"LUNAR:  Tales From Crystal Tokyo"

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LUNAR: The Lost Episodes

By Jeffrey C. Branch

Volume Twelve: Episode 2-11.25 "Struggling"

Rating: PG-13

RSN Listening Post Seven, on the border of the Alpha Zone, 10 January 2738

            In the operations center of the station, Sailor Magneta examined the unconscious and bedraggled Sailor Europa who lay on a table, her uniform in tatters.  The dark haired woman was cut, slashed and bruised and bled from numerous wounds.  On the other side of the table, Sailor Britannica frowned deeply at the unmoving Senshi.

            "Heartbeat and pulse are steady. Brainwave patterns normal.  As for injuries:  two cracked ribs, a bruised kidney and a hairline fracture of her left forearm.  All of which are quickly healing," said Sailor Magneta, checking the readings on the microcomp's small screen.  "All things considered, I must say that Sailor Europa is in remarkably healthy condition... for a woman who's supposed to be dead for over a year."

            "It would so seem," said Britannica.  She then leaned over and glared at Sailor Europa.  "Giselle!  Giselle!  It's me!  It's Alison!  Wake up!"

            Sailor Magneta did a double take.  "Wait a minute!  Giselle?  You never told me that you know her."

            The British Senshi turned to Sailor Magneta, her face stony.  "You never asked."

            "Of course.  How stupid of me not to have done so," said Sailor Magneta, a sharp edge in her voice from annoyance.  "All right, Alison, I'm asking now.  What else do you know about Sailor Europa?"

            "Her name is Giselle Lacroix, she was born in Marseilles, France in 2530.  Graduated second in her class from the Tsukino College in 2556."

            "Second?  Who was first in her class?"

            Sailor Britannica gave the German Senshi a haughty arrogant look.  "Who do you think?"

            Sailor Magneta rolled her eyes.  "Why am I not surprised?  I must say that you don't seem at all relieved to find a former classmate alive after she'd been reported killed in action."

            "That's because she was nothing more than just a classmate.  Giselle was extremely impersonal, even anti-social and purposely went out of her way to avoid making friends," Sailor Britannica explained.  "Giselle explained to me that her only goal in life was to become a Sailor Senshi and command a starship.  She reasoned that it was better not to be close with people whom she might one day send to their deaths while in the course of their duty."

            "An inordinately grim approach to take.  Not even I was that fatalistic when I sought my own command.  Did you subscribe to that philosophy?"

            "No.  For all my purported bluster, I'd rather have friends like you and the others than live without."

            Just then, Sailor Magneta's communicator beeped.  "Go ahead."

            "Ronni!  This is Sailor Sirius!  We've got trouble!  'Tasha and I have run into Slashers!  We're gonna need help here!  Fast!"

            An instant later, another panicked voice came over the speaker.  "Make that two!  Liz and I have got Slasher trouble in engineering!" cried Sailor Ivory.

            "Acknowledged!  Help is on the way!"  The Senshi of Magnetism turned to her teammate.  "Alison, you help Sailor Sirius and Sailor Russia!  They're closer!  I'll go to engineering!"

            Sailor Britannica motioned down at Sailor Europa.  "What about her?"

            "Provided she doesn't get a visit from a Slasher while we're gone, we'll question her when we return.  I have grave suspicions about Sailor Europa, and if they're correct, she has a lot to answer for.  Right now, our teammates come first.  Get going!"

            Sailor Britannica nodded, then she and Sailor Magneta raced out of the room.  Moments later, Sailor Europa stirred, with a look of pain on her face.  She opened her eyes, but everything was completely black.  With a sigh, her eyes closed and she drifted back into unconsciousness.

            "Sirius Infrared Laser... DISINTERGRATION!" shouted Sailor Sirius, firing her laser blasts at the approaching horrors.

            Her aim perfect, the deadly beams struck the two towering beasts head on, blowing them off their feet.  Not waiting to see the results of her handiwork, the Star Senshi rushed over to where her fallen teammate, Sailor Russia lay against a wall after she had been struck down by one of the monsters.

            "Natasha!  Snap to!  We've got trouble here!" she shouted, shaking the broad shoulders of her teammate.

            Sailor Russia's eyes opened and she stared at her partner.  "Tanya?  What is it?  What happened?"

            "One of the Slashers knocked you for a loop!  Are you okay?"

            "Physically, I am well.  But I am angry to have been caught unawares."  Sailor Russia looked ahead of her as the monsters Sailor Sirius felled rose to their feet.  Their chests were smoking from where the laser beams struck them; while they hissed from malevolent fury, their eyes glared hatefully at the Sailors, thirsting for their blood.

            Climbing to her combat booted feet, the Senshi of Power, scowling menacingly, was unimpressed.  "So these are the Slashers.  Bah!  Filthy creatures!  I shall decorate the walls with their blood!  Russian Armor... ENGAGE!"

            In a flash of golden light, Sailor Russia underwent an incredible transformation.  An instant later, the Russian Senshi morphed into a hulking, muscle laden, seven-foot tall colossus with gleaming, chrome skin.  While Sailor Sirius had seen Sailor Russia change into her towering, armored form before, it was still an eye-popping, jaw dropping sight.  Even the Slashers were taken aback at what they had seen, looking unsure as to what to do.  The female titan, a devilish smirk on her black painted lips cracked her fingerless gloved knuckles.

            "Come, creatures!  Come to your death!" shouted Sailor Russia, her voice a deep rumbling, metallic echo.

            Snarling, the creatures charged, as did Sailor Russia, displaying a surprising speed that belied her near half-ton bulk.  The two forces collided and the monsters slashed at Sailor Russia with the razor sharp, bladed protrusions on their forearms, but the only damage they caused was to rip the midsection of Sailor Russia's body suit.  Sailor Sirius heard an ear piercing screeching sound as the creatures' bladed forearms raked the impenetrable, organic armor that composed Sailor Russia's skin, throwing off sparks on contact.

            "Pathetic vermin!  Is that the best you can do?" the Senshi of Power rumbled.  She then reared back with a balled right fist and unleashed a mighty right cross that smashed one monster's skull and sent it hurtling down the hall at breakneck speed before it slammed into a wall, breaking nearly every bone in its body, killing it almost instantly.

            The second creature flailed away with its fearsome claws, barely scoring Sailor Russia's armored hide.  Annoyed with the struggling beast, Sailor Russia clamped a large fist around its neck, grabbed a leg and lifted it high over her head.  Sailor Russia then broke the monster in two with her monstrous super strength, the hideous snap of its spine frightfully loud in the confines of the hallway.

            Scowling from contempt because the beasts didn't put up nearly enough of a fight to suit her, Sailor Russia casually dropped the lifeless creature, then walked back to where Sailor Sirius stood.  Although she had seen many fantastic sights in the over seven hundred years that she had lived, the Senshi of the Stars had never seen anything like the armored juggernaut that was Sailor Russia.

            "Are you well, Comrade Sirius?" a concerned Sailor Russia asked.

            "Yeah, I'm fine, 'Tasha.  You were awesome!"  Sailor Sirius' eyes then widened from horror at something behind the Russian Senshi.  "Oh, no!  Look behind you!"

            Sailor Russia turned to see four more of the nightmarish monsters bounding towards her and Sailor Sirius.  The Senshi assumed combat stances.  "This becomes more interesting by the minute.  Wouldn't you agree?" Sailor Russia said.

            "Offhand,  I'd say- NOT!" Sailor Sirius growled.  "Let's waste these suckers!"

            "Get down, you two!" a voice ordered from behind them.  "Britannica... FIRES OF WRATH!"

            Sailor Sirius and Sailor Russia dropped to the floor as, with a fearsome roar, a blast of volcanic flame rushed over them and enveloped the charging creatures.  Their cries of pain echoed up and down the hall as they were consumed by five thousand degrees of heat and fire.

            The two Senshi turned to see Sailor Britannica trotting up to them, a reddish-orange glow fading from her body.  The Senshi of the Elements stared reproachfully at her companions.  "Well?  Get on your feet!  The floor is no place for a Sailor Senshi!"

            "Up yours!" an angry Sailor Sirius grumbled as she stood and glared at the flame haired Briton.  "You coulda aimed a little higher, Allie!  My back feels like it's been barbecued!"

            Sailor Britannica snorted from disdain.  "Tsk.  Such ungratefulness.  Would you rather have been torn to pieces by those horrors instead?  And my name, Ms. Cambridge, is Alison, not 'Allie'!"

            "Ladies, I recommend you focus your attention on the matter at hand," Sailor Russia rumbled, her gaze fixed ahead.  "It appears we still have a problem."

            Sailor Sirius and Sailor Britannica looked up the hallway where six more Slashers stalked towards them.

            "Ivory Light Daggers... FLY!" shouted Sailor Ivory, firing her gleaming, white light daggers at the two Slashers that crowded the doorway into the engineering control room.  The razor sharp energy constructs impacted against the thick hides of the creatures who howled from pain, but it didn't stop them from lumbering inside, black ichor oozing from their wounds.

            "These brutes are tougher than we thought!" said Sailor Ebony, concentrating on her power.  "Ivory Ice Daggers... FLY!"

            At Sailor Ebony's command, she unleashed a barrage of black light daggers at the creatures.  Upon impact, the creatures, already wounded from Ivory's attack, staggered to a stop as the dark energy constructs, colder than absolute zero, froze them on the spot.  "That did it!  Finish them off, Cat!"

            "With pleasure, sis!  Ivory Lightbeams... FIRE!"

            The Senshi of Light fired her blast of multiple white light energy beams at the weakened monsters.  Sailor Ivory's lightbeams, diamond hard and fired at supersonic speed, blasted the Slashers apart, leaving behind two shattered and smoking carcasses on the floor.

            "C'mon!  Let's get out of here!" said Sailor Ebony, clasping her sister's hand and leading her out into the hall.  The twins stopped short and their eyes bulged at what they saw:  four Slashers, two on each side of the girls, hissed in anger as they charged at the Senshi.

            "Oh, shit!  Get behind me, Liz!" cried Sailor Ivory.  Sailor Ebony quickly did as she was told and the Senshi of Light quickly extended her arms outward.  "Ivory... WALL OF LIGHT!"

            At Sailor Ivory's command, a semi-transparent floor to ceiling high wall of ultra-solid white light, harder than steel appeared on both sides, and stopped the monsters in their tracks.  Roaring in their fury, the creatures slashed and pounded manically at the walls, determined to break through the barrier to do what they had been bred to do by their masters in the Dark Kingdom:  kill.

            "How are you holding up?" asked a concerned Sailor Ebony, seeing the strain etching her sister's face.

            "Okay... so far!  Never used my power like this before!" said a grimacing Sailor Ivory.  "You're right, Liz, these fuckers are incredibly strong!  Feedback from their onslaught is making my head hurt with my concentration split!  Don't know how much longer I can keep this up!"

            "And the creatures are in an absolute frenzy because they can't get through!" said Sailor Ebony, watching the beasts relentlessly attack the light walls with their fists and claws, roaring all the while.  "Looks like they won't stop until they get their claws on us!  On my mark, drop the walls and I'll drain them with my black light sphere!"

            Sailor Ivory's eyes widened.  "That's damned risky!  The way those bastards are straining at my barrier, the second I drop it, they'll come flying at us like a bar of soap through a wet fist!"

            "I know that!  You said yourself that you might not be able to maintain the barrier for long!" Sailor Ebony retorted.  Her face then hardened from anger.  "And I can't stand fighting a defensive battle!  Get ready to drop the barrier!"

            Sailor Ivory nodded.  "Okay!  I'm ready!"

            The Senshi of Darkness took a deep breath and extended her arms from her sides.  "Now!  Ebony... SPHERE OF NIGHT!"

            At the moment Sailor Ivory dropped her barrier, a large sphere of black light shot forward from Sailor Ebony's outstretched hands, just as the slavering creatures charged at the Senshi from both sides.  The sphere enveloped the Slashers and they howled from rage as their energy was drained.  After several moments, the sphere faded and the creatures were left sprawled on the floor.  The slow rise and fall of their chests indicated that they were still alive.

            "All right!  That did the job!" said an elated Sailor Ivory, approaching the fallen creatures to the Senshi's left.  "I'll waste these suckers!  You do the others!"

            "Careful, Cat!  Don't get too close!" Sailor Ebony warned her sister.

            As Sailor Ivory neared the monsters, one of them reached up with its claws and swiped at the Senshi.  Sailor Ivory screamed from pain as the monster's claws raked her midsection, ripping both fabric and flesh.

            "CATHY!" cried Sailor Ebony.  Gripped by a black rage at seeing her twin hurt, feeling Sailor Ivory's pain as if it were her own because of the special bond the sisters shared, the Senshi of Darkness acted.  "Ebony Darkforce... BLAST!"

            At Sailor Ebony's command, a sizzling bolt of jet-black lightning lanced forward from her fingertips, electrocuting the Slasher on contact.  It died with a hideous cry issuing from its throat.  But Sailor Ebony didn't care about the beast, as she rushed to the side of her sister, who lay bleeding on the floor.

            "Cat!  Cathy!  Speak to me!  Are you all right?"

            Sailor Ivory, her face tight from a grimace, nodded.  "Think so.  He only gouged me, Liz, not gutted me.  Just gimme a few minutes and my healing powers should take care of this."

            At that moment, the other Slashers, though weakened, but still intent on killing, rose to their feet, surrounding the Senshi.  "Looks like you might not get that time," said Sailor Ebony.

            "Damned monsters!  Get away from my friends!" came a guttural, German accented growl.  "Magneta... STORM OF FORCE!"

            Just as the monsters prepared to leap, the floors and walls suddenly seemed to come alive with an ear-piercing screech as the Slashers were quickly enveloped in foot thick folds of steel and iron.  The monsters howled from pain as they were relentlessly crushed under thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch.  The hideous sound of snapping and cracking bones could clearly be heard as the monsters were killed.

            Wide eyed, the twins turned around to see Sailor Magneta, a feral look on her face.  Her right arm was outstretched, her hand clenched tight in a fist while her eyes glowed a bright red.  The twins collectively shuddered from the demonic look of rage on the face of their leader.  It was common knowledge that the Senshi of Magnetism took great pleasure in killing her enemies, and with a power that was nearly on par with any of the Planetaries, Sailor Magneta made for a fearsome opponent.

            With the creatures reduced to shattered, lifeless hulks, Sailor Magneta's blazing eyes returned to normal and she rushed to the side of her teammates.

            "By the Crystal!  Cathy!" she cried, horrified at seeing Sailor Ivory's ugly wounds.  "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner!  Please forgive me!"

            Sailor Ivory managed a weak smile and squeezed Sailor Magneta's shoulder.  "There's nothing to forgive, Ronni.  The important thing is that you got here and saved us.  I'll be just fine."

            Sailor Magneta, relieved, returned her teammate's smile.  "Then I am glad to have done my best."  Her face then hardened as she activated her communicator.  "Sailor Britannica!  What's your status?"

            "Compared to what?" the Briton replied.  "We're bloody well being besieged by Slashers.  We've killed a dozen of the monsters and they just keep coming!  What about you?"

            The sound of an evil snarl caught Sailor Magneta's attention.  She and the twins turned to their left to see four more creatures stalking towards them.  "We're facing a similar problem.  Sailor Ivory's been injured but not severely.  Keep our playmates away from the lift shaft.  We'll be up shortly."

            "Acknowledged.  Sailor Britannica out."

            "Let's get to the shaft," said Sailor Magneta, helping Sailor Ivory to her feet.  "Elizabeth!  Cover us!"

            "Got it!  Ebony Darkforce... BLAST!"

            A huge bolt of black lightning lanced out from Sailor Ebony's fingertips and blasted the monsters, causing them to scream from the terrible power that electrocuted them.  While Sailor Ebony dealt with the creatures, Sailor Magneta helped Sailor Ivory to the open door of the lift shaft.  A moment later, Sailor Ebony joined them.

            "I don't think Cat's strong enough to climb all twenty decks up to the operations hub," she said in a worried tone.

            "Screw you, sis!  I can make it!" said a grimacing Sailor Ivory.

            "You won't need to," said Sailor Magneta, her eyes glowing again.  She held out her hands to the twins.  "Take my hands, girls.  I'll handle the rest."

            "Handle?  Handle what?" asked a puzzled Sailor Ebony.

            "Trust me."  The twins each took a hand, then, to their horror, Sailor Magneta casually stepped into the open shaft with them and they all floated in a pulsating crimson aura, then soared upwards like a rocket, surprising the sisters.

            "Hol-leeee shit!" cried a shocked Sailor Ivory, her eyes wide as saucers.  "Hey, Ronni!  You never told us you could fly!"

            In spite of herself, Sailor Magneta grinned.  "You never asked."

            It took only twenty seconds for the threesome to reach the operations hub where a grim faced Sailor Russia stood guard at the doorway.  The Senshi of Power cocked an eyebrow at seeing Sailor Magneta flying up the shaft.

            "By the Crystal!" Sailor Russia grunted.  She had never seen Sailor Magneta fly either.

            "How are we doing, 'Tasha?" asked Sailor Magneta, levitating herself and the twins to the floor.  The trio noticed right away the horribly charred, broken and lifeless bodies of nearly twenty Slashers that littered the floor like so much trash.  No other explanation was necessary for Sailor Magneta.

            "The creatures have temporarily ceased their assault on us, commander," the armored Senshi replied.  "I suspect they were not prepared for the savagery of our counterattack and are regrouping.  Sailor Sirius and Sailor Britannica are in the command room where Sailor Europa is recuperating.  What are your orders?"

            Before Sailor Magneta could respond, five more Slashers rounded a corner and came charging at the heroines who collectively scowled at them.

            "This grows tiresome," the Senshi of Magnetism growled.  "Sailor Ebony!  Sailor Russia!  Deal with them!"

            The lithe blonde and the towering armored amazon nodded before going on the attack.

            "Ebony Ice Daggers... FLY!" shouted Sailor Ebony, unleashing a barrage of black light daggers that, upon striking the Slashers, stopped them in their tracks, paralyzed by absolute zero cold.  Sluggish from the freezing temperatures that ravaged their bodies, the creatures could do barely more than inch forward, yet, they still moved, were still intent on killing everything that stood before them.  Grinning devilishly, Sailor Russia moved at them, her sledgehammer fists pulverizing the beasts with savage glee.  The monsters, unable to defend themselves didn't stand a chance against the relentless onslaught of the female juggernaut.

            "Fall back!  Now!" ordered Sailor Magneta.  Once they did, the white haired Senshi used her magnetic powers to bring down the solid duranium blast doors on both sides of the command room entrance with a loud, booming clang.  Seconds later came the muffled sounds of fists pounding and organic blades screeching on the other side of the doors.

            "Those doors are a full foot thick.  That should keep our playmates at bay," said Sailor Magneta.  "Let's get inside with the others.  We have questions to ask our mystery guest."

            Upon entering the command center, the foursome saw Sailor Sirius and Sailor Britannica standing over the unmoving form of Sailor Europa who still lay on the table.

            "Any change in her condition?" Sailor Magneta asked.

            "None," Sailor Britannica replied.  "Her injuries have fully healed, yet she hasn't awakened."

            "Then wake her up," said Sailor Magneta, her face hard.

            "Wake her up?  Are you sure, boss?" Sailor Sirius asked.  "I'm no doctor, but I think she might be in some sort of shock, maybe even a coma."

            The Briton nodded.  "I'm inclined to agree with Tanya.  Without knowing what's wrong with Sailor Europa, we could cause her irreparable harm if we force her awake."

            Sailor Magneta was impassive.  "I don't care.  I want her awake right now to answer some very pointed, and pertinent, questions regarding this fiasco."

            "What's the rush?" a curious Sailor Ivory asked, her strength returned with her injuries having healed.

            Sailor Magneta shot the others a steely-eyed glare.  "I have every reason to suspect that Sailor Europa was responsible for bringing the Slashers here!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

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