whether to tell the girls about their treacherous friends. He knew that anything he said at this point would inflict added misery, and misery was his ally. "You should know not to believe everything you see and hear, especially you Daughter of Chronos." Wise Man's cloak made a whispering sound as he turned to face the shocked Scout. "Fortunately, humans are the most susceptible creatures in the Galaxy."
"Susceptible to what?" Raye asked as she moved to stand next to Setsuna.
He glanced at her briefly, "To me. To power. However you wish to say it."
"Am I wrong when I say brainwashing?" Amy asked. She had covered Lita with a blanket and made her as comfortable as possible, then joined the others.
"Not necessarily. But brainwashing is such a primitive method of persuasion. I have more sophisticated means of influence . . . Chemical based mental suggestion is one of the more cosmopolitan techniques I prefer." Wise Man raised a hand to stop her from commenting and continued, "It's much more potent and has more dynamic results, as you well know. You see, your Prince's Guardians," (how Wise Man loved to see them cringe when he said that word) "are unaware anything has transpired, and when they have completed their last assignment, they will be returned to Earth to await the same Fate as all others of your kind. They are, and were, no more than pawns to secure an advantage over the Earth Prince and the Sailor Scouts and to gain access to Serena. I searched for many years to find the true Children of the Palace. It was a futile undertaking, so, when I found ones who bore a close resemblance to them as adults, I took them from Earth. I had hoped to find young children to train because it would have been easier to manipulate them, but it was not to be. However, I need not have worried, even as adults, you humans are a simpleminded lot. Easy to fool and easier to control. They readily accepted memories of a life they never had."
"You're lying!" Mina cried.
"Am I?" Wise Man taunted.
Raye laid a calming hand on Mina's arm. Millions of confusing images were running ceaselessly through her head. They moved so fast she couldn't pinpoint any one particular thing. She shook her head at the distraught girl and whispered, "Later, Mina. Now is not the time for hysterics." Raye knew something was wrong with his rationale. Though, at that moment, she couldn't lay her finger on exactly what it was, and Mina freaking out on them was not going to help anyone figure out what it was.
"Children of the Palace . . . Daughter of Chronos . . . " Setsuna commented, "you know of them, of us. You disguised yourself as someone we knew. But how?" Her eyes narrowed slightly and she frowned. Setsuna hoped she was incorrect in her supposition.
"Yes, I've been there. I spent time on the ancient Moon and Earth." Wise Man admitted, confirming her suspicions.
"But how?" Amy repeated Setsuna's words. "Who are you really?"
"Who am I?" He laughed eerily and began to fade away. "You will die with only the knowledge that I am immortal!" Before they could ask anything else, Wise Man was gone, leaving the stinging echo of his last words as a reminder of how dire their situation really was.
In a deep, dark recess of the stronghold, Safir paced as he waited for Haruka to regain consciousness. In his impatience, he realized that even the most formidable of the Moon Children did not travel the Paths of Darkness well. His own heart was not truly evil, so he had, many years before, forced himself to become accustomed to the debilitating pain induced by the Inner Paths. Not an easy feat, but necessary, nonetheless, or he could and would have died. And that was never an option.
Haruka moaned softly. She moved her hand to her head and mumbled, "What in hell happened?"
Moving immediately to her side, Safir knelt down and answered, "When I realized the trap, I brought you here to hide."
She sat up slowly, holding her head against the throbbing there. When she found her equilibrium, Haruka grabbed him by the front of his shirt, "Where in the name of the gods am I, you betraying bastard and where are the others? If you value your miserable life, your answer had better damn well be a good one."
Safir did not try to pull away. "You're safe, for now. I'm unsure about the others. All I do know is they are in serious danger and we must get to them quickly. More important, you must trust me for it was not I who betrayed you."
"Trust you?" Haruka scoffed. "Why should I? You led us here and then . . . " She stopped when he forcefully interrupted.
"Listen closely as we have little time. The one you know as Sunstarr is Wise Man, the being I was telling you about before he arrived. The real truth is that Darien's Guardian's betrayed all of you. Whether by their own design or were forced to do so, I have not yet had time to discern."
With rage burning in her heart, Haruka shoved Safir away, sending him sprawling in the dirt. Standing up and irritably dusting off his pants, he remarked, "It's time to look to yourself for the moment. You lost your transformation on the Paths. I don't think you can get it back because we are so close to the Dark Crystal."
"I don't understand what's happened yet, but when I do, you better pray you're not a part of this."
"I am trying to help. As you were the closest to me when Wise Man appeared, I reached for you and brought you here. If given a choice, I would have taken another. Believe me, I don't like this any more than you do." Safir said snidely.
Haruka took her eyes off of him for the first time and glanced around at her dark surroundings. She felt the deep sting of his words and sighed, slightly put-out by the insult. "I don't trust you, but as you're all I seem to have at the moment, tell me what's going on and where we are." She paused a moment, then met his eyes. "Please."
He raised an eyebrow slightly and almost grinned at her obvious discomfort. Safir knew how much that had to hurt, but, still and all, it was a start. He also knew they had to work together, with at least some small grain of trust, or they would be unable to help the others. And time was short for all of them. "After I realized what was happening, I brought you here, where I thought you'd be safe until you recovered. I didn't want to risk leaving you alone for very long, but I managed to do a little poking around without being recognized. You've been out quite a while, but not too long. Serena is still safe, well, as safe as she can be in Dimando's care. Darien..." Safir hesitated and frowned, "I don't know. He's not with the Scouts but his current location indicates he is still alive, though in what condition, I couldn't be certain."
Haruka was silent, but her mind was rushing through everything he was saying, trying to formulate some sort of plan, all the while she was hoping beyond hope that everyone would come out of this alive. "What about the Scouts? Where are they and are they okay?"
On a large table in the corner, Safir laid out a scaled-down map of the three lowest levels of Tartarus. Haruka moved to join him there and he pointed, "there are four different areas. The girls are in the main prison block here." He moved his hand across the map, "we're here. Memorize this." Safir looked at Haruka, "I have to return the map soon, if it's found missing, others will be alerted to our presence here." Seeing the confused look on her face, he explained, "I have Wise Man and his droids chasing circles around themselves in another part of the castle. I took the map from the Design Room nearby where each is catalogued and guarded, but if it's gone..."
Haruka nodded, "they'll know where we really are."
"Yes, so timing is critical if we are to free the others." Safir pointed to a tiny cubicle in a sub-chamber, "unfortunately Darien is here in the Well of Orpheus. This will be the hardest part." He glanced at her, "it's an ancient burial preparation room, extremely well guarded for the prize inside."
"Burial?" Haruka shook her head slightly, "my God, I hope he's not dead."
Safir frowned, but with certainty stated, "I'll wager he's not, at least, not yet. Knowing Dimando as I do, he and Wise Man are just sadistic enough to keep Darien alive until Dimando has possessed Serena. What better way for Dimando to completely destroy the bane of his existence than to torture him with who he loves the most? Even still, Darien will probably, at the very least, be insensate, to keep him from letting Serena know he's near."
"If he is, we'll figure out what to do about it when we get to him."
He smiled at her and they returned to studying the map, "Agreed. Now, the girls' cell has an encoded alarm system."
"Which has probably been changed..." Haruka inserted.
Safir nodded, "yes, but an advantage of my ranking here is that I know something about this place that most do not. In the cell, there's a trap door that leads to the sewers." He drew his fingers across some of the central locations of the system. "These sewers run under the entire structure making, very literally, miles and miles of tunnels, all but unguarded so any one traveling them can do so freely and virtually undetected."
Haruka eyed him warily, something that sounded that good had to have a down side. "Okay... What's the catch?"
He chuckled lightly. "It's a sewer. It stinks! Unbelievably bad."
"Is that all?" She smiled. "I think I can handle the smell."
"I hope so, because we'll be down there for quite some time. We'll have to split up here at this cross junction," again he pointed at a place in the maze of underground passageways, "because there's something I must do before I meet up with you again." Safir met her eyes and saw the distrust return there. His eyes held Haruka until she broke the contact and nodded. Inside, he smiled, having overcome what he considered a major obstacle, at least for the moment, he resumed his thoughts, "Once to the trap door, you'll only have fifteen minutes to get the girls out once it's opened. Understand that they cannot see the door, it is only visible from beneath, so it might startle them when a piece of the floor falls out. They may think something's coming to finish them off and, in the true essence of survival, may attack so make yourself known immediately. Once it's opened, fifteen minutes later, if a special code is not put in the central computer system, an alarm will sound. Problem is, I don't know the code, I only wish I did because it would help." Safir sighed slightly and continued, "So, the alarm will sound, but by then, if you reseal the door, Wise Man's lackeys may not know to search the tunnels immediately, giving you enough time to get away." Haruka was looking at him strangely so he sought to explain his in-depth knowledge of the deep recesses of Tartarus. "Remember, this was my home. Many years I spent exploring the castle my brother had built. When I wasn't on an errand for Dimando or working on a peaceful solution to the war he planned to wage, I studied maps, traversed the deepest halls and smelliest tunnels I could find. I devised one contingency plan after another, in case the worst happened. Unfortunately, all of you here was not something I, even in all my planning, had thought could happen. Some of you, yes, but all?" Safir looked far away, to a Past long forgotten and switched subjects. "It's funny, you know."
Haruka had been intently studying the map, but his pensive tone made her glance up at him curiously.
Catching the look, he shrugged almost apologetically. "I've been living here for countless years and I have never before seen the men sent to betray you except in Crystal Tokyo and in books I've read. That's why I believed they were allies as well. Had I known the truth . . . " He shrugged again.
Haruka's stomach churned. She was trying not to think of them at all.
Safir saw the grimace on her face and knew that was a very sore subject and one she was not yet ready to discuss. Moving on, he directed her attention back to the map and said, "here is a tiny crawl space leading down to the tunnel." He leaned back in his chair, "now we have to decide who to go after first."
She looked at him questionably, then stated, "We go after the Scouts first. Hotaru can heal Darien. She should have her healing talent if not her transformation."
"I agree, however, Hotaru is not with the other Sailor Scouts. Hotaru is here . . . Away from the girls."
"Hotaru? Why?"
"I remember reading, years ago, about the Sailor of Silence, she's also known as the Soldier of Destruction and Rebirth, right?"
Haruka was too astounded to speak, so she simply nodded. Her only thought was how could he know so much.
"Dimando set to work with his top scientists and, together, they conceived a plan to immobilize her power. Put her in a type of stasis, if you will. I tried to prevent their work, perhaps mislead them a bit, but I was never very successful because they had years, literally, to work on and perfect their ideas. Years before Wise Man even arrived here with his promise to return to Earth."
"But how? And why Hotaru?" Haruka was shaken to the core.
Safir shrugged, "Dimando realized, even long ago, that she was and is the one that could bring ultimate destruction to Nemesis. Less lethal than that, however, is her inner strength. Hotaru is easily capable of overcoming the power of the Dark Crystal and return to each of you your powers."
"That Crystal has weakened her . . . You saw it! I saw it!" She replied, consciously aware that pure frustration was pushing her dangerously near the hysterical mark.
"But being who she is, she needs only to see past the aura of evil surrounding her, to become Saturn again. She must accept that it is not stronger than her own power, only more intensified by her fear and relevant position to the Dark Crystal. Did she not do that once before? During the Silver Millennium?" Safir took a tremendous chance asking this because he was unsure of how Haruka would react when he revealed the source of his knowledge.
With his words, her mind rushed back through the annals of Space and Time. Haruka struggled to regain control of her spiraling fears, and, when she succeeded, she nodded slowly. "Uh huh. It was right after Beryl decimated all the Outer Planets except Saturn. We fled there to help defend it, because we knew if it fell, the Moon would be next. Sailor Saturn was inundated by evil and unable to fight. We could get nothing out of her because she was more dead than alive."
"What did it take to free her? Do you remember?" Safir asked softly, drawing her back to today.
Haruka started a little, then shivered with a cold only she could feel. It was the cold of fear. "Yes. And you do, too, don't you?" Haruka saw the truth in Safir's eyes. "How?" Was all she could utter.
A small smile appeared to replace the frown and drawn eyebrows on his face, "that question carries a double-entendre, but let's just say I read a lot. The Inner Library here is filled with books. Research works that were collected over countless centuries. They were brought here, stolen from innumerable worlds, such as your own. They include complete histories of the entire Galaxy. Among many other manner of material, there are collections of wisdom only surpassed by the Great Library in Crystal Tokyo. There is a wealth of ancient knowledge of such depth that even's today's scientists are boggled by the complexities. So you see, I was not lying when I told you it was my job to be well-informed. About many events on all pertinent worlds and multiple time periods. And I am because I studied those books extensively in my youth. You may call me a historian of sorts." Safir frowned again, "I only hope they do not get destroyed. It would be such a waste of priceless knowledge."
"Okay, so you used stolen books to find out our weaknesses. Just wonderful . . . and just how much of this 'knowledge' did you impart to that brother of yours?" Haruka asked caustically. She truly expected the axe to fall at any moment.
"I learned of your weaknesses, which are few, but, moreover, I learned of your strengths. That's what's important in getting out of this alive. I only told Dimando what I felt he needed to know which was just enough to keep him happy with his plans. He had little way of knowing my deception. He was always too busy, with first establishing himself as ruler. Then, after he was firmly entrenched, he was filled with nothing but talk of death and destruction, brought on by Wise Man's insistence of a war to conquer Earth." The sadness and bitterness in his tone were unmistakable.
"Without Serena's help, bringing Hotaru back will be hard." Haruka said.
Safir nodded, "But not impossible. If my studies are accurate, you must use your strength as a team, working as one, to bring her back."
"There is a drawback, you know. It will take a tremendous amount of power from us."
"I know, but hopefully, recovery won't take long if she can give you back your transformations." Safir looked thoughtful. He leaned over the map again and pointed. "Hotaru is in this chamber. It is completely sealed. There will be droids with her as well."
"So, how do we get in?"
"You don't. You won't need to. Once you've freed the others, get to this place here." Safir glanced at Haruka. His finger rested on a small oval shaped room, "the Alchemy Room is as close to her as you can get without being in the same room and you'll be as safe as anywhere because the droids will be searching for you on the same level as your cell." He snorted derisively, "I know how stupid they are. That's our advantage, at least, temporarily, but it won't take them long to get organized." Safir's gaze returned to the map. "So do what you have to, and, as soon as you're able, head for this door, down the staircase to the Alchemy Room. If I'm not dead, I'll be there with Hotaru. After that we'll head to the lowest level to get Darien. This will be particularly more difficult than before because, by then, everyone will know, or at least assume, he's our next target. It will be a constant battle all the way. And I don't even want to think about the Hall of Echoes that leads to his cell."
Prudence told Haruka that it was definitely not the right time to ask exactly what he meant by that and stated firmly, "We'll be fine. When do we start?" She was ready to find the Scouts, get Serena, and bring this never-ending nightmare to a close.
Safir met her eyes said gravely, "there's one other thing . . . "
Now Haruka was wary. "I'm afraid to ask what it is, I've had enough surprises and don't think I can take much more."
"Remember, I told you 'four' places, so far, we've covered three. Your male companions are the last and they are here." With one hand he placed a finger across her lips to forestall her and with the other hand he pointed to yet another honeycomb-shaped cell block, similar to the one the Scouts were in, "you may think you know much, but what I found was that they, too, are in a cell, sealed by Wise Man's own hand. This is totally at odds to what we know they have done."
Haruka was silent as she digested this new development. To say she was confused, put it lightly. "Why would he lock up his own?"
"Good question and I have some suspicions." Safir's tone carried more than a little curiosity of his own in it. "From what I was able to discover, I must assume Wise Man is afraid of them."
"Why would he be afraid of them, it doesn't make any sense . . . " Haruka put in.
"No, it doesn't. It's true that they are a formidable team, we've both witnessed as much, but it's my belief it's more than that."
Haruka nodded. She agreed that his opinion had merit but anger still simmered deep within her. "What more could there be? I see them as nothing more than the traitors they are."
Safir shook his head and smiled. He instinctively knew she was covering deeper feelings of grief by lashing out. "There was more to them than that and you know it. Regardless of how you feel, though, bear in mind that Darien's Guardians are, indeed, in Crystal Tokyo."
"But are they us?" Came softly spoken words from the door.
Surprised to hear another voice, they turned quickly. Upon seeing the intruders, Safir's one thought was to protect Haruka from their unexpected guests. Nevertheless, she had ideas of her own and he barely managed to reach out and catch her as she barreled past him. He pulled her solidly against his chest and somehow managed to hold her there despite her struggles and demands for release. Then he asked, "what in hell are you doing here?" Despite his demeanor, Safir was more than a little rattled himself because he had not heard their stealthy approach.
Haruka spoke directly to him for the first time. "You son of a bitch, as soon as I'm free I'll . . . " The fury she felt gave her the impetus to fight harder against the one who held her, but because she was not physically up to par, she still could not find release.
"Settle down!" Safir demanded of the wriggling girl. Though she calmed somewhat, he did not release her. "What do you want and how did you find us? No one knows of this place."
The man did not speak. He held out his hand. Haruka and Safir both glanced down. She gasped slightly and he sighed. It was Mercury's computer.
"You need have no fear of us." Bryce told them. He looked directly at Haruka. "You have to believe me when I say that, I am . . . " The wave of his hand encompassed the rest of his group, "we are, so very sorry about all of this."
"SORRY!" She screeched and would have spoken (and followed through with) her intensely violent thoughts but was immediately silenced by Safir's hand over her mouth.
"SSSHHH!" He whispered harshly in her ear. His tone brooked no argument, and, for once, Haruka did exactly as she was told. Then she heard what her anger had shrouded, the distant but steady approach of footsteps and what sounded like a door to door check. With eyes that widened in renewed fear, she watched as the others quietly closed the door they came through.
Sensing her dread, Safir released her. Like an automaton, she followed Safir's cue and moved to the far corner; at the same time, she prayed for a miracle but anticipated the worst. Bryce checked the lock on the door and signaled Ryan and Ruark to stand on either side. He and Safir put their heads to the door to listen for conversation outside while the rest of the men took up various positions for defense.
"And I'm telling you I heard voices!" The first yelled.
"You idiot! You're hearing things! Besides, if you really heard someone, he'd be gone by now as loud as you are!" The other yelled back.
The first one stopped walking and lowered his voice, "what are we doing here, anyway? No one can get this deep in the fortress. Who would want to?"
"It's not your place to think, Grafton. Mine, either. We aren't supposed to question. Our orders clearly state to search this corridor and its rooms thoroughly. Then, we'll meet up with the others at the T junction in the west wing."
Grafton started walking again. The two moved toward the door the men and Haruka were behind. "I know." His partner tested the door.
"Locked . . . " Rallen said.
"No way," Grafton reached for the handle. "These doors aren't supposed to be."
"Well it is."
Grafton tested the door.
Inside the room, the group held bated breath. The handle shook. Bryce and Safir stepped slowly back. Bryce motioned to the others to move away. The handle rattled again. From their new positions, they could hear only muffled voices. Haruka cringed slightly as the sounds of forced entry echoed in the quiet chamber. With every slam against the door, she cringed again, knowing that, at any moment, discovery was a surety. Her eyes narrowed in renewed anger because she knew exactly who to blame. Safir went to where Haruka had crouched. He was prepared to take her through the Paths once again if the door so much as budged a tiny bit. Just as suddenly as the pounding began, it stopped.
"Well, Rallen, now what do we do? We can't check a 'not supposed to be locked' room. And we've tried everything I can think of to get it open."
"I don't know. We report like we're supposed to, I guess, but, I, for one, won't tell anyone about this. If we pull people off of detail to get the door open and it turns out to be nothing . . . " The droid shook his head, leaving his thoughts unfinished.
Inside, the sigh of relief was felt more than heard.
"That was too close," Bryce whispered, leaning against a wall. The others just nodded.
Haruka jumped up and, before Safir could catch her, made her move. She was out for blood. Bryce's blood. He stood his ground.
Jeff, however, knew there was no time left for dispute and moved to intervene. As Haruka made to pass him, Jeff took her struggling form by both shoulders and waited until she met his eyes, "Has it occurred to you that he," pointing at Bryce, "or any other one of us could have betrayed you in the time we've been here?" He paused a moment, "or even before we arrived because we've known that you were here all along? You have to trust us, there's only two days left and you will need our help if you're to succeed."
Haruka considered his words then looked at the six remaining men. Trust? How could she after what they've done? Even though she knew Jeff was right, they had not betrayed her this time, on the other hand, she just didn't know if she could endanger her friends lives anymore. What if they planned to get the girls together then do away with all of them at once?
"You must make a decision." Safir told her.
"What do you think?" She quietly inquired of him "I can't answer that." Safir answered solemnly. "It's your choice, and I'll abide by whatever you say."
Glancing up at him, Haruka tried to read the thoughts behind the eyes, or perhaps find a hidden meaning in the words, but his face was totally closed to her and suddenly she felt very alone. She sagged slightly against the hands that held her. This was undeniably the hardest thing she'd ever done. To reconcile her anger and, once again, place her faith . . . She looked at Bryce, "Just tell me one thing . . . Why?" Jeff released her and she sat down at the table.
Bryce nodded, he'd been anticipating the question. "I don't know." When she looked at him sharply, he spread his arms akimbo and his eyes made the rounds of the room. "Honestly, none of us know. The last thing any of us remember is the shock of Sunstarr becoming Wise Man, then there's nothing until we woke up in a cell a few hours ago."
When he paused, Ruark added, "Wise Man showed up. He flaunted our part in his twisted scheme. He said we're not whom we thought we were, that he used highly advanced chemical methods to implant memories he 'said' we never had." Nathaniel looked as if he would interrupt, but Ruark waved him off, "no time for specifics now, wait 'til we find Amy then you can talk all the high-tech talk you want." Everyone, even Haruka, laughed a little at the comment.
Cameron touched his finger to his forehead and added, "it took him nearly an hour just to explain it to us, and I think I'm still confused." There was more laughter from everyone except Nathaniel.
"Don't ask my opinion next time, then." He stated loftily, hiding his smile behind a hand.
"Can we get back to point, please?" Safir asked.
"Wise Man," Jeff continued, "told us that we were just being used to get Serena here, it was all planned." He glanced quickly at Bryce whose eyes were shadowed, "everything from Bryce's near-obsession with Serena to Rubeus' defeat." He smiled slightly and walked over to her.
"What Wise Man didn't count on was us getting here."
"Huh?"
"Don't you see?" Ryan added. "He said nothing of our getting here, to Nemesis, but mentioned that we did 'well' when he found us in the Portal Chambers. He didn't say it, but we could tell by the way he skirted the conversation that we weren't supposed to be there."
Safir nodded, "considering some of the monstrous atrocities I witnessed Wise Man unleash, things that he referred to as 'experiments,' obviously there was something he tried but could not
take from you. Your free will."
"Exactly what we surmised." Bryce concurred and paused. "What we can't yet figure is out is why he chose to tell us what we did . . . "
"So what's all that got to do with what you did to Darien and the Scouts?" Haruka interrupted.
"The fact that we have Mercury's computer." Nathaniel put in, confusing her all the more. "I took it from her hand just before I blacked out. I don't know why. But for that, we would still be his pawns." He sighed, "I should have given it up, but didn't. Another act of free will. I figured that if we were nobodies, then the Magic that protected the Scouts wouldn't allow me access to it." He shrugged. "I got in. I found traces of an unknown drug. I was able to suppress our reaction to it." Nathaniel took the computer from Bryce, opened it and frowned. "The only problem is I am unsure of the duration. On a lighter note, though, I may not know if we are Darien's Guardian's or not, but I can guarantee we won't turn on you if Wise Man shows up. That's about as much time as I've had to work on the problem of whom we really are."
While he spoke, Haruka rested her head in her hands and she thought about all they said. Although it was in the forefront of her mind that the only one she should trust is Safir, her nagging conscience told her to believe, if not trust. Safir was willing to agree to her decision implicitly. What would happen if she said no? It struck Haruka like a thunderbolt that she really wanted to believe. Why shouldn't she? The worst that could happen is they all die anyway. She looked up. "Okay. Let's do it."
Day 13 of Serena's incarceration. Early morning . . .
She slipped quietly through the shaft and slid nearly twenty-two feet practically straight down. Reaching the bottom of the sewer with a splash, Haruka checked her position and moved quickly away from the opening. With a much larger splash, Nathaniel tumbled out of the shaft, followed by Ruark and Ryan. There was a mutual opinion among them that they had slid through Safir's 'tiny crawl space' (which turned out to be a pipe coated with slippery sludge) to land in the water of what had to be the smelliest sewer in all of history. From almost everywhere, red-eyed rats glared at the companions in greedy anticipation, ready and waiting for the slightest chance to make a hasty lunch out of a body part.
Trudging through muck and murk, the four, as silently as they could, made their way toward where they knew the Scouts were being held. Nathaniel was in the lead. He guided them, using the directions given him by Safir and stored in his photographic memory. Combining that with the maps Safir had scanned into Mercury's computer, Nathaniel had found two shorter routes leading to the Scouts and Hotaru.
As Haruka watched her steps carefully for fear that the slithering across her boots had teeth, she considered the previous night's events. After she'd made her choice, Safir quickly explained the plans of rescue. Then, the conversation centered on who would go with her and who would go after Darien and Hotaru. Over and over they argued. Bryce wanted to go after Darien alone, Jeff was determined to go with him. Nathaniel wanted to split in two groups. Ryan and Ruark chose to go with Bryce as well. Cameron, Ashton, and Brandon thought it best to stay together. All the debate managed to do was give her a serious headache.
Ultimately, Haruka convinced Ruark and Ryan to stay with her. It wasn't easy, but, after she'd reminded the twins about Mina and Raye who thought they were betrayed, it was easy. She was not above shaming them into action. Haruka smiled during her reverie. Nathaniel, too, decided to join her. With the aide of the Guardians (Haruka preferred to continue to label them as such), it seemed their chances of success increased. At least, she hoped so.
Same day. Late evening . . .
Jeff and Brandon made their way stealthily through the many shadowed and dismal corridors. They were going to get Darien. It was their choice to change Safir's original plan. Jeff maintained that a simultaneous rescue was the best course of action. Safir agreed that a small group going after Darien was less dangerous than the full, and perhaps weakened, group fighting a running battle. It would also prevent Wise Man or Dimando from killing Darien before they could get there. They were traveling to the third level, to a sub-chamber deep in the bosom of Tartarus. Devoid of creature or humanity, the only sound that could be heard was the thudding of their hearts. Both knew they could be detected at any moment, then this, their final and perhaps most deadly of games, would be up. Jeff wondered if their escape from their own cell had yet been noticed. Whether their training was real or imagined, the eight men used their extensive knowledge to secure their own release. So far, they had been lucky, been able to outmaneuver Wise Man, but for how long? Could Wise Man, with all his supposed insight, sense the new and changing course of events? These questions, and many more, ran through Jeff's mind constantly. He pushed the thoughts away, lest he lose his concentration. Dressed entirely in black, the two melted easily into the darkness that permeated the passageways. They breeched the security of the lowest level without incident. However, when they neared the corridor that led to the door to the Hall of Echoes, both could see the humanoid sentries.
A slight smile of bitter irony briefly crossed Brandon's face and he sighed deeply, "So much for doing this the quiet way."
Haruka moved to the front of the group when they reached the trap door. She realized that the biggest problem she faced was convincing the others to trust the men who had already turned on them once. Listening to the muffled arguments of the girls above her, she glanced briefly at the men around her, then mentally sighed.
"We have to keep trying! Things can't end like this. The Future depends on us." Lita cried. After she had recovered, they had been arguing the merits of an attack (without their powers) against whoever may next come to their cell.
Setsuna had said little during the discussion. She was leaning against a wall, arms folded. "Lita is right." She said finally and moved near the others. "Even now, even here, I can feel the threads of Time slowly unraveling."
"Well, if that mixed up Moon Brain did anything, she taught us that nothing is impossible." Raye added, easing the tension a little with her quip. It was a well-known fact that niceties were not one of her stronger points, anyway.
"Look at it this way," Amy observed, "we've been in tighter spots!"
"Oh yeah?" Mina retorted, "When?"
Haruka, overhearing the last remarks, smiled slightly. It was time. Fingering the medallion Safir had placed around her neck, she motioned to Ruark to open the ancient lock on the grate.
Hearing a noise in the corner near her, Michiru whispered to the others, "I think we're about to have company . . . " Moving to the spot Michiru vacated, the others stared in dread as the floor gave way.
Poking her head up, Haruka said merrily, "What's up?" The girls sighed in extreme relief and, very literally, wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
"Do you have any idea how much you scared us?" Lita demanded as she reached a hand down to help Haruka up. As if emphasizing her statement, Mina sat down hard with a loud plunk echoed that her impact.
"Yeah, and you don't know the half of it!" She replied, gesturing in the direction she came from.
"Well we smell part of it!" Raye snorted, pinching her nose at the stench.
Haruka glanced around and smiled again. "Trust me, you don't even notice it after a while." And, after a hasty greeting, added, "we've only got fifteen minutes to get as far away as possible, I'll explain as we go."
"We've got to go down there?" Mina cried miserably, looking at the hole that suddenly seemed so menacing to her. "Betrayed, captured, and now stenched! Who knows what kind of . . . What kind of things live down there!"
"Come on, Mina," Setsuna gently prodded, covering her smile with her hand. Lita, Amy, and Michiru were suppressing giggles of their own. Of course, Mina had all intentions of going, it's just that she figured it was best to get her whining out of the way early. Frowning, she grudgingly made her way toward the source of her nausea.
"Uh . . . Wait . . . " Haruka cringed slightly as the girls turned her way. Never in her life did she run from a fight, but this was one she wished she could, at the very least, avoid. "The twins and Nathaniel are with me," she rushed, "and the other Guardians are with Safir."
The shocked silence was more deafening than thunder. Then an almost simultaneous, "WHAT!"
"Shhh!" She replied. "We don't have time. I'll explain later, suffice it to say, they aren't evil, just . . . uh . . . " She searched for the right word. "Misguided, maybe? I don't know, and it's hard to explain, so you're just going to have to trust me on this one." This Haruka said firmly and she met each one's eyes for a response. She was silently grateful when no one (at least not verbally) questioned her sanity on this.
Mina was the first one down the ladder. It seemed to everyone that she moved faster now knowing that Ryan was below waiting. Amy approached the hole thoughtfully and glanced back in Haruka's direction once more before descending. Raye was less tactful. She crossed her arms and stared at the opening in the floor for several long moments. She knew Ruark was there, but she was unsure if she was ready to forgive him so easily. With a snort of disgust, she followed Amy. The four remaining girls, Lita, Setsuna, Michiru, and Haruka, shook their heads.
Lita patted Haruka on the shoulder and whispered, "I sure hope you know what you're doing!" Haruka just grimaced.
"You had no choice, you know." Setsuna said softly and walked away.
Once again, Haruka toyed with the pendant she wore and hoped it was the right one. Truth be told, she didn't know if she could trust her own judgment. Michiru touched her arm in gentle reassurance and followed Setsuna. After Haruka joined the group, she listened to the (only slightly) heated arguments between the companions for a moment before saying, "This can wait, we've got to hurry."
With Nathaniel and Amy leading, they made their way through the dank sewers rapidly. It took them twelve minutes to reach the oval anteroom known as the Alchemy Room. It led to the Chamber of Hades, a place where heinous, unexplainable torture of the mind and body occurred. It was also where Hotaru was believed to be held.
Their entrance had not been noticed, which was a good thing because they could not have lifted a finger in their own defense. Safir, Ashton, and Cameron were frozen in awe. They had expected to find Hotaru here, but what they witnessed when they emerged in the Chamber of Hades would alternately haunt and amaze them for the rest of their lives . . .
Hotaru, bathed in muted lavender light, stood suspended nearly two feet above the ground. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were folded. Her lips moved as if in silent prayer. Her planetary symbol was boldly emblazoned on her forehead.
One by one, several of the guards reached out to touch Hotaru and exploded in a ball of flame, leaving nothing more than a pile of ash in their wake. A few of the guards had better sense than to get too close, so they stayed just beyond her light, but not far enough to be considered remiss in duty. Silently, the leader considered what to do next, because he did not know how she had managed to break the bonds that held her. At the outset of the day, the Dark Power-weakened girl had been thrashing in her nightmare infested world.
Wise Man was a master of dream manipulation and he had outdone himself with this one. Hotaru had been bound hand and foot and unable to see beyond a blindfold. They had watched with deep pleasure as the all-powerful Sailor of Silence trembled and cried out her horror. Wise Man had wanted her more than immobilized, he wanted her crucified by her own fear. After he had put Hotaru in a near-coma state, he brought her just far enough back that she could not regain her power–power so potent that it even Wise Man feared it–but enough that she would live everything in her dreams. Mental cuts and bruises had caused real ones to appear on her physical body. The droids had watched as multitudes of welts surfaced, knowing that, before long, her mental strength would be gone. Then that dream would end, only to be replaced by one more frightening than the last.
During a rather intense moment of sobs and screams, the girl went silent. Of a sudden, the bindings that held her unraveled. The shadows in the room brightened as color emanated from Hotaru herself. The lacerations healed themselves and she drifted to rest in her current position. It was a situation that the leader's feeble mind was not yet ready to comprehend; at the same time, he knew that if he reported the events to Wise Man, he would be blamed for the mishap and be made to suffer severe reprimand. Not a pleasant idea, so the leader watched and waited. He even tried picking a guard at random to try to bring the girl back to her restraints. So far, no one was able to even get close to her.
Cameron, Safir, and Ashton stared in wonderment as Hotaru's sign faded and the light blinked out, leaving the penetrating darkness to surround them.
Abruptly the darkness gave way to a pure, cleansing light that sprang from the very point of the Silence Glaive. Sailor Saturn's proud face shimmered in the glow. She wore a grim smile and said simply, "Good bye." Before a single soul could even blink, she swung her Glaive in a wide arc, easily slicing through all who tried to torture and torment her. Saturn then turned to the men who came for her.
"Interesting." Jeff stopped walking and concentrated his gaze further down the hall.
Brandon sidled closer to him. "What is?"
"They don't seem to be moving."
While Brandon was no slacker when it came to his duties (though he was considered a consummate actor), there was no one as observant as Jeff. He had the uncanny ability of learning anything about someone or some situation just by watching. Brandon smiled, "they're not talking or anything, either." He glanced at his cousin, "a distraction, you think?"
"Hmm . . . Perhaps." Jeff mused, rubbing his chin.
"But if those aren't real, then what the hell are they? We really don't have time for this!"
"Calm down, Brand! You're getting as bad as Bryce!"
"Sorry. Guess big brother's rubbed off on me a bit." Then a frown marred his brow, "I suppose I shouldn't call him that anymore, huh?"
Before moving in on their target location, Jeff glanced at the other a long moment, then closed the identity subject by saying, "I believe we can safely assume we are who we believe we are. It's in us to make the decisions and chose the paths we travel."
Brandon looked at him sharply, thinking he was mocking him. He started to reply, but Jeff was already moving down the corridor toward the Hall of Echoes, from there, they could reach Darien.
Day 14 of Serena's incarceration . . . Wedding day . . . Early afternoon . . .
This is it, the black-cloaked man thought ruefully. He'd managed to avoid being tracked because he'd split from the others. He feared their days and dates may have been wrong, but he was assured that all was proceeding as Dimando had planned. The others would be meeting him inside the Throne Room, but first he had to prevent the travesty about to occur. It was silent throughout the upper levels of Tartarus, probably due to the impending ceremony. The double doors he could see across from him were closed against intrusion. There was a breathless silence, like Time itself was standing still. He could almost feel anticipation of the changing events seeping from the very walls surrounding him.
Double checking to be sure no one had seen him, he crept out from behind the massive column he had rested near. It took several moments to cross the red runner carpet in the Main Hall. Stopping near the etched obsidian doors, he listened for any sign that he'd been found out. There was only that same feeling of expectancy that added to the urgency he felt in his soul. He suppressed his initial compulsion to charge through the doors and sighed deeply. At his touch, the doors silently glided open. A tiny smile of success graced his face when he heard from the altar, "Do you swear your life and love to this man?"
He watched with a heavy heart as Serena shook her head, "I . . . I . . . I . . . " She stumbled out.
He stepped out of the shadows that concealed him, relief and determination etched on his face, and firmly spoke, "I'm afraid I can't let her do that."
