PREY OF THE QUEEN SPIDER

Chapter 9: "The Jewel of Eternal Power"
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Mamoru cast a melancholy look back at the hotel he was hurrying away from. It was eleven p.m. and few lights were on outside of the lobby. The street echoed with his footsteps as he headed down the street for the train station. The suitcase in his hand seemed to drag at him like an anchor and the thought occurred to him that he just might be walking away from a promising medical career.

But ultimately that paled next to the thought of Usagi being in danger. Otoki had said the same thing when he'd explained where he was going and it didn't dissuade him then. It was a sacrifice and it hurt to make it. It had been a chance to regain some of the ground he'd lost during two abortive attempts to attend Harvard. But given a choice between losing this and losing Usagi? It was no contest. Though Luna had explained the situation and told him she was in good hands, it wasn't enough for him. Though the sensation of her distress had lessened over the last hour, it wasn't enough. He had to be there. He had to guard her. If it meant a lower academic ranking or another year until graduation or living in the street in tatters, preserving her existence was the single most important thing to him. It always was and it always would be.

Mamoru turned the corner and ran into a man walking his dog. The man looked up at him as the dog sniffed warily. It was Dr. Tomohama, his instructor at the seminar on radiation sickness.

"Chiba," the distinguished man said. In his sixties, the man had the girth of a man who had lived a long life, but still possessed keen eyes and a stern, imposing manner that commanded respect - - certainly more respect than his miniature terrier commanded. His eyes glanced at the suitcase in Mamoru's hand and an eyebrow raised. "Going someplace?"

"Home, Sensei," Mamoru replied.

"Couldn't cut it? If the sight of radiation burns was too much for you, why did you even come? You deprived another person of the opportunity to learn."

"It's not that, Sensei," Mamoru told him. "There's a problem at home. My wife - - has taken ill."

"Oh," he said quietly and looked away. For a moment, Mamoru seemed to sense a ghost haunting the vaunted Dr. Tomohama. "Well, that's unfortunate. You were showing promise. But illness is often known for its bad timing. Please extend my best wishes to your wife."

"I will, Sensei," Mamoru said and hurriedly moved past the man.

"Chiba," Tomohama said, causing Mamoru to stop several feet past him and turn back. "If it ends up taking no more than a day or two, please come back. You'll be able to pick up what you missed. You're a bright lad."

"Very well," Mamoru nodded. Tomohama still had his back to him.

"And if you have to miss the rest of the seminar," Tomohama continued, now far less imposing that before and far more a solitary man in his sixties, "perhaps I can - - well, work something out for you." He paused a moment. "Your wife - - is she pretty?"

"Prettiest woman on the planet," Mamoru smiled.

Tomohama turned so his face could just be seen. There was a smile on it.

"Aren't they always," he whispered hoarsely and continued walking his dog.

Sailor Pluto scanned the darkness surrounding them as she knelt protectively next to Sailor Moon. While her princess slept, Pluto remained vigilant for any signs of attack. Just because the previous attackers had ran off, with Uranus and Neptune in pursuit, didn't mean they wouldn't return. Divide and conquer was a simple but effective strategy and though it seemed beyond creatures such as the Spider Goblins, they and their queen particularly had proven to be crafty adversaries.

"My Princess!" Pluto gasped when she felt Sailor Moon begin to stir. "Are you sufficiently recovered?"

"I can't believe I fainted," moaned Sailor Moon. "I am such a doofus."

"My Princess," Pluto smiled with sympathy. "You expended a great deal of energy saving Sailor Uranus. It is no mark against you."

"I bet Neptune was giving me the evil eye again," Sailor Moon said. She hid her face in shame.

"Actually she was quite grateful," Pluto told her. "Only Uranus was cross and she was more angry with herself for putting you in such a dilemma than with you for acting as you did."

"When am I going to get this?" Sailor Moon asked, sniffing loudly. "I'm almost twenty years old! When am I ever going to be someone people like Neptune and Uranus respect?"

"My Princess," Pluto said, "any differences you may have with Neptune and Uranus are differences of philosophy, not of respect. You have accomplished so much and only your modesty keeps you from claiming it." Sailor Moon still seemed down. "My Princess, a diamond is considered a crystal of perfection. But it is only such after millions of years of molding and only then after the work of a master craftsman."

Sailor Moon's brow furrowed. "Pluto, I'm not sure I can wait a million years."

Pluto struggled mightily to keep from laughing. Then Sailor Moon glanced slyly up at her.

"My Princess," Pluto asked, trying to sound stern with the edges of her mouth curling. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Well," Sailor Moon replied, dimples forming as her mouth curled and a naughty girl's look in her eye, "yeah. You really don't smile often enough to suit me."

Pluto was about to respond. Then her hand closed on Sailor Moon's shoulder as she grew quite serious. Sailor Moon instantly filled with dread.

"Are you well enough to move?" Pluto asked.

Sailor Moon nodded.

Suddenly the Ruby Orb Staff turned and pointed into a clump of trees.

"Dead Scream," Pluto commanded. A sonic charge ripped into the clump of trees, flailing them into splinters.

But leaping out of the clump and avoiding the sonic blast was the Kumo-onna, flanked by two Spider Goblins. Pluto and Sailor Moon both backed quickly to defensive distances from the giant arachnids, Pluto bringing the staff to bear.

"Surrender your power to me!" demanded the woman-thing, her head and torso mounted atop a giant spider abdomen, her long black hair swirling around her and her eyes blazing unnaturally. "Surrender it or I'll rip it from your lifeless body"

The hopelessness of her situation was beginning to dawn on Sailor Jupiter. Despite straining against the sticky silk that cocooned her body until her muscles ached and her breath rasped in her lungs, she wasn't one step closer to freedom. The spider silk wasn't going to break,
not even for one with the unusual level of strength that she had. She had nothing to cut it with and no way to burn free with her lightning. All she could do was lay against the support of the web she dangled from and wonder.

Not knowing was probably the worst part of it for her. She couldn't see and could barely hear. Time had lost all meaning. It could have been years since her capture or just minutes. Her only clue that she wasn't alone and abandoned was the voice of the Kumo-onna, which she hadn't heard in a while, or the occasional creepy touch of one of the Spider Goblins. Every time they touched her, Jupiter feared it was her last moment on Earth. She wanted to scream, but the silk around her mouth kept her quiet. If only she could fight back. Dying fighting was infinitely preferable to dying helpless.

Or dying alone and abandoned. As creepy and fear-inducing as the touch of the goblins were, they at least told Jupiter that she hadn't been abandoned to die. That frightened her, too. It was just one of dozens of horrible scenarios her mind, in its growing paranoia, had constructed.

"I've got to get loose!" she thought with just that much more urgency this time than the other hundred times she'd thought that thought.

For there were other motivations for her besides self-preservation. Self-preservation was big in her mind and growing bigger with every second of captivity. But there was also the plan she'd heard the Kumo-onna outline. When she heard word that Sailor Moon and 'others like her' were coming, Jupiter felt a surge of anticipation. Surely Sailor Moon, Mars and Venus would find her and rescue her. But then she heard the Kumo-onna outline her plan to attack, to try to divide the senshi, to separate Sailor Moon away from her guardians and capture the crystal from her and Jupiter became fearful again. Could she do it? For all Jupiter knew, Sailor Moon and the others might be dangling from webs as well, mummified in spider silk and waiting to be devoured.

Jupiter felt her eyes stinging and her throat tightening. She hadn't cried since she was fourteen. But she didn't know what else to do. It all seemed so hopeless. Rather than submit to the welling tears, though, Jupiter strained at the sticky, binding silk once again, ignoring the protests of her worn muscles.

Just then, a human voice cut through the stillness. Jupiter couldn't quite make it out,
since the wrappings around her head muffled her hearing. But following on the heels of the shout was an explosion that rattled the area, shaking the trees and the web strung between the trees and her as she dangled helplessly from the web.

"Was that an earthquake?" Jupiter wondered silently as the web beneath her swayed to a stop.

She could feel activity along the web-lines. The strands of the web jiggled when one of the spiders skittered along them. The Spider Goblins were suddenly restless. Was it an earthquake? Then another explosion and another tremor occurred, shaking the web violently. This wasn't a natural occurrence. Jupiter began thrashing again, trying to free herself from the web if nothing else. The vibrations on the web were getting closer. One of the Spider Goblins was nearby. VERY nearby and Jupiter was getting bad vibes from it. One of the legs touched her along the abdomen and Jupiter wanted to yell out her rage and fear and frustration, but couldn't.

"Space Sword Blaster!" came the call and Jupiter knew. Even as deadly energy arcs sliced the Spider Goblin beside her into ribbons and its death squeal rang in her ears, Jupiter knew. The ground shaking explosions and the deadly energy blasts meant Sailor Uranus had arrived. And if Uranus was here, her partner for life Neptune was nearby.

Was Sailor Moon with them? Or had they, in their characteristic arrogance, left her behind and attacked on their own, not guessing the Kumo-onna's real objective?

"World Shaking!" Uranus roared.

To Jupiter, it felt like the geo-force blast had struck one of the trees supporting the web she was on. It was a violent impact, followed by the mournful cry of rending wood. Jupiter suddenly found herself awash in vertigo, then the ground came up and met her hard. Something ran up and a human hand touched her shoulder.

"Just sit tight, Makoto," she heard Uranus say quickly. "We'll get you free. We've just got to find that Kumo-onna first and make sure she's neutralized."

"MMMMMMPH!" Jupiter cried, thrashing as best she could in her silk cocoon. But Uranus ignored her and ran off. "MMMMMPH! NNNNGFF!"

It was no use. They were playing right into the Kumo-onna's hands. And she had no way to warn them. Suddenly Jupiter was no longer afraid for herself.

She was afraid for Sailor Moon.

"Where is Mako-chan!" Sailor Moon demanded.

The unearthly appearance of the Kumo-onna was unnerving. Though the woman half of her had a primitive beauty to her, the spider half of her was hideous and menacing. And her eyes were cold and predatory. She was such an unearthly sight that few could blame anyone, even a senshi, from running at the very sight of her. And yet all Sailor Moon could think of was the safety of Makoto.

"Who is 'Mako-chan'?" the spider queen asked, sensing the upper hand. "Your companion, perhaps? The one I caught in my forest? The one who now lies bound up in my web, helplessly waiting for me to suck the life from her?"

A small squeal of anxiety escaped Sailor Moon's mouth and the Kumo-onna knew she had her. The spider queen edged closer, her eight spindly legs moving in slow motion while she held Sailor Moon's eyes.

"Dead Scream," Sailor Pluto said, her jaw set and her staff raised.

A sonic blast shot out, kicking up grass and bark as the spider queen hastily leaped over the blast. She landed nimbly, but found Pluto had pivoted with her to keep herself between the monster and Sailor Moon.

"Return our companion to us," Pluto demanded. Though there was little emotion in her voice, it was readily evident that there was no room for negotiation.

"I don't free prey," the Kumo-onna snapped, disdainful of even speaking to Sailor Pluto. Then she turned back to Sailor Moon and her mouth curled coldly. "But perhaps I can be - - induced?"

"What do you want?" Sailor Moon demanded.

"You," she replied, her golden yellow eyes glinting in the low light. "An even exchange. Your companion's life for yours."

"Unacceptable," Pluto interjected, knowing what Sailor Moon's response would be.

Pluto noticed the spider queen make a subtle motion with her hand. Instantly she whirled, bringing her staff to bear on the Spider Goblin charging her from her left flank.

"Dead Scream," Pluto said. The sonic charge lanced out. Though the goblin managed to dodge the full force, its legs were clipped on the left side and it stumbled to the ground wounded.

Instantly Pluto whirled to the right, for the other goblin was charging her right flank. Another soft phrase invoked another sonic blast. This goblin was too close to dodge and took the blast full in the face. It tumbled backwards, propelled by the blast from Pluto's staff, until it came to a stop and didn't move.

But even Pluto couldn't be in three places at once. As she brought her staff back to bear on the spider queen, she and Sailor Moon saw the queen lunge forward and spray more of the deadly green mist from her mouth, the mist that nearly killed Sailor Uranus. Pluto flinched back, but felt the cloud engulf her. Upon contact she could feel her lungs burning and the strength begin to bleed from her body.

"SILVER MOON CRYSTAL POWER KISS!" shrieked Sailor Moon.

The wave of silver energy washed over Pluto like a tidal wave of healing. The green mist was instantly neutralized. Pluto felt the energy penetrate her lungs and the burning sensation stopped. Though it wasn't enough to stop her from staggering back and falling to the ground, the sapping of her energy stopped.

"Astonishing," gasped the Kumo-onna. "No one has ever vanquished my poison mist attack before, not even the strongest priest or demon hunter! You ARE the one of the legend! The one who will rule the Earth for a hundred lifetimes!"

She began to stalk Sailor Moon, crouching down as her legs moved her to Sailor Moon's right. Sailor Moon gave ground, but kept her adversary in front of her and far enough away to be out of range of the poison green mist.

"Give me your power," she hissed. "Give it to me and I'll let you live."

"No!" Sailor Moon replied. "Please, can't you see this is wrong? Hurting others is never right, but certainly not to get power!"

"You beg unconvincingly. Give me your power! Give it to me or I'll consume your companion! It's the only way to save her from my hungry children!"

Sailor Moon wavered.

"My Princess," Pluto gasped, struggling to rise. "Do not do it! She lies! We are just meat to her! She will take your power and Makoto will die anyway, as will millions more!"

"But if there's a chance," Sailor Moon argued.

"There is none! She lures you in with false hope! Your only chance is to destroy her"
Pluto retorted. "Makoto's only chance is for you to destroy her!"

And then the Kumo-onna lunged.

Mamoru was fully prepared to rent, borrow or steal a car at the station should there be no train to Tokyo anytime soon. But luck smiled upon him in this instance. A train was about to leave. Hurrying through the ticket window, Mamoru ran across the station floor haunted by visions of the train pulling out seconds before he arrived, leaving him unable to help his one and only love.

Boarding the graveyard train back to Tokyo, Mamoru gave a wheezing sigh of relief, then suddenly grasped his head. His suitcase slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.

"Are you ill, sir?" one of the train attendants asked. The polite young woman held onto his forearm to support him in case he slumped to the floor. "I can call for a medical squad."

"No," Mamoru said absently, seeking out a seat. "Thank you. It's just - - it's nothing."

While the attendant watched with mounting concern, the dark young man slid into his seat, still grasping his head. So clearly in pain, he ignored the hovering woman. Mamoru was so preoccupied that he'd forgotten his suitcase, and the bag lay on the floor of the rail car. Gently the attendant picked it up for him and put it in the overhead compartment. Mamoru ignored her completely. He was too caught up in the sensation knifing through his skull.

Usagi had just been in some distress before. Now she was in danger.

Continued in Chapter 10