Chapter Two
Powerless Puffs
Unaware of what was happening in Ami's universe, the professor went about his day as usual. "Two thirty, the girls get out of school soon, I'd better figure out what to make for dinner tonight." The professor talked to himself as he looked through the fridge and cabinets for something to make for dinner. "Ah ha! Perfect, my famous soup. That'll be just what the girls need on a cool winter day." The professor said with a smile as he started grabbing other ingredients from the fridge and cabinets. While the professor started on dinner, the girls were busy working on their numbers.
"Okay class, can anyone tell me what this number is?" Ms. Keane asked as she pointed at her chalk board.
"I know!" Buttercup yelled as she raised her hand.
"Wow, alright Buttercup, let's hear it." Ms. Keane replied in a happy and surprised tone.
"That's a five!" Buttercup answered with a smile.
"Very good Buttercup, now what about..." Ms. Keane started to ask, until the hotline started ringing.
"The hotline!" Blossom yelled as she dashed over to the clown phone and answered it. "What's wrong mayor?" Blossom asked in a serious tone.
"Oh Blossom, it's awful! There's a huge ugly beast attacking Townsville, it's like nothing I've ever seen before! Help us Powerpuff Girls!" The mayor shouted into the phone.
"We're on it Mayor!" Blossom yelled as she hung up the phone. "Come on girls, there's a monster attacking Townsville!" Blossom informed as she flew out the door, followed by Bubbles and Buttercup.
"Be safe girls!" Ms. Keane yelled as she watched the girls fly off.
"Gross, it's a big ugly bat!" Bubbles yelled as she and her sisters arrived in the middle of the city, finding a giant black bat flying around and destroying things.
"Who are you calling an ugly bat you ugly brat?!" The bat yelled as it stared at the puffs.
"You! That's who!" Buttercup shouted as she pointed at the bat.
"How dare you speak to me that way, do you know who I am?!" The bat asked as it flew over to Buttercup.
"No, but we know what you are. You're toast!" Buttercup shouted as she blasted the bat with her eye beams.
"Stupid girl! I can do that to!" The bat shouted as it blasted Buttercup with it's own eye lasers.
"Buttercup!" Blossom and Bubbles shouted as Buttercup was blasted out of the air and sent crashing to the ground.
"Splat! Ha ha!" The bat laughed as it looked down at Buttercup.
"No one hurts our sister and gets away with it!" Blossom shouted as she and Bubbles charged at the bat.
"Except for me!" The bat shouted with an evil smile as it smacked them both out of the air with its wings
"Uh! What is this thing, it's like nothing we've had to fight before?" Blossom grumbled as she got back on her feet.
"Don't worry Bloss, I'm sure we can find a way. Just like Ami mommy always does." Buttercup replied as she stared at the bat.
"Ami mommy?! So it's you three she's so fond of, ha ha! Her precious little girls. It's enough to tug at my evil heart strings, if I had one! Mwah ha ha ha!" The bat shouted with an evil laugh as it stared at the puffs.
"What do you know about our Ami mommy?!" Bubbles shouted as she flew up to the bat and stared it down.
"Oh nothing much, except that I beat her!" The bat shouted as it grabbed Bubbles in its foot, then started squeezing her.
"Bubbles!" Blossom and Buttercup screamed as they watched the bat try and crush Bubbles. "Let her go!" Buttercup shouted as she charged the bat, driving her fist into its stomach.
"Who threw that paper at me?" The bat asked with a smirk as it threw Bubbles at Buttercup.
"You okay Bubs?" Buttercup asked as she caught Bubbles.
"Come on girls, I have an idea how to beat this guy." Blossom informed as she flew into the air, followed by Buttercup and Bubbles.
"The beam?" Buttercup asked with a grin.
"Yes. Now girls, mega blast beam!" Blossom ordered as she floated next to Bubbles and Buttercup. Each puff began to glow in their respective colors, and a huge orb of pure energy started to form in front of them. "Fire!" Blossom ordered in a strong voice.
"Take this ugly!" Buttercup shouted as the puffs released their energy, sending a massive white beam towards the creature. "Oh yeah, direct hit!" Buttercup cheered as she stared at the cloud of smoke left behind.
"Come back from that you flying rat!" Blossom yelled with a grin.
"HA! That was more pathetic than I thought it would be! This world will belong to me now, but first, I'll dispose of you little brats!" The bat shouted as it changed its form. "Behold! The true form of your new ruler, Aku!" The bat shouted with glee as it took it's pure form, revealing itself to be Aku.
"We're not going down without an..OOF!" Buttercup started yelling, until a huge hand slammed her into the ground, hard enough to knock her out.
"Buttercup!" Blossom and Bubbles shouted as they stared at Buttercup's unconscious body.
"Now you two naughty little girls get your spanking!" Aku shouted as he did the same thing to Blossom and Bubbles, leaving all three puffs unconscious in huge craters. Aku left the girls broken and unconscious as he went to terrorize their city. Several minutes passed before the puffs regained consciousness.
"Oh, that really hurt." Blossom groaned as she slowly got to her feet.
"That thing kicked our butts Bloss." Buttercup grumbled as she got to her hands and knees.
"I got boo boos." Bubbles cried as she rubbed her stomach.
"Come on, we should go see the professor. Maybe he'll know what to do." Blossom quietly said as she started flying home.
"Oh man, look at all of this destruction. How could that thing be so evil, it makes Him seem like Bubbles?" Buttercup quietly asked as she stared at the ruins of Townsville.
"I don't know Buttercup, but maybe the professor can help us find a weakness." Blossom replied as she landed by their house.
"What happened to our home?" Bubbles quietly asked as she stared at their house, which had been completely destroyed, as well as almost every other house on their street.
"Professor?!" Blossom yelled as she slowly entered what was left of their house.
"Professor?!" Buttercup yelled as she and Bubbles followed Blossom inside.
"This place is trashed." Blossom quietly said as she walked through the house, staring at the random wooden beams hanging from the ceilings, and the heaps of debris scattered across the floors.
"Maybe he's in the lab." Buttercup suggested as she started heading towards the lab.
"Girls. Is that...is that you?" The professor's voice quietly asked from nearby.
"Yes, where are you professor?" Blossom asked as she listened for the professor.
"Kitchen." The professor quietly answered. The girls floated into the kitchen, and were horrified by what they saw.
"PROFESSOR!" All three puffs screamed in horror as they stared at the professor. He was sitting on the floor half buried by debris, and impaled by some of it.
"Girls." The professor choked out as he spat out some blood.
"Daddy!" Bubbles squealed as she flew over to the professor, followed by Blossom and Buttercup.
"You have to run girls, go to Ami mommy's world. It's not safe here." The professor quietly instructed as he spat out more blood.
"We can't leave you professor." Blossom cried as she held the professor's hand.
"Please girls, listen to me. You can't stop this thing, you're best chance is to run. Go to Ami's world, go now." The professor said with a gasp as he eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp.
"Professor?" Blossom quietly asked as she poked the professor.
"Professor?" Buttercup quietly asked with a few tears.
"Daddy?" Bubbles cried as she hugged the professor.
"Why won't he wake up Blossom?" Buttercup asked with a few tears.
"I don't know Buttercup." Blossom answered through her own tears.
"Wake up professor! Wake up!" Bubbles begged as she shook the professor.
"Daddy!" Buttercup cried as she hugged the professor's body.
"Daddy!" Blossom and Bubbles also cried as they did the same thing. The puffs clung to the professor's body, sobbing over his death. They had no idea what to do or where to go.
"What do we do Blossom?! What do we do?!" Buttercup cried as she continued to cling to the professor.
"We do what the professor told us to do, we go to Ami mommy." Blossom answered as she looked at her transporter watch. "Grab what you need for comfort, we can't stay here anymore. The professor's last wish was for us to be safe." Blossom ordered as she floated towards the steps.
"Professor." Buttercup cried as she hugged the professor one last time before leaving his side to grab what she'd need.
"Bye bye daddy." Bubbles quietly cried as she hugged the professor before following her sisters. The girls silently and quickly packed their bags full of clothes and various items of comfort before floating back downstairs.
"Come on, let's go." Blossom quietly said as she grabbed a family photo and put it in her bag. "Goodbye professor." All three puffs quietly said as Blossom activated her transporter and left through the portal with her sisters.
Back in Ami's world, everyone was asleep in their beds; though not soundly. "We have unauthorized personal on the flight deck! Repeat, we have unauthorized personal on the flight deck!" A man suddenly shouted over the loud speakers.
"What the hell!" Mako screamed as she jumped to her feet.
"Get up, we've got an unauthorized boarding!" Gibbs ordered as he ran into their room.
"What does that mean Gibbs?!" Usagi asked as she and everyone else jumped out of bed and started following Gibbs.
"It means that there are people or creatures on the ship that shouldn't be on it!" Gibbs informed as he lead everyone to the flight deck.
"Get the lead out!" McGee yelled as he ran after Gibbs.
"Transform girls!" Usagi ordered as she pulled her brooch out and prepared to take her guardian form.
"Yes princess!" Everyone else replied as they took their guardian forms.
"Make way, guardians coming through!" Gibbs ordered as he lead the guardians onto the flight deck.
"Freeze! Drop the bags now!" A soldier yelled a she and a large group made a circle around something.
"What is it, what's the threat?!" Gibbs asked as he ran over to the soldiers.
"Three unknowns just appeared out of nowhere on the flight deck! They're carrying bags of some kind sir!" One of the soldiers informed as he aimed his gun at the threat.
"Drop the bags!" Gibbs ordered as he pulled his gun out and pushed his way past the group. "Wait a minute, these are children! How did children get onboard this ship?" Gibbs asked as he looked at one of the soldiers.
"Don't know sir, they just suddenly appeared here!" The soldier answered as she pointed her gun at the kids.
"STOP! STOP!" Mercury screamed as she ran over to everyone and pushed them aside. "Girls, what are you doing here?! I told you not to come back, it's not safe in my world!" Mercury yelled as she kneeled down in front of the puffs. The girls just stared at her blankly.
"Ami, they're covered in blood." Sailor Moon quietly pointed out as she stared at the puffs.
"Oh my god. Girls, look at me, look at Ami mommy. What happened?" Mercury asked as she stared at each of the puffs. None of them answered, they just continued to stare at her with the same blank expressions. "They're in shock." Mercury quietly said as she gently hugged the girls.
"You know these girls?" Gibbs asked with surprise as he stared at Ami.
"Yes, their names are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup; they're my adopted daughters." Mercury answered as she stared at the puffs. "What happened girls, what's wrong?" Mercury asked in a worried tone. The girls said nothing, they just continued to stand silently, staring blankly into the distance.
"What could've done this to them, they're in a state of perpetual shock? I've never seen this in a child before, especially not any of this age." Tony quietly said as he looked at Gibbs.
"Ziva, go get Ducky." Gibbs ordered as he looked over at Ziva.
"On it." Ziva replied as she ran into the ship.
"Oh girls, what could've done this to you?" Mercury quietly asked as she gently ran her hand over each puff's head.
"Right now I'm more concerned with the how, as in how did three little girls sneak aboard this ship without anyone noticing?" Gibbs asked in an angry tone as he looked over at one of the seamen.
"I'm not sure sir, they just appeared out of nowhere. One second the deck was clear of anyone other than Navy personal, then poof, they just appeared here. I don't know how to describe it other than that sir." The seamen answered in a flustered tone.
"It's their watches, they're universal transporters that are linked to the one I'm wearing. When we use them we're able to travel back and forth between our home universe and theirs." Mercury explained as she continued to stare at the puffs.
"So these girls are aliens?" Tony asked in a confused tone as he stared at the puffs.
"No, they're humans. They came from an alternate reality. Remember what we told you about us and that world with the man eating giants? This is essentially the same concept, just a different reality." Mercury quietly explained as she gently hugged the puffs.
"Gibbs." Ziva quietly said as she walked over by everyone with Ducky close behind.
"Hello everyone, I hear that we have some new visitors." Ducky said with a smile as he looked down at the puffs. "Hello there little ones, my name is Doctor Mallard, but you can call me Ducky." Ducky greeted with a smile as he knelt down in front of the girls. None of them reacted in the slightest way to anything Ducky had just said.
"They're in shock Duck." Gibbs informed as he stared at the puffs.
"I noticed. What are they covered in?" Ducky asked as he gently scraped some blood off of Blossoms chest.
"Professor." Blossom quietly said as she blinked a few times, then focused on Ducky.
"Why hello there little one. It's nice to see that you're with us again." Ducky said with a smile as he looked into Blossom's eyes.
"You're not the professor. Who are you?! Are you with that monster?! Are you working for Aku?!" Blossom screamed in anger as she grabbed Ducky and slammed him into the deck.
"Let him go!" Gibbs ordered as he and the rest of his team pointed their guns at Blossom.
"Gibbs stop! That's my daughter!" Mercury screamed as she stared at Gibbs.
"That's our teammate and friend, now let him go kid!" Tony ordered as he lined his gun up with Blossom's head.
"I'll never listen to Aku, not after what he did to our daddy!" Blossom shouted with rage as she pressed Ducky against the deck.
"Release him, now!" Gibbs ordered as he lined his sights up with Blossom's head.
"We're not going down without a fight, not after what he did." Blossom growled as she continued to hold Ducky against the deck.
"Don't do it kid, this doesn't have to go down like this. Let Ducky go and we can talk." Tony ordered in a calm tone as he continued to point his gun at Blossom.
"We're done talking. Aku and his minions will pay for what they've done." Buttercup said through clenched teeth as she and Bubbles snapped out of their shock.
"All of you, stand down and let Ducky go, now! This is your last chance!" Gibbs instructed as he started squeezing his trigger.
"We'll never listen to Aku or any his lackies, we'd rather die!" Blossom snapped as she faced Gibbs and prepared to attack him.
"Don't do it kid, you're not gonna win." Gibbs quietly said as he held his gun in a white knuckle grip.
"This is for our daddy. Powerpuff Girls forever!" Blossom shouted as she charged at Gibbs, while Bubbles and Buttercup charged at Ziva and Tony. In an instant the distinct scent of gunpowder wafted through the air, and three loud bangs echoed over the open sea. Mercury could only watch in shock as Gibbs and his team fired their weapons at her little puffs.
"GIRLS!" Mercury screamed in horror as she watched the puffs stop mid flight and fall to the deck.
"Shots fired! Shots fired!" One of the soldiers announced as he and everyone else within earshot either scramble for cover or their weapons.
"Three targets K.I.A, stand by." Gibbs ordered as he approached the puffs.
"How could you? How could you monsters do this?! You killed my babies!" Mercury screamed in rage as she stared at the puffs bodies.
"That does it, now we're mad." Buttercup growled as she slowly got to her feet, followed by Blossom and Bubbles.
"Girls! Oh thank god you're okay, Ami mommy thought she lost you!" Mercury shouted as she rushed over to the puffs and hugged them. "Why did you girls attack like that; you're normally much more disciplined than that, even you Buttercup?" Mercury asked with a few tears as she squeezed the puffs in a tighter hug.
"We thought they were with Aku, he...he..." Blossom cried as she clung to Ami, unable to get the words out.
"He what Blossom? What did that monster do to all of you?" Mercury quietly asked as she looked into Blossom's eyes.
"He...he killed our daddy!" Blossom cried as she and her sister's clung to Mercury as tight as she could.
"What?" Mercury quietly asked in a shocked and horrified tone.
"The professor was all buried under part of the house, and he had this big piece of wood in his chest, and there was lots of blood!" Buttercup cried as she pulled herself closer to Mercury.
"He told us to come to you, and then he went to sleep and didn't wake up!" Bubbles sobbed into Mercury's chest. "We want our daddy!" All three puffs shouted as tears poured from their eyes like water falls. Mercury didn't know what to say, nobody did. Everyone just stared at the puffs with heartbroken expression.
"Can you wake him up Ami mommy?" Buttercup asked through her tears as she looked up at Mercury.
"I..." Mercury could only trail off, what could she say, how could she tell three kindergarteners that their dad wasn't coming back.
"Please Ami mommy, please go wake the professor up!" Blossom sobbed into Mercury's chest.
"Okay, I'll go check on the professor. But first auntie Usagi's gonna bring you inside." Mercury quietly replied as she looked back at Sailor Moon.
"Kay." Buttercup said with a sniffle as she floated over to Sailor Moon, followed by Blossom and Bubbles.
"Come on girls, let's go get you cleaned up." Sailor Moon quietly said as she scooped all three puffs into her arms, then carried them into the ship.
"Go with 'em Duck." Gibbs ordered with a blank expression.
"Of course." Ducky replied as he followed Jupiter into the ship.
"I'll be back, please don't attack me when I return. It'll look a lot like when the girls showed up." Mercury informed as she activated her portal.
"Be safe Sailor Mercury." Gibbs quietly said as he took a step back from Mercury.
"I will." Mercury quietly replied, then she stepped through the portal without another word. The portal vanished a moment later, leaving everyone on the deck in a ghostly silence. The signature black and white swirl of Mercury's portal appeared just outside the puff's home, where she exited it as silently as she'd entered it. "Dear God, what happened here?" Mercury quietly said out loud as she looked around a little. Townsville looked nothing like she remembered. The streets were vacant of all life, not even a plant remained. The houses were all trashed, as if a great disaster had ripped through the neighborhood. Mercury slowly walked towards the Puff's front door, finding it partially open. Mercury gently pushed on the door, opening it with an eerie creek. "Professor?" Mercury quietly called out as she drew one of her guns, then entered the house. "Professor." Mercury quietly said again as she crept through the living room towards the kitchen. Mercury slowly entered the kitchen and gasped at what lay before her. "Professor! Professor, can you hear me?!" Mercury screamed when she saw the professor's body beneath the ruble. Mercury ran over to him and started tossing debris aside with almost inhuman strength and speed. "Professor! Professor, look at me!" Mercury shouted as she pulled the professor out from under the remaining debris. She quickly checked for any signs of life, but there was nothing. No pulse, no heartbeat, no breath. There was only the silence and stillness of death. "Oh professor, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you and the girls when you needed me." Mercury quietly cried as she gently closed the professor's eyes before laying him down on the floor. "Goodbye professor, I promise to keep the girls safe." Mercury quietly cried as she bowed to the professor, then left the house. Mercury wandered the streets for a few minutes before she decided to see if there were any survivors anywhere, she grabbed her ODM handles and took to the sky towards the center of the city. "I should head straight to the mayor's office, from there I'll head to the school, then the derby rink." Mercury said to herself as she glided towards city hall. When city hall came into view it left a sinking feeling in Mercury's chest. She crashed through what was left of the window in the mayor's office and looked around.
"G-girls?" A voice quietly called out from behind the mayor's desk.
"Who's there?! Show yourself now!" Mercury order as she levied her guns at the desk.
"That...voice, A-Ami?" The voice quietly asked. Mercury cautiously approached the voice, nearly dropping her guns when she found its owner.
"Oh my god, Ms. Bellum! Mr. Mayor! Please tell me you're both okay!" Mercury yelled as she holstered her guns. They were both lying on the floor next to the desk, and the carpet beneath them was stained red with blood.
"The mayor...the mayor's g-gone Ami." Ms. Bellum quietly said in a weak tone.
"I...I'm so sorry Ms. Bellum. I'm sorry I wasn't here for all of you when you needed me." Mercury cried as she held Ms. Bellum's blood stained hand in her own.
"I'm...glad you...weren't, th-the girls need...y-you." Ms. Bellum choked out as she spit up some blood. "Is J-John...okay?" Ms. Bellum asked with a gasp.
"No. He didn't make it." Mercury cried as she squeezed Ms. Bellum's hand.
"P-please tell...tell me th-the..." Ms. Bellum started saying, until Mercury answered the unasked question.
"They're safe, they're in my world, safe with Mako and the others." Mercury answered with a sniffle and a few tears.
"Thank...goodness. That's...all I...need to...know." Ms. Bellum quietly replied as her hand fell from Mercury's.
"Ms. Bellum." Mercury cried as she stared at the Mayor's and Ms. Bellum's bodies. "I'm sorry." Mercury quietly apologized as she slowly got to her feet, then left through the shattered window. Mercury fired her anchors into a nearby building and launched herself towards one of the only two places she could think to go. A few minutes passed before Mercury landed at her next destination. "Please, let there be some mercy in this cruel world." Mercury prayed as she looked at a small sign labeled Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. With a small breath Mercury walked towards the door, looking at the school as she did. Its appearance did little to put hope in her heart, and as she stepped through the broken door, she lost it all. "No. Oh my...who could be so cruel as to do this?" Mercury cried as she stared at the ruined classroom, focusing on each small body that lay on the floor. Mercury could hardly bare the sight before her, there was no life anywhere in that small building, and Mercury couldn't even bring herself to check the bodies for any sign of it. "I'm sorry, to all of you." Mercury said with some tears as she left the building, then headed towards her final destination. Several minutes passed before Mercury landed outside the last place on her list, the derby rink. Mercury walked through the doors and looked around. The rink was barren, there was nothing. No bodies, no skates, not even any debris. Timid as she was, Mercury cautiously walked towards the first locker room, she peaked inside and was relieved to find it empty. "Good, at least this place is empty." Mercury quietly said to herself as she left the locker room, then started heading to the second one. Mercury was starting to have hope that none of the derby players had gotten caught in the devastation, but it was soon shattered. "No. Please, no more." Mercury cried as she entered the second locker room, finding both Fear Leader and Derbytante players broken and scattered around the locker room. They'd all hid there together, a small attempt for comfort in their last moments. Mercury could hardly bring herself to check the bodies for signs of life, but instinct told her it was necessary, more so than at the school. One by one, Mercury approached each body, then gently pressed her index and middle finger into the soft flesh of each person's jaw line. Victim after victim turned up nothing but death, but just as Mercury was ready to give up, she found one familiar pink haired girl with a weak pulse.
"Ng." Maylyn quietly groaned in obvious discomfort as Mercury pressed her finger's into her neck.
"Maylyn! Oh thank god you're alive! Oh Maylyn!" Mercury cried as she hugged Maylyn. "Come on, we need to get you out of here." Mercury informed as she carefully threw Maylyn into a fireman's carry, then activated her portal.
"They...they couldn't..."Maylyn quietly tried to say, until Mercury interrupted her.
"Just rest Maylyn, we'll talk once you're stable." Mercury informed as she stepped through the portal with Maylyn.
"Gibbs!" Ziva shouted as Mercury's swirling portal appeared in the middle of the deck.
"Stand back everyone, Sailor Guardian incoming!" Gibbs ordered as he watched Mercury's silhouetted figure exit the portal.
"I need a medic!" Mercury shouted as she carried Maylyn over to Gibbs.
"Who the heck is she?" Gibbs asked as he stared at Maylyn.
"The only survivor I could find. Aku spared no one in the girl's world, not even the children." Mercury answered through her tears.
"Get her to Ducky in the med bay." Gibbs ordered as he looked at Tony.
"On it boss." Tony replied as he took Maylyn from Mercury, then quickly brought her into the ship.
"Someone get Mako please." Mercury cried as she slumped down to the deck.
"I'll go grab her." Gibbs replied as he walked into the ship.
"What happened in that place?" Ziva asked with a small frown as she knelt down by Mercury.
"It was awful Ziva, I've never seen such horrible things in my life before. There was so much death and destruction, that monster spared no one." Mercury sobbed in response as she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.
"What about that girl you brought back?" Ziva asked with a straight face.
"I don't know if she'll make it, she was barely alive when I found her. It's a miracle she survived the attack at all though. She and the other derby players were all huddled together in one of the locker rooms at the rink, a last desperate attempt for comfort before the end. There were twelve innocent people in that locker room, and Aku killed them all! All but Maylyn, and she might not even make it." Mercury cried as she buried her face in her knees. "I can't believe anyone could be so evil, I've never seen so much death in one place before. He killed the mayor, Ms. Bellum, Ms. Keene, her whole class, the professor; everyone in Townsville is dead!" Mercury shouted as tears flowed from her eyes like rivers.
"Ami? Ami what happened?" Mars quietly asked as she stepped out onto the deck.
"They're all gone Rei, everyone's dead! Maylyn was the only survivor I found, and I don't even know if she'll make it! I'm a failure, I failed my babies, I couldn't protect them or their world! It's all gone Rei, it's all gone!" Mercury shouted as she threw herself into Mako's arms.
"Ami. I...I'm so sorry, I don't even know what to say other than that. I'm so so sorry Ami." Rei quietly replied as she hugged Mercury as tight as she could.
"Who's watching the girls right now?" Mercury asked with a sniffle as she looked into Rei's eyes.
"Ducky is, and I think Abby was headed down there as well." Mako quietly answered.
"I need to go see Usagi and the others and tell them about this, please go watch the girls for me while I talk to the others." Mercury quietly instructed as she slowly got to her feet.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with?" Rei quietly asked with a sad expression.
"No, I don't want the girls to be left alone with strangers right now. Not that I don't trust everyone with them, I just feel like a familiar face would be good for all of them right now." Mercury explained with a sniffle as she let down her transformation.
"Okay, but call if you need anything." Rei replied as she hugged Ami.
"I will, thank you Rei." Ami said with a sniffle as she hugged Rei back, then walked into the ship.
"I'll be in the med bay with the girls, stop in once you've calmed down. The girls are gonna need you." Rei quietly said with a straight face, Ami nodded lightly before walking away in the opposite direction. A couple minutes later Ami was standing on the bridge with the admiral.
"Can I help you?" The admiral asked as he looked at Ami.
"I thought Usagi might be here." Ami quietly answered with a sniffle.
"Is she the blonde one with the round things in her hair?" The admiral asked with a straight face.
"Yes sir." Ami quietly answered with a sad expression.
"She's in the room you've been staying in." The admiral answered as he looked towards the door.
"Thanks." Ami quietly replied as she left the room.
"Wonder what got into her?" The admiral asked out loud as he turned back to a large transparent map.
"Usagi." Ami quietly cried as she slowly opened the door to their room.
"What's wrong Ami?" Usagi quietly asked as she, Rei, and Minako looked at Ami. Ami couldn't answer with words, all she could do was cry as she threw herself into Usagi's arms. "Whoa, whoa! What's wrong Ami, what happened out there?" Usagi asked with surprise as she gently hugged Ami.
"They're all dead Usagi, he killed them all!" Ami cried as she clung to Usagi.
"What?! What do you mean they're all dead, who's all dead Ami?!" Rei asked with horror as she stared at Ami.
"Everyone in Townsville! The mayor, Ms. Bellum, Ms. Keane, the professor, the children, all of them!" Ami sobbed in reply as she pressed her face into Usagi's chest. Everyone in the room stared at Ami in a shocked silence, none of them were expecting to hear such tragic news.
"Were there any survivors at all?" Minako quietly asked with sorrow.
"Just Maylyn, and I don't know if she's gonna make it or not. I don't even know what happened to her. I found her in the locker room at the rink, huddled there with her teammates and rival team. I checked every person at every place I went to. They were either dead or dying when I found them. Aku killed them all, he didn't leave anyone but Maylyn alive, not even the children." Ami quietly answered through her tears. "What am I gonna do?! How am I gonna tell the girls that everyone they love is dead?! I can't do it Usagi, I can't do it!" Ami hysterically cried into Usagi's chest. "I think I'm gonna throw up!" Ami yelled as she put a hand on her stomach.
"No. I know this is difficult Ami, but you have to keep it together right now. You're the closest thing to a parent the girls have right now, you need to calm down and focus on being there for the girls. You can process everything later when the girls are asleep, but right now they need they're Ami mommy to be strong and make them feel safe. Do you understand Ami?" Usagi explained and asked with a sad smile.
"Yes, I'll be strong for the girls. I promise." Ami quietly answered as she wiped her tears away and took a few deep breaths.
"That's my Senshi of intellect. Now go see the girls, they're with Abby in the lab." Usagi instructed with a smile.
"Yes princess." Ami replied with a sniffle as she got to her feet.
"It's gonna be okay Ami, whatever happens next the girls are safe. That's all we need to worry about right now." Usagi said with a small smile.
"You're right Usagi, that's the most important thing right now. The girls are safe with us, thanks princess." Ami thanked with a smile as she left the room.
"Oh my god. What the hell are we gonna do Usagi, there's no going back from this. How are we gonna tell them that their father and friends are dead, they might be the only survivors out of the whole city?" Rei quietly asked as she looked at Usagi.
"We do the only thing we can do Rei, we fight with everything we have in order to prevent that same tragedy from spreading across our world and others. If this incident has taught us anything, it's that Aku has the ability to travel through the multiverse, meaning that all of reality is at his mercy." Usagi quietly answered with a sad sigh.
"We do know one thing at least, he has some kind of weakness to purity. Remember the way pieces of him started to dissolve and burn after they were touched by the feathers from your attack?" Rei asked with a straight face.
"Yes, and remember what he said. The sword, what do you think that could mean?" Minako asked with a curious expression.
"Could he have been referring to the sword of sealing, the one I used against Chaos during the fight with Galaxia?" Usagi asked with a thoughtful expression.
"Perhaps, but even if he is referring to that sword, where are we gonna get it from?" Rei replied with a sad expression.
"I don't know, but at least we know that I have an attack that can hurt him. If Aku can be hurt, he can be killed." Usagi said with a serious expression.
"That's good to know. Now why don't we go and check in on the Kino sisters, if Kaede's feeling better we can all go spend some time with the girls, I'm sure they could use the company." Minako suggested with a small smile.
"I agree, let's get going." Usagi replied as she started leading everyone out of the room. While Usagi and the others made their way to the med bay, Ami was already there with Maylyn and Ducky.
"Give it to me straight Ducky, how is she?" Ami quietly asked as she looked behind her at Maylyn.
"She has some minor head trauma and some rather extensive injuries in her sternal area, but other than that she's fine, physically anyways. Unfortunately though, there's no telling the psychological damage she's suffered. I'll talk to her a little bit when she wakes up and feels she's ready to." Ducky quietly answered with a sad expression.
"Thank you Ducky." Ami quietly replied as she hugged him.
"How are you doing by the way? You seem very hurt and lost right now." Ducky quietly asked as he hugged Ami back.
"I don't know if I can do this Ducky, how am I gonna tell them?" Ami cried as she clung to Ducky.
"Tell them what Ami, what else happened?" Ducky asked as he let go of Ami and looked her in the eyes.
"Everyone they loved is dead Ducky, their dad, their teacher, their first mother figure, everyone they've ever known and depended on for support is gone. How the hell am I gonna tell them?!" Ami sobbed into Ducky's shoulder.
"In my experience with delivering such news to younger children, the best thing you can do is be honest and direct. Children are much more resilient than we give them credit for, I'd argue that they'd take the news better than most adults would. Though it would most likely be because they don't fully comprehend the meaning of death at their young ages. Either way though, the best thing you can do is be gentle but honest." Ducky explained with a small smile.
"Okay. Thank you Ducky." Ami thanked with a sniffle as she wiped her tears away. "Have you seen the girls anywhere by the way, I haven't seen them since before I left?" Ami quietly asked.
"Yes, I believe they're down in the lab with Ms. Sciuto and Doctor Palmer." Ducky answered with a smile.
"Thank you Ducky, any idea how to get there?" Ami asked with a smile.
"I can show you the way." Ziva said as she walked into the room.
"Hello Ziva, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Ducky asked with a smile.
"Gibbs wants an update on, well pretty much everything. So I came to speak to you before going to see Abby." Ziva answered as she looked at Maylyn.
"Our guest is stable, she has some head trauma and injuries to her chest, but she should be fine. As for the other little guests, they're down in the lab with Abby and Doctor Palmer." Ducky answered as he sat down next to Maylyn's bed.
"Good to know, thanks Ducky." Ziva replied as she started leaving.
"Excuse me, are you headed to the lab?" Ami asked as she walked up to Ziva.
"I was, care to join me?" Ziva asked as she looked at Ami.
"Yes, thank you." Ami answered as she started following Ziva.
"So these three girls that showed up, they're like daughters to you?" Ziva asked with some confusion.
"Yeah, they're my sweet little puffs." Ami answered with a small smile.
"What about their real mother, how does she feel about that?" Ziva asked as she lead Ami down a flight of stairs.
"They don't have a mother, they were made in a lab. The closest person to a mother that they had before me was a woman named Sarah Bellum... Oh my god! How am I gonna do this, how am I gonna look my girls in the eye and tell them she's dead?!" Ami shouted as she stopped walking and stared at Ziva.
"You just do it. I know that isn't very comforting Ami, but it's the truth. The longer you try and protect them from this tragic news the more painful it'll be when you finally do tell them, or worse if they find out themselves. So take a deep breath, get down to their level, look them in the eyes, and tell them what you have to tell them. Then make sure to be there for them when they need you." Ziva answered with a sad smile as she stopped outside a room with a sealed door. "Come on, let's go see your girls." Ziva quietly said as she opened the door.
"Oh thank goodness! Listen, when Gibbs told me to babysit, he didn't say the children I'd be watching could fly and shoot lasers from their eyeballs! Ziva you've gotta help me!" Palmer begged as he stared at Ziva.
"Don't be such a wimp Palmer, these girls are incredible! Plus they're so darn cute! I love them to pieces!" Abby giggled as she hugged Bubbles.
"I'm glad you bonded with the girls Abby, but I need a moment alone with them please." Ami quietly said with a sad expression.
"But, we wanna keep playing with with Abby." Bubbles quietly replied as she floated over to Ami.
"I know girls, but we need to talk." Ami quietly informed as she walked over to a small couch and sat down.
"About what Ami, is the professor okay? Did you wake him up?" Blossom asked in a hopeful tone.
"We'll leave you all alone to talk." Abby quietly said as she left the room with Palmer.
"What's going on Ami mommy?" Bubbles quietly asked as she and her sisters stared at Ami.
"Girls, there's no easy way to say this, but I'll try and make it as painless as I can." Ami quietly said before she took a deep breath. "I checked on the professor and I...I couldn't wake him up. He's um...he's gone girls. The professor isn't gonna wake up, I'm so sorry girls." Ami quietly said with a sniffle.
"Wh-what do you mean he's gone? He wasn't there when you went to go see him?" Bubbles quietly asked with a small pout.
"That's not what I meant Bubbles, the professor's... the professor's dead. I'm so sorry girls." Ami quietly clarified as she stared at the puffs.
"Dead? Our daddy's..." Buttercup quietly said, before bursting into tears. "Daddy!" Buttercup screamed as she threw herself into Ami's arms.
"We knew it, but we didn't wanna believe it! I can't believe he's dead!" Blossom shouted through her tears as she clung to Ami.
"I want daddy to come back!" Bubbles shouted as tears rained from her eyes and she buried her face in Ami's chest.
"I want Ms. Bellum!" Buttercup loudly cried as she looked up at Ami.
'Oh fuck me.' Ami thought to herself as she looked down at Buttercup.
"Me to! C-can we see Ms. Bellum Ami mommy?! Did you find Ms. Bellum at least?" Blossom sobbed as she looked up at Ami.
"I'm sorry girls, but Ms. Bellum's... she didn't make it either. I'm so sorry." Ami quietly cried as she hugged the girls as tight as she could.
"It's not fair! It's not fair Ami mommy! Are they all dead?! Is everyone we love gone?!" Blossom screamed as she stared into Ami's eyes.
"No. I found one person who survived, she's in the med bay with Ducky. She's sleeping right now, but she's gonna be okay." Ami quietly answered with a few tears.
"Who? Who is she?" Buttercup quietly asked with a sniffle.
"Maylyn." Ami quietly answered with a sad smile.
"Maylyn's alive, she's alive and here?" Buttercup quietly asked in a hopeful tone.
"Yes, she's with Ducky a few floors down. Do you girls wanna go see her?" Ami asked with a smile.
"Yes." Buttercup quietly answered as she held onto Ami.
"Come on girls, let's go see Maylyn." Ami said with a smile as she stood up and carried the girls towards the door.
"Where is she Ami mommy?" Buttercup asked with a sniffle.
"She's not far Buttercup, we'll be there shortly. She's in a special room with auntie Kaede and Mako mommy." Ami quietly answered with a soft smile.
"Is Maylyn okay?" Bubbles quietly cried as she clung to Ami.
"I... I'm not sure girls. She was doing good when I checked on her last though. Plus Ducky's taking care of her, he's one of nicest doctors I know. I'm sure everything's gonna be fine girls." Ami answered in a pleasant tone as she carried the girls towards the med bay.
"Those poor babies, I can't believe they lost everything they ever knew, and in such a small amount of time. I feel so sorry for them." Abby quietly cried as she watched Ami carry the puffs away.
"At least they're in good hands with Ami." Ziva replied with a sad expression.
"Are they though, she has a very dangerous job, especially now. Who knows when that monster might come back." Palmer quietly said as he stared in the direction Ami had gone.
"Don't worry about Ami, after finding out what that creature did to her children she'll tear it limb from limb. I'd feel sorry for it if it weren't so damn evil." Abby replied in a slightly angry tone.
"Come on, we should go talk to Gibbs and the others." Ziva suggested as she started leading Palmer and Abby towards the bridge. While Ziva, Abby, and Palmer went to see Gibbs, Ami was just arriving in the med bay with the girls.
"Knock knock." Ami quietly said as she carried the girls into the room.
"Hello Ms. Mercury, I'm glad you're here. I've been monitoring your friends and they're doing well, Ms. Europa's even on her feet again; against my recommendation I might add, but she seems to be well." Ducky greeted with a smile.
"Thank you Ducky." Ami thanked with a smile as she sat down on Mako's bed.
"Hey, how are my little girls doing?" Mako asked with a smile as she held her arms out to the puffs.
"Sad." Blossom answered with a few tears as she cuddled up to Mako.
"Why are you girls so sad, what happened?" Kaede asked with a frown as she stared at the puffs.
"None of you told Kaede what happened?" Ami whispered to Usagi.
"No, we didn't wanna bother her before she was healed a bit more." Usagi answered as she looked at Ami.
"We don't wanna talk about it." Buttercup answered with a few tears.
"That's okay. Did you see who else is feeling a little better?" Kaede asked with a smile.
"Mako mommy?" Bubbles asked as she snuggled with Mako.
"She's talking about me Bublyn." Maylyn informed as she waved at Bubbles.
"You're okay Maylyn?" Buttercup asked as she floated over to Maylyn.
"Heck yeah Buttlyn, I'm a Derbytante! Nothing keeps us down." Maylyn answered with a grin as she tousled Buttercup's hair. "Listen Buttlyn, they uh, they told me what happened and...I'm sorry, the professor was a great man. I'm sorry for your loss, for the loss all of you suffered." Maylyn quietly said as she hugged Buttercup.
"Me to, and I'm sorry for your loss to Maylyn. I'm sure you had family out there when he came." Buttercup cried as she hugged Maylyn tighter.
"Yeah, my parents and little sister. Are they really gone Buttlyn, I have no idea where they were when he came. I was at the rink with the team and Fear Leaders, we were having a friendly rematch when the explosions started. I don't remember much after that." Maylyn quietly cried as she held Buttercup in her arms.
"I don't know, we didn't look back after...after the professor. He told us to come to this world, so we did. I'm sorry Maylyn, I'm sorry we didn't come for you. We should've been there for all of you!" Buttercup yelled as she started sobbing into Maylyn's chest.
"It's okay Buttlyn, I'm glad you left when you did. If you'd have stayed then you might not have survived. It's okay." Maylyn quietly cried as she cuddled Buttercup.
"So what happens now, what are we gonna do?" Mako asked with a small frown as she looked at Usagi.
"The first thing we're gonna do is get Maylyn and the girls off this ship, we're gonna take 'em to some place Aku would never think to look for them." Usagi answered with a stern expression.
"Where are we gonna take them Usagi, I don't know if anywhere is safe right now?" Minako quietly asked with a small frown.
"I think I know someone who can help us." Kaede said with a grin as she pulled out her communicator and pressed the Plutarian symbol.
"Kaede! Thank goodness, it's good to hear from one of you. Are you all okay?" Setsuna asked as her face flashed on Kaede's screen.
"For the most part. I need to ask a favor of you please." Kaede answered with a straight face as she stared at the screen.
"Whatever you all need I'll get it, just say it and it's yours." Setsuna answered in a serious tone.
"I need you to go to Sarah so I can talk to her please." Kaede instructed in a calm but firm tone.
"Hang on, I'll get her." Setsuna replied as she looked off to the right. "Sarah! Kaede's calling on the communicator!" Setsuna yelled as she stared to the side.
"Wait! She's there with you?!" Kaede asked in a surprised tone.
"Yes, all of your families are. They were all worried and had no clue what was going on, so we all gathered at the shrine to pray and stay updated on the current situation as best we could." Setsuna explained with a small smile.
"That makes things much easier. Thank goodness they're all okay." Kaede replied with a relieved sigh.
"What's wrong Setsuna?! Is Kaede okay, did somethang happen?! Oh god, please tell me everyone's okay!" Sarah yelled in a panicked tone as she came sprinting up to Setsuna, followed by everyone else's family members.
"I'm okay Sarah, and so is everyone else. Well, they're mostly okay anyways." Kaede answered with a smile.
"Mostly? What does that mean, did someone get hurt?!" Saeko yelled in a worried tone as she tried to look at the screen.
"It's nothing serious, just some minor injuries. Ducky's got us taken care of though." Mako answered off screen.
"What happened Mako?" Saeko asked with a worried expression.
"Don't worry about it mama Mizuno, we're all good." Mako replied with a small smile.
"Are you sure?! Who got hurt, what kinds of injuries were they?! Who's taking care of all of you?! Is Ami..." Saeko started babbling until Ami snapped at her.
"Enough! We're fine mom, but I need you all to listen to me! I need you all to pack some bags, bring enough provisions to last for at least a good month or two just in case things get worse. Then you're all gonna gather outside the shrine and call us back when you're ready, do you understand?" Ami explained and asked in an authoritative tone.
"Yes, but why?" Saeko asked with a confused expression.
"I'll explain more once you're all ready, but just trust that I have my reasons. Okay?" Ami instructed with a stern expression.
"I understand, we'll pack up and call you back later." Saeko replied with a worried expression.
"Thanks mom. Talk to you all soon." Ami replied as she hung up the communicator. Everyone looked at each other for a moment before anyone said anything.
"Could it really be that bad Ikuko mama?" Chibiusa quietly asked as she looked up at Ikuko.
"I don't know Chibiusa, but whatever's going on we should probably just do what Ami says. You and Shingo go pack while I call Akiko-San and the others to let them know what's going on." Ikuko calmly answered as she walked over to the phone. While everyone started packing their things for whatever reason, Ami was cuddling the puffs and Maylyn.
"I don't feel good Ami mommy, my tummy feels all weird." Bubbles quietly cried as she held onto Ami.
"I don't feel so good either." Buttercup said with a sickly expression.
"You're face is as green as your outfit." Blossom said as she held her arms against her stomach.
"I think you girls might be seasick." Ami quietly said with a small frown.
"I think I'm gonna loose my breakfast." Blossom groaned as she looked down at the floor.
"Come with me, I can get you kiddos something that'll help." Ducky said with a smile as he stood up.
"Okay." The puffs replied as they all floated over by Ducky.
"It's truly fascinating to see you three fly like that, simply amazing." Ducky chuckled as he lead the puffs out of the room.
"Wait up girls!" Ami yelled as she ran after the girls.
"See ya later I guess." Mako quietly said with a small smile.
"Is someone a little jealous that she's not Ami's top priority anymore?" Minako asked with a giggle as she looked at Mako.
"No, if it were the other way around I'd do the same thing. The children always come first, especially after what they just went through. Even I can't imagine how that must've felt for them, to watch their father slowly die like that. The trauma that'll cause them is gonna be immeasurable." Mako quietly said with a few tears.
"Oh sis." Kaede quietly said as she reached her hand towards Mako.
"Thanks sis, but I'm okay." Mako replied with a smile as she took Kaede's hand.
"Are you okay enough to leave the room, maybe go grab a bite with everyone?" Usagi asked with a smile.
"Now you're talking, let's get our gimpy butts down to the food area." Kaede chuckled as she slowly got out of bed.
"Take it easy sis." Mako quickly said as she helped Kaede to her feet.
"I'm fine Mako, I've been way worse before." Kaede giggled as she patted Mako on the shoulder.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna worry about you. You're my sister and I worry about you, just like you worry about me." Mako replied with a smile as she hugged Kaede.
"I love you to sis. Now let's go eat, I'm totally famished!" Kaede said with a chuckle as she left the room, followed by everyone else.
"I wonder what kind of food they'll have on a navel ship?" Usagi wondered out loud.
"Whatever it is will be better than nothing." Rei replied as she walked next to Usagi.
"Um, guys, does anyone know where we're going?" Mako asked as she stopped walking.
"No." Everyone answered with sighs. "Why don't we ask her." Minako suggested as she pointed at a woman in a standard navy uniform. "Excuse me ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know where we can get something to eat?" Minako asked with a smile as she approached the woman.
"Yes ma'am, follow me." The woman answered as she lead everyone down the hall towards a flight of steps.
"Thank you." Minako thanked as she and everyone else followed the woman.
"You're those Sailor whatchamacallits right? Nice to meet you finally. I heard you were onboard but it's a big ship and all, didn't know if you were actually here or if those were just rumors." The woman said with a smile as she looked at Usagi. "Names Amanda by the way, but you can call me Buckley." The woman informed with a smile.
"Buckley?" Mako asked with a confused expression.
"It's my last name, most people just say Buckley or private Buckley when they talk to me, at least around here." The woman explained as she lead everyone through a door and into a large area with several tables. "Here we are." Buckley said with a smile as she gestured to the mesh hall.
"Thank you Buckley." Usagi thanked as she looked around the room.
"Looking for someone ma'am?" Buckley asked when she noticed Usagi looking around the room.
"Yes, a blue haired girl and three floating children." Usagi answered as she continued to look around.
"Ha! Good one ma'am, but seriously, who are you looking for?" Buckley asked with a smile.
"That is who we're looking for, a blue haired girl with three floating children." Minako informed as she also looked around.
"Good joke, you almost sound..." Buckley started saying, until Bubbles floated into the air and waved at everyone.
"Aunties!" Bubbles yelled as she waved her arms around.
"Sincere." Buckley quietly said as she stared at Bubbles.
"Thank you for helping us find our way down here ma'am." Usagi thanked with a small bow.
"Floating...child. Does anyone else see that floating kid, or am I over due for my psych evalv?!" Buckley yelled in a nervous tone.
"You're not crazy corporal!" Someone yelled from the crowd of people.
"Glad to know!" Buckley yelled back with a plain expression. "Welp, see you all around I guess." Buckley said as she waved goodbye and left.
"This food is really yummy, are you gonna try some?" Bubbles asked with a big smile as she dashed over by everyone.
"We sure are Bubbles." Usagi chuckled as she got in line next to a long counter.
"How are you and your sisters doing, feeling a little better now that you've eaten?" Mako asked as she grabbed a tray and followed Usagi.
"A little bit, my tummy doesn't feel as funny anymore." Bubbles answered as she gently patted her stomach.
"Bubbles! Bubbles come back by Ami mommy, I don't want you getting lost in the crowd!" Ami yelled from the table as she waved at Bubbles.
"But Mako mommy's here!" Bubbles yelled back as she pointed at Mako.
"Don't worry Ami, I've got her!" Mako yelled back with a chuckle. "Your Ami mommy is so over protective of you and your sisters." Mako giggled as she patted Bubble's head.
"I know, Ami mommy's so sweet. She's just like the professor, I can't wait to see...d-d-DADDY! I miss daddy!" Bubbles started crying as she threw herself into Mako's arms. "Ami mommy said that he's dead, he can't be though! I want my daddy!" Bubbles cried into Mako's chest.
"Oh Bubbles." Mako quietly said as she set her tray down and hugged Bubbles. "I'm so sorry baby." Mako quietly said as she rocked Bubbles.
"I-I wanna go by Ami mommy." Bubbles quietly cried as she clung to Mako.
"Okay, let's go see Ami mommy." Mako quietly replied as she carried Bubbles over to Ami.
"Come here Bubbles. It's okay, Ami mommy's got you. Shh, I know sweetie, I know." Ami quietly said as she took Bubbles and held her against her chest.
"We want hugs to." Blossom said with a few tears as she and Buttercup held their arms out to Ami.
"Come here babies, mommy's here." Ami quietly said as she picked Blossom and Buttercup up and rocked them.
"Our poor babies." Mako said with a sad expression as she hugged Ami and the puffs.
"I think we should take them by mom and the others, they might be more comfortable there." Ami suggested as she lightly swayed with the girls.
"We were talking about that after you all left, I think that would be best as well." Mako replied as she watched Ami rock the girls.
"Let's finish eating and then we'll sailor teleport back home and drop them off." Ami instructed as she sat down with the puffs.
"Good idea. I'll be back with everyone in a moment." Mako replied as she walked over by everyone else.
"I feel so bad for them, I wish we could've done something about Aku before he got to their world." Usagi quietly said with a sad expression.
"Me to, I don't even know what to do now." Rei replied with a sad sigh.
"First we're gonna finish eating, then we're gonna bring the girls by everyone else via sailor teleport. Ami and I thought that would be best for them, especially because we have no idea what's gonna happen next. We need the girls to be safe." Mako quietly replied as everyone finished getting their food.
"I agree, and I'd like Naru and her mother to stay with everyone as well." Usagi replied as she lead everyone to the table.
"Let's eat up so we can get the girls home." Minako said with a sad expression as she sat down and took a bite of her meal.
"Home?! We don't have a home anymore, Aku destroyed everything! It's all gone, everyone's gone!" Blossom screamed as she broke down in tears.
"Where are we gonna go Blossom?! I miss daddy!" Bubbles shouted as she broke down in tears as well.
"I want the professor back!" Buttercup yelled as she to broke down in tears.
"Girls, listen to me. I know it hurts, I can't even imagine how much pain you all must be in right now, but you need to be strong for the professor. You're all gonna go to Usagi's house and stay with your grandparents, aunties, and uncles in a safe place. We're gonna take you there to pick everyone up, and then we're gonna take you all to Sarah's house in Texas. That's where you'll all be safest, far away from all this violence and horror, it's what your father would've wanted. Okay girls?" Ami quietly explained with a sad expression.
"Okay." Blossom quietly replied with a sniffle as she hugged Ami.
"That's my girl, now finish your meal so we can get you all somewhere safe." Ami instructed with a smile as she gave all three puffs a kiss on their foreheads.
"Is Maylyn coming to?" Buttercup asked with a sniffle as she looked into Ami's eyes.
"Of course she is, she's family." Ami answered as she gently ran her fingers through Buttercup's hair. "Now eat up girls, you need to stay strong and healthy." Ami said with a smile as she took a bite of her meal.
"Okay Ami mommy." All three puffs answered as they continued eating.
"Let's finish up Mako, the sooner we get everyone to safety the better. God only knows when that monster will return." Ami quietly said with a sad expression. Mako lightly nodded before continuing to eat her meal. Everyone ate in relative silence for the next thirty minutes before taking their trays up to the return window.
"We should go and check on Maylyn to see how she's doing, then we'll bring the girls to the shrine and pick everyone else up." Usagi quietly said as she started leading everyone out of the cafeteria.
"I'm glad Maylyn's okay at least, I don't know what we'd do without her." Buttercup said with a smile as she and the puffs floated next to Ami.
"You'll never have to know Buttlyn, because us Derbytantes don't stay down for long." Maylyn said with a grin as she limped into the cafeteria with Kaede.
"Maylyn!" The puffs yelled with joy as they all flew over to Maylyn and hugged her.
"Oh my, I missed you girls to." Maylyn chuckled as she hugged the puffs.
"How are you feeling Maylyn?" Ami asked as she walked up to Maylyn.
"Everything kind of hurts, but I'll be okay." Maylyn answered with a smile as Ami gently draped Maylyn's arm over her shoulders.
"I'm glad to hear that you're feeling a little better. Now follow us please, we're gonna take you and the girls somewhere safe for the time being." Ami informed as she walked out of the cafeteria, followed by everyone else.
"Where're we going?" Maylyn asked as she limped alongside Ami.
"You and the girls are gonna go to the safest place I can think of." Ami answered as she continued leading everyone through the ship.
"Where?" Kaede asked in a curios tone as she walked up next to Ami.
"The middle of nowhere, A.K.A, your girlfriend's place." Ami answered with a grin as she rounded a corner, nearly bumping into Tony.
"There you all are, thank god! Listen, we've detected a fast moving object via sonar and it's headed this way. We don't know what it is but we're assuming the worst. So whatever you're doing do it fast, get them out of here then report back to the ship." Tony ordered as he stared at everyone.
"Understood. Take us to the deck please." Ami instructed in a firm tone.
"This way." Tony replied as he started leading everyone towards the flight deck. An alarm suddenly started going off and a man's voice played over the P.A system.
"Alert, fast moving object baring one, zero, niner, inbound on the starboard side! Brace for impact, say again, all personnel brace for impact!" The man ordered in a strong and serious tone.
"All of you, hold onto something!" Tony ordered as he leaned against the right wall. Everyone quickly followed Tony's lead just before a tremendous force slammed into the ship, shaking the whole thing and throwing people around like rag dolls.
"AH! Uh, damn it. What the hell was that?" Minako groaned as her head was slammed against the wall.
"I've got a feeling about what it is." Usagi replied as she started running towards the flight deck.
"He's here, we have to push him back or he'll sink this ship like a toy in a bathtub." Mako said in a serious tone as she started running after Usagi.
"Stay close girls." Ami instructed as she and the others hastily followed Mako. Everyone quickly made their way to the flight deck, and what awaited them was hell on earth.
"FIRE!" A man ordered as he aimed his rifle at Aku and started shooting at him. Every soldier on the ship and cannon on the deck was aimed at Aku and firing full blast, but nothing affected the monster.
"Ha ha! When will you fools learn that your pathetic weapons can't scratch the great and powerful Aku! You're all like little bugs, constantly bothering me, and bugs get squashed!" Aku shouted with a sadistic grin as he brought a massive hand down on the deck, crushing dozens of soldiers and cannons as he did.
"Get birds in the air now!" A soldier ordered as she looked at some workers on the flight deck.
"Alpha squad, you are clear for take off! Wheels up, wheels up!" A soldier yelled into a radio as he gave a thumbs up to a line of fighter jets.
"Rodger that, alpha squad taking flight." The pilot of the first plane in the row informed as she started speeding her jet down the runway, followed by two other jets.
"NO! They're gonna get themselves killed!" Usagi screamed as she watched the planes soar down the runway.
"Usagi! Your feathers! Use your feather attack to push Aku back!" Ami shouted as she looked over at Usagi.
"Moon love make up!" Usagi shouted as she pulled her brooch out and held it above her head, quickly taking her guardian form. "Stay back everyone!" Sailor Moon ordered as she flapped her mighty wings once and blasted into the air. "Angelic wings of freedom!" Sailor Moon screamed as she threw her wings forward, launching dozens of bright white feathers at Aku.
"AAAH! That purity, it's as bad as the sword! Damn you pathetic little girl!" Aku shouted as he backed away from the ship.
"Have some more you unholy beast!" Sailor Moon yelled as she used the same attack over and over, pushing Aku further back every time.
"ENOUGH! I'll be back, you can't protect these people forever!" Aku shouted as he vanished in a blaze of bright red flames.
"The hell I can't." Sailor Moon replied as she quickly started descending back towards the deck.
"Usagi! Usagi, are you okay?!" Rei yelled as she and the others ran to Sailor Moon.
"I'm okay, and so is everyone else thankfully." Sailor Moon replied as she as she looked at her wings.
"Oh my god, your wings. Usagi, what happened to your wings?" Rei quietly asked as she stared at Sailor Moon's wings, seeing that they were nearly bare with nothing but a hard outline made of cartilage.
"That attack, it comes at a price. Every time I use it I loose feathers, it's like a gun and the feathers are bullets. The more I use it the less ammo I have. The'll regenerate over time though, it's just exhausting to do so." Sailor Moon explained with few heavy breaths.
"Oh Usagi, you're always pushing yourself so hard for us. I'm so sorry that we're so useless against Aku." Rei quietly cried as she hugged Sailor Moon.
"You're not useless at all Rei, you would've stepped in if things had gotten bad. I told you to stay back and you obeyed, that's all I can ask for, your trust. You all trusted me enough to obey my order, even though I can tell that it killed you all to do so. Thank you, all of you." Sailor Moon thanked with a smile. "Now let's get the girls somewhere safe, who knows if he'll come back anytime soon." Sailor Moon instructed as she held her hand out to Rei.
"Yes princess." Rei replied as she pulled her wand out. "Mars crystal power, make up." Rei calmly said as she held her wand up, quickly taking her guardian form.
"What are you all waiting for, we need to get the girls and everyone else to Sarah's place." Sailor Moon said with a smile as she looked at everyone else.
"Yes princess." Everyone else replied as they all took their guardian forms. "Come on girls, let's go see you grammy and gramppy." Mercury said with a smile as she scooped the puffs into her arms.
"Okay." The puffs quietly replied as they held onto Mercury.
"Come here Maylyn." Europa said with a smile as she lifted Maylyn into a firemen's carry.
"You make that look easy." Maylyn chuckled as she looked down at Europa, who grinned in response.
"Alright girls, let's go." Sailor Moon ordered as she looked towards the sky. "Sailor teleport!" Sailor Moon shouted. In a bright flash of light the guardians vanished without a trace.
"Do you think they'll be back Gibbs?" McGee asked in a quiet tone as he looked at Gibbs.
"I'd bet anything on it Tim." Gibbs answered with a smile as he looked towards the sky.