"LUNAR:  Tales From Crystal Tokyo"

Back to the main LUNAR page

LUNAR: The Lost Episodes

By Jeffrey C. Branch

Volume Twenty-eight: Episode 2-14.22 "Heroism"

Rating: PG-13

Skunk Works, in high Lunar orbit, Sol system, 8 February 2738

            In the R & D labs of the facility, a wiry, blue skinned man in dark coveralls finished keying in a code number into the panel of a boxy, two foot long silver device seated under a table in a corner of the huge room.  A demolitions expert by trade, the man knew that the explosive device he was setting up would destroy everything within a forty-meter range.

            "A press of a button by the boss and, boom!" he said with a chuckle as he stared down at a blinking green light on the device's small control panel.

            Just then, the man heard a strange sound, a soft, barely audible growl from in front of him.  Shooting to his feet, the man whipped out an energy pistol and warily looked around him, wondering where the sound came from in the darkened space.  The sound, filled with deadly menace chilled him.

            "Brak?  Is that you?" the man whispered.  "Answer me!"

            Then, he heard it again, this time from behind him.  Shivering, the man whirled around and gasped from horror at the apparition before him.  The tall, terrifying, bipedal cat-creature clamped a long clawed right hand over the man's throat and, with no effort, lifted him off his feet.  The man's eyes widened as he saw the creature's wickedly long canines.

            "Surprise, dirtbag," Karmella whispered in a throaty growl.  She lessened her grip ever so slightly on the man's throat.  "Tell me what you're up to.  And if you raise your voice higher than a whisper, you're dead meat."

            "Bah!  You're going to kill me anyway!" the man began to shout a warning, but didn't succeed as the Isbanni were-beast crushed his windpipe with a squeeze of her hand, killing him on the spot.

            "Shit!" Karmella growled.  "Why are these lunatics so damn stupid?"

            Carefully setting the lifeless body down on the floor so it didn't make a sound, the LISA agent knelt in front of the device and examined the flashing green light on the panel.  Scowling, Karmella pressed the button on the comm device in her right ear.  "Tigress to Edge."

            "Go," came back the voice of her fellow agent, and lover.

            "I'm in R & D.  Just took out a DK slug setting up a backpack bomb," said Karmella in a whisper.  "Looks like our fears about sabotage were right."                   

            "Figured as much.  Any chance of deactivating it?"

            "None.  The bomb's armed, and since the bad guys use motion sensors as booby traps, I'd be blown to furry atoms if I messed with it," Karmella replied.  "I don't even want to consider the possibility that this thing's on a timer.  Where are you now?"

            "Sorcerer Spirit and I are two minutes from the rear entrance.  Sailor Ebony and Sailor Cerebra are ahead of us.  They should reach you soon."

            Karmella snorted.  "And then do what?  Fuck things up?"

            "You're preaching to the choir, kitten.  But we're short on numbers, and time.  We'll need all the help we can get to stop this madness.  Out."

            Karmella glared at the bomb.  While she hated to leave it unattended, the Isbanni agent knew there was nothing she could do to deactivate it.  With a sigh, the were-creature moved off in search for more DK agents to kill.

            Valeris' fingers moved swiftly over the control panel that operated the three cryogenic tanks containing the monstrous, tough Slashers.  The bald man, known as Trojan One, scowled and fidgeted from anxiety.

            "How long will this take, Valeris?" he demanded.  He was antsy about being this deep in enemy territory and wondered how long he and his team could remain under the radar.

            "Just a couple of minutes more.  It's not like I can ratchet up the temperature in those tanks at the drop of a hat," Valeris replied, a note of annoyance in her voice from her cohort's impatience.  "Do you have the neural controllers ready?  The creatures won't exactly be in the best of moods when they awaken."

            Trojan One removed three large silver injectors from his backpack.  "By injecting nanites into the creatures' brains, we can keep them docile long enough for us to escape.  Is the shuttlecraft ready?"

            "Yes.  I assume the rest of your men are busy planting their devices.  Why don't you have one of them take Sailor Mercury to the ship.  I left the bitch drugged to the gills in her office, so she won't cause any trouble."

            "Good idea."  Trojan One activated his communicator.  "Arn.  Swing by Sailor Mercury's office.  You'll find her out cold there.  Take her to the ship."

            "Arn here," came a voice over the speaker.  "I copy.  Out."

            A soft beeping from the control panel caught Valeris' attention.  She checked the readout and grinned.  "The temperature's above freezing.  I'm opening the tanks."

            The woman pressed three buttons on her panel and the doors to the three tanks opened with a loud hiss.  A large plume of snow-white mist escaped from each tank, chilling the air as the Slashers within them fell out, crumpling face first to the floor.  Trojan One motioned to two of his men, and they moved forward to where the beasts lay motionless.  Trojan One handed an injector to each of his men and pointed to the creatures, nodding, the men and their leader placed the tip of the injector into the ear of the beasts and pushed the plungers.  The bodies of the Slashers then jerked and spasmed violently, for several moments, before returning to motionlessness.

            Valeris frowned.  "Are you sure they're under control?"

            Trojan One nodded as he stood.  "Absolutely.  The nanites give me control of the creatures' motor functions via this remote," he said, showing Valeris a small, squarish box in his right hand with a tiny joystick and six buttons on it, one of them red, another green.  "If I press the green button, the nanites will disintegrate and the creatures will return to full consciousness.  And the red button sets off the devices we've planted."

            "I certainly hope we're long gone before you use those bombs," Valeris grunted.  Despite her devotion to the Dark Kingdom, she didn't fancy dying for her masters.  "Let's get them to the ship.  I would prefer to be far from here before someone discovers Sailor Mercury missing."

            "By all means," Trojan One said.  "Once we're away, we'll blow Skunk Works straight to hell!"

            On the main floor of the facility, two hard faced men walked up to the door to Sailor Mercury's office.  Upon entering, they found Amy Anderson unconscious on the floor by her desk.  The men nodded to each other.

            "Right where we were told she'd be," said Arn, one of the men.  Walking up to Amy, Arn leered dangerously at the helpless woman.  "A pity we don't have time for... extracurricular activities.  I would certainly love to find out what it's like to fuck a Planetary."

            The man's partner, sporting a scruffy brown beard, shook his head from revulsion.  "Disgusting."

            "I agree," came a voice from behind them.  The men whirled around to face a snarling Karmella who sliced open the throat of the bearded man with a lightning fast swipe of her razor sharp claws, spewing blood in a hideous geyser.  She then grabbed Arn's head and gave it a quick, brutal twist, breaking his neck.  The Isbanni were-creature grinned devilishly at her savage handiwork.  She then knelt beside Amy and, with her supersensitive hearing, picked up her heartbeat, which was strong and steady.

            "Serenity's crown!" came a shocked whisper from behind the were-creature.

            Karmella turned around to see Sailors Ebony and Cerebra.  While the Asian Senshi was impassive, the blonde's face was pale, her eyes wide.

            "What's wrong, Sailor Ebony?  Never seen dead men before?" Karmella asked in a heavily sarcastic tone.

            "I don't mean them!  Sailor Mercury!" cried Sailor Ebony as she and Sailor Cerebra approached the fallen Planetary.

            "Relax, blondie.  She's still alive.  And keep your voice down."  Remembering something Grant told her a few minutes ago, Karmella rolled Amy over on her stomach where she found two small, round burn marks in the small of her back, standing out in stark relief on the light blue sweater Amy wore.  "Thought so.  See these burn marks?  Sailor Mercury was zapped by a high voltage taser.  Since she got it in the back that meant someone she trusted ambushed her.  Edge's suspicion was dead on target."

            "What suspicion?" Sailor Cerebra asked.

            "The mole that tipped off the DK about the captured Slashers.  He's not a LISA agent after all.  He's from Skunk Works."  Karmella paused to lean close and sniff Amy's neck.  "Sailor Mercury's been pumped full of tranquilizers.  I'm picking up residual traces of septonodrine at the injection point on her carotid artery.  The bad guys wanted her out cold, but most definitely alive."

            "But why?" a puzzled Ebony asked.

            "To take her back to the DK," Sailor Cerebra speculated.  She paused to close her eyes and concentrated.

            "You got it, Mama-san.  Little Miss Genius here would make for one hell of a door prize.  Imagine all the juicy scientific secrets DK torturers could pry out of her pretty blue head.  These slugs must've been ordered to take her to their ship.  The big question is:  where could it be?"

            Frowning, Sailor Ebony opened her pocketspace and removed her microcomp.  After accessing the floor plans for Skunk Works, the Dark Senshi found what she sought.  "Yes!  There's a service dock on the sub-basement level for maintenance and supply ships.  Two hundred yards from the cryo-chamber that had been set up down there."

            "How damned convenient.  That mole thought of everything."  Karmella activated her communicator.  "Edge!  The bad guys have a ship on the sub-level!  That's where they'll be escaping from with the Slashers!"

            "Roger that.  Spirit and I will head there and cut 'em off.  Out."

            "Let's go, ladies.  We've got to find the rest of these dirtbags," growled Karmella as she headed for the doorway.  Before the Isbanni agent reached the door, she picked a faint but familiar sound that raised the hackles on the back of her neck.  "Oh, hell!  Get down!"

            Just as Karmella shouted her warning to the Senshi, energy beams burst into the office.

            Even from twenty-five meters beneath the main floor, Valeris, Trojan One and the five men with him could hear the high pitched whine of energy beam fire above them.  Behind them stood the three remaining Slashers, their bodies rigid, their eyes glassed over.

            "Dammit!  We've been discovered!" Trojan One growled.  He turned angry eyes onto Valeris.  "Prime!  How far to the ship?"

            "Just down this corridor!" Valeris replied.  She wondered how the GM found them out, despite all the precautions she had taken.  "Once we're aboard and are away, you can blow this place sky high!  C'mon!"

            Trojan One manipulated the joystick on his control box and the creatures moved followed him, Valeris and the five men down the hallway.  Rounding a corner, the bizarre entourage saw the double-doored hatchway to the service dock thirty meters away.  Valeris, leading the way, grinned, confident that she and her cohorts would still be able to escape.  As the group drew closer, the doors suddenly opened, forcing the DK spies to come to a stop.  They all gasped at what was before them.

            Standing inside the hatchway were Grant, a crystalline sword in his hands and Spirit, holding his flame bow at the ready.

            "Hiya, guys.  We've been waiting for you," said Grant, his eyes fixed on the Slashers standing behind the thugs.  "I assume you're trying to make a fast getaway with your pets.  Sorry, but your trip's been canceled."

            "It would be in your best interest to surrender," said Spirit.

            Trojan One hissed from rage and pulled his pistol while Valeris hid behind him.  "GM vermin!  I'll kill you!"

            The lead DK thug fired his weapon at Grant, who used his accelerated reflexes to deflect the beam with the crystalline-coated blade of his sword at just the right angle to send the ricochet back at the goons who ducked out of the way.

            Two thugs pulled pistols and sight aimed at the duo.  Spirit, seeing them, sighed from annoyance and drew his bow at them.

            "Foolish.  Very foolish," said Spirit.  "FLAME ARROW!"

            At the Native American Sorcerer's command, two fire arrows materialized on the bow, and Spirit let the shafts fly.  With accuracy as unerring as Grant's, the fire arrows struck each man dead center on their chest and their bodies erupted in flames and were instantly incinerated before they could scream.

            The other three goons moved forward and fired at Grant who dodged the beams and, swinging his sword in a single, wide arc decapitated all three men.  In a matter of seconds, only Valeris and Trojan One were left standing, save for the motionless creatures.  Grant and Spirit found that perplexing.  Valeris, frightened, turned and ran.

            "Don't leave so soon, sweetheart," he said, removing two shurikens from his pocket and casually threw them at the retreating woman.  The sharp metal stars struck Valeris on the back of each thigh, and with a scream, she crumpled to the floor where she lay moaning.

            "Stick around and bleed awhile," said Grant.  He then turned to Trojan One, the last humanoid standing.  Seeing the unmoving Slashers led the LISA agent to suspect the DK thug was controlling them somehow.  Grant found that disconcerting.  "Your call, friend.  We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.  Personally, I'm rather hoping you'll be stupid and put up a fight.  I haven't enjoyed this much combat in months."

            "You need a hobby," Spirit quipped to his friend.  Leveling his bow on the DK thug, the Sorcerer then glared at him.  "Well?  What's it going to be?"

            Flashing a wicked smirk, Trojan One held up his control unit for Grant and Spirit to see, his finger on the red button.  "How about I kill you all instead?"  Before he pressed the button, the lights went out.

            "This really sucks!" snarled Karmella, grabbing Amy and dodging for cover as deadly beams streaked through the office, destroying books, scientific equipment and anything they came in contact with.

            "For once, I agree!  Must be the other goons!  And they're getting a bead on us!" said Sailor Ebony.  "Time to put this lot in the dark!"

            Just as Sailor Ebony concentrated on her power to plunge the area into darkness, the lights went out, confusing the shooters who stopped firing.

            "What the hell did you do?" Karmella demanded.

            "Nothing!  That wasn't my doing!" Sailor Ebony protested.

            "Sirius Infrared Laser... DISINTEGRATION!"

            "Ivory Light Daggers... FLY!"

            "Britannica... FIRES OF WRATH!"

            The sounds of screams were heard over the whine of an energy beam and the roar of a fire blast.  A moment later, all was quiet as the lights winked back on and the acrid stench of roasted flesh filled the air.  Karmella and the Senshi looked on as Sailor Sirius, flanked by Sailors Ivory and Britannica, cautiously entered the room.  The three members of Omega Force then smiled from genuine relief at seeing their teammates alive and well.

            "Hiya, sis!  How's it hanging?" Sailor Ivory asked her twin.

            Standing up, Sailor Ebony returned her sister's smile.  She then walked up to Sailor Ivory and hugged her.  "Slacker!  It's about time you showed up!"

            "A shame we didn't get here sooner.  Sailor Mercury's gonna blow a gasket when she sees what happened to her books," said Sailor Sirius as she looked around her at the damaged bookshelves.  She then stared in concern at the unconscious Amy, her head resting in Sailor Cerebra's lap.  "Sailor C, how is she?"

            "Drugged with septonodrine, but alive," Sailor Cerebra replied.  The Asian Senshi gently picked up Amy and sat her in a chair.  "It would be advisable not to revive her until we ascertain the dosage she was administered."

            Karmella, annoyed at being in the presence of five Senshi was puzzled.  "Pardon my ignorance, but how did you three know where we were?"

            "There's no time for questions!  We still have enemies to deal with on the lower level!" the British Senshi retorted.  "Sailor Mercury will be safe here!  Just lock the door and activate the protective field.  Let's get down there!"

            As Sailors Sirius, Ivory, Britannica and Karmella rushed out of the office, Sailor Ebony turned to Sailor Cerebra and smiled fondly at her.  "Ready to go... partner?"

            Sailor Cerebra blushed and nodded, her heart pounding from Ebony's warm smile, and the feelings the Asian Senshi knew it entailed.  "I am... Beth."

            The women left the office, closed the door behind them and followed the others down the hall.

            Grant, figuring that the DK thug had a detonator in his hand closed his eyes and waited for the explosion that would end his life, Spirit's, and potentially everyone else in the station.  However, nothing happened.

            Opening his eyes, Grant was surprised to still be alive.  He looked to his left at Spirit who shrugged, then at Trojan One who's eyes were wide from confusion.  Scowling, the DK thug pressed the red button on his control a second time, then a third.  Still, nothing.  Distracted, Trojan One didn't see Grant run up to the DK thug and floor him with a right cross to the jaw; meanwhile, the Slashers spasmed slightly.

            "What the hell happened?" he wanted to know.

            "I happened," came a voice from behind him.  Trojan One wheeled around and saw Sailor Magneta and Sailor Russia walk out from around the corner.  "I subjected the facility to a localized electromagnetic pulse that shorted out the circuits in the bombs your men planted.  The station's state of the art back-up and redundancy systems prevented any serious damage while your less than sophisticated devices were fatally affected."

            "How... how did you know?" a stunned Trojan One wanted to know; the creatures spasmed again.

            "That is our secret, vermin," Sailor Russia snarled in her thick, Slavic accent.  "All you need to know is that the game is over.  Surrender, or die."

            In spite of himself, Grant was impressed with how the Senshi thwarted the DK plot.  "Not bad, ladies.  By the way, the young woman at your feet is the mole who tipped off the bad guys about the captured Slashers."

            Sailor Magneta stared down at Valeris who leaned against the wall.  "Oh, really?  Would you care to explain yourself, Ensign Valeris?"

            "You'll get nothing out of me, bitch!" Valeris snapped back.

            The Senshi of Magnetism sighed.  "You DK fools are so predictable."  She activated her communicator.  "Sailor Cerebra.  Are you enroute?"

            "Yes," Sailor Cerebra replied.  "The others and I will be there shortly."

            "Good.  We've captured the mole and will need your unique talents to question her."

            "Acknowledged."

            Just as Sailor Magneta ended her communication, the Slashers shook and shuddered mightily while hissing like snakes, attracting everyone's attention.  A moment later, the three creatures roared like the maddened beasts they were and glared at everyone in the hall, seeing them as targets to destroy.

            "Oh, crap!  Not good!" said a worried Grant.

            "What did you do?" Spirit demanded of Trojan One.

            "I didn't do anything!  The nanites controlling the creatures must've been destroyed when my control box was fried!  I have no power over them!"

            "Doesn't matter," said Sailor Russia, a wicked grin on her lips as she cracked her knuckles.  "I shall deal with this trash.  Russian Armor... ENGAGE!"

            In a flash of golden light, Sailor Russia transformed into her indestructible armored form.  Grant, who thought he had seen it all in his years as a spy was stunned at seeing the seven foot, gleaming giantess while the creatures hissed from anger at the new opponent.

            "Gentlemen, you may want to find some cover.  Things are about get rather messy," said Sailor Magneta.

            "I'm all for that," said Spirit, equally as stunned.

            Sailor Russia charged headlong into the trio of creatures with a speed that belied her massive, half-ton bulk.  The creatures were surprised as well, and that cost them as the Senshi of Power delivered a mighty right uppercut against the jaw of one creature, bouncing it off the ceiling with such force, its neck and spine were snapped on contact and it fell dead to the floor.

            The second creature raked Sailor Russia's chest with its razor sharp claws, resulting in an ear piercing screech on Sailor Russia's ultra-dense organic armor, but barely leaving a scratch.  Sailor Russia, angered at her fuku having been ripped, grabbed the wrists of the Slasher and with barely a shrug, pulled its arms off, spraying blackish ichor everywhere.  With a howl of pain, the creature fell to the floor, but Sailor Russia showed it no mercy as she brought her right foot down on its head, smashing the creature's skull like an eggshell.

            "Ahh!  Refreshing!" she commented happily.

            The third creature lunged at Sailor Russia, but she grabbed the beast by the neck and held it off the floor with ridiculous ease.  Sailor Russia then turned to Sailor Magneta.  "Commander.  Would you like to deal with this last nuisance?"

            "Gladly," said Sailor Magneta, an equally wicked smile on her lips as her eyes blazed a bright red.  "Magneta Blood... BURN!"

            The creature screamed from bottomless agony as the Senshi of Magnetism used her power to superheat the blood in its veins.  Acrid, foul smelling black smoke poured out from the mouth and ears of the creature as its bodily fluids boiled completely away.  It thrashed helplessly in Sailor Russia's unbreakable grip for several seconds until it went limp.  With a smirk, Sailor Russia dropped the lifeless creature to the floor.

            "That was fun," said Sailor Magneta as her eyes returned to their normal, icy blue color.  She then turned to face Spirit and gave him a smile.  "Hello, Sorcerer Spirit.  Long time no see.  How's my ship?"

            "Still in one piece, Skipper," the Native American Sorcerer answered, happy to see his old commanding officer.  "I see shore duty hasn't mellowed you any.  You're still as vicious as ever."

            Sailor Magneta shrugged.  "I'll take that as a compliment."

            Grant shot his friend a puzzled look.  "Waitaminute!  You didn't tell me you know her!"

            "You never asked, paleface," Spirit replied with a smirk.

            Trojan One, meanwhile, was horrified at what he had seen.  "Impossible!  The bio-soldiers are supposed to be unbeatable!"

            Hearing that, Sailor Magneta laughed.  It was a harsh, cruel sound.  "If that's the case, scum, then your masters need to go back to the drawing board."

            One second later, the other members of Omega, and Karmella, bounded around the corner.  "We heard those suckers howling, boss!" said a concerned Sailor Sirius.  "You guys okay?"

            "Perfectly, Sailor Sirius.  What about the thugs on the upper level?" Sailor Magneta asked.

            "They've been dealt with," Sailor Britannica replied.  She then shot Karmella a reproachful glare.  "Quite messily in some cases I'm afraid."

            "Bite me, Limey!" Karmella shot back.

            The haughty Brit turned her nose up at the Isbanni were-creature in open disdain.  "No, thank you.  I don't fancy coming down with distemper."

            "Enough banter," said Sailor Magneta.  "Sailor Sirius, check on Lady Mercury, then notify Director Jupiter about what happened."

            Sailor Sirius crisply saluted her leader.  "I'm on it!"

            "Sailor Russia, you and Sailor Britannica do a sweep of the facility.  Make sure there aren't any other surprises lying about that we might have missed."

            The two Senshi also saluted Sailor Magneta.  "Acknowledged, commander!" said Sailor Britannica.

            Sailor Magneta then turned to face the DK spies.  With a wave of her hand, a section of the wall came alive, ensnaring Trojan One and Valeris in bands of metal that held them tight.  "Sailor Ebony, scan them for any suicide devices."

            "Roger!"  The Senshi of Darkness opened her pocketspace and removed her microcomp.  She did a quick, but thorough scan of Trojan One and Valeris, then shook her head.  "They're clean, Sailor M.  No explosives, either organic or mechanical."

            "Senshi filth!  I'll destroy all of you!" roared Trojan One who then morphed into his true form of an Infiltrator and strained at his bonds but couldn't break them.

            "I am not impressed," said Sailor Magneta, her voice deadly cold.  Again, her eyes glowed brightly.  "Magneta Blood... BURN!"

            The creature screamed, loud and long from searing pain as its blood boiled in its veins for several seconds before Sailor Magneta stopped and the Infiltrator slumped into semi-consciousness.  Sailor Magneta then stared at Valeris.  "Well?  Aren't you going to assume your true form?"

            In response, Valeris did something the group never anticipated.  She tilted her head back and laughed out loud.

            "What's so funny, bitch?" Karmella demanded.

            "Your having jumped to so ridiculous a conclusion," Valeris replied.  "Whatever gave you the idea that was an Infiltrator?"

NEXT: THE AFTERMATH...

Back to Top