Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse
a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover
Chapter 25: Transform and Rise Up
3-31-2018
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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"It's quite amazing, how plans can appear to be moving ahead swiftly, yet at the same time look as if they will fall apart any second," said Magneto dryly, arms folded.
Gai did his best to ignore how he was standing only a meter to his right. Him wearing his costume and helmet made it difficult, however. Both of them stood behind Erina as she sat in her chair, inspecting the multitude of screens in her private office, feeding them news reports.
And there was no shortage of news about the 'mutant crisis' hitting Japan hard. This was exactly what Magneto wanted. It would ultimately aid him in wooing more and more mutants to his cause, especially right here in Japan. It was what Erina wanted as well, though there were deeply personal reasons for manipulating events in Japan to Magneto's benefit.
So far, it appeared the managed chaos was unfolding nicely. As far as Gai knew, Erina didn't have authorization for full-scale Sentinel construction and deployment yet, though their government had no idea the former was already underway.
Still, mercenary units were being called upon in the meantime, sent out to hunt down Eclipse and any other mutant deemed a threat. Panic gripped many in Tokyo, and it was spreading to the rest of Japan, like an infection. Thus creating fertile ground for Magneto's message.
Gai still wasn't sure how he felt about that. After all, he was human himself. Yet, just like his aunt, he had his own personal reasons, beyond obligation to her. Even if it meant working with a psycho like Magneto.
So it bothered Gai to see how all this was being countered, in a way none of them had expected. It had been days since Sailor Moon got herself on every television screen in the city and beyond, pleading her case. At first, Gai had dismissed it as desperation, only to bring on another tongue-lashing from Erina about underestimating the girl.
As usual, his aunt was swiftly proven right. The three of them watched a broadcast from BBC, where a reporter with a camera had tailed one of those mercenary teams. They barged into the loading area of some abandoned warehouse, no doubt to round up a group of mutants hoping to take refuge there. Thanks to the sensors Kizachi Technologies was graciously providing, in order to sniff out those with mutant DNA, zeroing in on these mutants was no problem.
However, these mercenaries hit an unexpected snag. One by one, these Japanese mutants, along with loyal family and friends, were simply... disappearing. Not teleporting away or anything, just disappearing.
"What happened to them?" Gai asked, incredulous. "Did one of them have the power to get them all clear? Maybe, it was Osaka? Can she... pull that teleportation trick without that black fire?"
"Doubtful. That's the ability of Osaka's requiring the greatest amount of practice and effort," said Erina. Like always, she had the air of a patient scientist, but Gai suspected she was seething inside. Sailor Moon made a desperate gambit that took them all by surprise, and perhaps it was starting to work. "No, definitely not Naru Osaka, or any of the Sailor Senshi or X-Men. There's something we're missing... Here, I'll play a recording back."
Erina fiddled with a remote, and they watched the footage replay. Gai didn't notice anything different, but Magneto pointed at the screen.
"There. There was a brief blur," Magneto said, just as coolly as Erina. Gai didn't want to think of how frustrated the Master of Magnetism was growing.
"I think you're right. I saw another one. A blur of something... pink," said Erina. "I'll play it back again, but in slow motion."
"I'll wager it was someone moving at super speed," said Magneto.
"No wonder your eye caught it, then," said Erina airily. "And you would win that bet, Lehnsherr. Take a look." The three of them squinted at the paused image. What they saw was still fuzzy, but it looked to be... a little brown-haired girl? One wearing some sort of pink outfit and mask. Not only was she impossibly fast, but quite strong, as she was carrying out one of the trapped mutants in her arms. "The image is too blurry for facial recognition software, but we can safely conclude your son isn't the one antagonizing you today, Lehnsherr."
"Who is it, then?" Gai asked. "Another mutant?"
Magneto shook his head. "Even when moving at such speeds, the sensors provided by your aunt would have detected something. These humans were utterly clueless."
"And the Sailor Senshi cannot attain speeds like this," said Erina. "The only explanation is that Tsukino's pitch brought in people with superhuman abilities that all of us were ignorant of. This isn't the only instance I've been made privy too. Take a look at this."
Erina fiddled with her remote again. On another screen, they could see a similar scene play out, only it was police moving into a back alley to corner another suspected mutant, a young boy. He raised his hands, crying, absolutely terrified.
However, someone stepped up behind the boy. He looked a few years older than him, sporting spiky, black hair with a few white streaks, yet he wasn't much taller than the boy.
The cops yelled at him to step away, but the new arrival merely stared back quizzically, a bit annoyed. And then, to Gai's horror, what looked like an eye on his forehead opened up.
At once, the cops looked dizzy and confused. The guy with the third eye then grabbed the boy's wrist, grumbled something to him, then dragged him away in a flash. He didn't move as fast as that girl, but dashing off like that... Even if one ignored that freaky third eye, if that guy wasn't a mutant, he certainly wasn't human.
"The officers involved in that attempted arrest claim to have only a fuzzy recollection of what happened. The ones who remember anything at all," said Erina. "The one who could recall the most had my nanomachines in him, yet they only blocked the effects of that eye partially. Definitely not mutant power, possibly something supernatural. Indeed, if Usagi Tsukino now has at her command new recruits with power we're completely in the dark about... This changes everything, Lehnsherr. I do hope your Acolytes and the Brotherhood are ready to spring into action. We may need them sooner than anticipated."
"I would appreciate if you didn't speak as if they are yours to command, Kizachi," said Magneto imperiously. "Especially considering that things have taken a sharp, unexpected turn despite your assurances. Thanks in no small part to your nephew's incompetence."
Anger got the better of Gai before he could bite his tongue. "Enough about that! How was I supposed to know Osaka's mother was taking medication that would make the poison's effects worse!?"
Magneto rounded on Gai. "And I would appreciate if you would watch your tone around me," he snarled dangerously. "Make all the excuses you want, but that oversight has made recruiting Naru Osaka into my fold that much harder!"
Gai felt himself wither under Magneto's gaze. Thankfully, Erina came to his rescue. "For now, Lehnsherr, do consider giving my poor nephew a pass. There's still a chance to make Osaka yours, as we discussed. Besides, Gai has more reason to be loyal to your cause than you think."
The Master of Magnetism glared at him a moment longer. No doubt he was wondering just why this particular human would be sympathetic to his cause. "And what reasons might those be?" Magneto asked, looking back down to her.
"Why not tell him yourself, Gai?" Erina suggested delicately, again scrutinizing that footage with Sailor Moon's mystery speedster. "You showed you have a tongue moments ago. Use it."
Magneto looked back to Gai, coldly expectant. Did his aunt have to put him on the spot like that? Seeing no way out of it, Gai sighed and said, "I... think my son might be a mutant." This actually seemed to surprise Magneto, as he raised an eyebrow quizzically. "It... was a quick fling when I was still in school, I got a girl pregnant. She chose to have the baby, but by the time he was born, I was deeper than ever into my yakuza clan. I sent money whenever I could, kept tabs on the boy, even when doing a stint in prison... Until one day I learned he was seeing visions that eventually came true. And there were reports of sudden gusts of biting wind coming out of nowhere to drive away bullies."
Magneto remained silent for many moments, digesting this. "So, you want a world where mutants like your son can grow up free of persecution, is that what you're saying?" he asked, still a bit dubious. "Where is this son of yours now?"
"Safe," Erina said quickly. "History repeats itself, Lehnsherr. Just like with Trask's boy, I've made it so he'll be masked from the sensors I've handed out to those mercenaries and law enforcement. But in time, I think you may have a very useful new recruit. Since Mystique lost Destiny, my nephew's son may be a suitable replacement."
Gai said nothing, but the thought of his boy joining up with Magneto made his stomach sink. Erina was right. He did want his son to grow up happy, but also avoid the mistakes he made. Working with Magneto would be far worse than any of his. Then again, here I am helping the most dangerous mutant terrorist ever, Gai reminded himself.
"I'm more interested in the here and now," said Magneto dryly. "This was your idea, making an entire generation of Japanese mutants receptive to my message. But now that's in jeopardy, with how Sailor Moon also has her message out there. Now, these new recruits of hers are swooping in to rescue these young mutants before I get the chance. You claimed that having Sailor Moon's best friend turn on her, of her own free will, would break her!"
"I said that if anything could break Tsukino, that would do it," Erina reminded him. "And for a time, it looked like Naru's betrayal worked."
"You don't sound as incensed about that as I believed you would be," said Magneto.
"Yeah, Aunt Erina. Now that he mentions it, you seem to be taking Sailor Moon bouncing back pretty well," Gai added.
"I'm more insulted than anything else, by how Tsukino's keeping her family close, under the Sailor Senshi and X-Men's protection," said Erina. "As if threatening or killing them would gain me anything. No, it would only strengthen her resolve, and it's proven resilient enough as is. In fact, I would've been disappointed if Tsukino had crumbled so quickly. Yet Naru Osaka remains my best shot at driving a stake through Sailor Moon's heart here and now, not waiting for the naked hate of so many of our countrymen to eat away her faith. And what I've set in motion may yet give you an opening to make your pitch to Osaka directly, Lehnsherr."
"Remind me again what that might be," Magneto demanded.
Erina's chair whirled around. She smiled up at Magneto broadly. "As I said before, it'll take longer before I get the green light to use my Sentinels en masse. In the meantime, I've convinced enough people to let me unleash a single Sentinel for a trial run. Guess who I said the target will be?"
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It went to show how this movement Sailor Moon started had no real plan behind it, no direction as of yet. Days ago, the other Sailor Senshi railed on Naru for sending so many cops to the hospital, worsening her legal troubles. But now Sailor Chibi-Moon found herself here, more or less looking on as two of their new 'allies' came perilously close to doing the exact same thing.
Since the news media obligingly broadcasted how Erina Kizachi was furthering her plans by offering DNA scanners to law enforcement, the Senshi decided to turn that against them. It was child's play for Ami and Kitty to rig a device that would emit a false signal. Lure prey into a trap by making them think there was a mutant to apprehend.
And so, one pair of officers was lured into a back alley. One of them immediately had the back of his head introduced to a huge steel spatula. He was out cold instantly. The other drew his gun in a panic, but found himself outmaneuvered as that Chinese girl, with purple hair done up in 'dumplings' similar to Usagi's, ducked and weaved around his gunshots.
In desperation, he went for his radio. With a spinning kick, the girl effortlessly knocked it and his gun away. An instant later, an elbow was driven under his neck, pinning him to a brick wall. "Urgh, damn m-m-m-mutie trash," he gargled.
"Hmph, no need mutant power to deal with weak man using gun as crutch," the Chinese girl scoffed.
Chibi-Moon couldn't help but facepalm. Until she met this Shampoo, Chibi-Moon hadn't believed anyone could be as embarrassingly bad with another language as Usagi was with English. Now Chibi-Moon had to put up with this girl mangling her native tongue every time she opened her mouth.
At least the other girl had her head screwed on right, but this Ukyo also had an impulsive streak. "As for me, my tools for cooking have always served me well enough," said Ukyo dangerously. She slid the tip of that spatula in between Shampoo's elbow and the officer's chin. He gargled again as Ukyo forced his head up a little. The spatula's sharpness also let Ukyo draw a little blood. "Now then, us girls didn't bring you boys here with that fake signal because we're lonely. We want information, and we'd appreciate it sooner rather than later."
"I-I-I-I won't spill anything to you mutant-loving cunts!" the cop retorted.
"Ooooh-hoo-hoo," Ukyo said with an grin. "This one's got some balls, we gotta give him that."
"Hmph, me see how big balls are," said Shampoo. Chibi-Moon resisted the urge to smash her face through a brick wall. Barely. "Ranma now know Sailor Senshi, and Senshi know X-Men. Throw man to gaijin, let claws loose tongue!"
Actually, you're on the right track, Shampoo, Chibi-Moon silently admitted. But let's not waste time dragging this meatsack in front of Wolverine. Or even Cable. This trick Kizachi has to shield sensitive people from mutant telepathy, whatever it is, somehow extended to people in law enforcement responsible for rounding up mutants.
Of course, Chibi-Moon would otherwise use any excuse to confront Cable again. She had come to terms with the fact that there were time-travelers other than herself, who could circumvent Plu's watchful eye. What still vexed her about Nathan Summers was this future he claimed to come from. Supposedly, he traveled back in time to take down Apocalypse, but the other X-Men mentioned this guy had lived for thousands of years. Was he still around in Cable's future? After finally triumphing over the Black Moon Clan, would Crystal Tokyo next have to face this evil that the X-Men feared MORE than Magneto?
Chibi-Moon shook her head. There would be time to pry those answers from Cable's lips later. Right now, it was important to pry what they needed from this cop's lips, and Shampoo had the right idea.
Strangely, people like this cop and the people Sailor Moon had gathered both cared about honor. The problem was, they had different definitions of honor. Those who answered Sailor Moon's call, like Ukyo and Shampoo, decided keeping Japan from repeating the mistakes of other countries was necessary, to safeguard Japan's honor. People like this cop were manipulated by Kizachi into thinking honor demanded that Japan's populace be protected from potentially dangerous mutants, by any means necessary.
The solution? Take a page out of Wolverine's playbook. Use fear to override his sense of honor.
Clutching Luna-P with one hand, Chibi-Moon stepped forward. "Ladies, ladies... Good job in getting this guy pinned, but I think I should take it from here."
Shampoo scoffed again. "Why we have pink-haired brat babysit us, anyway? What you do that we can't?"
"Other than utilize proper sentence structure and grammar?" Chibi-Moon sneered. "Watch and learn, girls."
With that, Chibi-Moon bounced Luna-P off the ground. After changing form in a puff of pink smoke, it came down into Chibi-Moon's hands as a chainsaw, heart-shaped holes along its length. Chibi-Moon wasted no time revving it up.
Ukyo and Shampoo glanced at each other nervously. They both stepped aside as Chibi-Moon stepped forward, letting the cop slide down the wall.
"Everyone seems to think I'm useless, that I don't know anything," said Chibi-Moon in a singsong voice. Anxiety oozed out of this cop now. Good. A sure sign this was already working. "But as they say, us kids are like sponges soaking up knowledge. For instance..."
She brought the tip of her chainsaw up to the inside of the cop's thigh, the blades millimeters away from slicing through his pants. The cop was visibly sweating now.
"Severing the femoral artery would cause someone to bleed out in minutes. Did you know that?" Then Chibi-Moon slowly brought the chainsaw's tip up to the side of his neck. The cop was fighting a losing battle to remain still, in control. "Slicing up the carotid artery would produce a similar result, and..."
"ACK! Alright, alright! I'll spill w-w-w-whatever it is you want to h-h-hear!" the cop spluttered.
Chibi-Moon gazed down at him slyly. "Including the locations where all the mutants, arrested on trumped-up charges, have been incarcerated?"
The cop nodded anxiously. With a wicked grin, Chibi-Moon turned the chainsaw off and turned to Ukyo and Shampoo. She was pleased to see their dumbfounded, horrified expressions. "Take good notes, girls. Deal with this guy however you wish after he spills everything. I'll be waiting back at you-know-where..."
Chibi-Moon walked past them, still quite pleased with herself. "Next time, we let pink-haired brat lead with big black ball," said Shampoo suddenly. Chibi-Moon's face fell once more.
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Naru gazed at her reflection in the glass door of a cooler in the pizza parlor. It seemed as if every day, she found a new, creative way to use her mutant abilities. In this case, she had found another use for her oil slick. By having it ooze up through her scalp, she could straighten her wavy hair, and turn it raven-black. Ditching the hair bow helped, too. It went well with the black leotard, denim shorts and dark leggings. So far, this rudimentary disguise was working. While walking down the streets, in broad daylight, no one gave her so much as a second look.
Humans, so easily fooled by appearances, Naru thought acidly, reaching for a couple bottles of soda. They could never figure out who Sailor Moon really is, and now I'm walking among them again, right under their noses.
It was only to get some fresh provisions, however. In anticipation of her being found out and forced into hiding, her mother had bought up rations used by armed forces around the world. The kind that would last for decades without spoiling, along with a year's worth of drinking water.
Yet at the same time, Naru still had plenty of money her mother had left behind. Not to mention she could sell the jewelry that was hers by right, or her mother's stocks before anyone thought to freeze the assets.
But after just a few days since she had whisked Umino away, Naru was in the mood for some fresh food. With a bag of groceries stuffed in one arm, Naru went back up to the front of the parlor, hoping the pizzas were done. The disguise was working, but Naru was in no mood to push her luck too far.
Unfortunately, it didn't look like they were ready. Sighing impatiently, Naru looked around to make sure no one suspected anything. Upon doing so, she noticed the parlor's television, which held the other patrons' attention.
Naru gasped, seeing why. It was another news story of the mass movement that came out of nowhere, thanks to Usagi of all people. And it seemed to get bigger with each passing day. The television showed people marching down a city street. Thousands, perhaps well over ten thousand, shutting down traffic for over a kilometer.
They all railed against the recent rush to locate mutants, and incarcerate the ones deemed a threat. Naru felt a shudder of shame. In her anger, she had forgotten that going ballistic could bring something like that about. The X-Men had warned her, but she lost her head and ignored them.
The marchers clashed with police using plastic shields, pushing them back. Worse, there were people who obviously approved of this crackdown against her kind. They hurled epithets at the marchers. When it was apparent that wouldn't deter them, things like rocks and bottles followed.
At one point, someone took a bucket of used motor oil and splattered a group of marchers with it. "Here, you wanna side with that cop-killing freak? Go ahead, now you LOOK like her!" he shrieked.
Naru couldn't suppress a scowl and a grunt. She hadn't KILLED any of those cops. Taught them a lesson, broke a few bones, but it wasn't worth having their blood on her hands.
That still didn't dissuade the marchers, and to Naru's shock, one of them was Ms. Haruna! Whatever she was yelling back, it was drowned out by other shouts. It was what she suddenly DID that spoke volumes. Some of that oil had splattered over her blazer. Haruna wiped some of it off and spread it over her face, glaring daggers back at the counter-protesters.
Others followed her lead, reaching down for that puddle to wipe up oil to spread on their faces. Naru gasped when she recognized two of them. That old man from the West who had been on the monorail car, and the woman with him! The symbolism was clear: they were showing solidarity with Eclipse, and in turn Sailor Moon.
Naru couldn't believe her eyes. She had threatened her old teacher, hung her from the ceiling of her own classroom. None of that shook Haruna's beliefs, and now others echoed those sentiments.
Fog soon shrouded the street, giving the marchers cover to withdraw. Storm or Sailor Mercury's doing, no doubt. One of them had been lying in wait, in case things got out of hand. Naru felt another pang of shame. The people she lashed out at were out there, doing something for mutants. And where was she? Just emerging from hiding, waiting for pizza.
Thankfully, it wasn't much longer a wait for those pizzas. The inviting smell of all those meat toppings, necessary for replenishing her oil slick, wafted up her nostrils.
Naru rushed to the register to pay for them, eager to leave. When she turned to do so, she saw something else on the television. Coverage had changed from the march to the pleas of a single man. Or more specifically, a fellow mutant: Sunfire.
"My superiors urged me to stay out of the country for the time being, and I will respect their wishes. And I certainly will not fight Sailor Moon, a fellow protector of the Land of the Rising Sun," said Sunfire. "However, I do wish to say something, in the hopes it reaches the ears of one fellow mutant: Naru Osaka."
Naru stiffened. She still wanted to just get out of the pizza parlor, but it was like her feet were nailed to the floor.
"I understand your anger, Ms. Osaka, better than you may realize," Sunfire went on. "I too lost my mother. I felt the rage, the all-consuming obsession to punish those I believed responsible. Only to find I was being tricked into fulfilling the mad wishes of another. In the end, it cost me dearly. I once met your mother, Ms. Osaka. She was a kind, honorable woman. I believe if she could speak now, she would make a plea much like my father's final words to me: 'Live only for the future, not for the past. Forge the tools of peace, from the chains of war'…"
Naru rushed out of the pizza parlor, feeling tears well up. Just what was Sunfire suggesting? She HAD to live for the future. After burning all her bridges, with her mother dead, she had no past to live for! Bring about peace? She had tried cleaning up the city of yakuza, and threw away her secret to save total strangers. That was what put her in this situation!
And does Yoshida honestly expect me to trust human justice? Or just rush back to Usagi, now that she's finally, FINALLY doing something!? Naru fumed inwardly. She trudged on down the street, trying not to look at anyone, just wanting to duck into some dark place and teleport away. Too little too late, Sailor Moon. I just can't...
Sharp gasps from some of the people around her broke Naru's focus, and those were followed by a deafening thud. Then Naru noticed some people running past her in a panic. Tensing up, Naru turned around to see what the big deal was, and nearly dropped everything.
There, in the middle of the street, rose this freaky-looking giant robot from a crouch, at least eight meters tall. Naru never saw any of the X-Men's footage of them, but instantly knew what this had to be: a Sentinel.
It stood there in the small crater it created upon landing, its yellow, glowing eyes coldly surveying the street from behind that plexiglass faceplate. Soon enough, its gaze locked onto Naru, who couldn't suppress a shiver of fear.
Ami and Makoto weren't kidding... It's no fun having one of these things zero in on you, Naru admitted to herself. For a brief moment, she questioned the wisdom of burning her bridges with the Sailor Senshi. Wait a minute, HOW did this Sentinel zero in on me!? If Xavier couldn't do it with Cerebro, how can Kizachi's DNA scanners do the job!?
Naru had no time to dope it out. The Sentinel marched toward her, its right arm transforming into a chain gun. Naru's eyes widened. Bullets from handguns and rifles bounced off her, but ammunition from this thing could be another story.
"You can't even go out for pizza these days without some Sentinel crashing the party," Naru spat as her ooze flowed out. After she set all her stuff down, a tendril flung out from her left hand, wrapping around the Sentinel's neck. She pulled a nearby car toward her with another tendril, her other hand digging into the hood. Using the first tendril to pull her up toward the Sentinel before it could aim, Naru screamed, smashing the car into its face.
The Sentinel staggered back with Naru on it, her feet planted on its chest, anchored by a tendril. However, her attack barely made a crack in that faceplate. Fuming, Naru landed punch after punch, determined to break through and rip this Sentinel's eyes out.
Unfortunately, the Sentinel had other ideas. With its left hand, it plucked Naru off its face and threw her down onto the street. "Ow," Naru grumbled, already getting up from the crater she made. But an instant later, the Sentinel raised one foot and stomped down on her, grinding Naru into the asphalt.
Naru's teeth clenched as the Sentinel's hydraulics pressed down against her painfully. It was swiftly becoming clear that the Sailor Senshi hadn't exaggerated about how dangerous these things were. It took all of her concentration to summon enough dark power for a teleport. Even then, Naru only managed to teleport a few meters away, behind the Sentinel, buying enough breathing room to plan her next move.
The Sentinel showed no sign of being surprised. Naturally, its computer brain wouldn't let it waste time on confusion. It was simply calculating its next course of action.
It rounded on Naru, aiming its gun arm down at her. Thankfully, Naru had bought enough time to call upon more dark energy. She lashed out with bolts of black lightning. The first struck its faceplate, some more of the plexiglass crumbling away, while others slammed into its torso.
Once again, it staggered back a little, but Naru scowled, getting the feeling she wouldn't hold it back for long. It took three of the Senshi, plus Tuxedo Kamen, to force back that other one. Retreat was looking more enticing, but teleportation was still problematic. Could she teleport all the way back, hurt as she was?
The Sentinel got a bead on her again, raising its right arm and firing. Naru tried to get out of the way, but some rounds clipped her leg before she could duck behind a van. Teeth clenched, Naru looked down at it. Even these bullets couldn't penetrate her skin, but it still hurt like hell, and she could see welts where her leggings were ripped through.
"That's it!" Naru cried. The Sentinel was still firing, and would shred her cover into scrap in a few more seconds. Might as well put it to use before then. With another howl, she picked up the van, keeping it between her and the Sentinel, at least until she hurled it at its face. Fueled by her anger, Naru found the strength to teleport right behind the Sentinel as it stumbled back. Before it could recover, Naru ensnared its neck with oily tendrils, pulling down with all her might. At last, the Sentinel lost its balance and toppled backwards.
Its head landed close to her, and Naru jumped onto its faceplate. Howling in fury, Naru drove a fist down through a crack in the plexiglass, and then let ooze flow. She had to act fast, before the Sentinel could get up. Forcing herself to concentrate, blocking out the pain and fury, Naru willed her oil slick to dig deep into its machinery.
It only took a moment before the Sentinel recovered and began to rise, but its fate was sealed. Naru called upon all the dark power she could muster, and let it flow down into the Sentinel's head. This Sentinel was probably built to withstand normal electric attacks, given how Sailor Jupiter had trouble with the other one. But hers was dark energy, always an enigma, so how could Kizachi counter that?
Her hunch soon proved correct. The Sentinel writhed as Naru overloaded its systems, and then fell still. The light in those horrible yellow eyes staring up at Naru faded away soon after that.
Naru stood there on the Sentinel's shattered faceplate, basking in her triumph. Maybe I was too hasty, wishing to have the SAilor Senshi back, she thought, quite pleased with herself. It took nearly half their team to drive one away. I crushed one single-handedly! And Professor X thought I wasn't ready to tackle one of these overgrown action figures!? HA!
As Naru stared down into the Sentinel's lifeless eyes, she wondered just what to do with it now. Perhaps rip its head off, to keep as a trophy, and leave its decapitated body as another reminder that one doesn't screw around with Eclipse.
Then, another possibility came to Naru. As she struggled to make a decision, she heard a shifting sound. Back from where she had set down all her stuff.
Scowling, Naru looked back to see some guy standing over everything she bought. He even had the nerve to take a slice of her pizza! Without a single word, Naru sent out tendrils to snatch everything back. The guy stared down at where the grocery bags and pizza boxes had once been, befuddled. And then a tendril latched onto the pizza slice, yanking it from his hands.
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Fighting to remain patient, Sailor Uranus fidgeted with her Space Sword. Chibi-Moon and two of their new 'recruits' hit paydirt earlier today. They had locations of where rounded-up mutants were being detained, and now it was time to hit them all. Simultaneously. Along with letting them swiftly whisk them away before the authorities could react, it would be a demoralizing blow. And unlike other battles the Sailor Senshi had waged, they had to focus on the psychological.
Something Uranus kept reminding herself of as she struggled to maintain her focus. She thought she was succeeding, but then Neptune laid a hand on her shoulder. Then again, Neptune could always sense her inner turmoil.
"Any second now, Uranus," Neptune said softly. "Everyone else is in position or getting into position. And as luck would have it, our 'decoy' is making her approach."
The pair stood looking over a building not too far from the district's police headquarters. Those mercenary units called in had set up a series of 'black sites', but some mutants were brazenly thrown into holding cells at this headquarters, a mockery of justice.
A bit ironic, Uranus mused. One of the reasons we first fought the X-Men was my belief that Eclipse had to face justice here. I still do. But now I see far worse will come about if the Sailor Senshi don't make a stand, lash out at the supposed peacekeepers. Usagi, let's hope we didn't steer each other wrong...
Looking over to the headquarters' roof, Uranus could make out two figures clad in black, blending into the darkness now that the sun was down. Still, moonlight briefly gleamed in the glasses one of them wore as they jacked into the headquarters' electrical systems. The other was the alien with turquoise hair like Michiru's. There was something else familiar about her...
Dismissing it for the moment, Uranus looked down to the street. A girl with fiery red hair done up in the back with a pigtail approached the headquarters, sporting a form-fitting qipao that hugged her frame invitingly. She faked a limp and fatigue, and sported some convincing fake burn marks, to make it look like she was a victim of a mutant attack.
Once she went in, Uranus looked back to the other roof. There was a brief series of blips from a flashlight. That was the signal. In a few moments, all the street lamps around the headquarters would go dark, hiding their approach. But their most important task had been to compromise the police's security systems, and make it impossible for them to call for help. Not that any would come from the mercenaries the Japanese government hired. Soon, a good chunk of them would have their hands full as well.
Uranus smiled to herself, relishing the thought despite how distasteful this should be. Again, Neptune could sense her unease. "This is it, Uranus. You ready?" Neptune asked softly, just as the lamps began to wink out.
Uranus snorted. "So many of our new 'recruits' have antagonized or attacked police and these mercenaries already, the Sailor Senshi are wanted for breaking into that studio... What's breaking into police headquarters at this point?"
"Point taken," said Neptune. "If we're going to tarnish our reputations further, let's do it with style!"
Neptune stepped over the roof's edge and kicked off, sailing down toward the front entrance. With a sigh, Uranus followed Neptune down to the street below.
As they peered through the glass doors of the front entrance, they saw nearly a dozen male cops, clearly infatuated with their buxom new arrival. She was quite an actor, putting on a show of crying and being fearful, relaying a bogus tail of barely escaping a bunch of nasty mutants. That is, until most of the lights within the front lobby went dead. That was Uranus and Neptune's cue to make their move. They barged through the front doors, collecting power for their attacks.
"World Shaking!" Uranus roared.
"Deep Submerge!" Neptune cried.
Of course, since they were dealing with normal humans, they had to scale back the power of their attacks considerably. Still, Uranus's attack swept up a good number of them, rattling them to the marrow of their bones. Neptune's slammed them against the back wall with its force, submersing them in seawater for a moment until it all faded.
Unfortunately, three of them, who had been closest to the pigtailed girl, had reacted just in time to avoid being swept up. They drew their guns, demanding the two Sailor Senshi get down on the ground while telling the girl to stay back.
In an eyeblink, the pigtailed girl's façade vanished. With a scowl, she grabbed the wrist of the closest cop, slamming it against the desk. The sound of his wrist snapping was swallowed up by the gun going off, a bullet going through the back wall.
The other two looked over to her, dumbfounded. With a loud "Ki-yah!", she rounded on them. A swift spinning kick knocked another cop to the floor, and his gun out of his hands.
Like scarlet-shaded lightning, she rushed at the last one. Utterly baffled, he couldn't take aim, giving her an opening to chuck him over her shoulder. He ended up going right through the spot where a bullet had gone into the wall.
"You missed some," said the pigtailed girl dryly. She turned to eye the Outer Senshi, hands on her hips.
Neptune eyed the hole in the wall this girl just made, then turned to Uranus. "You sure she's not a mutant herself?"
"The scanners Kizachi gave the police would've detected her approach if she was," Uranus whispered back. "In any case, does it matter if she's one of them, considering what we've come to do?"
Neptune nodded as the two made their way into the front lobby. As they rushed toward a hallway, eager to secure the entire headquarters, they heard grunts from the girl.
"Don't think I didn't feel that hand working its way down toward my butt!" she howled, kicking the cop with a broken wrist. "Better be glad I ain't one of these mutants, or I'd rearrange your internal organs!"
The two of them just gazed at her impatiently for a moment. "Feel better yet?" Neptune asked at length.
The pigtailed girl glanced up at Neptune, smiling. "Much," she said simply before pushing past them, taking it upon herself to take point. Uranus glared at her back. Just who did this girl think she was?
Like the front lobby, the rest of the building had been plunged into darkness. Uranus and Neptune could navigate the darkened hallways just fine, thanks to the plans Mercury dug up. The dark didn't hinder the pigtailed girl either. Many times, when they came across other cops, she rushed in to dispatch them before Uranus and Neptune got the chance.
She wasn't the only mysterious variable here. They hardly knew a thing about the two on the roof. But no doubt Sailor Moon would insist they all deserved some trust.
Uranus still had difficulty believing that thus far, they were getting results. When she unloaded on Sailor Moon that night, it was out of desperation, before she sank into the depths of despair. How their fortunes had turned. Not only were the Sailor Senshi bouncing back, but they had gathered allies they never knew they had.
Still, it bothered Uranus how they had to break into a police headquarters like this, especially after making a fuss about Eclipse needing to face justice here in Japan. But Kizachi and Magneto had schened for so long, few options were left. Much like Magneto himself felt, they had to respond by any means necessary. That left an even more bitter taste in Uranus's mouth, that realization. For perhaps the first time, Uranus wondered if that would make them no different than those the Sailor Senshi opposed.
We're not out for blood, Uranus reminded herself. Neptune told me about that footage of the Acolytes... We're not like that. Of course, this girl wasn't above breaking a few bones...
Uranus glared at the pigtailed girl's back again, then looked ahead as she tried to listen for any more resistance. The rest of their team was also sweeping the place, but there could still be stragglers.
As she listened, all Uranus could hear was some strange howling. Like forceful winds blowing within the halls. Uranus concentrated again, trying to sense the winds. Indeed, the winds were turbulent, driven by a power other than her own!
This realization hit just as they approached a corner. Suddenly, those winds howled again. A pair of mercenaries had their backsides slammed against the wall. Before they could get up, lightning lit up the halls. Their screams soon faded as they slumped to the floor, acrid smoke rising from their bodies, but Uranus could see telltale signs of breathing.
Any concern about their condition, however, was swiftly replaced with shock when their turquoise-haired ally FLOATED into view, staring down at the fallen mercenaries. The other one stepped up a second later, unconcerned about that.
Both wore black clothing and beanies, and while this girl with short, sandy-blond hair had glasses, the turquoise-haired one had dark goggles. But then, the latter took off her eyewear and beanie, revealing deep blue eyes and... a pair of small, yellow horns protruding from that turquoise hair!?
The pigtailed girl was completely indifferent, in complete contrast to Neptune. "How could we not realize it before?" Neptune whispered to Uranus. "Could this really be..."
"As long as she helps us free all the mutant prisoners and load them into police vans, I don't think Sailor Moon will care. So neither should we," Uranus replied quietly.
"Yeah, the sooner we're all on the road, the better," Neptune agreed. "Just promise you won't have your van go at 180 kilometers per hour."
"Like we did in bed last night?" Uranus replied with a grin. Neptune just glared back at her.
"That the last of the stragglers?" the pigtailed-girl asked the other two recruits.
"As far as we can tell," said the girl with glasses. She was from another rich family, the Hououjis if Uranus remembered right. "And by now, Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi-Moon should be done securing the lower level, where the mutants are being held prisoner."
"Then let's go help them get the mutants ready to roll out, Fuu," said the turquoise-haired girl. That voice, heard so often on the news... It really was Lum Invader!
"Lead the way, ladies," said the pigtailed girl brusquely, stepping over the fallen mercenaries, forcing Uranus and Neptune to catch up. Uranus wondered if Neptune was beginning to grow frustrated like she was. First the X-Men show up and prove, in the most infuriating way, how they were a match for them. And then from out of nowhere, at Sailor Moon's urgent plea, emerge more people as capable as they, and weren't afraid of acting like it.
As the five of them descended some stairs, Uranus was snapped out of her tumultuous thoughts by the sound of Sailor Moon's whining, just beyond a set of double doors. Uranus pushed past the others to shove them open, greeted by the sight of Sailor Moon squatting a few meters beyond, bawling.
"Oh, get over it you hypochondriac!" Chibi-Moon spat. "That bullet barely grazed your thigh. One could hardly even call it a flesh wound!"
Uranus looked around, at all the bodies of mercenaries sprawled about. If that was the worst injury suffered, these two did a commendable job cleaning house.
"Yeah, what she said," the pigtailed girl grumbled.
Sighing, Uranus looked up and past Sailor Moon, at the rows of cells... No, more like cages that these pigs threw these mutants arrested on trumped-up charges into. Well, they were here to rectify this injustice.
Before she could step over to the cells, Uranus saw Lum and Fuu approach a series of computer systems the mercenaries had set up. Uranus figured this could be a wealth of tactical information Mercury could later use.
Fuu was obviously thinking along the same lines. "If we can spare a little time, perhaps we could break into these systems too, Lum, and use the information stored within..."
Fuu was cut off by the sound of electricity crackling. Lum lobbed one bolt of lightning after another at the mercenaries' equipment.
Shrugging her shoulders, Fuu uneasily said, "Or we could go for instant, short-term gratification and just smash them all so no one can use this data again. Either works."
Fuu reached into some pouch, and somehow pulled out a ridiculously huge sword, longer than the girl was tall. It looked relatively heavy, but Fuu swung it with ease. She sliced up whatever computers Lum hadn't fried.
The pigtailed girl glanced back at Uranus. "And back there, you two were fixing to give ME a hard time for busting shit up," she muttered dryly.
Deciding to let it drop, Uranus moved to the first cell and thrust her Space Sword into the lock to pry it open. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon tossed her tiara to shred the locks off the other row of cells.
Stepping inside the cell she opened, Uranus's heart sank upon seeing a young girl, crying, some sort of muzzle fixed over her mouth. A quick glance over into the next cell made Uranus's pity give way to rage. A boy about the same age, sporting signs of being beaten. It was suddenly clear to Uranus that, whatever the consequences, the Sailor Senshi and their new friends did the right thing tonight.
But what about one particular mutant? Naru had left a trail of bodies beaten worse than this, some who deserved it, some who did not. Would the Sailor Senshi's actions on behalf of Japan's mutants ever woo Naru back? And even if they did, should she ultimately answer for everything done as Eclipse?
No answers came to Uranus as she looked back to the girl in the cell. Those nagging questions could wait until later. For now, they had to settle for giving these mutants some hope. The Outer Senshi were charged with countering threats from beyond this system. But now, destiny called upon them to face a threat from within.
Uranus knelt down, beckoning to the child. "Please, don't be afraid. The Sailor Senshi are here to help. We're going to take you someplace safe," she said, hoping she sounded empathetic. After a moment, it looked like it was working. The girl took a few tentative steps forward, then threw herself into Uranus's arms, her cries muffled by that muzzle.
Meanwhile, Fuu had forced her way into the other cell. Uranus could tell it was her, as she sensed something amiss on the winds around her. Looking over to that cell again, Uranus was amazed to see the boy's injuries had vanished! Just what kind of power over winds did this girl command!?
It ultimately didn't matter, so long as she and the others helped the Sailor Senshi get these mutants out of here. Looking back down at the girl, Uranus said, "Anyway, why don't we get that off?"
It was securely fastened, but with both hands, Uranus was able to rip it off. But just as she did, Chibi-Moon cried out, "Wait, Uranus! You don't want that off her!"
Uranus looked out through the bars at Chibi-Moon. "Why not? Does this one breathe fire or something?" she asked, confused. When she looked back to the girl, it felt like she had just stuck her face into a raging blizzard.
The girl staggered back, hands over her mouth, looking quite embarrassed. Uranus used that moment to wipe the frost off her face.
"Not exactly," Chibi-Moon muttered dejectedly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Umino adjusted the overhead lamp again, hoping a different angle would help with patching together this transmission. Not that it was particularly urgent that he do so. It wasn't like he was going to drive anywhere anytime soon. It was just something to keep his mind occupied as the days slowly went by.
When he first learned Naru was a mutant and resolved to help her through it, messing with cars sort of came along with the territory. When hunting down junked or abandoned cars, Umino would cannibalize them for parts before having Naru use them for weightlifting, or practice using her strength on. And now, the people who used to run this place... There were many car projects left unfinished, gathering dust. Umino looked over to the Toyota Celica in the process of having its transmission taken out and fixed. So Umino took it upon himself to finish the job. Again, it wasn't like he had much else to do. Naru insisted she would take care of everything, make sure he was safe.
Of course, Umino could do plenty to get this place back in working order. "Maybe that's what I should be doing instead of mucking with these gears," he grumbled to himself as he adjusted the lamp again. "It's still ungodly dark everywhere in this place. Just getting the lights working again..."
Umino sighed upon realizing that Naru probably preferred it dark, anyway. It would fit her lingering mood.
He didn't like how much she had changed. When this whole mess began, she was an emotional wreck, on the brink of shattering. Umino had taken it upon himself to help her adjust, to build up her confidence. He realized he may have done his job TOO well. Naru was growing colder, determined to knock down everyone she deemed in her way, acting as if she could take on the whole world and itching to try. Before, Umino joked about her taking on the Hulk one day. Now Naru seemed convinced she could, despite how the Sailor Senshi and X-Men would've had her if not for her trump card.
And what had Naru left in her wake? A country already fearful of its growing mutant population... Her rampage threw gasoline on the fire! Sure, they later learned of that stunt Usagi pulled to plea to the entire nation. Now, people were finally rising to counter this wave of fear and hatred. In the end, would it be enough?
So many questions, so much uncertainty over the future. Umino used to not worry about the future, convinced that Naru would always be there with him. But she was so different now. Was she still the girl he loved? He was still willing to do anything for her, and yet...
Umino grumbled to himself, messing with the transmission some more. Yes, fixing up these cars was a lifeline now.
"I do hope you get that one working again," came Naru's voice suddenly. "Let's just say I've recently acquired a taste for sporty cars."
Umino set down his tools, not yet ready to turn around. Every time he looked in Naru's eyes... He could still get lost in the eyes of the girl he loved, yet she was becoming someone completely different. That didn't stop the inviting smell of fresh pizza from wafting over to him, though.
Feeling quite hungry, Umino was about to turn around, but Naru set a box down next to the transmission assembly. "Saved a box or two for you. I... ate the other five," she added sheepishly.
"Uh, thanks," Umino said awkwardly as he wiped grease off his hands. Once he felt they were clean enough, he flipped open the box to take a slice. As he ate, Naru walked around him, glancing down at the gears in the transmission. There was a strange look in her eyes. "Uh, sorry to say, but I'm nowhere near ready to have you stuff this back under that Celica..."
"That's not what was on my mind," said Naru. "I'm just thinking here, throwing things out... Another name for a transmission is a gearbox, right?"
"Uh, yeah," said Umino. "What's your point?"
Naru looked back to him, smiling. That smile... Not as warm as it used to be. In fact, at the moment, it kind of gave Umino a chill. "Well, we need another name for you, Umino. I think 'Gearbox' would be perfect."
Now Umino was just plain confused. "W-W-W-Why would I need another name?"
"The yakuza stuck me with the name 'Eclipse', but hey, I've learned to live with it," said Naru. "Let's face it, the name fits. And what's more, it strikes fear into people, let's them know I mean business. If we're a team, Umino, you need a name like that too."
"OK, this is getting ridiculous," said Umino. "First of all, why's THAT a good name for me? I mean, in other countries I think it means..."
"The transmission is supposed to convert power ratios and torque, right?" Naru cut in, hands on her hips. "You helped me figure out how I can use all my powers. In a way, you converted my power. Plus, the name just conjures images of working with machines, like you can build anything. That certainly suits you. Eclipse and Gearbox... Nice ring to it, don't you think? I'm the brawn, you're the brains."
At the moment, Naru was behaving like Usagi of all people, getting a weird idea and sticking with it. Umino had no idea what to say as he stared at Naru. His gaze soon drifted down, and he finally noticed the holes in Naru's leggings, not to mention the swelts.
"Naru, you got shot at again!? What happened up there!? Oh, I told you going out so soon was a bad idea..." To both Umino's amazement and chagrin, Naru just chuckled. "What's so funny!?" Umino demanded.
"It's just so like you, Umino. That's the first thing you notice, me hurt. Not the other thing besides groceries that I brought back."
"O-O-Other thing?" Umino stammered. That was when he saw it, looking past Naru. What could only be the head of one of Kizachi's Sentinels ripped clean off, its faceplate smashed. "NARU, have you gone COMPLETELY nuts!?" Umino cried. "Bringing that here... If it's got a tracking beacon, Erina Kizachi will know where we are!"
"Umino, I told you NOTHING can track us here, and you even confirmed it," Naru reminded him. "Not when I teleported it directly in here. I'm already getting better at that sort of thing. Instead, I'm betting you can tear this sucker open and figure out where KIZACHI'S stuffed the rest of her toys."
"I'm... flattered by your faith in my technical skill," Umino said sheepishly. "But even if I'm that good, what makes you think it's possible?"
"Ami and Makoto said that after they trashed the other one, it seemed to know where to go for repairs," said Naru. "Maybe there's still data you could pull up. Neither the X-Men or the Sailor Senshi have been able to figure out where Kizachi's slapping these things together. Here's our chance!"
"But why? I thought you just wanted to lie low as much as possible," said Umino.
"Open your eyes, Umino!" cried Naru. "We've seen the news, the protests against all these new anti-mutant measures... Bless their hearts, but it won't change anything! A Sentinel was sent after me in broad daylight! Usagi was right! The only way we'll be safe is to strike before they're ALL let loose!"
At least what Naru was saying made perfect sense. "So, you want me to break into its data core, assuming it isn't damaged too badly, then see if the location of their headquarters is stored somewhere? Then, you go destroy them while they're inactive?"
"DESTROY them!?" Naru scoffed. Umino's blood chilled as he saw a vindictive look in Naru's eyes. "The X-Men and Sailor Senshi will still be looking for us, along with the Japanese government. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the latter makes a deal with this Hand that Logan mentioned. We'll need a deterrent. No, I want us to take CONTROL of the Sentinels!"