We got Shingo and rescued more kids! But he doesn't remember? And what about the others?

It looks like we're splitting up to different places to help. Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna are with the original Tribulation force. Rei, Minako and the Starlights are also in the States with our younger American friends. Our families and other friends are in hiding back in Japan.

So I guess, it'll just be me, Ami, Makoto and Mamo-chan heading for the Meeting of the witnesses to catch up with Judd's group. And I wouldn't miss it for the world!


Judd raised his hands and knelt with the others. Melinda pointed her gun around and tried to support Felicia, who was pale and almost unconscious, her head hanging.

"On your faces!" Melinda shouted.

Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Hotaru had frozen in shock. Charlie wandered in, holding a candle. His eyes grew large when he recognized the two Morale Monitors. "I didn't know the water was bad, I promise!"

"On the floor!" Melinda yelled.

What had Conrad and Lionel told Judd about the girls? He knew they were fiercely loyal to the Global Community and their leader, Commander Blancka. Vicki confirmed the GC had turned on them and wanted them dead.

"You don't have to do this," Vicki said. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Shut up!" Melinda shouted. She then stared at Vicki and the rest. "You guys all look weird. What happened to your hair?"

Melinda let go of Felicia, and the girl fell to the floor. Mr. Stein was still kneeling with his hands folded in prayer.

"Can't we calm down?" Usagi asked holding her hands up. "Can't we just sit down and talk about this?"

Melinda fired into the ceiling, and plaster fell. "I said: on the ground! That means you too, Blondie!"

'Nine of us, two of them,' Judd thought. 'If we rush Melinda, we can overpower her, but some-one might get killed.' Judd caught Lionel's eye. Lionel clenched his teeth and shook his head.

"Your friend doesn't seem to be in good health." Ami had looked at the fallen Felicia and put a hand on her neck.

"Touch her and you die!" Melinda said, pointing the gun at the short-haired Japanese girl.

Judd lurched forward, but Melinda quickly put the gun in his face. "You want it first, Thompson?"

"This doesn't have to get ugly. Put the gun down." Usagi was saying.

"You haven't seen ugly yet."

Mark grabbed Judd's ankles. Ami then said. "I feel a pulse, but she has quite a temperature."

Vicki had crawled over and put an ear over Felicia's face. "Hardly breathing. Help me get her to a bed."

Mr. Stein moved to help. "Leave her alone!" Melinda shouted. She fired another bullet into the ceiling, sending the group scrambling.

"She's dying," Vicki said. "There may not be much time."

Melinda brushed dirty hair from her face. "Why would you help her?"

Vicki lifted Felicia's shoulders. "Put her in my room. It's closest." Melinda didn't move.

"Judd, get hot water from the stove and some rags," Vicki said. "Conrad, Makoto, drinking water. A lot of it."

"Not them," Melinda said, pointing to Conrad and Makoto. She nodded to Shelly and Usagi. "You."

"I'll get blankets, too," Shelly said.

Judd shoved a pot of water over the fire on the ancient stove. The schoolhouse still had no electricity.

"The rest of you stay here," Melinda say from the other room. She called out "And if you guys try to run, I'll shoot them."

Makoto noticed Rei and Minako were still outside preparing to sneak into the schoolhouse, ready to transform when they heard the gunshots.

"What kind of a person are you?" Makoto challenged Melinda." It's best to keep her attention on them so that the other two can

"You don't like me?" the armed girl snapped back, "What kind of a person are you, Stretch?!"

Mr. Stein helped prop up Felicia's head. "If she drank from the well," he said, "there is nothing we can do. The Scriptures say thousands will die from Wormwood."

Melinda barked orders in the other room. Shelly and Usagi brought water and blankets. Vicki tried to get Felicia to drink, but she didn't respond. "If we can get her to drink, it might wash out some of the poison."

Judd brought the warm water and rags to Vicki's room, Ami took the girl's temperature and Vicki cleaned Felicia's face. She grabbed a rolling pin from him. "You want to get us killed, Judd?"

"We have to do something," he said. Vicki tossed it under the bed. Melinda came running.

"If we can't get Felicia to drink clean water," Ami said, "I'm afraid, she doesn't look good."

Melinda ordered the others save Usagi into the next room. Judd glanced at Vicki on his way out.

"Why are you doing this?" Melinda asked Vicki and Ami.

"She's sick, with a temperature due to drinking tainted water. Why are you doing this?" Vicki questioned.

Melinda laughed. "I'm taking every one of you back. You're enemies of the Global Community."

"So are you," Ami said primly.

"What? I've been loyal to the GC since the day I signed on as a Morale Monitor."

"Then you don't know?" Vicki said.

"Know what?"

"The GC is after you. I'm surprised they haven't killed you already."

Melinda stared. "You're lying. Why would they be after us?"

Ami responded. "Because they don't wish to admit that their Morale Monitor project with Blanka was a failure let alone admit they let the Sailor senshi escape with their prized scapegoats."

"It's true, we thought you knew." Usagi added.

Felicia coughed and gagged, turning in the bed. She grabbed her stomach and screamed, "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Vicki, Usagi and Ami tried to hold her down, but Felicia clawed at them.

"Give us a hand!" Vicki yelled. "She's thrashing!" Ami cried.

"Felicia, it's me," Melinda hurried to her companion. "Try to drink some good water."

"I don't want a drink!" Felicia screamed. She writhed and fell back, unconscious again. Ami felt for a pulse. Felicia's heart was racing.

"I have to get her to a hospital," Melinda said.

Ami shook her head. "She'll be dead long before you get to the main road. And if the GC finds you, you will be too."

Melinda stared out the window. "Did you drink from the well?" Vicki asked. Melinda shook her head. "I had the cup to my mouth when she fell and started shaking."

"Wormwood," Vicki muttered.

"Worm what?"

"The comet's name," Vicki said. "The Bible predicted it would fall and poison the water. It also said people would die."

Melinda rolled her eyes. "That's right, you're part of the cult."

Ami actually laughed, but it was hollow. "Your Enigma Babylon encourages school book burning regarding Christians being hunted down, the Holocaust, committing antisemitic hate crimes, and persecution against believers, yet you call Judeo-Christianism a cult?"

Vicki elbowed her. "Well the comet still fell and polluted the water, didn't it?" Vicki pointed out.

Melinda stared at Felicia unsurely. "Did she drink a lot?" Vicki said. Melinda nodded. Vicki handed Melinda a drink of fresh water. "You have to be thirsty."

Melinda eyed it warily. "How do I know it's not poisoned?"

Usagi shrugged grabbed it, took a drink, and handed it back. Melinda sipped the water, then drank deeply. Usagi then wondered, "How did you find us?"

"You came back for the dog. The GC planted a chip in his neck that sends out a signal. Felicia and I grabbed the locator and followed."

"You were in GC headquarters?" Vicki said. "We wanted to find you guys bad."

"What took so long then?"

"We lost the signal, but we spotted Lionel at a pay phone. We tried to follow him, but he was too fast. Took us a couple of days to find this place."

"The GC didn't see you?" Vicki said. Melinda squinted. "How did you know the GC are after us?"

"Commander Blancka's been killed by the GC," Vicki said. "People who had anything to do with the Morale Monitors are being wiped out." Vicki dripped water into Felicia's mouth. "My guess is that the GC wanted to erase any evidence that we ever existed. Didn't want to look bad.°

Melinda looked away. 'They did come after us. We saw them whack Blancka and figured we'd be next. I thought if we could catch Stein or any of you, we'd prove our loyalty."

"And save your own skin."

"Exactly," Melinda said. She stuck her head in the next room and pointed to Shelly. "I saw rope outside. Bring it in here. And don't get any ideas about running if you care about your friends."

However that plan would not take place. Felicia spat out water. Her eyes were red and hideous. Her skin, pale when she had arrived, now looked green. "I can't breathe," Felicia rasped.

"Drink more water," Vicki pleaded. "It's the only thing—"

Felicia then grabbed Vicki's arm. "I can feel it going through me," she wheezed. "It's like acid, eating me up."

Vicki screamed for Judd. Melinda let him through. "You know CPR, right?" Vicki said. Judd felt Felicia's wrist.

"She has a pulse," Vicki said. "It's her breathing."

"Do something!" Melinda said. Judd put his mouth over Felicia's and blew hard. The girl's cheeks puffed out. "No good," Judd said. "Airway's blocked. Or maybe her throat's tightened up."

"What can we do?" Vicki said. "I'm not sure," Judd said.

"She may need a tracheotomy but…" Ami began thoughtfully.

Judd at once pulled out his pocketknife. "Hand me that ballpoint pen." Judd took the pen apart, then leaned over Felicia, his hands shaking. Mr. Stein pushed past Melinda, knelt, and tilted Felicia's head.

Ami instructed. "Put the pen in the boiling water; then sterilize the knife over the fire. Hurry!"

Melinda looked over Mr. Stein's shoulder. "Is she going to be okay?"

"It may only prolong her agony," Mr. Stein said, "but we have to try." He shouted for Judd to return. "There's no time. She's turning blue!"

Judd rushed back with the pen and knife. Mr. Stein made a small cut at the base of Felicia's throat. Vicki wiped away the blood as Mr. Stein inserted the pen.

"You're going to kill her!" Melinda screamed.

As Mr. Stein blew through the pen, Judd said, "She'll die if we don't get her some air."

Vicki put a hand on Melinda's shoulder. She jerked away, scowling, then went to check on the others. Color returned to Felicia's face as her lungs filled. Vicki knelt by her ear. "Felicia, I don't know if you can hear me, but I have to tell you something. God loves you. He died for you so you could live with him. If you can hear me, pray this with me-"

"Get away!" Melinda shouted as she ran back in, pushing Mr. Stein away as well. Felicia opened her eyes and stared at Melinda. The pen-tube in her neck looked eerie. She tried to take a breath, but her lungs didn't fill. Then came a horrible gurgling sound. Mr. Stein felt the girl's wrist. He stood and left the room. Judd followed. Ami and Usagi stood their eyes wide, and their skin paling from shock.

"What?" Melinda said. "What happened?"

Vicki looked away and covered her mouth. Mr. Stein returned with a sheet. He pulled the pen from Felicia's neck and draped the sheet over her body. Vicki couldn't hold back the tears.

"Oh how dreadful." Ami covered her face. Usagi shivered and looked away.

"What did you say to her?" Melinda demanded from Vicki.

"I wanted her to know God loves her."

Melinda's eyes glazed. "You still think there's a God after all that's happened?"

"After all that's happened, I can't believe you don't."

Melinda pulled Vicki to her feet. "Get in there with the rest of them."

Abruptly, Rei and Minako flew through the doorway. "No!" Vicki had screamed, as the gun went off.

When the shot was heard, Makoto, Lionel and Hotaru, fearing for their friends lives, ran into the room. There they found Judd, Minako and Rei struggling with Melinda on the floor. The gun had been knocked to the far wall. Vicki lay motionless atop Felicia's body.

Quickly, Lionel held Melinda while Judd grabbed the gun. Melinda kicked free and retreated to the corner, panting.

"Are you hit?" Lionel and Judd gently rolled Vicki onto her back. Her mouth was bloody. Judd patted her cheek until she came to. Vicki felt her lip and winced. "I heard the gun. What happened?"

"We've got Melinda under control," Judd said.

"She's not going to hurt anybody." Vicki gasped. "You rushed her!"

"I had to do something," Judd said.

"Hold it – right there!" Rei then snapped point the gun right at Melinda.

Melinda froze as did the rest. "Rei, that thing's loaded, are you crazy?!" Usagi cried.

Grim faced, Rei handed the gun to an austere Hotaru, who emptied the bullets before tossing them out the window into the grass. "Now it's not." snapped Hotaru, shoving it back extra hard into Melinda's stomach.

They needed to have a discussion about the two people there. Judd is dubious about Charlie, but Vicki, Hotaru and the other senshi felt partially responsible for the young man's well-being and refused to leave him to fend for himself.

Much like Rei and Makoto, Judd doesn't like the idea of having Melinda -someone from the Global Community- in the same place as them. Usagi and Vicki feel that the girl is goner if she leaves either way. The girl could either take her chances with the GC, run away from both or stay in the schoolhouse with them.

Mr. Stein used Judd's laptop to log on to Tsion Ben-Judah's Web site. Judd and Vicki ate in silence. "The rabbi writes about the Meeting of the Witnesses," Mr. Stein said.

"Still scheduled for next week?" Vicki said.

"Yes. And thousands of house churches have begun—run by Jews who have become believers in Jesus as Messiah."

"House churches," Vicki said. 'I like that. This is going to be a house church for the Young Tribulation Force."

"It's going to be more than that," Judd said. "Z is going to run supplies through here and help feed people who won't obey Carpathia."

"What else does it say?" Vicki said.

"The house churches base their teachings on Tsion Ben-Judah's daily messages over the Internet," Mr. Stein said. "Though the Global Community urges everyone to join the Enigma Babylon One World Faith, tens of thousands of such churches meet every day. Tsion urges congregations to send their leaders to the great meeting, in spite of warnings from the GC. Nicolae Carpathia has tried again and again to cancel it." Mr. Stein scrolled through the message excitedly. "Oh, listen to this! Dr. Ben-Judah writes, 'We will be in Jerusalem as scheduled, with or without your approval, permission, or promised protection. The glory of the Lord will be our rear guard.'"

"He called Carpathia's bluff," Judd said.

"We must get the generator started," Mr. Stein said. "I want to be able to keep your computer going twenty-four hours a day while the meetings are taking place."

Conrad burst into the kitchen, out of breath. "Judd, come with me."

Vicki was glad when Melinda joined them at the kitchen table later that morning. Melinda eyed Mr. Stein and pushed back a plate of food. "If you guys hadn't gotten away, the commander would still be alive. Felicia too."

"They were going to execute me," Mr. Stein said. "We had to do something."

"Your commander cared more about defamation and attacking people who thought differently than anyone that followed Enigma Babylon." Rei retorted. "Our friends and Hotaru were among those you were attacking."

Vicki and Usagi elbowed her. Now was not the time for resentful accusations, even if they were true.

Half an hour later was the funeral, Lionel had made a wooden stretcher and placed Felicia's body on it. Minako had gathered flowers (Poppy, Flax flower and forget-me-not) and placed them in the deceased girl's hands. Melinda walked beside Vicki as they followed the procession up the hill to the burial site. Conrad and Judd gently placed the wrapped body in the hole. Ami put a hand on Melinda's shoulder as the group awkwardly looked at one another.

Finally, Lionel spoke. "I didn't know Felicia well, but I do know how dedicated she was as a Morale Monitor. She would have made a great member of the Young Trib Force."

Mr. Stein shifted from one foot to another. "I lost my only daughter in the earthquake." He turned to Melinda. "I am deeply saddened for your loss."

"It should've been me," Melinda said. "If I'd have taken the first drink, you'd be burying me."

"You're here for a reason," Vicki said.

Melinda backed away. "I know why you're being so nice. You want me to keep quiet about this place. But that would betray what Felicia and I were trying to do in the first place. I won't stay here, and you can't stop me."

Judd's cell phone rang. Judd handed the phone to Mr. Stein as Melinda raced toward the schoolhouse.

"Taylor Graham," Judd said. "He got the number from Boyd at the gas station. Said was urgent."

As Conrad and Lionel shoveled dirt into the grave, Judd approached Vicki. "Sorry about Melinda. Guess we're going to have move."

"I thought the girls and I were getting through to her," Vicki said.

"Maybe you were," Judd said. "People have to make their own choices."

Mr. Stein snapped the phone shut, his face ashen. "It is a miracle," he said. "A true miracle of God. I am going to Israel. I am going to the Meeting of the Witnesses."


Vicki and Minako talked to Melinda who'd asked her how they'd changed their appearances and where the Sailor senshi had gone off to. Vicki explained they'd gotten ID's and makeovers without telling her about Z. Minako answered the second question, that they had a secret base in Asia but did not know the exact coordinates.

Somehow the other girl ended up telling them her story. Melinda Bentley grew up in the East with her family. Since her father was an insurance, they moved around a lot. Things got tougher after the Rapture, Mr. Bentley became an alcoholic and verbally abusive to Melinda. She'd met Felicia in school, whose home life was not much better. They sat at lunch and planned an escape. She had an uncle who invited the two. Even mailed some money. One Monday morning Melinda and Felicia got on a bus and headed north. She couldn't tell them everything but the bottom line was the man was untrustworthy, he sold drugs and basically locked them up.

"That's terrible," Vicki said.

"Only thing we could do was watch TV. That's when we saw Nicolae Carpathia. Everything he did—peace treaties, an end to war—that's what we were looking for. Sounded like heaven on earth. Felicia and I decided to get out of there and sign up."

"So you escaped?" guessed Minako.

"We tricked a guy into letting us out. Told him we'd show him where Felicia's uncle hid his stash. We found a GC post and heard about the Morale Monitors. Felicia and I signed up, and they sent us into training."

"And That's where you met Conrad and Lionel," Vicki said.

Melinda nodded. "Our first job was Chicago."

"And you thought the Morale Monitors would be the answer."

Melinda slumped in her chair. "I don't know what went wrong. I blamed it on Lionel and Conrad at first. I couldn't believe they'd work against us. Then Commander Blancka and the Sailor Senshi showing up when they did... it doesn't make sense."

Vicki didn't want to come on too strong, but she and Minako knew Melinda needed to hear the truth. "Can I give you my theory?" she said.

Melinda rubbed her forehead. "I think I know what's coming, but go ahead."

"I met this journalist," Vicki said, "a guy who's a lot smarter than me, and he investigated Carpathia and the whole Global Com-munity plan. Melinda, their goal is not world peace. Carpathia and his people want control."

"I don't mind people being in control if they want peace for everybody."

"Well, they don't," Minako said. "They want to run the world, and if anyone gets in their way or messes up ... well, look at what happened to Commander Blancka."

"Pretty hard to believe," Melinda said.

"Everything I'm telling you was predicted in the Bible. The disappearances, the earthquake, the peace treaty with Israel, the comets—everything. I can show you."

"Religion's not my thing," Melinda said.

"Mine either," Vicki said, "but this is not religion. This is the truth. Stay. I'll explain it all. What do you have to lose?"

"You really think the GC will do the same to me as they did to the commander?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't want to chance it," Vicki said.

"And I'll tell you straight up that we WONT be telling you the identities of the Sailor senshi!" Minako said firmly.

"What?!" Melinda was aghast. "But they're here to invade-!"

Minako held up a finger as if rebuking a small child. "Ah-ah-ah! They have a right to keep it secret, especially if it endangers their loved ones or anyone else they're trying to protect."

"Ugh! Fine!" Disgruntled, Melinda rolled the gun over and looked at the two girls. "But the minute I find out you're hiding something else or lying to me, I'm out of here."

"Deal," Vicki said.

Later after Judd and Lionel departed with Mr. Stein to Israel, those in the schoolhouse discovered an underground tunnel and trapdoor. Conrad pulled out a pocketknife, but the wood was too heavy to pry open. Mark brought a crow-bar and managed to lift it. Vicki turned on the flashlight and peered into the darkness. Another set of rickety stairs led to an area about the size of a large bed-room. There were no windows. They were well below ground level. In the corner was a table with an oil lamp. A dusty book lay beside it. Rei brushed it off, and flakes of leather crumbled in her hands. It crackled when she opened it.

"It's a Bible!" She gasped. The pages were so brittle she closed it for fear of tearing them.

"Look at this," Conrad said. On the far wall was a door with a padlock that looked exactly like the door at the end of the tunnel. Mark used the crowbar again but couldn't open the lock. Finally, the hinges gave way, and the group pushed the door open a few inches.

"The passage," Conrad said. Vicki explained how she and Conrad had walked the length of the tunnel. "It goes all the way to the river," she said.

"What do you think it's here for?" Shelly said.

Z then arrived bringing supplies, he explained the tunnel was in the family for years and the first house was made in the 1850's

"The boarding school came along after that. My grandfather always said this was part of the Underground Railroad."

"Railroad tracks ran by here?" Charlie said.

"No," Darrion said. "I studied this. The Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses and paths that slaves used to escape."

"Of course, this is a part of American History!" Rei caught on. "Right around the Civil War era."

"I didn't know Illinois was part of that," Shelly said.

"A lot of slaves from the deep South went through Ohio or Pennsylvania," Darrion said, "but a lot came through Illinois. Usually, the safe houses were near rivers—"

"Which has got to be why the tunnel ends near the water," Conrad said.

"My dad and I searched for hiding places," Z said. "We found a door in a wall upstairs that led down to that cellar, but we could never find any outside entrance."

"They must have hidden down there and escaped to the river," Vicki said.

Conrad pulled the piece of cloth from his pocket and handed it to Z. 'I found this in the tunnel."

Z held the cloth like it was a work of art. "This looks like a dress for a rag doll. I always heard that women gathered to sew clothes for the runaways. They'd make dolls for the kids to make them feel better. One of the children must have dropped this on the way out.'

The group sat, stunned. Vicki thought of the brave men, women, and children who had been through the house, searching for freedom. Finally, Z said, "My grandfather also told us he thought there was a safe hidden in or near the house. We never found it, but this makes me think he was probably right."

Z returned with two boxes. As he opened the first, he said, "I got to thinking about the meeting and how much you will want to see what's going on." Z pulled out a thin computer. "This oughta be faster and more powerful than what you have."

"The screen is so big!" Shelly said.

"Got it from a GC shipment. It's connected to the Internet by satellite. You don't have to dial up anything. Just turn it on and you're connected. And the best thing is, it's secure. The Global Community can't trace it."

"That's perfect! How'd you get it?" asked Minako.

"Can't tell you," Z said. He pulled out a smaller box and handed it to Mark. "This is the phone that goes with it. It's hooked up to Carpathia's Cell-Sol system. They can't trace it. You should be able to keep in touch with the outside world. And the best thing is, they pick up the tab."

The kids laughed. Shelly rushed into the room and grabbed Vicki. "Come quick! Melinda's gone."

However, as it turned out, she'd only gone to Felicia's grave. Phoenix lead Vicki, Rei and Minako there.

Melinda took a deep breath. "My mom believed what you do. Not always. She used to be as wild as my dad. Even wilder. They'd go to cocktail parties and come home blasted. When my dad was on the road, she'd sneak out. She thought I didn't see her. I never told my dad, but I saw. I was out late one night. I came home and found her crying in the living room. There was a woman with her. We called her the preacher lady. She said my mother had something to tell me. I thought my mom had gotten some kind of disease the way she was crying. But that wasn't it. She said she was sorry for being a bad mother. Then the preacher lady said my mom had just asked Jesus to forgive her. I couldn't believe it. I'd heard this Jesus talk from a couple of kids at school. I thought it was trash."

Rei and Minako looked dubious but Vicki encouraged Melinda to speak. "What happened?" Vicki said.

"I told her I didn't want to hear it. She said she'd waited up all night to talk with me. My dad had been there and left. I started up the stairs, and my mom followed. When I got to the top, she grabbed me by the arm. She begged me to listen." Melinda closed her eyes, as if she were watching the scene again. "I yelled something awful at her and pulled away. When I did, she lost her balance. I turned around. There was nothing I could do. She fell the whole way down those stairs. The preacher lady rushed to her and felt her neck. She ran for the phone. I flew down the stairs to see if I could help. Honestly, I didn't mean to hurt her."

Rei and Minako were shocked, Vicki nodded. "Was she dead when you got there?"

Melinda stared at Felicia's grave. "All that was left at the bottom of the stairs were her dress and shoes. I screamed and ran for the preacher lady. The phone was hanging by the cord. Her clothes were in a pile on the floor."

"You must have been so scared," Vicki said.

"I thought I'd killed her," Melinda said. "Killed them both."

"Why did you tell me this story?" Vicki said.

"I've tried to get it out of my head for so long. I didn't even tell my dad about it for a long time. When I did, he said I was crazy. Accused me of being drunk." Melinda sighed. "The way you looked at me tonight when you said you were sorry, it reminded me of my mom."

Vicki put an arm around Melinda. "If you want, I'll tell you exactly what happened to your mom."

She and the two older girls took Melinda to the house and told her own story. How Vicki's parents had changed over-night. They wanted Vicki to attend church, but Vicki wouldn't. Then came the awful morning when Vicki realized her whole family had disappeared. "Would you let me show you verses from the Bible?"

Melinda frowned. "Don't think I'm ready for that." When Vicki left at Mark's request to talk to her, Melinda then looked at Rei and Minako. "And I get her, why are you two still here?

"We promised Usagi to keep an eye on…"

"No, I mean I heard you had friends and a family still in Asia. Why aren't you with them?"

Rei sat with her mouth in a grim line. "If you must know, my grandfather and his assistant are in a safehouse over there with other friends who survived the world-wide earthquake."

"I don't even know if my biological family is still alive. All I got right now is the girls, this group of believers and the rest in the same safehouse. Thanks for asking." Minako responded dourly.

"We're going to check up on Hotaru and Charlie." Rei said before Melinda could even answer.


The next morning after Z left, when they were all gathered, Vicki asked Charlie to take Phoenix outside. Vicki briefly explained Melinda's story. "We can pull together on this, or we can pull apart. But I don't think we're as strong if we split up. "God's given us this place. With the Meeting of the Witnesses starting, I think we should use this next week to study and pray that God would use us how he wants."

No one spoke. Vicki looked at each person and recalled what they had been through together. Though Mark was outspoken, she knew he loved God and wanted to do the right thing. Shelly had been with her almost from the start. Darrion had seen so much loss, she looked like a shell. The Sailor senshi had gone through almost as much as they did, more were ready to support her but they too had different opinions and decisions of what they will do next. Finally, Conrad spoke. "None of us knows how much longer we have. I think Vicki's right. If we can help people like Melinda and Charlie know the truth, I think we ought to do it."

"Yes, it wouldn't hurt to try." Hotaru agreed.

"There's risk in everything," Shelly said. "I say we open the place up and let God bring whoever he wants, believer or not."

Everyone spoke in support of Vicki except Mark. He stared at the floor. "I lost a lot of friends when the Global Community attacked the militia base. Now I've lost my cousin, John. Ryan's gone. Chaya's gone. The people we knew at the church. I don't want to hold you guys back. Maybe if I take some time…" Mark's voice trailed off.

Even Rei could tell he was hurting.

"I'm thinking of going back to find my aunt." Mark said. "She'll want to know about John. She's the last of my family, as far as I know."

"There are two cycles left," Conrad said. "Take one."

"How will you see the Meeting of the Witnesses?" Vicki said.

"Can I take Judd's laptop?"

Vicki nodded. Mark gathered some supplies later that morning. He said good-bye to everyone. When he got to Vicki, she said, "I hope you'll come back."

Mark pursed his lips. "Yeah."


Half a day later, Usagi stood outside the Command center, looking up at the sky, thinking about her conversation she had with Shingo and the other four kids on the private plane Mr. Steele had piloted.


On board the flying private plane Rayford was piloting, Shingo and the other four kids were all sitting on one of the sofas, with the Senshi and Sailor Starlights standing up and the Young Trib-Force sitting on the other sofa. Sailor Moon was ready to tell the kids everything about herself and the rest of the Senshi, and explain to them what was going on in the world.

"Alright, time to talk. I want you to tell me what's going on. If you're my sister, why have you been hiding the fact that you're a super hero from me?" Shingo said.

A sad expression appeared on Sailor Moon's face. "I owe you that." She admitted. If she was going to do better at being a big sister, she needed to get the secrets out of her life and start being honest with her brother about everything. EVERYTHING. "But in order to explain that...I must start by telling you...about where my friends and I came from."

"Huh?" The other four kids said.

"Where you and your friends came from?" Shingo said.

"1000 Years ago, the moon was inhabited by a community known as the Moon Kingdom and was ruled by my late mother, Queen Serenity, with me as the Moon Princess. And four of my Senshi friends were the guardians and protectors of the kingdom. All was peaceful...until the arrival of the evil Queen Beryl and the people of Earth. An evil force from outer space known as Queen Metalia helped her turn the whole world against the moon and they invaded, attempting to take over our kingdom. However...Queen Serenity was able to stop the chaos and destruction with the crescent moon stick...but not without the cost of her life and the Moon Kingdom's destruction. In her final moments before she passed, she sent me, my friends, the moon's citizens, and the Prince of Earth-Tuxedo Mask-down here to Earth to be reborn and start our lives all over again. Long story short, my friends and I became the super heroes you see before you now, and we've been protecting Earth ever since." Sailor Moon said.

Shingo and the other four kids just stared awe-struck. What had they just heard?

"Are you trying to say there was a time in history when people actually lived on the moon?" Shingo asked.

"That's what I'm saying." Sailor Moon said.

"I don't get it. Why didn't you just tell me? That you were a super hero, I mean." Shingo said.

"I couldn't. My friends and I were fighting off some very dark, evil villains, and I didn't want them coming after you or Mama and Papa to get to me. It's the number one rule of being a super hero. No one can know your secret identity. Not even your family or your close friends. It would put them in danger. You understand?" Sailor Moon stated.

"I guess so." Shingo said.

"Life on the moon, huh? And super heroes? That's insane." The Mexican boy said.

"Not only is it insane, it sounds like a fairy-tale." The Asian girl added.

"More like a scenario out of a super hero comic book." The African American boy said.

"I don't know. Sounds legit." The red-haired American boy said.

"Hold on. You're not actually buying this story, are you?" The Mexican boy said.

"I reckon it's something we have to consider. I mean, there's still so much more about the universe that we as humanity don't know about. NASA and other space centers have been trying to prove the existence of life on other planets for years, so her story about the moon isn't so hard to believe." The red-haired boy reasoned.

"I do know that it sounds impossible. I mean, I've heard rumors about scientists making plans for people to live on the moon in today's time, but people couldn't have lived on it 1000 years ago, because the world didn't have technology then." The Asian girl said with shrug.

"Maybe their knowledge was centuries ahead of Earth's. Maybe their timeline was different from humanity's." The red-haired boy said.

"Okay, even if I did believe that, which I don't...why isn't this legendary Moon Kingdom documented in history? Why haven't we learned about it in school?" The Asian girl questioned.

"I can see you're not convinced, so let me just show you rather than tell you." Sailor Moon said. She then started glowing a bright pink, lighting up the whole room and blinding everyone. The light then faded away, revealing Princess Serenity in Sailor Moon's place.

This stunned Shingo, the other four kids, and those in the Young Trib-Force who hadn't been shown the Senshi's past by Queen Serenity.

"Who-who are you?" The red-haired boy asked, staring wide-eyed at the Princess.

"Greetings, children of Earth. I am Princess Serenity of the late Moon Kingdom. And I am here to show you all the truth." She said. A gold crescent moon appeared on her forehead and a gold beam of light shot out of it, split into four beams, and hit the foreheads of the four kids, crescent moons appeared on their foreheads, and their eyes reflected the night sky. In their minds, the kids saw the Sailor Senshi's history play out like a fast-forwarding film projector from the Moon Kingdom all the way to the battle with Galaxia.

The gold beams and crescent moons then disappeared and the four kids' eyes returned to their original colors. As expected, the four kids were in shock. They didn't know what to think. What had they just seen?

"Whoa Nellie." The red-haired boy said.

"Word." The African American boy added.

"What in the world?" The Mexican boy said.

"What was that?" The Asian girl asked.

Princess Serenity turned back into Sailor Moon. "That was the history of the rest of the Senshi. The truth. Something the world leader is trying to rid the world of."

"I see. But the world leader, Mio, Fortunato and the GC have been saying you and your super friends were the ones responsible for the disappearances and all the disastrous events that have been befalling the world. Why would they say that you're the enemy when what we just saw says you aren't?" The American red-haired boy asked.

"Because they don't want the world to know what's really going on." Conrad replied grimly, examining the bandana ask he'd removed.

"And what is going on? Start talking." The Mexican boy said.

"Sure thing. But first let me introduce you to my other friends.

They introduced everyone in the Young Trib force, the Sailor didn't give away their names just yet only what planet they represent and more.

"Nice to meet y'all. My name's Alex Beaver. I'm 13 years old, and I'm from Alabama." greeted the red-haired American boy.

"I'm Derek Ellison. I'm 15 and from Los Angeles, California." said the African American boy.

"My name's Gary Hernandez, I'm 14 and I'm from New Mexico." The Mexican boy said.

"And I'm Zea Yen. I'm 13 years old, I'm Korean, and I'm from Iowa." said the Asian girl.

"Okay. Now that we all know each other's names, and that my friends and I are not the enemy, let's get down to discussing the true source of the disasters befalling the world." Sailor Moon said.

"The true source of the disasters? What are you talking about?" Gary asked.

"Or we could just show them the tape Bruce showed us when we first met him?" Sailor Mercury suggested.

"Tape, what tape?" Alex asked.

"We can't, we don't have a copy." Sailor Moon said.

"That's alright, I can just pull up it right here. I've taken the liberty of recording the entirety and downloading it into my computer for possible events." Sailor Mercury smiled brightly before getting out her small computer, opening it, and typing on it. "Ah, yes, here it is." She pressed another button and pastor Vernon Billings appeared on the flat screen TV on the wall and everyone turned to watch the video.

"Hello. My name is Vernon Billings. I'm pastor of the New Hope Village Church of Mount Prospect, Illinois. As you watch this tape, I can only imagine the fear and the despair you face, for this is being recorded for viewing after the disappearances of God's people from the Earth. The fact that you are watching this tape, indicates that you, my friend, have been left behind."

Later, everyone was now watching the last of the pastor's video. Everyone else seemed interested in what the man was saying while Taylor was shaking his head looking dubious.

"So my friend, pray after me. 'Dear God...I admit that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me and save me. I ask this in the name of Jesus, who died for me. I trust him right now. I believe that the sinless blood of Jesus is sufficient to pay the price for my salvation. Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for saving my soul'. My friend, the Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. And if you were genuine, you are saved. Born again. A child of God." Vernon concluded, followed by the TV shutting off.

With the video now over, Sailor Moon turned to face Shingo and the other four kids. "Are you ready?" She asked. " Will you...receive the truth?"

All was quiet for a moment.

"I will." Alex said.

"I will." Derek said

"I will." Gary said.

"So will I." Zea said.

"What about you, Shingo?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I...I don't know. All of this is too much for me to process. I don't even remember anything about my own life for Pete sake. I mean, life on the moon a thousand years ago, real life super heroes, my sister being one of them and a princess, people and all children disappearing and going to Heaven, the apocalypse? It all sounds like something out of a storybook series." Shingo said, slumping back in his seat exhausted.

"You know the truth now. That makes it you responsibility to act on it." Judd said, repeating what Bruce said to him and Vicki. For him, this was like a rerun of when he, Vicki, Lionel and Ryan first met each other. Except these were five kids and they didn't know what had happened and what was happening. "You know, Shingo...the Bible says in 2nd Peter that if a person heard the truth and rejects it, it would have been better for them not to have known the truth in the first place." He then looked at an annoyed Taylor, as if to drive the message home to him without actually saying anything.

"I hear what you're sayin'." Shingo said. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I can ask. Just don't take too long. You never know when your time to change will run out." Judd replied.


As Usagi continued to stare up at the sky, all of her unnoticeable mistakes as an older sister flashed through her mind. It was her role to set an example for her brother, and all she'd done was blow him off to hang out with her friends and insult him back whenever he insulted or pranked her. She'd only started spending time with him after the war because it was in her interest to do so to make up for lost time for not being there for him like she should have. Family was what really mattered...right?

"Hi. It's me again." Usagi began, taking to God. "You know my history as a sister. I've chosen my friends over my brother time and time again, missed out on so much of his life...neglected him, had mean thoughts about him...called him name's...failed to be an example to him. Please forgive me. And give me a chance to makes things right with him. Forgive me, please."

"Usagi?" came a female voice from behind.

"Huh?" Usagi as she turned to see Makoto. "Oh. Hi, Mako. What are you doing out here?"

"Just checking on you. Is everything alright?" Makoto said.

Usagi was silent for a moment. "Couldn't be better." She said with a smile on her face.

"So, uh...we found and rescued Shingo from the GC along with four other kids. Mission accomplished." Makoto said.

"Not quite. We still have to find and rescue those other kids." Usagi said.

"Yeah, we do." Makoto agreed. "How are we gonna do that?"

"I don't know yet." Usagi said.

"I'm gonna ask Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna to talk to Hattie Durham. Find out what she knows about these GC summer camps. Maybe she can tell us where the other kids are." Makoto suggested.

"I hope so." Usagi said.

"Come on. Let's go back inside." Makoto said before she and Usagi went back inside the cave to re-enter the underground command center.

The meeting of the witnesses was the next week. Usagi had already made up her mind to be there with Mamoru. It was just a matter of time.

To be continued…


Author's note: Yeah, this is sort of showing what plans the senshi have for the time being and who's headed for where. Will try to extend the chapters a little more, in the meantime Read and review plz!