Chapter 7-Showdown

Ami looked at her group of friends and gave them an affirmative nod. Time to storm the castle. Each armed with at least one weapon and a whistle each, the soldiers were ready to face the monsters. Haruka reached over and gave Michiru's hand a squeeze. "We will find her." She mouthed the words. Michiru gave a weak smile and nodded.

Ami turned the doorknob slowly to test it. It was unlocked. She pushed the door open quietly. The hallway was illuminated by a nightlight but mostly dark still. The group made their way in stealthily. Mercury computer in hand, Ami started scanning the room for heat signatures.

The computer pinged softly. Ami turned and pointed at a door leading to the basement. Mako stopped Ami before she opened the door. She motioned Ami to stand behind her. If there were any surprises behind that door, Mako would rather she took the first hit. After all, she was much stronger than the little water senshi.

Mako winced as the door made a loud squeaky noise. She peeked over the door. The basement was lit with only one light bulb in the ceiling. It smelt like mold and some other unidentifiable stench. Mako made her way down the stairs, while the others followed. Michiru, Haruka and Setsuna decided to guard the door, in case the enemy flanked them from this side.

Chibiusa turned on the flashlight and swept the room. She noticed an odd looking door near the corner of the room. She knocked on it softly.

Knock. Knock. Someone replied from the other side. The lot rushed over. Ami got out her lock picks and started working. Mako raised her eyebrows, amazed at how the little genius could come so prepared. Was there any situations Ami did not foresee?

One minute past. The pad lock still wouldn't give. Mako motioned Mina to come forth; she then motioned Ami to step aside. Together, they slammed their shoulders into the door in unison. With two hits, the door cracked open.

"Hotaru." Chibiusa squealed silently as she raced into the room. She reached for her friend's hand, beaming with happiness. Hotaru's hair seemed to be chopped up, but other than that, she was not hurt. Chibiusa breathed a sigh of relief. Excited, Usagi ran up the stairs to tell the others. Moments later, Michiru came downstairs with Usagi.

"Don't worry. We will get you out of here." Ami typed the message into her computer and hit play. The children still looked fearful, but a glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes.

All of a sudden, a whistle sounded. Setsuna and Haruka were alerting them of the incoming attacks. Ami stayed behind with Minako and Chibiusa to keep working on the pad locks on the cage. The others rushed toward the stairs.

Setsuna landed hard on her back as she fell down the basement stairs. Haruka was still fighting. Even as a civilian, she had unnatural speed. It was the only advantage she had right now over the floating monsters. Wincing with pain, Setsuna propped herself up. One arm was bleeding but nothing seemed to be broken. She staggered back up the stairs, re-joining the fight.

Setsuna and Haruka fought hard to keep the monsters upstairs, but the sheer number of monsters overwhelmed them easily and started to spill into the basement.

Rei raised her bow and started shooting. Two arrows flew and made direct contact with two monsters. The gentlemen looked down at the arrows piercing their chests and smiled. Undeterred, they continued to advance. Each holding a sharp scalpel, they charged at the girls.

Mako shoved Usagi into the corner next to the shelves and motioned her to stay put. She and Michiru and Rei stood their grounds, holding up the second front. Usagi watched in horror. The arrows, the swords, the knives, none of them seemed to hurt the monsters at all. Makos dumped her sword on the ground and opt for hand to hand combat. Michiru and Rei followed.

Thud. Rei was thrown and landed hard next to Usagi. Her back slammed into the bookshelf hard and the sound of impact was sickening. The bookshelf wavered and then started to tip forward. Without thinking, Usagi threw herself on top of Rei. The princess yelped in pain as she felt the crushing weight on her back.

The fire senshi opened her eyes in utter shock. Usagi laid over her, hurt and bleeding. The princess's kind eyes stared back, full of concern.

"Are you okay?" Rei mouthed the question. Usagi nodded slowly. Together, they shoved the heavy bookshelf aside. Rei sat Usagi down on the ground, making sure the princess was okay and then dove headfirst back into battle.

Usagi watched in amazement as their friends fought. Mako and Michiru fighting with their hands; Rei started chanting and threw the odufa at the monsters; Mina came out and joined the fight as well. She pulled out a long rope and started to whip at the gentlemen. Usagi could hear Setsuna and Haruka fighting upstairs as well. With each sickening thud, Usagi hoped it was the monsters falling and not her friends.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Usagi noticed something peculiar. It was a wooden box with weird markings on them. The princess picked it up and examined it in her hands. There was no lid, no opening. Usagi looked again for a hidden button.

"Hey", Usagi yelled silently while banging her hand on the bookshelf. The noise drew the scouts' attention, but the monsters as well. Rei and Michiru's eyes widen with disbelief, as they stared at the object.

Two gentlemen started to float toward Usagi. Their face expressions were different now. Instead of their proud and cocky smiles, they showed fear and anger for the first time. Whoosh. Mina whipped her rope around and lassoed the two monsters. With a hard yank, they fell to the ground.

"Break it now!" A computerized voice said. Usagi turned and saw Ami exiting the back room.

Usagi raised the box above her hand and hurled it as hard as she could to the ground. Everyone in the room held their breath as they wait. The wooden box bounced but it didn't break.

The monsters' mouths turned upward into a grin again. The box stayed protected under their spell. The leader of the group wagged his finger at the scouts, while shaking his head slowly. He was certain now, that the gentlemen would remain victorious.

A.N. Final chapter will be posted on Wednesday.