Sailor Moon - The Order of Black

Chapter Twenty Four: Right and Wrong

Originally published 29/08/2015

"So that's it, huh?" Uranus said, staring up at the innocuous-looking building across the street. "It doesn't exactly scream secret lab."

"You were expecting a large, neon sign that reads 'secret lab inside'?" Titus asked dryly.

"Ha, ha, ha. How about one that reads keep acting like a smartass and see what happens?"

"Talk like that is precisely why the Princess sent Justice and I here!"

Sailor Saturn sighed, resting on her Glaive as the cat and irritable Senshi continued their terse back and forth. Neptune looked just as sick of their fighting as she was and, while she couldn't really see his face, she could feel the annoyance radiating off of Justice from where she stood. Uranus did not need any help getting riled up; the Guardian Knight's presence was more than enough, especially in light of what Usagi had said on the communicator…

"We have to destroy the Order's Constructs and stop them from making any more. I'm sending you into the Sanctuary."

The hotel room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Hotaru was surprised, to say the least; never in a million years would she have expected Usagi to order such an attack. Michiru was typically difficult to read but even she appeared caught off-guard. Haruka, however, had a slightly different response.

"It's about time you let us off the leash," she said, with a toothy grin. "I've been waiting to dish out a little payback on those bastards!"

Hotaru couldn't say she agreed entirely but the Order's Paladins had attacked them without reason; Haruka's wrath wasn't unjustified.

Usagi clearly didn't see it that way. "That's not what this is about, Haruka. You're going in to destroy those Constructs, not the Order of Black. I want injuries and collateral damage kept to a minimum."

"Right..."

The mild resentment in Haruka's voice was clear; Hotaru picked up on it right away and she couldn't really blame her. The Order of Black had attacked Usagi, the Inner Senshi and them; their intentions were plain to see. Of course she didn't want to kill anybody, but their own welfare had to come first. Didn't it?

Usagi hesitated a moment. At first it looked to be the communicator freezing, but her hair continued swaying in the breeze. "I'm sending Justice and Titus to Brussels. They'll assist with the attack."

Hotaru braced herself for a fight. It'll be good to see Corey again, but Haruka is not going to like this.

"And keep an eye on us, no doubt," Haruka muttered darkly, confirming her fears.

Michiru nudged her gently. "Of course, Usagi. We'll await their arrival." She cut the connection and finally allowed herself to frown. "What was that, Haruka?"

"It's been six months! How long are we going to be kept at arm's length?" The ill-tempered blonde flung her hands into the air in disgust. "What more do we have to do to prove ourselves?"

"We turned on them," Michiru said, shaking her head sadly.

"For a second time," Hotaru murmured, watching Haruka intently. How she responded next would be a telling sign of her regret…or lack thereof.

Their mild rebukes did give her pause. "I know that, I just…"

Michiru took her hand and squeezed gently. "It will take as long as it takes. Okay?"

Her gentle response came as a surprise to Hotaru. The aqua-haired Senshi rarely spoke of her own part in their betrayal, but to hear such regret in her voice was unexpected. Michiru was focused on the future, always moving forward; she'd been that way as long as Hotaru could remember. It was strange to hear her turn to the past and be the voice of reason Haruka needed, all at once.

"I guess you're right." Her lover didn't sound entirely convinced, despite her agreement. "It's just so frustrating. That smug little bastard and Tinman, sent here to babysit us?"

"Assist." It slipped out before Hotaru could catch it.

"We don't need their assistance. We're more than capable of flattening this little lab without their help."

Michiru's brow furrowed deeply as she turned towards the window. "Don't get cocky, Haruka. We weren't exactly holding back the last time we faced those Paladins and things could have gone far worse for us. Justice will provide a second shield against gunfire, at the very least."

"Fine," Haruka grumbled, folding her arms across her chest, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Justice suppressed an irritated sigh as Titus and Uranus bickered; it was difficult enough without the cat standing on his left pauldron to boot. It feels like I'm getting the dirty look instead of him. Hell, it actually could be me she's pissed at, too. Saturn did sigh as she came out of whatever daydream or memory she'd lost herself in, gripping her Glaive tighter as Neptune cleared her throat.

"If we can focus on the task at hand," she said, with a pointed glare, "we will go in through the main entrance, hopefully drawing their focus away from the lab itself."

Titus nodded firmly. "Agreed. Justice and I will head around back and through the entrance Rinjirou and I used last time." His ears flattened as he shot Uranus a dirty look. "I know you volunteered your services as the distraction but remember the Princess' instructions. She wants the lab destroyed, not the people working in them or the Black Paladins who guard it. Do try to keep collateral damage and injuries low."

Uranus met his glare with one of her own. "We heard you the first time, cat."

"Yes, I recall you listen quite well. To anybody."

Justice cringed beneath his helmet; that was about as thinly-veiled a taunt as he'd ever heard. Titus was referring to their near-corruption at the hands of the Revenant Knight…and they knew it all too well. Even Saturn's expression hardened; she clearly didn't approve of his provocation.

Uranus' voice was as cold as he could remember hearing in a long time. "Come on, Neptune, Saturn. Let's go."

Neptune did an admirable job of keeping her face impassive as she followed her lover off the roof, but there was a stiffness to her movements that hinted at inner pain.

"Too far," Saturn murmured, as she strode past purposefully and dropped to the ground after them.

Yep, Justice decided, she definitely didn't approve. He turned his head, trying to make eye contact; it wasn't easy with Titus perched atop his shoulder as he was. "You're not gonna make a lot of friends that way, buddy."

A derisive little snort was his answer. "I can do without friends like Uranus and Neptune."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he countered. "You three have a lot in common from where I'm standing."

"I'm insulted." Titus swatted his helmet for emphasis. "I'll have you know we're nothing alike."

"Really?" Justice asked, dubious. "All three of you are pretty much 'at all costs' when it comes to the mission."

"Perhaps. But I am always in control of myself, Justice. They're far too rash, too reckless. They fail to properly consider all the variables…and inevitably end up making a mess of things." He hopped from Justice's pauldron to the ground and headed for the edge of the roof. "I already regret bringing them into this, given Uranus' declared desire for payback."

"You must be slipping if you didn't see that coming."

"Indeed."

Justice followed, puzzled by his response. "What's the problem, though? The Order has attacked us multiple times; we should send them a message, convince them to stop."

Titus' ears flattened, coupled with a weary sigh; Justice recognised the signs of disappointment right away. "I thought, now you have your memories of Corval back, you might start remembering what it meant to actually be him."

"This isn't about justice, Titus, this is-"

"Everything is about justice for you," the cat snapped, as they circled around the dimly lit perimeter. "At least it should be." He shook his head as they came upon an old storm drain. "It's really my fault, I suppose. Dawkins and I turned you into a soldier because that's what you needed to be at the time. But now, it's time for you to become something else. Something greater. A true Guardian Knight of Justice." His ears pricked up, his eyes narrowing as his visor appeared. "You can't let petty anger or vengeance colour your judgement. You have to be above such things."

A small patch of concrete slid back to reveal a keypad; Titus continued working and, a moment later, it turned green. The entire storm drain slid apart to reveal a hidden doorway…and a startled man in similar armour to that Rinjirou had worn. The submachine gun in his hands began to rise and Justice launched into action, tackling him to the ground and bringing his armoured fist down on his temple. Twice for good measure.

"Nicely done," Titus murmured, as he stepped inside. "The Order of Black appears to be our enemy, yes…but the most important question to ask is why?"

Justice resisted the temptation to roll his eyes; the cat always knew, even when he was wearing his helmet.

Titus paused briefly to stare at an insignificant spot on the wall, tail twitching sporadically. "This will only take a moment."

"Motion sensor?" Justice didn't even bother to point out the inherent insanity of lecturing him in the midst of an enemy stronghold; it was nothing new, after all. Most of his most important lessons have come while sneaking through some dank hole in the ground.

"Motion sensor." A brief electronic whine accompanied his satisfied nod. "There. We can proceed." He headed forward again and launched back into his speech without even missing a beat. "A simple yes or no answer isn't enough for you anymore, Justice. You should be asking why. You should take a more critical look at the issues. Examine the history, and both sides' motivations; look for the truth that lies somewhere between them."

"Alright, then. Why are the Order of Black our enemy?"

"Simple. They're our enemy because, one thousand years ago, the Moon Kingdom failed. It had but one mandate; watch over Earth and guide its people. We failed. Queen Serenity. Me. Even you, Justice. We all failed. We were too occupied with our own internal woes. When Earth needed us most, we weren't there…and the planet fell to Beryl and Metalia. The Order of Black have ties to the old Golden Kingdom; is it any wonder they remember the Moon Kingdom as a tired, corrupted shell of itself? Is it any wonder they fear the return of the Moon Princess?"

"Queen Serenity's long-lost heir returning," Justice murmured, "to found it anew, here on Earth. If they remember things like Tyford's 'love laws' I guess I can't fault them for thinking what they do."

"So you begin to see the true issue at last. The Sailor Senshi have defended this world from invading conquerors for years, safe in the knowledge they were right. They faced aliens, monsters, artificial life like Daimons and Constructs…even Chaos itself. Now, though, the very people they have fought to protect are the enemy. They're human, and they see you as the invading conquerors."

Justice hadn't seen Titus this animated in quite some time, and it only compounded the fact that he couldn't argue with anything he'd said. Corval wouldn't have suggested such an attack, certainly not in this form. Despite everything he'd said to Usagi about taking the offensive and setting the pace, it was all just a reaction after all. A reaction born out of anger and fear of an enemy they didn't really understand. It was a sobering realisation, one that hit him hard as they continued down the corridor until they reached a second door.

"Are they right?" Titus asked, studying the door carefully. "That doesn't matter. This isn't about right or wrong. It isn't that black and white and our usual approach isn't going to work. What does matter is that they believe they are right…just as you and the Senshi believe you are. If we aren't careful, we are only going to provoke them further. The very same way they provoked you."

"I hear you." Justice didn't feel shame often, but he did now. It spread out slowly from his heart, the cat proving once again he was far from ready to stand on his own. Everything I said to Usagi was said as a soldier, not a leader, and certainly not as the Guardian Knight of Justice. "But what else can we do? It's too dangerous to leave them with Constructs in their control."

"I never said it was going to be easy." Titus sounded abruptly weary, almost exhausted. "Who is right here? Maybe both sides are…or maybe neither. In the end, there is only one truth that matters; we'll do what we must. What is necessary. Even if the Order of Black were right beyond all doubt, you and I serve Princess Serenity; sometimes that means doing thing we don't like. Things we don't want to. Things we know will only make the situations worse. We do these things because it's our duty. This is the world as I've lived it, Justice, for more than a thousand years now."

He chuckled softly. "It's my final lesson. The last little nugget of wisdom I have left to impart. You will make mistakes, but if you strive to always do as your conscience dictates then they'll be few and far between. That's what makes you a better person than I; you haven't learned to ignore your conscience yet…and I hope you never do."

That seemed like an odd thing to say, but the Guardian Knight had too much to think about already to dwell on it long. "Thanks, old friend. I wouldn't have made it this far without your guidance."

"I think you're forgetting a few of my own slip-ups along the way," Titus muttered, "but I'll take the compliment as you intended it." He cleared his throat as the keypad turned green with a quiet beep; he never was all that good with emotional moments. "Come on. Let's get in there and keep our friend Uranus from doing anything too destructive."

Sailor Saturn darted across the small courtyard, following her fellow Senshi in. The lone guard looked like a garden-variety hireling but his body language told her he was far more than that. His eyes snapped up and widened in shock as they approached, his hand dropping to his hip, but Uranus was too fast. He crumpled after one punch to the temple; the Senshi of the Sky wasn't messing around tonight.

Saturn raised her Glaive and thrust it into the glass, clearing out a path; an alarm sounded within as they entered a foyer lined with artificial plants. The guard behind the reception desk was subdued like the first, Neptune's fist doing the honours this time.

"We wanted them focused on us," she said, glancing around warily, "and that alarm should help. Be on your guard for Black Paladins."

"I'm looking forward to it," Uranus muttered, leading the way into a larger room.

That was the plan; the three Outer Senshi would draw the Order's attention towards the main floor while Justice and Titus entered via the hidden entrance in the rear. The level of resistance they now encountered would determine whether they withdrew...or joined the Guardian Knight in the labs. An office was their next stop; odd, considering this was supposed to be an Order facility. There were an array of cubicles, computers, and printers. Even a water cooler.

"Where is everyone?" Saturn asked quietly. "Shouldn't this place be full of Order soldiers?"

"They're quite dedicated to their cover," Neptune agreed, looking somewhat perturbed. "That, or a certain smug cat was mistaken…and this really is an office building."

The elevator dinged behind them and opened to reveal five men in body armour, guns at the ready. Saturn frowned as she studied their appearance; the armour was different, more conventional. Not Paladins, then. Not like the soldiers they'd faced before. At least they had their answer; this was the right place!

"Concentrate fire on the one with the staff!"

"Affirmative!"

Neptune was already moving for cover. "Saturn, get down!"

She raised the Silence Glaive before her and focused her power. "Silence Wall!" The familiar, violet barrier appeared before her as the soldiers opened fire, several bullets ricocheting before her eyes.

"They're not Paladins!" Uranus called, echoing Saturn's own thoughts.

"No, they're not," Neptune agreed. "Go easy on them!"

"Geez, you too?" The ill-tempered blonde learned out of cover and plunged her fist into the floor. "World Shaking!" The roiling amber orb crashed through the floor on its way to the enemy squad, taking their legs out from under them. She rushed them as they stumbled, launching into a flurry of blows that left them reeling. Neptune joined her seconds later, moving with her usual grace as she levelled the stragglers with a few careful strikes of her own.

Saturn swung her Glaive, knocking the last of the men to the ground with a hit from the blunt end.

Uranus glanced around in disbelief as she realised they were alone. "This was too easy."

"It was," Saturn murmured. "I don't think we got as much of their attention as we thought."

"This may come in handy," Neptune said, crouching to take a swipe card from one of the soldiers. "I think we should head downstairs and try to find Justice. He may be about to run into trouble."

The elevator ride was smooth enough, the access card obviously marking them as Order forces. They rode it down as low as they could go, assuming the lab would be as defensible as possible. The doors opened on a bright, white corridor, roughly hexagonal in shape; they had entered the real Sanctuary. Saturn followed her friends as they proceeded into the facility, spotting cameras in the ceiling. There was no expectation that the Order didn't know they were here now.

"Where are the Paladins?" she wondered quietly. "Aren't they concerned by our presence?"

Uranus made a rude noise. "Maybe we caught them napping?"

A large, double door ahead of them slid open and a man in familiar black armour flew through it, crashing to the floor; one of the aforementioned Paladins. Justice stepped in after him, Titus in tow.

"I don't see any blood," Uranus said, peering down at the unconscious man, "so I guess you're taking your own advice this time?"

The knight formed a fist. "Boxing. It pays off."

Titus crept around the prone form before him and peered down the corridor. "How did the three of you fare upstairs?"

"We encountered a squad of soldiers," Neptune replied, as they fell in behind him. "Unpowered, not Black Paladins. We incapacitated them. Gently."

"Relatively," Uranus said quickly.

The cat nodded approvingly. "Excellent. We want to avoid bloodshed wherever possible. The Order of Black is a formidable opponent…and a human one. Nobody wants unnecessary casualties."

Saturn was beginning to understand Titus' perspective. Even Justice seemed predisposed towards a touch of retribution in the beginning…but it wasn't about that at all. "They attacked Sailor Moon, but we don't want another attack."

"Exactly, my dear. They've been relatively innocuous in their methods; Rinjirou has been the primary target so far and we want it to remain that way as long as possible."

He led them around an L-shaped bend and down another featureless corridor. Alcoves were cut into the wall at regular intervals; hand-washing stations. The group passed through another doorway and into a second corridor with one key difference; the left wall was made entirely of glass. Beyond it stood several vertical tanks with familiar black creatures inside.

"Constructs," Neptune said grimly. "This is the lab."

Two men in lab coats stood within, clearly unsettled by the alarms. Another man was with them; he wore a hooded robe and intricate gloves. Saturn recognised him as a 'Cleric' like the other man killed by Constructs at the factory.

"No sense in delaying, then." Justice stepped forward and swung his sword into the glass, shattering one of the panes into a thousand pieces. The robed man span about and hurled a ball of ice towards him, a surprising move they hadn't expected. It dissipated harmlessly against the knight's shield, the Cleric startled as Justice vanished and reappeared right beside him. A quick punch took him out with little fuss.

Saturn couldn't help but cringe; his gauntlets looked quite solid. Was that really as gentle as he could manage?

"We're here for the creatures," Neptune said, gesturing to the tanks. "Leave now and you won't be harmed. You have our word."

The two men in coats exchanged nervous glances…and fled. Titus leapt onto one of their terminals, a purple visor not unlike Mercury's appearing over his eyes.

"That's new," Uranus observed, a sentiment Saturn shared.

"Hardly," the cat muttered, already moving his paws over the keys. "It's quite old, in fact. You've just not had cause to see it yet."

Uranus turned to Neptune, a pained expression on her face. "Can I kick him? Please?"

"Kick my cat and I kick you, Stretch," Justice said bluntly.

Their terse back and forth was nothing new. None of the Outer Senshi had gotten off to a great start with the Guardian Knight but it was Uranus who had really attracted his ire. The two just seemed to enjoy riling each other up. Saturn couldn't remember a time when they weren't arguing about some imagined slight…but it worked for them, she couldn't argue there.

"I've got a little bit of Moon Kingdom code the Order might find interesting," Titus murmured, typing away contentedly. "You may as well take care of the Constructs while you wait."

"That's easy." Uranus stepped forward and slammed her fist into the floor again. "World Shaking!" It obliterated one of the tanks and the featureless creature inside.

Justice drew his sword again and span, swinging it in a backhanded arc; the point drew a crescent of golden light in the air, finally unleashed as Justiciar reached the apex of its swing. The blast tore into the glass of another tank and sliced through the Construct inside, its body crumbling to dust. A grey sludge began flowing onto the floor as its remains mingled with the water, pooling around the limp body of the Cleric; he didn't stir, well and truly unconscious after Justice's earlier punch.

"Deep Submerge!"

"Death Reborn Revolution!" Saturn joined Neptune with her own attack, satisfied as her own target fell apart. These creatures are part of the Revenant Knight, she thought solemnly. Nobody should be trying to bring that monster back in any form.

Neptune nodded contentedly. "That takes care of the Constructs. What about the data, Titus?"

"Done," the cat said, glancing up from the screen. "The program I've uploaded will scour the Order's database for any reference to the Construct project and-"

Saturn saw it before the others; a cylindrical metal object that bounced through the shattered glass and skittered along the floor towards them. "Look out!"

"Flashbang!" Justice yelled. "Shut your-"

A deafening boom drowned out the rest of his warning, accompanied by a blinding flash. Saturn was caught full-force by the blast, flailing wildly as her two most vital senses were cut off. Someone else collided with her a moment later, knocking her to the floor. She scrambled in a mad panic, searching for anything familiar but finding only the floor beneath her and a thick, pasty sludge; the Constructs' remains.

The Senshi of Silence blinked rapidly, trying to clear her splotchy vision. A piercing ringing echoed in her ears, an odd, sporadic roar beneath it as her hearing returned; she finally recognised it as gunfire. A glance over her shoulder revealed the depth of their dilemma; a squad of Black Paladins. The masks and armour were unmistakable, same as the group they'd encountered only a few nights earlier.

Justice stood over her, both hands raised before him to channel power into his shield. The sparkling disc was all that stood between them and certain death, bullets bouncing off it to hit the walls and floor around them.

"Concentrate your fire on the Guardian Knight!" one of the soldiers cried.

"It's no use! Our bullets aren't getting through!"

The gunfire continued but - like the police six months earlier – it seemed to do little against Justice's shield. It began to die out as the Paladins apparently realised the same thing; their guns were swung around their backs as they drew bladed weapons instead.

"Not good," Justice grunted. "Bullets are easy. Big, solid objects like bodies? Not so much."

Saturn staggered to her feet, still feeling the grenade's effects. One of the Paladins lunged forward, bringing their sword down on the unarmed knight; she bounced off his shield and landed awkwardly on her rear, eyes wide in surprise.

"The shield is solid!" she called. "Begin suppression!"

Neptune nudged Saturn. "We need to move! Are you injured?"

She managed to shake her head despite the nausea it caused. "We're trapped!"

Uranus grit her teeth and turned to the nearby wall. "No, we're not. World Shaking!" She hurled her destructive attack forward, tearing a ragged hole in the metal and revealing another room. "Go!"

An especially tall Paladins stepped forward, his face hidden behind a full-face mask. "Chaser Bolt!" A small, metallic dart shimmered into being and launched itself forward to lodge partway through the Guardian Knight's shield.

"That's new," Titus observed, the fur on his back bristling in response. "Move, everyone!"

Saturn followed Uranus and Neptune through the hole and into the next room. Another of Uranus' attacks demolished the door…revealing another Paladin beyond. He roared a battle cry and lunged for the short-haired blonde. She managed to draw her own blade and awkwardly parry his strike. It was a worrying sight for Saturn; Uranus was the strongest of their group and even she was having a hard time dealing with their opponents.

Justice charged by her, his shield shrinking into a small, focused point. He used it as a battering ram, crashing into the Paladin at speed and driving the masked soldier back through the doorway into the far wall. Before the other Paladins could react he'd already expanded it again, covering their escape.

Uranus rushed into the corridor after him. "Nice one, Tinman!" She waved back to them, her expression solemn. "Come on, let's go!"

Titus dashed by, a shadowy blur as he sprinted for their exit, the rear entrance. There was a serious problem, however, that became evident as Saturn followed him; it was closed again. The visor reappeared over his eyes as he studied the keypad intently.

Neptune and Uranus joined them as the gunfire opened up again; a muted explosion startled them, and they looked up to see a large crack in the centre of Justice's shield.

"One of them has a grenade launcher!" he called, an unfamiliar hint of panic underscoring his words. "Get that door open, Titus!"

The Paladins began advancing again, the two on point raking bullets across the translucent disc while the others brandished their swords. The woman in the centre – the one who'd bounced off his shield earlier – raised her finger in a manner eerily reminiscent of a certain blonde Sailor Senshi.

"Midnight Piercer!"

A vibrant purple beam ripped from her glove and struck the shield, punching through with ease and hitting the knight in the pauldron, cutting a deep gouge in the metal.

"Shit!" he swore, raising his hands higher. "These guys aren't kidding around!"

The Paladin followed with another blast that hit the door beside Saturn's head. Uranus glared down at Titus, uncharacteristically panicked. "What the hell are you doing? Just get it open already!"

"I'm trying!" Titus snapped, tail switching wildly. His head cocked to the side and back again, deep in thought, before he muttered a curse of his own. "Selene's Breath, it's no use! They've triggered a complete lockdown of the system. We're sealed in!"

Another explosion sounded as one of the Paladins launched another grenade into Justice's shield. He staggered with the blast and Saturn rushed forward to hold him up.

"I can't hold them off much longer! Someone get that friggen' door open!"

Uranus thrust her fist into the door. "World Shaking!" There was a dim flash and the metal bulged outwards…but it remained in one piece.

"Midnight Piercer!" A third blast from the central Paladin cut through Justice's shield and sliced into Saturn's hip. She cried out in unexpected pain and dropped to one knee; her skin burned around the wound, a long cut right through her fuku. The elevator doors opened to reveal another group of soldiers; Justice was forced to split his shield in two as they opened fire with their rifles.

"Is that stupid thing good for anything?" Uranus demanded, rushing forward to help Saturn up. "It's not stopping them!"

"Their powers are nullifying its effects," he snapped. "Where are we with that door?!"

"Screw the door! I'm through playing around with these guys!" She formed another amber orb over her palm and hurled it down the corridor. "World Shaking!" It crashed into the ceiling and exploded, bringing down a mess of concrete, rebar and support beams on the approaching Paladins.

"Goddammit, Uranus!" Justice was livid. "You didn't need to do that!"

Saturn stared at the scene of destruction before her. One of the Paladins didn't look right, his head dented and thinner than it should be, blood pooling slowly beneath him.

"Like hell I didn't!" Uranus wasn't backing down this time. "What, you want us to just hold back and get ourselves killed? Pull your head out of your ass, Justice. I did what I could to avoid casualties, but it's down to us and them and I chose us!"

Neptune chose that moment to intercede. "We can argue about this later, once we're out of here!"

"Neptune is right," Titus agreed, his tone icy all the same. "Hit the door again, Uranus, I think-"

It opened before he could finish, seemingly of its own accord. Saturn hefted her Glaive and headed towards it, following Uranus. As the blonde Senshi stepped through, she saw it; an odd, shimmering mass hovering just on the other side, almost like a person…

"On your left!" she cried, rushing forward with her Glaive raised. I won't be fast enough!

Uranus reacted to her warning with impressive speed…but not quick enough. The invisible mass was replaced by a tall man in a hooded robe and odd, pointed mask. Light gleamed off the knife in his hand as he sank it into her side, narrowly missing her chest after her dodge. Blood began bubbling up around the blade as it dug deeper into her flesh, his momentum driving it further and further in.

As Saturn closed in, her Glaive snapped up instinctively…and before she knew what had happened it was buried in the assassin's chest. He coughed - a weak, wet splutter accompanied by a dribble of blood from beneath his mask – and toppled backwards, her Glaive pulling free with a wet squelch. It was as if time slowed to a crawl; Uranus staggered away, the knife still in her side as her attacker hit the floor and lay still.

Saturn let the weapon fall from her hands, completely aghast. "I…I didn't mean to. I just wanted Uranus safe…" She fell to her knees beside him and placed her hands on his chest, willing her healing powers into action. I have to save him. I have to!

"Saturn!"

Neptune was a blur of motion, kicking at his arm. The Senshi of Silence looked over her shoulder and saw a second knife fall from his hand; he was trying to stab her even as she healed him!

"Move, dammit!"

Justice's stern order snapped her back to reality. The Paladins were closing in again, scrambling over the debris Uranus' attack had dropped in their path. More of their attacks hit his shield, cracking and splintering it further.

"Get out of here!" He backed up and grabbed Uranus with his free hand, pulling her along with him. "We'll meet you at the rendezvous point!"

Saturn was unable to move, her eyes locked on the masked man at her feet. His chest no longer rose or fell; he was dead. "I killed him…"

Neptune pulled her to her feet forcibly, dragging her down the corridor. "There's nothing you can do about it now. We have to leave!"

The last thing Saturn saw as she was pulled up the stairs was a flash of light accompanied by yet another explosion; there was no sign of Justice or Uranus. Titus darted past in a blur.

"Come on, you two! We need to get out of here!"

Neptune dragged her out against her will, Saturn barely able to snatch up the Silence Glaive as they went. It hung limply in her hand as they exited into the cool night air, no Paladins waiting outside for them. She felt cold, her senses dulled as Neptune ended all pretence and simply picked her up. They flew through the air as the older woman jumped for the nearest rooftop, one terrible thought taking hold as they left the Sanctuary behind, echoing in her mind over and over.

I'm a killer...

AN: Well, this marks the two longest gaps between chapters since my first post on almost a year ago! Still, it's finally done and I hope you enjoyed it. It took a long time for me to figure out if Corey/Justice even have any development left but as the scene with him and Titus played out it became obvious; he needs to start thinking about himself as THE Guardian Knight of Justice and not just another member of the team. He's not a Sailor Senshi, he has a higher purpose, and it's time he started thinking like it.

The other major component of the chapter was obviously a focus on the Outer Senshi. I didn't intend to leave Hotaru and co. out of the story for so long but there was just so much setup required for Rinjirou and the main plot that I got away from them a little. They came roaring back into focus this time out though, and I tried to balance them with the Black Paladins. Hopefully I communicated that their apparent weakness stemmed from not wanting to unleash their full power rather than being simply outmatched, even if the Paladins DID throw a few surprises their way. The end - Hotaru's accidental slaying of a Hunter - wasn't my original plan but it seemed like a great opportunity for some development for her, as well as a reaffirmation of her relationship with Haruka and Michiru. They may have had their difficulties, and she still might not trust them fully but when Uranus' life was on the line she reacted.

The good news after such a long wait is I've been refining my outline around writing sessions and I have a big chunk of the next chapter planned already. I won't promise a week since that seems to be out the window after barely managing three chapters in a MONTH...but I'll try not to make it two :-D Thanks as always for your feedback and continued readership, it means a lot to me. Back with more soon!

Lisseas