Souls of Fire #8: Shattered Mirror Ranma 1/2 VS Sailor Moon Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/sm/index.html Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi. Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Proper licenses belong to respective properties and characters. The manga has precedence over material in the anime. This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its complete form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without permission from the author. ---------------------------------------------------- Prison, Crystal Palace One thing that beat being cooped up in an underground command center was being cooped up in an underground prison cell. With a newly developed, jaded view on her life Ayame rest on the single cot that served as furniture for the ten-by-ten cell, folding her arms behind her head to stare at the ceiling. She imagined patterns in the crystal ceiling, pushing out all reason from her mind and simply allowing her thoughts to wander. I should've done this a long time ago, she realized. This is much less stressful than being the leader of a terrorist group. That was what it all boiled down to, unfortunately. They were branded the Fenril Knights, an obvious connotation to Norse mythology's Fenris Wolf. The creature was intended to slay the Midgard Dragon that circled the World Tree, but a poisonous bite turned the wolf against his masters. In effect, the connotation was 'traitor.' Her people have been called that long enough that Ayame was beginning to accept the name. If one is told a lie long enough, they are bound to accept it as truth eventually. At every turn the Sailor Senshi defeated her people and her company's robots. They flatten Wiseman's droids in no time flat, such that they were only good for target practice for the sailor-suited girls for the life span they averaged. Victory was nowhere in sight, and yet, Ayame couldn't help but feel it wasn't over. She wished it would be over, but Hokuto was right; the others wouldn't stop until they sprung her out of this cell. She heard a loud thump outside her cell, and knew it was heavy enough to be a body. Ayame knew there were no guards standing in the prison block itself, so she presumed it was Hokuto. Partially correct, she told herself, as a shivering, pig-tailed girl stepped into view. "Ayame," she said, her teeth chattering from an intense cold. Hokuto emerged from behind her, a soft expression on her face, yet sunken as usual. "Um, do I know you?" Ayame asked, sitting up in her cot. "Ayame," Hokuto introduced, "this is Ranma." Ayame blinked. "Ranma's a guy." "Never mind that," Ranma hissed. "That's neither here nor there. Gimmie your crystal." "What good will it do to you?" asked the leader, holding out her black crystal shard. "It's useless under the energy shield." "Just give it to me!" Her eyes turned toward Hokuto. "What's your game?" "Just give it to him," the Shadow Weaver suggested. "Ranma wants the power." "If 'Ranma' wants to break me out, he'd better find another way," Ayame replied. "I'm not going back." "I can't force you to go back," Hokuto said. "That's up to you, but you can't take responsibility for everything bad happening." "The others died because of my leadership." "Bullshit," Ranma spat. "The others died because Neo Queen Serenity is a soul-sucking leech." "What?" Ayame eyed the girl curiously. "I found their bodies," the martial artist explained. "Kuno, Shampoo, and Miranda, at least. All of them had their souls yanked out of 'em, otherwise they're still dead living." "What would she want with their souls?" Ranma shook her head. "How should I know? I just know what I saw." She reached her arms through the bars, trying to grab Ayame's crystal shard. "I need that thing to fight them." "You want this worthless piece of crap for power?" "I don't have time for this!" "No wonder Hokuto thinks you're Ranma; you're so butch, girl." "I AM Ranma, you idiot!" "What's going on down here?!" All three girls jumped in surprise, and eyes turned toward down the hall. The owner of the voice was none other than Sailor Mars, and behind her, the other four Sailor Senshi, obviously on the way to interrogate Ayame. Hokuto turned to face them, spreading her cloak out in order to cast a larger shadow. "We've no time for this," she muttered, and Ayame saw the Shadow Weaver extend her shadow down the hall. She pressed her face against the bars, trying to see, and managed to catch black hands emerge from the cast shadow and clutch on Mars's legs. With surprising strength and speed the hands dragged her into the darkness, as if the soldier of fire were falling into a trap door. "Stand back!" Hokuto warned. "Or which of you want to be next?" Ranma turned back to Ayame. "Look, we're out of time here, just give me the crystal." Sighing, Ayame lowered her head, staring straight down at the floor. Somewhere in her mind she knew that Hokuto's prophecy was coming true, unfolding right before her eyes. Was there much she could do to prevent it from happening? Unconsciously, she held out her arm, and unpried her fingers from around the black crystal shard. "Finally," Ranma said, getting her hands on the last crystal shard she needed to complete her plan. Ayame looked back up, and saw that the pig-tailed girl was in possession of six more shards. The girl picked one up, and, with one hand, crushed it. A violet, coursing energy emerged from her palm, and she used it to gather the rest of the six shards, seemingly crushing all of them as well, with surprising strength. Amidst startled gasps Ayame saw what the girl was doing when she completed her work; in her palm was a small, spherical-shaped, jagged crystal. "It's a black crystal!" one of the senshi shouted. Tying it around her neck, the girl known as Ranma began to course with power. The black crystal surged with energy, and Ayame and Hokuto had to step back from the intensity of the power. Black energy swirled at the girl's feet, rising upward quickly and at the same speeds, causing her to cry out in pain. Fire incinerated the girl's features, only to replace them with more sturdy, hardy features. When the swirl of energy finished Ayame gasped, and saw the one standing before her was indeed Ranma Saotome himself. "You!" she heard Jupiter shout. "And that's only the first part," the martial artist promised, clutching the black crystal dangling around his neck. Violet light emerged from the cracks between his fingers. "What the...?!" Ranma gasped, obviously surprised by the crystal's power. He screamed in terror and pain, as energy coursed from the crystal all around his body. Ranma threw his head and arms back, nearly bursting his shirt in the process, and seemed ready to fall over backward. Ayame took several steps back, and Hokuto did the same. The energy surge complete, Ranma remained hunched over, breathing heavily. Ayame could see his breath steam from his mouth and nostrils, and shied back further, only to realize that her cell simply wasn't big enough. Ranma's eyes darted in her direction, and it was Ayame's turn to scream. She saw a lust for blood in his eyes, without reason, and knew that she was going to be the first target. --- "Chaos infusion," Sailor Moon realized, having witnessed the change in Ranma herself. "He's amplified the power of the Chaos cells within his body to push himself to the limits!" She aimed her wand, and fired. Ranma, his attention torn away from Ayame, feast his eyes on Sailor Moon as he batted the light burst away with his hands. Before she knew what hit her Ranma was on top of her, fist cocked back and augmented by what seemed like a tornado. But Jupiter was quick enough to stop him, blasting him back with a bolt of lightning, and giving Moon enough time to recover. "He's driven by instinct," Mercury realized. "Primal instinct of man." Spreading his arms out, Ranma let out a scream, throwing a tornado straight up from his standing position. Bits of crystal rained all about as the wind scattered it, and Sailor Moon saw that he was lifting himself up through his own tornado. "He's going to try and escape!" Venus shouted. Sailor Moon ran to the hole in the ceiling, seeing no sign of the chaotic martial artist. She cast her eyes in Hokuto's direction. The Shadow Weaver stepped back as a blackened shape emerged from her shadow. It glistened in the light like oil, and masked whatever features there was, but there was no doubt this was Sailor Mars. "What're you doing?" Sailor Moon asked. "I gave her a dip in the shadow stream," Hokuto said calmly. "Don't worry, she'll be alright... in time. But if you want to stay in this game, I suggest you try and stop him." Before any more questions could be asked, the Shadow Weaver melted back into darkness, sinking into her own shadow. They felt a rumbling from above. "He's trying to take down the shield," Mercury said. Time to make split decisions, Moon realized. "Venus, get that shield down. Mercury, watch Sailor Mars. Jupiter, we're going after your friend." --- Ranma threw several more tornado blasts at the energy shield, unleashing all his pent-up frustrations on that which caged him. He felt the dark energy coursing through his veins, felt each and every cell in his body pumping and surging with unthinkable power. He felt everything go on automatic, as if his thought was only along for the ride. And yet, he knew what he was doing. In an instant, the shield collapsed before him, and, now that the offending cage was dispensed of, Ranma turned back toward the palace. He saw Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter emerge from the gates, and the martial artist smiled despite himself. "Sailor Moooooon...!" he grunted, licking his lips with anticipation. --- Sailor Moon jumped out of the way as Ranma threw another tornado fist in her direction. The wind tore at the air, visibly spiraling dust and debris in its path. She felt her hair being torn back, and had it not been attached to her head she was certain she would have lost it. Another horizontal spiral flew over her head, and Moon knew this blast caught Jupiter. She heard the other's painful cry, and quickly cast a glance backward to see that she was being slammed into the wall behind her. The tornado blast drilled her into the crystal, sending splinters of shards everywhere and pushing Jupiter further through. That was pushing it. She stood up defiantly, the thought of her friend in her dire predicament fueling her courage. Ranma merely stood there, breathing heavily, laboring for air, hunched over with his arms dangling down before him, as if all the energy he was expending was finally taking its toll. At the same time Sailor Moon pitied the unknowing man and felt the need to punish him. "No matter what cause you fight for, I can't forgive you for what you've done!" she declared, and Ranma made no sign of reaction contrary to his current behavior. She spun out her wand in readiness. "Moon...." However, before she could completely power up her wand Ranma sprung into action, catapulting toward Moon with a tornado propelling his feet. Flinching in surprise her energy blast was interrupted, as she hastily and instinctively raised her arms to block the tackle. A sharp zing flew across her hearing, and Moon found that she'd also instinctively closed her eyes. Ranma was standing no more than a couple meters away from her, supporting his right arm with his left for one reason or another. He removed his hand, and she saw that his arm was cut swiftly, and Ranma turned around and crushed the offending rose. She turned to look toward the probable source of the rose, and saw what she thought she would never see again. Standing on a nearby street light pole was a fellow in a black cape, allowing it to flow with the wind. The newcomer, sure enough, was dressed in a black tuxedo and top hat, but wore a full facial clay mask, an eerie smile painted across its face. "Tuxedo Kamen?" she whispered in surprise. Wordlessly, the caped guardian vaulted up into the air and over the buildings, disappearing from view. Sailor Moon tore her eyes away from her mysterious savior, and reaffirmed her grip on her wand. That mystery would have to wait, she decided. She raised the wand high, the head sparkling with energy, and shouted the healing incantation. White light bathed Ranma's features as he roared in pain. The violet energy of the black crystal around his neck scattered in all directions, the light restoring the body to its proper function in an instant. The martial artist collapsed face-first on the ground at Sailor Moon's feet, and she wiped her forehead, wondering how the battle could've been so easy. Ranma, empowered by Chaos, effectively outclassed her normal abilities, and yet he lacked the endurance to carry the fight on for more than five minutes. She remembered there was a black crystal still hanging around his neck. If that device was still functional then the nightmare was only beginning, for both of them. "Don't come any closer," Ranma warned, slowly lifting himself from the crystal-layered pavement. Moon stopped in her tracks. "What the...?" Quickly, the martial artist was on his feet. His right arm hung slightly limp at his side while his left was searching his pockets for something. "I don't know how you got past my attacks, but we ain't through yet." What he produced was a radio transmitter. "Okay, Dragonfly, give me Priority One extraction." Sailor Moon turned her head to the air, realizing it was the source of a sudden buzzing sound. A shadow quickly concealed the morning sun, and a rope brushed by her. She turned and saw that Ranma reached for the rope that hung from the air, and followed it all the way up to a large, insect-shaped airship. "Don't think we're through," Ranma promised in his crude manner. "I don't quit easily; next time it's just you and me." She watched as the dragonfly-like airship and Ranma disappeared into the horizon quickly, and thought better of giving chase. She turned back toward Sailor Jupiter, who was already pulling herself out of the crushed wall. "Jupiter!" she cried. "Are you okay?" The other girl merely smiled as she held her head up. "Yeah... nothing like a little wind's going to take me out." --- Shizuka's Quarters, Mishima Heavy Industries Shion felt silly about himself, as he let himself inside after customarily knocking, knowing no one was up to answer it anyway. The room remained dark, save for one low-level heat lamp near the bed where Shizuka lay, likely for the coiled reptile. Her boa constrictor, Thanatos, lay curled in a bundle, draped all over his master's prone body, aware but obviously disturbed from his sleep. Shion waved the snake 'hello,' also out of habit, as he'd come to know Thanatos as rather intelligent-- for a reptile. "Hey there," he said, although his words were directed more at Shizuka than at Thanatos. "Sorry I couldn't get the chain gun you wanted; the guys in Vegas I contacted couldn't scrounge one up before I had to come back." The mercenary glanced to one wall, where, held by racks, were both of Shizuka's 'hand-me-down' swords, as she referred them, and her favorite, old-style, manual loading shotgun, with six bullets held on the rack mounted on top of it. Between the two sets of weapons Shion knew Shizuka liked the gun even more, but still refused to part with the swords, likely on a point of honor. She loved guns. "Things're going to Hell now that Mizuno turned on us," Shion continued. "Ayame ran out on her own, and now she's a prisoner of the Sailor Senshi. Kanna's out trying to take over the world... and she won't be back soon enough to make a difference. That leaves me with the unenviable position of leader. I'm sure you'd be laughing right now." "I need to get Ayame back," he punctuated. "I've got some of the guys working on a solution, but... I wish you were here to help me." He lowered himself to his knees, leveling his head to Shizuka's. "I mean, it's been so long since we've... well... talked. You're so close and yet so far, it's... silly." He shook his head, standing back to his feet. "No. I've got to stay focused. Everything rides on me now, and no manner of pining is going to do any of us any good. If I'm lucky, you'll wake up and never know that I got to wear your 'Big Hat' for a while." Thanatos flicked his forked tongue at the mercenary, and Shion turned his attention to the creature. "Uh, you'd better not tell her I said all that, okay? I know you; don't even think about it or I won't feed you tonight." Again, the snake flicked his tongue. Shion sighed, knowing that he'd have to feed the reptile anyway. Silently, he backed out of the priestess's quarters, leaving the serene girl, her snake, and the unseen observer alone in the darkness. "Why," Hokuto asked the boa constrictor, as she stepped out of her dark corner, "can't he admit his feelings even when Shizuka can't hear him? Could it be that I'm too overbearing in my approach, or is he afraid of rejection?" The snake made no motion to reply, ignoring the Shadow Weaver completely to resume his nap. --- Inner Sanctum, Crystal Palace "I've had time to fully review the data I've downloaded into my computer," Mercury explained to the other Sailor Senshi, as she stood by a projection of her data on a wall screen. "Mainly, this concerns the seventeen Fenril Knights themselves." "While we initially believed that all of them were powerful warriors, like martial artists, it's been proven that Death Phantom didn't pick them on the basis of physical prowess alone, but also intellectual abilities, connection, and charm." The projected image changed to show a profile of Ayame, the first of the Fenril Knights. Any further attempt to draw information out of her ended in vain, as she was too terrified by the thought of getting killed by Chaos Ranma, as they've dubbed his powered condition. "Ayame Mishima was most likely chosen because of her connection to Mishima Heavy Industries, formerly a member of three rising arms suppliers and technology developers. They have known ties to other, untrustworthy organizations with similar goals, and it is from them that they got their hands on the Mekani device." Mercury shook her head. "But that's only part of it. Not only did she have the connection, Ayame also possessed charisma-- enough to bind the others together and focus them on one goal." "Something rather difficult with varied minds like them," Venus added. "And ego to match," Mars said, looking a little pale in complexion after her unspeakable experience in the shadow stream. It seemed to be the unspoken rule of the house that no one made mention of her momentary side trip to the primal elemental zone. Mercury nodded in agreement. "In fact, she was all but failing. Two have deserted their organization, and four have died. Ayame thinks she's responsible for all of this, and that's why she attacked us alone." "The burden may be hard on her," Sailor Moon commented sympathetically. "We have to figure out what we're going to do with her, too," Sailor Venus said. The display changed to display the second profile. Mercury continued, "This one's Shion Kagami, a freelance programmer. Not much background could be found on him, as he's likely covered it all up. I think he's much more than what he says he is, but that may be difficult to find out; his skills can match my own." "Met your match?" Jupiter jabbed in a friendly manner. "In any case it's not readily-apparent what he brings to the Fenril Knights," the soldier of water said, moving on. The third profile came up. "Kanna Rajura, also known as the Crystal Spider. Reputedly she studies military history to become a great tactician; this likely is what she brings to the Fenril Knights. She's also known to be a childhood friend of Shion's, but I'm not sure how far that relationship goes." "No wonder she drifted to their side," Sailor Moon said. "Her studies gravitated toward a world with conflict, and joining them provided one." "The next is Ranma Saotome, who I'm sure we're all familiar with," Mercury continued, switching to the fourth profile. "There isn't a lot of documents on him, but he's known to be a brilliant martial artist and highly sought for his abilities." "The fifth is Ryoga Hibiki; he's Ranma's rival, and supposed to be a good match for him." "Good thing he's on our side," Jupiter muttered. The sixth profile produced yet another familiar face to the gathered senshi. "Shizuka Minazuki, a priestess in practice, hunter by trade. She willingly puts her life on the line to hunt demons causing general problems to people. Apparently, she was sent to the Shrine of the Four Gods when she was four; the reason is not specified, but her parents and siblings are still alive and well." "That could prove crucial in turning her to our side," Sailor Mars pointed out. "This means she does have a family left." "The seventh is Tatewaki Kuno, who I will omit only for the fact that he's dead. The eight is his kid sister, Kodachi. Her profile conflicts with our current information on her, as she is a rhythmic gymnast, and yet she fights like a kendoist." Mercury shook her head. "It almost seems as if she took up the sword in her brother's memory." "The ninth is Miranda Kusao, who was a martial artist on par with Ranma's abilities. The tenth is Shampoo, a powerful warrior from China. She, too, is no longer a threat to us, but the next one, Mousse, may prove as such. His martial art is based on weapons, and he mastered many, so his attacks are varied. One Achilles Heel, though, may be in his glasses; he can't see well without them." "I'll keep that in mind," Sailor Moon replied. The twelfth profile appeared on the projection. "This is Higure Furui, the one who recruited me. He seems like a thinker to me, and there's no real information in his profile. I think, if there's any chance of turning the Fenril Knights to our side, he's the key; Master Higure encourages thinking among his fellows, and is less likely to stand against us." "The next is the one known as Pantyhose Taro; his name was given to him by a martial artist, and by the law of his people he can't change his name unless he got a new one from his namer." "Yes, we know about him," Moon voiced. "His whereabouts are unknown." "He's otherwise a very powerful martial artist, and despite that he's not very well-liked by the others." Mercury moved on to the fourteenth profile. "Ukyo Kuonji...." "Her, huh?" Jupiter said. "The girl with the big spatula?" "You saw her?" asked Mercury. "Yeah, we had a little scuffle." "We don't know where she is," Mercury added. "She is apparently a professional chef as well as a martial artist, but neither of those are likely the reasons why she's with the Fenril Knights." "She said it was because of her friends, I think," Jupiter offered. "That girl seemed pretty mad about that." "In any case it's her contact with the people that makes her desirable. Many report she carries a certain charm about her, as she seems very friendly to everybody. If that's any indication, it may be easy to sway her as well." Mercury ran through the next two profiles quickly, as each turned up a blank slate and no pictures. "These two are Cinder and Sypha Blade, respectively. No data can be found on either of them, and I've never seen them, much less heard of them, during my time with the Fenril Knights." Switching to the last profile, the other Sailor Senshi were not surprised to see a familiar face. "She is Hokuto Takemasa, known esper, and of a hereditary order called Shadow Weavers, the users of shadow. Their role is to observe events, but Hokuto's task goes far beyond that; she claims she can see the future before it happens." "A prophet?" asked Mars. "She's apparently adept at occult readings," Mercury added quickly. "That's likely where she gets her 'knowledge' from. Others describe her as reclusive and mysterious, so not many people know what she's really after." "A dangerous opponent, yet," Sailor Moon pointed out. "If she took the time to fight us rather than observe, the Fenril Knights could have beaten us much sooner." "Her shadow power draws from the shadow stream," Sailor Mars pointed out. "She couldn't do us in before because the regions beyond this plane are restricted by the Silver Crystal's power." "Yeah, the rift must be the key," Venus said in agreement. "Is there any information about the rift's location?" Sailor Mercury shook her head. "None of that information was in the computer, but Ayame may know where it is." "But why should she tell us?" Jupiter wondered. "She may be our prisoner, and a reckless one at that, but I don't think she's ready to betray her pals." "If we can't convince her to tell us, we might have to use her own misgivings as backup," Venus suggested. "Sure, all we know is why she attacked us, but she had a very good chance to get away, and she didn't take it." "That's true," agreed Mercury. "So who wants to talk to her?" Sailor Moon asked finally. --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries A large, rectangular slab decorated the center of the command bowl, having been hastily erected. A soft, feather pillow was placed near the head, and a large, blinding white light hung overhead, attached to several pieces of complex machinery. Resting on the man-sized slab was a pair of iron knuckles, appearing no more special than any other hand-held weapon. Shion and Higure entered quietly, their steps echoing off the steel grate stairs as they descended into the bowl. The old man stood off to the left side from the head, and Shion to the right, both staring at the knuckles lying on the slab. "Are you certain you are up to this?" Higure asked, concern in his voice. "This is not unlike the path Ayame chose." "I know what I'm doing," Shion replied confidently, picking up the knuckles. He quickly and quietly slipped both knuckles on, flexing his fingers against the stiff devices. Flicking a finger, a thin wire flew out from under it, sourcing from the knuckle. The wire stopped in its path, quickly coiling in the air expertly. He jerked his finger back, recalling the wire back to its original position. "The Lightning Dragon Wire," Higure explained, "is a powerful Orochi weapon. Not only do you have complete control over the wire, but you can send electrical pulses through them and shock your enemy. In this same manner, by planting the wires into certain spots of a creature you can manipulate his movements like a puppet, using electrical pulses to control body functions." "However, after a month the weapon will have taken an affinity for your body, and the wires will be permanently grafted to your body. The knuckles will vanish, and you'll become the user of lightning until the day you die." "Then all I have to do is make sure I don't wear this thing that long," Shion determined. He pulled himself over the slab and lay on his back, staring straight up at the light, and resting his head against the soft pillow. It truly felt uncomfortable to lie there. "Even though I didn't invent it," he continued, "I helped define the Internet the way it is today; every trick in the book should still work for me. Key points in hardware and software can be exploited at the touch of a button, but now I need more than a simple keyboard to control it all. For no matter how brilliant the human mind is humans can only divert their attentions to one pursuit at a time." He raised his hands to the light. "That's where these Orochi weapons come in. These wires will allow me to divert my influence on the computer networks much easier, and I'll need all the advantage I can get when Mizuno decides to accept my challenge." Shion's eyes narrowed, hidden from Higure's view by his tinted glasses. "Mizuno," he muttered under his breath. Quietly, Higure slipped on a wired headband onto Shion's head, then turned away. Shion knew the old man was on his way to activate the machine, and a split second later he wondered if he was just as crazy as Ayame. He shook his head. Of course not. Saotome returned only a while before with the Dragonfly, and he's a martial artist; he had real trouble fighting the Sailor Senshi even with his new black crystal necklace. Shion himself was no martial artist, much less a fighter at all, therefore he had to make up that deficiency with his other skills. To that end he decided to fight the Sailor Senshi in his own way, on his own terms. No matter what happened, Ayame Mishima's life was far more important than his could ever be. "Give me some juice," he ordered Higure. "Good hunting," said the old man, and Shion felt his senses dull as the machine consumed his mind. --- Internal Security, Crystal Palace The moment the energy shield went down unexpectedly, the four technicians on duty started to panic. "What the heck...?!" one shouted. "Who ordered the power-down?" "I didn't do it!" another cried, raising his hands away from his console. "Everything's powering down by itself, and I do mean everything!" said a third. Sure enough, the moment the technician said that the lights of the security office dimmed along with the sudden shutdown of the computers. In the blink of an eye the four technicians were plunged into darkness, without any source of illumination. Their panicked screaming was only a fraction of the terror falling upon the palace's overworked staff. --- Inner Sanctum, Crystal Palace "What's going on?" demanded Sailor Moon, as all the lights of the chamber died, unfurling a curtain of darkness. The darkness was soon banished as Sailor Mars whipped up a small candle flame in her fingers, the fire dancing just micrometers over her gloves. "I think we've just got hit by another attack." --- Palace Gates, Crystal Palace Kodachi Kuno rubbed her eyes in amazement, wondering if Shion's promise was for real. The palace that served as the home of the hated enemy was unprotected. The shimmering energy shield that prevented her from exacting vengeance on Sailor Venus was gone, at long last. She turned to Mousse, who was standing beside her with his arms folded in his sleeves. "It appears our mutual ally has come through for us!" "About time something's going right," he snorted. He looked over his shoulder, and found no one, to Mousse's continual disappointment. "Too bad there's only us left; we don't even have the robots anymore." None of the Master of Hidden Weapon's complaints fazed Kodachi, so focused on her goal. Their primary objective was to make use of the chaos Shion created in order to spring Ayame out of prison; while Kodachi was perfectly willing to do this favor her true goal was to find and destroy Sailor Venus. It didn't matter that there was no one left to help them out; Kodachi knew she was more than a match for the Sailor Senshi. "Shall we go?" Mousse bowed, and stood aside. "After you." --- Internal Security, Crystal Palace "What's our status?" asked Sailor Moon, as she and the other four Sailor Senshi entered the security office, with Mars in the lead. The technicians, suddenly finding themselves with a source of light, struggled to regain their composure in front of their leader. The head technician spoke up. "All power in the palace is off," he reported. "We don't know what's causing it, or...." His words were interrupted, as the main viewscreen flickered back to life. All eyes turned toward the now-white, blinding screen, and an image of the Mishima logo appeared. "Fenril Knights, of course," Venus muttered. "Greetings," they heard a voice say, echoing off all the speakers in the office. "Neo Queen Serenity?" "That's me," Moon replied, wondering how the Fenril knew she was there. Silently she eyed Mercury, who pointed up toward the ceiling, where a security camera was mounted under an opaque black dome. "He's turned on enough systems to communicate with us," Mercury explained. "Oh, Mizuno, so nice to hear from you again." "I wish I could say the same, Shion," she replied. "This is Shion, eh?" Jupiter commented, eyeing the other senshi carefully. "You girls have someone I want," the Fenril stated plainly. "I want her." "What makes you think we'll let you have her?" asked Sailor Mars. "Don't be ridiculous, I don't want Ayame, I want Mizuno... or whatever name she's going by these days." All eyes turned toward Sailor Mercury. She blinked in mild surprise. "Me?" "Surely you girls have the equipment, so why don't you join me on the network? Because if you don't, I can make life much, much harder than it already is." "Don't do it!" warned Moon. "It's a trap!" "But he's also offering us a chance to fight back," Mercury pointed out. "Shion didn't have to do this; like he said, he can make our lives much worse than it is now, now that he's hacked into our computers." She produced her palm computer, and switched on her visor. Mercury took the seat of the nearest empty console, hooking her computer into the console's terminal and the visor to the computer. As she continued in her setup Sailor Moon turned toward the remaining three and the technicians. "See if you guys can find candles or something." "Leave that to us," volunteered the head technician. Nodding, she addressed the other three senshi. "You three split up and search the palace. Even though we're technically under attack, we're still without our energy shield. If you find any Fenril Knights, try to capture them." All three nodded in understanding. "Yes, Your Highness!" --- Prison, Crystal Palace Darkness made no difference to Ayame as she stared up at the ceiling, pondering the day's events so far. She was less than a day incarcerated, and already someone tried to break her out. Ayame had no idea she was that popular among the others, but it hardly did anything to stave away the feelings pouring into her mind, consuming her thoughts. Thoughts of self-pity were thrown out the window when she saw the light from a flashlight, probably a heavy duty one, judging from how low to the ground it was. Ayame raised her hand to her eyes as the light shined in her face, blinding her. "Found her," declared a familiar voice, the owner of the flashlight. "Ayame?" she heard Kodachi shout from down the hall. In a moment the rhythmic gymnast, Ayame's former boss and mentor, appeared beside Mousse, each carrying a flashlight. Kodachi set hers down to the floor, and reached for the sword sheathed on her left. "Ha-hah!" she declared, laughing. "Prepare to be liberated!" "Don't bother," Ayame replied. "If you're planning on rescuing me... I don't want to be rescued." As if on cue the lights in the prison block flickered back on, and Mousse reached down and switched his flashlight off. But Kodachi's hand remained on her sword and sheath. "Would you care to explain your boss why?" she asked, purring slyly. "I'm not fit to be your leader," she replied in her canned response. On paper it should've been good enough an answer to get replaced, but somehow it didn't seem to work on these two. "Don't be stupid," Mousse hissed. "What makes you think being a prisoner is any better?" "The Sailor Senshi know how useless I am as a hostage," Ayame continued. "It doesn't matter what they do to me." She reached into her inner coat pocket, and produced a pair of black pills. "You're going to take the same drugs your uncle took," the weapons master realized. "You're intending to wipe the slate clean; is that it?" "Are you mad, woman?!" Kodachi shouted, her voice thundering and echoing enough that Ayame nearly dropped her pills. To Ayame's ears Kodachi sounded almost like her dead brother. "Have you no shame, hiding from your problems?!" she railed, unsheathing her sword and waving it around angrily. "What thought have you that suggest pain and suffering goes away at the insistence of drugs?!" "I'm doing this to redeem myself, and save the rest of you," Ayame said, trying to justify herself. "You can lead... you always could... better than I did. You never lost your teammates back in school." "What the hell are you talking about?" Mousse demanded. "Ayame," Kodachi said, lowering her voice to a more controlled level. She held her free hand out. "Give me the pills." She shook her head. "I need them. We can't win unless I take them." "The HELL you do!!" the other girl screamed; this time Ayame cowered from Kodachi's voice, charged with deeper emotion. "What do you know?!" Ayame yelled back, summoning the courage to stand up to her old friend. "You don't know how much better these'll make things." "OF COURSE I DO!" replied Kodachi. "I DAMN WELL KNOW BECAUSE THEY STUCK ME IN A HOME FOR IT!!" Mousse stepped back in surprise, and Ayame kept her mouth shut. She never heard of such an incident, and apparently, neither did Mousse. Kodachi took several deep breaths, obviously gathering her thoughts and considering her next words carefully. In a more controlled tone, she said, "When I was fourteen, long before we would meet, one of my instructors decided that I was a menace. She did not appreciate my dominance and power I held, and therefore she attacked me in the best way possible-- using the authority of her position." "Finding sufficient evidence this instructor had me seized and placed in the hospital, citing that I was 'mentally unbalanced.'" She spat the last two words with more contempt than for the teacher. "Needless to say I had little choice in the matter, as I was still but a child. Despite my family's influence or power in this city those hack doctors decided they needed to drug me to 'cure the chemical imbalance in my head.'" "I did not leave until the following weekend, by which time those fools had plenty of time to poison my mind. It was my brother's task to undo the prescription and mine to endure the course of the poison. I returned to class much more subdued, dead, and sunken so low that I drew stares from the other girls who liked me for who I was. They pitied me." Kodachi raised an angry fist. "They pitied me!!" Raising her sword she took one good slash across the bars holding Ayame, cleanly slicing them, but it was not enough to tear them down. Ayame pressed her back against the wall. "Those drugs were meant to ease my mind, but I felt it destroy me. The same night I returned home, their faces on my mind, I threw out those poison concoctions, but there was a price. I had gone a week being forced to adjust my psyche around the poison, and being without it.... Pain wracked my mind, and there was no one who could understand. Pity from friends, laughter from enemies... I could hear them all! They wanted to drive me mad, using this wicked poison." She broke out of her story suddenly, and Ayame knew the memory of that event was likely more powerful in her own thoughts than she was telling. "If you think any sort of mind-altering substance can offer an easy escape, then I pray your fall be much softer than mine." Swinging her sword around again, Kodachi sliced through the bars, this time at a lower point. The bars clattered off and rolled away in several directions, and Ayame flinched at the noise they produced. "Ayame, it's do or die time," Mousse insisted. "We wasted plenty of time here already, and I don't know how long Shion can keep them occupied." Ayame said nothing, taking in deep breaths, thinking over what Kodachi had said. "Drugs are not an answer, they are a means to an end," Kodachi added, grasping more control over her emotions. "In your case the end is your own ruin, and the ruin of us all. If you are so concerned with keeping us out of trouble, the drugs are the wrong solution. A leader sets an example by her actions; have you learned nothing from me?" "I've learned much, thanks to you," Ayame replied slowly, glancing at her former mentor, then back at the pills lying in the palm of her hand, beckoning her. "For that, you have my undying gratitude. But I can't lead." "If you take those pills, then it is certain that I will never get that 'undying gratitude,'" she pointed out. "And leadership... I will let you in on a secret, Ayame. I had no intention of being captain of the team when I joined the gymnastics club. That position was thrust on me because I was the daughter of a wealthy and influential figure... a mere school headmaster with a lot of money. I was elected leader by no virtue of my own; it was out of fear from power. To the human mind power is often equated with ability, and it makes them feel better knowing they have a good, strong leader to protect them. They believed my influences could bring them great glory." "Needless to say they were wrong about me." Kodachi laughed lightly at the thought. "Where they thought they could become complacent I became their harshest taskmaster." "I know," Ayame replied with a smile. "You did the same to me when I joined. "Nevertheless, as time passed, I made this team my own. Time passes a year, and no one would think to take my place. Whether they respected me or feared me, I was their undisputed leader." "And you trained me harder, specifically to take your place once you graduated," Ayame added. She eyed her former pupil. "Such is the same for you, Ayame. We... we are termed Fenril Knights. We are here because you are our leader. You know what to do, and how to get it done. When something must be done you make things happen. All of us look toward you for guidance, because you are that which keeps us from turning against one another. That is why you are our leader, and you must continue." Ayame chuckled to herself. "Guess I wasn't planning far enough ahead to place a successor...." She tossed the pills into the corner, and saw Kodachi's approving smile. She offered her hand. "Now," Mousse said impatiently, standing all but forgotten by the two girls, "can we leave?" --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries Higure watched from Shion's usual chair as the reluctant leader lay on the slab, his fingers wired to the ceiling contraption, pulling them like the strings on a marionette. Every once in a while he would say something into a microphone installed near his mouth, and those words, and the words of those on the other end, echoed on the main speakers. The old man imagined it was difficult for the hacker to manipulate 'his world' in such a fashion, but the headband transferred electrical impulses from his brain faster than doing things manually. In effect, Shion had to visualize the happenings in his head, and his thoughts would make things happen. It was nothing like the proposed virtual reality, however, and by no means was it a substitute for the proper mindscape travel. It was all in his head, but Shion would always remain where he was, his mind never wandering. That said, that position left Shion in a particularly vulnerable state. If something went wrong, Higure would have no idea how to remedy it; he never had the time to figure out how to use any computer more sophisticated than a four-function calculator. And Shion blatantly refused to allow anyone else into the command center save Higure, since he did have a number of hidden enemies that would like to take him out for good; he had no idea who they were, of course. Any one of the technicians could have hated his guts enough to finish him off. Paranoia, the old man thought, can often be a life- saver, but, as a double-edged sword, it could claim life as well. "Hello, Mizuno," Shion said. "Glad you could make it." "What's this about, Shion?" Higure knew this voice to be that belonging to Ami Mizuno... Sailor Mercury, that is. "Welcome to my space," the mercenary said. "Whereas the others are more physically-inclined, I am the master of a digital realm. With a simple thought I can make computers directing the weather control system summon a flood if I wanted to." "You want Ayame," Mercury stated as a fact. "But you know as well as I that the prison doors are not electronically locked like most other prisons." "Oh, that's good," Shion replied sarcastically. "I can still get my way. I'll club you into submission if I have to." "So why are we here?" "I decided I wanted the pleasure of flaying you alive myself." Higure heard a startled scream, and the cry of a second girl on the other end. The old man was under the impression that Shion sent a nasty electrical impulse up to Mercury, but it was only the beginning. "Did it hurt?" asked Shion. He paused for a reply, and was rewarded with Mercury's heavy breathing. "Ah, good. That's the beauty of the human brain; I can trick it into sending synaptic pulses through your body, telling you that you got stabbed through your left hand." "Is that what you've done?" asked Mercury. "You shouldn't have come; you're so immensely gullible, just like my sister." --- Palace Gates, Crystal Palace "We made it," declared Mousse, rushing out ahead of Ayame and Kodachi, looking to each side. "I can't believe they didn't spot us." The two girls joined him. Ayame cast her eyes toward the left, where she had caused a ruckus earlier. Was it only hours that she recklessly threw herself at the Sailor Senshi? She noticed Kodachi flinch a moment. Ayame asked, "What's wrong?" "I can feel her," she replied cryptically. Kodachi gripped her sword in both hands. "Sailor Venus!" "Hold it!" Sure enough, Kodachi was right. Coming from around the corner, toward the three's right, was the leader of the Sailor Senshi. She took a step back in surprise, her jaw dropping when her eyes glanced on the one holding the sword. "So," she said, "it's time." "Ayame," Kodachi hissed, "get out of here." The leader gave Mousse a quick glance, and both nodded, understanding. "Good luck, my friend," she said, taking off in the opposite direction. "Where are we going?" the weapons master wanted to know as they rounded the perimeter of the palace. "The gate's that way!" "I know," Ayame replied, coming to a halt at the collapsed wall. She was certain that Mousse understood why by now. The Metal Smasher, lying in the hole it crushed in the palace wall on its side, lay untouched since Ayame's capture. While the front end of the vehicle was blackened and melted, she felt sure that it could still work. Provided they could get the thing back on its feet again. Before she could make her request known, Mousse was already holding out the disc-shaped Chain Buster out for her. Ayame smiled. "You know, maybe Kodachi's right, after all." Both Ayame and Mousse rushed to Metal Smasher's side that lay exposed to the outside. Mousse planted the Chain Buster onto it, quickly punching in a few buttons on its surface as Ayame forced open the cockpit. As soon as she was inside, Mousse gave her the thumbs-up, and ran for cover. A few moments later chains burst from the device, embedding themselves in the far wall and pulling the Metal Smasher's cockpit up along with it. Several seconds later the chain spread ceased, and Mousse took the opportunity to remove the buster from the cockpit's side. "Hey!" they heard another Sailor Senshi shout. Mousse glanced back into the hole the Metal Smasher left as its mark, then toward the cockpit. He shouted, "Get going! I'll take care of this one!" Ayame nodded, even though she knew Mousse couldn't possibly see her through the window. No, the others would be alright. She guided the Metal Smasher toward the nearest wall, and flicked the switch that would power on the twin buster cannons. Satisfied that they were powering up, Ayame switched their settings, and sprayed liquid ice toward the nearest wall. The Metal Smasher rocked slightly, and Ayame saw pulses of electricity wash over the front of her cockpit, but paid it no mind. Mousse has this under control. Putting the vehicle into gear, Ayame plowed through the iced wall, and on toward freedom. --- Kodachi leveled her sword carefully as she sidestepped into more open space, carefully watching the unarmed Sailor Venus. "So is this how the great Sailor Venus wishes to perish?" she purred. Venus raised her hand into the air, and in a shimmering flash a weapon appeared in her hand. To Kodachi the weapon bore a certain resemblance to that of a proper sword, but the blade was made not of refined metal, but of opaque crystal. She scoffed at the idea that a weapon so brittle could be used so seriously. On the other hand, it was possible it was made of the same crystal that blankets the world. "Is this more to your liking?" Venus replied, lowering her arm into a ready position. Kodachi's lips curved into a sly smile. "For honor and dignity, I challenge you!" Both warriors charged. --- Internal Security, Crystal Palace Moon looked toward Sailor Mars as she entered, her face stone. "What news?" "They've sprung her, alright," Mars reported. "The others are looking for them now." She glanced toward Sailor Mercury, who yelped momentarily. "What's going on?" "Shion's controlling her mind somehow," Sailor Moon replied. "Actually, I don't think it's even that... he's making her think she's getting mutilated." "That creep!" The leader of the world sighed. "There's nothing we can do to help her. See if you can help Jupiter or Venus... I'll stay here with Mercury." Silently, Mars nodded, turning to leave once again. "Don't give up," Sailor Moon pleaded, wondering if Mercury could hear her over the pain. "Had enough yet?" she heard Shion say over the speakers. She could detect no hint of satisfaction out of the Fenril. "Why don't you fight back?" "Fighting you will solve nothing," Mercury replied, her voice cracking from pain. "You have every right to be angry." "What?" There was no doubt that Shion was surprised to hear this. "You ARE a Sailor Senshi, aren't you?" "Despite what you believe, we're human, too," she continued. "We have feelings. You were right, back there, when you said that I shouldn't have tried to spy on you. I never used to think that way... but that was a long time ago." "Oh?" "I've lived far longer than you have," Mercury explained. "I've lived a thousand years time while the rest of the world was sleeping; a handful of people against all odds. A thousand years is much time to change, even though we don't realize it ourselves. I realized how much I changed that night." "Over the time we spent defending this world our views became more hardened than what it used to be. In result we allowed ourselves to make enemies of you. If we remembered to take the time to talk things through perhaps we could've avoided this conflict." "Well... now you want to talk. Oh, sure, brings a tear to my eye." "We made a mistake," Mercury punctuated. "For that, I am sorry." However, her only response was laughter. "You know, that's hella funny! I never would've thought you'd stoop so low." Now it was Mercury's turn to be surprised. "You have no idea why we're fighting," Shion said matter-of-factly. "All that time you spent spying on us, pretending to be our friend... and you still can't figure out something so simple." "I don't care where you got the idea from," he continued. "We aren't fighting because it's Order against Chaos... we like order. It's a man's invention rooted from Chaos, the father of everything, if you follow Greek myths. We like chaos, too. We're fighting Good against Evil." Suddenly, both Mercury and Moon understood. "How can you believe we're evil?" the soldier of water asked. "We've done so much for this world!" "You're still equating Chaos with Evil and Order with Good; that's your defect," Shion accused. "Order too can be evil, just as Chaos can be good. The trick with Good vs. Evil is someone is either on one side or the other. I think, Mizuno, you demonstrated which of us was the evil side." "Because good people wouldn't spy? Is that why?" "If you're so purely good as you think you are, yes." "You're a hacker," she pointed out. "Do you admit that you have done illegal acts yourself?" "Why not?" Shion asked. "Should there have been a reason why I should respect a flawed law as they had then? Why should I respect your law any more, when it's just as flawed?" "Then how can you judge yourself good and me evil?" "Did I say I was good? We know what we're doing; we're not the ones claiming to be the defenders of love and justice, and all that is good." "Then what is it that you want?" "I want a better world, that's what," Shion answered. "Even though the world we left behind was flawed, it was also the one humanity shaped on its own. It wasn't thrust upon them like your world was. And after that, we want the people of the world to choose how they wish to live. You gave them no such choice." "It couldn't be helped." "Oh, that's right. Your leader's mistakes." "Hey!" Sailor Moon cried. "I've traced the events," the mercenary claimed. "If I traced back the events leading up to your Great Sleep, then all the problems come from your stupid Silver Crystal. Don't you think on shifting blame on your enemies; you knew it would bring them to you and yet you thought you could live on, like nothing was wrong. You tried to bury a leaky pipeline before fixing it." "Enough," Mercury decided. "Two can play at this game." "Oh?" "You won't tell anyone your past because you're ashamed of it; you're no different than we are." "Is that so?" "Information can be buried, but it can be found. Even though it wasn't in your Mishima database I found it elsewhere. Your biological father was law enforcement." "Clever," Shion commented evenly. "Records such as those are very difficult to bury." "He wasn't the best officer, but he was good at his job. He got many commendations and high marks from his superiors. Officer Kagami's otherwise bright future was cut short when he was stabbed to death and left to die in an alley, being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He left a wife and son... you." "Shut up." "You took it upon yourself to become the man of the house in your father's place," Mercury continued. "Shut up." "But, since you were still a child you couldn't get any traditional job." "Shut up!" This time the mercenary's voice was on the edge of exploding. "You turned toward illegal activity to make enough money to support your mother and your lifestyle, and in the end you made it even better." "Shut the hell up!!" "You betrayed all that your father stood for in order to survive," Mercury concluded. "You had the best intentions in the world, but the memory of your real father haunts you even now. You won't let it go away." Mercury winced in pain, and Sailor Moon wondered if she pushed the Fenril too far. But her friend's expression relaxed slowly, a good sign. "You damn well know how to screw people up," Shion said finally, his voice wavering. "Fuck you." "We're not all that much different, Shion," Mercury said, offering the olive branch. "We can't change the past any more than you want to change the world back to the way it was... I'm sorry, but that's the truth. Perhaps we could understand each other... talk to each other... and resolve our differences. No one else needs to suffer or perish." For several breaths silence hung over the security office. Sailor Moon realized she was holding her breath, and exhaled. "Is this such a good idea?" she asked. "You just made him real mad... and he might not be thinking straight." Mercury turned her head, and smiled. That was enough to wash away any doubts in the ruler's mind. "Alright, Mizuno... what do you want to discuss?" Shion said finally. --- Somewhere, hidden in darkness a black, gloved hand held up a remote trigger. The owner of the hand smiled maliciously, pressing a hard thumb down on the large, red switch. An explosion could be heard in the distance. Fire and debris flew everywhere, and the bomber only laughed. --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries Higure jumped out of his seat the moment he recognized the danger, but it was far too late for Shion to avoid it. A massive power fluctuation in the power grid funneled through the system, and arcs of electricity sparked from the control center's consoles. The old man turned toward the center, where Shion was screaming out terribly through the pyrotechnics consuming the control device hanging over the slab he rest on. --- Internal Security, Crystal Palace Unfortunately for Mercury, she, too, shared the pain Shion was feeling. Crying out louder she remained frozen in her seat as electrical pulses threatened to shock her to death. Sailor Moon instinctively pulled the connection wire from Mercury's visor out, and the painful shocks ceased to wrack her body. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the electrical arcs dancing on the fried console, and quickly pulled Mercury's seat away from it. Bending her knees to her level, Moon shook her friend anxiously. "Sailor Mercury!" she cried. "It's... it's too late," she muttered, her eyes slowly fluttering open. "You're okay!" Sailor Moon let her emotions overcome her, and she threw her arms around her friend. "We lost him," Mercury insisted, her voice cracking. "And with him, all hope of ending this stupid war...." The ruler of Earth pulled herself back, and stared into her friend's eyes, as if she didn't believe what Mercury was saying. "It was a powerful shockwave," she said. "If you hadn't pulled me out when you did I would've been caught by it, too. But Shion... he was too attached to the system. He was still in there...." For the first time in a long time, Mercury allowed the tears to flow, and it was all Sailor Moon to do but console her. --- Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries It was a terrible sight to behold, Higure knew. It was a terrible curse that so many of these young people were checking out of the hotel before he was. The wires that connected Shion's fingers to the control machine hung taut, as the mercenary's arms were hanging limply over each side of the slab. Although his body was otherwise untouched and undamaged, Higure checked for a pulse, and his suspicions were confirmed. The latest shock pulse was more than enough to send pulses to his brain to shut down his body, leaving Shion in the state between life and death. Higure surveyed the rest of the command center, and saw that the rest of the equipment was fried, and likely beyond repair. The Mishima hidden fortress was likely going to need an overhaul-- at least, for the machines that were directly connected to the affected system. "What a mess," was all he could say. --- Palace Gates, Crystal Palace Oblivious to the conflicts around them Kodachi and Venus continued their heated engagement, each parrying each other's blows with their swords, neither gaining an apparent advantage. "You practiced since we last fought!" Kodachi declared, barring her teeth. "We NEVER fought before," Venus pointed out, catching Kodachi's blade on her own, then shoving her back. "Whether it be myself or my brother, you fight Kuno!" Kodachi tossed her sword up into the air, allowing it to arc backward. Before Venus could wonder what she was getting at her opponent started backward in perfect backflips, moving fast and precisely like the rhythmic gymnast she was reputed to be. Stopping with one final flip Kodachi held her arms out as in traditional form, catching the sword she threw in her left hand. If anything, it was pretty darn impressive. Lowering herself back into battle stance, Kodachi shouted, "Feel the sting of the Black Rose!" With her other hand she whipped out a gymnastics ribbon, and twirled it in a storm of black rose petals. Venus shielded her eyes as the petals blew in her direction, and lowered them to cover her mouth and nose when she realized they were laced with some kind of powder. However, Kodachi was taking advantage of her own distraction, rushing back into the fray. Venus felt the true weight behind the Kuno sword as she raised her crystal sword to deflect it, and barely succeeding. With one hand her swordplay was vastly diminished, but Venus did not dare risk breathing in the powder, whatever it was. Whoever she is, this Kuno is much more difficult to battle than her brother, she decided. She fell down to the ground as Kodachi landed a much harder blow, shattering the crystal sword clean through with the force of vengeance behind it. It was one thing to lose her weapon, but Venus also accidentally breathed in some of the powder. She felt her body freeze in an instant, and her arms and legs would not respond to her command. Kodachi stood there, the rose petals and cloud vanishing with the wind, but Venus was still paralyzed. Her steel blade lowered under her chin, and she knew it was all over. "I won," Kodachi declared. "For the honor of my brother, I won!" A dark shadow appeared over the two girls, and Venus knew that, even if she could, shouting a warning would have been too late. Although Kodachi won, both of them ended as losers. --- Masses of chains dotted the region of the outer courtyard as Mousse's domain, as Sailor Jupiter remained tangled within the metal masses. She dared not use her lightning bolts to break free, knowing full well that any shock she sent through the chains would eventually end back at her. And Mousse knew that all too well. The Master of Hidden Weapons stood on a chain above where Jupiter was entangled by the Chain Buster, his arms folded beneath his long sleeves. He raised his glasses on his forehead, allowing the wind to blow in his triumphant face. "In Confucian teachings Metal is the opposition of Wood," he noted. "How unfortunate for you that I finally managed to find the right match." And yet he managed to jinx it when he heard, "Mars Snake Fire!!" He knew what was coming, and backflipped up and away from the tangle of chains as the fire snake seared through the chains, quickly melting and breaking links that turned the web into dangling strands. Landing on the ground, he replaced his glasses and eyed Sailor Mars angrily. "Do you just LIKE following me around?" "Get fire-proof chains," she suggested sarcastically. "I'll do better," promised Mousse. He spread his arms wide, unleashing a flurry of throwing knives that threatened to pierce Mars. Not waiting for the weapons to connect or miss, he reached for the crystal prism in his sleeve pocket and willed himself home. --- It was difficult to be oblivious of an EMP Shockwave if one was operating electronic machinery. Ayame sat in the Metal Smasher's cockpit, with the window open, sitting back in the leather seat with her chin resting on her propped hand. She tapped on the console with her other hand, fingers rattling on amidst the ambient sound of electrical shorts. "Busted," she knew. There was no saving the Metal Smasher without giving it a complete overhaul now. Shion will be pissed when he find out what happened to his favorite toy. Deciding there was no use in waiting around for the Sailor Senshi to catch up with her Ayame took off her heels, and vaulted over the side of the cockpit, landing on her feet. Quickly throwing her shoes back on she stood up and brushed off invisible dust on her lab coat, then set out to find the nearest entrance to the Mishima fortress, not knowing that another was tailing her. --- Sailor Moon refused to believe it until she saw the truth for herself. Lying in the grass, curled on her side, was Sailor Venus, defeated and dying, shivering from a cold that the ruler of Earth could not feel. Not far away was one of the Fenril Knights, Kodachi, lying more still, and very much dead, from what Mars and Jupiter informed her. However, Venus was still in the shock stage, and she would soon suffer the same fate as Kodachi. Sailor Moon got down on her knees, trying not to cry, in front of Sailor Venus. Her body quaking, it took all of Venus's discipline to get her message across. "Heart crystal...." Moon nodded. "I know." She brushed Venus's hair away from her face with a mother's touch. "H..he...." Venus swallowed. "Kodachi had two heart crystals... both came out... of her." "Who did this?" But this time Venus's voice was barely over a whisper, and Sailor Moon had to lean closer to hear. Her eyes widened, and she backed away. "Rest well, my friend," she told Venus. "We'll get them back." Venus offered a courageous smile, one final time before the silence claimed her. --- "Heh, heh, heh, heh... hah, hah, hah, hah!" An evil laugh echoed throughout the city that morning as the silent victor disappeared back into the confusion that spawned him. Pantyhose Taro held out his right arm, opening his palm upward toward the sky, allowing his new collection of four strong heart crystals to dance for him like a light show. "It won't be long now," the martial artist knew. "The more heart crystals I collect, the more powerful I become; that is the secret of these treasures! With enough of these I'll be more than a match for Neo Queen Serenity. World domination can become a reality." --- Palace of Solitude, Nemesis Formalities became a thing of the past, as the robed salamander, Cinder, lead Ukyo Kuonji through the dark hallways, remaining silent, yet emitting smoke every so often. The okonomiyaki chef attributed that quirk as a sort of exhale; she was unsure how much the kami needed to breathe, but what she did know was that he required an enormous amount of oxygen just to keep his fire going. Anyone clever enough to figure that out likely could stand a chance against him. Maybe. She sighed, thinking back again to Cologne's offer back at her restaurant. Not only did the old woman demonstrate that she did in fact know she was one of the enemy, she wanted to become a part of it. By then there was no use denying her cover to the hag; Konatsu figured it out as well, and he didn't tell anyone, either. She was afraid that, if the captive Crystal Tokyo population learned Ukyo, the monopolizing supplier of real food on Nemesis, was a Fenril Knight, they would storm her restaurant and tar and feather her... or something to that effect. It would most certainly kill her business forever. The old man, Wiseman, never seemed to emerge from his hidden citadel anymore, and in effect the ones in charge were Sypha and Cinder. Technically, though, Ukyo was supposed to be in charge, but she saw no reason to exert her sphere of influence on two individuals who could potentially turn her inside-out. Morning was the best time to tear herself away from her restaurant, and role of local gossip on par with a traditional bartender. Although Ukyo opened the restaurant early each morning it was the time there was least business, and when nobody was likely to miss her presence. Cinder lead Ukyo through a dark passage, and down a flight of stone stairs. The okonomiyaki chef kept one hand on the wall as she descended the spiral steps, as there was very little illumination; Cinder certainly didn't need it, not with that eye implant of his. And Sypha likely didn't need to see light, either. That left the wimpy human to deal with that problem herself, of course. No one believes I'm a good martial artist, she thought to herself, and that's why I got stuck on this backwater planet, babysitting. Ranchan is probably laughing or something... that jerk. Probably forgot I'm even here.... She realized that she was at the bottom of the stairs the moment she tried to make another descending step, nearly tripping into Cinder's back. The cloaked salamander's mechanical eye flashed in her direction, as if he knew what was going to happen, but said nothing of it. The fire master lead Ukyo to one of the cells, and she peeked inside. Sure enough, there was a Sailor Senshi chained to the wall inside, one appearing much older than the ones defending Crystal Tokyo. Her eyes were closed, as if exhausted, or in slumber, and hung limp against her bonds. Cinder pulled the door open quickly, creating a huge grating sound that forced Ukyo to cover her ears. She wanted to have a word with the salamander about his lack of tact, but caught herself. She allowed him to step inside first, then followed quietly after. "This is one of the prisoners," the salamander said, his chasm voice filtering through mechanical implants. "They call her Sailor Neptune, the bearer of the mirror." Ukyo studied Neptune closely. "The mirror that is part of the three sacred treasures, eh?" she remembered Cinder mentioning earlier. She saw no obvious hiding places for such a contraption. "Yata's mirror...." "If we can harness the power of all three treasures, one of you may prove a match to defeat Neo Queen Serenity," Cinder explained. "The orb, however, is held by unknown hands." "Wiseman explained all this?" Ukyo asked. She wished the old man would at least try to tell her interesting stuff like this. "We have no interest in eliminating the queen of the Earth," Cinder revealed. "I loathe her and her people. On Nemesis, we reign supreme over a kingdom of dust." "Then you're not going back to Earth, after all?" That was news to her. "Deliberating late the previous night," the salamander explained, "Lady Sypha and I decided, as the last of the kami we should stick together. Our kind is not welcome among the humans; we are seen as devils. Nemesis, however, is not a haven of man, but it can be made ours." "Just the two of you?" asked Ukyo. "Are you sure you guys haven't thought it through?" "We have. I received word from Earth that my first and last student was slain. I have no reason to return to that wretched planet, nor have I the inclination to see my devastated homeland. It's all gone, and I wasn't there to die with it." "Sucks to be the last of your kind, doesn't it?" Ukyo said, shaking her head. "There's nothing more to do about it, though." "Only to humiliate the Sailor Senshi who destroyed our people," Cinder corrected. "Didn't you do that already?" "Only to these two. We need to finish it with Neo Queen Serenity. To force her to live shamefully is the best revenge we could hope to achieve." "Geez, you guys sure are pretty lenient." "Not likely," Neptune muttered. Both Ukyo and Cinder turned toward the prisoner, with the okonomiyaki chef being the only one surprised that she was listening in. "Y... you're awake?!" she managed to say. "Who would've thought that humans, too, sided along with the kami of the Black Moon." "We're not Black Moon," Ukyo corrected. "We're just people." "People don't suddenly decide they want to overthrow their ruler," Neptune countered. "No," the chef admitted. "That world you've got down on Earth is great and all... for business, really. I mean, working is great now, but it's almost the same thing every day. I miss having Ranma end up in my garbage cans every once in a while, or someone trying to out-market me. I even miss that annoying Kuno; he made my day sometimes with that weirdness of his." "What I'm probably getting at is... well... nobody fights anymore, and it's pretty boring." "'Boring' is hardly how I'd term it," Neptune replied softly. "'Peaceful,' maybe." "You're not like those other Sailor Senshi, are you?" "Their outlook is more naive, if that's what you mean." "Maybe." "That's why we took it upon ourselves to take care of alien invaders," Neptune said. "But you have to let us go, because more are coming, and we don't have enough power to stop them." "Who?" asked Cinder, curiosity piqued. "Invaders from another galaxy, called the Mekani." The name of the new threat sent a shiver down Ukyo's spine. "Mekani? Again?" "What do you mean, 'again?'" the soldier asked, genuinely unaware of their previous attacks. "Foolish," Cinder rumbled, more smoke bellowing out from under his hood. "You Sailor Senshi didn't even know the extent of the threat before you made it worse." "Then tell me," Neptune dared. "Think about it," the fire salamander told her. "Did you really think the Mekani scout force you demolished tried to overrun Earth once? They tried many, many times since their sealing between planes, and we were among those responsible for repelling their latest attack. Before you even knew they existed." Ukyo nodded. "The Mekani tried to take away everything. It happened quickly... all in one night. Many people were hurt, but no one would know of the danger Earth was in, thanks to Ayame's people for cleaning up the mess." "Then you understand why we have to warn the queen immediately," Neptune replied, a sense of urgency in her voice. "This new scout force is much more advanced than the last, and they are far more prepared to defeat us." "I expected as much," Cinder said, turning toward Ukyo. "There was another reason we decided to stay. The Timeless Ones cannot be allowed to turn this galaxy into another arm of their empire." "A foothold scenario, huh?" Ukyo realized. "Bloody their noses here, they turn around and look somewhere else?" "If we understand Mekani hive-mind thinking, then they'll ignore us until they feel they can send another scout force sufficient enough to defeat whatever it was that beat them last time." "Then why aren't we letting these two go?" asked Ukyo. If both of you know about the Mekani coming, then that's more than enough reason to band together." Cinder shook his head. "The scouting party has no reason to hurry here if they perceive no threat. If they realize we're preparing for their arrival then I can assure you they'll take extra measures to get here before we're through." "Then you've got secret weapons in the work?" she hoped. Again, the salamander shook his head, to the chef's disappointment. "We suspect Wiseman is up to something." "Wiseman?" Neptune echoed. "I thought he was destroyed." "Then you thought wrong," Cinder replied harshly. "He is a spawn of the darkness!" the captured Sailor Senshi cried. "How can you trust such a creature?" "Then you shouldn't parlay with similar creatures!" the fire master snapped angrily. "Perhaps you would think better who to judge your enemies if there is a next time. Perhaps, if your leader thought ahead of time, maybe she could have had the backing of my people and other spirit folk. But, that's all in the past, and it's too late to cry over spilt milk, as your adage goes. You and your friend, at least, will face the consequences." "Cinder," Ukyo voiced, summoning her inner courage, "what good will it do to torture her to death? She's obviously not going to cough up the mirror, wherever it is, and I think Neo Queen Serenity's our best chance to get rid of the mechanical plague." "Are you talking to me, human?" Cinder seemed amused by the gesture. Ukyo glanced to Sailor Neptune, then back at Cinder. "Yeah, I guess so...." She shook her head. "Yes, of COURSE I'm talking to you! Who died and put you in charge? Ayame put ME in charge." "Is that so?" She had no time to wonder if challenging the kami's authority was wise. "I'm your leader, not you, not Sypha, and not Wiseman. I don't care who you think you are, or why you're doing it, but you don't blink unless I tell you to. When I say 'jump,' I wanna see air beneath your feet. Do I make myself clear?" The salamander didn't move to kill, a good sign. "Then what is it that you wish of me...." "Ukyo," she corrected preemptively. "Lady Ukyo," Cinder finished. She glanced toward Neptune again. "First of all, I want you two to stop torturing the prisoners. Next, I want you to make sure Sypha listens to me. Third, you untie the prisoners, and bring them to the meeting hall tonight at eleven, Earth time." ---------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes Stay tuned for more. --Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOhotmailSPAM.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/index.html