Chapter 7 – Party Crashers!
If there was ever a more appropriate use of descriptive words, then the expression 'Another day in paradise' certainly applied to today. The bright golden sun shone high in the sky, warming the world like a mother's loving embrace. Although there were clouds present, they were soft and fluffy with absolutely no threat of rain or blockage of the sun. On the ground below, a gentle breeze blew across the rolling landscape as the white natural puffballs moved silently overhead, , making the long blades of grass rustle in the early morning, and the various wild flowers that dotted the gardens around the Crystal Palace dance gracefully in the light wind. When the sun's light reflected off their colourful heads, it turned each of them into a small jewel, as some of them even bent their tops towards it so that they could soak up more of its radiance.
The towering structure that was the Crystal Palace had been dressed up for the celebration that was to take place in a short while. The front stone steps leading up to the massive twin doors of the entrance were each lined with a large pot of bright green plants that also contained a variety of natural jeweled flowers peeking out from the luscious foliage. A very long red carpet ran down the middle of the steps and continued down onto the central pathway that separated the extra-large seating area that was to be utilized during the opening of the ceremony. Over the main entrance to the Crystal Palace was a large purple banner reading, 'Happy 350th Anniversary' in large yellow font. The sign leant an air of professionalism and prestige to the event while also giving it a hint of flair. The letters had been painstakingly professionally hand painted by a talented artist.
The end chair of each row that lined the central pathway was adorned with a bundle of diamond white roses that had crystal drops of dew on each delicate petal. Off to the right of the stone steps, a platform had been built and designated as the place for the symphony orchestra to play during the opening and closing of the ceremony as well as a few small instants during it. It was raised up off the ground on several steel supports so that their music could carry better over the open air and be heard and enjoyed by the guests sitting near the back of the sitting areas. It had silver and grey drapery woven between the pillars, with the loose ends of the fabric swaying in the gentle breeze. A few members of the band were already present at this time of day as they set up their instruments and put their sheet music in the correct order for the event.
Sailors Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune stood near the back of the formal sitting area, watching the band members and the other workers as they continued to set up the last minute details. From their position at the top of the central pathway, they could see almost the entire layout of the event. Sailor Jupiter panned her green eyes across her field of vision, silently taking note of each guard that she could see. She had earlier placed a number of Royal Guards in various positions around the Crystal Palace and event area to ensure the security and the safety of the guests that attended the event. She'd even taken on the majority of recruits that were still in training so that she would have enough personnel at her disposal in case more people than they were expecting showed up. As far as she was concerned, there was no serious need for concern, but one could never be too careful. That was her personal philosophy, it was always better to have too much than not enough.
Sailors Uranus and Neptune meanwhile were busy helping the palace servants and the mass quantities of volunteers make sure that everything ran smoothly as they completed the final preparations. For a big event like this, there were always a hundred little 'fires' or crises that always seemed to pop up right before the event was to go on. When the last of the servants scurried away to complete their assigned task, Sailor Neptune wiped her forehead with the back of her long white gloved forearm, brushing some of her long aquamarine hair off her forehead.
"Whew, I think everything is finally ready. How long do we have until the citizens start to arrive?" Sailor Neptune turned to face her two companions as she asked her question. Sailor Uranus smiled over at her as she saw her lover puff herself up with pride that they'd handled everything. Facing the other two Sailor Soldiers straight on, the happy grin on her face spread easily.
"I hope so. This has been all so taxing on everyone. I can't wait to get back to my regular life after this is over. Not that I mind helping out, but with hard work there has to come some relaxation" Sailor Uranus said as she crossed her arms loosely over her chest.
"Yeah, and if the relaxation just so happens to be longer than the time it took to prepare the event in question, then so be it," winked Sailor Jupiter. The trio of ladies laughed out loud. Once they had regained their composure, the silence between them stretched out for a few minutes before Sailor Neptune spoke again.
"Well, ladies, I don't know about you, but I'm going to head home and start getting myself ready." She took a few steps away from her friends and looked back over her shoulder. "Care to help me out?" It was plain to see from the wicked seductive fires burning in her deep blue eyes that she was addressing Sailor Uranus, and only Sailor Uranus. The tall short blonde haired sailor suppressed the laugh that was fighting to break free from her throat and casually walked over to join her lover. The two of them walked away, hand in hand, leaving Sailor Jupiter alone.
As the two Outer Sailors disappeared from sight, Sailor Jupiter turned to survey the event area one last time, taking note of the Royal Guards that she'd just positioned to either side of the band platform. Satisfied that they were at the correct stations, she heaved a large sigh of relief and let her body finally relax, knowing that she had done everything to the best of her abilities. She turned her head to the left and called over the guard that was nearest to her.
"Bishop. I'm going home to get ready for the event. I'm leaving you in charge in my absence. If an emergency comes up, then come and get me immediately, otherwise I trust you to handle it yourself. You've had enough training so I expect things to go smoothly while I'm gone. Is that clear?" Her voice was firm and authoritative. She knew that she had to maintain the conduct and level of authority that was expected of her since she was the appointed leader and trainer of the Royal Guards by Neo-Queen Serenity.
"Crystal clear, Sailor Jupiter." He quickly replied back and snapped to attention as he saluted her. She nodded her head once in acknowledgement before turning on the left heel of her white knee high boot and walked away.
A few hours later, the orchestra was in full swing, and the music from the instruments was floating lazily over the people that were already in their seats, and moving to greet the ones that were just arriving. Magik, Hybrid, and the Sailor Soldiers were standing on the steps leading up to the main entrance of the Crystal Palace where all the speakers were to address the crowd from. They were greeting people that approached the steps or passed by on their way to their seats. They were each spaced out from each other so that they lined the entire stair case on both sides.
"Wow, this is a great turnout. Don't you think?" Magik whispered to her brother who was standing across from her.
"The people have no reason not to celebrate. This is the longest period of global peace that has ever existed. This is what so many beauty pageant contestants hoped for in their speeches when we were growing up. We can finally celebrate what those hundreds of women promised they would do one day if they had one wish" Hybrid casually replied back with a smirk.
Magik snickered at her brother's unexpected joke and playfully swatted her hand up at him. Magik had on a floor length, silver A-line cut gown that had a zipper running all the way up her back. It was covered from the hemline to the collar with tiny crystal detailing. It was made from chiffon, so it rustled with every step that she took. The dress set off her long straight blonde hair, making it look like she had a mane of raw gold hanging down from her head. Hybrid, on the other hand, wasn't looking too shabby, either. He had on a black tuxedo with a red shirt, red dinner gloves, and a black cape with a red underside. Hanging off the right side of his hip was the Sword of Gaia.
Standing above them on the steps were all of the other Sailor guardians except for Sailor Moon. She was inside the palace with her parents since she was also the princess of the Crystal Kingdom. Each of Sailors wore full length dresses of similar styles. Sailor Mercury was encased in silk of the palest blue, with a choker of the same color circling her slender throat. Sailor Mars was two toned in a red dress with a section of pink down the middle, with a choker of tiered rubies around her neck. Sailor Jupiter was resplendent in green with her trademark rose earring studs and a chain of roses around her hips. She had a plain metal necklace with one large emerald. Sailor Venus was wearing a yellow gown complete with golden ruffles that matched her hair colour exactly. She had a topaz stone as her jewel of choice. Sailor Neptune was in a teal dress, that had designs printed on it to make her look like a leopard on the prowl. Her necklace was a paw print picked out in turquoise stones. Sailor Uranus looked like the depths of the ocean itself in a gown of the deepest blue. She had seashells picked out on a necklace with blue sapphires in between each one. Sailor Saturn was dressed for the formal occasion in a lavender gown with matching silk, elbow length gloves and amethyst jewelry. Sailor Vesta was in a honey suckle reddish pink dress that set her hair off to perfection. Sailor Pallas was in blue curaco, she had a necklace with a blue zirconium that matched her dress' colour exactly. Sailor Ceres was dressed in flamingo pink, and she'd already chased Sailor Vesta around for a little while because the fiery redhead had told her that she looked like a large piece of shrimp more so now than ever. Sailor Juno's dress looked like the growth of a new layer of rain forest. It was a soft and a tender shade of green. Perhaps the most stunning, however, was Sailor Earth. She wore a dress of black, with onyx beads picking out flame designs. She wore red satin gloves that reached her elbows, and a delicate silver necklace that had a large square emerald on it.
As Magik looked out over the crowd of gathered people, she caught sight of Garin and his family in the section that was closest to her and she waved happily. When the kind old man caught her looking over at them, he gave her a thumb up, while his daughter clapped her hands excitedly, all the while shooting a beaming smile in her direction. His wife, Melissa mirroring the enthusiasm of her daughter, although she mixed a little bit more decorum into it.
The last lingering notes of the song being played ended, and, as one collaborative unit, the members of the orchestra leaned forward to change their sheet music over to the next song. Seconds later, the conductor recovered the attention of his band and began to wave his baton around in a series of swift swoops and jerks. The band started to play again, this time performing "God Save the Queen". The song was the former national anthem of the old country of Great Britain, but had been adopted by Neo-Queen Serenity as the entrance song for her during formal occasions.
On cue, the large twin doors of the Crystal Palace opened up, and three figures emerged from within in a slow, ceremonial walk. Neo-Queen Serenity was in her usual white empire gown that extended well past her feet, hiding them completely, and trailing out onto the red carpet underneath her. The dress was strapless, and a ring of golden circles bordered the top of the dress, running under both of her arms to the back. Two large, synthetic angel wings sprouted from the back of the dress, and two long strands of semi-transparent fabric that were attached to the dress at the location of her lower back. The gossamer fabric was so sheer and light that the gentle breeze picked up the twin strands and threw them out behind her walking form. Adorning the top of her head, she wore a golden crown with a large ruby heart in the middle, surrounded on both sides by two smaller rubies, tapering off around the curvature of the crown. As always, the most noticeable thing about this beautiful young woman were the two long blonde pigtails that hung from a pair of spherical buns, one on each side of her head. It was the one thing that made her instantly recognizable everywhere she went.
King Endyimon was in his usual attire, as well. His ebony hair was neatly combed, and he wore a lavender colored tuxedo complete with white boots and white silk gloves. Even though he had his trademark white masque mask covering the top part of his face, the eye pieces were removed, and his soft brown eyes were easily visible to anyone close enough to him. His cape was a darker shade of purple on top, but as white as his wife's dress on the underside. Several military medals adorned the front of his tuxedo, and two medallions that hung down from his neck completed the outfit, although the bands were expertly tucked underneath the collar of his white dress shirt. He gripped a thin cane in his right hand that few people knew housed his rapier sword which was his primary weapon. Usagi, princess of the Crystal Kingdom and the guardian known as Sailor Moon, was dressed in a gown that was identical to the one her mother had worn centuries ago when she'd been a young princess in the Moon Kingdom. Her dress was white and strapless, with a border of golden moons that mirrored her mother's gown. Her long, pink pigtails were the same style and shape as her mother's, and she had a glowing golden crescent moon on her forehead that indicated the powerful moon magic that dwelled inside her. Her mother's crescent moon on her forehead glowed to match hers.
The Sailor Soldiers turned their bodies to look up at the Royal Couple and took up their individual positions to either side of the stairs, straightening their bodies and standing at attention. Their positions along the edges of the stairs formed a sort of Honor Guard for the royal family. Magik and Hybrid stood facing each other at the end of the line. Flanking Magik going up the stairs were Sailors Mars, Venus, Uranus and Saturn. On the other side, Sailors Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune and Earth stood above Hybrid. At the very top of the steps, Princess Usagi stood between her parents, waiting quietly for the band to finish the royal song. When it finally did about a minute later, Neo-Queen Serenity stepped forward, letting go of her daughter's hand. She moved to the center of the stairs, while King Endyimon and Princess Usagi moved off to the left side, so that they could still be seen by the audience. She tapped the microphone that was attached to her dress with her right index finger, and the loud static thumping from the speakers attached to the microphone assured her that everyone could hear her.
"Citizens of Crystal Tokyo and honored guests. King Endyimon and I welcome you to our fair city and our anniversary celebration! It was 350 years ago now that myself and the Sailor Guardians that stand before me, discovered the Crystal Palace and established what was to become the city of Crystal Tokyo around it." As she described the Crystal Palace, she lifted her left hand and let it flutter up delicately as she turned her head to look back at the massive crystalline structure behind her while she spoke. "It is with great pride that I can say that since that glorious day, our community has grown to unprecedented prosperity and has spread across this beautiful planet, bringing a time of everlasting peace that I am sure most of us here can agree has been long overdue." She took a deep breath before she continued speaking. She looked out among the huge mass of people gathered before her and saw several of them nodding their heads in agreement with her last statement. After about a minute, she continued speaking. "Over the next day or so there will be numerous festivals and other occurrences in the various districts of the city. King Endyimon and I encourage each and every one of you to attend as many as you can and take part in celebrating this monumental occasion. The social ties and friendships that we create, both new and existing, are what keep us strong and happy." She paused again and surveyed the gathered crowd. It was clear from their facial expressions and their body language that they were hanging off her every word. She smiled at them all, letting it sink in that the virtues that Crystal Tokyo was founded on were meant to be renewed time after time. "At this time, I would like to welcome all of our special guests that were personally invited by the Sailor Guardians themselves. I would like to give them special attention now. When I call your name, please come and join us up here by standing next to the sailor guardian that invited you." She scanned the crowd with her sparkling blue eyes one last time before she began the announcements. "Dr. Curt Conners, guest of Sailor Mercury."
From among the crowd, a man stood up. He was dressed in a nice suit, and his arms swung gently as he first moved out to the central pathway and then walked up to main staircase of the Crystal Palace. No one was able to tell that his left arm was a prosthetic limb, made for him by Sailor Mercury herself to replace the arm that he'd lost decades ago in the last serious armed conflict before the Great Sleep. Once the good doctor took up his position next to Sailor Mercury, Neo-Queen Serenity continued on.
"Dr. Michael Morbius, guest of Sailor Mars." Just as Dr. Connors had just done, Dr. Morbius rose up from his seat among the gathered spectators and made his way up the central pathway before ascending the staircase. He had on a pair of navy blue dress pants, a red silk shirt, black boots that were recently polished and a light black jacket. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail and hung down his back coming to a stop between his shoulder blades. When he had taken his place beside Sailor Mars after the two of them shared a private smile between them, Neo-Queen Serenity read the next honoured guest's name. "Garin, Melissa and Kate Potter, guests of kingdom guardian Magik." The family of three rose from their chairs and began to make their way to the end of their row so they could proudly stand beside Magik upon the stone steps.
As they moved down their aisle, high above them, the sky began to darken rapidly. Black, storm clouds seemingly appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to block the bright sunshine from the ground below. This sudden and unnatural phenomenon immediately drew the attention of everyone present and elicited more than a few gasps from the crowd. Long, dark shadows stretched and stretched across the land, and the air temperature began to sink quickly, as the last of the warm rays of sunshine that had kept the day pleasant disappeared. Through the gathered masses, people began to mutter to themselves, trying to explain the unsettling events that were occurring to themselves or the people around them. Words like solar eclipse and severe thunder clouds were passed around, but not everyone believed that. There had been no dark clouds around the Crystal Palace at all today, and certainly not in the last hour or so, thereby making the storm theory incorrect.
The Crystal Planetarium, whose job it was to issue public warnings about the sudden onset weather phenomena like this, had remained silent. As the sky continued to darken until it was almost as black as midnight, the feelings of uneasiness among the crowd of people built up almost as fast as the arrival of the magical clouds. No one was prepared for the dangers that any such occurrence might entail.
Everyone gathered around the Crystal Palace kept their eyes on the skies, waiting for an answer to what caused this abrupt shift in weather. An eerie silence fell over the crowd as two enormous black ships materialized in the center of the storm clouds and drifted down to hover below them. Everyone's eyes were now completely riveted on them. One of the ships took a central position directly over the Crystal Palace, while the other hovered about a kilometer behind it, almost like it was a dog waiting for a command. The ships each looked like jagged stars, with spires of various lengths sprouting out in all directions from a centralized hub. Neither ship made any noise at all as they hovered over the landscape, making it seem like neither of them had an engine or a propulsion system at their disposal that would explain how they moved or maintained their position above the ground. The tense silence among the crowd of people witnessing the ships' arrival stretched out, as everyone tried to absorb what it was that they were seeing. While it was obvious that the celebration and the prestige behind it was now ruined, it still wasn't obvious what the ships were or what they wanted. The ship that was the furthest away suddenly began to glow with a bright green-bluish light, and some of the people began to turn away, hiding their faces.
Both ships had a large spire that jutted straight down, and the craft that was lighting up's spike suddenly began to glow a white hot color as a powerful laser erupted from its tip and hit the ground with a force that jarred everyone as the ground shook. At the point of impact, a large explosion rocked the ground, making it feel like a monstrous pile of dynamite had gone off.
People instantly began to scream and try to run in whatever direction they thought was going to provide safety for them. As the overwhelming sense of panic ensued, the second and third laser blasts went almost unnoticed, even as they destroyed a hefty chunk of the surrounding neighborhood around the first blast site. People scrambled, tripping over each other and knocking chairs and other objects over in their desperate attempts to flee the attacking ships. Very few of them looked to the skies during the mass exodus so hardly anyone noticed as the ship hovering directly above them began to glow. This time, instead of bright light teal light, it shot dozens of yellow beams down all around the Crystal Palace and surrounding area. Once the hundreds of beams touched the ground; a bright flash of white light shot out for a few feet in several directions from the point of impact. When the light cleared, humanoid creatures were left standing in their place. . The creatures immediately opened their pupil-less eyes and turned their attention to the closest of the fleeing citizens. They began to give chase and attack them.
High above, a high pitched whining sound began audible as thousands of metal objects were jettisoned from the two ships. They looked like the heads of the medieval morning star maces from the times of knights and kings. They travelled various distances and heights before coming to a complete stop, hanging in the air like the two parent ships. Some of the metal spikes came to a stop low enough to the ground that any tall people could reach them with their hands and pull them down if they wanted to, while others stopped themselves well over a mile above the ground. The lower ones that made contact with buildings or people as they flew to their destinations, and whether they were on concrete or flesh, the result was always the same. The jagged metal balls exploded upon contact and deadly shrapnel erupted outwards, sending sprays of blood and bone over the nearest people as well as falling construction debris from the buildings affected.
The Sailor Guardians were initially shocked by what they saw, so much that they were frozen in place for a precious few seconds as they viewed the destruction and mayhem all around them. The shock quickly wore off, and the Sailors immediately took their respective transformation wands out of the hidden pockets of their dresses, while Hybrid's symbiote morphed back into his battle armor, the Sword of Gaia being unsheathed from its scabbard. Magik closed her eyes and willed her dress to disappear and turn into the red and gold armor that she hadn't battle tested as of yet. She supposed that was a good thing but it had held up in the practice battles and training that her brother and the sailors had put her through. Well, now would be as good a time as any, she thought to herself. Her soul sword magically appeared in her outstretched right hand, flames instantly erupting along its blade as her hand tightened around its handle.
Once their transformations were complete, Hybrid and Magik leapt into action, trying to create a barrier between the innocent civilians and the attacking humanoid creatures. The way that they moved seemed almost mechanical and both of them shared the same thought. Could it be that they weren't human at all? The siblings came to the same conclusion at the same thing as their respective swords cut through the metal and wire with almost no resistance at all. The bodies of the android soldiers crumpled to sand and dust at their feet as whatever power source they were using was severed.
The Sailor Guardians were now also battle ready and sprang into action, as well. The three members of the Outer Planets moved down to extend and hold the line that Hybrid and Magik were doing their best to maintain. The Inner Planet Sailors moved up the stairs towards King Endyimon and Neo-Queen Serenity, who were still frozen at the top of the stairs, surveying the carnage and chaos that was tearing their beloved city apart. Princess Usagi had transformed back into Sailor Moon, realizing that she was needed and she was ready to defend her home. She stood in front of her parents, intent on not letting a single attack that was aimed at them get by her. She stood as their protector, and the more atrocities she saw committed by the alien invaders, the angrier she got. This internal rage was added to her sailor powers, making her counter attacks to any android assaults even more potent. The crescent moon mark on her forehead blazed from underneath her tiara.
"We have to get you both inside the Palace now!" Sailor Jupiter screamed as she grabbed the king's right arm and proceeded to drag him towards the open double doors. Two guards stood on either side of the doors, offering cover support for the sailors. The king did not resist her forceful pull, but he threw out his arm to catch his wife's arm so he could bring her into the Palace with him. His jerky attempt missed, and pure fear radiated through his entire body as he was pulled further away from her. Sailor Jupiter didn't let him make a second grab for the queen, and he saw her fading away from him as they crossed the threshold to the interior of the Palace.
"Stop!" The scream tore through his throat so sharply that it burned coming out. "I have to get Serenity inside!" There was nothing he could do. Sailor Jupiter maintained her tight grip on his arm and moved him deeper into the Palace before he finished his words.
"The others will get her inside! You have to come with me." Sailor Jupiter called back to him, trying to reassure him so that he would be more cooperative. Back outside, Neo-Queen Serenity's trance of fear and shock finally broke and she surveyed the pain and suffering that these monsters dared to inflict on her people. These were her people! She was supposed to protect them! She lifted her head and stared up at the ship over her that dared to attack her kingdom, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shimmer of air. Out of it stepped a man in a white suit, with shoulder length grey-white hair that fanned out around him as a result of the frequent explosions. She instantly recognized him as his lips curled up into an angry grimace. He was looking around too at first until he made eye contact with her.
Even though there was quite a distance that separated the two, there was no mistaking the anger and defiance that was directed solely at him by the queen of the earth. Those blue eyes instantly captivated him, and he softened his stance, though not enough for anyone but himself to notice. The long stare-down between the two opposing leaders lasted less than a minute before it was broken as Sailors Mars and Venus both grabbed one of Neo-Queen Serenity's arms and dragged her into the Palace. The Sailor Quartet and Sailor Earth meanwhile grabbed Sailor Moon and pulled her inside with her mother. It was true that she was a Sailor Warrior, but she was also the crown princess to this kingdom, and as such, warranted protection at all times. Sailor Mercury was the last to enter the palace, accompanied by two members of the Royal Guard. Both sentinels pushed the massive doors closed as fast as they could while Sailor Mercury pulled out her miniature supercomputer and feverishly began to type commands into it. It took her several seconds before she closed the computer, at which point, the guards successfully closed the door, locked it and re-activated the powerful magic wards that made it near impenetrable from the outside. Sailor Mercury stayed long enough to ensure that before turning around and hurrying off to rejoin the rest of the Sailors.
Outside, a ring of white power instantly encircled the Crystal Palace. The thick track of energy began to quickly rise upwards until it reached the highest point of the Palace. Once it did, the energy began to curve inwards towards the Palace itself. Prince Diamond sneered as the white energy formed a kind of transparent dome around the crystal fortress. His eyes were still rooted to the spot where the beautiful Neo-Queen Serenity had stood before her guardians had pulled her inside. He lingered for a few seconds longer, continuing to stare at the spot so hard that his eyes conjured up a ghost image of the fierce queen to take the place of the real thing. Then he waved his right hand and disappeared back into the large ship hovering behind him.
Hybrid, Magik and the Outer Sailors continued to battle the droids that swarmed the Palace grounds. It seemed that no matter how many they killed, more would pop up to take their place. Unbeknownst to them, that was in fact, part of the Black Moon's plan. They had programmed the droids to multiply by four for every one that they lost. The seemingly unending number of enemies was starting to overwhelm the brave guardians of the Crystal Kingdom. They were being reduced to fighting in a tight circle, back to back so that they wouldn't be separated and overrun by the droids.
"These things are like a damn Hydra! You cut off one head and two more grow back." Hybrid was of course referring to the Ancient Greek mythological monster but his reference was either lost or ignored by his comrades.
"I agree with you. This is pointless! We're not going to be able to hold out much longer at this rate! How are we supposed to break their ranks?" Sailor Uranus was angry that they could do nothing to save themselves or make any sort of progress to protect the citizens still present. Her frustration was made clear as she savagely swung her Space Sword at any droid that got within striking distance.
"Um, guys? We may have bigger problems." Magik's voice had both fear and incredulity in it, and Hybrid risked a quick glance over his shoulder behind him to see what his sister was talking about. That's when he saw the energy dome. What was that? One by one, the Outer Sailors risked glances of their own until they had all seen what Magik had noticed.
"So much for getting inside the safety of the Palace," muttered Sailor Neptune. She was disgruntled, and it was making her fighting slow and somewhat sluggish.
"They have to know that we're still out here. They'll transport us in; we just have to be patient, that's all." Sailor Saturn was always the optimist in their little group. Perhaps it was the fact that she was the youngest of the Outer Sailors and she still had aspects of her child-like innocence that she held onto despite being the most mature of the Outer Sailors sometimes. As much as the others wanted to believe her, Hybrid's next words in response to her statement confirmed their fears that it wasn't going to happen.
"I don't think that we have that kind of time, Saturn." His words brought them back to hordes of droids surrounding them and made them all redouble their efforts. The Kingdom Guardians fought in silence for the next few precious moments, as each tried to consider what other options they had, if any.
"There is another option," Magik said softly but loud enough that Hybrid and Sailor Saturn heard herThey both pursed their lips into a thin line as they considered what she might be implying. It was not something they wanted to think about but dying a noble, warrior's death was really the only option that they had right now. The safety of the Palace was cut off from them, and retreat was the coward's way out. If that was their fate, they were going to take out as many of these mechanical monsters as possible to give the other sailors a better chance at surviving.
"Well, well, well. I never thought that I would see any of you again." A slithery voice rang out, and it was recognized almost instantly by everyone but Magik. The menacingly tone was still there, but the voice itself sounded aged…almost like it would come from an old man. The alien machine men in front of Sailors Uranus and Neptune fell away to the sides as a tall man in a lime green body suit made his way through them, walking towards them. He had a long, mechanical tail that resembled that of a scorpion, and it flayed along behind him as he approached them.
"You…" That single word was all that Sailor Uranus could get out. She re-tightened her grip on the handle of her Space Sword as she clenched her teeth in a hateful scowl.
"The name is Scorpion, sweetheart, but I'm glad that I left a lasting impression on you." His grin was still as cocky as they remembered it, if not more so. The bottom half of his face that was visible and not covered by his mask was riddled with wrinkles and age spots. A bushy white beard sprouted from the leathery skin around his lips and chin.
"You're looking a little long in the tooth there, Scorpy. What's the matter? Time not being nice to you?" Hybrid was great at antagonizing enemies, and this time was no different. Hybrid's attention was split between the threat in front of him and the danger of the droids that still remained all around them.
"The name's Scorpion, you inhuman freak." The words came out as a snarl and he whipped his tail around, intending to strike the group that he thought was thoroughly trapped by the circle of infantry that he had at his disposal. His age was showing, and his attack came much slower than they remembered which made it easy enough for them to dodge the poisonous barb at the end of his tail as well as the swipe from the mechanical body it was attacked to.
Once his tail sailed harmlessly by Sailor Neptune, she leapt out and hit him with all that she was worth, on the side of his jaw. With his advanced age and her youth at a dynamic contrast, it didn't take much for him to be knocked out cold. Sailor Neptune took some satisfaction in knowing that she had given more than what was needed.
"What were you going to suggest, sis?" Hybrid quickly asked over his shoulder as she watched the Scorpion crumple down to the ground. He knew that they only had seconds before the droids realized that they were supposed to attack again, and if they were going to do anything, now was the time.
"I could transport us into the Palace using my magic." That statement caused Hybrid to turn his head and body so that he could face her with a look of confusion clear on his face. It was obvious that he had no idea how much power his sister really possessed or what the extent of her capabilities were. He didn't waste any time questioning her suggestion as he could sense that their time was running out.
"Do it!" Hybrid flatly stated as he turned back to look out at the mass of droids closest to him. He made a mental note to ask her later why she hadn't mentioned this power earlier on in the fight or what else she could do in case it became useful against the other forces their enemy was going to surely throw at them before this war was over.
Magik took a step back and fell into the center of the circle as Hybrid and Saturn moved in to fill the hole left behind by her absence. She closed her eyes in deep concentration. A few seconds later, a line of blue-white discs of crackling energy began to form around each of their feet. It was oddly comforting to watch, and the guardians had to take care that they didn't concentrate solely on them, as the droids were starting to attack again. As the energy sizzled along the outsides of the discs, Sailor Neptune reached down and grabbed a hold of Scorpion. She was going to make sure that they brought him along with them for information. This was surely only the first wave of the attack…