First up I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long. Being back at work has been a lot harsher than I expected. It didn't help that this chapter had to be rewritten at least twice. Well it's posted now so I hope someone out there enjoys it.
Second I've looked through the story and decided that it doesn't quite warrant an M rating. From now on I'll place a warning for strong language at the start of relevant chapters.
The usual disclaimers arrive. Don't post without asking, I don't own Sailor Moon, yadda, yadda. Etc.
Please send reviews and let me know what you think.
A Second Destiny
Chapter 8: Change of strategy
Amongst the smoking wreckage of the school building Rei struggles to rise. There was something incredibly heavy across her back and legs. She thought it might be the desk from the office. She stopped pushing as a wave of pain ran across her back. She tried moving her legs and to her immense relief there was feeling. Her back was a mess though. She could feel something sharp stuck into her shoulders. She blinks repeatedly trying to clear her vision.
Ahead of her a group of younger girls run past. They are too panicked to notice her pinned in the rubble. Thick clouds of black smoke rise from numerous small fires.
An explosion rips the air apart as one of the emergency vehicles vanishes in a burst of dark energy and Rei buries her head as chunks of broken metal fly past. Cries from injured people come from nearby. Rei tries once more to shift the weight pinning her. It's hopeless, from her position she just doesn't have the leverage to free herself. She can remember flashes of the attack and isn't sure she wants to remember. She closes her eyes as, against her wishes the details of what had happened come back to her.
The attack had come without warning. Rei had been called to an office where two social workers had wanted to talk with her about her recent injuries. She was already exhausted after the battle the night before and then several unpleasant hours in the hospital, she had tried to look uninterested as several police cars came screaming by. The night had not been a fun experience and the last thing she needed was to be interrogated by some stupid counsellors who seemed determined to pin something on her grandfather. They had begun asking probing questions about how her nose had been broken. Despite her cover story it had been obvious that neither of the workers believed a word she said.
The questioning had been brought to an abrupt end when the fire alarm began shrieking. One of the counsellors had run to the door. An explosion from somewhere nearby had rocked the building and she had ducked back inside the office with a shriek.
Rei had stepped into the hallway as a girl she knew from the year above ran past screaming. The back of her uniform was ablaze. Without pausing to think Rei had thrown herself onto the older girl knocking them both to the ground, using her own body to smother the flames. As the flames were extinguished the sprinkler system had kicked into life, drenching both of them and cutting through the other girl's hysteria.
"Run, get out of here now!" Rei rose slowly to her feet wincing at the pain across stomach from the numerous minor burns. She had watched the girl scramble down the corridor before turning back to the office.
The shriek from behind had caused her to turn. An all too familiar figure had stood there holding a younger student by the head. The shadows had flared out for a moment and the girl's body had contorted horribly before she was discarded. The figure had turned and caught sight of Rei. She ducked hurriedly back into the office as a blast of energy just missed her. The two counsellors were still in the office hiding behind the desk.
Rei had hesitated, helpless to do anything. She had known that if she transformed she could have stopped the attack, or at least drawn the monster away from the school. But she couldn't transform into Sailor Mars with the counsellors in the room. She looked up in shock as another loud scream came from the hallway outside. She was on her feet with her transformation wand in her hand before stopping herself.
"What do I do now?" She thought in frustration. "If I transform in here my secret identity will be blown, but I can't just let someone die" She stood and raised the wand above her head as the terrified counsellors stared at her in shock. "Mars Power Trans…"
Another blast took the door off of its hinges and caught Rei in the back. She had fallen behind the desk as the figure, wrapped in shadows had entered dragging the prone form of anther girl in school uniform behind him.
"Let go of her you monster!" Rei looked in surprise up as one of the counsellors ran at the figure and beat her fists on the barrier of shadows. She looked over her shoulder at Rei. "Miss Hino, Run and save yourself!" The figure looked at her with eyes that now blazed red and raised a hand. The woman screamed as the darkness wrapped around her. Her feet had lifted slowly off the floor as the figure had grinned and made a sudden violent gesture. Rei's eyes had widened in shock as the counsellor's body had snapped backwards with a sickening crack. The unfortunate woman's screams had stopped and blood now ran from her mouth. Rei had closed her eyes, not wanting to see what happened next. There had been another series of loud cracks and a final thud.
Something had moved past Rei and she opened her eyes in time to see the other counsellor crawl franticly for the door. The figure had turned after her, stepping over the mangled forms of his other victims. The woman stumbled and fell into the corner of the office.
Rei had stood pulling an ofuda from a pocket in her uniform. "Rin-byou-tou-sha-kai-jin-retsu-za-zen, evil spirits begone!" She had thrown the charm at the figure and it had stuck. He had frozen yelling in anger and shock as the charm stopped him in his tracks. For a few seconds he had stood there, and then the dark energy increased dramatically. Rei remembered being thrown back like a rag doll as the world fell about her ears.
"C'mon Mercury, we need to get there fast." Jupiter gasped. The two scouts leap from building to building, preying that Rei isn't one of the dead.
"What exactly are we planning to do when we get there?" Mercury manages between gasps. "We're not strong enough to stop that thing by ourselves."
"That doesn't matter. There are too many lives at stake; we have to try even if we can't win."
Still trapped under the rubble, Rei looks up slowly as she hears the footsteps approach. The figure leans over her, his expression unreadable. The shadows around him are thicker, almost solid. "Probably because he's just fed." She thinks to herself. He leans over and takes her face in his hands. His touch is gentle almost tender as he tilts her face up to his own. Rei feels her energy leaving her as she shadows wash over her. "Everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't help you stop him. Take care of Grandpa for me."
Without warning the figure releases her as though she had given him an electric shock or something and steps back. The aura around him draws in close and his expression is shocked, confused.
"That energy, it's familiar. I know you don't I?" He asks more to himself than her. "You're like me aren't you?"
He raises his hand and Rei feels the dark energy envelop her once more. It's different this time, there is none of the draining she had felt before. She forces her eyes to focus and sees the figure's face twist into a crooked smile.
"Well miss Hino, It seems you get to live a while longer. Your classmates have satisfied my hunger and I now have another one of the leads I've been searching for." He turns without another word and begins to walk away
"Hold it right there!" Hearing Jupiter's voice, Rei looked up. She didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid for her friends.
"Schools are a place for learning. I Sailor Mercury won't forgive you for your actions."
"We are sailor soldiers of love and justice. I'm Sailor Jupiter and we won't allow you to hurt anyone else."
"As if you could stop me!" The figure yells throwing a ball of dark electrical energy. Mercury and Jupiter are already in the air, obviously anticipating this attack. Jupiter lands next to Rei while Mercury lowers her visor and faces off against the enemy.
"Mercury Bubble Blast!" She cries out as the bubbles fly into the shield. The answering blast misses her but tears clean through a teacher who is trying to ensure all of the students are clear of the danger. The teacher stands for a moment looking down I shock at the hole which had been burned through her body before slowly collapsing Seeing red Ami reaches deep inside herself and launches another attack. "MERCURY ICE BUBBLES FREEZE!"
The bubbles strike the figure and form almost instantly into an ice sculpture. Mercury looks at the computer taking energy readings then looks up in horror "Jupiter hurry up. I need your help over here. The ice isn't going to hold him!"
With a final heave Jupiter raises the desk long enough for Rei to crawl out. "Go on. Mercury needs you. I'll be there in a second." As Jupiter nods and runs off to join the fight Rei pulls the transforming wand and raises it. "Mars Power Transform!"
The ice cracks as the energy contained within increases. "Jupiter Thunder Crash!" the figure is thrown to the ground as the ice shatters. He throws another bolt of energy which catches Jupiter a glancing blow. She falls clutching the burn.
"Hold it! You've come here and killed people for no reason other than they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm Sailor Mars and I will punish you."
She brings her hands together. "Mars Fire Ignite!"
The figure unleashes a flame of his own, these flames are black but the heat is just as real. The two fires connect and the dark fire blows through Rei's attack. Rei watches in surprise as Mercury steps before her and takes the blast full on. Ami stands frozen, screaming in agony as the fires burn her.
"AMI!" Rei stands her eyes full of furious tears. "This time you've gone too far!" she throws an ofuda at the figure and cries out her attack. "MARS FIREBIRD STRIKE!"
"JUPITER THUNDER DRAGON!" Jupiter cries, adding her full power to Mars'
The figure stops his attack on Mercury, and throws up a shield around himself. Mars' bird of flame and Jupiter's dragon of thunder circle together forming a great winged dragon which is neither flame nor lightning, but a fearsome combination of both which lunges down with unstoppable fury. For a few second the outcome seems in doubt as raw energy splashes in all directions, he drops to his knees under the force of the attacks. "Shit they're still too powerful. I can't attack them as a group." The downpour of energy finally ends and the figure quickly stands up before them. He's dangerously weak now and knows it. He raises his hand and draws power together for another attack unable to let his opponents know how badly the last attack weakened him.
"I can't believe this." Jupiter gasps "What does it take to stop this guy?"
"More than any of you has." The figure replies his voice calm and unshaken."Mercury Bubble Blast!" The attack hits from the side knocking the figure back to the ground. Mercury collapses having spent the last of her energy. To the surprise of the others the figure scrambles to his feet, turns and runs using the mist to screen his escape.
"We've got to get after him." Mars insists. Jupiter grabs her friend's arm.
"It's too dangerous. The two of us aren't enough to put him away." She turns and hoists Mercury onto her back. "Besides we have to get Mercury some help. We're just lucky we stopped that attack quickly, before she was seriously hurt."
"I'm ok really." Mercury manages. "We've got to get back to the hospital and regroup."
The figure stands alone on a rooftop overlooking the school. The crumpled body of a fire-fighter lies at his feet. He watches the confusion below in silence as the dark aura drains the last of the life energy from his victim. "Those blasted sailor soldiers are simply too dangerous to face as a group. I'll need to isolate them and kill them one at a time. They will be keeping a watch over Sailor Venus at the hospital, but now I know Sailor Mercury's real name is Ami it will fairly easy to establish her real identity. So I'll start there." He turns and leaves the scene slowly. Next time there would be no mistakes.
That's it for now; I hope it was worth the wait. The next chapter should be up in a week or so. Any suggestions, advice or other comments please E-mail or post a review.
