48: "Take Back Tokyo! Part Three: Play with Me"
A riveting riotous guitar lick swept across the Japanese airwaves as Sailors Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto surrounded Tokyo Bay, with Shibuya's finest at their heels and countless battle-ready citizens bringing up their rear. Sailor Venus, who was patrolling the skies with Quetzalcoatl, perked up as she heard it, and screamed into the headset Makoto had loaned her:
"Hey, Tokyo, this is DJ Venus standing in for Sailor Jupiter! The fun's about to get kicked up as the ass-kicking goes into overdrive! Can you give us a loud cheer, Tokyo? Can I hear your voice?"
The city surged as a heavy drum solo thundered across the city. Venus nearly burst from excitement.
"Hell yeah! We're taking it to the seas, Tokyo! Let's dance!"
And she did just that as the song kicked into high gear:
Do-you-want-to-PLAY!?
"Sing it with me!"
Ring around the rosie
Hopscotch, Monopoly
Red light, green light
G. I. Joes and Barbies
Hide and seek, kick the can
Cowboys and Indians
Wiffle ball, paper dolls
Hacky sack and hangman
Do you wanna play with me
Bolstered by the lightning-fast lyrics, the Sailors stormed the oceans, crashing hard against all of the star-soldiers that had amassed there. Enlil had taken over Japan's waters; he could summon floods and churn the broiling sea at will; he could even call forth monsters from the deep. But even all this was not enough reason to fear him, for he was Ninurta's father, and bore a vengeful grudge against the Sailors he believed his son had defeated. He spoke boldly, with the roaring ocean amplifying his voice, but the music was blaring so loud that even he was drowned out.
Tag you're IT, cops and robbers
Jungle gym, chutes and ladders
Tic tac toe, Mister Rogers
Marco Polo, London bridges
Simon sez, steal the bacon
Time out, trick or treat
Electric company
Olly olly oxen free
Do you wanna play with me (with me)
"So be it," he whispered to himself, and gestured for his forces to attack. The Senshi held back as a volley of firearms mowed down the vanguard, then swept in to scourge the rest. Their bodies moved in perfect synch with the music, Pluto and Saturn slicing down massive swaths in a beautiful bloody dance of slaughter. Neptune hovered overhead atop Long Wang, its massive maw opening to devour Enlil. The god thrust his arm out; Long Wang snarled; two bursts of energy collided and canceled each other out. The shockwave sent both sides reeling; Neptune was thrown off, surrounded by star-soldiers, but sprang up quickly and joined the fray, her legs whirling gracefully with gymnastic perfection, cracking helmets and smashing armor. Her fists weaved like a conductor's baton, arms strengthened into flawless svelte weapons by decades of violin practice, her elbow jerking too fast for the eye to see. Classically-trained through she was, even Sailor Neptune couldn't resist dancing to the infectious tune booming across the city. Makoto had chosen well.
Do you, do you
Wanna, wanna
Play, play with me
Play with me
Do you, do you
Wanna, wanna
Play, play with me
Play with me
It was woefully obvious that the normal foot soldiers of the gods would be insufficient against the servants and their deceitful guardians, and even the higher echelons were no better. Ninurta, their champion in war, had fallen; Adad, master of storms, had failed. Enlil's power ran deeper; he had once succeeded in flooding the entire world, sparing only one lucky man whom the gods made immortal. The seas were at his back; nothing could stop him from unleashing their fury—save the oath he had made in Anu's presence. That sort of action was irreversible: Enlil would have better luck turning the world inside-out than go back on his word. But there were...alternatives. As Anu's forces were being dismantled before him, he clasped his palms together in summons, calling forth the denizens of his providence. Anu had soldiers crafted from the stars; Adad called forth lightning-sprites; Shamash raised scorpion-men from the baking desert. Enlil took command over creatures ancient and powerful, that which resides deep within the fears of mortals, the shadow underneath every nightmare and the mystery of every unknown.
The Senshi froze and stared in horror as the seas unleashed these creatures—waves bursting, claws, mandibles, tentacles, eyes, antennae rising up from the depths, taking shapes that no living being had ever beheld—they pulled themselves out of the water, lumbering onto land, their very presence twisting reality and churning the world into meaninglessness with each step.
Spin the bottle, post office
Kiss and tell, dressin' up
Playin' doctor, peek-a-boo
Two hand touch, cooties
Little League, Looney Tunes
Scissors rock paper, Zoom
Kick ball, stick ball
Kill the guy with the ball
Do you wanna play with me
But the music was still playing—and Sailors Mercury and Neptune nodded to each other. If that's the way their enemy wanted to play this round, then he would get nightmarish horrors in abundance. Neptune remounted Long Wang; Mercury called up Llyn Llyw; the fish and the dragon wove around the beasts in stark defiance of their madness; blasts of ice sprayed over their arms as enormous sharp teeth clutched around a neck. Neptune held up her mirror, pointing it directly at the beast's warped eyes, scouring it with its own monstrosity.
"Behold what you are, foul beast! Writhe in pain, abomination!" Long Wang ripped its teeth free from the monster's scaly flesh, drawing out a bile-green waterfall of blood. Mercury guided Llyn Llyw around writhing tentacles, serrated arms, and vitriolic phlegm, rearing up at the source of the gushing river. Llyn Llyw opened its maw, shooting a torrent directly into the wound, where it punctured clean through and came bursting out the other side. The fish wriggled, taking the spray with it with such tremendous force that the beast's head was sliced through halfway.
Buckin' up, recess
Jump rope, relieveo
See saw, sand box
Matchbox, Cheerios
ABC's, spelling bees
Sesame Street, hockey
Duck duck duck duck
Duck duck goose
Do you wanna play with me (with me)
As it fell, Long Wang wrapped its tail around the beast's waist, and flung it into the midst of the other creatures. One toppled over as its dead brethren collided, but the other two grabbed the gushing body and ripped it apart. It exploded in a shower of smaller creatures; they were like deformed coral reefs, covered with barnacles and shells, with living animals writhing from their porous skin. Pluto and Saturn, who had sent the last of the vanguard scattering, now stood in defiance of a much larger and more savage army. They held the Key of Time and the Glaive of Silence aloft, sparing a glance at each other.
"The fun never stops, eh Firefly?"
"I'll race you to the finish." She turned around and gestured to the troops behind her,urging them to charge forward. The people of Tokyo made a mad dash, some armed with personal firearms and even heirloom swords of a bygone age. It had been centuries since the last of the samurai had perished, but their spirit was as strong as ever, and the denizens of the abyss learned to fear and respect their warrior lineage that day.
Do you, do you
Wanna, wanna
Play, play with me
Play with me
Do you, do you
Wanna, wanna
Play, play with me
Play with me
"Hey, Ami!" Venus called as she made another pass over the city. "Be careful when you kill those uglies! They pour out tons of bad guys if they're ripped apart!"
"So I noticed," she muttered. "Thanks, Mina! Any chance you could help out?"
"I'm bombarded by all kinda of flying monsters up here! It sucks being popular, ya know! But I'll do my best! I wouldn't miss out on a date with the hottest lady in the world for anything!" Mercury giggled warmly, and was invigorated as her cherished lover blew a kiss. She watched as Venus and Quetzalcoatl rammed into one of the abyssal monstrosities, then focused all her attention on the remaining ones.
"Okay, Llyn Llyw, we have to destroy those things, but we can't tear them apart. I assume that's not going to be a challenge?" The great wise fish seemed to smile, assuring his master that it would be an easy matter. As the monsters lashed at them, he soared through the air, narrowly squeezing through their massive claws and iron fingers. Razor-lined tentacles wriggled after them, filling the sky, but whatever Llyn Llyw could not avoid he cut through, and whatever he missed Mercury froze. Sailor Neptune's image appeared on her Heads-Up Display, with a word of advice:
"Mercury, I'm going after Enlil. When I give the signal, I want you to attack me with everything you've got. Can you do that?"
"Not in good conscience."
"Do you trust me?" Mercury offered a timid smile.
"I have an amazing amount of faith for a woman of science. What's the signal?"
"Just keep these horrible things away from me. You'll know it when you see it." Mercury consigned herself to Neptune's plot, and surged towards the nearest beast.
Jack and Suzi
Sittin' in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First comes love
Then comes marriage
Then comes Adam
In a baby carriage
The monstrous sea-chimera was bent over, grabbing police cars and anti-aircraft turrets, crushing some and uprooting the rest. With its other arm, it shed its scales, creating a never-ending supply of hideous foot soldiers. Mercury flew over the mass and opened a stream of freezing water, encasing the army in thick crystal. Llyn Llyw opened its great mouth, inhaling those that had escaped her wrath and spitting them out again, smashing them on the hard pavement. The police cheered as Mercury and her avatar soared overhead, spraying refreshing water and creating prisms in their wake.
Noticing its evasive prey, the monster whirled around, tossing a car through the air. Mercury couldn't avoid it, not even with the speed of her Roman namesake, but there was opportunity in the peril. She and her avatar both let out fierce streams of water, gradually slowing the car down until it had stopped, then pushed it back at the beast, now covered with jagged ice crystals. The impact was minimal, though; the monster now resorted to clawing away at buildings and the road, tossing chunks wildly. Mercury weaved through some of the projectiles and stopped others cold (literally); she was waylaid by a shower of debris, temporarily grounded as the abomination soared through the air, causing the earth to shudder as it crashed. It roared at her with four mouths filled with wriggling tongues and serrated teeth; she thrust her arms out, petrifying its insides with ice. The giant was frozen almost immediately; Llyn Llyw picked her back up, inhaled the crystallized creature, and shot it back into the sea.
As Pluto and Saturn were eventually joined by Venus, Mercury noticed the sea bubbling and churning again. Fearing that Enlil had summoned more monsters—or worse, brought back the ones they had already defeated—she dove down with all her might, determined to stop the beast before it could appear. The great fish came up short as an enormous dragon broke out of the waves, erupting a huge flood everywhere. Mercury's visor picked up the glimmer of humanity in that surge, and she realized this was Neptune's signal. Without hesitation, she attacked, freezing the geyser. As Long Wang reached his apex, he snapped back, shattering the fountain, giving Mercury countless knives. She called them up and surrounded herself with them, whirling and cascading until she was a maelstrom of cold crystal. Enlil saw what was happening and issued a cry, but his servants had lost all sense and intelligence with their long years spent under the waves.
At full speed, with the razors spinning around her furiously, Sailor Mercury plowed through the enormous sea-monsters, the crystals carving up any chance they had at reproducing. If even that were not enough overkill, now Long ang held dominion over the ocean; he summoned up a huge tidal wave that swept the remains of the enemy away, even overwhelming Enlil. The god held the waves back, but he could not protect anything else, and soon he was alone.
Without the monstrosities to support him, Mercury and Neptune were free to join the police, the citizens, and the other Senshi in destroying the foot soldiers. Enlil tried calling for reinforcements, but even those few hundred loyal (or brave) enough to obey him were quickly slaughtered. The Sailors were ruthless, cutting down great swaths with ferocious kicks, crushing blows, weapons of time, silence, and the deep, and their own innate abilities. Whatever they couldn't get to was mowed down by merciless police suppression, and anything that survived that ran headlong into a furious mob hellbent on retribution.
Do you, do you
Wanna, wanna
Play, play with me
Play with me
Do you, do you
Wanna, wanna
Play, play with me
Play with me
The song ended as the last of the forces fell, and a dense silence ensued. Only the wind and the waves could be heard; nobody else issued a single sound. The Senshi had not won without casualty: their uniforms were shredded, their hair askew, their faces caked with dirt and blood and cruises, their bodies were bent with weariness... Even so, the battle had been decidedly one-sided, and now Enlil must confront them on his own.
"Give us our sea back," Mercury commanded, her voice hard and cold. Enlil stood still, not sure how to handle the situation. He frowned, his deep gray eyes smoldering.
"Do servants and false prophets command the gods? Is it in my station to surrender that which is mine by rights? You would ask us not to reign over thee, but what madness commits thee to a similar slander?"
"You don't belong here," Neptune said. "Not in this country, not in this time...not anywhere."
Silence lingered indefinitely as the Senshi and Enlil glared at each other. Gradually, though, furious storms built around his radiating stature, and a distant rumble was heard. Enlil spread his great arms out, first pointing to the ground, then slowly lifting them up, palms facing the sky. Indecipherable words issued from his lips, quiet and brooding. The world trembled, its citizens grew restless and wary. Nobody noticed it at first, but the waters of Tokyo Bay were inching their way onto land, rising imperceptibly every second. Sailor Neptune was the first to see—but once she did, the floodgates were thrown wide open, and the ocean surged into the city—not as a giant wave, but as a relentless flood, the sea level rising and rising beyond control. It lapped at their heels. It touched their ankles. Soon their boots were submerged.
"Stop it!" she screamed. "What are you doing?"
"Once, epochs ago, I encompassed the world with a flood to silence the abominable noise your kind makes. Can you imagine the sort of agonizing racket that would offend a god—and not once, but four times! Each time my hand was stayed, save for the last, and then only two survived! But I shall not err again: for if the whole race of servants hath been corrupted, it is our station to begin the world anew. We shall create a race that is loyal—a race that fears us, and remembers us, always."
"What makes you think we'll let you get away with that?!" Sailor Pluto charged forth, but she was repulsed as Enlil shouted at the top of his lungs. A thick, intense rain plummeted to the earth, saturating the ground and everything it touched; meanwhile, the ocean continued to creep upon the Japanese shores. The water went up to their waists; in an hour it would be up to their necks; by tomorrow, Tokyo Tower would be submerged.
"All right, he's had his chance. Now face the fury of Uranus!" She let out a shot, but it splashed against his body harmlessly, and the sea continued to rise. Naked fear tore at her face, turning it ashen; Sailor Neptune approached the situation more calmly, focusing all of her thoughts into a single action.
"O Mother Ocean, hear my pleas! I bend my knee and bare my soul to you in abject humiliation! If it is truly your will, I beg of you to help us!" She thrust her arms out, matching Enlil's stance, and though the rain did not abate, the ocean stopped rising, and even receded a little. Enlil suddenly let out a violent roar, and the waters rose up again, and then past their previous level. Neptune trembled, gnashing her teeth as she put forth all her effort into drawing the water away.
"Hey!" Uranus shouted to Pluto. "Don't just lay there helplessly! He's totally distracted!" Pluto nodded, and enlisted Saturn's help. Together the three of them attacked Enlil with their powers, assaulting him with a unified blast of terrifying energy. In no time at all, Venus joined them, and Mars was soon at her heels, with Mercury adding to the attack. Now Enlil had a number of Senshi to contend with; it was their hope that he could not keep up his efforts and withstand their attacks at the same time.
The water ebbed back, but the rate was imperceptible, and any capital gained there was lost by the intense rainfall. The police were able to wade through shortly, though, and added the last of their artillery to the attack, but with Sailors Moon and Jupiter still out of commission, it was obvious they would not distract him for long—and besides, Sailor Neptune was wearing out. Gifted though she was with a fraction of Marduk's power, she stood no chance against a full-fledged god, especially not one so bent on apocalyptic reform. She faltered, trembled—and as her lover shouted out in horror—fainted, becoming lost in the raging sea. Uranus held her ground, though, fueled by a rage she had not known in ages, by love and by fear, and for a moment, Enlil suffered under all of that. But even this was not to last, for with a powerful shout that crackled across the heavens, he threw his aggressors away, pausing only to regain his composure.
"Did I not tell you?" he hissed quietly. "Nothing can stay my hand."
"Not even I, dear friend?" Enlil looked up, seeing Ea hover over the water, not a single drop besmirching his countenance. Enlil's spirits sank at once.
"No. This must be done."
"Destruction? It must be done? How many times hast thou threatened the world with thy selfish judgment?"
"Four."
"Aye, and thine actions may have been just after giving these people so many warnings. A child that is not punished for his misdeeds throws himself into the fire. But wherefore do you rain such eager miseries upon them now? Are you not the least bit inquisitive about anything? Why have we emerged here, in Yamato, and not Babylon, or Persia, in sight of thy beloved Tigris and Euphrates? What relation do these celestial guardians have with our Apkallu? From where, or whom, did they acquire their abilities? Why do the people not worship us, or fear us, or even believe we exist? Ever since we returned from our exile, I have been meditating on these—"
"THEY KILLED MY SON!"
Dead silence traveled between them.
"And you would drown them before learning why. How rash is it, to slay an enemy without knowing why? Was it not our original intention to find these sailors, and interview them?"
"No. It was to regain our throne."
"In Babylon."
"For all of the world!"
"Or whatever remains after thy tantrum has completed."
"Tantrum," he growled, wilting the very grass at his feet. "Ea, god of wisdom, dares accuse me of childish caterwauling, when Ninurta and Ninhursaga are dead to us, Adad is defeated, Marduk lost, our forces flee, and these servants," he spat contemptuously, "raise arms against us, and rally for our departure?! Ea, god of fools! Ereshkigal will receive thee well in the Dry Lands below Apsu!" Enlil turned his rage to Ea, attacking the gracious creature with the force of a hurricane. Ea was taken by surprise and acted purely on instinct, repulsing him with far more power than he had meant to use. Enlil was struck down hard; he pierced the waves and sank deep below their surface. When his body finally resurfaced, there was a hole the size of a window in his chest.
The waters receded and the rain stopped. The Senshi sputtered back to life slowly, and Uranus ran to her unconscious lover, calling her name as she cradled her gently. No new song played over the city-wide radio. No cheer rang out. No voice was heard. Ea hovered listlessly in the air, beholding his handiwork. It seemed like hours passed before anything stirred.
"It would appear...that I was mistaken. You managed...to stop me...after all."
"And am I still a fool for wishing it?"
The god coughed, gushing blood. "You once told me...wisdom without strength is...incompetence. Strength...without wisdom...is also incompetence. It would seem...I lacked both."
"The servants will no doubt want to liberate their entire city. Eventually they must face Anu."
Enlil cackled in the face of his demise. "You still offer...bitter medicines. Are you going...to stop them?"
"I cannot. Nor will I help them. I shall seek out Marduk. My son will know how to handle this situation." Ea smiled weakly. "It is not foolish to seek the advice of others. Even for one such as I."
"They may come after you too, old friend. What then?"
Ea shook his head. Enlil didn't live long enough to hear an answer.
"Umm..." Pluto, feeling understandably awkward, approached the gigantic creature. Ea turned his back on her.
"You are correct, guardians: we do not belong here. I have come to discern that, at least, from this mire of confusion. If I am able to find Marduk, I shall attempt negotiations with my remaining kin. If I cannot find him, or if we are unsuccessful... Well," he laughed sadly, "the thought of us becoming enemies does not sit well with me. I have grown rather fond of you, and the people you've sworn to protect. But if my lord commands it, and I am forced to obey, do not think poorly of me." He lowered his head, humming softly, shedding a little bit of his light. Then, he turned to face the Senshi.
"The moon-sailor and Jovian-sailor have been healed of their wounds, as you have. You must go and do what you believe to be right. I shall do the same. Whether as enemies or not, guardians, I hope to see you again. It has been a very long time since I was so delighted by something as profoundly bewildering as you."
The creature flickered out of existence, and the skies crackled with new life as another song began. Sailor Venus took a deep breath, preparing to marshal her forces.
"The fastest way to the capitol from here is through the red light district, if I recall. I've heard that Inana's taken control of it. Heh, won't she be happy to see me. I'm betting we haven't seen the last of the resistance, so let's stay on our toes and keep our guard up. Hotaru, can you and Setsu find Usagi and Mako, and get them over to the capitol? Take as many volunteers as you can. The rest of us are going on a little detour."
"I'm on it." She raised her arm, and was off in a flash as Phoenix carried her away. Sailor Pluto smiled at her, but gave a far more affectionate farewell to Mars. Venus couldn't help but glow, but it was all blood and steel from then on as she leaped atop Quetzalcoatl and stirred him on. Her foot tapped against his plumage as one of her favorite songs played over every radio and intercom in the city.
"Okay, Mr. Dio: show us the way."
Author's notes:
The song is "Play with Me" by Extreme. I realize the lyrics may be a little silly and underwhelming, but trust me: the song is gushing with spectacular rock outstanding-ness. If you've seen Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, you know the song, and you know how fun and intense it is.
While it is a shame I can't bring any visual aides with me to this story (the action and fight scenes would utterly blow your soul), I am planning on getting a commission soon (once I have the money, of course). The scene would be where Venus and Mercury officially reunite, during the hospital rescue, and Mercury shows her ex-lover exactly how much she's missed her (playful grin). It will likely be on Deviantart; I will make a note alerting all interested parties regarding its completion.