Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I own the works of H.P. Lovecraft or Robert W. Chambers.

Chapter 6: Patchwork

Yoko and Hotaru materialized inside a sitting room with burgundy walls and pine-green carpet. There was an old brick fireplace built into the far wall of the room. The room itself was littered with books, knickknacks and curious artifacts of all kinds. There was also a large window with bright red curtains that had been drawn shut. Erica teleported into the room a split second after Yoko and Hotaru arrived. Makoto and Nao appeared soon after.

"Welcome to our London Base," Erica spoke. "I picked the location and furnished it myself."

Yoko threw open the curtains and saw a street lined with old but well-maintained brick buildings and houses. Outside the people were going about their everyday lives. A red double-decker bus passed by, confirming they were really in London.

"It all seems so different," Yoko remarked. "But at the same time the place seems just like I remember it."

"Have you been here before Yoko?" Makoto asked.

Yoko smirked a little. "A lifetime ago. Say Erica, where exactly in London are we?"

"This apartment complex is on Baker Street," Erica revealed. "In fact back in the 1800s, the address of this base would've been 221B Baker Street."

"Why is that address a big deal?" Nao asked with a raised eyebrow.

Erica's mouth fell open in shock. "Are you serious? We are standing in what would've been the residence of the famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes!"

"Oh! That guy," Makoto recalled with a hand to her chin. "I think I saw an old movie about him once."

Erica let out an exasperated sigh. "And I went to such lengths to replicate what I believed the interior of his residence would've looked like."

"I knew who you were talking about right away, Erica," Hotaru told her as she examined one of the artifacts littering the room. "You did an outstanding job."

Erica's face immediately brightened. "Thank you, Lady Hotaru."

"I like it," Yoko praised as she turned away from the window. "And it's a pretty appropriate place to use as a headquarters, considering the reason we're here."

"It pleases me that you approve, milord," Erica responded, bowing. "Now then, perhaps you and Lady Hotaru would like to relax for a bit before we get down to work. The two of you can put your things in the master bedroom, which is beyond the study to your left."

"Uh, wait a sec," Makoto spoke as Hotaru and Yoko began to head for the study. "Hotaru, maybe you should consider…"

"Makoto! Nao!" Erica loudly interrupted. "The two of you can take one of the rooms upstairs. Once you've put away your things, you can assist me with getting this base fully operational."

As Nao and Makoto attempted to complain, Hotaru and Yoko continued on to their room. After passing through the large but cluttered study, they entered a spacious and well furnished bedroom with a king-sized bed.

Hotaru let out a heavy sigh as she shut and locked the door behind them. "I knew Mako-chan and her boyfriend came with us to try and act as chaperones. Good thing Erica seems to be on our side."

"Well, it helps that she, Hilda, Grete and Sandra all treat me with a sort of reverence," Yoko noted as she threw down her duffle bag. "I guess being an Elder God does have certain perks."

"It is a little weird how those four treat me like a princess. But then it's not the first lifetime where I've had that sort of treatment."

Yoko went over and looked out the bedroom window. "I'd like to go for a walk and take a look around the city."

Hotaru came over and hugged her from behind. "Fine with me. May as well get in some sightseeing while I'm here." Her face became serious. "Yoko, the reason we're here…it has something to do with one of your past lives here on Earth, doesn't it."

Yoko put her hand over Hotaru's. "It looks like it does. I don't want to say anything until I'm sure though. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I'm probably not."

"You are going to tell me about it though, right?"

"Of course, Dearest. But not just yet, not until I get some confirmation of what we're up against. If I'm right, Makoto, Nao and Erica will all need to hear this story too."

Mamoru was down in the mansion's sitting room, trying to read some new medical journal on his tablet. After about twenty or thirty minutes he realized he had been reading the first sentence of the opening paragraph over and over again. The fact was Mamoru couldn't concentrate on the journal because he was worried about the Shittenou. The four were his most trusted comrades back during the time of the Silver Millennium, and through some twist of fate he had been reunited with them in this life only for most of them to go off on some dangerous mission. Mamoru wished he was out there fighting at their side.

Mamoru was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice it when Frieda walked up to him. "Everything okay, darling?"

At last Mamoru looked up and got a good look at Frieda. The blond goddess was wearing a black bikini that left very little to the imagination. As he drank the sight of Frieda in, Mamoru realized he was suddenly at full mast. He couldn't blame himself for being turned on though. After all, he was only human, and a man would have to be dead or gay not to be turned on by the sight of a gorgeous Danish supermodel wearing only a scandalous bikini and a smile.

Mamoru practically jumped to his feet. "Frieda! What, uh…what're you doing here?"

"I was on my way to take a dip in the hot tub when I saw the troubled expression on your face," Frieda explained. "Anything I can do to help?"

Mamoru smiled and shook his head. "I'm just worried about Keisuke and the others."

"Of course. You and Usagi are so alike in that regard. I know. Why don't you join me in the hot tub? It might help you relax."

Mamoru blushed. "Uh, well…I know with the kind of hot tubs you're talking about you're supposed to go in wearing swim-wear, and I didn't bring anything like that for this trip."

"Oh well that's totally fine. I usually take off whatever I'm wearing before I get in anyway."

Mamoru was so flustered by the suggestive smirk Frieda was giving him that he didn't notice it when Usagi came into the room. "There you are, Mamo-chan."

Mamoru let out a startled cry and put himself between Usagi and Frieda. "Usako! It's not what it looks like! I mean, um…what're you doing here?"

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "I was just coming to see how you were doing. Are you okay?"

"Fine! I'm totally fine! Everything's fine!"

"I think I'll take my leave now," Frieda decided and started to walk off. She stopped at the doorway though and gave Mamoru a wink. "You're welcome to take me up on my offer some other time though."

With those final words, Frieda left the room. Mamoru's face was red as a tomato and his pants were now feeling as tight as a vice.

"What were you two talking about?" Usagi asked.

Mamoru let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, you know. The weather. Sports. Usual stuff."

Usagi crossed her arms. "Mamo-chan, you can't hide anything from me."

Mamoru flinched. "I…really don't know what you're talking about."

"You're worried about Keisuke and the others, just like I am."

Mamoru relaxed and his expression softened. "I am. I know I told you to be strong about this, but it's been weighing on me for a while now."

Usagi came over and took both of Mamoru's hands. "We need to do something to distract ourselves."

"Such as?"

"Well, I was thinking of getting into the shower. How 'bout you come and join me?"

Mamoru smirked. "That might be your most brilliant idea yet."

As Usagi guided Mamoru by the hand up to their bedroom, Mamoru couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. He knew there was a high likelihood that he would be thinking of Frieda as he banged his wife in the shower.

Night had fallen as Officer Constance Marbury of the London Police headed down the sidewalk to investigate a report of a strange figure seen outside an apartment building. Constance thought the incident was probably nothing, but she had to check it out anyway. After all, the entire city was on edge due to the recent massacres. Constance had been one of the first officers on scene when the second massacre was discovered. It truly was a bloody sight, one that nearly made her want to reconsider being a cop for at least five minutes.

The most damning thing about those massacres was the way the culprit or culprits committed them in secret. There were no reports of anyone entering or leaving the scene before or after the crime was committed, and nobody saw or heard anything during the times each massacre happened. The crimes were only discovered after some bystander had come onto the scene much later. There was a wild rumor going around that whoever committed these massacres wasn't even human, but of course Constance paid no attention to such ideas. In any case, she was just a patrolwoman; solving these crimes was the job of the detectives.

The situation still made Constance's job harder though. The people of London were now gripped with fear whenever the night fell. Because one of the massacres happened in an apartment building, the citizens felt as though they weren't even safe in their own homes. People had taken to arming themselves. During the past several weeks there had been many accidental shooting incidents, a few of which Constance had to respond to.

On top of that there were the young women dying from some sort of strange disease seemingly caused by odd brooches sent to them in the mail, and the possibility that they were connected in some way to the massacres due to these brooches having the same strange symbol found at the massacre scenes. It was enough to make at least half the city crazy with fear. Lately Constance felt a little like she had gone back in time to the 1800s when Jack the Ripper stalked the city's streets. This feeling only intensified when a thick fog suddenly rolled in around Constance. Fog was by no means uncommon in London and was in fact one of the things the city was most known for. There was something about this fog that was unnatural though, something that made Constance reach for the handle of her gun.

Constance slowed her pace as her senses went into overdrive. Some instinct told her that every sight or sound on that sidewalk could be a potential danger. So it was only natural that Constance's heart nearly stopped when a shadowy figure suddenly appeared before her a few feet away. Because of how thick the fog was though, Constance couldn't make out anything about this stranger.

Out of fear for her safety, Constance drew her gun and pointed it at the figure. "Stop! Police! Put your hands up and approach slowly!"

The stranger did not put his hands up, but he did approach slowly. Constance repeated her order for the stranger to put his hands up, but it was unheeded. Then the stranger came close enough for Constance to make out who it was…or rather what it was. Standing before her was a living skeleton made of yellow bone. The eye sockets of its skull glowed with a phosphorescent green light, and its rib cage was filled with a hideous black mass with thin tendrils that clung to and wrapped around all of the bones like some sort of circulatory system. In its right hand, the skeleton held a blood-stained hatchet.

The skeleton opened its jaw and let out a low howl as it raised its weapon. The only thing Constance could think to do in that moment was scream.

Makoto was busy at work in the kitchen preparing dinner. She had decided that since they were staying in London she would prepare some English-style dishes for their first night. Nao meanwhile was sitting at the counter and having a cup of tea. It was the first time Nao had been able to relax since they had arrived at the base. In addition to helping Erica get the base's systems out of standby mode, the pink-haired half-pint had also ordered them to clean the place up. Of course Makoto didn't mind cleaning, and in fact she often used cleaning as a way to procrastinate whenever exam time came around to avoid studying until the last possible second.

Meanwhile Hotaru and Yoko were still apparently out sightseeing, while Erica had been in the base's control room looking further into the cases they had come to the city to investigate.

Nao looked at the clock on the wall. "Hotaru and Yoko still aren't back yet, are they?"

Makoto frowned and removed her apron. "No, and it's getting kinda late. What could they still be doing?"

"Well it's not any of our business really."

"I dunno. It seems like Hotaru's new relationship is moving really fast. Plus we don't know the first thing about Yoko. Frankly I get why Haruka's concerned. You have to admit Yoko does look a little sketchy, what with the way she's covered in tattoos and all."

"Well given my own checkered past, I'm not really in a position to judge someone else's lover. I get why you're concerned though. Hotaru is just a kid."

Makoto nodded. "Right. She's the youngest in our group. In fact until recently she was only ten years old. I'd hate to see her get hurt because of Yoko."

Nao took another sip from his cup. "I totally get what you're saying. Just keep in mind, trying to butt too much into Hotaru's relationship with Yoko will only make her resent you."

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should pull Hotaru aside and have a little talk with her."

Just then, Hotaru entered the kitchen with Yoko. "We're back."

"Good timing you two," Makoto responded. "Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes."

"It smells great, Mako-chan."

Yoko nodded. "On the way back Hotaru went on a bit about how you're such a great cook. I look forward to sampling your work."

Suddenly Erica dashed into the room. "I'm afraid dinner will have to wait, milord. I just picked up a rather urgent radio call. A policewoman was requesting backup. She says she's being attacked by living skeletons."

"That's gotta be the enemy, right?" Makoto asked.

"Damn!" Yoko cursed. "We better move out."

The others nodded and everyone headed for the front door. Erica was first out of the apartment. As soon as the pinkette made sure the coast was clear, Erica transformed into Sailor Eir and took off into the sky on a pair of feathered wings made of white light.

Eir remained hovering in the air as the others came out of the building. "I'll lead the way to the scene. I trust the rest of you will be able to keep up."

The pink-haired Sailor Guardian flew off without waiting for a reply. Hotaru and Yoko immediately transformed into Sailor Saturn and Khepri respectively. It was then that Makoto noticed that the brooch of Saturn's Sailor Guardian uniform had changed into the shape of a scarab.

Khepri opened the scarab on her belt and pressed the bottom button inside three times, causing an electronic voice to speak. "SUNRISE CHARIOT!"

Suddenly a large gold motorcycle zoomed out of the nearby alley and pulled up in front of the building. The vehicle was of a sleek futuristic design, with what looked like dual silver exhaust pipes on the back. There were two headlights on the pointed front of the motorcycle like eyes, along with a sun disk like the one adorning the forehead of Khepri's helmet. Khepri quickly mounted the vehicle, with Saturn getting onto the vehicle behind her. Makoto and Nao watched in awe as the Sunrise Chariot zoomed off after the white light in the sky that was Sailor Eir's wings.

"She really is a Kamen Rider," Nao said as he watched the vehicle leave.

"Seriously! What happened in Paris?" Makoto asked as she put her hands on her hips.

Nao shook his head. "We should follow before they get too far ahead of us."

Makoto nodded. "Jupiter Crystal Power MAKE-UP!"

With a bolt of green lightning Makoto transformed into Sailor Jupiter. Meanwhile Nao put a fist to his chest and became enveloped in a thick cloud of umber smoke that came from nowhere. The cloud soon broke apart to reveal him in his alternate form of Nephrite. He had on an outfit similar to Kunzite's, with a red cape with a gold underside hanging from his back, and a black uniform shirt underneath a piece of dark-red armor over his chest. Red gloves covered his hands, and he had on long black pants with knee-high armored boots made of the same metal as the armor covering his chest. Hanging from the wide golden belt around his waist was a large sword with an ornate red handle and black sheath.

Jupiter and Nephrite immediately took to the top of the nearest building and followed after the other three by rooftop. The two hoped they would all get there in time to keep that poor police officer from getting slaughtered.

Uranus and the rest of her team were currently on the fourth floor of Rita Castaigne's massive labyrinth on their quest to save Neptune. They of course had to take on the labyrinth one floor at a time, as the elevators had vanished when the labyrinth first formed. The fourth floor was yet another heavily-wooded forest. Fortunately they had yet to encounter any serious enemies. Meanwhile Uranus and Brunhilde had been snapping at one another the entire trek.

As the four continued to traipse to the other side of the forest to reach the staircase to the next floor, another small black dodo wearing a white plague mask walked into their path. Brunhilde thrust her sword at the dodo and shot it with a low-power version of her Victory Arrow attack. Upon being hit, the dodo exploded into a cloud of black confetti.

"Will you stop doing that?" Uranus protested.

"What? Those damn things are annoying!" Brunhilde responded. "This whole damn building is annoying! Shooting those bird creatures is the only way I have right now to let off steam. Or rather, it's the only way I have to let off steam besides punching you in the face! And I gotta tell ya, that idea is becoming more and more tempting the more you open your mouth."

"What happens if you blast one of those things and it ends up attacking us? Huh? Did you ever think of that? Or do you even have a brain that's capable of intelligent thought?"

Jadeite groaned softly as Brunhilde and Uranus continued to argue. "That Brunhilde. I bet working with her in England drove Kunzite out of his skull."

Mars nodded. "I bet Venus didn't enjoy working with her much either. Meanwhile Uranus has been acting way too recklessly. I can't blame her since her wife is being held hostage. Plus she has Hotaru and her girlfriend on her mind. Still…"

"So what you're saying is, the two of us are going to have to be the level-headed ones in this situation."

"Looks like it."

"Look, let's just forget about this and keep going, okay?" Uranus finished.

"Fine," Brunhilde responded.

As the four finally moved on, another masked dodo crossed their path. This dodo had read feathers instead of black. Brunhilde blew this dodo up with another Victory Arrow just like she had the others. This time the remains of the dodo morphed into a red blob and expanded in a matter of seconds. Suddenly the four were facing a massive gelatinous creature that formed a large beak-like head. It roared as it opened its huge mouth to reveal several clusters of yellow eyes within.

Jadeite thrust his sword at the creature. "Ice Dragon's Mist!"

An icy mist from Jadeite's blade sprayed the creature, and in a matter of seconds it was completely frozen in a block of ice.

A flaming bow and arrow appeared in Mars's hands. "Mars Flame Sniper!"

The flaming arrow sailed through the air and struck the frozen creature, shattering it into several pieces. With the danger gone, Uranus, Mars and Jadeite all glared at Brunhilde.

Brunhilde shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. So now I know not to attack the red ones. Let's keep moving."

As Brunhilde walked further into the forest, Uranus and the others remained where the were. Their eyes were practically burning holes into the back of the redhead's skull.

"I'm probably going to kill her before this whole thing is over," Uranus declared.

"You may have to get in line behind us," Jadeite responded.

Constance was running for her life, shooting at her pursuers. Though she knew her gun would do no good, it was the only means she had to defend herself. She had avoided the attack of the living skeleton that had appeared from the fog only for two more skeletons to show up, each one carrying its own blood-soaked bladed implement. The one thing Constance had going for her was that the skeletons didn't move very fast. Yet at the same time it felt like the undead creatures were toying with her somehow.

The fog was so thick that Constance could barely see where she was going. She didn't realize until it was too late and had nearly run into the side of a building. She turned to flee in another direction only to discover that the three skeletons had surrounded her, and that three more had joined them.

"You've given me a merry chase, my darling Patricia," a voice spoke from the fog. "But I feel it is time to bring this little game of yours to an end."

"Who are you?" Constance screamed into the fog.

The voice simply laughed. "Do not worry. I'm going to make you into the most beautiful creature in all existence."

One of the skeletons advanced on Constance and raised the bloody machete it was carrying. Suddenly the sound of a motorcycle engine cut through the air, causing the skeleton to freeze and look. Constance looked as well and saw a pair of headlights rushing towards the boney abomination. The golden motorcycle took off into the air, only for the front wheel to land on the skeleton with the machete, crushing its bones to bits. The motorcycle landed in front of Constance, causing the remaining skeletons to back away.

Saturn and Khepri dismounted the Solar Chariot. Khepri drew the blaster hanging from her hip and removed the scarab from the buckle of her belt. She then attached the scarab to the top of the blaster, causing its shell to open up and reveal the three buttons hidden inside. Khepri pressed the top button twice before pressing the center button once.

An electronic voice spoke from the blaster. "CHARGING!"

Khepri pointed her blaster at the remaining hoard of skeletons. "Crack of Dawn Blitz!"

Khepri pulled the trigger six times and six bullets of gold light shot from the barrel of Khepri's blaster and struck each of the six skeletons in the black mass contained in their ribs. Upon being hit, each skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones that quickly disintegrated into yellow dust. As soon as the six skeletons were destroyed though, six more took their place.

"How many of these things are there?" Saturn wondered.

Sailor Eir landed next to Khepri, and once her wings vanished she pressed the side of her goggles. "Unfortunately there's no way to tell. Whatever this fog is, it's interfering with my sensors."

"Then let's shed some light on the subject," Khepri decided before pressing the middle button of her blaster three times and then pressing the top one twice.

Another electronic voice sounded from the blaster as the armored warrior pointed it in the air. "CHARGING!"

"Cleansing Morning Light!" Khepri called out as she pulled the trigger.

A single shot of gold light fired from the blaster into the air. After rising several feet into the night sky, the shot exploded and rained down as several sparkling gold particles. The particles caused the fog to evaporate, revealing there were at least forty skeletons standing before them in the street. By this time Jupiter and Nephrite finally arrived on the scene, hopping down from the roof next to Constance.

"W-Who are you people?" Constance asked, frightened.

Jupiter smiled at her. "Relax, we're here to help."

"My, my. This is indeed an inconvenient turn of events," the voice from before declared. "I hardly believed it when Peter told me you had returned, Sir Knight. In fact I didn't want to believe it. Yet here you are in the flesh, interfering with my work, and with an entourage no less."

"Looks like we're speaking to the one controlling these boneheads," Nephrite realized. "Show yourself!"

Suddenly footsteps could be heard echoing from an alley right across the street. Emerging from the darkness of the alley was a man wearing a long black coat with a tattered hood, a leather apron and a slightly tattered dress shirt that had yellowed with age and was covered in countless dried bloodstains. He also had on a black bowtie that was at least a century out of date, and his forearms were covered by a pair of elbow-high leather gloves dyed red with blood. The man's face was covered by a featureless mask made of stitched-together pieces of yellowed leather. In each hand, the masked man carried a long curved jagged sword caked in blood and made from a strange black metal.

"As you can see, I've changed somewhat since we last met," the masked man spoke, pointing a blade at Khepri. "This is what living for a century or so in Carcosa will do to a man."

"I recognize that voice," Khepri spoke as she dismantled and holstered her blaster. "Mortimer Wyld!"

The masked man chuckled. "Ah! That name certainly takes me back. However these days I prefer to go by the nickname Peter gave me when I first came to live in Carcosa. From now on you can address me as Patchwork Wiley!"

"There's no question. He's one of Hastur's heralds," Eir deduced.

Khepri nodded. "I didn't want to believe you were back either, Wyld. But there was no question that what's been happening in London has been your work. You've been up to your old tricks of robbing graves and victimizing young women with your cursed stones. These massacres though, I never expected you to reach this level of depravity."

"Yes, well you see my patron, His Majesty has commissioned me to create a new masterpiece that requires a substantial amount of materials," Patchwork revealed.

"Hey Khepri. You seem to know this guy," Nephrite suspiciously observed. "Care to fill us in?"

"It'd take too long to explain right now," Khepri told him without taking her eyes off Patchwork. "What I can tell you right now is that this monster works with dead bodies the way some sculptors work with clay or metal."

A look of disgust formed on Jupiter's face. "You mean, he's killing people so he can use their bodies for some sort of art project?"

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Constance pleaded.

"Please my dear Patricia, I will get to you soon enough," Patchwork told her. "Once I remove these pedestrian interlopers, I will begin making you into a true work of beauty."

Khepri looked back at Constance. "I'll be damned."

"What's wrong?" Saturn asked.

Khepri shook her head. "I'll explain once we're done here, I promise. For now though, we have to stop this monster in his tracks."

Saturn nodded. "Okay."

"Lord Khepri, you and Lady Saturn should handle Mr. Patchwork," Eir decided. "The rest of us can handle his undead puppets."

Khepri nodded. "Fine. Also make sure you protect the lady cop. Wyld mustn't lay a finger on her."

"Don't worry. We'll keep her safe," Jupiter assured her.

"Cut them to pieces, my loyal puppets!" Patchwork commanded.

The skeletons howled and raised their blades in the air. Meanwhile Eir raised her arm to her chest, and appearing in her hand with a flash of pink light was a small silver crossbow armed with a golden arrow. As the pink-haired half-pint pointed her crossbow at the advancing skeletons, crosshairs overlaid themselves over the skulls of ten of the undead soldiers. The words, "Targets locked" appeared at the bottom of the display in the runic language of Eir's people.

Sailor Eir pulled the trigger. "Fairy Bow Legion Arrows! Fire!"

As the golden arrow flew through the air, it glowed and split into ten arrows of light and flew towards their assigned targets. Each arrow completely shattered the skull they hit, causing the rest of each skeleton to collapse into piles of bone.

Meanwhile Jupiter raised her arms above her head and began to spin like a top. "Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"

A ball of green electricity formed from Jupiter's hand and rapidly grew in size. When the projectile had gotten big enough she hurled it at the oncoming clowns. The sphere struck the ribcage of one of the oncoming skeletons, causing it to break apart. Nephrite then got in front of her and drew his sword. The blade of his sword became shrouded in gasses of different colors, with sparkling lights reminiscent of stars swirling around it.

Nephrite tightened the grip on his sword and suddenly three of the spherical stars swirling around it. "Nebular Star Spear!"

The stars launched from the sword and impaled three more of the skeletons through their skulls. Meanwhile Khepri and Saturn were charging their way straight towards Patchwork, with Saturn knocking away any skeleton that came towards them with her glaive. As Khepri came in range, she drew the rod hanging from her hip and the scarab from her belt and attached them together, causing the back of the scarab to open.

Khepri pressed the top button three times, causing an electronic voice to sound. "SUNRISE SABER!"

A blade of gold energy shot forth from the top of the newly assembled sword and left an arc of light as Khepri swung it upward. The armored warrior swung her blade towards Patchwork's head, only for the masked fiend to block it with the two blades he carried.

Khepri quickly fell back. "Not ordinary swords I see."

"These were gifts from His Majesty," Patchwork bragged. "Special tools forged from metal only found in Carcosa. They cut through flesh and bone as though they were air, and I'm certain your ostentatious armor will be like paper to them!"

Patchwork swung his right sword towards Khepri, only for Saturn to move in and caught the blade with the hooked part of her glaive. With a twist of her arms, Saturn pulled the dark weapon from Patchwork's hand.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm not going to let you hurt my sweet Khepri!" Saturn declared.

Patchwork chuckled. "I see you've taken a lover, Sir Knight. She is quite fetching. I could probably make a real work of art using her body."

"Don't even think about it for a second!" Khepri threatened in a low voice.

Patchwork simply shook his head and picked up his sword. "I haven't the time to work with her anyway, nor to deal with any of you. After all, I have to complete my new piece before the deadline given by His Majesty. In the meantime, I'll let one of my older creations finish you off. It was originally a jester I made for His Majesty's amusement. I think even you can appreciate it."

Before either Saturn or Khepri could stop him, Patchwork suddenly vanished in a burst of yellow mist. The few remaining skeletons turned into puffs of yellow mist and vanished as well. Suddenly the ground began to shake, and bursting out of the pavement of the street was a massive humanoid zombie that stood at about twelve feet tall. This new creature had a large cut, and its body looked like it had been stitched together from other bodies. It wore a pair of dirty striped coveralls and its misshapen face was covered by a large clown mask. Dirty white gloves covered its pudgy hands, and in its right hand it carried a large chainsaw. The giant clown pulled the ripcord of its chainsaw, causing it to rev to life.

"This night just keeps getting better," Nephrite sarcastically remarked.

Upon seeing the clown, Constance fainted. Jupiter managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"This thing is about as loathsome as one of Tasthoggua's spawn," Saturn remarked.

"Believe it or not, this is actually one of Wyld's tamer creations," Khepri revealed as she dismantled her sword. "And I'm in no mood to deal with it. Let's finish it off quick!"

Saturn nodded and the scarab-shaped brooch in the center of the bow on her chest began to glow, as did the scarab on Khepri's belt. A few seconds later a bracelet bearing a large purple scarab appeared on Saturn's right wrist. Saturn opened the shell of the scarab on her bracelet and pressed the three buttons hidden within from bottom to top.

An electronic voice spoke from the bracelet. "SATURN'S NEW DAWN!"

Multicolored light began to shine from Saturn's body and she went through a stunning transformation. The bow on Saturn's chest changed into feathered multicolored wings for the scarab, while the bow on the back of her skirt transformed into somewhat larger multicolored feathered wings that closed in around the front of her skirt like pieces of armor. A gold scarab appeared on the front of Saturn's choker, and her tiara was replaced with a gold disc on her forehead with the symbol for her mother planet on it glowing in purple. Her face had also gained purple eyeshadow that made her look like a queen of Ancient Egypt.

Nephrite was visibly stunned by Saturn's sudden transformation. "Uh, hon? Are you able to transform like that too?"

"No, and last time I checked neither could Saturn," Jupiter answered, just as stunned.

The giant zombie clown picked Khepri and Saturn as its first victims and began to lumber towards them. Saturn pressed the head of the scarab on her bracelet, and at the same time, Khepri opened the scarab on her belt and pressed the three buttons within from bottom to top.

An electronic voice spoke from Saturn's bracelet. "EVERY END IS A NEW BEGINNING!"

At the same time, another electronic voice spoke from Khepri's belt. "RISE OF THE FINAL DAWN!"

The blade of Saturn's Silence Glaive began to glow with a golden right as she pointed it straight in the air. Meanwhile the two pairs of front legs belonging to the scarab jetpack on Khepri's back extended upward and rotated to rest on her shoulders. The ends of the legs opened to reveal cannon barrels hidden within.

Saturn swung her glaive downward. "Silent Dawn!"

At the same time, Khepri pressed the head of the scarab on her belt. "Final Sunrise!"

A ring-shaped blade of gold light flew from Saturn's glaive, and simultaneously four powerful beams of gold light like the sun's rays fired from Khepri's shoulder cannons. The ring of light cut the giant zombie clown in half, and the blast from Khepri's cannons vaporized both halves completely. When the attack ended and the light died away, Jupiter and Nephrite stood frozen in shock, their jaws hanging open. For several seconds the only sound that could be heard was a gust of wind blowing through.

Sailor Eir clapped her hands. "A truly magnificent spectacle, milord! It was an honor seeing you and Lady Saturn at your finest."

"Thanks," Khepri responded. "We should head back. Once we're at 221B I'll explain who it was we just fought."

"What about the police woman Patchwork was after?" Saturn asked.

"We should take her with us for now. I don't Wyld to be able to get to her easily."

Eir nodded. "Understood."

The little pinkette then took the still unconscious Constance from Jupiter and carried her bridal style with ease despite her small size. Eir's wings reappeared and she flew off into the air with Constance in her arms. Meanwhile Khepri and Saturn remounted the Solar Chariot and zoomed off down the part of the street that hadn't been broken by the clown. Nephrite and Jupiter remained frozen for several more seconds.

At last Jupiter finally spoke. "WHAT THE FREAKIN' HELL HAPPENED IN PARIS!?"

Once they arrived at the little village of Whistler's Cove and found a good spot to park their RV, Minako and the rest of her team decided to start their investigation of the Corby House and the Aldebaran Players by asking around town. Most of what they found out from the locals about the Corby House wasn't anything they hadn't already read about the place online. Construction of the old playhouse had been commissioned back in the early 1900s by Eliza Corby, the wife of a ruthless timber baron by the name of Nathanial Corby. Eliza had been a tireless champion of the arts, and had made it her crusade to bring at least a little culture to the simple fishing village. To this end, Eliza had also used the fortune she had shared with her husband to commission the town library, which was still thriving to this day.

In the beginning, the Corby House had been successful. It hosted bimonthly performances of everything from the works of Shakespeare to the plays of Oscar Wilde. The heyday of the Corby House came to an end though when its regular troupe of actors decided to perform The King in Yellow, despite numerous protests from the community over the play's infamous reputation. In fact the controversy made Eliza Corby even more determined that the play be performed. She had felt that great controversy made for even greater art. On the night of the play's first performance however, the entire playhouse had burned to the ground with everyone inside. Reports stated that no one inside had even tried to escape.

Years later during her dying days, Eliza had managed to get the town to rebuild the Corby House, but it had never been the same. Performances at the playhouse had dropped from twice a month to once or twice a year, and turnout for those performances were usually small. It was through questioning the people of Whistler's Cove that Minako and the others found out why. The locals shunned the old playhouse whenever they could. While the Corby House did have regular caretakers, they were always hired from out of town and never stayed for more than two or three months. While nobody considered the Corby House to be haunted, the building itself was viewed as an unclean presence. The only reasons the Corby House remained standing and was regularly maintained to this day were because the descendants of Eliza Corby were determined to see their grand matriarch's legacy remain intact, and because the shunned playhouse brought in tourists.

As for the Aldebaran Players, Minako and the others could find out very little from the locals. They did discover though that ever since the troupe had begun their performances at the old Corby House, an unsettling atmosphere had hung over the village. Some locals had dared to go see some of their plays out of a morbid curiosity and had come back changed. With the tourists it had been even worse. Minako and her companions had managed to find some of these tourists at one of the local hotels, and when they questioned these people about what sort of plays the infamous troupe had put on, they couldn't help but notice that they all had a strange look in their eyes as they tried to describe what they had seen. It was a look that could almost be called madness.

After asking everyone they could about the Corby House, Minako and the others decided their best move was to check out the place in person. The playhouse was not located within the village itself but far up the hill on the very outskirts of the city limits. Rather than take the RV, the four decided to walk to get to the Corby House, as it was a very lovely day. During the trek uphill, Keisuke and Sandra ended up taking the front while Minako and Grete took the rear. This allowed Minako the opportunity to try and make a little progress with her other mission on this trip.

"So, are you excited to be working with Sandra on this mission?" Minako quietly asked.

"Not particularly," Grete responded. "Sandra and I have worked together on missions like this hundreds of times. She is a valued and capable comrade, as are Hilda and Erica."

Minako's smile faltered a bit. "Okay. But do you say, I don't know…like working with Sandra more than you do with Erica or Hilda?"

Grete sighed. "I understand what you are attempting to do, Ms. Aino. Lady Freyja asked you to play the role of matchmaker between myself and Sandra, correct?"

Minako's smile completely vanished. "Actually it was Hilda, but she implied that Frieda wanted me to help you and Sandra hook up."

"I see. I am sorry the two of you attempted to get you involved in this matter. Lady Freyja simply cannot understand how it must be between Sandra and myself."

"Well can you at least tell me what the deal is? Do you not actually like Sandra?"

"On the contrary. I love Sandra with all my heart. I simply cannot be with her because of who I am, what I am."

Minako raised an eyebrow. "What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

"I am a descendant of Loki. The blood of the one who betrayed the Aesir flows through my veins."

Minako at least understood who Loki was. The mythical deity had been cast as the main bad guy in the two Marvel films she had gone to see with the other Inners (and they had mostly gone to ogle the hunky actor who had been cast as Thor, or at least Minako had). Later, Ami had explained that Loki was the Norse God of Mischief, known for committing many wicked deeds.

"I'm certain now you understand why I cannot be with Sandra," Grete continued.

"Um, not really," Minako responded, still with a raised eyebrow. "So you have an evil ancestor. That doesn't mean you can't date anyone."

"On the contrary. All who carry Loki's blood are seen as abominations. I was considered an outcast from the day I was born, as was my father and his father before him, and so on. The last thing I want is for Sandra to be tainted by my ancestor's legacy."

"Okay, so…it doesn't bother you to see Sandra chasing after all those other women?"

"Of course it bothers me, but if Sandra can find happiness with another, I am content to let another woman have her."

Minako let out a frustrated sigh. She had known from Hilda that Grete had some sort of baggage that got in the way of Grete getting together with Sandra, but the redhead had totally undersold just how major this baggage was. The only way Minako could see Sandra and Grete getting together would be to have Grete undergo years of psychological therapy.

"We're here," Keisuke called from up ahead, causing the others to stop.

Before Minako and the others was a large two-story house with a white roof and walls painted a bright canary yellow with white trim. A wooden sign bearing the name, Corby House hung above the large double front doors by a pair of chains. From everything Minako and the others had heard, they expected the Corby House to be some sort of dilapidated ruin, but the building they saw was quite the opposite. The lawn was well-kept, and there weren't any signs of chipped paint or broken window. It was clear the old playhouse was being well-maintained despite its infamous reputation, and yet to Minako and the rest of her team it seemed as though Corby House possessed an unseen quality that made it seem all wrong.

"I guess we should go in," Sandra decided. "Even though it feels like a really bad idea. Something about this place is making all of the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end."

Keisuke nodded. "This is indeed an enemy stronghold. We should be on guard."

Minako and Grete both nodded, and the four cautiously approached the playhouse. Upon finding the front doors unlocked, they went on inside to find a spacious lobby with red carpet and wood-paneled walls. Hanging from the high ceiling above was a large ornate chandelier. There was no one sitting at the front desk, but the small electric lamps hanging from the walls were all lit. As the four walked into the lobby, they noticed the place had a strange and unpleasant odor they couldn't identify. It was a sort of musty stench that clung to the backs of their throats.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that they're waiting for us," Sandra remarked as they continued on. Suddenly the doors slammed shut behind them, causing the four to turn around. "Yep. This is a trap."

"Hello Mina," a familiar voice greeted. Minako and the others turned back around to see Ace standing before them, wearing a black jacket with a white t-shirt and black slacks. "I bet you didn't think you'd ever see me again."

"Ace!" Minako responded.

"Saijyo!" Keisuke spoke, glaring. "What sort of trick are you trying to pull on us?"

"You should all be flattered," Ace told them. "The Maestro thought my fellow star players should give you all a private performance."

Ace snapped his fingers, and before Minako or any of the others could transform, the entire area was washed out in a blinding yellow light.

Minako suddenly found herself sitting in front of a dressing room mirror, trying to remember what she was doing. She felt as though she had just woken up from some sort of dream, the details of which had vanished like smoke. Minako looked at herself in the mirror and realized she was wearing her Sailor V costume, minus the red mask that normally covers half her face. She looked down to discover she was holding the mask in her hands.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door to Monaco's dressing room, startling her and prompting her to quickly put on her mask. "Come in!"

The door opened and Ace stuck his head into the room, dressed as his alter ego of Phantom Ace. "You about ready? The director's starting to get impatient."

"Just give me a sec," Minako responded as she adjusted her mask.

Ace walked further into the room and stood behind her chair. "You okay? You seem a little out of it."

"I'm totally fine. I guess just spaced out for a moment is all."

Smiling, Ace nodded and put a hand on Minako's shoulder. "I'll be waiting on set. Let's give 'em a hell of a show."

Ace left the room as Minako continued to look at herself in the mirror. The details of her life came back to her as clear as day. She and Ace were co-stars on a successful superhero T.V. show called Ace of Victory. They played a pair of married superheroes by the names of Phantom Ace and Sailor V, who by night fought an evil organization that sought to take over all of Japan and eventually the entire world. It was a popular series, made even more so by the fact Minako and Ace were dating in real life.

After making sure her mask was in place, Minako got up and headed for the door. She ended up pausing in the doorway though. Minako ended up having the strangest feeling that something wasn't at all right. The feeling only lasted for a moment though, and she shut the door of her dressing room behind her and headed for the set.

One-Eyed Pete stood in the middle of the lobby with his hands folded behind his stooped back. Around him were four large spheres made of yellow light. Each sphere contained a member of Minako's team.

A huge grin formed on Pate's pallid face. "It seems the private performances are well underway. Of course they're not truly performances for that whore, Sailor Venus and her comrades, but ones for the entertainment of myself and His Majesty. Let us see how well they live the roles I have given each of them."

Please review and let me know what you think.