Chapter Five
Dying Light
It had been over three months since Jack had arrived and joined the team, but since his arrival things had taken a turn for the worse rather than the better. "Ami. Ami wake up." A voice called out, slowly shaking Mercury from her slumber.
"What?" Mercury mumbled as she slowly sat up. "Mako, what's going on?" Mercury mumbled as she rubbed her eyes a little.
"Get up, we've got a code red." Jupiter informed as she stood up.
"Shit. How many this time?" Mercury groaned as she slowly rolled out of bed.
"At least two hundred, Jack and Rei are holding the line right now while Mina and Usagi are covering Kaede." Jupiter answered as she started leaving the room they were in.
"They get more numerous every day now, I wonder how much longer we can hold the line." Mercury quietly said as she followed Jupiter through a long tunnel.
"I prefer not to ask that question in fear of an answer, now grab your gear. They need us top side." Jupiter instructed as she started ascending a ladder.
"Right." Mercury replied as she grabbed a backpack and her ODM rig. "How the hell did it get this bad Mako, two months ago you'd never have known that Aku was even in this world, then last month he just suddenly appeared with a damn army. How the hell did we let this happen?" Mercury grumbled as she followed Jupiter up the ladder.
"I don't know Ami, all I know is that we can't give up. Our hearts and souls to the cause." Jupiter replied as she pushed the sewer cover aside and peaked out through the hole. "All clear. Last I heard the right flank was taking heavy losses, so that's where we're headed." Jupiter informed as she slowly exited the sewer.
"You talk to the girls today at all?" Mercury asked as she followed Jupiter out of the hole, then moved the cover back into place.
"No, but they should be okay. They're with Leon and Abby at central command." Jupiter replied as she started leading Mercury through a long weaving trench.
"You ever think back to the days before all of this craziness Mako? Like back to Christmas when we first met the girls, or when we got engaged? I miss those happy times." Mercury quietly asked as she followed behind Jupiter.
"I miss them to Ami, but the only way we'll ever have days like that again is if we live long enough to bring those days back; and if we wanna live to do that we need to stay in the present. Distraction's a death sentence out here Ami, we've seen it first hand too many times to not know that." Jupiter replied as she stopped at a crossroad in the trench.
"Front line's to the left." Mercury reminded with a smile.
"I know, I just don't know if we should go see the girls and get an update from the director or not before heading to the front." Jupiter replied with a thoughtful expression.
"Let's check in with Vance and get today's field report." Mercury suggested as she started heading down the right path.
"Good call." Jupiter replied as she followed Mercury down the trench line. A few hundred feet later Mercury and Jupiter arrived outside a concrete structure that was partially buried in dirt and had two armed soldiers standing guard outside.
"Names and ranks." One of the soldiers ordered as she approached Mercury.
"Mizuno Ami, Sailor Soldier." Mercury replied with a straight face.
"Kino Makoto, Sailor Soldier." Jupiter said with the same stern expression.
"Clear to enter." The soldier replied as she stepped aside. Mercury and Jupiter entered the structure, it was much bigger on the inside than it's exterior appearance would suggest. There were soldiers and other people all over the place doing various tasks such as working on computers, taking inventory, and training minuet men.
"Ami, Mako! Over here!" A friendly voice called out to them.
"Director Vance, guardians Jupiter and Mercury reporting for duty sir." Jupiter informed as she saluted the director.
"Glad to see you both, how are the others doing?" Vance asked with a small smile.
"They're holding the line, but this stale mate is getting old sir, and it's costing a lot of lives; unnecessarily if I might add." Jupiter answered, mumbling the last part.
"I know it's hard to do this, but war isn't an exact science. Casualties unfortunately happen, all we can do is try to minimize them and avenge our fallen comrades." Vance replied as he gestured to a pair of chairs.
"Thank you." Mercury thanked as she and Jupiter sat down. "May I request a full background on the situation please director?" Mercury asked with a serious expression.
"Certainly." Vance replied as he grabbed a large stack of papers. "Two and half months ago Aku suddenly appeared in the center of a meeting taking place at the U.N, he then proceeded to assassinate every major leader in the world, throwing many countries into a state of chaos. Upon receiving this news riots and wide spread pandemonium swept across many nations, including Japan and the U.S; eventually, thanks to Sailor Moon and her amazing people skills, order was restored. However by that point Aku's forces were already on the move, and without a basic government structure to guide their militaries, nations fell one by one. Now small bands of resistance fighters such as the men and women in these trenches are all that stand between what remains of the free world and certain annihilation." Vance explained as he looked through the papers.
"What's going on today then, any kind of movement on our end; or are we still at a stale mate with the minions and demonic forces in the area?" Mercury asked with a serious expression.
"Still at a stale mate, however Ms. Schiuto was working on an outside the box plan, one only someone like Ms. Schiuto could come up with." Vance answered with a small grin.
"Sounds like we should pay a visit to Abby in the lab then." Jupiter said with a smile.
"Do you know if the girls are there with her Director?" Mercury asked with a small smile.
"They are, and Ms. Schiuto is loving the company." Vance answered with a smile.
"Thanks Director." Mercury thanked as she and Jupiter started leaving the room.
"Be safe you two." Vance said as he looked at Mercury and Jupiter before turning back towards several computers.
"We will, and you do the same Director." Mercury replied as she and Jupiter started jogging towards the lab.
"Make a hole please!" Someone shouted as a few people came running down a short trench.
"Move it or loose it sis!" Europa ordered as she helped carry a wounded soldier through the trench.
"Is it bad sis?" Jupiter asked as Europa ran past her.
"Don't know, I couldn't examine her out there! It's getting too hot!" Europa shouted as she disappeared around a corner.
"Come on Mako, let's get to the girls. There's no telling how long before we're called to the front." Mercury said as she started running towards the lab.
"Agreed." Jupiter replied as she quickly followed Mercury to the lab.
"Wow Abby, that's really pretty." Bubbles said with a smile as she stared at a beaker filled with light purple liquid.
"Don't let its looks fool you Bubbles, this mixture is highly toxic. I've been trying to mix together a poison that can hopefully weaken Aku's minions. If we pour this liquid into a hollow tip bullet, my hope is that within one to two hits they'll be stopped. Rather than just being pushed back." Abby explained as she took a syringe and filled it with some of the liquid.
"I love this part, give it to the beast Abby. Make it scream." Buttercup said with a wicked grin as she watched Abby walk over to a clear box that contained a small demonic creature.
"Buttercup!" Mercury shouted in an angry tone as she entered the room. "How many times do I have to tell you that we don't take pleasure in torturing things, that's not what your father would've wanted." Mercury snapped as she glared at Buttercup.
"How would you know what he would've wanted, he's been dead for almost two months!" Buttercup shouted as she stared back at Mercury.
"Oh Buttercup. Come here baby." Mercury quietly said as she knelt down and held her arms out to Buttercup.
"Give it a rest Ami, another hug's not gonna bring him back." Buttercup grumbled as she floated away.
"I'm sorry Ami, I shouldn't've let her..." Abby started to apologize until Mercury interrupted her.
"Don't worry about it, I understand her anger. Too well I might add. That's why I don't want her in here watching this, I don't want her to get to be like I was after my trauma. I was angry, violent, a demon of my former self. I don't want her to have to suffer like that." Mercury quietly said with a sad expression. "So as Gibbs would say, what've ya got Abs?" Mercury asked as she stared at the demon.
"I was just about to test this new poison mixture, a mixture of chlorine, ground water hemlocks, and cone snail venom. Mixed with other ingredients I can give it either a liquid or gaseous form, unfortunately just because it's toxic to living creatures doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna harm a demon." Abby explained as she held a dropper over a hole in the box the creature was in.
"Only one way to find out. Let 'er rip Abby." Mercury instructed as she stared at the box. Abby nodded and squeezed a few drops of the liquid into the box, directly onto the demon. Rather than die though the demon proceeded to drink the poison like some sort of delicacy.
"Well that's five hundred concoctions down the drain, shit. I feel like we're never gonna find a way to stop these things in large quantities. At this rate we'll all be demon food before we can push up any further than the end of the street." Abby mumbled as she set her dropper down with a sigh.
"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way Abby, we're thinking about this from a scientific stand point, but maybe we should be thinking about this from a spiritual stand point instead." Mercury suggested with a thoughtful expression.
"Could you elaborate?" Abby asked with a straight face.
"I'll do you one better, I'll demonstrate." Mercury said with a grin as she pulled out her communicator and pressed the martian symbol.
"Bad time Ami!" Mars shouted into her communicator as she launched a blast of fire towards her front.
"Rei I need you in the lab, I have an idea how to stop these things!" Mercury yelled back in a serious tone.
"It's gonna have to wait, we just got swarmed by at least a hundred demons! We need support up here!" Mars shouted as she launched another wave of fire to her right side.
"On your left Rei!" Venus screamed off camera just seconds before her love me chain briefly flashed on the screen.
"Contact! Contact!" Soldiers shouted as gun fire erupted all around Mars and Venus.
"Get down Mina!" Mars suddenly screamed as she leapt out of view of her communicator screen.
"Rei?! Rei can you hear me?!" Mercury shouted into her communicator just before the screen turned to static.
"Alert! Perimeter breach on the north side, repeat, perimeter breach on the north side! All units man your battle stations!" A man's voice echoed overhead from the speakers.
"Stay with Abby girls, you're with me Mako, we've gotta get up there!" Mercury yelled as she started running back the way they'd came from.
"Stay safe girls!" Jupiter shouted as she ran after Mercury and disappeared down the hall.
"What's going on Abby?" Blossom quietly asked in a frightened tone.
"Don't worry girls, it'll be okay. Your mommies are on the job, just make sure you stay here where it's safe. That way your mommies can focus on themselves without worrying if you girls are safe." Abby said with a small smile as she hugged the puffs.
"Mommies." Bubbles quietly cried as she stared at the hall Mercury and Jupiter had ran down.
"Go! Go! Go!" A middle aged man yelled as he waved his hand forward a few times.
"Captain!" Jupiter shouted as she and Mercury approached the man.
"Glad to see you ladies are here and ready, we're heading to the front to help support the northern flank!" The man informed as a few trucks full of soldiers and gear drove past him.
"Is that where you need us sir?" Mercury asked with a stern expression.
"Negative, we're sending you to link up with the other guardians on the eastern front. The objective is to split Aku's army over multiple fronts, once divided we'll hold the line for as long as we can, in the meantime we need you and the other guardians to link up with echo team! They were scouting possible entries into one of Aku's factories, the place he manufactures the beetle droids that have been picking us apart for the past three weeks!" The man explained as he pointed to a few places on a map.
"Understood sir." Jupiter replied with a nod.
"First things first, find your team and rendezvous back here. From here you'll hitch a ride to the factory. We'll deploy two sniper teams on a nearby ridge for support while your team gets into that lab and shuts it down for good! Understand?!" The man asked as he stared at Mercury.
"Yes sir, but I have one question. Where's Jack?" Mercury asked with a worried expression.
"Doing what he does best, bug hunting." The man answered with a grin.
"Anything else sir?" Mercury asked as she turned to leave.
"Nope, just get your team and get back here a-sap! We're counting on you ladies to pull the plug on these bots, if you can't destroy that factory then we'll be over run by breakfast tomorrow. Get in, blow it to hell, then get out. That's an order." The man instructed with a grin.
"Sir yes sir!" Mercury and Jupiter yelled as they saluted the man.
"Alright bravo team, let's get it in gear! We're oscar mike!" The man yelled as he opened a door to a humvee.
"We're oscar mike people, let's get the lead out!" A soldier yelled as she started her humvee.
"You heard the lieutenant, battalion is oscar mike!" Another soldier yelled as he gestured Mercury and Jupiter into a humvee.
"Any idea what that means Ami?" Jupiter asked as she got in the humvee and sat down.
"Not a clue Mako." Mercury replied as she followed Jupiter into the vehicle.
"It means on the move or moving!" A man explained as he scooted past each of them and into the roof mounted turret.
"Let's go, move it out!" A soldier outside shouted as he waved the convoy forward. With that the entire convoy started driving forward out of the base, and away from the safety it provided.
"Here's the deal, front line's about eight clicks up, in civi terms that's about five miles. You are not to leave the vehicle unless ordered to do so, the primary objective is to grab the other four guardians and get to that factory a-sap. Is that clear?" A woman asked as she looked back at Mercury and Jupiter.
"Yes ma'am." Mercury answered with a straight face.
"Good, now hang tight. We should be there in a few..." The woman started saying until she was interrupted by one of the other soldiers.
"Contact! We've got bugs incoming, twelve o'clock high!" The man yelled as he aimed the mounted fifty caliber machine gun at a swarm of flying beetle drones.
"Open fire!" The woman shouted as she looked up at the man. The machine gun started firing nonstop, hot brass shells fell all around and even into the vehicle as the drones started to swarm the convoy like angry bees.
"Four clicks till we reach the front!" The driver shouted as she swerved all over the place in an attempt to avoid the drones.
"Ah!" The man on the gun screamed in pain as one of the drones razor sharp legs pierced his chest before throwing him from the vehicle.
"Corporal!" The lieutenant shouted in horror as she watched the man on the gun get dragged out of the hatch. "Someone get on that fifty, we need that fire support or those clankers are gonna tear us apart!" The lieutenant ordered as she looked around the humvee.
"I've got it ma'am!" Jupiter yelled as she quickly moved to the gun and poked her upper body through the hole.
"Be careful Mako!" Mercury shouted as she stared at Jupiter.
"I've got this Ami!" Jupiter replied as she started firing bullets at the swarm of drones. The drones started to drop from the sky like rain drops as Jupiter unleashed a fury of bullets from the mounted gun.
"Almost there, keep 'em back just a little longer!" The lieutenant yelled as she watched Jupiter from inside the vehicle.
"They're thinning out ma'am!" Jupiter informed as she lined up another shot.
"Just in time to, rendezvous is dead ahead!" The lieutenant informed as the convoy pulled up alongside a trench line. "You know the drill, get in, grab your team, then get back here!" The lieutenant instructed as she looked at Mercury.
"Understood ma'am! I'm going to get the others Mako, wait here and man the gun!" Mercury informed as she left the humvee.
"Be safe Ami!" Jupiter yelled back as she scanned the area for any more drones. Mercury ran down a slight incline into a long trench that was bustling with activity. "Excuse me!" Mercury yelled as she ran over to the first soldier she saw.
"Yeah?!" The soldier yelled back as he turned around and looked at Mercury.
"Have you seen the other guardians anywhere, they've been ordered back to base?" Mercury asked with a straight face.
"Just keep following the trench line for about another hundred feet or so, they were in dugout four last I heard." The soldier answered as he pointed in the direction Mercury need to go.
"Thanks." Mercury thanked as she started running down the trench line.
"Stop pressing so hard." Mars grumbled as Venus pushed down on her arm.
"We need to slow the bleeding Rei." Venus replied as she held pressure on Mars's arm.
"Where're Ami or Kaede when you need them?" Sailor Moon asked as she looked over the trench. "Looks like they've finally stopped coming for a moment, Aku must be busy doing something else. Next wave will be here within minutes I'm sure though." Sailor Moon sighed as she she sat down and looked at Venus. "How's she doing Mina?" Sailor Moon asked in a concerned tone.
"She's grumpy, but what's new." Venus replied as she wrapped some gauze around Mars's arm.
"I'm grumpy because you're, OW! Bad at this!" Mars snarked as Venus tied the gauze wrap in place.
"Guys!" Mercury shouted when she caught sight of the others.
"Thank god, someone who knows what they're doing!" Mars yelled as she watched Mercury approach them.
"Oh my god! Rei what happened to your arm?!" Mercury gasped as she stared at the blood soaked wrapping on Mars's arm.
"Damn beetle drone took a swing at me, got way too close for comfort. It put a big gash in my arm and damn near took it off." Mars explained as she gently placed her hand over the bandages.
"Was the cut length wise or width wise?" Mercury asked as she kneeled down by Mars.
"Width, why?" Mars answered and asked with a confused expression.
"How long have you been bleeding?" Mercury asked as she stared at Mars.
"It just happened, not more than a minute before you got here." Sailor Moon answered with a small frown.
"How are you feeling Rei?" Mercury asked as she pulled an elastic band out of her bag.
"A little light headed, and my arm's killing me." Mars answered as she gently rubbed her arm.
"Mina, take the wrapping off. I need to see what I'm dealing with here." Mercury ordered as she looked at Venus.
"Are you kidding me, I just got done wrapping it and she snarked at me through the whole process." Venus replied with a grumpy expression.
"Take it off Mina, now!" Mercury shouted as she glared at Venus.
"Jeez, alright. No need to get so angry about it. You act like she's dying or something." Venus mumbled as she untied Mars's bandage.
"She might be, the bleeding doesn't look like it's slowing at all. In fact it's getting worse, which could mean that the blade nicked one of her arteries. She could hemorrhage in minuets if that's the case." Mercury replied as she looked at Mars's wound. "Shit Rei, that thing definitely nicked your ulnar artery. If you had left it like this you would've bled to death, I thought I taught you guys about this stuff." Mercury informed as she wrapped the band a couple inches above Mars's wound and tightened it. "That'll slow the bleeding, I'll disinfect it and lightly wrap it; after that you're going back to base so Kaede can give you some more advanced treatment." Mercury quietly said as she dumped some disinfectant on Mars's wound, then wrapped it back up.
"Screw that, I'm coming with you guys." Mars said as she pulled her arm away from Mercury.
"No you're not Rei, you have what was almost a fatal wound. Go back to base and get treatment, that's an order." Sailor Moon instructed as she stared into Mars's eyes.
"Yes princess." Mars replied with a sigh.
"Usagi, you and Mina are with me. We've been given orders to take out the factory that's producing all of these drones. I'll explain more once we get moving." Mercury instructed as she started jogging back towards the convoy.
"What about Rei?" Venus asked as she looked down at Mars.
"We've got her ma'am, we'll call in a medivac and keep an eye on her until it gets here. She's in good hands, I promise." A woman informed with a smile as she walked over to the group.
"But she has a really bad wound, like a life threatening one." Venus informed with a sad expression.
"I'm aware ma'am, I was told about someone being wounded on this end of the trench line. Sorry it took a while for me to get here, there were a lot of other injuries that I needed to treat on my way." The woman explained as she held her hand out to Venus. "I'm corporal Meiou by the way, and before you ask, there's no relation to the Setsuna Meiou you're familiar with." The woman said with a smile.
"Minako Aino. Thanks for taking care of her for me ma'am." Venus thanked as she shook the woman's hand.
"It's my pleasure ma'am, now go shut that factory down once and for all." The woman said with a grin.
"You've got it." Venus replied as she jogged over to the convoy.
"Thanks, we'll make sure to get the job done." Sailor Moon said with a smile as she ran after Venus.
"About damn time, you three stop for breakfast or something?!" Jupiter yelled as she watched everyone get in the humvee.
"No, Rei took a hit and she needed to be examined. She'll be okay though, she's in good hands." Mercury explained as she and the others sat down.
"You ladies all set?" The driver asked as she looked back at everyone.
"Yes ma'am, now let's get to that factory and shut it down." Sailor Moon answered as she closed the door.
"You've got it ma'am." The driver replied as she grabbed her radio. "Packages are secure, we're oscar mike to the target. Over." The driver informed as she put the humvee in drive.
"Rodger that, convoy is oscar mike. E.T.A is two minutes." A man replied over the radio as the convoy started moving again.
"Hopefully there won't be any more surprises along the way." The driver said as she continued following the convoy to the factory.
"Don't jinx it, we're all clear so far." Jupiter informed as she scanned the sky for more drones.
"Woah. What the heck happened here?" The driver asked as they approached the factory, finding bits of robot scattered all over the place.
"No clue. I wonder if they malfunctioned and tore each other apart." Jupiter said as she stared at the scraps of beetle drones.
"I don't think that's what happened Mako, I think our new friend got to them first." Sailor Moon said with a grin as she pointed towards the main entrance to the factory.
"He's a one man army." Mercury said in a shocked tone as she stared out the window.
"Jack!" Sailor Moon yelled as the convoy came to a stop.
"Usagi, I didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing here with all of these people?" Jack asked as he sheathed his sword.
"We came to destroy the factory." Sailor Moon answered as she got out of the humvee.
"That's what I came to do, great minds think alike as they say." Jack replied with a chuckle. "Come, the path inside is clear, but I don't know how long this calm will last." Jack informed as he started walking into the factory. The guardians all looked up at it in astonishment and horror. The factory was several stories tall, completely black in color with the exception of its red windows that were evenly spread around throughout it. Several long smoke stacks sat atop it, puffing out thick black smog that dampened the sunlight in the vicinity.
"I can't wait to tear this eyesore down." Jupiter mumbled as she started following Jack.
"Tell me about..." Mercury started saying, until a gunshot echoed through the area.
"What the hell was that?!" Venus yelled as she spun around. A beetle drone fell to the ground a moment later.
"That's the sound of good sniper support." One of the soldiers said with a grin as she looked at the busted drone. "Now get in and do your thing, we'll watch the perimeter and keep any reinforcements at bay until you get the job done." The soldier instructed as she and her team spread out around the area.
"Yes ma'am." Venus replied as she started following the others inside.
"Real quick ma'am, what radio channel are you all on?" The soldier asked as she looked back at Venus.
"Channel six." Venus answered as she put a hand on the radio she had strapped to her chest.
"Good, contact us if anything goes south and you need backup in there." The woman instructed with a smile.
"Yes ma'am, and you all do the same." Venus replied as she jogged after the other guardians. The guardians carefully entered the facility, finding it poorly lit with the sounds of various mechanical components echoing throughout it.
"Flashlights on, and stick together. There's no telling what kinds of horrors await us in this place." Sailor Moon calmly ordered as she switched on a flashlight. The rest of the guardians nodded their agreement before turning their own flashlights on.
"If this place is similar to Aku's other facilities I've come across, then their should be a main power unit somewhere. If we can find it and destroy it then the whole factory will be put to a standstill." Jack informed as he looked around the large corridor they were walking down.
"Any ideas where that unit may be?" Mercury asked as she flipped on her visor and started a high resolution scan.
"Unfortunately not, the factories differ in layout. But if it's here we'll find it." Jack replied in a confident tone.
"Hopefully before something else finds us first." Jupiter whispered as she stopped walking.
"Something wrong Mako?" Mercury asked as she looked back at Jupiter.
"Don't you find it suspicious that there aren't any further defenses past the main entrance? Something's not right, we should've ran into something trying to stop us by now." Jupiter quietly explained with a suspicious expression.
"I agree, it's not like Aku to just let people walk into his drone factories with such little resistance. I fear we may be walking into a trap." Jack replied as he scanned their surroundings for any signs of danger.
"That may be true, but this has to be done; just stay together and be cautious. We can do this." Sailor Moon encouraged as she bravely lead everyone forward. Sailor Moon and the others took a few steps forward, then the ground started to shake.
"Listen." Venus whispered as she focused on a distant sound of gears and other robotic mechanisms.
"Beetle drones." Jack growled as he slowly unsheathed his sword.
"Sounds like a damn army of them." Jupiter added as she took a fighting stance.
"It wouldn't surprise me if it was. I've been attacked by hundreds of them before. Be on your guard, they're dangerous enough on their own, but add a hundred to that and death is all but certain for most." Jack warned as the sound drew closer.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Jack." Venus mumbled as she took a fighting stance.
"Here they come, get ready." Sailor Moon ordered as she opened her wings and prepared her feather barrage.
"I don't care if there's one of them or a million, nothing's stopping me from seeing my girls again." Mercury said through gritted teeth as she held her hands up. Seconds later a horde of beetle drones came charging around the corner. They were massive in size, at least three times the height of their human opponents; with six legs that each had a sharpened blade the length of Jack's sword, and they all had large piercing red eyes. They were absolutely menacing.
"This isn't good at all." Venus quietly said as she stared at the horde of drones in front of her, she guessed that there had to be at least fifty of them. The guardians were outnumbered ten to one at best, but they refused to yield.
"Listen everyone, I have a plan. When I give you the order I want you all to hit the dirt. Do you understand?" Sailor Moon quietly asked as she stared a beetle droid down.
"Yes princess." Venus whispered in a shaky tone.
"You understand Jack?" Sailor Moon asked as she looked over at Jack.
"I do. Whenever you're ready Usagi." Jack replied with a small grin.
"Now, hit the dirt everyone!" Sailor Moon shouted as she spread her wings wide. The others quickly dropped to the ground and covered their heads with their hands. "Okay, eat this you clankers, angelic feather barrage!" Sailor Moon screamed as she flung her wings forward, launching hundreds of razor sharp feathers at the horde of drones. The sound of tearing and shrieking metal rang through the air as the feathers ripped the drones apart like paper in a shredder. "That's all I've got in me right now, you guys have do the rest!" Sailor Moon informed with a few small breaths.
"Gladly! Thanks Usagi!" Venus yelled as she and the others leapt into action. Venus summoned her love me chain and wrapped it around three drones, then with a hard pull she sliced all three in half.
"Watch your left Mina!" Jupiter shouted as she sent a supreme thunder attack whizzing past Venus's head and through a row of drones, frying at least six of them.
"Not bad Mako, but try this one." Mercury said with a grin as she held her hands out in front of her, then launched hundreds of icy fragments at the remaining drones. The fragments ripped through the drones like a hail of bullets, leaving nothing but shredded pieces in their wake.
"Are we clear?" Venus asked as she looked around a little bit.
"For now, but we must keep moving before more show up. This way, quickly." Jack ordered as he started running down the hall.
"Wait for us!" Mercury shouted as she and the others ran after him. Several minutes passed as they all continued down the same hallway before anything else happened.
"Look out!" Jack suddenly yelled as he jumped several feet backwards, just milliseconds before a bright red laser shot out from a side wall, leaving a bright, orange hot hole in the wall opposite of it. "Be careful, there may be other traps similar to this one." Jack warned as he continued rushing forward.
"Did you see how fast he moved? He literally just dodged light." Mercury quietly said in an astonished tone.
"Let's hope we don't have to do the same, now let's keep moving." Sailor Moon replied as she continued forward, followed closely by the others.
"There! The central communication array!" Jack yelled as he and the guardians entered a large open room. The room was circular in shape with a giant metal center piece. It looked somewhat like an hourglass, except that instead of being narrow in the center it had a large round shape to it.
"Is it just me, or does this design look familiar?" Venus asked with a thoughtful expression.
"It kind of reminds me of the center of that big planet destroying orb from that one movie with the laser swords and the guy that breathes funny." Jupiter replied with a smile.
"Well if that's the case then we just have to smash that thing, right?" Sailor Moon asked as she looked at Jack.
"Exactly, once we destroy that the factory's power core will overload and the whole thing will be blown sky high." Jack answered with a serious expression.
"Are we gonna have time to get out?" Sailor Moon asked with a worried expression.
"Hopefully, but I can't guarantee it. So you all need to leave, I will destroy the power core once you're all safely out of the facility." Jack replied as he grabbed his sword.
"No. Let me do it, you're the only one who can stop Aku; the fate of the multiverse rests in your hands Jack. You and the others get out of here, hopefully I'll be right behind you." Venus quietly said as she stared at the power core.
"No Mina, let me do it. If any of us need to take the risk it should be me. After all, it's Jupiter's job to protect the inner planets." Jupiter said with a small smile.
"No way Mako, don't forget that you and Ami have children now. The girls can't loose you, they've already lost their father, I won't let them experience that pain again." Venus quietly said as she wrapped her chain around the base of the core.
"But Mina..." Jupiter started to protest, until Venus interrupted her.
"I am second in command of the Sailor Guardians, Jupiter! You will obey my order and leave this place with the others! Is that understood Sailor Jupiter?!" Venus shouted as she turned her head and stared at Jupiter.
"Yes Venus." Jupiter quietly answered with a sad expression.
"Be strong Mako, just like you always are." Venus quietly said with a small smile. "Now go, get out of here and let me take care of this. I'll see you all soon." Venus said with a grin as she looked back at the power core.
"See you soon Mina." Jupiter quietly said as she looked at Sailor Moon.
"Minako..." Sailor Moon started to say until Venus interrupted.
"It's okay Usagi, it's okay. Tell Rei how much I love her and that I'll always be with her." Venus quietly said with a smile and a few tears. "Now go! Get out of this hell hole, and make sure Aku pays for what he's done. Your hearts and souls to the cause." Venus said with a serious expression as she tightly gripped her chain in both hands.
"We love you Minako." Sailor Moon quietly said as she turned away from Venus.
"I love you all to Usagi." Venus quietly said with a few tears. With heavy hearts Sailor Moon and the others all ran towards the exit, knowing what was about to happen. "Suck on this Aku, my heart and soul to the cause!" Venus screamed as she yanked back on her love me chain, crushing the power core's support beam and sending it crashing down like a mighty oak tree. "Goodbye Rei, you'll always be my firefly." Venus whispered to herself just as the structure came down, followed by a cataclysmic explosion.
"Get down! Everybody down!" Sailor Moon screamed as she and the others charged out of the factory towards the soldiers waiting outside.
"Find cover!" One of the soldiers screamed as she and the rest of the soldiers took cover. The entire factory went up in a ball of flames and smoke, sending debris flying everywhere, and leaving nothing behind but a thick black smoke cloud. Across the battlefield the drones began to stop and fall to the ground one after the other. For the first time since Aku had arrived, the people of earth had claimed a major victory. To the guardians though, it cost a price they were not willing to pay.
"Minako." Sailor Moon quietly cried as she fell to her knees in front of the burning remains of the factory.
"I can't believe she's gone. How... how are we gonna tell Rei?" Jupiter cried as she looked over at Sailor Moon.
"I don't know. She's gonna be hysterical, I can't believe Mina's actually dead. This is nightmare right? This has to be some kind of horrible dream." Mercury cried as she stared at the factorie's remains.
"Good work ladies, now let's back to base so we can give the director the good news." One of the soldiers said as he gestured to a humvee.
"What good news? Minako's dead." Sailor Moon quietly replied as she started crying even harder.
"Dead? Wait, you lost one of your teammates in there?" The soldier quietly asked in a shocked tone.
"We lost our friend in there, she wasn't just a teammate! She was our best friend, and now she's gone. Rei, oh poor Rei. What is she gonna do? How are we gonna tell her?" Mercury sobbed as she hugged Mako.
"We need to get back to base, we have to tell Rei what happened." Sailor Moon cried as she slowly got into the humvee, followed by everyone but Jack.
"You're not coming?" Mercury asked with a sniffle as she looked at Jack.
"No, I will give you ladies some space. I'm very sorry for your loss, and I promise that Minako's sacrifice will not be in vain." Jack quietly said as he bowed to everyone. "I will be here if you need me though." Jack informed as he closed the humvee door. The moment the door closed the humvee started to move forward towards the base, it was an eerily silent ride, and everyone had the same thought on their mind.
"Who, who's gonna tell her?" Jupiter quietly asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.
"I will. I'm the princess, she was my guardian and my responsibility. I was the one that couldn't save her, the one who lead her to her end. I will deliver the news to Rei, you and Ami should tell Kaede and the girls though. They deserve to know what happened to their aunt." Sailor Moon quietly instructed as they pulled up to the base.
"Yes princess." Mercury and Jupiter quietly replied as they all slowly exited the vehicle.
"You ladies get the job done?" The middle aged man from earlier asked as everyone slowly walked towards him.
"It's done, the factory is destroyed and the drones have ceased all movement. It's over." Sailor Moon quietly answered as she and the other guardians sulked past the man and into the base.
"What's up with them?" The man asked as he looked at the driver of the humvee.
"One of the guardians was killed sir." The driver answered with a sad expression.
"Oh my god. Those poor girls, how tragic." The man quietly said as he watched the guardians enter the base.
"Director." Sailor Moon quietly said in a sad tone as she approached Vance.
"Ms. Tsukino, I'm getting word that all of the robots have shut down. I'm to assume the mission was a success?" Vance asked as he stared at Sailor Moon.
"Factory destroyed sir, all drones are now inoperable." Sailor Moon quietly said as she let a few tears fall from her eyes.
"Is everything alright Ms. Tsukino?" Vance asked in a slightly concerned tone.
"Minako's dead." Sailor Moon quietly answered as she hugged Vance and sobbed into his chest.
"I... I'm so sorry Ms. Tsukino. Ms. Aino was a very brave and wonderful young woman. I'm so truly sorry for your loss." Vance quietly said as he did his best to comfort Sailor Moon.
"I have to go tell Rei, please excuse me director." Sailor Moon quietly cried as she walked away. A few minutes later Sailor Moon arrived in the medical center to break the news to Mars.
"Hey Usagi, how'd it go with the factory?" Europa asked as she tended to a wounded soldier.
"Where's Rei?" Sailor Moon bluntly asked as she stared at Europa.
"Far end of the room, last rack on this side. She's doing good though." Europa answered with a smile as she continued treating injured soldiers.
"She won't be in a moment." Sailor Moon replied in a sad tone. Before Europa could even ask, Sailor Moon was walking away to give the worst news she could ever give to anyone.
"Usagi! I'm so glad that you're all okay, I felt awful about not being able to help you guys. I'm just glad that you all made it back safely though." Mars said with a smile as she hugged Sailor Moon.
"Rei, I... I don't... I'm sorry Rei, I'm so sorry." Sailor Moon cried as she stared into Mars's eyes.
"For what Usagi? Not letting me come help? There's no reason to cry over that, though you should be sorry for not letting me help you guys." Mars said with a smug grin.
"That's not what I mean Rei. Minako... She didn't... This is the hardest thing I've ever done." Sailor Moon cried as she held her head in her hands.
"Come on already Usagi, whatever it is just spit it out!" Mars snapped as she glared at Sailor Moon.
"Rei, Minako didn't make it. She was killed during the mission. I'm so so sorry Rei." Sailor Moon informed as she burst into tears.
"M-Minako's... That-that can't be, that can't be true. This is some sick joke right?! You're finally getting back at me for all of the mean things I've said to you over the years! Don't you think this is going a bit far Usagi?! This isn't funny!" Mars screamed at Sailor Moon as her eyes began to water over.
"I wish it was a sick joke Rei, but it's not. Minako didn't make it, she died in the battle. I'm so sorry Rei, I failed her. I failed all of you, I couldn't save her. She's gone Rei, I'm so sorry!" Sailor Moon cried as she tried to hug Mars.
"It's not true, this can't be happening. Minako, Mina you can't be gone, you can't be gone! MINAKO!" Mars screamed in a fit of pain and rage as she hugged Sailor Moon and cried into her shoulder. Sailor Moon didn't know what to say, so she just held Mars in the tightest hug she could. "I'm gonna k-kill that m-motherfucker for what he did! Aku's gonna pay for this, I'll kill him for this! I'll kill him! It's not fair Usagi, it should've been me! If I hadn't been hurt then I could've been there and I could've saved her! Why didn't anyone save her?!" Mars sobbed into Sailor Moon's shoulder.
"We couldn't Rei, we tried, we wanted to. But she chose to stay behind and destroy the power core, she sacrificed herself for all of us. I would've taken her place if I could've, but she wasn't gonna let me. I'm sorry Rei, I wish I could've done something to help her." Sailor Moon quietly replied as she did her best to comfort Mars.
"No, our jobs are to protect you Usagi. We'd give our lives for your safety, I love Minako, but our duties to you and the future take priority. She'd be happy that you made it out alive, this world can't afford to loose the spark of hope that you are. If it had been me in there instead of her, I would've made the same choice Mina did. I'm gonna miss her so much though, she was my everything." Mars quietly cried as she pressed her face into Sailor Moon's chest. "Please tell me it was at least quick and painless." Mars quietly begged through her tears.
"She wouldn't've felt a thing Rei, there was so much energy behind the blast that it would've been like standing next to a nuke. The second it detonated she would've been gone. No pain of any kind." Sailor Moon replied as she gently rocked Mars.
"At least she didn't suffer. Oh Minako, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. My sweet little light, I never imagined you'd cease to shine." Mars quietly cried as she held Sailor Moon tighter. "Oh my god Usagi, how are we gonna tell the girls?" Mars asked in a heartbroken tone as she stared at Sailor Moon.
"Ami and Mako are taking care of it. Just rest Rei, we should all try and rest now." Sailor Moon said with a sniffle as she continued to hold Mars. While Sailor Moon and Mars did their best to comfort each other, Mercury and Jupiter where trying to figure out the best way to deliver the worst kind of news.
"You don't have to do this Mako, I've known them longer and I connect with them on a different level." Mercury quietly said as she and Jupiter walked towards the lab.
"No, I'll do it Ami. You gave them the last death notification, I don't want it to get to a point where the only thing they think when they see you is that you're there to tell them someone they loved just died." Jupiter replied as she stopped outside the lab.
"Okay, but I'll be right out here if you or the girls need me." Mercury said with a sniffle.
"Be strong Ami, the girls need their mothers to be rocks right now. No matter how soft and hurting we are on the inside." Jupiter said with a sad smile as she gently wiped Mercury's tears from her cheeks.
"Okay." Mercury replied as she took a deep breath and calmed down a little.
"That's my brave little blueberry." Jupiter said with a smile as she gave Mercury a kiss, then slowly entered the lab. "Knock knock. Hi girls." Jupiter said with a sad smile as she entered the room.
"Mako mommy!" All three puffs cheered as they dashed up to Jupiter and hugged her. "Did you get rid of that big icky factory that was making all those yucky robots?" Bubbles asked with a big smile.
"Yeah, yeah it's all gone girls. No more creepy bug bots to deal with anymore." Jupiter answered with a small smile.
"Alright! We knew you could do it, our mommies and aunties are the toughest people in the whole world! Nothing can stop them!" Buttercup cheered with enthusiasm.
"Is everything alright Mako, you seem a little down?" Abby asked with a worried expression as she looked at Jupiter.
"Could you give us a moment please Abby, I need to talk to the girls in private?" Jupiter asked with a small frown.
"Oh, um, sure Mako. I'll be outside if you need me." Abby replied as she stood up and left the room.
"Hey Abby." Mercury quietly said as Abby walked out of the room and closed the door.
"Oh jeez, you scared me Ami. Everything go okay, Mako's acting strangely?" Abby inquired as she stared at Mercury.
"I'll tell you in a bit, but right now I need a moment. I wanna make sure I'm here for the girls if they need me." Mercury answered with a sad expression.
"Okay, I'll just wait in the room next door then." Abby quietly said as she walked into an empty room.
"What's wrong Mako mommy? Where's Ami mommy?" Bubbles asked as she sat down on Jupiter's lap.
"Girls, there's something I need to tell you and I don't know how to do it. I'll try to make it easy on you though." Jupiter said with a deep breath. "Your auntie Minako, she didn't... I'm sorry girls. Your auntie Minako died during the fight, I'm so sorry girls." Jupiter quietly cried as she hugged the puffs.
"Auntie Minako's dead? Like our daddy?" Bubbles asked as her eyes started to water over.
"I'm so sorry Bubbles, I wish we could've saved her." Jupiter cried as she hugged the puffs as tight as she could.
"That... that's not fair, it's not fair! First our daddy, then Mr. Gibbs, and now auntie Minako! Why is Aku so evil?! Why does he exist mama?! Why does he keep killing our friends and families?!" Buttercup screamed as she clung to Jupiter.
"Because he's a bad guy Buttercup, and he gets joy out of other peoples pain. The only thing we can do now is make sure he pays for what he's done. We can't let your dad, Minako, or Mr. Gibbs's deaths be in vain. We're going to find a way to stop Aku for good, we'll make him pay girls. I promise." Jupiter quietly said with a sniffle as she continued to comfort the girls.
"Where's Ami mommy?" Buttercup asked as she looked up at Jupiter.
"She's in the hall, do you want her to come in here?" Jupiter asked with a sniffle as she looked back at Buttercup.
"Mhm." Buttercup quietly answered with a nod.
"Ami!" Jupiter yelled towards the door.
"I'm here Mako." Mercury quietly said as she entered the room.
"Ami mommy." Buttercup said with a sad expression as she held her arms out to Mercury.
"Come here baby." Mercury quietly said a she gently picked Buttercup up and hugged her.
"We should try and rest, there's no telling when something else is gonna happen and when we'll need to go back out there." Jupiter suggested as she carried Blossom and Bubbles out of the lab.
"Okay Mako. Come on Buttercup, let's go get some rest." Mercury quietly said as she slowly followed Jupiter towards the bunks.
"Can I go see auntie Rei?" Bubbles asked with a sad expression as she looked up at Jupiter.
"Not right now sweetie, auntie Rei's gonna need some time alone I think." Jupiter replied as she and Mercury entered the bunk room and laid down with the girls. "Goodnight girls, your mommies love you very much." Jupiter whispered as she laid the puffs between herself and Mercury, then put an arm around all of them.
"Goodnight mommies." The puffs quietly replied as they all slowly closed their eyes.
"Goodnight Mako, I love you so much." Mercury said with a sniffle as she held Jupiter's hand.
"I love you to Ami." Jupiter whispered as she squeezed Mercury's hand in her own.
"Mako, did anyone tell Kaede what happened?" Mercury quietly asked in a sad tone.
"Not that I know of." Jupiter answered as she stared at Mercury.
"Someone needs to tell Kaede what happened." Mercury groaned as she started getting up.
"Don't worry about it." Europa quietly said as she walked into the room.
"Sis." Jupiter whispered as she watched Europa walk over by them.
"Usagi came by after she talked with Rei, I heard what happened out there. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you guys, Minako was a great friend and a brave guardian. She was family." Europa said with a few tears as she sat down at the foot of the bed.
"I felt so helpless sis, all I could do was turn my back on her and run like a coward." Jupiter quietly cried as she stared at Europa.
"That's not true sis, you did what Minako told you to do. You survived, and you came back here to your girls. That's exactly what Minako would've wanted, I'm sure she's proud of you Mako. I love you sis." Europa whispered as she hugged Jupiter.
"I love you to Kaede." Jupiter replied as she hugged her back.
"Get some rest Mako, I have some patients to treat in the med bay yet, but I'm going to bed afterwards as well. I love you sis." Europa quietly said as she stood up and left the room.
"Goodnight Ami, goodnight girls, I love you all so much." Jupiter whispered as she did her best to fall asleep.