Chapter 2
The sight of the Crystal Palace's transport room was always a welcome visual to Carnage and his team when they returned home from their latest mission. Inside the chamber, the quiet atmosphere let them all know that they were once again safe. That reassuring feeling filled each member with an inner sense of calmness every single time.
The room itself had a high cathedral ceiling and was located in the basement of the Crystal Palace. Each of the walls of the chamber were barren and devoid of any type of decoration which gave them a somewhat cold and sterile appearance. Visibly, the exterior walls were not smooth like the walls one would come to expect from a standard castle or even the interiors of the majority of the residential houses that had existed in the 21st century. Instead, the walls were jagged and rough and gave the room the appearance of an underground mountain tunnel or cave. Even though the room was not furnished with any sort of furniture pieces that would seem befitting for a part of the center piece of the Crystal Kingdom it still caused a surge of relaxation to flow through each of the young military men as they realized that they were safely back home.
The transporter device itself was located in a large room adjacent to where the Crystal supercomputer was situated. It was a true marvel of the advanced technological achievements of the third era of humanity. It consisted of a large circular platform with an identical circular roof suspended directly above it. Two large computer banks spawned out of opposite sides of the lower platform with thick power cables connecting them to both the ground and top components. Each of the computer terminals had a large screen in its center with several smaller monitors surrounding it. Each of these screens were consistently flashing with updated information every few seconds as the machine ran constant system checks and monitored the vital signs of all of its passengers. All around the machine lights of various colours flashed and blinked as huge amounts of electrical power flowed through it to keep it fully operational and ready for use at a moment's notice. For Carnage and his soldiers the look and design of the transporter brought back various memories of the numerous Star Trek and assorted science fiction series that had run on several of the television channels back when each of them had been young boys.
The transporter machine had been designed and built by Sailor Mercury who had been formerly known as Ami Mizuno. She was also the one who built the Crystal Palace's supercomputer and various defence systems. In the time period prior to the Great Sleep it had been always speculated that she had an intelligence quotient of three hundred which was the highest score a human being could achieve on the standardized testing that had existed during the last years of the second age of humanity. When the Silver Moon Crystal encased the world's population in the protective crystalline shells seconds before the global nuclear disaster the crystal's magical energy caused a strange effect to occur in Sailor Mercury over her long duration in suspended animation. During the nine hundred years that she had been asleep the Silver Moon Crystal's power had apparently opened up her brain`s cognitive functions to their fullest potential. This had caused an increase her overall intelligence to immeasurable levels. She was now quite literally the smartest person on the planet, like the literary superheroes Tony Stark or Reed Richards of old.
In her downtime between creating new inventions and designing upgrades to any existing ones that would continue the prosperity of the Kingdom Sailor Mercury had managed to finally successfully pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a medical doctor just like her mother. Upon her completion of her medical schooling Neo-Queen Serenity appointed her to the position of chief surgeon and physician at the Crystal Tokyo Hospital.
With the lack of automobiles and criminal behaviour in the kingdom's territory her patients were mostly people with allergies, viral/bacterial infections or the many diseases and ailments that the human race still continued to struggle against even after nine centuries. It was a small but still welcomed change to the challenges her mother had faced on a daily basis when she had been a doctor at the Aiiku Hospital so long ago.
As the transporter machine's loud mechanical hum slowly began to fade which was the signal that it had finished its procedural cycle and was now in the process of almost completely powering down and going into its 'standby mode'. Upon hearing the whine slowly disappear Carnage and his team slowly opened their eyes and took in the calming image of the interior of the room. It was a safety precaution that during any use of the machine its passengers or operators had to wear eye protection or keep their eyes firmly closed to shield them from the blinding and bright flashes of light that resulted from the machine's usage. As their eyes opened and took in the scene before them they were drawn to the small group of people who were standing in the center of the room and were currently looking at them.
As soon as it was deemed safe to approach the machine a small portion of the welcoming group sprang into action. Among the members of the advancing party were Sailor Mercury and her medical team. They rushed forward and took Sgt. Apone from Hicks and Dorrin who were currently holding him up by his arms that were draped over their necks. They placed him onto the stretcher that they had brought with them and began to secure him in its straps. Sailor Mercury lifted Apone's left wrist and gently rotated it so it was facing palm up. She placed her index and middle fingers on the outside of the wrist as she searched for the radial artery. She quickly found it and felt his pulse through the material of her white glove. After a few seconds she put his hand down and took a small penlight from her medical kit and shined it into Apone's eyes. She watched how his pupils responded to the bright light's glare and moved the light around slightly to see how it reacted. After a few more seconds she switched off the light and lifted her head to look at the members of her medical team.
"Get him secured on the gurney stat! His vitals are starting to slip. Alert the O.R. that we are on route."
As soon as her medical staff had finished securing him into the gurney's safety straps they all turned in unison and hurried out of the chamber. Echoes of the sounds of their retreating footsteps quickly disappeared down the quiet stone hallway outside the room and once again allowed the quiet atmosphere of the transporter room to return.
After Sailor Mercury and her team's dramatic departure the other members of the welcoming party stepped forward and the sight of them filled each of the remaining members with a sense of pride and joy. Sailor Venus lead the approaching group as she walked up and gave her best friend and team mate Sailor Mars a friendly hug.
"Good job out there Mars!"
"Thanks Venus! Another batch of lethal weapons and drugs successfully destroyed!"
They both stepped off the platform and moved to the side to allow the other two members of the welcoming party to move forward. Sailor Jupiter eagerly hopped up on the podium and threw her arms around Carnage as she gave him a big hug. He was still wearing his "monster" face which he always did when he was outside the Kingdom's realm. As she pulled her head back so that she was facing him the symbiotic skin retreated. It opened up at the point where the tip of his nose would have been and first moved back before going down and coming to a stop at the base of his neck. Sean's dark blue eyes brightly flashed as they settled on his beautiful wife and his arms squeezed tightly around her as he held her right up against him.
"I am glad you are home babe!"
"I am too. I missed you!"
It was then that the last person present in the room interjected herself and broke the tender moment with a feminine and subtle clearing of her throat. Everyone present all turned their heads around and looked towards the owner of the sudden sound. Neo-Queen Serenity in response smiled as she saw that all eyes were now on her. Sean let go of Sailor Jupiter and took a side to the side. He and his team then all dropped down in unison to one knee and lowered their heads. It was their way of showing their respect and honouring the presence of their queen.
"Rise my friends… I should be bowing before you."
She took a few more steps forward to put herself closer to the brave group of people kneeling before her. Sean and his soldiers slowly stood up as she approached them. They all stepped off the platform with the military men falling into a single line with Sean and Sailor Jupiter standing together in front of them. Each of the young commandos kept their faces blank while Sean gave their queen a small smile. Sailor Jupiter smiled as well as she stood beside him and held his hand in a loving embrace.
"Good work on completing your mission Sean. All of the supplies your team recovered will greatly help the people of our kingdom. The criminals you apprehended are currently being held in the holding cells until I can cleanse them with the Silver Moon Crystal."
"Thank you my Queen!"
Sean and the rest of his team all bowed the heads together to show their appreciation at her gracious compliment and recognition for what they had accomplished. Neo-Queen Serenity nodded her head when they looked back up at her to let them each know that she was grateful for the respect they were giving her. In response, the warm look from their queen made the soldiers stand at ease except for Sean who noticeably straightened up. This was a sign that he was about to speak.
"Your highness… is there any more missions that you would like myself or my team to complete for you at this time?"
"Not at the moment Sean. Right now, the Crystal computer is monitoring some activity in the eastern part of the former continent of Africa. However at the moment we do not yet have enough information to proceed. That being said be ready to move once we do."
"I understand my queen. With your permission I would like to spend some time with my wife before we are needed again."
Neo-Queen Serenity's smile grew a little and a short giggle escaped her lips. In the time since she had crowned herself queen of Crystal Tokyo she had matured by leaps and bounds into a real leader. She had certainly come a long way from the young, clumsy crybaby that she had been when she first became Sailor Moon many years ago.
In the wake of the near total destruction of the Earth's civilization and the subsequent hibernation and resurrection of its people after nine centuries, the woman formerly known as Usagi Tuskino had been forced to grow up. When she and her friends had been released from the crystal shells, they had travelled and encountered dozens of bands of people of various sizes doing the same. The many legends of the Sailor Soldiers still remained in many of the people's minds and, not surprisingly, they looked to them and her for guidance in this scary, unfamiliar world.
Seeing the terrified and confused looks of the growing number of people seeking her protection, she came to realize that she had to put away her childish ways and become the adult and more importantly, the leader that she knew she was destined to be.
Once the city of Crystal Tokyo was officially established and expanding, former world leaders and people that once carried positions of authority began to seek audiences with her and Mamoru to discuss the sharing of resources and other matters of commerce. In preparation for these meetings and summits, Sailors Neptune, Uranus and Pluto had been giving her intense lessons in proper etiquette and demeanour. It had been hard at first but she forced herself to endure them and learn as she knew that hundreds and soon, thousands of people depended on her to lead them into an era of peace.
She carried herself now with a presence that commanded attention whenever she entered a room and whenever she spoke her words carried a tone of confidence and authority that made them heard by everyone that was in earshot. However every so often, a little bit of her former self would break through and she would show a brief glimpse of the old Usagi, like in this instance. She finished her small chuckle and straightened her shoulders to regain her regal composure and her maturity once again.
"Of course…"
She stepped aside and gestured with her right hand to indicate to them that they were dismissed. Sailor Jupiter and Sean nodded their heads again in a sign of thanks as they slowly walked passed their queen. Neo-Queen Serenity turned her body completely around once they were passed her and watched them as they left the chamber and disappeared from view down the hallway. They continued to hold hands never letting go.
As she watched the loving couple depart behind her, the remaining members of Sean's team continued to stand shoulder to shoulder. Hicks tilted his head forward slightly and looked down the line towards Winters. He bobbed his head somewhat as he attempted to get his team mate's attention without making any big movements. When Winters still did not show any signs that he had noticed his attempts he began to cough.
That did the trick as Hicks saw Winters' eyes flash over in his direction. Using the opportunity he tilted his head in the direction of where Neo-Queen Serenity was standing and mouthed for him to say something. Winters responded with a look of surprise and confusion as he quickly realized what he was being asked to do. Without making a sound he mouthed his response back to Hicks.
'What? No… you do it!'
'Just do it!'
Hicks silently responded back and his face got noticeably tighter as he was getting frustrated with Winters' hesitation. In their now debunked military ranks Hicks who had been a corporal would never attempt to order around or show any anger towards someone like Winters who had earned the rank of major.
As the tense and silent standoff continued to occur behind her Neo-Queen Serenity caught the attention of Sailor Mars and Venus who were standing off to the side. She silently asked them to leave her alone with the soldiers. Both ladies briefly glanced over at the line of military officers before nodding their heads. They quickly left the chamber in a casual manner as to not draw the attention of the soldiers behind their queen. When they were out of sight Neo-Queen Serenity broke the silence of the room with a sudden and unexpected question.
"Is there something that you want to tell me?"
Hicks and Winters snapped back to attention as did their other team mates at the sudden sound of their queen's voice. Each of them stared forward as they watched Neo-Queen Serenity turn back around and lock her beautiful baby blue eyes on each of them. Her face that had been wearing a small smile only a minute before was now a thin line as she felt the internal tension that each of the soldiers was radiating out in spades. She could tell from their body language that something had happened on the mission that had both worried and concerned them. She took a few steps towards them so that she was closer to them. It was meant to show them that she was serious about wanting to know what they were clearly very hesitant to tell her.
The former Army Rangers continued to stare forward and did not make direct eye contact with her as they chose instead to look passed her at the door or the wall behind her. Neo-Queen Serenity had seen enough movies in her former life as Usagi Tsukino to recognize shifty behaviour in an individual. She had also developed an intense sense of loyalty towards her best friends and the ability to see it in other people. Her current observations of the men standing before her were clearly showing a deep conflict in them between their sense of duty to the kingdom and their loyalty to someone. It was become instantly obvious to her who the only person that could cause such a conflict in them could be.
Her lips pursed and tightened into a thin line once again as the brightness in her blue eyes noticeably faded. She looked down the line of soldiers and slowly walked in front of them. She stopped to stare at each of them directly for a few seconds before moving onto the next person in the row. Holding her hands down in front of her she took a few more steps and came to a stop about two feet in front of Staff Sergeant Dorrin. She saw his eyes break from their fixed stare passed her as they flicked back so that they made brief contact with hers. He maintained his rigid posture and blank expression despite the intense prodding and scrutinizing coming from his queen.
"Staff Sergeant Dorrin… please tell me what happened!"
Dorrin's eyes flicked back again to look at her but he remained silent. His demeanour visibly softened and his shoulders relaxed slightly. The other soldiers did not break their stance or show any signs that they were fazed or bothered by Neo-Queen Serenity's order. The only physical thing some of them did was tightened their jaws as they each prepared for what was going to happen next. They all had complete faith in their queen but none of them could betray the honour and unspoken rule against speaking out against a superior officer to her, even in this new era.
The sounds of a struggle in the hallway outside the chamber drew the attention of both Neo Queen Serenity and the soldiers. The Queen turned around to see what was happening, breaking the tense stare down with Dorrin. A few seconds later, a pair of royal guards came into view escorting one of the criminals Carnage and his team had just captured. He was clearly trying to break free of their grips so he could escape the palace but the guards' hold on him remained firm. He noticed the soldiers and the Queen as he passed by the open entrance to the transporter room and increased the intensity of his physical resistance.
"Hey queenie! What kind of ruler employs a red skinned freak? That monster almost killed me!" he shouted at Neo Queen Serenity.
"Be silent and keep moving. No one speaks to the Queen like that." One of the guards sternly said, emphasizing the point by giving the man a rough shake.
"If she is allowing her soldiers to kill unarmed people then she doesn't deserve any respect or has she forgotten a little something called the Geneva Convention!" The man spat back.
"Stop!" Neo Queen Serenity shouted, stopping everyone in their tracks.
She walked up to the guards and criminal, maintaining a distance that kept her safely away from any physical strikes should he break free but still close enough to hopefully intimidate him enough with her presence and authority.
"You will tell me everything that happened during your capture or you may find your time in the prisoner cells unexpectedly extended."
The man was no stranger to jails, having spent more than half his life before being frozen inside them. This young slip of woman playing queen didn't scare him in the slightest but if she was giving him a chance to reduce his incarceration time but a few weeks or months, he would gladly take it. He locked eyes with her and took a breath as he mentally prepared his story for her.
Outside the palace Sean and Sailor Jupiter had just left the gleaming crystalline tower and were now casually strolling through the streets of Crystal Tokyo. Holding onto each other's hand they looked like the classic image of a young married couple. Sailor Jupiter was dressed in her eternal sailor uniform while Carnage was in his crimson coloured symbiotic suit. His face and head were uncovered as the living alien skin continued to rest at the base of his neck.
There was no need to hide their identities to the general public of their kingdom as everyone loved and appreciated the protection the sailors and Carnage provided them. It was not uncommon for a citizen to stop any one of them and shake their hand or even give them a hug as a show of their appreciation. As they passed through the crowds of pedestrians who lined the streets and stopping occasionally to go into some of the various stores that made up one of main the shopping districts of Crystal Tokyo, they were constantly greeted with pleasant greetings of 'hellos' and 'good days'. Many of the citizens of Crystal Tokyo were used to the sight of their guardians the Sailor Soldiers and Carnage walking among them. They were well aware of the roles they played in the peace and prosperity of the kingdom and the mere sight of them mingling with them gave the feeling of safety in each and every one of them.
Every so often as they walked through the busy streets of their city the young couple would turn their heads to look at each other and give the other a smile that was filled with love and warmth and reaffirmed their devotion to each other.
"Good morning Mr. Carnage! Hello Miss Jupiter!"
"Hello there Mr. Honda! Do you have any fresh apples today?"
"Of course, Mr. Carnage. Do you still prefer the green ones?"
"You know me too well kind sir!"
The friendly shopkeeper playfully tossed an apple towards the red suited young man who caught the round piece of fruit in mid-air with his left clawed hand. They both said their 'thanks' and continued on with their stroll down one of the main streets. As Sailor Jupiter and Sean continued on with their walk both of them quietly reflected on what their lives and the lives of their friends had become over these last four years.
Since their reawakening all of them had been hard at work establishing and building the kingdom that was to become the prophesied new Earth Kingdom with Crystal Tokyo as its capital city. During the nine centuries since the nuclear holocaust and the subsequent hibernation of the planet's population as the Earth healed itself, time had effectively erased everything that had been established in the 21st century. Fundamental institutions such as the economic market, the criminal justice system, government infrastructure, and communication systems were all gone. So far, the only remains of their previous world were the various crumbling structures like the warehouse Carnage and his team had just been in and the rusted metal shells of the skyscrapers that had once marked the major cities like old Tokyo.
With the almost complete destruction of the society they had once known the sailors and Carnage had decided to abandon their civilian identities and truly become the warriors they really were. Only on rare occasions did they refer to each other by their former names and that was usually only meant to either emphasize an emotional point or grab the person's immediate attention if it was deemed necessary.
The kingdom's overall size had exploded since its initial inception four years ago. At the very beginning it had just been the Sailor team and the hundred or so people that they had come across as they had wandered the landscape following their release from the crystal cocoons. Over the past four years the kingdom's population had grown from a few hundred to well over thirty eight million citizens. Across the land, the rapid rumours of a safe and peaceful haven had spread by word of mouth from the numerous people that passed through the kingdom on their nomadic travels since there were no telephones or internet anymore. The prospect of a secure place to go and live was simply something that many people could not let pass by especially in their current states of confusion and hopelessness at being in a world that they did not recognize. It gave many of them a feeling of encouragement that they could get a piece of their former lives back after they had survived the nightmare that had been their final image for many of them right before being placed into suspended animation.
Every day since the kingdom's creation more and more people continued to arrive in Crystal Tokyo. This had kept Neo-Queen Serenity very busy with the purifications of the new civilians and the secondary task of assigning them jobs based on their acquired skills and knowledge so that the kingdom could continue to grow and meet the demands its population required. Often times this had proven to be somewhat problematic when people who had been in professions such as law or policing arrived. Since there was no absolutely no crime in Crystal Tokyo there was no need for these types of jobs. However as a preventative measure, the only forms of enforcement in the kingdom were the Sailor team and the royal guards. In cases where there was no open spots in the royal guard the affected parties had to find other jobs or be willing to learn a profession such as farming carpentry or civil engineering that was more important to Crystal Tokyo's needs.
When Neo-Queen Serenity had founded the kingdom one of her first royal decrees was the creation and implementation of one single social class. Through her wisdom and knowledge of history provided to her by her advisors, the concepts of money and wealth were two of the things that she had declared were behind the chaotic state the world had fallen into before the "Great Sleep'. She did not want to repeat the mistakes of the past and allow the feelings of jealousy, resentment or greed to reappear in her kingdom and the human race again now when they had all been given a second chance at life.
To that very end she and her chief advisors developed and refined the long since forgotten idea of a 'barter and trade' system. People would exchange goods and services instead of money. As an extension to that every citizen of Crystal Tokyo would be given a house or dwelling that was suitable for their specific needs. A single person would receive a dwelling that was the approximate size of a standard bachelor apartment while a family would be given a house that was equivalent to a typical bungalow-type of house and contain a bedroom for each member. No one was allowed to build or buy anything bigger without the approval of Neo-Queen Serenity and/or King Endyimon and that would only occur if the person's situation changed such as adding another child to their existing family or getting married or having their first child.
Thus far the systems Neo-Queen Serenity had put into place seemed to working flawlessly. Within the span of a few years, the kingdom had now expanded to a size that surpassed the previous land area of their former home the original city of Tokyo. There had been no incidents of any violent crime, theft or public disturbances in its recent history and there were no signs or indications of any growing public unrest or disapproval about the current state of the kingdom and its policies from any of its citizens.
"Look babe! The Crystal Hilfinger has gotten its new spring line-up. Let's go in and check it out!"
"Sounds like fun green eyes!"
Sailor Jupiter's face lit up and a huge smile stretched across her face. Her radiant expression filled Sean with a sense of warmth as it always did each and every time he saw it. Even though she was now twenty years old her beauty had only magnified with her age. When he had first seen her when she was only fourteen he had thought she was the pinnacle of beauty. However seeing her now he was grateful to have been proven wrong.
She jumped in front of him and grabbed his arm at the wrist. Her great physical strength still impressed him even after so many years of fighting by her side. It was not because she was a female but her inner power as a confident and compassionate person that he firmly believed was the true source of her strength. Even though his thick symbiotic skin he could feel the tightness of her grip as her excitement fully enveloped her. A second later she began to back up and pull him with her. He smiled as he playfully resisted her at first before giving in to her child-like enthusiasm and let her lead him into the clothing store.
Unbeknownst to the happy young couple a shadowy figure watched them from the edge of an alley a short distance away. The person was dressed in a pair of black pants and a long dark jacket with a hood. His hooded coat was clearly several sizes too big for the body frame of the person wearing it. This caused the hood to drape over and passed the person's face obscuring most of it from view. The length of the coat ran almost to the ground which allowed for only a small glimpse of the black boots that completed the outfit. From a distance the person's attire looked like some sort of one piece robe which gave them the appearance of a druid or a member of a secret religious cult.
"He is the one. He will be the instrument I will use to bring this sickening kingdom to its knees!"
The mysterious figure continued to stand in the mouth of the alley as the citizens of Crystal Tokyo continued to pass by as they went about on their daily business or activities. Surprisingly not one of them seemed to notice the ominous-looking person standing in the mouth of the alley. It was almost as if he was invisible or something. For several minutes, the dark dressed person continued to watch the front of the store where its target and the beautiful young woman he was with had ventured into..
"Yes… he will be perfect!"
Beneath the dark material that made up the hood of the coat the seemingly evil figure smiled. In the limited light that ventured into the alley, the impossibly white teeth of his mouth caught a few of the rays from the morning sunlight and gleamed brightly. This created a strange and unusual visual image amid the dominating darkness that filled the alley behind him. A second later the figure slowly stepped backwards and moved deeper into the alley where he effectively melted into the darkness of the deep shadows. A few seconds after that the alley was once again empty and any indication of anyone having just been in there had seemingly disappeared without a trace.
End of Chapter 2…