It was important to stay busy. Fortunately, there were no shortage of small tasks to be done.
Ensure the city armories were properly stocked. Ensure the infirmaries had enough supplies to heal those still recovering from the after effects of the Last Battle. Train. Rebuild the world.
Crystal Tokyo was safe. Perhaps the only safe place left on Earth. The search and rescue missions to the rest of the planet after the battle yielded no survivors. It also meant that there were plenty of empty lands that needed to be monitored, lest a new enemy come and gain a foothold on the devastated Earth. The problem was, even with the revival of the Shitennou, the planet was simply too big to be effectively monitored.
This was a problem; which meant, of course, that it was up to Ami to come up with the solution.
There had been a time Ami had been uncomfortable being the brains of the group. She was always shy of her abilities. She already stood out, and being a genius only made her stand out all the more. She had never been comfortable in the spotlight. All she wanted was peace and quiet to pursue the joys of learning. Instead, she was either envied and disliked for her intelligence, or used because of it. Learning became a burden, a liability to be used against her.
If it hadn't been for Usagi, Ami may have become an arrogant, aloof intellectual who would have alternately scorned those she deemed less worthy than her, and still sought their approval and affection.
Instead, when Neo-Queen Serenity came to her first Senshi and asked her to help save the world, Ami responded with pride. Not joy. Joy was in very short supply these days. But Ami at least felt secure in enough in herself that she would not let her friend down.
It was such a simple idea in the end, Ami was surprised she hadn't already thought of it. She didn't need to reinvent the wheel.
Ami considered it fortunate that the enemy had left the infrastructure of Earth intact. A small mercy, as 99% of the Earth's population had simply vanished. But there was enough technology to get civilization running again. Ami knew if she could get enough computers and servers working again, the internet would be their best hope. Combined with her Mercury Computer and a bit of Silver Millenium engineering, she could have a planetary network that could give Crystal Tokyo eyes and ears around the world.
The possibilities were endless. They could use this network to regain control of some of the basic infrastructure around the globe and reverse some of the disrepair and decay that had begun to settle in. Ami had begun to feel true excitement. She hadn't felt like this since the last time the girls had all had a study session at the Temple. She wondered if life would ever be that simple again. At least, if she could make this work, it would be a step in the right direction.
Jadeite had not wanted to come back. His relationship with the city of Bangalore, and indeed, the whole country of India, had been very complex. On the one hand, he was Jadeite, Shitennou of the Far East. This had once been the jewel of his domain; a country of untamed wilds and mighty forts, splendid palaces and powerful weather, a land of ancientry and mystery, beauty and danger, an embodiment of his power.
On the other hand, he remembered a life a thousand years later when he was Jeffery Ryan, the son of British Immigrants who had journeyed halfway around the world to this outpost of the old British Empire to make a new life for themselves. They came because they said opportunities could be found here for those who were willing to work and take a few risks. The world was changing, and it was happening here. He was one of a small community of foreigners who had come to ride the wave of good fortune during the boom years of technology. He was at once an elite, and an outcast; envied for his wealth, mistrusted for his parentage. A part of him felt that this should be home. But the sideways looks, the pointing fingers and the hushed whispers always reminded him that he was not truly home here.
Perhaps it was good then, that he had returned here with Ami. At least she understood some of what he felt. And it was for a good cause. Jadeite wanted to see his home restored. He wanted another chance to make it home once again.
They worked very coolly and professionally together; Jadeite providing all the necessary knowledge of the city, its surroundings and its infrastructure, and Ami using all of that to create the first node of a world wide network outside of Crystal Tokyo. If they were successful here, they could start moving across Asia to the Europe, and then beyond. They had picked this city for all the technical resources still available, the telecommunications infrastructure in particular. They also secretly hoped that Jadeite's power as Shitennou of this land would help to anchor their network. The results were promising, but it would take time to know if they were successful.
They paused for a moment in their labors, and silence gradually overtook them, leaving each to their thoughts.
Ami finally spoke.
"Thank you again for your help."
"I'm glad I could be of service."
"I'm sorry I had to ask you," she said. "I just needed your expertise on this city."
"I understand Princess. Again, I'm simply glad I could help."
"Has it been difficult for you?"
She could have meant so many things by that question that he did not answer immediately.
"I didn't want to come back," he answered just as cryptically. "But I suppose I was needed. So I will do what I can to fulfill my duty." He stared out the window at the city he once knew so well. "I don't want to fail this time.
She joined him in looking out the window. "I had always wanted to come here. There's so much history and culture, and yet it was such a frontier of technological innovation. I envy you having had the chance to live through some of that."
Jadeite smiled, but Ami detected a hint of sorrow in that smile.
"It was quite wonderful. Like no where on Earth. Everyone wrote this country off as a backwater that was too crowded and not educated enough to ever matter in world affairs. Then a few bright and brave people took some risks, and made this rise up and change the landscape forever. It was like a paradise." Jadeite's smile fell and he was quiet again.
"People are never satisfied with paradise though." He looked out the window again. This time, instead of skyscrapers, he saw marble towers. "People began to feel that all the wealth and prosperity was passing them by, and that the elite and powerful were hoarding all the riches for themselves." He looked down at his hands. In his mind, they were stained red with blood. "They began to blame them for all their problems, and stopped trying to better themselves. Instead, they became petty, and wanted nothing more than to tear the world down."
He looked at Ami, and when she looked into his eyes, she wasn't sure if he was talking about ten years or a thousand years ago.
"It's how the enemy was able to gain a foothold on Earth. And the rest, well…" His voice trailed off and he looked out the window again.
Ami reached across and took his hand.
"We'll make it right this time."
He took a deep breath, fighting back the growing melancholy and despair.
"I hope so. I don't want to see paradise fall this time." Once again, he looked her in the eye. "I just want to go home."
Ami gripped his hand tighter. Whether it was ten years, or a thousand years ago he was talking about, she understood perfectly. It was the same thing she wanted. She too, hoped that this time, it would be right.