Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 3: Silence in the Snow

3-13-2017

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.

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This latest mess began as the sun was setting, but now it rose, its gentle warmth flowing over Gai Izumi's backside as he approached his goal. It had taken some time to get this far across the city. The authorities and the paramedics had swarmed toward the warehouse by the river faster than Gai had figured, and he couldn't let himself be seen. No doubt there were still some who would recognize him. On top of that, there was no telling just how long the Sailor Senshi would be kept occupied. They might come after him wanting answers. Thankfully, Gai was no stranger to skulking around in the darkness.

As he was doing right now, going into this building that also housed the business's robotics laboratory. Ironically, in years past, Gai wouldn't have had to sneak into such a place. He would be sent to 'oversee' meetings of stockholders, to simply let certain ones be reminded of who had an 'interest' in their doings. Just his presence was intimidating enough, but despite his somewhat lanky physique, Gai was more than willing and able to dish out the hurt if need be. But his arrival this morning was for another purpose entirely.

Fishing around in his pocket, he found the special remote his aunt had made for him. With this, he could shut off any automated security measures put in place. And she had insisted on having them, given how she was the victim of a brutal attack over a year ago, one she still was reluctant to talk about. It clearly still weighed on her mind. The fact that she entrusted Gai with the means to disable the bulk of them showed her trust in him. He was perhaps the only one she truly trusted these days.

With the cameras neutralized and her hidden traps disabled, Gai climbed over the fence and made his way toward the door in the back. One that had a small, vertical rectangular window with bulletproof glass.

"As if that'll do a lick of good against who she's picking a fight with," Gai grumbled. With the sun at his back, he could make out his reflection in the window. A long, thin face staring back at him with a little worry. A little blood had been splattered on him during the chaos by the river, and after his trek across town, his hair now looked a little messy. Instinctively, he combed it back with his fingers, winding up using his left hand. Seeing the nub that used to be his pinky finger in the reflection, he sighed. A reminder of what were, ironically, simpler times.

Seeing no point in delay, Gai went in, ducked down a stairwell nearby, and started navigating the halls down below. Even knowing that all the traps were disabled, Gai couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He thought he had figured out his aunt long ago, but over the last few years, she had become even more stern, even more driven. Though Gai could empathize as to why.

Finally, he reached the door that led to his aunt's secret office. Without preamble, Gai stormed in. "OK, no one tailed me, but I'll have to be out of here quick or the employees trickling in to work might see me."

As expected, it was quite dark in her office. Depressingly dark, even for him. The only light there was came from the many computers screens that encircled his aunt's desk.

At the moment, Gai couldn't even see his aunt. She was on the short side, after all, so that tall, high-backed office chair obscured her from view. But when she spoke, her voice alone was enough to establish a forceful presence. Not yelling, not even raised, but carrying a hard, unnerving edge. "Now, Gai, with an attitude like that, one would think you're looking for excuses to not visit your dear aunt. And after all I've done for you."

"What you've done for me… It's quite complicated, isn't it?" Gai spat back. "When I was younger, getting mixed up in the yakuza, you kept pressuring me to find a way out. And I only sank further in, becoming slightly lesser of a man for it." He held up his left hand, as if to show that while his own family was far from perfect, the yakuza hadn't exactly been a perfect surrogate family either. "And when I finally did decide enough was enough… It's like the reverse of that catchphrase in those American crime movies. The yakuza didn't pull me back in. After all you did to watch my back, then you PUSHED me back in, Erina."

"Not without reluctance," his aunt said quickly, right before turning her chair around.

As always, Erina was clad in a white lab coat, wearing those dark glasses to shield her sensitive eyes. Her long black hair cascaded everywhere, looking quite messy. Even in her late forties, Erina Kizachi looked quite beautiful, in a resolute, statuesque way, despite all the signs of creeping age on her face.

But what struck one most was this air of quiet perniciousness, of frightful determination. It was something beyond any yakuza boss Gai had served under. For a moment, he actually found himself pitying the Sailor Senshi. They had no idea what was really coming.

"I had no one else I could turn to with the… connections you have," Erina said. "To worm his way into Japan's seediest underbelly, and help me manipulate certain factors to our benefit."

"'Our' benefit?" Gai repeated, scoffing. "Don't lie to yourself, Aunt Erina. This is about your agenda, your own designs for Japan. I'm just going along because I feel I owe you more than any of my old yakuza buddies."

"And here I've always been accused of judging you too harshly," Erina said smoothly.

"Sorry, but a man in my position can't help but sometimes feel like a pawn," said Gai. "Especially considering how you've been manipulating your own husband."

Erina's head actually dipped a little, and she even let out a sigh. "Again, not without reluctance," she groaned. "But you know as well as I that after what… happened, our marriage became empty, a sham."

"One of the many reasons you want Sailor Moon's head," Gai pointed out.

"Still you misunderstand me, Gai. It's not Sailor Moon's head I want, but her heart. And after all this careful planning, I finally may be close to crushing it," said Erina. "So I'll keep up the charade of being happily married to a member of the House of Councillors a little longer. A prestigious, respectable robotics engineer seeking to better Japan. Of course, my idea of making it better involves…" Erina stopped suddenly, gasping as if in pain, nearly doubling over in her chair. She clutched her stomach for a moment.

As frustrating as his aunt could be, Gai couldn't be unmoved by the sight of her in pain. But what was causing it? "Aunt Erina," he breathed as he moved to help her, but Erina shoved him away.

"Nothing to worry about," Erina said tersely. "You're the only one I can rely on these days, Gai, so I need you focused on the present. So tell me, did you take care of business before chaos descended on the warehouse?"

Of course you can only rely on me fully, considering who ELSE you've teamed up with, Gai thought acidly. But despite his concern for his aunt, Gai couldn't help but smile wickedly. "I covered our tracks and everyone is still without a clue, just like how no one had a clue about the living hell they were in for. Even after so many raids, they still get caught with their pants down. I even heard a lot of yakuza toughs came up with a name: Eclipse."

"Eclipse," Erina repeated softly, looking up to Gai. Gai couldn't see through those dark lenses, but he could imagine a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I like it. See to it that its use spreads. That's the sort of name that sticks in your head, gets the point across, and most importantly, I envision it being like a dagger through Sailor Moon's heart soon enough."

"Speaking of her, how did the Sailor Senshi fare after I left?" asked Gai.

To Gai's surprise, Erina smiled even more broadly. "Those two Senshi I actually owe my life to, they've reappeared. Quite ironic, actually. They're supposed to have stronger powers to deal with grave alien threats, yet it was the others that posed the greatest danger. Especially Sailor Moon herself. She's grown far more capable than when I first began observing her closely."

"You sound… happy about that," Gai pointed out, confused.

"I'm a scientist first and foremost, Gai," Erina said simply. "There's a certain gratification that comes with forming hypotheses after meticulous observations, and then seeing you were right. This just means that breaking Sailor Moon will be all the more satisfying."

"But if Sailor Moon's so much more dangerous than anyone suspects, how are you going to beat her?" Gai demanded.

Erina shook her head. "You're still not getting it. It's not about besting Sailor Moon in a contest, let alone killing her. It's about BREAKING her. I already knew that that would be no easy task. She's suffered excruciating pain before, and she didn't break. She literally watched close friends die right in front of her, and she didn't break. She's fought people she deeply cares about after they had been brainwashed, and she didn't break. Sailor Moon may seem like a klutzy crybaby with an impossibly thick skull, but the truth is her heart and mind are tempered steel at this point. No, I've long since realized that to truly defeat Sailor Moon, I'd have to get… creative. Attack her in ways she'll never see coming, ways no one else has come at her before."

"Is that how your Sentinel pet project comes into all of this?" Gai went on, still a little unnerved. "I mean, a whole new generation of mutant-hunting robots? Why would you, of all people, want a part of that?"

"Same reason as why I'm continuing the farce my marriage has become. And why you're still playing the part of a loyal yakuza member while actually helping plunge a knife in so many of their backs. A means to an end," Erina said coldly. "Oh, and speaking of the Sentinels, I believe they're finally ready for a test run."

"That's… good," said Gai uneasily. "But tell me, why am I getting some bad vibes from you right now?"

"I can't always be down here in my private office, Gai. You know that. Things are entering a critical, delicate stage," said Erina. "So you'll have to stick close whenever you can, in case the perfect opportunity for a field test happens while I'm away."

"Wait, you want ME to oversee one of these walking death machines!?" spat Gai. One might think someone with yakuza ties would jump at the chance, but frankly, it made Gai more anxious than ever. "Robots are your thing, Aunt Erina, not mine."

"Fear not, nephew," Erina said silkily. "I've idiot-proofed the interface so hard, even Sailor Moon herself couldn't screw it up."

"Well that's… HEY!" Gai roared. Erina just smiled again and laughed softly. It had been some time since Gai saw his aunt smile and laugh. And though it unnerved him a little, Gai felt sorry for the Sailor Senshi. What was coming would unnerve them much more.

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Like all little girls, Chibiusa could get bored rather easily. Mercifully, and quite surprisingly, boredom was the only thing plaguing the pink-haired girl at the moment. Being forced to stay in the new home of those who once hunted Hotaru should make her blood boil. Maybe it was knowing that one day she would see Hotaru restored, maybe it was just not in her nature to harbor grudges, but Chibiusa just didn't feel any anger welling up. Just mind-numbing boredom as she roamed around Michiru and Haruka's house.

Looking around, it was clear that they were still in the process of moving in. There were stacks of cardboard boxes in most rooms, and not much in the way of paintings and photos adorned the walls. And since the Sailor Senshi had a new crisis on their hands, there wouldn't be much time for settling in.

Judging from the clanking of tools Chibiusa heard from the door leading to Haruka's garage, there was plenty of other things on their to-do list. At least SOMEONE around here has something to keep her mind occupied, Chibiusa thought sourly.

Curious, Chibiusa poked her head inside. Haruka had changed into jeans and a grimy white t-shirt after the Inner Senshi had arrived last night around nine-'o-clock. Now, it was halfway through the following morning, and still no word from them. And that was no doubt gnawing at Haruka as well. Chibiusa could sense Haruka's agitation as she tuned up her dirtbike, her back turned to Chibiusa. Despite the tension with the Inner Senshi, Haruka had this weird bond with Usagi, almost as if Haruka saw her as a little sister.

Haruka wasn't so wrapped up in her work that it dulled her senses. It only took a few seconds for her to realize Chibiusa was there. Turning her head, she glared at the little girl impatiently. "Still no word?" she demanded.

Chibiusa shook her head. "Nothing," she grumbled, actually empathizing with Haruka for once. It was the uncertainty that was killing the both of them. The Dark Kingdom, the ones responsible for the Moon Kingdom's initial destruction. It was assumed they had been dealt with long before Chibiusa had arrived in this time and the Outer Senshi came to this city. Now it looked like they could be back. "At least you've found something to do in the meantime. Actually, I think you're dealing with the waiting better than I am."

"I just keep telling myself I must be patient, I suppose," said Haruka. "I understand the logic. The Inner Senshi are the ones who have experience dealing with the Dark Kingdom, and there must be Senshi here in case there's another Eclipse attack." Chibiusa then saw Haruka's grip on her socket wrench tighten. "But in my heart… This waiting is driving me insane!"

"Yeah, it sucks when you're worrying if a good friend might get obliterated." The words shot out of Chibiusa's mouth before she bothered to think on them. Maybe she wasn't as over Haruka and Michiru's previous antics as she thought. Chibiusa hoped Haruka's skin was thick enough to let it pass, but her heart sank when Haruka actually looked chastised, averting downcast eyes as she scowled.

Great, Chibiusa. This was one time you should've listened to Usagi, and you couldn't keep your tongue in check, Chibiusa fumed inwardly as she turned from the garage.

Usagi had pleaded with her to not start anything while waiting here, and things were going good until her mouth just fired off on its own. As she wandered the house again, Chibiusa eventually came across the cats in the living room, who all looked as impatient and sick with worry as she and Haruka.

"Still nothing?" Chibiusa asked.

Artemis shook his head. "Not a thing. At least we can take heart that if there was something significant, they would've found it by now and alerted us." Chibiusa knew Artemis purposefully left out that it could be because the Inner Senshi could've been obliterated by a resurgent Dark Kingdom already.

Chibiusa sighed and shook her head. Looking around again, she decided it was finally time to stoop to the go-to time-killer and mind-number of this era: television. There was a small box next to the entertainment center. Peeking into it, Chibiusa saw a bunch of tapes. She had noticed that the television had a built-in VCR and DVD player. Shrugging her shoulders, she popped in the tape at the top and hit play.

Whatever this tape was, it was obviously shot with a home camcorder. But that wasn't what Chibiusa found surprising. What was surprisingly was the sight of Michiru lying on the hood of a car, wearing a short white dress. It was almost as if the fabric was so thin, you could see through it. And Michiru even sported a wide, happy grin! Chibiusa had seen Michiru smile plenty of times, but never saw her so… carefree and gleeful. Then Haruka stepped into the frame, also with a surprisingly broad grin, climbing onto the hood with Michiru, and…

A shriek so deafening filled the living room, Chibiusa at first thought Usagi was back. Instead, a second later, Michiru slid in front of the television, having moved so fast it was as if she had appeared out of thin air. And in contrast to how she looked on that tape, Michiru's expression was one of mingled panic and embarrassment. She still tried to smile, though. An anxious, forced smile as she felt behind her for the eject button.

Chibiusa just stared up at Michiru for a moment, completely nonplussed. "Um, Michiru… What was that?"

Michiru was still wide-eyed with embarrassment. "Um, well, for Haruka's last birthday, we made a little, um, home video. Nothing you need to see…"

Chibiusa blanched, and couldn't help but have her tongue hang out of her mouth when her jaw dropped. "You're… right. I don't need to see that."

"Good. Glad we agree," said Michiru nervously. "You just, um, watch something else while I go put this tape someplace… safe." And with that, Michiru scampered out of the living room, leaving a weirded-out Chibiusa alone with the cats.

"Wow, grown-up relationships can sure be… weird," said Chibiusa, shaking her head as she grabbed the remote. The cats plopped down on the couch with her as she began flipping channels.

First, there was some weirdly brutal game show. The current contest apparently involved men drinking a whole bunch of water, then forced to endure blows to their nether regions to see who could resist the urge to pee. "Ugh, no need to think about that. Changing the channel," Chibiusa growled.

Next came that stupid anime with the hamsters. "Oh gag," grumbled Chibiusa. "Talking hamsters. How ridiculous can you get?"

"Ummm, you're around talking cats every day, Chibiusa," Luna reminded her.

"Yeah well… Cats are smart and serve a purpose," Chibiusa said quickly. "The ancient Egyptians revered cats. Please show me the ancient civilization that worshipped hamsters.1" She changed the channel again. "Well here you go, here's one about talking cats. Much better. But wait, the cats are speaking in English?" There were Japanese subtitles, but the voices in English and the decidedly different animation style told Chibiusa it came from across the Pacific. "OK, we've got talking cats that fly a jet plane. And they're fighting this giant green cat-mushroom, and these two robotic cats, and… Wow, American anime is just plain weird," Chibiusa said before changing the channel again.

"America is a weird place, period," said Luna. "Over there, they have the big green angry guy, the red-and-blue spider guy, the biker guy with a flaming skull for a head…"

"Any weirder than what the Sailor Senshi put up with?" Artemis pointed out. But what popped up on the television next was certainly not anything whimsical. No, it showed cold, harsh reality.

It was some sort of news report, dealing with mutants in Japan. It was recorded footage of a girl in a shopping mall, not much older than Chibiusa. Her hands were clasped over her mouth as a crowd gathered, which was unnerving the girl to no end. And then, unable to contain her power any longer, icy breath exploded out of the girl's mouth, making jewelry display cases shatter.

It was bad enough to see that girl so scared and confused. But seeing the fear on everyone else's faces as they scattered toward safety, fear that warped into naked hate, was even worse.

The news anchor's voice showing complete insensitivity to the girl's plight punctuated the sad state of affairs. "This was the third reported incident of a young mutant losing control publicly in the Juban area this week." A voice so cold, in a tone that implied that the girl was at fault. As if she wanted to scare and possibly hurt those people, as if she wasn't scared enough for all of them. "This serves to highlight the growing concern over the growing mutant population in Japan. And the fears that many of the populace have about unknown mutants, especially adolescents who have yet to manifest their abilities, spurring talk of mutant registry and…"

Having heard enough, Chibiusa just turned the television off. "With this sort of idiocy happening, maybe the Dark Kingdom doesn't even need to come back. With all this paranoia, we may do their job for them."

Chibiusa could feel the cats' stares upon her, no doubt taken aback by her vehemence. Finally, Luna spoke up. "Chibiusa, are there… still mutants in Crystal Tokyo?"

Chibiusa turned and fixed Luna with what she hoped was her best 'What kind of stupid question is that?' look. Diana took it upon herself to voice Chibiusa's disbelief. "Of course there's mutants in Crystal Tokyo. Plenty of them! Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's all this talk about mutants lately, all the stuff on the news. I was just… sort of curious," Luna replied. "It's all sort of come out of nowhere. You expect this sort of stuff in other countries, especially America. I guess we never took the time to notice, with one enemy coming down to visit doom upon the world after another. But now that we have time to really see what's going on, I don't know…"

Luna's musings were abruptly interrupted by a bright flash coming from the backyard. At last, answers were coming. Chibiusa sprang off the couch, just as Haruka stormed out of the garage. The light from the backyard faded. The Sailor Teleport was complete, and all of the Inner Senshi were back from investigating D-Point.

The glass sliding door opened, and Tuxedo Kamen stepped in first. The Inner Senshi followed one by one, frustrated looks on all their faces, which told Chibiusa nothing. Sailor Moon was coming in last, and before she stepped inside, there was another series of glows, along with what looking like glowing, energized flower petals swirling everywhere. Their transformations were now undone.

That's good, right? If they undid their transformations, they don't expect an attack anytime soon, right? Chibiusa thought anxiously. Out loud, she said, "Well, did you find anything? Is the Dark Kingdom back? What's…"

It was as if Usagi couldn't even hear her. "Rei, how come you had to push me down that slope!? Geez, I'm willing to bet Eclipse really WAS back there, just going by how icky that snow tastes!"

Then Usagi tried to scrape the foul taste off her tongue with her finger. Chibiusa heard Haruka facepalm at the exact same moment she did.

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Nearly half a day traipsing in the Arctic… And Usagi thought what yesterday evening had devolved into was vexing! But after seeing the results of Ami's scans last night, the chill Usagi felt, for lack of a better word, 'eclipsed' the numbing cold awaiting at D-Point.

At least, in physical terms. D-Point was the last place Usagi ever wanted to go back to. The memories of her friends dying one by one, the way bitter reality smacked her right in the face, showing her what the final rush against the Dark Kingdom was coming to. Sometimes, when thinking back, Usagi wondered why she used the Ginzuishou to reincarnate the Sailor Senshi without their memories.

It took only a few minutes back up in that frozen wasteland for the chilling memories to rush back and remind her why. Then they had to spend HOURS AND HOURS going over the place, looking for any clue. It was no one's idea of a good time, and their moods soured the longer they stayed. And Rei, in particular, got less and less averse to showing her displeasure in… overt ways.

In fact, when she felt she got enough of that icky snow taste off, Usagi turned to see Rei glaring at her, arms folded. She looked as regal as ever in her shrine maiden getup, but as usual, it was Michiru that had the most refined air. Haruka, Chibiusa and the cats were already there, but Michiru strode in to join them, showing no impatience even though most everyone else showed exasperation. "So, if that's the worst news, I assume no one found anything in the Arctic?" Michiru asked.

"Not a thing!" Makoto spat, throwing up her hands. "Half a day freezing our asses off with nothing to show for it!"

"Yup, no trace of that spiky-shouldered Amazonian carrot-top or a walking oil spill anywhere," Usagi added.

"That pretty much sums it up," Rei huffed. "I tried and tried and tried, see if I could sense something fresh up there, some resurgence of evil power. But nope, just a whole lot of nothing. Ami scanned probably every square millimeter of D-Point too, and couldn't uncover a thing."

"Bottom line, whoever our new friend Eclipse is, wherever she came from… It wasn't there, and she didn't go back up there," said Minako.

"Given how her oil slick was sensitive to cold, that's not too surprising," Haruka pointed out. "But if it turned out that Usagi did a better job wiping out all traces of Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom than originally thought, how is it a trace of them lives on in Eclipse?"

"Just what could she be?" Artemis asked. "A leftover remnant? A youma of Beryl's that was a sleeper agent and inadvertently got activated?"

Usagi shivered at that thought, a sort of booby-trap left behind by Beryl, but Michiru had other suppositions. "If that's it, how come she targeted that warehouse?" Michiru argued. "That was some thorough handiwork of Eclipse's, trashing the place while venting some rather frightening rage. It doesn't quite look like the work of a rogue agent just now being awakened. There is a method to this madness, I can sense it."

Chills that had nothing to do with D-Point's iciness once again went up Usagi's spine. It would be better to at least know exactly what they were dealing with. So far, everything was still a guessing game.

"From the sound of things, we only have one lead: the bit of Eclipse's oil slick that Makoto found," Mamoru pointed out.

"Good thing I brought a bit of that with us," Ami suddenly said, quiet up to this point. "Maybe it wasn't a waste of time after all. Here and there, I took some time to analyze this stuff." Everyone turned to look at Ami, just as something ejected from the side of her computer. She pulled out a small slide that had been inserted, a small drop of Eclipse's oil slick contained in a little circle in the center. "It's already yielded a few surprising answers, but unfortunately, some new questions as well."

"Like what?" Usagi grumbled. On top of learning something from the Dark Kingdom had survived, Usagi's head ached from all that time in the Arctic and lack of sleep. She didn't need any new headaches, none of them did.

"Let's hear what concrete answers you found first," said Haruka tersely. "What's so surprising about them?"

"First off, the genetic structure," said Ami. "There are definitely viable cells in this gunk, and after hours of having the computer scan them, there's no doubt about it: Eclipse is no youma. She's entirely human."

"How's that surprising?" Rei demanded. "We saw the Dark Kingdom control and corrupt people all the time."

"Well, for me it was, after considering the nature of her oil slick," said Ami. "You had to see Eclipse in action, Rei, the scary stuff it can do. I remembered reading about these alien creatures that Spider-Man fights on the other side of the Pacific. Parasites that latch onto their victims and turn them into monsters. I wondered if Eclipse might be one of those symbiotes, but figured Haruka and Michiru would've been able to sense if it was extraterrestrial, and these results finally disabused me of the notion. This oil slick isn't something latched on to Eclipse. It's PART of Eclipse." Usagi shivered again, this time from disgust. The more they learned about Eclipse, the grosser she sounded.

"Did… the Dark Kingdom have the means to create a human like that?" Michiru asked uneasily.

Ami shook her head. "I don't think Beryl 'created' anything, Michiru. The DNA analysis suggests something else altogether. Eclipse is human, but she has a fully active X-gene. THAT must be where her oil slick originates from."

"Just what the heck is an X-gene?" Makoto asked, confused.

"The radically mutated gene that gives mutants their superpowers," said Mamoru matter-of-factly. "It's something these people are born with."

"Wow, this gets more and more interesting," Minako cut in. "There used to be a mutant in Interpol. Before my time, but a lot of agents still gush over the guy. Sean Cassidy, I think his name was. Supposedly just as powerful as any of us. Mutant powers aren't something to take lightly."

Just when Usagi thought there would be no more unwelcome surprises, this revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. Their new enemy was a mutant like Naru!? Mutants were having it pretty bad in Japan right now as it was. Now it turns out Beryl had corrupted one of these poor souls before her downfall, and they might have to wipe her out!?

"Usagi, you OK?" Rei asked suddenly. It was in a softer tone of voice than usual from her.

Usagi tensed. She couldn't really talk about why the subject of mutants got to her so much, not when she had to guard Naru's secret.

Thankfully, Rei turned back to Ami when she spoke up again. "Mamoru and Minako are right. That oil slick is definitely Eclipse's primary mutant power, and it's a potent one at that. I would actually be less surprised if Eclipse WAS one of these alien symbiotes after what I saw. The tensile strength of that gunk, how it held Haruka fast, how it could change to suit Eclipse's needs with a thought… Those alien creatures, no doubt they were a product of countless eons of evolution. But to see something so similar pop up in a human via a single-generation mutation? It's mind-blowing, unbelievable. Yet the evidence is staring us all in the face."

"Then it's little wonder Beryl chose Eclipse for whatever plans she had before Usagi stopped her cold," said Haruka.

"But just WHAT would Beryl have wanted with her, outside of just another youma in her forces?" said Luna.

"I got it!" Minako cried. "Queen Beryl aimed to make her the fifth member of the Shitennou!"

"Why do you figure that, Minako?" Artemis asked.

"Well, for one thing, I bet Beryl was getting fed up with her generals always screwing up, losing to little girls at every turn," Minako said with a smirk. "So Beryl must've figured she'd fight fire with fire. Find a girl who already had superpowers of her own, then have Queen Metalia imbue her with dark power like the rest of them. I bet Beryl was pulling the same stunt with her that she did to corrupt Mamoru, but it wasn't quite finished before Usagi iced Beryl, and only now did Eclipse wake up."

There was a long silence as the others considered Minako's theory. "It's… as good a theory as any," Michiru admitted. "Though it still doesn't explain the motive behind last night's attack."

"It does, however, explain why Eclipse blew her top at the sight of Sailor Moon," Haruka pointed out, arms folded. "She could have been outraged at seeing her benefactor's killer."

"Still, if she's just another person enslaved by the Dark Kingdom, the Ginzuishou could restore her," Usagi said hopefully.

"That might be harder than you think, Usagi," said Ami. Eyes widening, Usagi looked back to her, but Ami was staring intently at her computer as she typed. "Minako might've been righter than she knew, about Queen Metalia 'gifting' Eclipse with dark power. There's one series of sequences on Eclipse's X-gene that don't quite look like a natural mutation. As if they were spliced in instead. It might be something spliced in by Queen Metalia herself, something she also did with Queen Beryl and the Shitennou way back. My theory is that's how they got permanently imbued with the ability to harness and manipulate dark energy. In essence, making the five of them artificial mutants."

"And now it's been done with a real mutant, stacking more powers on top of what was already there," Mamoru added gravely.

"If that's the case, it may be a tall order to have her purified with the Ginzuishou," Luna said sorrowfully.

Sorrow that Usagi echoed silently. Mutants faced enough challenges, and now they were called upon to possibly kill one? "We have to try! We can't just kill someone brainwashed by Queen Beryl!"

Haruka plopped on the couch, face buried in her hands. "Great. Here we go again."

"Not so fast, Haruka," Ami said quickly. "I also might've been right before, about finding a way to attack Eclipse through her oil slick. It may be possible to incapacitate her, or perhaps just weaken her enough for Usagi to heal her with the Ginzuishou."

Haruka glared at Ami dubiously, but Michiru sounded encouraged. "Just what do you plan to do?"

"Since this stuff comes out of Eclipse instead of clinging to her, it must be connected to her physiologically," Ami explained. "Even if she sucks this gunk up in pocket dimensions whenever she's not in a fight, it's got to be linked to her somehow. Sort of like a mollusk's open circulatory system. That gives us an opening."

"To do what?" Haruka demanded.

"I've been analyzing the protein structure of what serves as the backbones for this gunk's constructs. I could spend years studying how this stuff can change so rapidly upon Eclipse's mental commands. For the moment, though, I've learned plenty. For instance, unlike Spider-Man's enemies, this gunk is not vulnerable to fire. Not only is it resistant to weathering from stuff like wind and water, heat doesn't destabilize the protein structure. But extreme cold does, plus the liquid nature and its solutes render it susceptible to electric discharges."

"Which explains why you and Makoto could weaken Eclipse, while Haruka and I accomplished little," said Michiru. She said it without a hint of envy or frustration, but Usagi caught the scowl on Haruka's face. "What else did you find?"

"It will take some time, but I believe I can come up with a chemical agent, an enzyme of sorts that can further weaken the protein structure of this gunk, make Eclipse's control over it falter," Ami went on. "Combine this with a potent tranquilizer, and we may have something that can stop Eclipse dead in her tracks."

Silence lingered again, and Usagi dared to let her hopes rise. "So that way, we'll have the time to heal Eclipse with the Ginzuishou, get some answers out of her… Whatever we need!" she burst out happily. A chance to avoid another disagreement like they had about Sailor Saturn, avoid hurting someone like Naru? It sounded a little too good to be true. And indeed, a douse of cold water was coming.

"How long would it take to make something like that?" Chibiusa asked uneasily.

Ami shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. A week perhaps, maybe longer. With Mamoru's help, the process could be sped up a bit, but…"

"It's still possibly a week or more during which Eclipse will have free reign!" Haruka snapped. "Did you not see all those broken bodies, Ami!? We have no idea when Eclipse will strike again. Next time, she may not be content with beating men within an inch of their lives! We need to…"

"No, Haruka," Michiru cut in coldly, earning a surprised glare from her soulmate. "We were wrong about Hotaru Tomoe. Ami deserves a chance to try her plan, at least until we have more answers about Eclipse. Or it looks like there's no choice but to destroy her."

"And like Ami said, things'll go faster if I help her. I know a good deal about biochemistry," Mamoru added. Turning to Usagi, he said, "Sorry, Usa-ko, but looks like all our plans for this week are shot." Strangely, Usagi didn't feel a twinge of disappointment. Not if it meant they could avoid killing a mutant in cold blood.

"I shall lend a hand, too. The sooner we get this concoction finished, the better," said Michiru. Usagi grew more hopeful. If even Michiru was seeing things her way, they had a chance to avoid any more bloodshed. But another splash of cold water was coming. "However, we must all be in agreement about something. If Ami's plan fails, and if it turns out the Ginzuishou can't purify Eclipse, we deal with this mutant by any means necessary."

There was a grave weight to Michiru's words, punctuated by another uneasy silence. To Usagi's horror, some of the Inner Senshi eventually nodded their heads.

Haruka spoke up again, but Usagi almost didn't hear her over the sound of her heart pounding. "In the meantime, I have no intention of just sitting around while some chemicals get cooked. That warehouse… It was in a seedier part of town. There's a chance it has yakuza connections."

"Meaning… what?" Chibiusa demanded.

Haruka smirked at Chibiusa. "As much as it ruffled Michiru's feathers, I sometimes engaged in… illicit street racing. I have a few connections within the sordid underbelly of Tokyo. I could ask around, see what the deal with that warehouse was."

"I can help with that," Minako chimed in. "I've still got Interpol contacts who'll open up to me. I can see if the yakuza in that part of the city have been up to anything fishy. Maybe we'll figure out Eclipse's motives this way."

Rei clapped her hands together. "I like this. For once, we don't have to wait for the enemy to randomly target people to figure things out. In the meantime, after we all get a little sleep, I'll see if I can sense where Eclipse is hiding out."

"Don't get your hopes up," said Michiru sourly. "This mutant kept throwing off my Deep Aqua Mirror. It might be the same story with your psychic talents."

"Well, I won't know unless I give it a shot!" Rei barked confidently. She echoed the confidence, the renewed sense of purpose, that most of them were feeling, but Usagi didn't share. Because even if they dealt with THIS mutant, what about what the other mutants in Japan faced these days? Could Sailor Moon do nothing for them?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Looking past the women gathered this late in the afternoon for seemingly no other reason than to berate her, Rei saw that Usagi and Michiru were beginning their trek up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. Both were carrying boxes that contained the last of what Ami and Mamoru needed to develop this chemical weapon that, hopefully, would render Eclipse helpless.

It was decided that the work would be done here at the shrine, with the cover story that Ami wanted a jump start on high school projects. Working at Mamoru's college would draw unneeded attention. Haruka and Michiru's house was too far away from the heart of the city, where Eclipse would likely strike again. Plus, it felt only natural, considering the Hikawa Shrine had virtually been the Sailor Senshi's base of operations all this time.

But listening to these idiots only served to remind Rei of those rather lonely days before discovering she was a Sailor Senshi. Or more precisely, the very day she awakened as one.

"You mean you have no way if figuring out just what this thing is, or where she came from!?" demanded one middle-aged woman eyeing Rei angrily. Rei just returned her gaze, hoping to come off as cool and impassive, but inside she was seething. "Don't you get newspapers delivered up at this dump? Haven't you heard about what happened at that warehouse by the river!?"

"Yeah, from the statements given… This thing is pure evil!" another woman chimed in. "My brother was there when this Eclipse freak attacked. He'll be bedridden and eating from a straw for at least a month! And you're saying you can't use your so-called spiritual powers to track this freak down, even with all the evil vibes she must be giving off!?"

Rei took a deep breath before answering. "If Eclipse is just another mutant, then the answer is 'no'. A Shinto priestess's abilities aren't radar for a genetic abnormality. It just doesn't work that way."

At least she didn't exactly have to lie. It was true that she had no way of pinpointing mutants, though that certainly would be useful. Only Eclipse's dark power would let Rei zero in on her. But no need to tell these morons about that.

No, not necessarily morons, Rei told herself. Just not thinking straight because of their fear. That would explain their desperation in coming to her. Rei still had a bit of infamy because of her rumored psychic talents, so that meant these people were MORE afraid of mutants than they were of her.

Rei took no comfort in that. It only threatened to make her lose her temper even faster. Things were getting worse and worse for mutants in Japan these days, and the painful memories of being viewed with suspicion because of her own powers… Rei could empathize with mutants in a way few others could. That's why she fervently hoped Ami's plan would work.

The women muttered amongst themselves, then huffed as they turned to leave. They didn't step down very far before Rei heard them complain about her, obviously not considering she might overhear them.

"I don't believe for a second she can't do anything about this freak," one snapped. Well, she was actually right about that. Rei would've given anything to show her how right, preferably by using Mars Flame Sniper.

"She always had this reputation," muttered another. "Just one freak looking out for another freak."

"Maybe it's not really spiritual powers she has," suggested a third. "If she's got powers, she might just be one of these mutant freaks too."

After that, their words finally faded from her hearing. Thanks in part to the blood pounding in Rei's ears. Rei just stared at them a little longer in disbelief.

To think, the Sailor Senshi put so much blood, sweat and tears into protecting idiots like THESE, she fumed inwardly. Where did this sort of hate and paranoia come from? How had it taken root in Japan right under their noses?

It wasn't long before Rei sensed she was being watched. Turning to her right, she saw Usagi there, her gaze turning from her to the departing crowd and back. Once she saw Rei look at her, though, she anxiously ran to catch up with Michiru.

As she watched Usagi run into the shrine, Rei thought, She was rightfully aghast about the idea of killing someone manipulated by the Dark Kingdom, but is there more to it? Something about Eclipse being a mutant? Ami mentioned to me once that Usagi asked her about mutants, out of the blue one day. What's going on with her? It couldn't be that she was a mutant herself, could it? Usagi was certainly weird, but being a mutant on top of the reborn Moon Princess? Then again, supposedly anyone can be born a mutant…

Rei shook her head, deciding now wasn't the time. Usagi would come clean about whatever was bothering her one day. Right now, they had more pressing problems. So Rei followed Usagi back into the shrine, and fired up her hearth.

She knelt down, prepping herself for meditative focus. But her concentration was soon broken by a wail from Usagi. She had tripped, causing her box's contents to fly everywhere. She nervously dashed all around to catch every bit of laboratory glassware before they could shatter all over the shrine floor.

Rei shot her a look, which Usagi no doubt felt even though her back was turned. Looking over her shoulder with a nervous grin, she sauntered over into the side room, arms full of glassware.

Sighing deeply, Rei turned to gaze back into the flames. Soon, she shut her eyes and focused, beginning her chant.

If Eclipse was out there, Rei was determined to find her, forget whatever Michiru said. And so, Rei focused like never before, resolved to stamp out this one last remnant of the Dark Kingdom.

But soon, Rei had to admit that their new enemy might just be as elusive as Michiru suggested. Rei concentrated harder, letting her consciousness wash over the city in an effort to find any trace of Eclipse, but still had no luck.

No, that wasn't entirely true. Several times, Rei felt she had latched on to SOMETHING, something dark and ominous, but it always slipped away. Slippery like… oil. This Eclipse had an oil slick in more ways than one, then.

It only served to fuel Rei's determination. This was confirmation that Eclipse was out there, and her power potentially COULD lock onto the mysterious mutant. It was a matter of will, or at least that's what Rei chose to believe.

And so, she kept probing. So many of the other Senshi were hard at work, and they were counting on her to do her part. Rei would not let them down. After all, who else had a psychic talent that could pull this off?

Rei soon got an unwelcome answer to that question. As she kept chanting and focusing her power, Rei felt something different. Nothing like the oily taint of Eclipse's elusive presence, but rather, as if… Something ELSE was trying to probe the city. No, Rei had the eerie feeling it was someone, someone with uncanny power. Rei tried to steer clear of it, but then, with no warning, this other power seemed to just wash over her, pull at her…

It all happened so suddenly, Rei didn't even have time to scream. For a moment, everything was a blurry haze, and she didn't know where she was. At the moment, all Rei could do was hear, and the only thing reaching her ears was… the steady hum of a machine? From all around her?

Rei's eyes snapped open, only to find herself not kneeling down in her shrine, but lying face down somewhere else. Instead of polished wood, she now found herself prone on cold, polished metal. Not exactly cold, though. She couldn't really feel the metal touching her skin.

Grumbling to herself, Rei slowly stood up and looked around, getting another huge shock. Metal surrounded her on all sides. As it were, it looked like she was trapped in some gigantic, metal sphere. More confused than ever, Rei looked around some more. Behind her, she saw a circular door that led to who-knew-where. But the door… What was that, an 'X' on it?

Stepping forward, Rei reached out to touch it. That's when she noticed she could see through her entire arm. Gasping, Rei staggered back and looked down at herself. Her entire 'body' was translucent. Rei was in such a state of shock, it took a bit before her brain got back in working order.

I'm not really here, wherever 'here' is, Rei reasoned. Whatever power was sweeping across the city as I focused, it must have pulled me along toward its source of origin. Or at least, it pulled me in spirit form or something…

As Rei kept looking down at her spiritual projection, she noticed that she was standing on some narrow walkway suspended within this weird sphere, leading from that door. Turning back around, her eyes followed it to the center of the room, and Rei gasped again.

There was someone there, but who, Rei couldn't be sure. He or she was seated at some computer console, and Rei couldn't even see a head. There was only this weird helmet thing that moved a little. Besides, what Rei could sense told her more than her eyes at this point. Whoever this was, he or she was definitely the source of the psychic power that pulled her here. The sheer force that was exuded… If Rei was still in her body, she was sure it would chill here to the bone.

Rei awkwardly stepped forward, not sure why. Soon, whoever it was spoke, and Rei was certain it was a man. An older man, from the sound of it, a stern but wizened voice. Unfortunately, he was speaking in English, and Rei was little better with the language than Makoto or Usagi, as much as she hated to admit it.

Rei didn't quite need to understand English, though, to sense the frustration in the man's voice. And Rei still caught a few words, one of them being 'mutant'. There could be no doubt about it. This man was searching for a mutant, too. But if it was Eclipse he was looking for, it sounded as if he was having no better luck than Rei.

Now only a few meters away from this guy, Rei stopped, not quite certain what to do. A moment later, though, Rei sensed the man's mood shifted from resolved patience to indignation over an… intrusion. Rei steeled herself as the chair swung around. It was a wheelchair! And the man seated in it, dressed in a sharp suit. But that face, what she could see of it while he wore that weird helmet with tubes attached… Definitely an older man, late fifties perhaps, and not happy about someone stepping into his personal space, even in spirit form.

He began to shout demands in English, which of course Rei couldn't understand. But if the tone of his words wasn't plain enough, the sheer force radiating off of him told Rei plenty. Power like this… Rei had never felt anything like this before, and he probably wasn't even TRYING to use it against her! He was just that powerful! Compared to him, her own psychic talents were like a candle before a forest fire!

And so, without really having a mouth, Rei screamed in terror as she felt her spiritual form get blasted away. And she kept on screaming, until she became dimly aware that she had to once again draw in breath to do so. Then she felt hands shaking her violently.

Rei's eyes fluttered open, everything still hazy. It took a moment to bring her vision into focus, and saw Usagi, Mamoru, Ami and Michiru all kneeling over her. Little surprise that this ordeal left her on the floor in a crumpled heap. The power that guy had, the way he flung her away with no effort…

"Rei, what happened!? What did this to do, Rei!? REI!?" Usagi shrieked, still shaking her. On instinct, Rei swatted her hands away.

"I-I-I-I'll be fine, Usagi," Rei grumbled, trying to find the strength to sit up, but she was still too shaken. Getting the hint, Ami and Michiru moved to prop her up.

"Just what happened, Rei?" Michiru asked after a moment. "Is this something Eclipse did to you?"

Rei could only shake her head at first. "No, definitely not," she eventually croaked out. "But Michiru, Ami… you all better finish that chemical concoction and fast."

Ami's eyes widened in surprise. "Uhh, why is that?" she asked anxiously.

Rei turned to fix Ami with a steely gaze. "I think we're not the only ones hunting Eclipse."