Souls of Fire #11: Ascension Ranma 1/2 VS Sailor Moon Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@Nhotmail.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. ---------------------------------------------------- World Parliament, Geneva The process of justice was proceeding quickly, Ayame noted, as she was escorted through the empty hall, flanked by two Peacekeepers, one to each side. She kept her head high and proud despite her hands being bound in front of her with simple handcuffs. Despite the fact that she had no intention of making an escape the precaution was necessary. The people of Earth needed a quick scapegoat to blame all their problems on, of course. As with the Black Moon that came before them, the Fenril Knights expected no better treatment. All of them understood and accepted that when they surrendered. No sooner had Ayame made her televised surrender her followers hiding in the Mishima compound, as well as allies from all around the world, came out of hiding. The Peacekeepers were very eager in securing their new prisoners, as they were hovering outside the city limits for quite some time. Ayame remembered their faces: Higure, Shang Long, Dumas, and many other technicians, being lead away in surface vehicles, but there was special arrangements made for the leader of the Fenril Knights. Effectively, she was separated from her comrades, and she had to accept that. She wondered what they would do with Shion's body when they came across it in the compound... provided they found their way in, of course. It was inevitable that they would find it, but Ayame knew they could do nothing to it, and the Night Hammer would remain untouched, too. She recalled the aerial view of Crystal Tokyo-- or what was left of it-- after the Dead End Buster fired its maiden shot. Although the weapon was nowhere near full power, it did enough damage to open up a twenty- meter deep crater, about a quarter mile around the Crystal Palace, the sole survivor of the hit. It was a strange sight to behold, as only enough of the structure survived that could fit in a sphere centered at one end of the palace, where Sailor Moon stood to use her Silver Crystal. Ayame later learned that all of the staff in the palace survived the blast, but the Silver Crystal and the Sailor Senshi were drained. She smiled to herself, knowing that, despite the heavy gamble, everything was going exactly as planned. The rest of Project Endgame would have to be carried out by Ukyo and Kanna, she knew. --- Palace of Solitude, Nemesis "Ow!" complained Kanna, as Ukyo injected her hypodermic needle into the tactician's arm. "Be careful with that!" "Sorry," the okonomiyaki chef apologized. "It's not like I do this every day." "Mind telling me what this's about?" "It's antibodies for the Chaos cells," Ukyo explained. "We got them off the Sailor Senshi we captured and released a while ago. All they'll do is eat the Chaos cells." Kanna nodded. Ukyo, having lived on Nemesis for quite some time, was far more privy to what was going on in the fringes than she. In particular, Ukyo had a much better idea why they needed to get rid of the cells, and purged them from her own body earlier. Both Sypha and Cinder's physiologies worked too different for the Chaos cells to be effective in the first place, so they never needed to be treated. And, strangely enough, it turned out that Shizuka's Chaos cells died out on their own, but somehow Kanna suspected it had something to do with Deathclaw's possession of her. No matter, anything beat having the cells at this point. As Ukyo finished her work Kanna glanced toward Mousse, who was already treated. Her eyes fixated on his bandaged hands, and knew that the Chinese warrior would not be going to battle anytime soon, thanks to the handicap. To a warrior, it was likely one of the worst things that could happen. "So Ayame surrendered, huh?" Ukyo said, breaking Kanna's train of thought. She nodded. "It's up to us now." "That's funny," the chef said, "because I tried to convince the Sailor Senshi to surrender, too." She laughed lightly, then shrugged. "Well, I guess things are going to work out... just not the way I wanted." "They're called plans, and they were meant to be broken," added Kanna jokingly. "So what was the rest of it?" asked Mousse, tapping his bandaged hands on his knees. "From here on we're looking at the Mekani," Cinder stated, entering the chamber, followed by Sypha and Shizuka. The cloaked warrior's mechanical eye whirred as it rotated inward. "However, the next step depends entirely on the Sailor Senshi to carry out." "Yeah, don't you just hate that?" muttered Shizuka. Sypha, the black sorcerer, cast a glance at Ukyo. "So, Great Leader," she said sarcastically, "what is our next move?" Ukyo cast a dirty look back. "I'm working on it." "You've been working on it for over a day," Sypha pointed out, and there was an obvious edge in her voice. "There must be something better to do than wait." "If you can think of a better way to bring the Dead End Buster here, feel free to elaborate," Ukyo offered. "As a matter of fact," the sorcerer said, producing her crystal ball from her sleeve, "I do." "We really can't ask Wiseman's help this time," Kanna added, knowing full well that they had nothing to offer him. "We need to do it ourselves." "And I wouldn't have it any other way," Sypha assured her, her ruby lips curving into a devious smile. "I didn't spend time researching means to force open the Gate of Heaven for nothing; the principles I theorized can be applied here." Shizuka lowered her head, shaking it and groaning. "Here we go again." She reached into her sleeve and produced her favorite shotgun, one of her few surviving weapons. As the rack mounted on the top was still filled completely with unspent bullets it marked the weapon as being unused during the last battle with the Sailor Senshi. Shizuka opened the barrel, and slid the bullet that was already loaded out, and held it up to the light as if to study it. Without making any obvious observations the priestess slid the bullet back into the chamber. "So when do you want me to go back?" she asked finally, and Kanna was perplexed that Shizuka figured it out so quickly, despite being in the dark about Sypha's plan. The Crystal Spider herself had no idea what the black sorcerer was up to. Kanna didn't know what scared her more: the fact that Sypha came up with a plan, or that Shizuka figured it out before her. --- Internal Security, Crystal Palace The only word that could describe the air that hung over the Sailor Senshi and the palace workers was 'devastated.' Having barely survived the Night Hammer's onslaught by using the Silver Crystal to erect a shield at the last moment, Sailor Moon felt completely drained from the weight of the world pushing against her. In her desperation she realized she used up too much of the crystal's power, and it would take some time for it to reach it's previous power level. Yet, it would charge slower the more she felt defeated. There was no fighting that, as, if Uranus and Neptune were correct, the Mekani invasion party was poised to attack Earth sometime tomorrow. And that said nothing about how long it would take for Nemesis to get hit, as that was much closer to the invasion fleet, and there were still people living there. At worst they had less than twenty-four hours to save the Nemesians from the machines. "What I don't understand," Mercury said, trying to stir ideas in the pot, "is why the Fenril Knights haven't moved the people from Nemesis already, if they know what's coming." "At this point I don't think it matters," Mars pointed out. "We've beaten them, but they also forced us to heavy losses." "So now we don't have the Silver Crystal," Uranus said. "That doesn't mean we give up. I'll fight the Mekani even if it kills me." Neptune nodded in agreement. "The enemy forced us into this wall on purpose, however." "To think, they wanted US to surrender," scoffed Uranus. Could they have fired the doomsday weapon on purpose, even if they knew what was coming? wondered Sailor Moon. At first glance it hardly made sense, as the Fenril Knights loved Earth more than anything, and they were purposely throwing the planet into danger. They wouldn't do that unless they were planning something even bigger, something the Sailor Senshi hadn't considered before. "They asked you to surrender?" she asked Uranus. "Yeah, but they were just blowing steam...?" Uranus caught her own words, realizing something was wrong with that assessment. "Or were they?" Neptune considered, pausing to think. "Perhaps there is something else going on that we haven't considered," Mercury said. "What else did they say?" "Something about how it's better to be on the same side when the Mekani arrive," Uranus answered. "They refused to halt their little war over it, though." "Where's their leaders?" asked Sailor Moon, suddenly getting an idea. "Ayame, their supreme commander, is in Geneva," Mars reported. "The world parliament wants to put her on trial as an example." "But she's not the only one," Mercury pointed out. "The Fenril Knights was run by three people." "Does that count their Nemesian commander?" asked Neptune. Mercury shook her head. "We also lost track of Kanna and the others, as they were not part of the group detained by the Peacekeepers." "So do we talk to Ayame or to Ukyo?" asked Mars. Sailor Moon eyed both Mars and Mercury, one after the other. "Both. Sailor Mars, I want you to get to Geneva and convince Ayame to help us. Sailor Mercury, I need you to find a way back into the Fenril hideout and figure out how to communicate with Nemesis." "What do you want us to do?" asked Uranus, speaking for Neptune as well. "I want you two to rest," ordered Moon. "You two need to rest from your journey to fight the Mekani when they arrive." "But..." "We need you two back in fighting shape as soon as possible," she interrupted. "As we are now we can't hope to beat a large invasion force. Right now it's up to the Fenril Knights to make the next move." --- Inner Sanctum, Crystal Palace Sailor Moon threw herself on the mattress on her grand bed, absolutely weary from using her energies to protect her friends and people. "They never intended for us to die," she realized, saving those words for when she was alone. It was a concept the others might have difficulty understanding at this point, considering the mess the Fenril Knights made. "The Fenril Knights wanted to make a point...." "Yes," another voice whispered. "They wished to prove that the world could survive without the Silver Crystal." Sailor Moon was not surprised to see the reflection of the hooded Death Phantom in the ceiling crystal. "They would never think to do that unless they were certain they could thwart the Mekani invasion." "And certainly, it is true." The image of the Night Hammer appeared beside Death Phantom's hood. "This is the airship that bears the Dead End Buster, the final weapon of the Deathbusters which was never completed. With this they hope to wipe out the bulk of the invading force." "The bulk?" "They cannot win with this weapon alone." "Which is why they left us alive." "However, they never expected Vizier to figure into their plans. He is the only one who could ruin my plans for this world." "Vizier?!" Sailor Moon remembered the two-headed monstrosity well, as it was the creature responsible for the Chaos plague virus. "Wasn't he destroyed?" "You never questioned the true nature of the beast, have you, Sailor Moon?" Death Phantom replied coldly. "The creature you destroyed long ago was merely the macro form of the virus." She thought back to the battle. The creature Vizier, despite its ugly appearance and toothy mouths... every movement it made spores containing the virus were released. Despite the strangeness that Death Phantom was suggesting, it made sense. "Vizier IS the virus," she concluded. "The monster we destroyed that time was a being completely infected with its cells." "The Fenril Knights no longer have a use for Vizier's cells," Death Phantom informed her. "Even now they purge the cells from their bodies, now that Vizier has found the one who will become his new host body." "The host... it's Pantyhose Taro, isn't it?" "The energy from the crystal you destroyed in your last battle triggered the cells," continued the hooded man. "All souls shall become one, and he will become a god. The Mekani will be the agents to the Sovereign of Silence." "If Nemesis is preparing for the invasion," Sailor Moon said, "then that means the Mekani's invasion path is through there. But the rim of the galaxy is away from Nemesis's current position, so...." "The Mekani have already established themselves in Tau Ceti," Death Phantom informed her. "How else could your Uranus and Neptune discover them quickly? A great war is already being waged in Tau Ceti, the system of ancestry, and that is the reason Pharaoh 90's spawn no longer care for Earth. They are busy saving their own hides." "And you?" "I plan to return home, and you should think of the same." "Home?" "Tau Ceti." He had to be lying. "I belong here on Earth." "Think about it, Sailor Moon. Did you believe the Silver Crystal and the Black Crystal were indigenous to this system? How much of the Nemesian chronicle did you read, for real?" She had to admit to herself that she had not touched the histories at all, and shook her head. "The Moon Kingdom, your kingdom," explained Death Phantom, "would not go out of its way to defeat an enemy of another planetary system, would it? Your kingdom prided itself on peace and harmony, and you wished to spread that throughout the galaxy." "However, in the same system was the dark twin of the Moon Kingdom... the Empire of Nemesis. They did not share the same views as their celestial neighbors, and wished to expand their sphere of influence not through peace and cooperation, but through force of arms. In that respect they came into conflict with the Moon Kingdom first." "A great war raged across Tau Ceti between the Moon Kingdom and the Empire of Nemesis. "For the first time in universal history the Fenril Knights and the Sailor Senshi waged a terrible war whose sights were never seen since the wars first erupted against Chaos eons ago. Each side, however, possessed an artifact that reflected the world upon which they lived: the Silver Crystal of the Moon Kingdom, and the Black Crystal of the Empire of Nemesis." "The Moon Kingdom put the Nemesians at their knees, and brought the war to their homeworld with the intent of destroying the Black Crystal they believed orchestrated the conflict to begin with. The Black Crystal resided at the heart of the world, and it was there the last of the Fenril Knights fought the Sailor Senshi, and lost. The Sailor Senshi of that time succeeded in destroying the Black Crystal...." "But they also ended up destroying the rest of the planet as well," Sailor Moon knew. "There was nothing to be done, and the evil Empire was demolished, scattering its moons out of orbit. One of them eventually became known as Nemesis, the dark moon that erratically visits this solar system. The survivors of the disaster eventually died out." "However, even though their dark kingdom was destroyed, and the Black Crystal was no more, the Empire of Nemesis left behind their most dangerous weapons. As the disciples of Chaos the destruction of the original Nemesis brought about the birth of the entity now known as Pharaoh 90, and not even the Sailor Senshi could stop him." "In the wake of eliminating the Black Crystal they were in no condition to battle Pharaoh 90, and were forced to flee to this solar system. Leaving their homeworld behind they settled here to usher an era of peace and happiness, leaving Pharaoh 90 behind in Tau Ceti alone. They thought the creature would die out on its own and forgot about the past, looking forward to their era of peace, the Silver Millennium. They now had the chance to start over, overlooking a young race on planet Earth. They vowed they would never make the mistakes they had done to Nemesis again." "It's not okay to destroy an entire world for the convenience of survival," Sailor Moon knew. "Without the history we can't learn from the mistakes of the past." "From that point on a cycle of destruction would begin," the Child of Chaos added. "The light would eliminate the rising darkness, and only then would the light suffer elimination itself. Then darkness would rise yet again, only for light to return to start the cycle anew. It is depicted in the example of the former empires of old to the birth of Pharaoh 90, and such is how it will continue until this Cycle of Chaos is broken." "Because we defeated the Fenril Knights again?" Moon wondered. She shook her head. "The game is not over yet, Death Phantom." "Perhaps. Perhaps not." The dark man was conceding to no side. "Both the Silver Crystal and the Black Crystal are still in play. The cycle hasn't regenerated yet." "And what do you intend to do about it?" taunted the hooded man. "The decision may be made for you." Sailor Moon began to say something, but held her tongue, realizing that offering to negotiate with the Mekani Directors would be a meaningless gesture to the mechanical plague. It was hard experience in the past when the attempt was first made, as she nearly lost her life in an encounter with the Mekani Director. They were only interested in a world's natural resources, and killed or assimilated everything that got in their way. The Mekani could not be bargained with, that was certain. Focusing her attention back to the ceiling, Moon realized that Death Phantom vanished without a trace, just as he had come. She was unsure what he was trying to get her to do this time, as this was far less obvious than their previous encounter. "Death Phantom, what are you up to?" she asked aloud. --- "It was propecized in the Moon Kingdom of old that the destruction of Chaos heralded the coming of the Children of Chaos... the five beings that were foretold to avenge their father on the light. The first of them was Pharaoh 90, birthed long after the defeat of Chaos, when his disciples were annihilated by the light. A being of pure dark energy Pharaoh 90 embodies the dark energy of the shattered Black Crystal, and in revenge would seek to transform his home, Tau Ceti, into a bastion of Chaos, then proceed to follow the light to this world, Earth." "The second of those foretold was Queen Neherenia, born in the light of the Moon Kingdom and in the darkness of the void. Two shades of an entity, Neherenia would sow chaos in the Moon Kingdom, creating conflict from within their 'safe' borders. It would only make way for the third." "That third was Queen Metallia, the manipulative nightmare born from the hearts of humankind that lived under the shadow of the Moon Kingdom. The resentment and fear of humans brought to life, Metallia succeeded in destroying the Moon Kingdom, and ushering the end of the Silver Millennium." "However, it was not the end, for the royal court survived and reincarnated into new lives. The court would continue to walk the path of the Moon Kingdom they left behind, until the fourth challenged their undisputed rule: Vizier, a viral mass born from Tau Ceti seeking the light. Threatening an apocalypse of the world the royal court called home this beast would ruin all to destroy a few." "But the last, known as Death Phantom, would emerge and complete the prophecy of Chaos. The Black Crystal of old returned, as had the agents of the Moon Kingdom's rivals, for one final battle, reinacted from the age so long ago, before the prophecy. It would be the last of the Children of Chaos that fulfilled the elusive prophecy... a prophecy to avenge the father... a prophecy whose meaning I alone understand." "It is my destiny," Wiseman declared to himself, his hand waving over the crystal ball in his lap. "The conflict of Order and Chaos draws to a close, and a new era of uncertainty awaits us all." --- R&D Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries The atmosphere of the underground compound seemed spooky to Shizuka, as she kept both her hands on her shotgun despite the fact that no one should technically be around and about. The entirety of the technical staff and the administrators all exited the compound at various points, and while the Peacekeepers still had no idea how to get inside it was only a matter of time before they pinpointed an entrance, judging from the concentration spread of the prisoners when they emerged. The only ones left behind were, of course, Shion and Thanatos, and both were sitting in Shion's quarters. The boa constrictor, feeling useless as usual, gave the priestess a piece of his mind about how he was being treated lately, and he wouldn't shut up until Shizuka promised to come back for him and Shion later. She hardly wanted either of them still around when the Peacekeepers found their way inside, much less allow them to find the remaining weapons. She forced open the door to the control center manually, as Ayame saw it fit to turn on security measures before leaving. While that did little to bar Shizuka's own passcodes, it still wouldn't let her into the new control center anyway. She was glad that Kanna informed her the override, but would have preferred her personal codes instead; the door was very heavy, and Shizuka was barely strong enough to get it open even a crack. Many of the consoles were still lit and active, but Shizuka was only interested in one of them. She approached one of them, and found the control board for the crystal prisms intact. Unsheathing one of her swords, the priestess raised it high, and brought it smashing through the board. That part of her business concluded, Shizuka pushed the sliced debris away, and produced a remote control box. Pulling a chord out from the bottom she plugged it in to the outlet, and punched in a few commands on the keyboard. A series of text and numbers scrolled down the screen, eventually being replaced by a slowly-filling bar. Downloading the master control of the Night Hammer was only the beginning, Shizuka knew. She sheathed her sword and wiped her forehead, then turned to leave, knowing it would take some time for the controls to download and wipe themselves from the mainframe. In the meantime, there were other things she could do to pass the time-- primarily to use the teleport tube to transfer the weapons to the Night Hammer. All of the Fenril equipment would be moved in one grand gesture, courtesy of Sypha Blade. --- Prison, Crystal Palace Akane helped Ranma down the stairs, having one arm around her neck as support while the martial artist hobbled down on one foot. One of the burning questions in Ranma's mind was his uncertainty to his fate, and despite the warnings from the doctors he wanted to get an answer straight from the horse's mouth. The Peacekeepers, despite being rather ineffective during the war, seemed far more intimidating when they were in charge. Two stood at each side of the bottom of the stairs, facing each other across the narrow hall in their crisp, clean, white uniforms, with stone faces. Akane kept her eyes fixated straightforward, trying to avoid the piercing gaze of the trained Peacekeepers. They walked without breathing a word, and Akane was certain Ranma recognized many of the faces in the cells. Most of them, Akane knew, were technicians working under Mishima Heavy Industries, left over from a bygone age, awaiting punishment. Some of them were members of resistance pockets that were scattered around the world here and there that surfaced after the Black Moon invasion. They, too, seemed eager to get their punishments dealt to them. Ranma motioned Akane to stop when they nearly passed the cell which Higure Furui, the old man and wind mage, occupied by himself. Higure looked very tired, and appeared much older than Akane remembered in the brief times she saw him, as if he were going to die at any moment. "Master Higure?" Akane said, wondering if the old man was dead already. Apparently, and fortunately, that was not the case, as Higure slowly opened his eyes, and craned his neck toward the bars. "Ah, I see you two still have your freedoms." "Hey old man," Ranma said, trying to sound more confident about the future, "we ain't licked yet." "Perhaps, but we here on Earth are finished," Higure replied solemnly. "So why hasn't Ukyo come back yet?" wondered Akane. "Because Ayame is playing a strict game of politics at the moment," explained the old man. "In fact, if you were to go through her declaration of surrender more closely, you would find several loopholes in it." "Yeah, because only the guys here on EARTH surrendered, huh?" guessed Ranma. "She said nothin' about Nemesis." "Precisely." "Is that where Kanna, Shizuka, and Mousse disappeared to?" asked Akane. Higure shrugged. "It was up to them to leave or stay, but I would venture they left." "Huh, just like them to get up and run," muttered Ranma. "Hey!" they heard, a shout from down the hall. Akane turned to see who was coming, and exclaimed, "Ryoga!" "You look well," noted Ranma. Ryoga laughed as he approached, picking up on Ranma's stray comment. "More than I can say for you!" "What're you doing here?" asked Akane. "I needed to come," Ryoga answered, dropping his light-hearted tone. "When I heard that Crystal Tokyo was taken hostage I tried to come back. I would've gotten here sooner, but I got lost...." Ranma shook his head. "Geez, they didn't even fix that in you?" "I see you and Akane are back together." "Yeah, but I didn't need no crystal to do it." "It doesn't matter which of us gets passed through the light of purity," Ryoga said, "because... even though I'm too late for the battle, I can at least stand with you guys at the trial." Both Akane and Ranma gasped. "You're kidding!" they cried. Ryoga nodded. "Even though I deserted you guys when you needed me... and even if I won't get tried for what happened... I'm going to stick by you guys." "Ryoga... for what it's worth," Ranma said, speechless, "thanks." "Our time for trial would have to wait," Higure pointed out. "We are in line after Ayame, after all." "Ayame?" Ryoga blinked, as if he didn't understand. "As leader of the Fenril Knights she is directly responsible for the uprising," explained Higure. "In the eyes of the world, the blame needs to fall on someone. Since the leaders of the Black Moon Family evaded justice by their deaths, the world was left without a scapegoat. This time, they have one." "That's unfair!" protested Ryoga. "It's your world," Ranma pointed out. "I'm sure they'll do the right thing," Akane said, wishing that she believed the words herself. Despite being pure of evil, people were still people, and sometimes thought irrationally. The world was wronged, and they felt, as a whole, the need to blame someone for it. She hoped Ayame knew what she was doing. --- World Parliament, Geneva Ayame wished she had an idea what she was doing. Buried under the ground, locked away in a prison with only a grate used for illumination, the leader of the Fenril Knights could barely hear the sound of the growing mob outside the building, yelling and demanding justice to be served. They were not finished from their rampage over the Black Moon Family, not by a long shot. And somehow, it was this aspect of humanity that Ayame wished was disposed of by Neo Queen Serenity. She kept her head low even as she heard the prison door open, and someone enter. High heels echoed throughout the dank, ten-by-ten cell, with only the bars to separate her from Sailor Mars. "You look well," Mars said awkwardly, obviously unsure of herself. Ayame chuckled softly. "Well, well, it's you. I almost expected King Endymion, but perhaps he's too sour over what Kanna did to him?" "He's actually trying to intercede on your behalf, believe it or not," Mars informed her. "The world parliament is swayed heavily by the people you wanted to put the power back into, and they're already poised to throw the book at you without a proper trial. King Endymion is trying to reason with them, and not just because of loss of due process." Despite her mood, the leader smirked. "You figured it out, didn't you?" "I don't care who engineered it, but at this point, we need each other," the senshi said bluntly. "That was the only reason you fired the Dead End Buster on us, wasn't it? You needed a trump card because you knew you couldn't win." "I know these things," Ayame replied softly. "I also know that our fates lie in your queen's hands." "But why?" asked Mars. "You placed yourselves in our hands, and yet you've got the most powerful battleship known to man. That Night Hammer you have out there could wipe out the Mekani fleet by itself...." "No, it can't," interrupted Ayame. "We did the math, and if the Mekani are smart they won't bunch-up all their warriors in one place. The Night Hammer needs time between shots to recharge, and any time like that would give the remaining Mekani enough time to land on it and tear it apart. And the Night Hammer is one big chunk of natural resources, you know." "So you need someone to defend the Night Hammer between shots," Mars said in understanding. "Why us?" "We lost too many in our war, and we're just about out of hands and bodies. Unfortunately, as I said before, my fate is sealed right now, and even I don't have control over the Night Hammer at the moment." "And what about the others? Kanna, Mousse, and Shizuka fled, and were not detained." "You tell me what they're doing." "If I were them, I'd be working on a way to get the Night Hammer off Earth and into the Nemesis space." "I'd say that would be a good idea." "But you're not saying it's so." Ayame nodded, and Mars did the same. The leader of the Fenril Knights smiled, finally finding something to like in the Sailor Senshi. "And if they were doing that, they'd have to avoid the Peacekeepers at all costs, otherwise I'd be in real hot water." "I'll see what I can do for you," Mars promised, ready to turn away, but stopped. "One more thing, though...." "What?" "Why did you guys fire on us? For real, I mean. The Mekani could have been defeated easier if we had the Silver Crystal at full power." Again, Ayame laughed. "Other than the obvious ploy to get you to ask us for help... there IS one other, and it's far more important to us. By asking us to help you, and not turning to the Silver Crystal, we are proving to you and the rest of humanity that we do not need to rely on magical artifacts and whatnot, because we can still depend on our ingenuity. The Night Hammer is the ultimate expression of cooperation, Sailor Mars, and it's the finest creation made by human hands. I want Earth to remember us for this final gift we bestow upon them, because our potential still has yet to be tapped. Without boundaries, our power is limitless." Sailor Mars offered a smile, and Ayame knew that she, too, found something to respect in the 'enemy.' "In another time, we all could've been friends. In a place without the battle, we could have helped each other more." "We still can," Ayame assured her. "Never forget, however, that the battle was necessary, and the people who lost their lives in it will not be forgotten. In fact...." "What?" "You can still save one: Hokuto Takemasa is still trapped in the shadow stream." Mars nodded. "I'll see what I can do, but I'm not promising anything." "That's all I ask. Oh, and one more thing...." "What's that?" "Just because we surrendered to you, and are working toward cooperation, doesn't mean that all of us are going to be nice and friendly with you," Ayame warned. "In particular, you have to watch out for Sypha Blade, Shizuka, and Cinder. Their lives were far more affected by the world revolution than the rest of us, and their hearts are much less forgiving." "The hating needs to end," Mars knew. --- R&D Control Center, Mishima Heavy Industries Stepping back into the control center, Shizuka was pleased with herself now that the control box was finished downloading the primary controls. She quickly unplugged it from the socket, and typed in a few keys into the console keyboard to make sure the information was encrypted and wiped, now that the download was complete. Although she was by no means any proficient with computers Shizuka learned much from Shion; simply wiping data wasn't good enough because there were some tricks to recovering them. Even though the data could be recovered in its entirety given time, encrypting the data first helped guarantee that wouldn't happen at some critical juncture. Also, that left option the need to recover it as well, in case something happened to the original copy. On the other hand, recovering the wiped copy was something only Shion knew how to do. She caught a red button blinking out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head to see. Pressing it, the main viewscreen flickered to life, revealing what the remote Mishima watchers discovered while running their current security directives. "Well, well, well," Shizuka said to herself as she watched Sailor Mercury descend the stairs into the compound. "Looks like the game's become more interesting by the moment." Flipping the screen switch off, the priestess ran to another console and queued the rest of her transport list, then grabbed her shotgun from up her sleeve. She glanced back at the monitor to double-check to see that Shion and Thanatos were on the que. Finding the list to her satisfaction, Shizuka ran the program, then held her shotgun to her left hand, and drew one sword with her right. "The hunt's just beginning," she muttered. --- Finding one of the hidden entrances to the Mishima compound was a simple matter once Sailor Mercury secured the information from Akane, as it required only a certain button sequence keyed into a public pay phone booth. A hidden elevator took her down through several layers of earth, past the sewers and into the stairwell, where she had to make the rest of the trek on foot. She descended more floors than she cared to count before reaching the common level, where the command center, living quarters, and service area were located, and the place where she could most likely get her information. At the stairwell's door there was one of the standard keypad locks, and Mercury typed in her override code she installed when she last tampered with the Mishima mainframe. Surprisingly enough, the door's lock clicked, allowing Mercury to enter. The lights were kept at a dim, low-power consumption level, a stark contrast to the brightness she remembered. The white halls were thrown in a dark shade of gray, and nothing in the area gave impression of any sign of life. If she remembered correctly, the control center was straight ahead. Mercury picked up her pace, running through the empty halls, her footsteps echoing off into nothingness, coming to a stop at the T-intersection from one of the side halls. Strangely enough, the door was left ajar. Mercury poked her head inside, staring down into the command bowl, and saw that all functions were shut down. "Mizuno!!" she heard, the voice carried from down the hall opposite the door. It was quickly fired by the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Instinctively, Mercury ducked, hearing the heavy bullet zip over her head, through the door, and richochet off one of the walls and crack the main viewscreen. Instantly she knew it was Shizuka, and, not wasting time to get shot at again, Mercury got up and bolted back the way she came. She tried to imagine the common level in her head, and formulated the key points from which Shizuka could intercept her down one of the halls. Crossing the first intersection Mercury was surprised to see that Shizuka had already caught up to her, and the priestess fired another shot. Ducking behind the wall Mercury quickly glanced around, and ducked into the nearest door. She looked around quickly, finding that it was the kitchen section, one of the ill-used areas of the compound, since very few of the Fenril knew how to use the equipment well. Steel pans and utensils hung from ceiling racks, unused, over an empty grill. Set aside on a large table was one deep soup pot and several large barrels to satisfy the sweet tooth of the technicians, as in chocolate syrup. She quickly ran toward the other end of the room, but Shizuka chose that moment to enter. The priestess raised her shotgun up in her left hand, and squeezed off another shot. Mercury ducked her head down behind the barrels, and the bullet exploded through two of them easily, spilling the contents out. Utilizing the reloading time to her advantage Mercury tried to run again, but her foot slipped in the spilling syrup, and she crashed onto her back. Mercury heard the telltale snap from the shotgun, and knew Shizuka was finished reloading. She glanced under the table, and saw an open sack of rice standing there. Quickly rolling over she grabbed the sack, and threw it over her head the moment Shizuka came into view. "Hey!" she heard Shizuka cry, followed by the clatter of her shotgun falling. Mercury quickly got up to her feet, spinning around to throw a Shabon Spray. Mist unfurled from her hands, and she heard Shizuka take several wild swings in the air with her sword. Discretely avoiding the wild swings Mercury slipped past the angry priestess and made her escape. --- "Blast it," Shizuka cursed, "I can't see a thing." "Don't play her game," warned Deathclaw, speaking through his host's mouth. "Use a talisman." "What good'll that do?! I haven't been able to use those since I landed in this crappy city, and for good reason if the gods are destroyed." "Fool, you have me. The power of the talisman is not borrowed from a god; it is a gift of devotion and trust between a god and his followers. Genbu may be destroyed, but I am much closer than he ever was." Snorting, Shizuka sheathed her sword again, and fumbled through her sleeves for a blank talisman. She quickly wrote out an incantation, and held it out in the air. The paper talisman glowing, the mist was quickly sucked into it until it was all gone, and the talisman burned into ash in Shizuka's hand. "Wow... that's... cool!" she exclaimed, surprised. The priestess reminded herself to experiment more with this newfound discovery. Shizuka looked around the empty kitchen, realizing that Mercury managed to escape. She kicked away the spilt sack of rice, and reached down to collect her shotgun, annoyed that the chocolate syrup was spilling all over the floor, not that she was in the mood for a shake in the first place. She froze in place, an idea hitting her. Scooping up her weapon, Shizuka walked around the mess to the other side of the table, and her suspicion was confirmed. "Getting sloppy now, aren't we, Mizuno?" Shizuka said to herself, following the syrup footprints left by the Sailor Senshi. --- Sky Deck, Night Hammer Cinder's metallic toes scraped against the dark surface of the flat deck of the Night Hammer, but did little to scratch the energy collectors themselves. Every square centimeter of the sky deck was lined with the collectors, all running together down to a special power plant below decks, and channeling it back up to the Dead End Buster, the single, huge turret that marked the only outstanding feature on top of the airship. He paused to stare up at the turreted cannon, scratching his steel chin out of sheer habit, even though it never itched. The only reason he felt the need to scratch it was due to his inborn psychokinetic abilities. It was those same abilities that made Cinder a prime candidate for his devious operation in the first place. As a salamander warrior and a loyal retainer to his liege, Cinder voluntarily traveled to the Earth side of the planes in order to become stronger and to better serve his lord. However, disaster struck, and one event lead to another, turning the kami into a test subject to malicious human scientists. They replaced all the broken limbs of his body with metal prosthetics, including his left eye, and attempted to assert control over the fire master. It was they who named him 'Cinder,' a name used among the humans alone, as none were worthy of his true name. Cinder eventually defied his masters and escaped, but the events left him stranded on Earth, effectively living with the humans in exile. It was during this exile he met fellow exile Sypha Blade, who was deep in concocting a mad scheme to find a way home. It was during this exile he met and trained Miranda Kusao, a girl with much potential and zeal. It was during this exile he met the others. The salamander kami hardly thought of his human acquaintances as friends or close allies, but they did have their uses. The girl, Miranda, however, in particular reminded Cinder of himself toward his liege, in that of a warrior retainer. For a time it amused Cinder that a human would go to great lengths to please him, whether it was slicing rocks with her bare hands or polishing Cinder's magnificent obsidian scales. She alone earned privileges for her service, and it was her treasured honor to know of his secret among the humans. And yet, the others still found out by themselves in due time. Among his human acquaintances, Cinder found he missed Miranda dearly. Even though it was a guilty pleasure for a retainer to have one of his own, the company could not be beat, especially considering the only other people Cinder would talk to would be other exiled kami like Sypha. Ah, the other exiles... it was likely they were still in hiding from their human oppressors. Cinder envied them, as they lived on this world long enough to know the tricks of disguising their true nature very convincingly. Considering them Cinder was a newcomer at this game, and as such his disguise merely consisted of a heavy traveling robe. People such as Sypha got around their appearances with shape-shifting magic. Cinder tore his thoughts away, and focused back on the task at hand. He allowed his mechanical eye to scan the surface of the sky deck, noting that the black crystal chunks he installed at the edges of all three triangle points of the deck were in position and ready for the next step. Sypha would not begin until after Shizuka fulfilled her part-- that of moving the equipment from the Mishima compound to the Night Hammer. After that it was all up to the black sorcerer. Summoning magic usually operated across different planes, but doing so within a plane was very uncommon, especially for something as large as the Night Hammer. --- Palace of Solitude, Nemesis Sypha Blade watched with her reptilian eyes as Mousse entered the chamber. The Chinese martial artist's composure remained tall and proud despite his new handicap-- the bandaged hands at his sides. Without proper intervention it was possible he may never be able to use them again, and Sypha did not have such healing magic available to her, being a black sorcerer. "What do you want?" he asked impatiently. "Down in the storage shed you'll find several barrels of black powder," the sorcerer explained. "Gather what maintenance droids are available and disperse it all in a pattern around the city as given in this scroll." She produced a roll of paper in her metal claw, and tossed it on the table. Mousse stared at it for a moment, then gently unrolled it with his hands slowly. If the weapons master was in any pain Sypha could not see it. A sign of strength, the Chinese sorcerer thought, nodding to herself. Mousse's eye level raised back up. "This looks like a summoning circle." "Very good," Sypha replied. "On a city-wide scale, no less. It shouldn't take too long, really." "So you're going to draw more power from the people?" he asked, sounding jaded. She shook her head. "They won't provide enough power for what I'm doing. I'm going to utilize the five black spires surrounding the city, the black crystals, and the planet's energy itself. So yes, it's one giant summoning circle, with us at the center." "You SURE the Mekani will be coming this way?" Mousse asked, doubtful. "Take a star chart, and draw a path from Earth to Tau Ceti; that's where the Mekani are based," Sypha suggested. "Nemesis does not lie within that direct path, but it's certainly close to it." "What's so great about Tau Ceti, anyway?" "The beginning, and the end." Both Mousse and Sypha turned their eyes in surprise toward Wiseman, who appeared suddenly to the side of the table, levitating in his usual position. "Wiseman!" Sypha gasped. "The pawns are not moving fast enough," the hooded old man complained. "It is time to induce proper incentive." He waved his hand over the crystal ball in his lap, and Sypha saw the image of the Crystal Palace within. "I've got a better idea," offered Sypha. "If the Sailor Senshi are following the timetable we set as scheduled, then all we need to do is manipulate one variable, rather than several." She produced her own crystal ball from up her sleeve, balancing it with her claws. The silhouette of a man appeared within. "I suggest our mutual friend, Vizier...." --- Ukyo tried to relax, sitting back against the wall in the indoor bath. The bath room was one of the few places in the Palace of Solitude the okonomiyaki chef truly enjoyed, as the surroundings was mostly dark, black, and dreary. The bath, in contrast, was brighter-- at least, better-illuminated than the rest of the palace. It was said that the water was pumped straight from Lake Diamond outside Darkhold, and that the minerals in it were good for healthy skin. In any case, it felt great. "Ditto," agreed Kanna, who was lounging herself a couple meters to Ukyo's left, and the chef realized she spoke aloud. "This is the best spring water I've ever felt." "It's bath water," Ukyo pointed out to Kanna the Hot Spring Junkie. "And this is a bath." "But it's still natural from the lake!" argued Kanna. "It's only unnatural in that it's artificially heated by the bath." Ukyo shrugged. "Fine, whatever. I don't care." She heard Kanna move a little closer. "Since when did you become the uber-pessimist, huh?" "I'm tired," the chef complained, "and I was planning on relaxing before the next battle. Instead, I have to share a bath with you." "What's so wrong about that?" Ukyo eyed the Crystal Spider lazily out of the corner of her eye. "You overanalyze." "No I don't." "You just did it a little while ago with the bath water." "Oh." Ukyo sighed, glad that Kanna finally decided to shut up. She sunk lower into the water, allowing it to run all the way up to her chin. She concentrated on nothing, trying to relax naturally. Yet, something was bothering her. "Kanna." "What?" "Why haven't we surrendered along with the others? At least that way we wouldn't have to fight." "We have to fight now, because we blew up their palace," the Crystal Spider pointed out. "Which, of course, was a calculated risk." "You guys shouldn't have done that," Ukyo replied, too weary to be annoyed. "If we just let them keep their ace in the hole we wouldn't have to do all the things we're doing now." "And if we didn't, what do you think'd happen to us all, then?" asked Kanna, a serious edge in her tone. Ukyo sat up again, and faced the other girl directly for the first time. "I have no idea," she admitted. "See, I don't like things like that, without a certain, probable outcome," Kanna replied. "At least this way we have a pretty good idea what's going to happen-- whichever way it goes." "Provided we can beat the Mekani," the okonomiyaki chef added. "I'd think they'd be a bit more advanced this time around than before; after all, the guys we trashed last time didn't have room to advance their technology in their dimensional prison." "I'm aware of that. Just hope we can beat them." "'Hope' was the last thing left in the box," Ukyo knew. Somehow, it seemed that it wouldn't be enough. "Okay, Pandora, whatever," Kanna said, shrugging. --- R&D Hangar, Mishima Heavy Industries "Would... you... like to swing on a star," Shizuka hummed low to herself, taking careful, deliberate steps with her shotgun forward. "Or carry moonbeams home in a jar...." The expanse of the hangar bay made itself more apparent by the moment as the teleport tube dematerialized heavy armors left and right, all of which was headed for the equivalent on board the Night Hammer. Shizuka caught a movement of shadow in the corner of her left eye, and quickly swung around and squeezed off a shot. The bullet ricocheted off one of the walls and disappeared, but now Sailor Mercury was driven out of hiding, as she ran for another hiding space. "Or would you rather be a fish?" the priestess finished, reloading her firearm quickly. "They do say the most dangerous game is man." "There's no reason to be fighting anymore!" she heard her quarry shout, her voice echoing loudly. "The Mekani are set to attack at any day now." "So now you're here, trespassing where you're not welcome," Shizuka shouted back, closing the chamber of her shotgun, as more columns of light dematerialized the surrounding weaponry. "You're not stupid, but why are you defying us even now? The only reason would be if you wanted to stop us from reclaiming the Night Hammer!" "No, listen to me!" Mercury pleaded. "That's not it at all! We just want to help." "Help? Help! From you?!" Shizuka contained her amusement, raising her shotgun again, scanning for an irregular shadow off the walls. "Have I got a bridge to sell you!!" "If we destroy each other now, the Mekani might win," pressed Mercury, appealing to reason. "Then none of us will be safe." "We don't need YOUR help; you need OUR help!" Shizuka corrected. "Between me, Master Cinder, and Sypha, plus the Night Hammer, we can't lose!" The hunter withdrew three steel cards from up her sleeve with her free hand, noticing a movement of shadow. "Besides, the only people I forgive for things you did are my friends, and you're not one of 'em." She threw the cards in the sailor soldier's direction and heard them embed into the walls, one after another. This time she forced Mercury out into the open, and with such a pressed movement her palms were already glowing in pale blue energy. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" she cried, unleashing a torrent of water. Shizuka stood her ground, holding out her free hand in a stop sign. Just mere millimeters before the aqua strike hit an ethereal force burst from the priestess's palm, forming an instant, perfectly- circular, flat shield. Mercury's water attack washed over and around the shield, barely missing Shizuka on all sides. Mercury gasped, surprised at her sudden display of power. "How?!" Shizuka's eyes flashed momentarily as she gave a feral grin. "Come now, Mizuno," Shizuka/Deathclaw said, the ghost dragon asserting himself, "did you think it would take long at all before I could master my reacquired ability?" "'Reacquire?'" The priestess shouldered her shotgun, and plucked a bead hanging from her left sleeve. She held it up for Sailor Mercury to see, holding the red bead between her index and middle fingers. "The power of a priestess is derived from her special bond with her god... but now, I AM a god!!" "Fools think our ability is limited only to exorcisms," the dual entity continued. "Spoiled by their flimsy anime they think the sole role we serve is to banish evil spirits. It's only natural that they are wrong, and it's only natural that I can use this to my advantage! It's only natural that I possess that which they cannot defeat!" She raised the bead high, then quickly slammed it onto the ground, cracking its surface. A beam of light issued from the crack, splitting the bead in two with its intense power. "Take her down... Summon Beast Hydra!!" The light burst like a miniature nova, and the beams of light gathered into distinct shapes. Three snake- like heads formed, each joined on one body. The light died completely, leaving the three-headed snake, easily as large as Shizuka, to glow with the same ethereal haze as Deathclaw. Unlike the ghost dragon the hydra was by no means skeletal, but it was monochromatic nonetheless, as if the monster itself were a ghost. The hydra's snake heads snapped and hissed at Mercury, gazing at her with hungry eyes. "A ghost summon beast...?" Mercury muttered. "The memory of what once was will endure forever in the minds of those who remember," Shizuka/Deathclaw explained. She directed a finger toward Mercury. "Go, Trikhanra!" Each of the three snake heads reared their heads back, then launched simultaneous volleys of spittle. Mercury ducked, allowing all three volleys to soar over her head. Behind her, the spittle collided with the back wall, each bursting with elemental power. The left head, Shizuka knew, spat tiny bolts of fire, which burst upon impact. The middle head spat a highly-corrosive acid, and it was now tearing a hole in the metal wall across the hangar. The right head shot high-velocity pockets of solid air, visible in the human sight, but no less deadly than the other two projectiles. "Too bad; I've got a weapon for every occasion!" gloated Shizuka/Deathclaw. --- Inner Sanctum, Crystal Palace Sailor Moon nodded thoughtfully as Sailor Mars finished reporting the details of her encounter with Ayame in Geneva. She focused her eyes back onto the viewscreen, where Mars stood waiting for her next order. "What do you think?" she asked finally. Mars shook her head. "I don't know. Ayame openly admitted to everything we suspected, and then some. And she's in prison, and probably going to get tar-and- feathered... and she's still making demands." Ayame wanted Hokuto released, Moon knew. On the one hand doing so would also release Sailor Jupiter from the same prison, but on the other hand there was no telling what the Shadow Weaver would do upon being released. In effect this was what Sailor Moon desired, but everyone knew the variable was Hokuto; even Ayame hinted as much in her careful words. Yes, the leader of the Fenril Knights spoke very carefully indeed. Her formal surrender speech, for instance, indicated that her forces and allies would surrender-- on Earth. That said absolutely nothing about who was on Nemesis at the time of the surrender, as Sailor Moon came to understand, and it was likely designed to fool the world parliament rather than her. It was the crafty plan, if dangerous. "I'll see about releasing Hokuto," Sailor Moon decided. "It'll have to wait, because we need to eliminate the Chaos plague cells in our guests." "Before the virus spreads again?" wondered Mars. She shook her head. "But that would've happened a long time ago...." "It's not for that, but because Vizier may be able to control them," Moon revealed. "The beast who sourced the original plague on Earth long ago survives as the virus, and it has been waiting for a strong host body which to take over. Unfortunately, he's found one." "That guy...." "We need to find him, too, before it's too late. Mars, please return as soon as possible; the battle may begin at any moment." --- Palace of Solitude, Nemesis Ukyo's eyes stared at the targeting grid, leaning forward in her chair and propping her chin up with her left arm. She tapped the table with the fingers of her right hand, thinking over the possibilities in her head. "B-7," she announced. Across the table, Kanna stared up at Ukyo, annoyed. "You sunk my battleship...." "If you two are through," Sypha interrupted, barging into the chamber, "I have important business to take care of." Ukyo looked up from her game board. "What's that supposed to mean?" The black sorcerer produced her crystal ball, and the image of the Night Hammer appeared within. "All I want is to attract the attention of Pantyhose Taro to the airship. So I need one of you to come up with a decent semaphore flag." "Not a literal flag, right?" Kanna hoped. "I flunked sewing." "Why do we want HIM on the Night Hammer?" wondered the okonomiyaki chef. "He'd just trash it or something, the way the scoreboard's playing out." "The Sailor Senshi know they need the Night Hammer as much as we do," Sypha pointed out. "In fact it's just to get them on the ship faster, as well as get rid of a potential threat. We're speeding things up, so we need Pantyhose Taro on the airship. I know one of you knows him better than I do... so what does he want?" "Power?" guessed Kanna. "A better name?" Ukyo volunteered. "But he can't get even that, because Happosai is dead." "Does he know that for sure?" asked Sypha slyly, her mind working a devious plan. "Does he, really?" "Oh god, I'm not dressing-up as the old geezer," Ukyo said, groaning. "He'll never buy it, anyway." "I'm not interested in appearances," the sorcerer snapped. "If there is even a slim chance that he could get what he wanted most, then he won't be able to resist taking it, won't he?" "So what do you have in mind?" asked the Crystal Spider. --- R&D, Mishima Heavy Industries "You know, Mizuno," Shizuka decided, stifling a yawn, "you're boring when I go all-out." Sailor Mercury ducked behind the deactivated robot, pressing her back against its back as the ghost hydra pummeled its forward armor with acid, flame, and ice. She knew for a fact that Shizuka was holding back, and probably for good reason. Somehow, Mercury knew it was more for the sheer sport of it, rather than any desire to preserve her life. "Let's see," the priestess ranted, holding out her hand and counting down fingers, "I could wait here and waste you." She lowered a finger. "Or I could leave and assume you died." Shizuka lowered another finger. "Maybe a little of both, and I'll wait five minutes before I go, or maybe I should just kill you myself." She shook her head as she came down to her thumb. "Naaaah...." Another column of light appeared, and focused itself on an armor next to Mercury's position. The armor vanished into nothingness in the light, sucked up by the so-called teleport tube. If she wasn't mistaken her armor shield would be next. She steadied herself in readiness to turn and blast the ghost hydra the moment the robot vanished, but Mercury realized that nothing was hitting it anymore. Risking a glance Mercury looked around the armor's tough body, and saw that Shizuka withdrew the monster. "By the way," Shizuka said, her voice much closer than before. Mercury glanced upward, and saw that the priestess was sitting on top of the ruined robot's shoulders. "Why don't you run along and tell your queen that I sent you?" She held up a remote control, flipping open a clear plastic case that housed a large, thumb-sized, red button. Sailor Mercury had a very good idea what that meant. As the teleportation tube surrounded the armor and Shizuka, she told her, "Boom." Deciding to take her chances, Mercury grappled onto the robot's arm. She felt every molecule of her body dissipate from her person, and soon felt nothing at all as the light consumed her. She found she had shut her eyes, and forcefully pried them back open. The hangar area of the R&D block was gone, replaced by a darker hangar area of similar make. Had the area been damaged like the R&D was Mercury would've thought she was still in the underground compound. Looking upward, Shizuka was nowhere to be seen. The remote control she was holding earlier lay balanced on the shoulder's surface, antenna extended with a small white flag that read, "Fooled you." Deciding there was no time to figure out where the Fenril went, Mercury headed toward the exit, to see for herself if she was really on the Night Hammer. --- Sky Deck, Night Hammer Wind whipped against Cinder's cape as he watched Sypha's 'semaphore flag' in progress. He had little inclination to acknowledge Shizuka as she joined him on the deck, and barely registered from the edge of his mechanical eye that she, too, was looking up into the sky. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen," she declared, looking up at the hastily-erected hot-air blimp. "Yes," the fire master agreed, watching the monitor on the blimp's side continually spin a message that 'Pantyhose Taro is a weak loser.' "If he doesn't mind being called 'weak' his name will certainly get his attention." A thin black beam coming from somewhere in the crystal jungle below lanced out at the blimp, and Cinder was forced to shield his real eye when the blimp fireballed. His mechanical eye filtered out much of the noise, but Cinder didn't need to know even that much to know that Taro got the message. He noted that Shizuka was turning her attentions to another part of the sky, and sure enough from the top of one of the buildings a huge, boomerang-shaped wing was launched, with one man hanging off from the bottom. Pantyhose Taro's wing sliced quickly through the air, and the moment his shadow was cast over the sky deck the martial artist released his grip. He quickly collected himself, and the heart crystals he captured remained in perfect orbit around his body at all times. "You fools," Taro hissed, his voice carried downwind from the head of the sky deck. "How DARE you cast my name like that?" "You called it," Shizuka said, glancing at Cinder. Cinder said nothing, as his attention was on analyzing Pantyhose Taro. The man's right hand, which used to be where his Deathbuster star was located, was now hidden by a large, heavy black glove, one that reached all the way up the length of his arm and ending at the shoulder. It was an elaborate article, but the robed salamander understood the feeling completely; it was a distraction to think about the scars hidden beneath the concealment, and perhaps also a source of shame. Cinder bore that sentiment every day, and out of courtesy refrained from analyzing beneath the glove. "So now I see we are both crippled," Cinder told the martial artist. "The question is, is the extent merely physical, or is there deep, mental scars as well?" "I'm nothing like you, cripple," Taro shouted. "I am a god." The salamander laughed. "Fool, I can lay claim to that title as well. I am YOUR god, the spirit your people created out of their nightmares. You are nothing more than one of those people, deluded to think they could walk the graces of the kami." "Then let me show you...!" Shizuka gasped. "Master Cinder... he's not what he seems!" "What?" he asked, hardly surprised. "I just felt it now," she pressed, elaborating on her premonition. "There's another sharing his soul... just as I." "Vizier, no doubt," Cinder snorted. "I've heard as much, but so far I'm not impressed." He raised his right claw back, and his left claw forward, igniting both palms in flames. The fire master barely felt the increasing temperature of his steel arms, and mentally focused on increasing their intrinsic melting point, knowing the fight would be long. Yes, his 'creators' were wise to ensnare a psychokinetic warrior. --- Infirmary, Crystal Palace "There, that should do it," Sailor Moon said, wiping her forehead as she finished removing the Chaos cells from the last of the Fenril Knights. Ranma sat up in the bed, flexing his fingers. As the volunteer to be the last to be cleansed he seemed in good spirits. "You didn't just purge me, you healed me...?" "It was the least I could do," Moon replied. "It was brave of you to throw away the dark power to save us all." "Eh," he scoffed, "don't think nothing about it. It's what you would've done, I guess." "What'll you do now?" asked Akane, looking toward Sailor Moon. She held up her wand. "I've thought this over, and at the request of your leader, Ayame, I'm going to let Hokuto back into this world." Ranma immediately jumped up and held the wand fast. "No, wait! You don't have any idea how bad that is!" "You're just like Sailor Mars," Moon noted. "Maybe it is a bad judgement on my part, but knowing you Fenril Knights it wouldn't be the first time." The comment left a bitter atmosphere in the air. "But, no matter how bad it might be, I have to trust her. I want to trust you, as I do all of you. The hate must end if we wish to see true peace." "Eh, that's not it, though..." muttered Ranma, but he allowed it to trail-off, unwilling to speak of the issue further. He released his hold on the wand, and glanced at Akane nervously. Stepping away from the bed, Sailor Moon held her wand up high, and closed her eyes to concentrate. She focused her will through her hands and into the wand, and turned it in a counter-clockwise motion, preparing to trace a portal to the shadow plane. Suddenly, she felt the weight of light upon her, and lost concentration on the portal. She looked out toward Ranma and Akane, but they were on the other side of a column of light. No, it was because she was in the center of it. Sailor Moon had no time to react as the light flared into a blinding light, then disappeared completely, replaced by complete darkness. She collapsed to the ground, rubbing her eyes to adjust to her new surroundings. She planted her palms onto the floor, and felt the cool metal beneath her feet. There was another flash of light, followed by several more, each with decreasing intensity. "I'm sorry about that," she heard, "but there isn't much time left." She recognized Sailor Mercury's voice instantly. "Sailor Mercury?" "We're on board the Night Hammer, the Fenril airship," she explained. "The transport device was the fastest way to get you all here." "It could've been worse," Moon heard another say, and knew it belonged to Ranma. Her eyes having adjusted to the dim lighting, Sailor Moon looked around, and saw that the remaining Sailor Senshi were present, along with Ranma and his friend, Ryoga Hibiki, who seemed quite disoriented. They heard a loud rumble from above. "What's going on?!" cried Sailor Mars. "Pantyhose Taro is attacking the ship," Mercury informed them. "Two others are already battling him, but we can't let him damage the Dead End Buster." --- "Ranma!" Akane cried, suddenly alone in the infirmary after two columns of light abducted him and Sailor Moon. Her eyes adjusted back to the room's normal light, and she glanced to where Sailor Moon stood earlier. She was tracing a circle in the air, that much Akane knew, but what she didn't understand was why the partial circle was still there, glowing. There was no time to think of it, and Akane rushed out of the room, intent on finding out what was going on. Unseen by eyes, a thin, dark ooze dripped out of the incomplete circle. --- Palace of Solitude, Nemesis "Excellent," Sypha said, watching Cinder battle Taro by himself on the windy sky deck. "All the pawns are in place." She heard the double doors open behind her. "I got your circle traced," Mousse reported, sounding a bit weary. His eyes fixated on the viewscreen ahead. "Hey, they're there...." The black sorcerer turned away, facing the weapons master. "I'm going to begin the summoning ceremony. I want no interruptions. Incidentally, keep me informed of what's going on; I don't care if Pantyhose Taro stays on the sky deck or not, but I'd rather he be dead." "You got my vote," agreed Mousse. --- "Left hand, green," declared a maintenance droid. Kanna and Ukyo lowered their hands down to reach the green circle on the Twister mat, but this time they ended up bumping into each other and collapsing. "God dammit, we must be really bored," Ukyo decided, sitting up and glancing at the droid. "There's got to be a better way to kill time than this." "I suppose you don't want an answer to that," the droid replied. "Hell no," Kanna called. She propped her chin on her hand. "When the hell is the Night Hammer coming, anyway?" --- Sky Deck, Night Hammer "Your age is showing, old man!" Taro taunted, dodging fiery punches from the robed salamander. "The time of the old gods has passed!" "And it is here where your arrogance will fail you!" Cinder shot back, his mechanical eye displaying the careful calculations he was making while distracting his enemy with distracting blows. Pantyhose Taro merely believed he was too good for the retainer, but Cinder wasn't interested in landing a blow. He reared his right claw back again for another punch, and predictably, Taro dodged it. However, the whelp was likely now aware of what the fire master was up to all along, as Cinder's steel talons grabbed hold of one of the orbiting heart crystals. Black electrical energy arced in its orbit, all the way back to Taro's heart. "What the...?!" Taro gasped in surprise. "So arrogant of you to maintain your source of power so freely!" Cinder said, taking the reversal in stride. He closed his claw even further, and splinters broke off the surface of the glowing red crystal. "You are no god...!" "Master!" he heard Shizuka cry in warning. The salamander felt a sharp pain in his arm clutching the heart crystal, and realized that he was being attacked by another. He quickly shot a glance to the left, and his mechanical eye focused on one Sailor Moon, holding out her wand. "Hold it!" she cried. "That heart crystal you're intending to destroy belongs to a human being!" "You fool, the dead have no use for this wretched shell of a soul!" Cinder roared. Planting his right foot on Taro, he pushed backward and yanked the heart crystal from his orbit, and sent the martial artist sprawling across the deck. He held up the heart crystal for the other to see. "No, wait!" Sailor Moon cried. "I can restore them! You can't...!" "You have no understanding at all of the concept of life and death, do you?!" the salamander raged, anger flaring his flames. The wind continued to whip against his cloak, and the flames of his hands fanned along with them. "When the spark of life is torn from the flesh, the soul is granted its final reward. How do you suggest that I punish my disciple in such a manner as this?" "Mira's heart crystal," Shizuka realized. "You can tell...?" "You are no human," Cinder continued. "No human would dare deprive the departed of final peace!" "No, stop!!!" Sailor Moon screamed, almost pleaded. "Master, look out!" the priestess warned. The fire master had not been oblivious to the recovering Pantyhose Taro, and silently thanked the girl for her initiative as she headed off the attack intended for him. The two locked their arms onto each other, each appearing just as strong as the other in the struggle, but Cinder knew Shizuka was far too weak to handle her opponent. He glanced back toward the opposing posse, and saw that Ranma was dressing-down Sailor Moon with some words, his hand on her shoulder as he spoke. Her extended arm wavered in place, but Cinder knew the boy would hold no sway over her. Mustering all the force behind him, Cinder crushed the heart crystal in his claw, shattering it into a million pieces. He thought he saw the traces of a ghostly visage wisp into nothingness, but thought better of it. "Miranda Kusao, your soul is finally at peace," he eulogized. "Join those who lay their lives for their masters in honor." Without turning, Cinder ordered, "Keep him busy, girl. The others are mine." "Hah, easy for you to say," Shizuka muttered. "Delicate souls," Taro hissed. "I smell them within you, dragon spawn...! I hunger for them!!" "Then come and get them, puss-for-brains!" Shizuka snarled angrily. Cinder held out his arms toward the Sailor Senshi, and the traitors Ranma and Ryoga... seven opponents in all. Totally uneven, he decided, but then, the battle was always in his favor. He wasn't the valued loyal retainer of Lord Kolvar na Strakil for nothing. "I will defeat all of you," he challenged, his chasm voice carried by the wind. "I will avenge my lord and master, my people, and my disciple... and I will destroy whoever gets in the way of the kami!!" Ranma stepped forward, ahead of the others. "If it's a challenge you want, you've got it!" The boy behaves as if he was going to finish it all by himself, Cinder noted. His fists flaring with a greater fire, he raised them up in the air, and brought them down quickly in an X-pattern. Flames rocketed across the deck in the pattern. "Fire Cross!" And it was Neptune who stepped up to the plate. "Deep Submerge!" A torrent of water jetted from her hands, but the force behind the Fire Cross was too much for the water force, transforming it to steam instantly and continuing its path. The seven opponents scattered as the fire attack exploded with the full fury of the annihilated peoples. "Cinder, you bastard!" he heard Ryoga shout. "We're all on the same side!!" Unfortunately for Ryoga, the fire master was standing over him, emerging from the smoke like a specter. "Twice now you've betrayed our cause, Hibiki. Worm. You dare defy the will of gods, but I will not allow a third time!" --- "I've had enough of you," Pantyhose Taro snarled, strengthening his hold on Shizuka enough such that she was forced to release her own grip. "No matter how strong you think you are, you'll always be weak. No matter how much heart you give, you'll never compete with the likes of me!" He lifted her up with one hand, holding her by the neck. "Bullshit," she cursed. "You know nothing!" "Shizuka!!" someone cried, probably Ranma. "I pity anyone whose soul is as weak as yours," she spat. "Better to have a frail body and weak mind than a weak soul. You're no different than the other souls Deathclaw captured; you are a prisoner to your parasite." "I'll soon rectify that!" he promised. "Your use has come to an end, Shizuka; Deathclaw will become one with me, and I'll show you how frail and weak you really are!" "Oh geez, you called me by my actual name," the priestess snorted, jeering to the last. "I'm so privileged." "Now," Taro declared, "the souls Deathclaw has hoarded over the centuries are mine! I don't care for one heart crystal's loss when I can have hundreds more of similar quality and power!" Black lightning crawled up his gloved arm, bathing the priestess of Genbu in dark energy. The energy gathered at her heart, threatening to steal that which made her Shizuka. But in all of it, she was laughing. "What's so funny?!" he demanded. "You're too late," Shizuka declared, laughing despite herself. Unseen, hidden in her sleeve, she activated the charging mechanism of the Night Hammer. Lightning rained from the sky, and the energy collectors that made up the deck illuminated. All were blinded by the mass of energy collected for the second time from all around Earth, and the Dead End Buster hummed with power. At the same moment, the three black crystal chunks, placed strategically around the Night Hammer, began to glow with their own, hellish light. --- Palace of Solitude, Nemesis "It is done!" Sypha declared, finishing the summoning ceremony. Instantly she teleported from her secluded chamber, and reappeared in the command center, satisfied that Kanna, Ukyo, and Mousse were still present and attentive. Each held their eyes on the main viewscreen, watching as the five spires surrounding Darkhold illuminated the night sky with violet lightning. A violet column of light emerged, enveloping the entire city in hellish energy. A large, wedge shape flashed into view above, and Sypha knew her incantation was successful. "Now the final battle begins," she declared. --------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes Stay tuned for the conclusion. --Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOhotmailSPAM.com) http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/index.html