CHAPTER 15

Nephlite stood nervous but composed outwardly before the throne of his monarch. The members of his assigned military team stood in a half circle behind him while Zoicite smugly floated in the air with her legs crossed.
Queen Beryl herself glared menacingly at her current Commanding Officer and delivered her statement in a cold, hard voice. "Nephlite. I thought better of you. You promised me things would go smoothly with no slip-ups. You said by now we'd have more than enough energy to unleash the Mighty Negaforce. But you have failed to deliver and the Sailor Scouts have destroyed one of your soldiers. What do you have to say about this?"

Nephlite knew better enough than to try to make excuses. "I am deeply regretful about what happened to Kyameran your majesty. It was an extremely bad mistake on my part."
Both he and his other soldiers shuddered. They all bit their tongues. Kyameran's fate was really something that none of them could possibly have foreseen, but Queen Beryl was way beyond any trace of reason. They all wondered with immense fear what she would order done to their Commander. Zoicite was also wondering but with the complete opposite emotion. She despised Nephlite as vehemently as she had despised the pair who had preceded him, Titus and Jedite. She remembered with callous delight how Queen Beryl had directed them to be flogged half to death with whips and finally entombed inside large blocks of crystal in eternal sleep. How she hoped that Beryl would do the same to Nephlite. After whipping or perhaps thumbscrews of course.

Beryl continued to address Nephlite sternly. "I have our people currently seeing if we are able to magically restore Kyameran back to normal Nephlite. If we can't I will hold you personally responsible. Understand?"
"Yes Queen Beryl."
"In the meantime I will say no more about it. I was very pleased with the results of your three previous missions. The Negaforce was nourished by the energy and you didn't lose any soldiers. I will definitely punish you for losing Kyameran unless we can bring her back. For now you may proceed with more work. And don't foul up a second time. Remember what I did to Jedite and Titus?"
"I do Queen Beryl. And I fully understand."
Turning to address his troop he said, "Okay. You heard Queen Beryl. Let's return to base and plan our next move."
So saying they all transported together leaving Zoicite alone with Queen Beryl. As she continued to hover with crossed legs she thought to herself, "I hope Queen Beryl gets every good reason to punish that Nephlite." She smiled and quietly laughed to herself.

Speaking of punishing people Miss Haruna had Serena kept in detention that lunchtime. She had expressed her displeasure with Serena very intensely this time. "I'm sick of you being always late for school Serena. I've a good mind to keep you in detention every day for a week."
Serena had cringed at this threat. She knew with her reputation Miss Haruna would probably go through with it eventually.
Later as she walked home after school with Molly, her friend asked her why was she always late. Just as Serena brushed it off by replying, "Please don't ask Molly," two little girls from her younger brother Sammy's school approached them.
"Excuse me. Aren't you Sammy's big sister, Serena?" One of them asked her.
"Yes I am. Why do you ask?"
The other girl replied to Serena's query. "Sammy did something very mean and spiteful at school today. He broke Mika Cassidy's home-made porcelain doll. The one she made herself that she entered in the contest she recently won."
Serena was very shocked to hear this. Mika Cassidy had always been her brother's best friend. She had taken up making porcelain dolls with the goal of following in her mother's footsteps as a professional doll designer. Serena's dad had been reading the newspaper at breakfast that morning and told the rest of the family about Mika's winning a big cash prize for doll designing. Sammy had been so excited to hear this announcement.
"I can't understand why my brother would do such a terrible thing to his friend." Serena was aghast but the two girls confirmed their news.
"We would never have thought so either but it's true."
"And poor Mika was in tears throughout the day. The teachers tried to ask her what the matter was but she told them she didn't want to talk about it."
"And Sammy never fessed up or even told Mika privately that he was sorry."
"You're his sister. We felt that you ought to know."
Serena became very serious. "I'll talk to him all right. I'll find out why he did it and make him apologize."
The two girls smiled and thanked Serena when they heard this.
"Do you really think Sammy will listen to you?" Molly asked.
"Believe me Molly. I'll make him listen. I won't let him pussyfoot me around." Serena asserted this with fiery determination.

As soon as Serena arrived home she went straight to Sammy's room and knocked on the door. "Sammy can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Uh, sure come in." Sammy nervously consented.
Serena practically ran in and came straight to the point. "So I hear that you broke Mika's doll today. I want you to tell me why."
"Mind your own business." Sammy threw up his arms in defiance but Serena changed tactics.
"You don't want me to involve Mum and Dad in this discussion do you?"
Sammy was shocked. "N-no. No I don't."
"Well then tell me why you broke your friend's doll. I couldn't believe you would be capable of such a thing."
Sammy started to cry. "I did not mean to do it. It was an accident. Uh, kind of."
Serena softened a little at his tears and put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey now. If you're really upset I want to help you. Tell me exactly what really happened." As she offered him a clean hanky to wipe his eyes and blow his nose, he looked up into her caring eyes.
"Yes. I-I'll tell you the whole story."

This is what Sammy told Serena. "Mika had approached me at school during lunchbreak and said hello. As soon as I gave her my congratulations on winning the big prize she held out something wrapped up in a bag and said it was a present for me. I asked her what it was and she told me it was the very doll she had made that won the contest. I was hesitant to accept it. I told her it was too valuable to give to me. But she insisted that I was her best friend so she wanted me to have it. So I said okay. But as I held my hands out to take it some of the other boys started teasing me. Saying that Mika and I were lovebirds. I became angry and cried out "Mika and I are not lovebirds. Only friends." Then without realizing what I was doing I had shoved the bag away and it slipped from Mika's hands and fell with a crash on the floor. As the boys walked away laughing I saw what I had done as Mika opened the bag revealing the doll inside all smashed to pieces."
"But why didn't you say you were sorry?"
"I wanted to Serena. But I felt so ashamed of myself and upset to see Mika crying that I completely lost my will to talk. I was brooding with what I was responsible for the rest of the day and she was crying so badly I wished I could crawl away into a wormhole."
Sammy began to cry once more. "L-look at what I've been t-trying to do before you c-came Serena." He showed her the paper and pen he had been using to try to write a note of apology. "I j-just can't get the w-words to sound r-r-right."
"Oh Sammy." Serena comforted him. "I think it would be better and easier if you went over to Mika's house and apologized in person. If you like I'll come with you to give you moral support. You want to put things right don't you?"
Sammy was very scared but he said, "Thank you Serena. But I feel I should do it all by myself. I will go over and make full reconciliation with Mika and her mother. I'll do anything to make it up to them both."
Serena was very happy to hear this. "Good for you Sam."

So Sammy set off fully resolved to do the right thing and own up to his actions. But things were to take an unexpected different turn for as he arrived he saw an elegant car pull up outside Mika's house and as he watched the door opened and Nephlite stepped out. Nephlite proceeded to enter the gate and walk up the path to the front door.
"Oh dear. They're getting a visitor," thought Sammy. "What rotten luck. I'll have to come back tomorrow morning. Thank goodness it's Saturday tomorrow."
While he rushed back to his own home Nephlite knocked on the door. "Who's there?" Mika's mother called out and Nephlite was ready with his cover story.
"It's Mr. Maxfield Stanton. We spoke together on the phone earlier."
Mika's mother opened the door and shook his hand. "Oh yes Mr. Stanton. Please come in and join us in the living room where we can chat over a cup of tea."
"Thank you Mrs. Cassidy." Nephlite grinned showing his teeth as he entered and the door closed behind him.

As Nephlite sat in a cozy chair sipping tea he spoke to Mrs. Cassidy and Mika. "I'm very impressed. I thought the art of classical doll designing was by and large a thing of the past, but you have proven me wrong. Mrs. Cassidy. Your work is excellent."
"Thank you Mr. Stanton. I've poured all my heart into developing my craft and teaching it to Mika here ever since I broke up with my husband."
"Ah yes. Your daughter has inherited your skills it appears." Nephlite set his cup down on the table. "Her doll that won the first prize in the contest was magnificent. I wonder. May I see it please?"
Mrs. Cassidy blushed. "Uh. We don't have it at the moment. Mika. How about showing him the new one you've been working on?"
"Yes Mum." Mika carefully placed a doll wrapped in paper on the table. Nephlite picked it up and looked at it.
"My. How pretty. I like her soft sad expression."
Mika blushed and gulped. She had not told her mother what had happened to her prize-winning doll. Her mother had seen her working on this doll in her room and remarked how sad her face was. She had asked to compare it with her prize doll. Mika had barely managed to control herself and told her that she had loaned it to a friend at school. Mrs. Cassidy had asked who but she said just one of her friends in a tone that made it clear she did not want to discuss it further. Her mother had departed saying they could compare them when her friend returned it to her. But after her mother had left Mika opened her bottom desk drawer where the broken pieces of her doll were stashed. Looking at it the tears began to well up in her eyes once more and she shut the drawer and continued to work on the sad faced doll while she sobbed.
The very doll that Nephlite was now staring at. He touched his pointer finger on the dolls forehead and thought quietly, "My loyal soldier Jumo. Build Mika's energy to its peak level. Then we shall capture it for Queen Beryl."
The expression on the doll briefly changed from a sad to a sinister expression and one eye winked at Nephlite making it evident that Jumo had telepathically heard the unspoken order of her Commander.
"Say Mika," Nephlite asked as he set the doll back on the table. "I was wondering if you could make me fifteen copies of this doll?"
"Fifteen? What for?" Mika was surprised.
"I am confident I'd be able to easily sell them all," explained the sly villain.
Mrs. Cassidy was excited to hear this. "I have an exhibition next Saturday. Some of Mika's other work will be there also. Could you come and see them?"
"Sounds like fun."

After Nephlite left Mika went to her room to begin working on the first of the fifteen dolls he requested. Later that night Mrs. Cassidy came to see her daughter to bed. She was amazed at how quickly she had been building. "Why you've finished one doll already."
"Yes. I feel so full of energy that I need to start the second one." Mika grinned cheerfully and began to work. Her mother tried to settle her down.
"I know how excited you are but you need your sleep."
Mika ignored her so she bent over to guide her gently away from the new doll she had started. "It's time to pack away your tools and go to bed."
Suddenly her daughter violently shoved her over onto her backside yelling, "Go away!"
At first Mrs. Cassidy was shocked, then she started to get angry. "Mika! You insolent little girl! You're getting a spanking!"
But as she tried to grab her Mika sprang up out of her chair and began kicking, scratching and even biting her. The pain and the fright made her mother back away. There was something in Mika's eyes. Her daughter looked like she was possessed. "Get out and let me do my work in peace." She hissed menacingly and Mrs. Cassidy exited and slammed the door in terror.
Mika returned to building dolls and the one in which Jumo was contained momentarily grinned showing its teeth and glowed fiery orange.

The following morning after breakfast Sammy tried to visit and make his apology. He was met by Mrs. Cassidy at the door who was crying. He was very concerned. "What's the matter?"
"Oh Sammy. Mika didn't sleep a wink last night. She was up all night making dolls and she wouldn't come down to breakfast." Mrs. Cassidy buried her face in a handkerchief and sobbed. "She's changed. I tried to put her to bed last night and look what she did to me." Sammy was horrified when she showed him where Mika had bruised, scratched and bitten her.
"Let me try to talk to her."
"Okay. But be careful Sammy."
She took Sammy to Mika's room and knocked on the door. "Mika. Sammy wants to see you."
"I'm busy."
Sammy called out, "Please Mika. Just for a moment."
"GET LOST!" Mika screamed making both Sammy and Mrs. Cassidy cringe.
"You'd better go home Sammy. She might hurt you too like she did me."
"What will you do Mrs. Cassidy?"
"I don't know what to do except leave her alone. I don't want her to attack me again." Mrs. Cassidy began to cry once more as she saw Sammy out the front door. They didn't even exchange goodbyes. They were both so upset and Sammy ran all the way home.

In the days that followed things became even worse. Mika would not go to school and she kept building doll after doll with no food, drink or sleep. Her mother was out of her wits. She was very concerned but at the same time scared. Her daughter yelled and threatened to hurt her if she interfered with her progress. She had all fifteen dolls on her shelf and Mrs. Cassidy had hoped she would settle down but alas. Mika said she had so much energy that she must make even more dolls.
Sammy told Serena he felt terrible. "Do you think I drove her crazy when I broke her doll?"
Serena replied, "I don't know Sammy. But it sounds rather strange. Maybe if you bought her a nice present perhaps it might make her calm down again?"
"I guess it's worth a try. I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks Serena."
Luna was very suspicious and told Serena, Amy and Raye that it seemed like the Negaverse were creating havoc once more. "We should investigate the Doll Exhibit that Mika's mother is going to host tomorrow Saturday very carefully," she instructed them and they all agreed that they would be there. Though Raye thought to herself, "I think I'll invite Darien to come to the Exhibition with me. I haven't had him on a date for awhile. May as well kill two birds with one stone."

And so the next day arrived and Mrs. Cassidy opened her Doll Show Exhibition. Among the crowd was Amy carrying Luna in a straw wicker basket. Luna peeked out the top keeping an eye open for Mika or anything suspicious. Raye was also present with Darien in tow. He was a little unsure what to make of this because dolls didn't exactly interest him greatly. But he had come with Raye in order to please her.
Nephlite spoke to Mrs. Cassidy, "My congratulations. You've pulled in a big number of people to admire your handiwork today."
"Thank you Mr. Stanton."
"And I'm impressed with Mika. I only asked for fifteen dolls to sell and she's given me twenty-five! Where is she anyway?"
Mrs. Cassidy blushed slightly. "She's finishing one more doll in the waiting room. Mr. Stanton. I'm afraid she's turned a bit strange. She's been obsessed with making these dolls and she can be very bad-tempered and violent if you try to stop her." As she was telling this to Nephlite she lowered her voice to a whisper so that only he could hear.
Nephlite pretended to be very shocked upon this news and whispered back, "I'm terribly sorry Mrs. Cassidy. You must be a nervous wreck. She has such wonderful talent. I can't imagine what could have caused her young mind to suddenly snap."
"Th-thank you Mr. Stanton. You're such a caring man."

Just then Mrs. Cassidy noticed Serena and Sammy enter the building and she said goodbye to Nephlite in order to go and greet them. Sammy wanted to give Mika a special present that he had made himself. It was a doll though he wasn't very good at designing it. He had never tried to make a doll himself before. When he had shown it to Serena she had said, "Hey Sammy. That's a very cute present for Mika. I bet she'll love it."
Sammy had been very cheered by her compliment and thanked her. But then Serena asked him where he had gotten the inspiration to make a pig and Sammy had almost gagged in reply.
"It's supposed to be Sailor Moon. Mika's told me how much she admires her."
"Oh sorry." Serena had apologized but Sammy quickly regained his composure.
"Hey I know it's not the best. But it's the thought that counts. At least it may look a little bit better after I've painted it up."
In fact it did look more recognizable as a charicature of Sailor Moon when Sammy added some colour to it and now he and Serena had it in a basket ready to give to her.
"Sammy has a present for Mika Mrs. Cassidy. How is she today?"
"Not much better I'm afraid."
"Oh dear me. I'm getting really worried now." Sammy groaned.
Mrs. Cassidy smiled. "She's just outside in the waiting room. Why don't you two go and give her your gift? But approach her very carefully. Don't get too close unless you can see she's in a good mood."
Sammy was nervous and reluctant to go but Serena said, "Show a little backbone Sammy." She pushed him in the direction to go while he gulped and said, "Okay. I'm going."

At that moment Mika was finishing her latest doll and she had brought the one possessed by Jumo with her. It sat in front of her on the table while she made the final touches to the last copy. "Finished." Mika declared with joy.
Sensing that her energy had just reached its peak Nephlite spoke telepathically to his soldier. "The moment has come. Collect her energy Jumo."
Serena and Sammy opened the door just as Jumo began to take her solid shape. Sammy was holding the Sailor Moon doll he had made. "Mika I brought you this... What the?" Sammy and Serena gasped as Jumo appeared and drained all the energy out of poor Mika who collapsed to the floor with a weary and terrified groan.
Sammy went running to help her. "MIKA! MIKA!" He yelled as loud as he could but Jumo sent him flying backwards into the wall with a swing of her arm and the Sailor Moon doll went skidding across the floor. Jumo laughed triumphantly and brought her foot down upon it smashing it into fine powder.
While Serena was cringing in terror Luna suddenly appeared leaping through the open outside window. "Serena transform now before that monster's attention is turned to you."
Heeding Luna's advice Serena cried, "MOON PRISM POWER!"
Before Jumo knew it Sailor Moon seemed to appear in the room out of nowhere and was admonishing her. "How dare you smash that doll model of me? Sammy put all his heart into making it you creep. And you also have the gall to corrupt Mika's own doll-crafting abilities for your own nefarious purposes? I shall not tolerate this! In the Name of the Moon I shall punish you!"
"Good show." Luna thought with misgivings. "I wonder how long she can keep it up?"
Jumo just smirked and suddenly the doll that Mika had just finished flew through the air, opened its mouth wide and attached itself to Sailor Moon's arm. The pain was bad as a real bite and Sailor Moon screamed, "Yeeeoooowwww! Get off! Get off!"
In her hysterics she climbed out the window onto the street trying to shake it off and howling. "I should have guessed it wouldn't last for long," said Luna as she jumped out after her and Jumo followed cackling in ecstasy. Next thing the other doll that Jumo had been possessing flew out as well and clamped its teeth hard on Sailor Moon's rear end making her scream and jump around even more.

Just then the other two Scouts came running up the street towards the trouble. Sailor Mercury was aghast and so was Sailor Mars, although she couldn't help giving a curt vindictive smile thinking about how Sailor Moon drove her crazy at times. But she as well as Mercury immediately came to the rescue. While Sailor Mercury sent a blast of her ice cold bubbles directly at Jumo, Sailor Mars grabbed two of her charms.
"I call upon the power of Mars. Fireballs charge!"
She was trying to aim for the dolls but Sailor Moon was weaving and jerking around trying to shake them off her arm and backside that they both hit her instead and as she collapsed to the ground they rose into the air and turned opening their mouths wide to attack Mars next.
"Curse you Sailor Moon. Mars Fire Ignite." Resorting to the quickest other option Sailor Mars burned the two dolls to ashes as they flew at her. Then while Jumo was still incapacitated by the freezing mist she took the charms off Sailor Moon and picked her up setting her on her feet with Mercury's help.
"Thanks a lot you clumsy clod," griped Sailor Moon.
"If you had just held still I could have charmed them off you."
"You are such a lousy aim."
"Next time I'll just use my fire itself and,"
Sailor Mercury cut the argument short. "Not now you two. We have an enemy to fight."
Luna also shrieked and cried out a warning to them. Jumo had found her way out of the chilly mist of bubbles and was preparing to attack. As she raised her arms it seemed like her hands disappeared and replicas of her upper arms began shooting out at them. "You are no match for me Sailor Scouts."
As they all dodged one of the projectiles brushed past Sailor Mars' head by inches. To her shock it sheared away some strands of her long black hair like a razor. "Uh-oh. Watch out. They're as sharp as knives. They will kill us if they hit us."
"You can't dodge forever and I have an endless supply." Jumo relentlessly kept up her attack. Sailor Moon had no opportunity to throw her tiara and neither could the others do anything. They could only helplessly duck and twist. Luna was terrified. It seemed like this enemy was the Sailor Scouts' match. It was only a matter of time before the first one was slashed or impaled and there was nothing even Luna herself could do to prevent it.

Out of the blue came a flying rose that flew past Jumo's line of sight and stuck in the ground by her foot distracting her. "You!" She gasped at the sight of Tuxedo Mask. The mysterious masked man in the cape that she had heard about ever since he had been constantly appearing to aid Sailor Moon way back when General Jedite and his girlfriend Titus had been in charge of their cause.
Before she could say or do anything he had turned his head and called out to Sailor Moon, "Your tiara."
Sailor Moon did not waste any time and sent it flying. "MOON TIARA MAGIC!"
Jumo shrieked and jumped aside as it flew past. Mars and Mercury were preparing to attack again themselves and Jumo knew what she had better do. Mercury's bubbles and Mars' fire were deflected by the force shield that encompassed Jumo when she activated her wrist device and in the blink of an eye she was gone with all Mika's energy.
"Sailor Scouts. Go and make sure Mika gets the emergency help she needs as soon as possible," shouted Tuxedo Mask as he ran off.
"Why does he always have to disappear so soon?" Sailor Moon wistfully sighed.
"Never mind that now. You must do as he said." Luna reminded her. "The three of you go see to Mika and Sammy also."

Mika was waking up but she was weak and malnourished just like Miss Lambert had been. "W-what has happened to m-m-me?"
Suddenly the Sailor Scouts were by her side along with her mother and Nephlite. "Don't try to get up Mika," cautioned Sailor Mercury.
Sailor Mars added, "We've told your mother and Mr. Stanton what happened. You've had your energy drained by the same evil force that's been attacking people in our city."
Mrs. Cassidy stroked her daughter's hair and sobbed. "My poor little girl. You'll be okay. Mr. Stanton has called for an ambulance."
"Yes I have. They'll be here soon." Nephlite played his part like a perfect actor. He was smug inside knowing that Jumo had escaped and they had Mika's energy as a peace offering for Queen Beryl.

Meanwhile Sailor Moon was making sure Sammy was all right. He woke up as she gently lifted his upper body and shook it asking if he could hear her. When he opened his eyes he cried out, "Sailor Moon! Is Mika all right?"
"She's very weak but she will be fine with medical care. My friends and I have driven the baddies away. It's going to be good in the end."
Just then Darien stuck his head through the door. "The ambulance crew are here," he announced then stepped aside to let them in. They put Mika on a stretcher but she and Sammy were permitted to talk for a moment.
"The Sailor Scouts have saved us Mika, but the present I made for you is destroyed." Sammy was downcast.
"You tried to give me a present Sammy?" Mika smiled despite her sick fatigue.
"I wanted to apologize for what I did to your prize winning doll. I hadn't meant to break it."
Mrs. Cassidy and all the others stared in wonderment that Sammy would make such a confession to Mika in their full hearing. What amazing courage he was displaying.
Mika reached out and took Sammy's hand. "It's all made up now Sammy. You tried to save me from that attack when you were struck down and the present smashed, didn't you?"
"Yeah. That's right I did." Sammy beamed as he looked at her. But it was time to take her to hospital and Mrs. Cassidy immensely thanked him for risking his own skin for Mika's sake as well as thanking the three Sailor Scouts. Nephlite said, "Well done young man," with a facade of admiration and that was the end of that incident.

After two and a half weeks of intense care Mika was discharged from the hospital with her energy renewed and after a few days back at school she presented Sammy with three little figurines of Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars. "I made these just for you Sammy," she smiled.
Sammy was so overjoyed. "Wow. Thank you Mika. I love the Scouts. Especially Sailor Moon." He picked up the Moon figurine and held it close to his face. "She's so super cool."
"She'd better not be more super cool than me Sammy!" Mika was terribly jealous and Sammy had a fright.
"Wha? No, of course not Mika."
"Just as well." Mika coldly replied as Sammy put the figurine down and smiled at her pacifyingly.
"It's tough to be so popular." He thought nervously to himself.