* Moonrise pt 2*

*Cauldron Base. January 6 2011 *

It was about the size and general shape of a pen. With a large ball on one end and a star atop that. It had a simple sigil on the star, resembling the letter P combined with the letter L.

"This is... for me?" asked Contessa.

Alexandria nodded. "She said to give to the woman with the nice hat who lives in shadows. She said she could use a friend. Moon said it was fragmented visions of a possible future and she didn't know more than that."

Contessa was silent for a moment. "I haven't had friends in a very long time..."

"Analysis of the materials indicates iridium, titanium, and a high grade steel," said Doctor Mother. "Also some materials we haven't been able to verify."

"I wonder," said Contessa, lifting it. "Path to finding out what it does... Oh."

"I thought your power didn't work on Sailor Moon or her equipment," noted Alexandria.

"It doesn't but the wand told me anyway," said Contessa. "If I do this. If I say the words. My life as Contessa remains but it all changes. I will also be the lonely guardian of time. I would protect the timestream from interference. I will live and remain young a thousand years from now, only dying of old age after ten times that manner of years. I would begin remembering a previous life, the life of someone else, the life of the princess of the planet Pluto whose castle lies on Charon when I claim it. An outer guardian, one of those who would have prevented the Entities from setting forth on our world."

"Would it allow you to deal with the world-ending problems we're facing now?" asked Doctor Mother.

"It... that is exactly the purpose of the Senshi, to deal with exactly those threats," realized Contessa. She put the wand down. "This is too much. Too fast."

"We shall have to research this carefully before any decision can be made," agreed Alexandria.

"By the way, my understanding was that the eye you lost from the Siberian couldn't be regenerated," said Doctor Mother.

"Apparently Taylor's abilities are not impeded by whatever the Siberian does," said a somewhat-smug Alexandria.

* Winslow. Friday, Jan.7 2011 *

"Oh look it's Taylor. Surprised you'd come back seeing what a loser you are. What are you going to do, Taylor? Cry about -"

"Excuse me," said Glory Girl, dropping into place from where she had been hovering overhead. "Are you trying to bully my friend Taylor?"

Emma Barnes had stopped talking, opting for staring at the costumed hero. Especially as another dropped down next to Glory Girl.

Eidolon held up a hand. "Don't mind me. I was just along in order to speak with the Principal here."

"Yes," said Alexandria as she landed alongside the other two. "Did you have some business with my associate here?"

"Uhm, no?" asked Emma, suddenly feeling very much outgunned.

"Good, we're just on our way to the Principal's office. We don't have an appointment but I think she'll see us anyway. We shouldn't be more than a minute or two," offered Alexandria. "Taylor?"

"It's this way," said Taylor, not showing any particular reaction to Emma's gobsmacked appearance or the way the crowd melted out of her way.

It took less than ten minutes to get her transferred to Arcadia. Surprisingly, nobody seemed to want to bother Taylor for the entire time she was there.

Arcadia apparently had no problem with the transfer, just that she would have to take placement tests.

Apparently, unlike Winslow, Arcadia had standards.

* January 8 2011 *

"Okay, everyone here agreed to healing by unconventional means?" asked Sailor Moon, in her costume despite feeling it was way too revealing.

"The forms have all been signed," indicated one of the orderlies.

"Moon Healing!" cast Sailor Moon.

"Okay, twenty-five foot radius dome, held for three seconds exactly," said one of the orderlies as he jotted things down. "Doctors, if you could begin checking the patients? Thank you, Sailor Moon. It'll take about a week for the labs and tests and maybe another week to get through the bureaucracy if you'll be approved."

"Optimism of youth," said one of the doctors as he moved past.

* Medhall *

"What have you got on this sailor?" asked Max Anders.

Victor put a set of photos out on his superior's desk. "Healing cape, similar to Panacea. Two of our regulars got healed by her, including one who was ripped up by one of Oni Lee's grenades. He had lost a leg, lot of blood, wasn't going to make it. He managed to walk out on his own power fifteen minutes later."p

"Impressive," admitted Max.

"Just completed a power test at Bee-Bee Gen," continued Victor. "Apparently she can do a twenty-five foot radius at once. States she can cast it five times before needing to rest. That's what Alexandria and Eidolon were in town for - they want to convince her and her father for her to show up at Endbringer fights."

"That's pretty much what I figured," said Max with a nod. "She doesn't have Panacea's two major limitations. She can spread the effect out and she can affect brains. Any idea what her limitations are?"

"Apparently she tires fast. Five times for the basic healing dome," said Victor. "She's got other effects but they tire her out faster. She's also not able to do anything quietly. Has to call out her power and produce the sparkly light effect."

"She heals anyone without asking about gang affiliation?" asked Max.

"One of the guys in today's test group had all the tattoos. You know Otto from the motor pool? Crushed foot. Says he even got back a tooth he lost."

"Otto in the motor pool? Bald? Pirate earring? Looks like Mister Clean gone biker? Listens to opera?"

"That's him."

Kaiser nodded. They'd suspected him once or twice of being a police infiltrator but apparently he was just weird. "Okay. Word out is to be Moon-girl is to be left alone, same deal as with Panacea. Panacea doesn't approve of us or our philosophies but she'll heal us anyway. She just gets snarky. If the healers heal us - we don't do anything to hurt the healers. If the ABB or Merchants go after either of them, then we get to rescue the healers and that can only benefit us in the PR department."

"Got it," agreed Victor.

* Sophia *

She knew she had one chance. Eventually her prey would learn who she was - then it would be too late and she'd be crushed by those above her. That prey had to be stopped now.

She knew when her target would be leaving the hospital. She had plenty of time to arrange the shot.

There she was - stopping for a moment as she realized there was a crowd of picture-takers and other sheep waiting for her.

A perfect shot.

She preferred crossbows, but she could use a handgun. Getting a handgun from some E88 thug had been easy. Lining up the shot, Sophia fired. Then she dropped the gun before going to her Breaker form and ghosting through the roof.