Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

by Grey-X

Soon after Usagi learns that Naru is a mutant, anti-mutant hysteria hits Japan hard, thanks in part to a mysterious new enemy with mutant abilities known only as Eclipse. As her country begins to tear itself apart, Usagi will have a bit of help when some of the X-Men travel from the United States looking for new recruits, and she'll learn what it really means to be a superhero.

8. Night of the Sentinel

Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse

a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover

Chapter 8: Night of the Sentinel

6-12-2017

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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As she and Sailor Jupiter bounded from one rooftop to the next, Sailor Mercury kept her visor active. Along with it constantly feeding her the remaining distance, and the general direction they had to run in, Mercury figured it would give them warning in case anyone tried to intercept them. Despite how much she idolized Dr. McCoy, Mercury now realized she didn't know as much about his fellow X-Men as she should. Even Usagi knew who it was Uranus and Neptune were trying to hold off!

Amazing as it sounds, Usagi's doing honest-to-god research of her own volition, Mercury realized. She's not a mutant, so what's pushing her do this?

Mercury pushed her queries to the back of her mind. Whatever was bothering Usagi, it wasn't keeping her from doing what needed to be done. She was on her way to help the Outers, and the two of them wouldn't be far behind.

Along with paying close attention to the constant scans, Mercury occasionally glanced up at the night sky, looking for signs of meteorological irregularities. No strange cloud formations rolled in, which was good news. If the X-Men had an inkling of what Eclipse's weaknesses were, Storm would surely be the one sent out. One of the most powerful mutants of all, and according to Usagi, she was here in Japan too. Along with Professor Charles Xavier, who Usagi figured was the X-Men's leader.

Mercury could hardly believe it… Another one of her heroes from the United States, secretly the X-Men's founder and leader? He was the one who forced back Rei with psychic power alone? And now the Sailor Senshi had to fight them all!?

It still seemed so pointless, fighting the X-Men. The others could argue Usagi's judgment was influenced by… whatever had her preoccupied, but Mercury found herself agreeing with her. Then again, Mercury's own views could be slightly biased by her admiration for Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy. At any rate, if we can weaken Eclipse enough for Sailor Moon to use the Ginzuishou, that should be enough, Mercury reasoned. After that, after we get some answers. We can decide who takes Eclipse where later.

"How much longer till we can officially rub it in the Outers' faces that we're doing their job for them again?" Jupiter suddenly asked as they neared the edge of another rooftop. As usual, she sounded way more confident about facing whatever they were charging into than Mercury did.

"Less than five kilometers now," Mercury replied. "Neptune and Uranus will just have to hold out a little bit longer."

"That's not the plan and you know it," said Jupiter. "Eclipse is our target, and boy am I itching for a rematch with that walking oil slick. What about you?"

Mercury sighed. Of course Jupiter was ready, willing and able to use force to solve this. Perhaps Eclipse deserved it. Perhaps she was cracking yakuza skulls because she wanted to, not because of some leftover corrupting influence of the Dark Kingdom.

Still, something told Mercury there was more to this than met the eye. And like it or not, her powers were as crucial to bringing Eclipse down as Jupiter's. "Just be sure you leave her conscious enough to talk," said Mercury as they made their leap to the next rooftop. "And don't forget, we may have to fight past…"

There was a sudden whooshing sound, and Mercury was cut off as a deafening boom went off right below them, making them stumble and roll to a stop on the other rooftop. Whatever it was, it had come too swiftly for Mercury's visor to warn them.

It took a moment or two before they could sit up, just in time for an unwelcome sight. Whatever happened, it made their part of the roof cave in and collapse. There wasn't any time to jump away. The roof slanted at an angle as it crumbled, making them roll off and plummet to the alley below.

Their Senshi transformations made it so the four-story fall wouldn't break any bones. Still, the impact hurt. A lot. They also had to cover their heads to shield themselves from falling chunks of concrete.

After the rain of masonry stopped and they could stand up, Jupiter wearily asked, "OK, have the X-Men found us already?" as she brushed herself off.

"I… don't think so," Mercury replied, whipping out her computer while studying what little her visor had picked up. "That wasn't some focused energy attack. It was more like a physical detonation, like a missile aimed at us."

"A missile?" Jupiter asked incredulously. "Don't tell me these X-Men are packing heat along with their mutant powers."

At first, Mercury said nothing, still trying to make sense of what data her computer fed her. Soon, though, it all became perfectly clear. There was something closing in on them via the air. Something very fast, and very BIG. "I… don't think so," Mercury repeated warily as she pointed up.

Then they heard it. Rocket exhaust, hissing right above the alleyway. There was a huge shape illuminated by the glow of those rockets, coming from what looked like little jet turbines fixated at the back of its feet, its shoulders, and even out of its backside! It vaguely had a human shape, albeit much bigger, and with a huge jet engine welded into its chest!

Suddenly, the rocket propulsion died down. This… thing slammed down in front of the alley's entrance with a three-point landing, making a thunderous crash that almost knocked Mercury and Jupiter back down. The alleyway was still fairly dark, so it was hard to take note of distinct features on this mammoth creature. But Mercury could easily make out its… 'face'. Glowing, golden eyes covered by a thick plexiglass casing. Along with its entire face, like a helmet's visor. The rest of this thing was covered in protective armor as well. Thick plates of some material colored a noxious purplish-blue, along with more lightly-armored sky-blue portions.

As the monstrous thing rose, a towering eight or nine meters easily, Mercury suddenly recalled something she came across while reading about Dr. Henry McCoy. Unsurprisingly, he spoke out often against the persecution mutants endured, trying to convey the terror his kind often faced. And one of the most horrifying things sent out against mutants, according to Dr. McCoy, was…

"A Sentinel!" Mercury cried. She read enough about what these things were capable of. "This thing's a combat drone, called a Sentinel! But… I thought they were all decommissioned! And they're only supposed to go after mutants!"

As if in answer to that last part, the Sentinel raised its right arm. Suddenly, its forearm changed shape in a flurry of shifting mechanical parts. What was now jutting out at the end of its arm…

Mercury's eyes widened as she saw a minigun revving up. The Sailor Senshi never had to find out whether they could eat machine gun fire, and Mercury was in no mood to find out.

"Try telling this thing we're not mutants, then! I got a better idea, though… MOVE IT!" Jupiter screamed, grabbing Mercury as she turned and ran.

The sound of minigun fire ripped through the alleyway, along with hundreds of bullets ripping into solid concrete. Thankfully, they exited the alleyway and turned the corner before the Sentinel could really get a bead on them. Jupiter and Mercury took a moment to catch their breath, pressing against the wall just next to the alleyway corner.

It was fortunate that the Sentinel hadn't chased them out into a busy street. This part of the town, away from the road, looked more or less devoid of bystanders, and without too much chance of massive collateral damage, given most of these buildings were condemned. Plus, it looked wide-open enough to prevent the Sentinel from boxing them in.

"OK, so these things are mutant-hunting robots, got it," Jupiter groaned. "Please tell me you also know how McCoy and his fellow mutants deal with these things."

"I'm… not r-r-r-really sure," Mercury stammered as she peeked around the corner, hoping to get more scan data.

The Sentinel was already on the move again, forelegs with powerful hydraulic pistons slamming into concrete. Mercury didn't have more than a few seconds before the Sentinel took aim again, forcing Mercury to duck back behind cover. Dozens of rounds chipped away at solid brick.

"I'm not detecting any readily exploitable weaknesses, Jupiter," said Mercury, going over her brief scan. "I… think the X-Men just throw everything they have at Sentinels until they topple. Pretty sure that's a plan you can get behind."

"Sure is!" Jupiter cried in agreement. The antenna on her tiara was already out, crackling with electricity. "Be ready to cool its jets, Mercury!" With that, Jupiter charged back in front of the alleyway. "Supreme Thunder Dragon!" she cried before the Sentinel could take aim again.

As the surge of lightning in the form of a dragon's maw clamped down on the Sentinel's torso, its turbines kicked in again in a bid to retreat. With the one on its chest open and active, Mercury saw her opening.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she cried. Jets of freezing water issued forth from her watery harp, all homing in on its central turbine. Their combined assault knocked the Sentinel back down to Earth, making the whole area quake again as it pancaked an abandoned, derelict car.

Yet it didn't look like that one-two punch was nearly enough to scramble its circuits. The Sentinel immediately rose to a kneeling position, reaching out with its left, claw-like hand. Suddenly, its entire arm extended, the claw lashing out to grab them. The two Senshi jumped aside in opposite directions, the claw narrowly missing them, then it telescoped back.

By now, the Sentinel was back on its feet, looking from one Senshi to the other. Jupiter, meanwhile, was looking up at the sky. "I got an idea, Mercury. Last time I tried this it… didn't end so well for me, but I've grown more powerful since then." Mercury wasn't quite sure what Jupiter had in mind, but then Jupiter looked back to the advancing death-machine on legs, its glowing eyes now glaring at her from behind that plexiglass. "Come on, come and get it! Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

The electrified leaves grazed against its chassis, but individually, those blades could do little against a Sentinel. Thus, the Sentinel wasn't prevented from lashing out with that claw again, this time snagging Jupiter with ease.

"Jupiter! NO!" screamed Mercury as the Sentinel's arm telescoped back, bringing Jupiter back with it. Icy terror clawed at Mercury's heart even harder when she saw Jupiter's tiara arc with energy again, then there was a rumbling from overhead. Suddenly, it dawned on Mercury. Jupiter was repeating her stratagem with the DD Girls.

Before Mercury could beg her to stop, Jupiter cried out. "Supreme Thunder!" Lighting was called down from the sky, striking her somewhat, but mostly it hammered the Sentinel. For a moment, it appeared to be working. The Sentinel staggered back, making jerky motions. But the scan data coming in on Mercury's visor, finally able to do a more detailed analysis, was telling her another story.

"Jupiter, NO! You have to break free! That thing's armor isn't metal, but some super-tough polymer!" Mercury cried out in horror.

"NOW she tells me!" croaked Jupiter. The Sentinel threw her aside, flinging her into an open dumpster.

Got to act fast, before it can use its minigun again! Mercury realized as that icy terror grew again. "Shabon Spray Freezing!"

The wide spray of bubbling, freezing water not only served to spew icy fog everywhere, but shrouded the Sentinel's head and torso in thick ice. Mercury knew full well that all this would barely slow the Sentinel down, so she sent out another volley at its legs.

Hoping the double-whammy would buy her a few seconds, Mercury ran over to the dumpster. Jupiter was already climbing out, groggy from both her own lightning and being chucked by the Sentinel. "Jupiter, get it together! My ice attacks won't keep it at bay for long!"

As if to punctuate that certainty, the sound of cracking ice made the two Senshi look back up. Through Mercury's fog, they could see those glowing eyes fix on them again. Not only that, it seemed the fog was dissipating faster than it normally should. A soft whirring sound told Mercury that it was using those turbines to neutralize her fog! Almost as if it was designed to counter her attacks!

Still, Mercury had a glimmer of hope. "Jupiter, blast it again, and don't let up for a second! The heat from your lightning… Maybe if we try inducing thermal shock, we can crack that polymer!"

"Don't really know what that means, but if it's thunder and lightning you want…" Jupiter croaked. Her antenna was already crackling again.

But as the Sentinel hovered through the last of Mercury's fog, they saw several small flaps fling open on its armored thighs. Over a score of missiles shot out, descending on the two of them.

With a shriek, the two of them jumped away, but still got caught up in the blast radius. They tumbled along concrete for a good length, now wide open for that minigun to shred them. Mercury looked up as she skidded to a halt, that minigun already aimed at them.

All of a sudden, its head jerked back, as if struck by some invisible force. It jerked some more, and amazingly, some cracks formed in that plexiglass shield. Now that something had bought them a few seconds, Mercury had her visor zoom in, and gasped.

There were roses sticking out of that plexiglass, and more were being thrown. Some came in at too extreme an angle and bounced off, but plenty punched through. The Sentinel raised its left hand, some sort of stun blaster popping out of its gauntlet to fire upon someone on a rooftop. Tuxedo Kamen evaded the blasts and landed on its shoulder, using his cane to dig between its armored plating and sever cables. Oil and hydraulic fluid sprayed up and doused him, but Tuxedo Kamen kept at it as the partially blinded Sentinel flailed.

Mercury and Jupiter just watched, wary of launching attacks while Tuxedo Kamen was in the line of fire. Another of their number was thinking along the same lines.

"Tuxedo Kamen, get clear!" roared Sailor Mars from the rooftop above. Tuxedo Kamen jumped away just in time, as the Sentinel was finally reaching up for him. "Fire Soul Bird!" A flaming hawk, guided by one of her ofuda. Tuxedo Kamen jumped off as it clawed and pecked at that plexiglass faceplate.

Tuxedo Kamen ran up to Mercury and Jupiter. "I suppose neither of you have any idea why there's a Sentinel after the two of you?" he asked delicately.

"Tuxedo Kamen… What are you and Mars doing here?" demanded Jupiter. "Who's watching the shrine?"

"Never mind that," Tuxedo Kamen snapped. "Whatever you were planning before that Sentinel got the upper hand, I suggest you try it now."

"He's right, Jupiter," said Mercury. "It's time to bring the lightning again."

"Alright, then," said Jupiter as her antenna charged up. "Supreme Thunder!" A continuous stream of lightning blasted forth, forcing the Sentinel back further, still blinded by the fiery bird raking at its faceplate. It was about to fire its minigun blindly down at them, but Mercury and Tuxedo Kamen had other plans. More roses jammed it up for a moment, then another round of watery blasts with Mercury Aqua Rhapsody encased it in ice.

But almost as soon as the water had solidified, cracks formed, steam shooting out of them. "There's no way to ignore it now… This Sentinel's been designed to counter my powers, perhaps all of our powers!" Mercury cried out with dread. "Let's just hope Jupiter's thunder has done its job…"

Once the ice entrapping the minigun broke apart, Mars's fiery hawk had lost too much power, and the Sentinel pried it free. The bird was tossed aside, fading into nothingness. Thankfully, it had done its job. Between the cracks from Tuxedo Kamen's roses and Mars's attack, that plexiglass plate was too mangled to let it see clearly.

Mercury knew it could switch to infrared sensors any second, so the time to act was now. She just had to hope Mars and Jupiter's attacks had induced enough heat. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" she screamed, summoning her column of freezing water.

The water struck while Jupiter still focused her lightning upon it, dousing its torso and face. At first, Mercury feared it would accomplish little more than the last time she and Jupiter attacked in unison. Indeed, the Sentinel was barely forced back. But then, sparks flew from not only the shoulder joint Tuxedo Kamen had mangled, but around its face, hips and its neck. Loud crackling noises, distinct from Jupiter's onslaught of lightning, shrilled through the night air. Finally, the Sentinel turned and engaged its jet turbines, beginning its shaky ascent, retreating at last.

Jupiter slumped to the ground, breathing heavily as her antenna finally retreated into her tiara. Mars, meanwhile, wasn't so ready to let up. "Oh no you don't!" roared Mars from high above. "Mars Flame Sniper!"

The fiery arrow struck the back of the Sentinel's head, and it almost careened into another building. But it righted its course just in time and continued its retreat, leaving behind a smoky trail.

"Oh great. It got away, whatever it is," Mars huffed. She jumped down from the building, watching the Sentinel zoom away. "Care to explain to me just why, on top of everything else, the Sailor Senshi now have giant killer robots to worry about!?" she demanded, turning to the three of them. "Even for Japan, this is pushing things."

"Mercury said it's a Sentinel, a mutant tracking robot," said Jupiter. She slowly stood back up. "What one of them is doing in Japan is anyone's guess."

"Or why it was after us," added Mercury. "This Cerebro is one thing, but the onboard sensors for a Sentinel were supposed to strictly operate via DNA scanners."

"That doesn't look like any Sentinel I ever read about, though," said Tuxedo Kamen. "It must be a completely new design."

"With… a host of countermeasures for anything the Sailor Senshi could throw at it," Mercury reminded him.

"So just who built that thing!?" Mars demanded. "You don't suppose it's something the X-Men threw together to mess with us, do you?"

"C'mon Mars, you heard Tuxedo Kamen. This is a brand new model, not something anyone could just slap back together and reprogram," Jupiter scoffed. "Besides, why would a bunch of mutants use weapons meant to wipe them out?"

"So it's not the X-Men. But it was someone with plenty of knowledge about the Sailor Senshi, and the drive to come after us," said Tuxedo Kamen.

"Agreed. That Sentinel countered my powers way too quickly," said Mercury. "Whoever designed it and programmed it may have done so under the guise of perfecting a mutant-hunting machine, but has a side agenda to…" Mercury's insides froze again. There was just one person who seemed to have extensive knowledge about the Sailor Senshi, and the drive to confront them. "You don't think Eclipse has something to do with it?"

"That's not a comforting thought," said Jupiter darkly. "When I first saw Dr. McCoy walk into the Chess Tower, I figured he was a youma sent by Eclipse. If these are the minions she plans to throw at us instead…"

"In any case, it can wait," said Tuxedo Kamen. "You and Sailor Mercury still have to get to Eclipse. Perhaps you can dig the answers out of her yourselves."

"How did you know we had a Sentinel on our tails, anyway?" Jupiter asked.

"I… I finally decided to try again," said Rei, the rage in her voice now replaced with trepidation. "Everyone else was rushing into a fight, and I figured I better stop being a baby and get over it. That's went I sensed the panic from the two of you."

"Well, we're both still in one piece, thanks to you," said Mercury. "But you and Tuxedo Kamen better get back to the shrine, in case the X-Men really do mean to wreck our work."

"Right!" Mars cried, nodding in agreement. "Be sure to give Eclipse one for me!"

None of them had a second to waste. As Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Mars dashed back to the shrine, Jupiter and Mercury ran in the other direction, to where those yakuza were meeting.

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Gai Izumi watched the feed from the Sentinel as it continued its trek back to its launch point. Not that there was any real need. He had engaged the autopilot when he punched in the retreat command, so the Sentinel would find its way back without any input from him. Besides, the feed wouldn't have been all that useful anyway. That plexiglass faceplate was so mangled by cracks and intense heat, it was hard to make sense of anything. Granted, there were a host of other sensor systems he could have switched to, but his aunt had been clear. They couldn't risk whatever Sentinels they sent out being too badly damaged to retreat.

"Well, Aunt Erina wanted her Sentinels tested in actual combat," Gai said to no one in particular. "She'll have plenty of data to crunch now."

Indeed, his aunt would relish having fresh data to pour over, to perfect her designs. Gai still couldn't quite fathom why Erina was so determined to make these deadly new Sentinels, but she took great pride in her work.

These were certainly far superior to their original American counterparts. Bolivar Trask's original model was bulky and clunky, and later iterations just made those clumsy things even larger. A grotesque display of that mistaken belief Americans had of bigger being better.

These new Sentinels were small in comparison to their more recent predcessors, but much swifter. Aiding in that was the special polymer Erina designed, stronger than titanium alloy but much lighter. Then there was having kinetic weapons along with energy blasters and whatnot. According to his aunt, they've had every conceivable form of projectable energy hurled at them, and were still breathing. Why not use something physical for a change?

Oh, and the older Sentinels always talked, blathering about acquiring their target or whatever. Perhaps it sort of worked as psychological warfare, like the sound of an army marching in lockstep, something Gai could somewhat appreciate. But Gai preferred the idea of silent and swift Sentinels if he had to use them. Deafening silence could be a valuable weapon too, one he had used often on jobs as a yakuza enforcer.

But most importantly was what Erina had designed for the inside. From the beginning, the Sentinels had flawed artificial intelligence, making their rebellion almost inevitable. Like with the basic design, later models foolishly drew too much from the original programming.

Erina Kizachi would have none of that. She was determined to make sure these Sentinels would ultimately obey her, and her alone. Soon, conditions in Japan would be sufficient to let Erina pitch her plea for her new Sentinels to be mass-produced and deployed en masse. Until then, she would work tirelessly to see the design achieved perfection in her eyes.

"Of course, with the beating this thing took from just half the Senshi team, perfection may be a long way off," Gai thought aloud.

Gai glanced at other screens, feeding him fresh damage diagnostics. Gai punched in some commands, making sure they would all be saved and stored for his aunt's consumption later.

He briefly wondered if Erina would be frustrated by her Sentinel not doing as well as hoped. Oh, the goal had not been to kill any Senshi, but Gai was fairly certain she would expect her creation to take a bit more abuse.

Gai dismissed the notion fairly quickly. His aunt would simply use the opportunity to improve her design. "She's a lot more tolerant of failure than most," Gai said, glancing at the nub that had once been his pinky. It wasn't just how she loathed his yakuza brethren for doing this over such a minor slight. She viewed failure as an opportunity to learn, to prevent the mistakes of the past.

In the case of the Sentinels, this test run would let her correct any design flaws that would be fatal in prolonged combat. For other instances… Erina always insisted having a dim view of failure led to many fatal mistakes on the part of Sailor Moon's older foes, most notably this Queen Beryl. And she would go on and on about how the Sailor Senshi themselves failed so hard without ever acknowledging it, especially Sailor Moon herself.

"At least I didn't fail her, technically," Gai muttered, looking down at the specially-rigged controls. "Sure looked idiot-proofed to me." Indeed, Gai manipulated the Sentinel to perform just as Erina had desired. It was difficult, though, having the Sentinel attack with lethal force with the right amount of speed. Just slow enough so that the Sailor Senshi could stay one step ahead, but just fast enough so that they wouldn't suspect something odd was going on. As if there'd be anything odd about a giant mutant-hunting robot suddenly popping up out of nowhere and hunting Sailor Senshi, Gai pondered silently. It had been a delicate dance, but being a seasoned yakuza enforcer, Gai had a knack for using the right amount of force to elicit just the right amount of fear to ensure compliance. Even when manipulating these new Sentinels, that skill bled through. Gai smiled, certain that if he could get one Sentinel to behave just the way he wanted, Erina could easily make hundreds function in perfect harmony.

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If Gambit and Colossus's job really was keeping them away from the yakuza and Eclipse, they were pulling it off masterfully. Every time either Uranus or Neptune tried to break away, they prevented them from escaping.

Colossus, for one thing, proved even tougher than they feared. Though Submarine Reflection seemed effective, possibly even hurting Colossus, the burly Russian was anything but dull-witted muscle. He was quite clever and surprisingly fast, never giving Neptune much of an opportunity to lay into him with it, and always found a way to block her egress. As for Gambit, he was perhaps even more frustrating. On top of also being fast and clever, those exploding cards of his provided the perfect way to cut off any escape. Oh, and of course, that smarmy, infuriating charm of his still vexed Uranus to no end.

Gritting her teeth, Uranus kept ducking and dodging to avoid another flurry of charged-up playing cards. Plumes of dust and concrete chunks sprayed from all directions as they detonated against the ground. Some cards struck the surrounding buildings, causing chunks of brick walls to rain down.

Uranus rolled to avoid one all that as she collected power in her fist, her patience finally exhausted. "World Shaking!" she roared. Her attack ripped across the paved ground, not that it hadn't already been decimated by mutant-on-Senshi action. But Gambit, as infuriatingly swift as ever, merely used his staff to pole vault right over her attack!

"Calling out attacks like that must be fun! Let me try it!" Gambit quipped, actually now using his staff like a helicopter blade to slow his descent! His staff itself was crackling with that power he infused into his cards. "World Shaking!" he cried out, just as he came down, slamming his energized staff into the ground.

A shockwave of pure force radiated out, making the concrete undulate and knocking Uranus off her feet. The shockwave knocked her back against a brick wall, but Gambit was already closing in. Uranus sprang back up, Space Sword at the ready, but that shockwave of Gambit's had rattled her too much. She parried a few staff strikes, making some efforts to counter and stab back, but eventually Gambit broke through her defenses. Uranus's mind reeled as the end of his staff smashed against her jaw, making her taste blood, and then Gambit swung his staff back around to sweep her off her feet.

Even with everything spinning, Uranus refused to be easy prey. Gambit was energizing his staff, aiming to send her flying with a shockwave again. A swift kick to his legs now had the Cajun being swept off his feet. But she was too dazed to risk going in for the finish. She rolled away, out of his range, before picking herself up off the ground. By then, Gambit was back on his feet too, but Uranus noticed something. She had left a huge gash in his shirt, and some blood was soaking it. One of her counterstrikes had hit home after all.

Gambit looked down at his injury, running his fingertips across the cut in his shirt. He inspected the blood wiped up. Looking back up to Uranus, he STILL had the nerve to smile! "Looks like we both left a mark on each other, no?" he quipped. "Ooooh, now I gonna get it from Logan. No way to hide I be having fun in Tokyo without 'im."

Uranus wiped away the blood dribbling down and spat. Did he just have the nerve to flirt with her AGAIN!? He thought this was FUN!? Was there any shutting this insufferable mutant up!?

Uranus was ready to charge, but she noticed that Gambit suddenly looked a little… distracted. He held his staff at the ready, poised to strike, but those glowing pink and black eyes… One look told Uranus he had risked a second to stop and think. Or maybe… It's another telepathic message! Uranus reasoned.

Unfortunately, Uranus realized too late she was focusing on the wrong X-Man. Just as she sensed something odd on the winds and turned her head, Uranus heard Neptune cry out.

"Uranus, look…" was all her partner got out. Uranus looked to her right just in time to see that Colossus had thrown a tire at Neptune. With enough force to knock Neptune right into Uranus, sending them both sailing across the ruined lot. Their talismans flew out of their hands as they collided painfully with the base of a lamppost.

"Urgh… Next time, YOU get to fight the super-strong metal man, Uranus," Neptune groaned as she tried to stand. Uranus was having difficulty getting back on her feet herself. That had been quite an impact. Just HOW strong was Colossus?

More energized cards rained down, making the two Senshi lose their already shaky footing. As they slid back down against the pole, Uranus heard forceful footsteps behind them. Gambit was just creating a diversion so Colossus could flank them!

This realization came too late. Uranus suddenly found herself pressed up against the lamppost along with Neptune. Looking down, Uranus saw a curved metal bar pinning them to the lamppost. The sound of metal groaning in protest behind them told Uranus that Colossus was twisting and tying the bar in place, with their hands pinned uselessly at their sides.

Gambit sauntered up to them, still flashing that vexing smile, staff slung over his shoulder. He ignored the wound on his chest completely. "Well ladies, thanks for being such… energetic dance partners, but we got some business elsewhere," he said warmly. "Wish I had a camera, though, so I could remember this night forever. Click," he finished, making a clicky motion with his free hand.

Colossus walked up next to him. "Enough antagonizing them, Gambit," he chided. "Cable said he needs our assistance now. Eclipse has made her move, and he's having some difficulty containing her."

Uranus's exasperation reached new, blood pressure-jacking heights. These mutants were on the cusp of getting away with Eclipse! And after this bout, she didn't trust ANY of them to share whatever they found out about her.

"Then let's go get what we came for," said Gambit. Flashing one last smile down at the Senshi, he went on. "Now, don't be goin' nowhere, ladies. We gonna go get your yakuza-buster for ya." And with that, the two X-Men turned and bolted.

"Well, the mutant race is two-for-two now," Neptune grumbled. "That's twice a mutant got us helplessly pinned, while the fighting gets left to others."

Uranus said nothing, instead struggling futilely against the cold, unyielding metal pinning them against the lamppost. She was supposed to be the strongest Senshi, yet here she was, her strength completely useless against what Colossus could do. Bad enough that Gambit's powers had already proved a match for hers. And according to Ami, this Dr. McCoy could easily outmuscle her too!

Though rage made blood pound in Uranus's ears, she could still hear someone crying out her name. Looking back up, she saw Sailor Venus and Sailor Chibi-Moon running up to them. The latter was stopping to scoop up their talismans. Not only that, Sailor Moon wasn't far behind, and the cats were right behind her!

"Finally, some reinforcements," said Neptune sourly. "We could've used them about two minutes ago…"

"At least there's still a chance to keep the X-Men from running off with Eclipse!" spat Uranus as the three Senshi walked up to the lamppost. "Hurry up, someone gets this stupid bar off of us!"

Sailor Moon's hand went to her tiara. She was about to walk behind the lamppost to use it. However, Venus reached out to stop her.

"Hang on just a second, Sailor Moon," said Venus, a dangerous gleam in her eye.

"What's going on, Venus!?" Uranus demanded, though she had a good idea what the holdup was about.

Venus smiled evilly. "Well, there's still the matter of your agreement regarding the dirtbike…"

Uranus's eyes widened in disbelief. She was bringing that up NOW!? Even Sailor Moon was on the same page. "Venus, w-w-we really don't have the time for…"

Venus swiftly shushed her. "In that case, we better settle this quickly," she said with a sardonic smile.

"You think you still deserve that after your stupid cat let the secret out of the bag!?" Uranus roared indignantly. Artemis just hissed at her.

"Oh, for the love of… Uranus, just LET HER RIDE THE STUPID BIKE!" bellowed Neptune.

When her partner took that tone, Uranus knew it was over. Hanging her head, Uranus relented. "Fine, just cut us loose!"

Still smiling, Venus pointed down at them, the tip of her finger glowing. "Crescent Beam!" she cried. Her focused laser smashed through the metal bar Colossus had tied around them, but it came uncomfortably close to grazing their arms as well.

"Watch it with that thing!" Neptune spat as their metal bonds clattered to the ground.

"Oh, quit whining. You two are free, aren't you?" Chibi-Moon sneered. The young Senshi held up their talismans, and they quickly took them back.

"So how long were you trapped there?" Luna demanded. "Where are the X-Men now?"

"Not too long, so they shouldn't be too far away," said Neptune.

"Which is good, because I have unfinished business with one of them," Uranus snarled.

"Oh. Eager for more one-on-one time with the Cajun, I see," said Michiru teasingly. Uranus just rolled her eyes.

"'Cajun'?" Sailor Moon repeated dubiously. "So, one of them really is Gambit. The other one with him, was it really Colossus?"

Uranus was a bit shocked that Sailor Moon knew their names. "Indeed, and there's another X-Man nearby, one who Colossus called 'Cable'."

"Uh-oh," said Sailor Moon, shuddering a little. "Then we'd better get after them, before he wrecks this place even worse."

"Really?" asked Artemis. He surveyed the aftermath from the fight with Gambit and Colossus. "Looks like those other two caused enough collateral damage on their own."

"Never mind all that," said Neptune. "It's getting Eclipse that we need to worry about."

"Right. Move it, people!" Luna cried.

Uranus needed no further encouragement. She and Neptune took point, taking off in the direction Gambit and Colossus had ran, with the rest close behind.

It wasn't hard to trace their route. One only had to follow the screams. It sounded like those mutants were too late, that Eclipse had zeroed in on her quarry.

As the Senshi rounded the corner of another building, a group of men with weapons drawn could be seen. Instead of going on the attack, they looked more anxious to simply get out of there. A few of their faces sported burns or bloody wounds, and one man looked be nursing a broken arm, while another looked to have a broken leg and had to be carried.

All of a sudden, a bolt of what could only be described as black lightning lashed out toward them. Then, just as suddenly, Colossus rushed in to put himself between the barrage and the fleeing yakuza. Soon Gambit stepped into view as well, several cards between his fingers, crackling with raw power.

With a flick of his wrist, Gambit chucked the cards somewhere out of view. Judging by how black ooze splattered over in their direction, it wasn't hard to guess who was on the receiving end. Colossus didn't flinch as it splattered over his armored frame, but Gambit glanced down at his coat with annoyance. "Ick. Gonna take a good long while to get this goop out," he grumbled.

"Ooooh, the hottie from the arcade IS here. Anyway, at least they're not exactly going easy on Eclipse," Venus whispered. "And they are covering the yakuza for us."

"Still, we've got to get Eclipse away from them," Neptune reminded her. "We need answers."

"Let's loop around to the other side of the building. Let these two do our work for us in regards to protecting those yakuza," Luna recommended. Uranus nursed her jaw for a moment, still tasting her own blood. As much as Uranus wanted another crack at cracking that Cajun's skull, Luna's plan made more sense. So she nodded, and the group doubled back, but Luna pointed out another concern. "I didn't see this third X-Man, though, this 'Cable'. Sailor Moon, do you know anything about him?"

"Not much. Just that he's seen as a loose cannon, sort of connected to the X-Men," said Sailor Moon. "Whatever his powers are, I have no idea. From what I've read, he usually just lugs around really big guns..." Uranus sighed. So much for Sailor Moon knowing everything about these mutants. They just had to be ready for anything.

When they looped around to the other side, they finally saw Eclipse in the distance. She looked the same as before, wearing a tan jumpsuit, long black hair spilling out from underneath a hard hat and welding goggles. Recalling the photo from the flier, Uranus was even more certain this was Erina Kizachi. Was that why she had hesitated to finish them off during their last encounter? Uranus doubted she could count on Eclipse being so merciful a second time.

Eclipse's gait looked a little wobbly, possibly shaken up by Gambit's cards. Uranus could see both him and Colossus still blocking the path down which the yakuza had fled, but they were focused on Eclipse and didn't spot the Senshi. However, Eclipse was hardly alone. A man nearly as huge as Colossus had been in 'human' form had their backs turned to them. He wore a longcoat similar to Gambit's, and Uranus could make out a flat-top of white hair.

"Oh no, I think that's the guy from the park," Chibi-Moon hissed, her unease palpable. "The one who… seemed to know all about me…"

"Wait, that IS Cable," Sailor Moon whispered back. "But how would he… Is he a mind-reader like their professor?"

"He just might be," said Neptune. "Gambit and Colossus were getting telepathic messages from someone nearby."

Uranus just watched carefully, waiting for either mutant to make a move. Sailor Moon had said Cable preferred heavy weaponry, but unless that coat hid some guns, he looked to be unarmed.

However, it soon became apparent that he didn't need weapons. Eclipse finally lashed out with that dark lightning, but it never touched Cable. The big guy spread his arms, and it was as if an invisible barrier sprang up in front of him. Dark energy crashed against the invisible barrier with deafening force, but Cable's defense held.

Not letting up, Eclipse pumped more dark energy out while that ooze bubbled out. Once again, she flung wooden pallets at her target, but they were also deflected by some invisible force. Next, Eclipse used her oil slick to hurl an entire dumpster at Cable, but halfway towards him, it just stopped in midair.

"What in… The entire dumpster, just dead in the air?" Artemis spat. "Could that be Magneto instead?"

"No, he flung away the pallets too," said Neptune. "Cable must possess telekinesis as well as telepathy." One could still be forgiven for mistaking Cable's powers as mastery over magnetism, however. Cable clenched his fists and crossed his arms, and suddenly the hovering dumpster came apart. Trash spilled out onto the paved ground as the individual sides of the dumpster were flung back at Eclipse.

Bursts of black lightning and tendrils of oily ooze swatted them away, but Cable succeeded in putting her on the defensive. That left her wide open for a direct telekinetic assault. All of a sudden, Eclipse was flung backwards and slammed against a wall hard.

"Cable, hurry! Get in her head and shut her down!" the Senshi heard Gambit plead.

"Yes, Nathan. This mutant is too wily to take chances with," Colossus added.

"Believe me, I've been trying!" Cable shot back. "Somehow, she's resisting all my telepathic probes! We may have to do this the hard way, I'm afraid…"

"Well, that explains why he hasn't sensed our presence," said Luna. "He's been too busy trying to get into Eclipse's head, without success."

"Still, he's softened Eclipse up," said Uranus. "This would give us an opportunity, if Mercury and Jupiter were here. Where are they?"

"Good question," said Sailor Moon. "The shrine is closer than Minako and I were. They should've beaten us here."

"Then we wait," said Neptune. "Whether or not they show, we can keep letting the X-Men do our work for us. If Cable is truly that powerful, he can wear down Eclipse easily. Then we swoop in and engage the X-Men. While they're distracted, Sailor Moon uses the Ginzuishou to purify her."

As much as Uranus was itching for more action, she had to agree Neptune's plan made more sense. Sailor Moon seemed to agree, nodding, though her reluctance to fight the X-Men was palpable. "At least, with the Dark Kingdom's lingering corruption gone, things might be easier…"

"Then we wait for your word to make our move, Princess," said Uranus. Granted, she had no idea how they would fight past a powerful psychic. They only had a reprieve due to Cable being preoccupied. But they had to try. Walking away empty-handed again was unacceptable.

Thankfully, Cable was still too absorbed in the fight. He charged forward, needing his telekinesis to shield himself from another volley of black lightning. Still, he advanced, even as Eclipse summoned thick tendrils of ooze to act as battering rams. Just like with her dark power, the oil slick spread over an invisible barrier, never touching Cable and barely slowing him down. In fact, a sudden expansion of his telekinetic shield forced the ooze back.

Eclipse tried again, but suddenly Colossus rushed in between them, letting the tendrils wrap around him. Even as Eclipse used her oil slick to conduct dark energy, Colossus barely flinched as it crackled all around him.

It soon proved to be an even worse idea on Eclipse's part. Colossus swung his torso around. Eclipse, weighing much less, was effortlessly flung around and slammed hard against another wall. Before Eclipse could stand up, more energized cards rained down on her. One struck her dead-center, and she crumpled as black ooze splattered everywhere again.

"We got the little lady now, Cable!" cried Gambit. "If you can't get in her head, just wrap her in a telekinetic bubble and let's be goin'!"

"I think that's our cue," said Sailor Moon. Uranus couldn't agree more. The time to force the X-Men back was now, while Eclipse was dazed and wide open.

The other Senshi got the message. Sailor Venus stood and cried, "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" She aimed her attack at Cable, who finally realized they were there. As expected, he raised a telekinetic barrier to shield himself. It was important to keep Cable distracted. Telepathy alone made him the most dangerous. Considering how much trouble Gambit and Colossus already caused, that was saying something.

Cable's defense held, but the attack was so fierce, came so suddenly, it bought the Sailor Senshi a couple of seconds. Neptune saw her opening and raised her talisman. "Submarine Reflection!" The blast slammed into Cable. His barrier still held, but it was enough to blast him backwards and into Colossus, making them both slam into the side of a building.

But their troubles were far from over. Gambit was still up and about, and didn't hesitate to unleash another volley of energized cards. "Venus, Neptune… INCOMING!" Uranus cried out.

"On it, Uranus! Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Chibi-Moon cried, whipping out her Crystal Carillon. A flurry of little pink hearts fluttered out, intercepting Gambit's barrage. His cards detonated harmlessly a good distance away.

Gambit's immediate plans were foiled, but Cable and Colossus were already back on their feet. Was Cable just as durable as Colossus?

Colossus rejoined Gambit and advanced on the Senshi again. "The Sailor Senshi have reinforcements? Regrettable. I was hoping this would escalate no further," he grumbled.

"Sorry big guy, but we need whatever's in Eclipse's head," said Venus. "And if this Cable fellow can't get inside it, we'll do it ourselves. Venus Love-Me Chain!" The golden chain lashed out at the two. Gambit and Colossus rolled in opposite directions, and her attack upended a good chunk of the ground instead.

Meanwhile, Uranus had moved in on Cable, determined to keep him from using his telepathy. With a cry of fury, she rushed in, lunging at Cable with her Space Sword. That double-whammy from Venus and Neptune should have knocked him silly, telekinetic barrier or no, but he was alert and on his feet. And easily parried her sword strike with… his left arm!?

Uranus heard and felt her blade graze against metal as it ripped apart his coat's sleeve. She couldn't help but feel shocked for a moment by what she saw. "You have a… bionic arm!?" she spat in disbelief, staring at the gleaming, segmented metal.

Cable said nothing, counterattacking with equal swiftness. Uranus barely lunged back in time to avoid a roundhouse kick to the face. Then he came at Uranus with a chop from his bionic arm, and she barely brought up her Space Sword to parry it. The sword barely dug into the metal, but that was fine. Uranus had another idea in mind. Her sword glowing with power, it dragged against his arm, and she shouted out, "Space Sword Blaster!"

The suddenness of her attack once again left Cable with barely enough time to erect a barrier, this time around his face. Some of her concentrated wind energy seeped through, knocking those sunglasses off Cable's face, revealing scars above and below his right eye. Cable roared in frustration, but otherwise was unfazed.

He came at Sailor Uranus again, and it didn't take long before he got through her defenses, eventually knocking her Space Sword away with a well-timed palm strike to her wrist. Amazing as it seemed, this big guy was even faster than Gambit, and perhaps a good deal stronger than her! As if Beast and Colossus being stronger wasn't enough!

Finally fed up with her, Cable stopped Uranus in her tracks with a telepathic probe, just as she was ready to unleash World Shaking. Her will, her determination, all suddenly amounted to nothing as the world spun around Uranus. Everything was a haze of pain, her head throbbing. She crumpled to her knees, clutching her head while screaming.

The world continued to spin, and Uranus barely heard a cry of "Moon Tiara Action!" Forcing herself to look up, Uranus saw the blazing disc slice across Cable's bionic arm. It didn't dig deep enough to damage it badly, but it left a long gash, sparks sputtering out.

More importantly, it broke Cable's telepathic hold. It took a moment for Uranus to recover, but she backflipped away to recollect her Space Sword, then jumped back again over to Sailor Moon, just as her tiara boomeranged back. "Sailor Moon, not that I'm not grateful for the rescue, but you've got to purify Eclipse! She won't stay down much longer!"

"Alright then. Get everyone to cover me. Here I go!" With that, Sailor Moon turned back to Eclipse, who was finally rising. Seeing that Sailor Moon was finally making the attempt, Neptune, Venus and Chibi-Moon fell back and closed ranks around their princess.

By then, Cable had recovered, scrutinizing the gash in his arm. Uranus stared him down, though she knew Cable could floor her again with merely a thought. As she sensed Sailor Moon collecting power into the Ginzuishou, Uranus spared a glance over her shoulder. Her brooch was already open, her hands cupped around the exposed, glowing gem. Sailor Moon breathed in deeply, then screamed, "Moon Healing Escalation!"

A bright beam of blinding, purifying light lashed out, bathing Eclipse just as she was back on her feet. Eclipse screamed, but whether from surprise or pain, Uranus couldn't say. Her screams, mixed with the shrilling, tinkling sound of Sailor Moon's focused power, couldn't drown out Cable's cries of rage. Mostly because his vehement words rang inside Uranus's head. A quick glance over at how the other Sailor Senshi were wincing told Uranus his telepathy was hammering all of them.

"Just what is it you Sailor Senshi are trying to do!?" Cable demanded angrily. "Why are you so obsessed with this one mutant!? The X-Men are better equipped to deal with mutants such as this, who are a clear and present danger to normal humans!"

Sailor Moon was still focusing on Eclipse, even though Uranus could tell Cable's telepathic shouts were digging into her head as well. But after he was done hammering them with his questions, Sailor Moon turned to glare at Cable, teeth clenched as tears streamed down her face. Then she turned back to Eclipse, still radiating determination. What had she just done? Did Sailor Moon silently give Cable the answers he wanted?

She must have. Gambit and Colossus, swiftly losing patience, rushed forward again. But as they were about to charge past Cable, he held up a hand. "Gambit, Colossus, hold position," Cable commanded. "Let's see where Sailor Moon's going with this." Still, his left eye glowed dangerously, indicating that if he saw something he didn't like, he would telepathically hammer them all over again.

The Sailor Senshi who had closed ranks around Sailor Moon eyed the three X-Men warily, who likewise looked ready to pounce the moment they saw something fishy. Uranus kept risking glances back at the princess. Sailor Moon gritted her teeth as she concentrated, siphoning everything she safely could through the Ginzuishou. Uranus feared she might be tempted to pour in far more. The threat of Eclipse could be neutralized completely if they pulled this off, but that wasn't all that weighed on Sailor Moon's mind, Uranus knew. Uranus saw that pleading, anxious look in Sailor Moon's tearful eyes.

"Come on, come on, you've got to become a good girl again, you've got to…" Sailor Moon muttered. Uranus looked from Sailor Moon over to Eclipse, slumped against the wall, bathed in the Ginzuishou's radiant splendor. It almost served to cancel out the noxious dreariness of her oil slick, spilling limply around her boots. She seemed to be staring at the ground, dazed, though with those welding goggles it was anyone's guess. On top of that, now they knew Eclipse could repel attempts to read her mind, along with any means to track her. Who knew what else Eclipse could resist?

For the moment, Uranus dared entertain hope that her doubts were unfounded. Sailor Moon's power seemed to have Eclipse paralyzed, which could mean she was indeed purging the Dark Kingdom's lingering influence. If that was gone, Eclipse's bloodlust might be gone with it. Perhaps, with just a little more…

With sudden, stupefying speed, Eclipse raised one hand and sent out a tendril of black ooze, ensnaring Sailor Moon by the torso. In an instant, her purifying light was smothered. "What in… AAAAAUGH!" Sailor Moon screamed as dark power crackled all around her.

"Oh no you don't! Crescent Beam!" shouted Venus vehemently. But Eclipse sent out another tendril that snared Venus's wrist, pointing her attack elsewhere. "Everyone, look out!" she cried out, but it was too late. All the other Sailor Senshi had to scatter, and Venus's blast ripped across the ground toward the X-Men instead.

Another telekinetic barrier shielded the three mutants from harm, but Eclipse's ploy had bought her a few seconds. She sucked the ooze back in, then fired another tendril up toward a nearby rooftop. Uranus could only watch as Eclipse rocketed up, disappearing from view as she scrambled over the roof's edge.

"Oh boy. Stormy and the Professor ain't gonna like hearin' 'bout this," Gambit grumbled as he looked up, knowing full well that Eclipse had too much of a head start. Even in her weakened state, by the time any of them reached the rooftops, Eclipse could be anywhere.

"So much for Sailor Moon's ploy to 'purify' Eclipse," Cable scoffed as he glowered at the Senshi. He sounded as if he couldn't believe he had been willing to let Sailor Moon try.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon wasn't looking to where Eclipse had fled, or back toward Cable. She had fallen to her knees, more or less just staring straight ahead at where Eclipse had been before. Not mindful of the oily gunk clinging to her fuku, or really, much of anything. "I-I-I-It didn't work," she spluttered in disbelief, tearing up again. "The Dark Kingdom's hold… Eclipse, we could've saved her, b-b-b-but… I-I-I-It didn't work…"