Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse
A Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover
Chapter 2: Onset of an Eclipse
2-18-2017
By Grey-X
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon was originally created by Naoko Takeuchi and is the property of Toei Animation. X-Men was originally created by Stan Lee and is the property of Marvel Comics and Disney.
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The sun began its descent behind Tokyo's skyscrapers, but in stark contrast with the onset of dusk, Usagi's mood couldn't be brighter. After all, spring was in the air, and on top of recently stopping the Dead Moon Circus for good, the final round of entrance exams was complete, and Usagi had passed! She actually passed!
By the skin of her teeth, no doubt, and she was sure to get an earful from Luna, her mother, and just about everyone else when the actual scores arrived in the mail. But for the moment, who cared!? The important thing was that it was on to high school. And with no impending apocalypse to worry about, Usagi could savor the moment.
Along with every delicious bite of the parfait Usagi was currently stuffing her face with, as she walked down a street in the Juban District, heading toward the water. She had Ami and Makoto in tow. The former, of course, having her nose in a book even as they walked. Usagi sighed before taking another bite. Would it kill Ami to relax a little? High school would start soon enough, and she could hit the books then.
At least Makoto was taking it easy, staying rather quiet as their trek continued. A bit unlike Luna, who Usagi could hear softly sighing as she stuck close. "Really, Usagi… That's the third parfait you've had this week. Keep this up, and you won't even fit in your new high school uniform!" the talking cat scolded.
Usagi let out a grunt before replying. "Give me a break, Luna. It's frozen yogurt with organically grown fruit. The good stuff," she spat back, punctuating that by sticking her tongue down at the cat. "It's not like I remembered nothing after all that cramming, you know."
"Ugh, let's not dwell on that anymore," Makoto grumbled. "It was getting to the point that I looked forward to Death Buster and Dead Moon attacks, just to get blood flowing to the brain again."
"A vote of confidence, THANK YOU," Usagi added quickly over Luna's muttering. But still not a sound out of Ami. Now Usagi was actually a bit curious about what Ami could be so absorbed in. Stealing a quick glance at the spine, Usagi couldn't quite take in the title. It looked to be something about biology or genetics or whatever.
That would make sense, given that Ami strived to ultimately follow in her mother's footsteps and become a doctor. But as Usagi thought a bit more about it, she got the feeling there was something she was supposed to remember. Something important.
Looking to Ami's book again between spoonfuls of her parfait, it slowly came back to Usagi. Genetics, evolution… The harrowing, rainy evening that her friend Naru saved the day, revealing what she really was. One of Homo superior.
It was funny, really. In the beginning, right after Usagi awakened as Sailor Moon and her popularity spread like wildfire, Naru had been one of her biggest fans. It was always awkward to hear Naru gush about Sailor Moon, without being able to tell her the truth. Did superheroes usually have that problem?
And oftentimes, Naru would express her desire to actually BE one of the Sailor Senshi, but of course, that wasn't her destiny. But that night, Usagi learned Naru was something else entirely. Perhaps another destiny awaited, but what?
The next day, Ami had been happy to explain everything she knew about mutants, even if she was taken aback by Usagi's curiosity. According to Ami, it was all part of human evolution. Ami went on for a while about 'epigenetics' or something, stuff that pretty much went over Usagi's head. All Usagi really understood was that people born with this evolutionary boon manifested superhuman abilities during puberty, usually during moments of extreme stress. With how often Naru was targeted by Sailor Moon's enemies, it was a wonder it never happened sooner. What Usagi wouldn't have given to see Zoisite's face if Naru had delivered a sucker punch that gave him a one-way ticket to South Korea!
But the attack by Tiger's-Eye must have finally trigged Naru's mutant genes. Lucky for Usagi, but it clearly gnawed at Naru's soul. When Usagi had asked why someone would be upset about being a mutant, Ami hadn't seemed so certain of her knowledge. Apparently in many countries, especially the United States, mutants were viewed with suspicion and fear. Even met with hate and violence, though in Japan discrimination against mutants tended to be more subtle. Thus, many mutants tried to keep their powers a secret, out of fear of being ostracized.
Usagi could kind of relate to that, needing to keep her identity as Sailor Moon a secret. But that was mostly to keep monsters from showing up on her doorstep. This whole business of heaping hate on those born different… It sickened Usagi to no end to think about it. And knowing Naru was suffering in silence made it worse.
No, not entirely. Umino was still at her side, true to his word. That was a relief. There was at least one person in her life who didn't care what Naru was. But did her own mother even know? How badly did it still weigh on Naru?
Usagi still desperately wanted to help, but how? Sailor Moon knew the truth, but Usagi Tsukino wasn't supposed to. And the way Naru seemed to piece together the truth about Sailor Moon long ago somehow made it worse. The two of them knew the other kept a big secret, but neither could admit it. And with continuous attacks from the Dead Moon Circus, Usagi couldn't really give the dilemma the attention it deserved, compounded by how she felt compelled to keep Naru's secret, and thus couldn't ask her friends for advice. Mutants had good reason to want their power hidden, that much was clear. But now, with the Dead Moon Circus gone and the last round of entrance exams finished, perhaps Usagi could…
Usagi's thoughts were interrupted by a rough-sounding voice. Turning to her right, Usagi saw it was coming from some televisions in a store window. Usagi was about to tune it out and keep walking with her friends, but then she caught the word 'mutant'.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Usagi turned back to listen in. Some middle-aged guy who looked to be a total hardcase, ranting and raving against mutants. Suddenly, Usagi lost her appetite, looking down at what remained of her fruit parfait.
Parfaits… Nephrite had mentioned something about parfaits to Naru, right before he died in her arms. It was painful enough, seeing her go through that. Now people here in Japan were raising a stink about mutants, guaranteeing Naru even more pain!?
"Usagi, I had no idea you were keeping up with politics," came Ami's voice suddenly. Usagi looked over her shoulder to see Ami had walked back over.
"And I'm wishing I wasn't. These parfaits taste better going down than coming up," said Usagi, an acid bite to her voice.
Ami looked to the man ranting on television, a slight scowl taking shape on her face. "I agree. And to think Seto Kizachi is a leading member in the House of Councilors, and that I had so much respect for the Kizachi name."
"You actually liked this windbag!?" Usagi demanded.
"Not him. His wife," said Ami. "Erina Kizachi, one of Japan's leading engineers and roboticists. I made a point of reading all her published papers. I mean, who didn't? For a time, she was even touted as Japan's very own Tony Stark."
"Tony Stark?" Usagi repeated. A name she was clearly supposed to know, judging by the tone of Ami's voice, but Usagi was drawing a blank.
Ami let out a soft sigh. "The CEO of Stark Enterprises over in America. One of the most brilliant weapon designers on the planet and who practically bankrolls the Avengers by himself," she calmly explained. Usagi could still only blink in confusion. After sighing again, Ami said, "Forget it, it's not important. Right now, I'd be more interested to learn why you've been so interested in mutants as of late."
Usagi had to fight the urge to recoil in shock. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, though. It wouldn't take a genius like Ami to figure something like this out. If only she could be as quick in coming up with cover. So Usagi just spluttered the first thing that came to mind. "W-W-W-What, you think maybe I'm a mutant too? On top of being a Sailor Senshi? That'd be a bit much, don't you think?" Usagi let out some nervous laughter, but the look on Ami's face told Usagi she wasn't quite sold. Best to keep talking, hoping she'd drop it. "Come on, let's catch up with Makoto and Luna," she added, grabbing Ami's wrist with her free hand and dragging her along.
They caught up with the others in short order, and soon after that, they could see light from the rising moon sparkling along the river. "Hmmm, it's getting late," said Makoto, looking out the calm waters of the river. "Maybe we should call it a day, and…"
"I don't think so, girls," said Luna suddenly. The three of them looked down to Luna, but she was staring over at what looked like some sort of combination of an office building and a warehouse along the edge of the river. "I'm sensing something from that place. Some sort of… dark energy."
Makoto could only facepalm at first. "It's barely been a week since we obliterated the Dead Moon Circus. I thought we Sailor Senshi got at least a two month grace period before the next enemy shows up to make our lives hell."
Usagi could only sigh in agreement, tossing what was left of her parfait in a nearby trash can. "OK, Luna. Let's go get this over with," she drawled.
The four of them made their way over, though Usagi was in no particular hurry. By the time they reached it, dusk had completely fallen, making the lonely building alongside the river look even creepier.
But it was what Usagi was hearing as they got close, rather than the look of the place, that truly unnerved her. Gunshots from within, punctuated by terrified screams. Makoto, however, was undaunted, and was charged past the vacant security checkpoint.
"Well, good thing whoever's attacking destroyed the security cameras for us," said Ami. She pointed at the smoking, melted slag along the fence where a camera would normally be. Usagi followed Ami, already getting more bad vibes.
But Luna was getting more. "That's definitely dark energy I'm sensing being thrown around in there! We'd better hurry!"
Makoto was still farther ahead, ready to charge through the front entrance. But before she could, a few men stumbled out, crying in fear. Once Usagi closed the distance, she could get an inkling as to why. Their faces and clothes were bloodied, and one of them held his arm. It looked like it was broken, judging by how he cradled it. Who just put them through the wringer like this?
Makoto grabbed one of them by the collar, asking that same question. "What's going on in there!? Who did this to you!?"
For a moment, the man could only stare back in dumb shock, too terrified of whatever it was to utter a thing. But finally, he spluttered something out. "S-S-S-She's here, found us… Just like they all said… D-D-D-Darkness falling, just like an… Eclipse." And then he fainted while in Makoto's grasp.
Usagi just stared as Makoto let him crumple to the ground, completely nonplussed. "W-W-W-What'd he mean about how this Eclipse 'found' them?" she wondered. "What's going on?"
"Impossible to say, yet," said Ami. "I guess we'll have to go in to get some answers."
"I was afraid you'd say that," said Usagi dejectedly.
"We aren't getting any answers from this lot, that's for sure," Makoto added, gesturing toward the others who had stumbled out the front. The one cradling a broken arm was limping away, while most of the others had collapsed as well.
Usagi's gaze swept over all of them and made her shudder, then she looked into the warehouse's open doorway. The lighting in the front of the building looked pretty much shot, and only faint flickers of light issued forth from rooms farther back. That guy's talk about a sudden 'eclipse' seemed all too prescient.
Meanwhile, Ami had her supercomputer out and was typing away furiously. "I'm routing an automated call for ambulances through my computer," she said. "I'm guessing we have a good fifteen minutes or so to investigate before paramedics arrive. Let's make the most of them."
Usagi could only sigh in disbelief at how the rest of her evening was slipping out of her control. Distracted as she was, she didn't notice someone else hastily exiting the warehouse until he collided with her backside, nearly making her face hit the pavement. As Usagi struggled to regain her balance, she only got a glimpse of him as he ran.
Unlike the others, he seemed in good shape, no limp and hardly any blood splattered on his outfit, which was a simple long-sleeved shirt and khakis. His jet-black hair wasn't disheveled at all, slicked back neatly. But as he dashed out into the night, Usagi noticed something odd. Part of one of his fingers was missing, as if chopped off. The absence of gushing blood told Usagi it wasn't something that just happened because of this 'Eclipse'.
"That guy's sure in a hurry, and sure didn't seem surprised to see three schoolgirls hanging around," said Makoto. "Think he's got something to do with this?"
"Doubtful, I sensed no dark power from him," said Luna. "In any case, Ami's right. We haven't a second to spare."
Knowing it was useless to protest, Usagi fell in line and followed the rest into that dark, creepy building. Usagi could hear Ami still typing away on her computer. Hopefully that would mean they could home in on whatever was giving off the dark energy Luna sensed, or at least give them advance warning. Broken glass crunched underneath their feet as they made their way further in. They peeked into one of the rooms, finding another man bloodied up and beaten within an inch of his life, then shoved unceremoniously into an office chair.
Ami shoved her computer into Makoto's hands and rushed to check his pulse. "Alive, but his pulse is weak and erratic. Those paramedics can't come soon enough."
As Ami kept looking him over, Usagi glanced around the office. Computer smashed, a file cabinet blown apart with its contents on fire, the desk blasted to pieces, and just about everything that wasn't nailed down thrown around and destroyed. It looked to Usagi like someone just wanted to bust the place up for the sake of busting the place up.
"Wow, someone went out of his way to smash up everything in sight. Someone who's got way worse anger management problems than me," said Makoto, echoing Usagi's thoughts. "And… Ami, I'm not sure if I'm reading this thing right, but I think it's saying this guy's burns were caused by a dark energy attack."
Ami ran back over and glanced at her computer screen. "Well, you're not wrong. That's what the preliminary analysis is saying, but I have a hunch there's more to it. If I can just run some deeper scans, get more data…"
While the plangent sound of Ami's furious typing filled the office, Usagi's ears were still able to pick up a bumping noise in a room not too far away, making her tense up.
"I heard it too, Usagi," said Luna, dashing Usagi's hopes that they wouldn't have to investigate that creepy noise. Worse, Ami was obviously done with her scans. She shut her computer and followed Makoto out.
Sighing yet again, Usagi let herself be dragged along with them. So it was back out into that hallway with barely any light, and Luna's ears pricked up when they came to an open doorway to a room that was pitch-black inside. "No doubt about it, there's someone in there. The smell's… familiar, though."
"Well, whoever it is, I want first crack at 'im," said Makoto. Luna was about to spout a warning, but Makoto charged into the darkened room with a howl. This was swiftly followed by a yelp of surprise, and then whoever it was grappled to the ground. It must've been someone tough, for it sounded like he or she was putting up a good struggle. But after hearing some garbled threats from whoever Makoto was grappling, Usagi understood why.
"Not good not good not good," muttered Usagi. She cautiously stepped inside, feeling for a light switch. Thankfully, she soon found one and flipped it on. There on the floor, just as expected, was someone in a red and white cyclist's jumpsuit being wrestled to the ground by Makoto. Someone who was clearly a woman, but had mannishly short, blond hair…
"What in the… HARUKA!?" Makoto demanded, once she got a good look at who she was grappling.
"Wonderful, Haruka. Less than an hour back in the Juban District, and the Inner Senshi are at our throats. Weren't we supposed to avoid this?" muttered someone at the opposite end of the room. Everyone turned to see Michiru, facepalming. In contrast to her tomboyish partner, she sported an elegant blue dress, looking quite out of place at a grisly crime scene.
"HEY! Makoto launched herself at ME!" Haruka protested, taking the opportunity to shove Makoto off.
"Oh, you wish," Makoto shot back. They both stood up and dusted themselves off. Usagi heard Michiru give off an amused snort.
"What are you two doing back, anyway?" Ami asked.
"We bought a house in the suburbs a short time ago," said Haruka quickly. "Just can't stay away from this place, you know."
"No, Haruka. She meant what are you doing HERE?" Makoto demanded.
"The same as all of you, I'll wager," said Michiru. "Investigating an incident involving a tangible, dark presence." With a glance down into her Deep Aqua Mirror, she added, "One that's still here on the premises, for the time being, though I can't pinpoint the exact location."
"Well, then it's fortunate that all of us are here," Luna cut in. "We can cover more ground that way."
"Just try not to kill whoever's giving off all this dark energy until we can get some answers, OK?" Makoto added testily.
"UNFAIR!" Haruka roared back.
Usagi quickly ran in between the two of them. "Come on, you two! Michiru's right… It's stupid to start fighting again right away! Don't we have a job to do!? I mean, the paramedics Ami called will be here soon, so we don't have much time!" Looking quite chastised for once, Haruka looked away, folding her arms. "So please, Haruka… Why don't you and Michiru go check out the second floor, while we keep poking around down here looking for this 'Eclipse'?"
Unlike Haruka, Michiru still gave off a slightly cheerful, though teasing, air. "Well now, is that an order from our Princess?" she asked coyly.
Luna was not amused. "Does it have to be?"
Haruka just grunted in acknowledgment, but at least she was smiling again. "We really do need to stop meeting like this so often, Odango," she said flirtatiously as she turned to leave with Michiru.
After Usagi and the others watched them go, Ami suddenly said, "Well, all things considered, in the long run I think it will be advantageous having the Outer Senshi back…"
"Maybe," Makoto admitted reluctantly. "Too bad they didn't come back in town sooner for that whole Dead Moon Circus debacle."
"I heard that!" Haruka called back.
Usagi's face colored in frustration. Dragged into hunting down yet another new enemy, and tensions with the Outer Senshi flaring up all over again. Indeed, what looked to be an enjoyable evening had long since spiraled out of control.
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Haruka kept muttering to herself as she and Michiru navigated the trashed, darkened remains of the warehouse, looking for the stairs. Not that she minded getting ordered about by Usagi. Despite how it was obvious she just wanted to break up any fighting, Usagi's idea was a good one. They had to cover as much ground as possible before this - was it 'Eclipse' that Usagi had called it? – could slip away.
No, getting blindsided by Makoto was rather humiliating. She was supposed to always be on her guard, yet Makoto caught her with her pants down. In any case, it only exacerbated the frustration she and Michiru were already feeling.
Though Haruka wouldn't admit it to the Inner Senshi yet, it wasn't just coincidence they had bought a home so close by. It was true that they had stayed out of Tokyo during the time this Dead Moon Circus was operating. By the time they realized the Inner Senshi were in another conflict, partly thanks to that insipid puppet, it was too late to rush back to Tokyo and lend a hand. That was galling, too. Not recognizing a new threat in time, just because it hadn't originated from outside the solar system.
They weren't going to make the same mistake again. They both felt it. Stromy winds and waters, about to roll in. Not just over Tokyo, but all of Japan. Nothing connected to a menace from beyond their system, that was certain at least. Unfortunately, that was all they were certain of for the moment.
So when Haruka was riding on her dirtbike as evening approached, with Michiru hitching a ride… Once they both sensed a dark presence and Michiru's talisman narrowed the location down to this place along the river, they both jumped at the opportunity to get answers. Whatever was going on, whoever was ultimately behind it, was proving infuriatingly elusive.
So they couldn't afford to let whoever or whatever was practicing scorched earth tactics, for whatever reason, slip away. Which was why Haruka was willing to defer to Usagi. Once this 'Eclipse' was under wraps, then they could patch things up with the Inner Senshi.
Finally, they found the door leading to the stairwell. Haruka opened it, and Michiru took point, sparing a few glances down at her mirror. That was also frustrating. The Deep Aqua Mirror was supposed to help pinpoint their enemy's location, but something about this Eclipse was throwing it off.
Haruka followed Michiru in silence, focusing intently as they ascended the stairwell, not letting herself be distracted by the lights flickering on and off. But soon her partner spoke up. "Actually, Haruka, our little reunion went better than I hoped."
That took Haruka by surprise. "Is that so?"
Haruka saw Michiru nod right before the lights dimmed again. "I suppose we should consider ourselves fortunate that a brief wrestling match was all we got as a 'Welcome Back' present. If they truly harbored any lasting resentment, the subsequent firefight would've finished our enemy's work," Michiru said wryly. "On top of that, I don't think there'll be any tense conflicts with the Inner Senshi this time. They arrived mere minutes after we did, and seem just as intent on tracking down this Eclipse."
"They've grown some since we last met, I'll give them that," said Haruka. "Especially Usagi, I can sense it. Though it looked like she was burdened by something that has nothing to do with finding this Eclipse."
Michiru had just reached the door to the top floor, but she glanced over her shoulder, the flickering light revealing the teasing look in her eyes. "Well, if something is troubling our princess, no doubt you'll want to be there for her," she said coyly.
Despite herself, Haruka colored a little as Michiru turned back to open the door. As they stepped out, what greeted them was little different from what they had found on the ground floor. The walls charred and blasted through, no doubt courtesy of this Eclipse's dark energy. Shattered glass and papers strewn everywhere, the lights flickering here too.
As they walked down the hallway, brief glimpses into open office spaces revealed similar carnage. Smashed-up furnishings, wrecked computers and filing cabinets. Whoever was attacking this place clearly wanted to make sure it could never be used again, along with getting rid of vital information and equipment. But the savagery involved suggested a hateful passion, not exactly efficient calculation. It made Haruka just that more determined to make sure she didn't let her guard down again.
That focus, that sharpening of her senses, paid off. It was from the other side of the building, but Haruka heard a muffled howl, along with a rather odd noise. A sort of… oily, slurping sound. Michiru obviously heard it too, and thought the same thing. With one last glance down into her mirror, she turned to Haruka and nodded. "Think we should go alert the Inner Senshi?"
"Well, Makoto seemed miffed that we weren't here for the Dead Moon Circus. Maybe we should corral Eclipse for them to make up for it?" Haruka suggested with a smile, holding up her transformation stick. Likewise, Michiru pulled out her own.
"Neptune Planet Power, Make-Up!"
"Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!"
Now ready for battle, the two Sailor Senshi dashed through the halls, toward that unusual noise. Soon, they came across what appeared to be a large break room. The lights were out, and that noxious slurping noise could be heard within. Uranus poked her head inside, her eyes falling on the unconscious body of another poor soul. His shirt was bloodied, and seemed to be sporting burns from dark energy exposure like the rest, but at least Uranus could see the telltale rise and fall of his chest.
But there was no telling if the next victim, at the far end, would be as lucky. Thanks to his white shirt, Uranus could see him crawling backwards until he brushed up against the wall. Uranus could practically sense his heart-stopping terror. What he was frantically backing away from, though, Uranus couldn't immediately make out, even though he or she was closer. She had to squint to spot another figure in the darkness. Long, black hair seemed to glisten in what light there was, practically pouring out from what looked like a tannish-grey hard hat. Whoever it was didn't look particularly tall, making Uranus briefly wonder why this guy was so afraid.
Uranus soon learned why. His assailant casually raised a hand, and Uranus felt more than saw a blast of dark power lash out. Not directly at him, but rather at the window right next to him. The blast took out the entire window and some of the wall, letting some light from the full moon pour in. As the poor soul screamed in horror, drowning out the sound of masonry and broken glass hitting the ground outside, Uranus got a better look at who was after him.
This 'Eclipse' was indeed rather short. Most of the Inner Senshi would dwarf her, and Uranus decided it had to be a 'her' judging from her frame. Eclipse put her arm down as she casually strolled over to her quarry.
It turned out she didn't need to lay her hands on him, having a better way to shake him down. Uranus's eyes widened as what could only be described as an inky-black, thick, oily substance issued forth from Eclipse's body. It glistened in the moonlight as it took the form of spindly tendrils, which shot out and ensnared her victim. He would have screamed again, but one tendril gagged him, apparently being willed to become solid enough for that task. Another wrapped around his neck, and still more snared his arms and legs. Uranus couldn't help but shudder, remembering how Mistress 9 once held both she and Neptune captive the same way with her hair.
This personal oil slick of Eclipse's… The tensile strength, the OVERALL strength… It was great enough to bodily lift the man off the floor, and then dangle him just beyond the gaping hole in the wall. Uranus's heart skipped a beat when Eclipse let him drop, but then she heard him smack against the outside wall. Eclipse strode purposefully to the hole, then peered over the edge. She was whispering something, perhaps interrogating her quarry. No need to yell and sound threatening, not when that guy must've been out of his mind with fear.
Uranus had seen enough, and knew Neptune felt the same way. Charging into the break room, Uranus bellowed, "That's enough!"
Eclipse slowly turned around, letting them get a better look at her. She was clad in some sort of beige jumpsuit that covered her from the neck down, but it looked about a size too big for her, judging by how much looked stuffed into those lace-up work boots. There were slits in her jumpsuit to allow that noxious ooze to seep out.
Unfortunately, there was no hope of identifying her by her face. Eclipse wore what looked like welding goggles, and the lower half of her face had that oily glop covering most of it, as if it fountained up from her neck. "Answering the call from a new era… Sailor Uranus! Here to fight with brilliance!" Uranus went on.
"Likewise… Sailor Neptune, here to fight with elegance!" Neptune chimed in.
"Now, let that man go!" Uranus demanded, pointing at Eclipse.
Uranus realized too late she should have worded that more carefully. Eclipse shrugged her shoulders and simply retracted those oily tendrils, somehow sucking them all up back into her body with a nauseating slurp. Her quarry screamed as he fell and hit the ground hard. Fortunately, judging by how long it took Eclipse to suck in her ooze, the height wasn't nearly enough to kill him.
"So, you must be Eclipse," Neptune spat. "What is it you want? Why did you ransack this warehouse? Looking for pure hearts, for beautiful dreams? You'll find little in this part of town."
The woman said nothing, and those goggles made it nearly impossible to gauge her mood. They could only really make out her mouth, and all they saw was that her lips were pressed together. Not much to go on, certainly no way to tell if Eclipse was scared, annoyed, angry or whatever. All she did was casually stroll to her right, steadily retreating away from the moonlight.
Uranus and Neptune cautiously made their way into the break room, edging toward its right side. All of them, like predators circling before ripping each other to shreds. "Hmmm, this is unusual," Neptune added with a coy smile. "Typically, when we face a new enemy, they're all too happy to gloat about their evil plans."
"Answer us!" Uranus roared as Eclipse just kept strolling, slinking further into the shadows. "You clearly wanted to put this warehouse out of commission, but must be after information, too! What's…"
Uranus stopped when a faint slurping sound reached her ears. Her eyes widened upon realizing Eclipse had suckered them. By walking over to where it was darker, Eclipse had cover to use those slimy tendrils again. Her stance widened as she clenched her fists, and then a big table was flung at them. Followed by a microwave, and then a potted plant, and anything else that wasn't nailed down.
Uranus ducked aside just in time to avoid the heavy oak table. Producing her Space Sword, she swatted away the microwave. None of the junk was hitting Neptune either, being more than agile enough to dodge the barrage.
While they were busy avoiding all the junk Eclipse was flinging, she had an opening. With an outstretched, gloved hand, Eclipse fired off what could only be described as a bolt of black lightning, which seemed to suck up what little illumination the moon provided. She scored a direct hit on Neptune. Neptune screamed as the impact sent her flying into the wall, that black electricity crackling eerily around her body.
"Neptune!" Uranus cried out in fury, sparing only a moment to glance over her shoulder. Neptune was already getting back up, though the attack left her shaken. Still, this Eclipse was more powerful than they first figured, easily a match for any Sailor Senshi. That outfit which looked thrown together had fooled them at first. Not again. Turning back to Eclipse, Uranus reared her arm back, and then… "Space Sword Blaster!"
The glowing blast of concentrated wind energy was flung across the room, striking Eclipse full in the face. All it did, though, was make Eclipse grunt a little and stagger back. But that gave Neptune, already back on her feet, the opening she needed.
"Deep Submerge!" she roared. The concentrated ball of energized seawater shot forth. Another direct hit, and this time Eclipse was blasted off her feet, smashed through the adjacent wall.
"That had to take something out of her!" Uranus cried hopefully. She and Neptune ran through the gaping hole. But upon stepping into the next room, there was no sign of Eclipse. "What in… Neptune, where'd that walking oil spill go!?"
"I'm not sure! This creature is still throwing off my mirror!" Neptune shot back, gazing into her talisman. Her face screwed up in concentration as she squinted, but then her eyes widened all of a sudden. "Uh oh, I think she's on the floor below! DIRECTLY below us!"
"How'd she do that?" demanded Uranus. "And why? Is she trying to get away? Or…"
Uranus got her answer when a blast of dark energy erupted from the floor, only a few paces away from where they stood. More and more blasts shot straight up from the floor. On top of that, globs of Eclipse's weird black ooze punched through like battering rams. Soon, there were enough holes to let Eclipse lasso the spaces between them and pull down. Hard.
Uranus and Neptune tried to leap away, but it was too late. The floor beneath them crumbled away, and they fell back down to the first floor. Uranus hit solid concrete hard, with Neptune landing on top of her soon afterward. Debris from the floor followed, effectively pinning them down.
As the cloud of dust and debris cleared, Uranus saw they had landed in the warehouse's loading area. Her Space Sword lay a few meters away, so even though her right arm was free, there was no way to reach it.
Worse, Uranus could make out a silhouette slowly advancing on them through the kicked-up dust, long hair fluttering and oozing tendrils still out. There was only one hope. Ignoring the crushing pain from all the debris, she raised her right arm as high as she could. It wobbled from the effort she had to put into it. "W-W-World… Shak…"
A huge glob of Eclipse's ooze shot right at her, pinning her arm to the loading bay floor. Uranus pulled against it with all her might, but even her strength couldn't get it to budge. She stared at her useless arm in frustration. Whoever this Eclipse was, she had studied up on the Sailor Senshi. Knowing exactly what she was about to do, and took the appropriate countermeasures.
Uranus forced herself to look up at their attacker. The dust had faded, and Eclipse stood over them, only a few paces away. She looked as fresh as when this all began, unfazed by either of their attacks. The only indication they landed any hits was that the lens over Eclipse's left eye was shattered, half of it broken away. Even though Uranus could see a bit of her eye, there was still no hope of reading her gaze.
Her mouth, though… Her lips were parted slightly, as if carefully considering what to do next. As if she didn't know what to do with them, now that two Sailor Senshi were at her mercy. Uranus just stared back at her coldly, refusing to let fear show. After everything she and Neptune went through to thwart Pharaoh 90, they might be offed by this walking ecological disaster?
Fortunately, it looked like Eclipse wouldn't get the chance to succeed where the Death Busters had failed so miserably. All of a sudden, the entire loading bay was obscured again, this time by an explosion of icy fog.
Uranus knew what this was, and who had caused it. But what interested her more was how Eclipse reacted to Sailor Mercury's attack. Eclipse reeled back as if in pain, grunting, whirling her tendrils to dispel the fog faster. But the tendrils weren't flowing as fluidly as before. It's not just the surprise from Mercury using Shabon Spray… This thing is hurt by the cold! Uranus reasoned.
The mist, though, was dissipating. But before Eclipse could finish speeding that along, there was an echoing cry from Sailor Jupiter. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
What could only be described as electrified leaves shot across the loading bay. Many struck Eclipse's tendrils, and she grunted again, forced to retract them.
"That's new," muttered Neptune, just as Jupiter charged right at Eclipse during the last few moments the fog remained. Eclipse was scooped up and flung over Jupiter's shoulder as she grappled her while running, not losing any momentum. As she carried her across the loading bay, Jupiter swung around and hurled Eclipse over at a stack of wooden pallets, knocking them over and sending Eclipse toppling to the ground.
"Now's not the time to be impressed!" Uranus spat, still struggling against Eclipse's glop. Mercury's icy mist hadn't lingered long enough to let her break free of it. "My arm's stuck but good. Neptune, can you still reach your Deep Aqua Mirror!?" Hopefully, they could lend Jupiter a hand, because Eclipse was getting right back up, stepping over the toppled pallets.
"Sorry Uranus, but both my arms are pinned, and I lost my grip on the mirror altogether," said Neptune. "It's all up to them, now."
That realization made Uranus's heart sink. Eclipse still didn't even look winded. Jupiter rushed in, throwing a punch, but Eclipse ducked her head just in time. Jupiter kept up the pressure, but Eclipse managed to evade her strikes. Gritting her teeth, Jupiter reared back and tried a spinning jump kick to her face, but one of Eclipse's oily tendrils shot out and ensnared her ankle. Eclipse let Jupiter dangle helplessly over the floor, a safe distance away from her.
"Don't waste your time trying to overpower this thing up close and personal!" Uranus shouted.
"Uranus is right! This creature's oil slick seems vulnerable to electric discharges and intense cold! Let her have it!" Neptune added.
Jupiter got the hint, for the antenna on her tiara came out. Uranus could already smell ozone, and she glanced over to Mercury. Some sort of watery harp was forming in her hands. But before either could strike, Eclipse flung Jupiter over at Mercury. The two of them collided, and were slammed into one of the metal bay doors, hard enough to leave an indentation.
"So much for a timely rescue," Neptune muttered dejectedly. Eclipse advanced on them again. Uranus looked over to the two fallen Senshi before forcing herself to tear her gaze away. Eclipse had just stopped inching closer, looking from one group of downed Senshi to the other and back. It was still as if she didn't really know what to do next, now that they were all practically at her mercy.
Why? Eclipse obviously knew all about them and what they could do. Was she just surprised to run into the Sailor Senshi so soon? Or would killing them simply serve no purpose from her perspective? As Uranus looked up at Eclipse, what could be seen of her face still gave no answers. There was a saddening hardness in how her jaw was set, the dull glint in her exposed eye. Yet at the same time, as Uranus looked Eclipse over again, she realized there was something familiar about her, something she felt she was supposed to remember…
Eclipse's indecision came to an end, and she took another step toward them, a cruel hardness in that exposed eye now. But before Eclipse got much closer, a resounding cry made her exposed eye widen. "Hold it right there!"
Uranus sighed in relief as she looked past Eclipse. Mercury and Jupiter must have been searching this far end by themselves, and at last, Sailor Moon was drawn here by the commotion. Their princess stood at the far end of the loading bay with Luna by her feet, pointing at Eclipse. "First you ruin a perfectly peaceful evening by dragging us into this warehouse, and now you LITERALLY bring the house down on top of my friends!?" she snarled. "It's one insult after another. In the name of…" Then it was as if a dam burst, and Sailor Moon couldn't keep a lid on her disgust anymore. "Ohhhh, ACK, that thing is nauseating to look at!"
"Sailor Moon, will you focus!?" Luna chided.
"C'mon Luna, LOOK at that thing! This has got to be the grossest monster we've ever run into!" Sailor Moon protested. "It's like an offshore drill platform got busted and it's spraying down from the inside of that helmet! Seriously, where does her hair end and the oil begin? I mean, the Daimons and Lemures were pretty out there, but at least they never made you think of thousands of dead fish and seagulls, and…"
As Sailor Moon rambled on, Uranus picked up on a change in Eclipse's body language. It was subtle at first, with Eclipse's fists clenching tightly. And then her fists shook uncontrollably. Soon after that, Uranus could sense the rage and frustration radiating off of the putrid being. Eclipse simply had foreknowledge of the other Sailor Senshi and countered them accordingly, but it was clearly nothing personal.
It was a different story with Sailor Moon. For whatever reason, the mere sight of Sailor Moon filled this creature with uncontrollable fury, fury she was set to act upon.
"Sailor Moon, look out! Eclipse has it in for you!" Uranus cried. The warning came just in time. More of Eclipse's tendrils shot out, grabbing hold of pallets from another nearby stack. Sailor Moon shrieked in horror as Eclipse chucked them at her, one right after another. They came at her with deadly speed, spinning like giant shuriken, forcing a frantic Sailor Moon to duck and weave around the onslaught, wailing the whole time.
Some shattered against the wall behind her, others became embedded into it. Frustrated with how Sailor Moon managed to stay one step ahead, Eclipse started lashing out with that dark energy as well. Sailor Moon had to skid to a halt with a terrified wail, hunched over as a blast of black lightning shot dangerously close to her belly. Then she had to leap up, letting another pallet sail underneath her.
Uranus cursed how useless she was as Eclipse kept up her barrage. The creature's back was turned to them, forgetting them completely now that her ire was focused solely on Sailor Moon, yet they were unable to strike. And it was doubtful Sailor Moon could keep ducking that barrage much longer.
Or at least, that was what Uranus feared, but it turned out she was righter than she knew about Sailor Moon being more with it. As she jumped over another tossed pallet and blast of dark power, Sailor Moon's hand went to her tiara. When she landed again…
"Moon Tiara Action!"
The blazing disk tore through another pallet Eclipse had lobbed, heading straight for her. Uranus expected Eclipse to dodge, but then she sensed a brief moment of panic from her. The tiara found its target. Uranus winced a little as she heard it burning and tearing through the flesh of Eclipse's belly. But soon that was drowned out by the sound of Eclipse screaming.
Sailor Moon's attack couldn't cleave Eclipse in half; the tiara soon de-energized and boomeranged back to her. Still, it had done a number on the creature. Eclipse fell to her knees, those slimy tendrils splattering uselessly to the floor as she clutched her midsection. For someone that had been so fearsome and silent just moments before, Eclipse looked quite pathetic now, and Uranus swore she even heard her sobbing.
Eclipse tore one trembling hand away from her belly to gaze at it. Uranus was certain she saw the crimson shade of blood mixed in with that black ooze. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon looked as indecisive as Eclipse had been moments before. She had her enemy on the ropes, so to speak, but wasn't certain about what to do next. Get some answers out of Eclipse, or finish her off?
"Well, that was easy," came Jupiter's voice all of a sudden. Both Uranus and Eclipse looked back to the loading bay doors. Mercury and Jupiter were back on their feet. Eclipse now trembled all over with terror. All three could hurt her, and she knew it.
Eclipse suddenly regained her composure and lashed out again, but not at any of the Senshi. The tendrils regained their viscosity and whipped about, smashing apart the walls, while others formed battering rams to punch through the roof. On top of that, she unleashed blasts of dark power up through the roof again.
"Why's she…" Neptune began, but then they all heard the walls groan in protest. "Oh great, she aims to bring the rest on top of us!"
With one last blast of dark power, Eclipse took out another chunk of a wall, and ran back into the building. "Lovely, she's getting away," spat Uranus.
"In case you haven't noticed, the two of you have more pressing concerns!" Jupiter snarled as she ran toward the debris still pinning them down.
Mercury, meanwhile, reformed that watery harp. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Tendrils of icy water shot at them, blasting away a good deal of the debris. One struck the oily gunk gluing Uranus's arm to the floor. Her arm felt numb with cold, but she forced herself to flex it, and the frozen glop shattered. Jupiter got to work removing the rest of the wood and bricks pinning them down. Once enough was removed, Jupiter scooped up Neptune in her arms, then shoved the Deep Aqua Mirror between her teeth.
Uranus scowled as she watched Jupiter run with Neptune toward an open bay door, which Sailor Moon must have noticed. "Come on, Uranus, now's not the time to get jealous! We've got to MOVE!"
As if to punctuate that, the entire wing of the warehouse trembled. Dirt rained down all over them as the shaking went on, grew worse. Sailor Moon reached down to snatch up the Space Sword as she ran. Once she reached Uranus, Mercury already had her on her feet. Mercury had Uranus sling her left arm over her shoulder, and then Sailor Moon was there at her right side from extra support.
"Hurry you three! It's all coming down!" Luna cried, just as more floorboards from above came crashing down. Just as the three of them leapt out of the open bay door, the rest of the second floor and the warehouse roof gave way, collapsing into the loading bay and kicking up a plume of dust and dirt.
The sound of sirens filled the air as the noise from the collapse died away. "Oh great, the others still stuck in there!" cried Sailor Moon. "Mercury, were they…"
"No. None of the survivors on the second floor were in the part of the warehouse that collapsed," said Uranus. "A small comfort. Our first run-in with this enemy was an abject failure otherwise."
"Still the glass-half-empty type, I see," Luna snorted. "Whoever this Eclipse is, Sailor Moon managed to wound her badly, and Mercury no doubt gathered some pertinent data we can pour over. Next time, we'll have a better idea what we're dealing with."
They walked over to where Jupiter had set Neptune down, Sailor Moon and Mercury still helping Uranus along. The moonlight washed over the sparkling waters splashing against the sand, very close to where Neptune was sitting. She looked drained after tanking Eclipse's dark power, then getting sandwiched between Uranus and all that debris, but she would recover. She and Uranus had endured far worse.
Taking back the talisman offered by Jupiter, Neptune glared into it. "Gone. Not even the faintest trace of dark energy remains, and we were all in the right place at the right time when Eclipse struck. Who knows if we'll be so lucky when she surfaces again?"
"Then it might be a good idea to not rely on dark energy to pinpoint Eclipse," said Mercury. "That oily ooze of hers… Maybe that could be used against her. If only I didn't have to freeze the ooze that pinned Uranus. A sample would've been useful."
Jupiter was standing close to Neptune, occasionally glancing down to make sure she was fine. But then, Jupiter's gaze slid down to her boot, and her eyes widened. Uranus saw it too. A bit of Eclipse's gunk had gotten lodged in the laces. Smiling, Jupiter reached down to pull it loose, then dumped it in a discarded beer bottle. "Here's your sample, Mercury," said Jupiter.
Mercury left Uranus's side to take it, leaving her to slump into Sailor Moon's arms. Hmph, quite the role reversal, Uranus thought with an anxious smile, remembering all the times she had held Usagi close in times of crisis. Now it was Sailor Moon that had her arms around her as she slid down onto the sand.
"I'll need some time to analyze this stuff. For now, I can get quicker results pouring over the data I already have," said Mercury as she took the bottle. Tucking it under her arm, she began to furiously type at her computer.
"I'm with Luna, believe it or not," said Sailor Moon, as if sensing Uranus's lingering unease. "We're in a lot better shape than we usually are after tackling some new screwball out to conquer the world. I mean, usually my old attacks don't do a thing on the first monster a new enemy sends out."
Despite herself, Uranus was a little encouraged by Sailor Moon and Luna's optimism. That was, until Mercury suddenly spoke up. "Ummm, I think Sailor Moon may be mistaken. About this being a 'new' enemy, that is…"
Everyone turned to face Mercury, their widening eyes reflecting the graveness of her voice. It was Jupiter who dared to speak up first. "Ummm, Mercury, just what is that supposed to mean?"
"I had my computer crunch the scan data from when Eclipse was throwing around all that dark power, along with the scans from the burns left on those victims. The energy signature, well…"
Mercury's face screwed up, her anxiety palpable. Then she turned her computer around to show them what was on the screen…
94.8% MATCH: DARK KINGDOM