Hotaru quickly composed herself behind a shelf of
books. She had shown her power to someone she shouldn't have.
What if this boy thought she was a freak? Or what if he wanted to
experiment on her? What if… oh what if any horrible thing happened
to her! She wished she could’ve just let that boy’s headache be!
And now she looked crazy! She arranged her uniform, and composed
herself for one final look. Then she approached the boy.
The boy had apparently helped himself to read through
her books. She gasped, but soon realized that her journal was left
untouched. “Excuse me, but I should be going. It’s getting
late.”
“Tomoe, mind if I walk you home?”
“How do you know my name?” Hotaru asked, suddenly
very defensive. She noticed that this boy got very red, very quickly.
“You, told me?”
“No! Leave me alone!” Hotaru gathered up her
books, and stormed out of the library. Why did Greg always have bad
luck with girls?
Rochelle as Ami put her feet up on her chair She
had got up to the F’s in the dictionary, and still hadn’t gotten it right.
She had tried that boy’s name, as well as some other words. Ami Mizuno
was definitely a girl of many secrets. There was a knock at her door.
“Who is it?” She asked. How she loved
Ami’s voice! It was so pretty, and rare and exotic. When she
found out it was her mom she opened the door. Rochelle as Ami needed
more energy to happily supply the rest of the Mizzen Council, and the Midnight
Order. She saw her next target.
“Oh mom, you look beat! Why don’t you lay
down and get some rest?” With that she put her hand on Dr. Mizuno’s
shoulder, and drained as much energy as she could without killing the good
doctor. The ball of energy collected and flew out of the room.
Next she put her mother in bed. Dr. Mizuno
would be out for the night. With the Midnight Order in desperate
need of energy, Rochelle as Ami rationalized that the destruction of one
human would bring in enough for awhile. She knew that the only way
to catch a man though was to seduce him. And she had picked up enough
from Ami’s diary that that wasn’t who this girl was.
She sighed. Tomorrow is another day.
Sailor Mercury awoke the next day and ate breakfast
with Jedite. He constantly pressured her that the Sailor Scouts were
an enemy that had to be destroyed at all costs. Jedite had also drilled
her physically. She could feel how much stronger she was and was
nearing perfection of her magic.
Of course there was Ekomin. Ekomin was constantly
chastising her and making her life a living hell. The man had grown
immensely in stature and strength in only a few days aboard Castle Skyler.
Also there were rumors of the Mizzen Council preparing a major offensive.
Skyler was an impressively built fortress. The compute
circuitry was off line, until they got her code. Another one of Jedite’s
tricks. The sooner she remembered the better for them. With
Rochelle on Earth it was only a matter of weeks before someone found her
out. Jedite knocked on the girl’s door.
“Lt. Mercury rise and shine! Today we have
prepared a special treat! A girl named Hotaru Tomoe has been targeted
for our next attack. We want you to watch this girl. She is
a threat to us. She is evil and must be destroyed, watch as those
wretched Sailor Brats run to her aid. Hurry, there is little time
left.” Mercury sighed, arranged her tiara, and followed Jedite.
‘I have this girl in the palm of my hand,’ Jedite
thought, altering her thought patterns slightly and hoping that he finally
controlled her completely.
He waited to see her sit next to Ekomin. Then with
a sickening smile, he began the show.
Hotaru was sitting quietly in the library, contemplating
her chance meeting with the genius Gregory Ryo. In a few minutes,
he came through the door again, apparently looking for someone. He
spotted Hotaru before she could hide, and came over with a smile.
“Hello Hotaru. Have you seen my girlfriend
around here? The one with the blue hair?”
“I saw her on her way to the temple,” the girl answered
shyly. Greg stood there and carefully analyzed her, then a bright
light shot into his vision. He saw a dog-like creature; no it was
the same one from earlier, moving in on Hotaru. It jumped at her,
but before the vision was complete he again saw Sailor Mercury with the
blonde haired man. Another word shimmered into his mind, ‘Jedite.’
Who was that and why couldn’t he remember that name?
“Are you ok? Should I call a nurse?”
Hotaru asked him as he collapsed onto the table. He grabbed at his
temple and she could practically see it throbbing. Hotaru couldn’t take
it any longer and gently placed her hand on the boy’s head. Greg
felt the pains subside again. Then his vision again became clear.
“Hotaru, hurry come with me. We have to get
you out of here!”
“No! Go away, you’re scaring me.”
“Hotaru, listen to me. I’m serious… some…”
But Greg was too late. The large dog burst into the room. Hotaru
proceeded to run into the back room while Greg reached into his coat and
drew the stiletto that he had received from Matt. He would at least
make a stand.
“As you see, Sailor Mercury, one of our finest warriors
Guar was hand-picked because we picked up some readings of power from the
girl. Probably a fluke, but we…”
“Who is that General Ekomin?” Sailor Mercury
asked, pointing to the solitary boy with the sword. “He is rather handsome.”
When she realized she had said this out loud she blushed and buried her
face in her hands.
“Don’t worry Sailor Mercury, he’ll be killed against
Guar. No one has ever-even came close to beating him.” Ekomin
said. He grinned. If only this girl could remember him then
this would be great! Watch your lover die before your eyes, Mizuno.
Ekomin said silently to himself.
Greg dodged the dog’s awkward clawing motion.
It came at him again, only this time with its teeth. The fencer dodged
left, and scored a hit against the creature’s side. Not enough to
stop it though. It continued at him, more vicious then ever.
Greg felt very, very, lucky as a small strip of
paper flew through the air and struck Guar in the face. The dog slowed,
then stopped while trying to paw off the offending paper. Greg took
the moment, and noticed that Raye had yet to transform, and couldn’t in
such a crowded place. He was still on his own.
He managed to score another few hits before the
creature had freed itself from the paper. His skills, which amounted
to nothing, weren’t going to last against a creature this vicious.
Then it began destroying tables, chairs, and anything that got in its way.
As it flew through the air, a flash of purple could be visibly seen behind
it. The dog howled as a glaive cut into its side, and threw it across
the library.
It didn’t take Greg and Raye long to find Hotaru;
she was collapsed outside the library in tears. Greg gave her the
briefcase back and tried to think of something to say. But he couldn’t
think of anything.
Raye on the other hand was full of things to say.
“What’s wrong sweetie? You just saved this guy’s life! You
should be proud.”
“Everyone’s <sniff> staring at me… I <sniff>
just want to be left <sniff> alone.” The girl said. Greg
helped the frail one to her feet. Raye then showed her pen.
“You’re one of us Hotaru! You’re a Sailor
Scout! What planet do you represent?”
“Saturn… <sniff>. I <sniff> want you
to leave me alone.”
Greg got an idea. “You really should come
to the temple. Come on, I’ll buy you ice cream.”
“How about brownies?” Hotaru asked, her tears
clearing up.
“Sure, anything.” Raye chimed in.
“No milk though.” Hotaru said, more of as
an afterthought.
“This is Hotaru.” Raye said to the other girls.
Ami looked at her suspiciously. Everyone else in the room smiled.
Hotaru hid behind Greg and all the prying eyes. Greg gave a callous
look to Ami, and silently motioned for her to help break the ice.
“Hello, I am Ami…” Ami paused a second to think.
“Mizuno, the Sailor Scout of Mercury.”
The rest introduced themselves and shortly so did
the cats. Everyone was still staring at Hotaru and the girl cringed
visibly again. Finally Raye cut in. “Time for those brownies
Greg!
(Whispering to Ami) “You go with him, gotta keep
an eye on your guy!”
“Right Raye.”
“You lost.” Sailor Mercury observed, as the
orange stone shattered. Jedite could visibly wince. Ekomin
simply smiled.
“You shouldn’t send a boy to do a man’s job.
Now there’s five Sailor Scouts.”
“I know that idiot!” Jedite said. He
stormed out. “That’s it! No more attacks till we get that password!
Try and remember Mercury dear. Remember!”
“I’m sorry General Jedite, I don’t remember.”
Rochelle as Ami sat on a park bench with the black
cat. “Luna, I’m sorry I forgot my password, I just haven’t used it
in such a long time.”
“It’s so unlike you Ami. But even I don’t
know. You’ll have to find it.” The cat said, as she scampered
off.
“Stupid cat! Why can’t I just get it right
already?” Rochelle as Ami went back to furiously typing away
at the keyboard. ‘Luna’, nope. ‘Artemis’, not a chance, ‘Mau’, ‘Mercury’,
‘Princess’ none correct.
Ami smirked. Everything was going according
to plan. Jedite and Ekomin really believed that she was amnesiac!
All she was waiting for was a chance to escape. If the password got
out the Sailor Scouts would be toast.
“Ekomin, maybe I should try and fight another warrior
before I get to sleep.”
“We don’t want to waste another warrior, even if
Jedite wants you to get stronger.”
“OK. Good night General Ekomin.” Ami
walked towards her room. If she was going to escape, she needed to
act soon. She had to wait for the enemy to make a bungle or a mistake.
It was only a moment or two before her luck run out and Ekomin caught on.
She re-affixed the tiara and slipped into bed.
Rochelle had gotten a rather new piece of ‘software’.
She had been trying to run it and finally got it! All she needed
to do was wait! In only a few hours she had reached the password,
it was just a compilation of letters. ‘AMLGR’. It was then
that her black mirror reacted. She looked into it, and saw a young
looking girl. She drew the energy outfit, and felt somewhat
drained.
A little girl sprung from it. The girl grew
to full size. “I am Crystal, a succubus from the Midnight Order.
We can’t let that computer get back in the hands of the Mizzen Council.
Come with me.”
“Right Crystal.” With that she ran out the
door. Leaving a beeping, pink communicator behind her.
“Greg, maybe you’re right.” Serena said, with
a slight pause. “No, you have to be! She failed a test yesterday!
That’s not Ami!”
“I’ll cut her off! You go get the others!”
Serena ran towards the temple. She silently
hoped they would have everyone assembled in time to stop him or her.
Ami had finally got the message she needed.
She could hear Serena trying to contact her, but didn’t have her communicator
to respond. They must be on to the doppelganger by now. Ami
took hold of a lamp and stepped into the darkness. She saw Ekomin
round the corner, and ‘turned the lights out,’ so to speak.
Then she silently transformed back into Ami; the
image of Sailor Mercury disappearing, locked away in a small blue pen.
She ran into Jedite’s main room, huffing and puffing. She utilized
her mind to its fullest. She had to pass as being Rochelle.
“General Garnet!”
“Yes?”
“It’s me… Rochelle! Those stupid, Sailor Brats
beat me, and nearly destroyed my Sapphire pin! I have to go back
and get it! Please send me to it! Please!”
“Alright, General Rochelle, just remember this is
going to go on your record.” Ami winced, as she hoped Rochelle would.
Apparently Jedite was pleased. “It may take awhile.”
Crystal rounded the corner ahead of her leader Rochelle.
She stopped, as she was staring at a small boy, but a nice looking boy,
who had a single stiletto drawn. It was when Rochelle as Ami ran
in that the boy spoke.
“Hello Ami, Crystal.”
“How do you know my name!?” Crystal demanded.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always been able
to tell the future, and recently I’ve been getting better at it.
I know all about you and the Midnight Order!”
Ami approached Greg, and he visibly relaxed.
Ami put a soothing hand on his shoulder, and pulled next to him.
She whispered softly in his ear. “Greg, darling, we mustn’t fight.
Listen…”
But she didn’t finish. A bright green flash
of light struck her in the leg, and the form of Rochelle returned.
All eyes turned to Lucent Knight. He simply bowed, and took his leave.
“Sometimes Greg, if it looks like a rat, and smells like
a rat, it’s a rat.”
“How dare that boy call me a rat!” Rochelle
screamed. It was then that she remembered the portal would only be
open a little longer. “Crystal, deal with my Greg darling.
As for now, ta-ta, and too-doo-loo!”
Crystal approached Greg, but no longer as the eye
pleasing Crystal, but a large masculine lady did. Her once delicate
eyes shone with malice and regret. The hair that once was nicely
combed, now looked like something out of a horror film. She charged
forward at Greg.
“Ugh! You know you can’t beat me with your
steel!” Crystal cried, as the blade pierced her arm. The wound
closed almost instantaneously.
“I won’t let you go! What did you do to my
love?” Greg cried out, as he jabbed another hole through Crystal.
The next slash cut open a mark that didn’t heal, across her face.
“You’ll never know, will you now?” Crystal
slapped him, hard. So hard in fact he flew a couple yards, his stiletto
skittering from his hand. As he reached for it, a heavy-heeled foot
landed on his hand. He could feel the bones and sinew snapping.
“You’re a monster.” Greg said to her, grimacing
under the pain. “You’re a vampire! The whole Midnight Order
is.”
“I am a succubus actually.”
“The temptress of man. Rather unappealing
temptress.” Greg said, as the pain in his hand increased.
“Jupiter Thunder… Clap Zap!”
“I am the Pretty Sailor Suited Soldier, Sailor Moon!
On behalf of the moon, I will right wrongs, and triumph over Evil!
And that means you!” Sailor Moon shouted, as she blocked the way
for Rochelle to exit.
“And I am the Pretty Sailor Suited Soldier, Sailor
Mars! Mars of the Red heel, I will punish you!”
“I am the Pretty Sailor Suited Soldier, Sailor Venus,
code name: Sailor V! V is for Victory!”
Together the three chorused: “We will punish you!”
Rochelle dully clapped her hands together.
“Cute. But who is really in control here?” A flame dart flew
towards Venus, sending her careening towards the edge of the street.
Raye and Serena looked doubtfully at each other. They knew Rochelle
had Ami’s computer and that meant she couldn’t leave alive.
Rochelle flipped over them, and made a dead run
for the exit. “Sorry girls, I gotta run!”
Artemis came around the corner. “Now!
Destroy her now!”
“Moon Tiara Magic!”
The spinning discus spun towards Rochelle, who ducked out of the way.
“Sorry Miss Moon! You’re not beating me that
easy!”
Raye smirked. She leaped forward onto a moving
car. She turned towards the discus that was losing energy fast.
It needed to keep its spin. “Mars… Fire… Ignite!”
The flame was quickly absorbed into the spinning disc, and Serena used
that energy to turn it around.
As Rochelle was about to leap through the portal,
the discus slashed through the portal, destroying it. The discus
continued into Rochelle and cut her open at the stomach. The woman
roared in pain as she stumbled, and fell. The body then burst into
flames, as the flame of Mars consumed her. When the body was burnt
to nothing more than a corpse, all that remained was a Sapphire pin, and
the Computer of Mercury. And so, General Rochelle the double agent,
and Succubus of the Midnight Order died that night before she was able
to relay the pass code to her superiors. AMLGR.
“Icky!” Venus said, as she got up. She
noticed a black streak heading their way. “Luna!”
“Serena, hurry! Your wand is needed!”
Saturn winced. The girl Crystal was roaring
towards her. Spinning her glaive, she screamed “Silence
Glaive Wall!” The succubus bounced harmlessly away.
And was refocusing her attack on the wounded Greg.
As she was about to attack, a fog filled the area,
and out rang the accented voice of Sailor Mercury. “I am the Pretty
Sailor Suited Soldier, Sailor Mercury! You leave him alone!”
All eyes in the fog turned to where the new comer’s
voice was from. It was soon followed by another voice, an angry bark!
When the fog cleared another monster was there. It was highly similar
to Guar, except in size. This one was smaller, and clearly more agile.
It leapt straight towards Sailor Mercury.
“Ah, Sailor Mercury! Maybe you are not so
dumb after all!” Jedite called, as Ami was nearly toppled.
Before the creature landed, a rose pierced its face.
They all watched as it shrunk away into a small pink stone. Crystal
continued her attack. Before she reached Greg however, a very angry
Sailor Jupiter stepped in the way.
The two exchanged blows for quite awhile, and in
that time Tuxedo Mask made his escape. Finally Jupiter was sent to
the side by a vicious kick. As Crystal was nearly on top of Greg,
a light encircled her.
Ami and Greg had been alone in that room for a few
hours now, and it grated on Serena’s nerves. She couldn’t believe
Ami’s nerve! She comes back, and doesn’t even brief them on what
she found, of course she was happy for Ami and Greg. Then again,
she knew that there were serious matters to attend to.
It was then that a familiar face entered the door
of the temple, and she recognized, Jedite!
Jedite and Ekomin walked briskly into the temple,
before Sailor Moon could respond Jedite already was brushing her off.
“Sailor Moon, I want you to know that the Mizzen Council doesn’t take very
fondly to your medling!”
“Jedite! What do you want?” Sailor Moon
said, reaching for her tiara.
“I come in peace. I simply ask that you don’t
bother our Castle Skyler. It would be a pity to lose it after only
a few weeks of usage. Ekomin, deal with them.” Jedite ordered,
as he disappeared through a dense black portal.
A small glinting stone was summoned into Ekomin’s
hand. As the glowing tiara flew towards him, the energy seeped straight
from it into the stone. In a flash, Ekomin was gone, and all that
remained with Serena was a large rabbit like creature.
“Goodbye, bunny.”
“General Jedite, why didn’t you just give them an
invitation to our court?” General Rock, made of solid Granite, called
out. In his hand was a large blaster.
“Because General, we are more than able to defend
from them, there are only five.”
“We better General Jedite, or it will be your head.”
“Jupiter Thunderclap, Zap!”
Came Sailor Jupiter’s cry, as a streak of lightening severed a furry ear.
The bunny dodged several of Lita’s karate motions, and countered with a
massive kick.
Serena picked her tiara off the ground, and began
to recharge. The bunny saw her, and began to move to the side, but
was cut off from a rose that cut through the roof of the temple and stuck
in the ground. All eyes went to Tuxedo Mask.
“Sailor Moon! Don’t waste a moment! Finish
this monster off, and meet us outside!”
“Right! Moon Tiara,
Magic!” And with that, the bunny turned into a fine powdered
dust. She went outside, and met with Tuxedo Mask ,and the rest of
the Sailor Scouts.
“Luna told us that there has been a floating castle
in the sky, and we can finally reach it. With a little work we have
been able to set a way to climb up there. Hurry Sailor Moon.
If we let Jedite activate the weapon that’s up there we’ll lose for sure!”
It took a few hours, but soon the entire group had
assembled under the floating castle. A surprise fell on them when
Matt and Nick where there waiting as well.
“About time ladies!” Matt said.
Nick nodded. “Going up?”
Serena began to turn red, and then yelled. “What
are you two doing here!? Get out! You’re in danger.”
“Listen Sailor Moon, you can’t get through there
on your own. One thing you have to do is take out that cannon right?
Zentar’s told me the gist of it, so listen here. Before you stand
a chance you have to shut down the communications and computers.
And even still, you’ll want a third group to ensure you’re exit.
So, you six can’t do that. Give me the virus, and I’ll upload it.”
“Matt! You don’t know anything about computers!”
“Listen Nick, you’ll go with Venus and Jupiter to
shut down the security on the way to the escape exit. Sailor Moon,
Mars and Mercury are going to go and get that weapon. The rest are
going after the computer system.” Matt sat for a second and waited.
Letting out a long sigh, Darien agreed. “They’ve
got a point. And we do need a few more members, and they handle themselves
well enough.”
“What are you saying?” Venus said. “They’ll
get hurt.”
Nick silently motioned to the massive blade on his
back. “I’ll be fine. And Matt can help. Even if it isn’t
much.”
“Is there anyway to stop you?” Ami asked,
and when Matt started climbing it showed that the answer was no.
They reached the top of the tower by midnight. Matt was exhausted, and Hotaru nearly dead. After a quick rest and recovery they split into their groups. Matt, Tuxedo Mask, and Sailor Saturn were the first to enter. Matt took hold of a disk Ami had prepared, and was instructed on how to use it.