Episode 3 Act 4 Falling Buildings

Starstrike shadow shifts about town exploring. She needed to find out as much as she could about this backwards planet out in the middle of no where. This was now her brother's playground it seamed and if she was to keep track of him she had best know the territory. There are few as good at shadow shifting as that little trickster. She also needs to find out where the wench lived so she could recover the locket. She still could not fathom how that brat had gotten a hold of it. Krahazik couldn't have given it to her; the vault is protected against any form of teleportation. Even the mistress couldn't teleport into it. So how? Amy rounds a corner by the theatre and comes face to face with a striking beauty of a woman standing there proud and strong in her dark black and royal purple clothing looking like a princess out of a book. A moment later and Amy recognizes the beauty from the theatre. Starstrike stars at Amy as if she were judging something.

"Oh! Excuse me, I'm looking for someone." Amy steps aside then continues walking down the street thinking about the person she just saw. "I know her from somewhere?" she says to herself.

Starstrike turns and regards Amy. "And who could you be looking for at this time of night?" Starstrike says with a bit of acid in her sweet voice and that tone of condescending, strikes the memory in Amy. The woman who put a hole in the theatre.

"A friend. Now if you will excuse me, I'm in a hurry." Amy says and walks away with a slight noble air about her self.

Starstrike disregards Amy as not being worth anything, especially her time and resumes her exploration and searching.

"That mischievous little cat!" Lita thunders seeing Krahazik and Michelle disappear into a shadow. Lita still vented, but soon the anger left her and she just sighed. She looked about her and cringed at the work ahead. "And those were my good dishes too." Lita shakes her head and begins to pick up the broken dishes and clean the food off the floor. Rei starts to help clean the kitchen.

Monday morning. Time for all good college students to head to classes. People are heading to school. There is still talk of the explosion of the arcade, the disappearing police station and the explosion at the theatre. Krahazik is sound asleep in Michelle's bed as she prepares for class. He'll sleep all day but she wishes she could. She was up all night keeping him from causing any trouble. Michelle was already in her collage uniform as she grabbed her bag. Michelle walked back over to Krahazik and kissed him lightly. "Bye my love, I will see you later." Michelle slowly walked out the door and flew down the streets for class.

Starstrike examined her new house. That pathetic weasel she dealt with may have been scum, but he had done an excellent job of setting up her identity on this world and providing her with background and a house worthy of her. Then again, his life was on the line. She smiled the though. She of course let him live. He could be useful later. Now she could focus on finding the locket. In her new earth clothes, befitting a proper lady of her station, she set out the hunt.

Being up all night looking for Hotaru and Krahazik, Amy went to school, but was tired. Since she had studied a lot before hand she has passed the first exam of the day with a 97. "Sigh, that was harder than I thought it would be." Amy states as she goes to her next class. Michelle was lucky that she majored in Dance and Music, her classes were so easy and fun. She was making a presentation today for her final grade, like an exam but that was not till Friday. Starstrike went into town. She paused a moment to feel the energies about her. Serena walks down the street her. She tries to figure out what Darien wanted to tell her since they never got to that the other night. "Stupid cat" Serena thought to herself.

Rei walks up to Serena, "Hey there how's it going Serena?"

Serena looks up "Oh hi Rei" She said in her said voice. Serena catches sight of a flyer posted in a window announcing a performance by a new diva from out of town.

"What's up you look so sad today?" Rei says while walking with Serena.

Serena shrugs "I don't know. I wish that Darien would have told me what he wanted to tell me, but of course first that woman in theater, and then the cat guy. He never got a chance to."

"Well I could tell you, but if I do Darien, Amy, Lita, and Mina, might want to kill me." Rei sticks her tongue out, "Darien will tell you, I know he will."

"That's if he ever gets a chance." Serena looks down again.

"Aww. Don't look so down, at least you've got Darien." Rei puffs her cheeks for a moment, then laughs.

Amy yawns. "Let's see carry the 4, divide by 2." Amy works on a problem on a math exam.

Serena smiles a little "Yeah I guess your right Rei."

"So how have you done on your finals for this semester so far?" Rei asks.

Serena shrugs "Okay I guess. My lowest grade so far was an 81."

Rei hugs you, "Alright Serena! I'm so proud of you, and I know Amy and the others would be too."

"Thanks Rei." Serena smiles "So how did you do."

"How did I know what?" Rei gets confused face.

"Now that I'm done with that what do I do?" Amy walks down the hall on her way out from her last class.

"Michelle, you're up next. Get your music ready and take first position."

"Yes Mrs. Miato." Michelle walked over to the CD player with her disk and got it ready. "I wish you could be here to see this Krahazik." Michelle thought as she walked to the middles of the stage. Krahazik sat at Michelle's computer. He yawned as the information for the school she went too came up. It had taken him a couple of hours to figure out this planet's computer systems and internet. Finally he had it down and had hacked into the college computer system. He was busy creating an entry for himself and in 2 other tabs he had hacked city and federal records to create a past for himself. That way if any one at the school checked, he has been a round a while. Michelle heard the music start and started to dance. Her movements were smooth and grace full. She danced as if on air. Michelle spun and twirled as if she was a professional dancer. "This is for you Krahazik." Michelle muttered under her breath as she continued to dance. With his work done on the computer and his tracks completely wiped out, Krahazik decided to go back to bed for some more shuteye.

Starstrike explored the city in her new human guise. She placed a few inquiries and circulated Neptune's description amongst a few certain discreet people. She decided to visit a local gangster she had herd about to acquire his resources. She new he wouldn't refuse her.

Hearing the music from the Arts center Amy decides to go take a look, "Wonder if Michelle has done her performance yet?" Michelle was already about half way through her dance, she was hoping that Krahazik would show up before the really good part.

"Ah..." other students are in awe, "Wow she's really pulling out the stops, and she's into her performance like she's showing off to someone." Amy thinks a bit about what she just said to herself, as she sits at the back of the hall and watches. Krahazik sleeps in bed dreaming of tricks, stunts, and general chaos.

Starstrike's meeting was not going very well. The gangster was insulting and disrespectful. When he had his men draw their guns on her that was the last straw. She went from mad to enrage instantly. Not far from the school in a low high rise and entire floor of the building blows out. The windows explode out ward as if from a massive concussion wave. Some bits of furniture and 3 ruff looking men in work suits are also blown out the building. A moment later a sonic boom rips threw the town from the building.

Michelle heard the explosion and ran from the gym near the greatest part of the dance yet. 'I have to be careful.' "Neptune Crystal Make-up!" Michelle changed into Neptune and shadow shifted to the scene of the disturbance in 3 shifts. The whole floor was a mess. Men were strewn all over the place along with furniture and pieces of walls. Guns were also spread about. A loud strong female voice can be herd from the other end of the building. Neptune ran down the corridor and seen the figure of a lady at the end.

Starstrike stands in what's left of an office over a large man cowering not far from what's left of his bay window. She has her sword on him. She is no longer in her human guise. "How DARE" and on the word dare the walls shake just a little from the sonics in her voice. "you speak to me in such a manner."

"Yo, Lady, chill out and just leave the human alone." Neptune challenges.

Starstrike turns to face Neptune. Her expression calm and in control. "Well now. Just who I was looking for."

Neptune gulped, why would a psycho like this one be looking for her. "What do you want with me!"

"First off, your name child." Starstrike says.

"Sailor Neptune to you Miss. Now I would like yours in return." Michelle said with a bit more firmness than she had asked her first question.

"I" She says taking a relaxed but authoritive posture. "am Lady Starstrike. Shadow Knight of Sound and Song. You have something that belongs to us." She pointes her sword at Neptune as if it were her finger. She moves as if the blade was apart of her arm and body.

Mercury makes a late entrance as the explosion from nowhere boggled her, for one and she was unable to contact any of the others for two, "Neptune what just happened?"

"If you mean the locket, Krahazik gave it to me." Neptune placed it in her outfit. "Lady Starstrike here, just blew up half this floor and was about to kill that human. Now she wants the locket Krahazik gave me."

"Now child, hand over the locket." Starstrike commands.

"No, it will stay with me Starstrike. I think Krahazik would want it that way." Neptune replies.

Saturn jumped behind Mercury and Neptune. "So that's what that explosion was?"

Starstrike takes a threatening step forward. "I won't ask again. Hand it over."

"I think not." Mercury says as she looks at Starstrike, "The Scouts will never let you kill the people of this world, nor take possessions that are given to them, or us."

"And just who are you." Starstrike says without pulling her eyes away from Neptune taking another step. "I don't know how you got the locket out of the vault, but I know Krahazik didn't give it to you." Hotaru quickly put up a silence shield around Neptune and mercury. With a flick of her free wrist the silence shields are shattered without effort. Starstrike spares a glance at Hotaru.

"One of the protectors of the Earth and the Moon I am Sailor Mercury" Mercury states.

"I suggest you back off a bit jealous lady." A single rose lands at the feet of Starstrike.

Starstrike ignores the rose, "I am here for one reason. I WILL WAIT NOLONGER!" Starstrike rushes Neptune. "Give it to me!" Her sword swinging in a fatal arc towards Neptune. The gangster boss crawled away in the commotion. The rest of the building clears out.

Saturn jumped in front of her. "You won't touch her!"

Without pause Starstrike strikes sending Hotaru flying across the floor with a gaping slash across her chest. She doesn't even pause as she goes into her second swing with fluid well practiced motion. Hotaru de-transforms and calls out from the floor, "Neptune! Get out of there!"

"I think not" Tuxedo Mask jumps in blocking Starstrike's second slash wit a titanium walking cane- "Quite a fierce one aren't you."

Starstrike appears slightly annoyed at the interruption, but she doesn't underestimate this foe. She launches into the fierce flurry of attacks on Darien not giving him a chance to counter. She appears to be flawless in her skill and technique which he can't quite place.

Neptune maybe we should combined our abilities, its something that I have been hypothesizing on trying" Mercury whispers to Neptune. Hotaru's wound is deep reaching down to her ribcage. She bleeds profusely and will require stitches to close the wound. Any deeper and the slash would be fatal.

Blocking and dodging the attacks fluidly he states, "Quite a well versed and skilled opponent indeed you are, but you have a weakness as even the greatest of fighters have one.", this statement gives the scouts insight to do something. Hotaru struggles up, grabs her wound, and walks over to the other scouts.

Noticing the strength in Darien's defenses she breaks off going into a back flip. Mid-flip she screams with a slash of her sword "Star Fury Strike!" causing a highly compressed wave of air and sound screeching towards Darien like an invisible blade.

Hotaru laughs slightly and says under her breath, "I can heal others, but I can't heal myself." Hotaru feels a bit dizzy from blood loss. She remembers the time Krahazik healed her.

Mars shows up, letting go a fierce attack "MAAARS FIRE SURROUND!" the blast is aimed at Starstrike cutting through her attack.

Tuxedo Mask leaps out of the way as this happens, "I'll take you to get help" He says picking up Saturn and leaping to a window ledge.

Starstrike is knocked back landing in a defensive crouch. Fury written all over her face. She takes in a deep breath as debris begins the rattle just a little.

"Scouts watch out for her attacks she's quite a dangerous one" Tuxedo Mask states and leaps out the window with Hotaru in his arms.

Hotaru closes her eyes slightly. "I feel so week..." she smiles. "But I'll be okay, won't I Darien?"

Landing outside Tuxedo Mask runs to his car, "Yeah kiddo you'll be okay, I just need to get you to a safe place." He starts the car and de-transforms from Tuxedo Mask, then speeds off down the street towards the hospital.

"Star Shadow Screeeeeeeeeeeaaaam" She yells sending a cone of a sonic shockwave at Amy and Neptune. Amy is sent flying out the other side of the building as Neptune drops to a knee unharmed. The supports and structure of the building within the cone are sent the same direction as Amy. The building begins the creak and groan loudly.

"Mercury! Neptune!" Mars yells.

"MERCURY BUBBLES!" Mercury yells as she flies threw the air sending an attack at Starstrike. "UUGGH!" Mercury lands on the ground outside heavily bruise.

As the building begins to collapse, Neptune disappears into a nearby shadow.
Starstrike dodges the bubbles and turns with a scowl. She walks into the shadow of a near by beam. The structure can no longer support the other 6 floors above. Mars runs out of the building, to avoid becoming a human pancake. She just gets clear of the 3rd floor as the floor above collapses. The building then proceeds to implode in on it self. A few minutes later the local police arrive at the scene of the collapsed building. The sailor scouts have all cleared out. College has ended and every one is heading home. Krahazik sleeps soundly. In another 3 hours he will awaken with the setting of the sun. Starstrike returns to her home having lost Neptune in the shadows. The gangster Starstrike had gone to see and whose building she had just collapse moved quickly to go underground. His entire operation was completely wiped out.

End Act 4