PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE
Chapter 60: Meeting of Earth and Alkima
The following day, Midori had recovered enough to leave the hospital. During the night however, she and Setsuna spent a great deal of time talking about Chaos and the Chaotic Descendants. It wasn't often that Setsuna had the opportunity to hear about the scions of darkness, and downright unfathomable for her to be acquainted with a Sailor Soldier of darkness. Ever since discovering Midori's origin, Setsuna was deeply curious to ask her a particular question;
"What is the dark power that you inherited from the Fallen Hero Arsen?"
Midori gazed at her long and hard, then muttered, "Is this for your own curiosity? Or is it going to be part of Earth's strategy in countering the Syndicate?"
"You could say it's the former. You haven't truly decided which side of this conflict you're going to take."
"Giving my life for Earth or Alkima, huh? So if I ultimately choose Alkima, that information would be valuable in you all fighting against me."
Setsuna didn't respond. Midori shrugged and said, "Not that I plan on joining the Syndicate. Even if my former comrades are in its ranks, I'd sooner slit my wrists than be subservient to that abomination Eris."
"But it doesn't sound like a guarantee that you'll side with Earth."
"I have no luxury of time for figuring out my own path. Since the situation is dire, it's one side or the other. I've clearly turned down Alkima, so it has to be Earth that I'm siding with. In that case, I shouldn't have much trouble answering your question. However, it's not to sate your personal curiosity; it is simply an ability I have, but which should be avoided as best as possible."
"Of course."
"Then," Midori began as she brushed her bangs aside, "it is called Miasma Convert. It's somewhat similar to Eris' ability to consume discord to make herself stronger. However, her ability doesn't result in her victims' deaths; she can basically harvest from them over and over again, thanks to the strength she has as a direct aspect of Chaos. Arsen's own Miasma Convert wouldn't kill his victims either, but since its power waned over the generations, it became so violently potent when activated that it causes me to kill my victims by extracting every ounce of miasma in their soul, wiping it clean but also separating the soul from the body."
"So after you extract this miasma from your target, you then 'convert' it into energy for you to use?" Setsuna asked.
"Not quite. It gets a little tricky to explain here, but think of the 'conversion' as a filter that separates the miasma into two; one is the raw energy that is used to fight, and the other is the pure evil that remains in the caster's body. Since Arsen was already an aspect of Chaos, he could use it freely without much fear of corruption. If I were to use it however, the evil energy would coagulate into my Sailor Crystal and turn me into some hellbeast of darkness. So when Rei and Michiru keep saying that the darkness inside me is 'still', they're referring to me keeping Miasma Convert's power under a very tight lid," Midori explained.
"I see. That makes sense now. Eris must have been trying to take over your body in order to have access to this forbidden ability."
"No doubt. Eris may absorb discord to energize herself, but it doesn't help her fight. That's why she uses minions and pawns in her sick games, rather than doing anything herself. If she had Miasma Convert at her beck and call however, she could dispose of her flunkies and destroy everything at her own whim. Corruption from evil energy is hardly an issue with her at this point."
Setsuna placed a finger upon her chin and thought about Midori's explanation. She then asked, "Did your Toxicum comrades know about this?"
"I told them everything I just told you when I joined them."
"Then that must be why they sent you to Earth on a false pretext. They really wanted to prevent you from using Miasma Convert to kill Eris."
After a long pause, Midori only murmured, "You think so?"
"That's what I believe. Even if they come to say otherwise, I'll believe that was their real purpose, no matter what. I'm sure Serenity, Small Lady, and the other guardians would agree with me."
"… You lot wouldn't last five seconds in Alkima. Your naiveté would get you killed immediately."
"You don't believe that's why they sent you here?"
"I don't know what to believe anymore. All I can do is keep my guard up."
Setsuna frowned. "You really do come from a different world."
Midori crossed her arms. "Is that culture shock I hear?"
"Maybe."
In Crystal Palace, Sailor Mercury was busy typing away at the main supercomputer, using her satellites to observe Upala Acropolis as it slowly but surely approached Earth. She frowned hard as she calculated the estimated time of arrival; approximately one week from now.
"This isn't good…" she murmured to herself. "There's nothing we can do to halt the Syndicate's advance like this. There's no time to prepare anything to shoot them down either. All we can do is devise a strategy for this inevitable battle."
She tried to use her scanners to see if she could observe the palace from within, but a barrier barred her from gaining access.
"If only we knew what their strength was…"
That was when the phone rang, and Mercury brought the call up on the screen. It was Rei, who said, "How are things going, Ami?"
"The situation is getting dire. We don't have any time to tarry. We should assemble with Serenity and come up with a defensive strategy immediately."
"Well I've got some good news. Sailor Arsenic- Or rather, Sailor Zarnik's agreed to join Earth's side in this battle."
"Has she!? Perhaps she can give us some insight into the enemy's capabilities! Oh, but is she doing all right? I heard that she collapsed the other day."
"Don't wor - She's gott- much bette-"
"Rei? Can you say that again? You're breaking up."
"I sa- she's -tter…"
What's going on? Why am I getting terrible reception all of a sudden? Mercury wondered. I calibrated everything just recently, so there shouldn't be anything wrong… Unless-!
She gasped, then exclaimed to Rei, "I'll call you back!"
She cut the transmission and hurried out of her seat. She got on her hands and knees and carefully searched the entire room. This was the scene that King Endymion happened upon when he entered, and he asked her with a puzzled tone, "Is everything okay, Mercury?"
"King," she glanced up at him, "have you noticed anything strange within the palace recently?"
"Strange? Can you be a bit more specific?"
She explained what happened during the call, then theorized, "I think we've been bugged."
"Bugged? You mean someone's left listening devices here?"
"That's right. There's no other explanation for this. Wiretaps are known for interfering with telecommunications, so I've been trying to look for them."
"I see… Then there was something I found in Small Lady's room the other day. Amidst all this confusion, I had forgotten to ask you to take a look at it."
Endymion took something out of his pocket and showed it to Mercury. She immediately knew what it was and gasped, "You found one!"
"Who could have done such a thing? Surely it can't be the Animus Syndicate. The only time they infiltrated us was with that one Apple of Discord, and it never left the ballroom during that battle."
"No, but someone else did," Mercury's voice became serious as she examined the device and found something that made her visibly upset. She showed him a miniscule green sigil engraved on the object; the same one as Sailor Zarnik's.
"No way!" the king exclaimed. "She was the one who spied on us!?"
"Remember what happened after she killed the Erisian. Sailor Mars tried to attack her, but within the smoke and flames, she escaped. I think she actually used some kind of disguise and went around the palace planting these things before going to the city."
"Is she with the enemy?"
"Rei just told me that she's going to join our side in this battle."
"Then what's going on here…?"
"I'll try to trace the source of the signal and see where she's listening in on us from. Hopefully there won't be a signal emanating from Upala Acropolis, or we could be in real trouble."
"I'll have the guards search every nook and cranny for these gadgets. Either way, Zarnik has some explaining to do."
As Endymion left to assemble the royal forces, Mercury stared at the device in her hand with forlorn eyes. She had never seen a Sailor Soldier act so cunning and secretive towards their own allies. Zarnik's conflicting words and actions caused a great deal of turmoil within her as she thought, So this is what it's like to be at war with your own. No one can be trusted, and everyone exists as both a source of information and someone to kill.
She gazed her eyes upon the monitor as it observed Upala Acropolis.
I see now. Alkima's Sailor Soldiers really will stoop as low as they can to achieve victory. We, on the other hand, are warriors who fight with fairness in mind, and would never hurt our own no matter what misdeeds they've committed. I have to prepare everyone for such a clash in cultures if we are to survive this.
Midori was in the passenger side of Haruka's car, being escorted directly to Crystal Tokyo for her audience with Earth's ruler, Neo Queen Serenity. One would expect her to feel incredibly nervous, but she seemed strangely calm. Perhaps it was finally making her decision to defend Earth that had quelled her lingering doubts, and now she could move forward with a mission that she could finally believe in.
Neither of them conversed on the way to the palace. It was probably for the best. There was so much going on that they didn't want to complicate things any further by saying something inappropriate. Once they reached the front gates to Crystal Tokyo, Haruka took out her phone and called the palace's main computer room, stating, "We're here. You can teleport us up there."
Just then, a pair of magic circles formed beneath the pair's feet, and they disappeared in a flash of light. They were instantly transported from the city right into a warp room where Sailor Mercury was waiting.
"Everyone's in the throne room. Haruka, there's something that Serenity wants to talk to all of us first before beginning the audience. Midori, one of Endymion's guards will escort you to a spare room where you can wait," Mercury said.
"What's wrong? I thought the queen would be eager to meet Zarnik face-to-face," Haruka wondered.
"Something's come up."
Midori watched them leave before one of the guards guided her to a lavish waiting room. Once inside, she decided to transform into Sailor Zarnik, since she was coming here as the Sailor Soldier representing her former planet. After she switched identities, she merely stood there and stared at the heavy doors with a terse expression, anticipating when she would be called. She didn't know what Earth's guardians were talking about without her, but she didn't dwell on that too much.
Fifteen minutes later, the doors clicked open. To her surprise, it wasn't just a regular guard who came to get her. Endymion's elite warriors – Kunzite, Zoicite, Nephrite, and Jadeite – flanked the outside and stared at her intently. She narrowed her eyes, thinking that they were positioned that way to prevent her from escaping.
"The king and queen are ready for you," Kunzite announced in a flat tone.
Zarnik didn't respond and steadily walked outside, surrounded from the front, rear, and sides by the warriors. Their footsteps echoed throughout the silent hallways. The atmosphere didn't feel welcoming at all, but she was used to such a heavy environment from her time in Alkima, having to prostrate before Sailor Soldiers of more powerful planets and offer their services to spy on and/or assassinate their enemies.
The group reached the throne room doors and opened them, revealing a grand meeting hall encased in glimmering crystals. On both sides of the hall, the 12 Sailor Soldiers of Earth stood in formation, six to each side. On the left side were the Inner Planetary Soldiers, plus Ceres and Pallas. On the right side were the Outer Planetary Soldiers, plus Vesta and Juno. All of them had their eyes on her. The three cats Luna, Artemis and Diana were seated upon a pedestal each that had elegant pillows.
Far down at the end of the throne room, King Endymion and Small Lady Serenity sat on either side of the ageless Queen of Earth; Neo Queen Serenity. Unlike everyone else who had stone-cold expressions, both the queen and princess had softer edges in their eyes that showed some kind of calmness or concern while trying to remain professional. Zarnik didn't focus her attention on anyone but Serenity as she walked forward. She stopped at enough distance from the Royal Family, then performed a light curtsey while closing her eyes.
"Welcome to Crystal Palace, wayward Soldier from another cosmos," Serenity said. "Please, tell us who you are and why you have journeyed to this humble planet."
"I am the Sailor Soldier representing the planet Zarnik, in the neighboring galaxy of Alkima, as I'm sure you're aware of has been destroyed by the Goddess of Discord Eris and her Animus Syndicate. Throughout my time on Earth, you all have come to know me as Sailor Arsenic Hyena, but that is merely a cover identity. My true name is the Sailor Soldier of Strategy and Precision…"
She opened her eyes.
"Sailor Zarnik."