Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. All references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
Across The Millennia
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Part Ten: The Logic Of Revenge
Rating: PG-13
Half a dozen television news helicopters hovered over the devastated skyscraper that housed the offices of Infostar Computers' Tokyo offices.
Huge plumes of thick, black smoke rose from the gaping hole at the top of the shattered structure into the mid-morning sky, darkening the entire downtown area. At street level, everything was chaos as paramedics tended to scores of people injured by falling glass, concrete and other debris when the top floor of the building exploded. The disaster reminded everyone of the World Trade Center bombing in New York City, only this was worse, much worse.
Police and emergency officials had no way of determining how many people had been killed or injured in the blast. As reporters frantically delivered live reports on the catastrophe, thoughts turned to what could have caused the explosion. Office workers reported a pitched battle between the security staff and the Sailor Scouts who invaded the building like a rampaging army, intent on reaching the penthouse suite of Infostar Tokyo's CEO, Eric Riley.
The question on everyone's minds: had anyone in Riley's penthouse survived the blast?
Sailor Vulcan cautiously opened her eyes, mildly surprised to still be alive. It was then that Vulcan saw the reason she wasn't dead: Sailor Moon.
On her knees, her face drawn and taut from intense concentration, Moon held in her outstretched arms the Cosmic Moon Scepter from which a silvery field of energy enveloped everyone as they awakened. Vulcan was amazed. All around her was total destruction, yet none of it touched the heroes.
"Fascinating," Vulcan whispered. She crawled over to where Moon knelt. Close up, she looked to be on the verge of exhaustion. "Sailor Moon?"
Upon hearing her name, Moon turned her head and smiled at Vulcan. "Jeez. It's about time you woke up. I'm beat." Moon's eyes rolled back in her head and the force field dissipated as she collapsed into Vulcan's arms. Almost immediately, thick, choking smoke from the flames washed over the heroes in waves and they began coughing and gagging.
"This will not do," muttered Vulcan. "Sailor Mercury! Snap to! Now! We need you to put out the fires before we burn or suffocate!"
The Scout of Water, disoriented from the blast nodded and stood on wobbly legs. Closing her eyes, Sailor Mercury's body glowed and sparkled from a soft blue light. "Understood. Mercury Bubbles....FREEZE!"
Bringing the full force of her powers to use, Mercury unleashed a mighty blast of sub-zero cold that instantly extinguished the fires and coated the entire area in a solid sheath of ice. The crews in the news choppers hovering overhead were shocked to see the wrecked summit of the building icing over.
"From hell to Antarctica in one pop," a shivering Sailor Jupiter grumbled. "This'll give me the mother of all colds for sure."
"Well, babe, at least you'll live long enough to bitch about it," said Sailor Venus with a grin, putting an arm around Jupiter's shoulders and pulling her partner close. "Speaking of which, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but could someone please explain how we're still breathing?"
"That was my doing, guys," Moon said weakly as Tuxedo Mask cradled her. "I had a sneaky feeling Stefan was gonna do something crazy, so I summoned the Cosmic Moon Scepter and put up a force field before he went nuclear. But it was close. I almost didn't make it in time."
"I guess you have your uses after all," a smiling Sailor Mars joked. She reached over and squeezed Moon's arm. "Thanks for saving us, 'Rena."
Moon returned her friend's smile. "Anything for my best buds."
"In the meantime, ladies, I suggest we get out of here," said Mask, staring up at the battalion of hovering choppers. "Preferably before we become the lead story on the evening news."
The Scouts, as one, rose slowly to their feet, all of them keenly feeling the aches and pains of combat which their healing powers were already working on. With Mercury summoning a fog for cover, the heroes wearily left the wrecked summit.
Eric Riley considered himself to be on top of the world.
Seated on a leather couch in the living room of his expansive home, Riley listened to a CD of Vivaldi's Concerto in C Major as he celebrated the death of Princess Serena. All was good for Riley, he had power beyond compare and the bane of his existence was finally dead, burned alive in the firestorm he created when he unleashed the full force of the might he possessed.
Riley chuckled at how well he played his pawns for the fools they were, right up to the moment of their deaths that gave him the power he craved. Even if the homicidal Vulcan girl hadn't done her part in eliminating the foursome, Riley was prepared to that himself as he suspected his accomplices, especially the sociopathic Moses Cleary would eventually turn on him.
Sipping 30-year-old brandy, Riley thought about what he would do next. Going back to Infostar would be a comedown, even if he could explain how he survived the explosion at the company skyscraper. Riley realized that his current identity was now a thing of the past, not that he minded. He decided to go back to being Stefan Piotr Andronicus, a name now fit for a god.
Curious to learn if rescue workers had found the incinerated corpses of Serena and her friends, Stefan switched off the CD player, turned on his big screen TV and surfed to Tokyo's all-news station. Riley grinned at seeing a camera shot of the wrecked skyscraper before panning down to focus on the face of a youngish, grim faced man in a suit a microphone in hand.
"This is Tenchi Masaki, Eyewitness News Tokyo live on the scene of midday disaster here in the heart of downtown," said the reporter. "Some thirty minutes ago, an explosion sheared off the top floor of the skyscraper that housed the offices of the international computer company, Infostar Systems. It's been reported that before the blast, the Sailor Scouts stormed the building and battled the security staff, and that Infostar's Tokyo branch head, Eric Riley had been in his penthouse at the time of the blast. Ten minutes later, ice formed on the building's new summit. Now, let's go to the tape...."
Stefan, scowling, looked on as the picture switched to that of grainy videotape, shot from a helicopter hovering over the wrecked skyscraper. He could see on the tape, movement of several forms. Riley grew angry.
"As you can see on this tape, several people are visible on the building's new summit," said the voice of the reporter. "Judging from this, it's entirely possible that one or more of the infamous sailor suited heroines, perhaps all of them survived the blast that, at last count, killed 36 and wounded over 400, both in the building and on the ground...."
"Alive? That miserable bitch is ALIVE?" roared Stefan bursting out of his clothes and morphing into his horrific, 12 foot high creature form. He pointed at the set and a fireball reduced it to molten slag. Suddenly, Stefan felt incredibly weak and he returned to human form.
Stefan sat back down. He expended too much energy when he unleashed his fire blast. He would have to pace himself until he had gotten used to his powers. Stefan then scowled because he made a mistake in not staying to see if the Scouts had survived. That meant his war was not over. He hated that.
Talia was not all comfortable participating in the fire ceremony.
Seated in the main hall of the temple with the girls, Darien and the familiars, Talia watched as Raye, dressed in her robes as a Shinto Priestess softly spoke incantations before the sacred fire. Talia was highly skeptical of Raye's ability to perform divinations before a pyre, yet, she kept an open mind, even though it went against all her beliefs in logic and science.
"Sacred fire, I seek your guidance, your infinite wisdom," said Raye, hands clasped together. "Today, we battled a great evil. Show us if he still lives!"
The flames rose and flared bright as Raye concentrated, trying to find a vision in the fire. Then Raye gasped as a vision materialized in the flames: large, affluent homes lined by trees. Talia cocked an eyebrow, amazed with what she saw. Raye slumped forward as the fire dimmed.
Serena was first to Raye's side and put an arm around her. "We saw it, Raye! We saw it! Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Raye lied. Between her battle with Inferno and the fire reading, she was exhausted. "Stefan's still alive. He's outside the city, some twenty miles south of here."
Talia nodded. "Unless my geography is in error, the location Raye gave would put Stefan in Shinegawa, a suburb populated by extremely well to do citizens, including high ranking politicians, celebrities and businesspeople."
"Logical. Stefan's alter ego, Eric Riley, the branch head of Infostar Systems' Tokyo office is wealthy enough to afford a home there," said Amy.
"But after the disaster downtown, everyone's gonna think we killed the guy after we stormed that building," Lita groused.
"Yeah. Add in all the people who died when that maniac blew up his penthouse and we're suddenly Public Enemy Number One!" Mina added.
"Right now, that's the least of our worries," said Artemis. "Stefan clearly has no regard for human life. And with his powers, he's a menace to this city!"
"I agree! Stefan has to be stopped!" said Luna.
"You can say that again, Luna!" said Serena, slowly climbing to her feet. She was tired as well. "Saddle up, troops! It's time to ride!"
"Hold it, 'Rena. I don't think you should go," said Raye in a low voice.
The others, save for the ever impassive Talia were openly surprised. Serena glared daggers at Raye. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded.
"You're still weak from using the Crystal to protect us against Stefan. Going back into battle this soon would be risky," Raye explained haltingly.
Serena grew angry. "Well, excuse me, but you're not exactly the picture of health yourself! And I'm going! I've got a score to settle with that creep!"
"To hell with that! That psycho wants you dead!" a worried Raye yelled. "And now he's more powerful than ever! I'm not gonna give him another chance to try and kill you!"
"Screw you, Raye! I'm not some porcelain princess that has to be protected twenty-four hours a day! I'm Sailor Moon!" a furious Serena shouted back. "That maniac betrayed the Moon Kingdom! Forced my mother into sacrificing her life to stop Queen Beryl! I mean to pay Stefan back for everything he's done, and nothing's gonna stop me from getting my revenge!"
"Revenge? For God's sake! You're supposed to be better than that!" cried Raye. "Don't you see? You're our beacon! Our guiding light! You set the example for goodness that the rest of us follow! If you surrender to the darkness, surrender to hate, you'll become a monster just like Stefan!"
Raye, tears filling her eyes, clasped Serena's hands. "Oh, Serena. I love you more than life itself. It would destroy me to see that happen to you."
Serena was stunned from Raye's words. Talia then faced Serena. "Raye is correct. It is because I succumbed to my demons that we are faced with our current predicament. You must not sink to Stefan's level and give in to the darker side of your emotions. Since you intend to battle the madman, then do so to protect lives he would destroy, not to avenge those who are long past caring."
"That's cold, Tal," said a scowling Darien. "The death toll's up to fifty now. What about them?"
"There is nothing we can do for the deceased, so it is pointless to dwell on them," Talia replied coldly. "However, if we are to seek retribution for the dead, then the best way to accomplish that goal would be to make sure that no more of the living join them. Are we agreed on that much?"
Everyone nodded. Serena stared at Talia. "You're right, Tal. Let's fight for the living. But this time, we fight as a team. No more grandstanding like you did an hour ago. That crazy stunt you pulled at school could've gotten you killed. Do that again and so help me, I'll wring your neck! Got it?"
Talia nodded. "I do....Princess."
Serena tried to scowl at Talia, but her lips curled into a grin instead. It was impossible for her to be angry with her stoic Vulcan friend. "Dam you, Kirk. I told you not to call me that. C'mon, guys, let's book!"
Stefan was asleep on the couch when the telephone rang.
A light sleeper, Stefan was jolted awake at the sound. He looked to his left where his phone sat on a lamp table and saw that the tiny flashing light on the panel was for his private number which only his executive secretary and deputy CEO knew. In spite of himself, a curious Stefan picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Hi there, Mr. Riley, or should I say, Administrator Stefan. This is Princess Serena, Sailor Moon to you," came back the cheery voice of Moon.
Stefan scowled. "How did you get my private number?"
"Oh, you'd be surprised what you can dig up with a little hacking," Moon replied. "You goofed big time when you tried to kill me awhile ago. But hey, I'm not surprised. After all, you're just a two-bit jerk who was nothing more than a flunky in my mother's court. You remember my mom, don't you? Queen Serenity? Your ruler who you stabbed in the back a thousand years ago?"
Stefan's anger soared. "What do you want?"
"Well, I'm guessing you still want to put me six feet under. So, I'm gonna give you another shot at the brass ring. Meet me at the old Hassayama coal fields. It's some fifteen miles south of your place. Do you need directions?"
"No," Riley said through clenched teeth, his blood boiling in his veins.
"Cool. I'll be waiting. Provided you have the guts to show up."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Serena. I'll be there," Stefan growled, his rage overpowering him. "Consider yourself living on borrowed time, you bitch! I'm going to destroy you! Once and for all!"
"Yadda, yadda, yadda. I've heard it all before. See ya." And the connection went dead. Enraged, Stefan threw the against the near wall, shattering it. He let out a primal scream that echoed off the walls.
"All right, Serena! You want a fight, you've got one!" Stefan yelled. "But this time, only one of us will walk away!"
The abandoned Hassayama coal fields was a cold, lonely and foreboding place where the land was stripped nearly bare and lifeless for hundreds of yards around. On a wind swept hillock, the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask watched the noticeably bleak and grim surroundings for their opponent.
"You think Stefan will show?" Jupiter asked Vulcan. "The guy's no dope, Tal. He's sure to think this is a trap. I know I would."
"Do not worry, Jupiter. Stefan will come. He has no choice," said Vulcan.
"What do you mean by that?" Venus asked.
"Stefan is driven by two demons. One, his obsession to kill Serena, the last link to Queen Serenity and the Moon Kingdom. Two, his bloated ego which has been burned three times from his failure to accomplish that goal."
"So that's why you had 'Rena bait Stefan when she called him," said Mars. "Get him pissed off enough that he'd go anywhere to get his hands on her."
"Precisely. Obsession blinds even the most brilliant minds once they are caught in it's grip. Stefan is no different. Serena is here, so he will come."
"You realize this plan has the potential of blowing up in our faces," said Mercury, scanning the area with her VR visor. "The only thing deadlier than a cornered animal is a maddened one. By baiting Stefan, you may have driven him insane from rage, making him even more dangerous than he already is."
"Which is why I chose this site for our battle," said Vulcan. "We are over five kilometers away from the nearest human habitation. This way, no innocents will come to harm. Fear not, Mercury. I know what I am doing."
"Was that the case when you broke Cyclone's neck?" Moon asked timidly.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence as everyone stared at Vulcan who unflinchingly, almost defiantly stared back. "Yes, Serena. It was. Logic demanded that the only way to overcome our enemies was to destroy them."
"That's wrong, Talia. As heroes, we don't resort to murder," Mask said harshly. "Logic has nothing to do with your behavior. You said it yourself, you succumbed to your demons when you killed Cyclone. Exactly what's crawling around inside your head? I think we all deserve to know."
Vulcan dropped her head and was silent for several long, excruciating moments before she replied. "Guilt. Guilt over having failed to protect Serena a millennia ago. The reawakening of my powers instilled in me an insatiable hatred of any threat to Serena's life. To make sure that my friend would never again face the specter of death, I vowed that I would destroy anyone who endangers her. In some ways, I am every bit as much a monster as Stefan."
Moon, her throat tight walked up to Vulcan and clasped her shoulders. "No, you're not, Tal. You're mortal, flawed and imperfect like the rest of us. I know the things you did were out of your love for me, but you don't have to kill for me. I couldn't bear the thought of your murdering someone just to keep me safe. Promise me you'll never take another life. Promise!"
Vulcan pondered Moon's words, then nodded. "Very well. On my honor as a Vulcan, you have my word that I will never again kill."
"But it's okay to cause the bad guys a world of hurt!" said a smirking Jupiter, cracking her knuckles.
Vulcan nodded. "Jupiter, I like the way you think."
"Wait a minute! Look! Over there!" said Mercury. "Something's coming this way from the north!"
The heroes looked on as a black Ford Expedition sped towards them. The huge SUV then came to a stop a hundred feet away from where the Scouts and Mask stood. An instant later, the vehicle exploded and, striding out of the flaming wreckage was the twelve foot high horror that was Stefan.
"SERENA! I'M HERE, YOU BITCH! SHOW YOURSELF!" the monster roared.
"No need to shout, ugly! I'm right here!"
Stefan grinned at seeing Moon alone on the hillock, arms akimbo, a look of sizzling anger on her face. "You wanted me, Stefan? You've got me!" Moon shouted back. "And stop calling me a bitch! It's insulting! I'm Sailor Moon, the Champion of Justice! And in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"
Stefan chuckled, a harsh, inhuman sound. "Really? All by your lonesome?"
"Our leader, our friend is never alone!" shouted Mars, appearing beside Moon as did the others. "We're gonna bring you down!"
"Surrender, or face the consequences," said Vulcan, her fists clenching and unclenching.
Stefan laughed, an even uglier sound. "I'm sorry, but no idle threats are going to stop me! All of you----DIE!"
The monster held out his arms and bolts of flame shot out from them. But the Sailors were prepared for his attack and dove out of the way. Scattering, but surrounding Stefan, they launched a counterattack.
"Jupiter Thunder....CRASH!" yelled Jupiter, her antenna up on her tiara, the auburn amazon summoned a powerful bolt of lightning and hurled it at Stefan, hitting him squarely in the side and blowing him off his feet.
"Mars Celestial Fire....SURROUND!" shouted Mars, shooting her fire rings next. The dazed Stefan had no time to dodge as the rings struck him and he cried out from the pain and the blistering heat.
"Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!" Venus fired her deadly laser beam at Stefan's head, hitting him right between the eyes and he screamed from agony.
"Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!" The grim faced Scout from another planet rocked Stefan hard with her sonic energy blast that sent the monster flying, his body disrupted by the force of Vulcan's assault. Stefan was left in a smoking heap on the charred ground, barely moving. "Mercury! Now! Freeze him!"
Mercury nodded, then, with a soft blue light enveloping her body, the Scout of Water brought her powers into play. "Shine Aqua....ILLUSION!"
Before the battered Stefan could react, Mercury encased him in a thick block of ice, a look of horror frozen on his face.
"Well, that wasn't too hard," said Jupiter as she and the others cautiously approached their incapacitated foe. "What now? There isn't a prison in the world that can hold this monster. Any ideas?"
"I could use the Scepter to return him to normal," Moon suggested. "That'll get him out of our hair."
"Not neccesarily. With the elementals dead, we'll never be able to link Stefan to their crimes," said Mercury. "From a legal standpoint, he could press charges against us for our assault on the Infostar building."
"So this madman could walk away? Terrific," Venus grumbled.
"It's worse than that, Venus. He knows who Serena is," Mars said.
"Mars is right. Even if he's human again, Stefan remains a danger. As obsessed as he is with killing Serena, it'd be easy for someone with his money to hire assassins to murder her," said a scowling Mask. "Serena can't be Sailor Moon twenty four hours a day, and even we can't watch over her all the time. She'll never be safe as long as Stefan's alive. We need a solution, people."
"I believe I have one," offered Vulcan. "With my telepathic powers greatly increased as a Sailor Scout, I can erase Stefan's memories of us. He would still live, but have no recollection of Serena, us, or anything associated with the Moon Kingdom. Short of killing him, this is the only viable alternative."
"I agree. There's no other choice," said Mercury. "First things first. Sailor Moon, summon the Scepter. You have to revert Stefan to human form."
Before Moon could summon the Cosmic Moon Scepter, she saw the monster's body suddenly glowing within the ice block. Horrified, Moon didn't have time to shout a warning before the block exploded like a bomb, blowing the heroes off their feet and battering their bodies with shards of rock hard ice.
Stunned, in pain and bleeding from their wounds, the Scouts looked on as Stefan lumbered towards them, his body going from white hot to its amaphorus color. A cruel smirk creased his face.
"Ladies, if that's the best you can do, then you're in trouble," he growled.
"Not so fast, monster!" came a shout from behind Stefan. The monster whirled around and caught the stem of a rose which pierced his chest. Mask, another rose in hand stood ready for action. "As long as I live, no harm will come to Sailor Moon or the Scouts!"
Stefan calmly pulled the rose from his chest and crushed it. "Get away, fool." The monster unleashed a high velocity blast of wind that sent a surprised Mask flying away.
"Tuxedo Mask!" screamed Moon, moving to chase after her lover, only to be tackled by Jupiter before a fireball struck the ground where she stood only a moment ago.
"Dammit, Moon! Keep your mind on business! Stefan's playing for keeps!" shouted an angry Jupiter at her friend. "Venus! Zap the bastard!"
"You got it!" shouted Venus. "Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!"
Venus' crescent beam knifed through the air, white hot and sizzling as it struck Stefan, but he morphed into his water shape and the beam passed harmlessly through him.
"Shit!" Venus snapped. Before she could fire a second blast, Stefan hit her with a battering ram like blast of water, slamming her hard against a large boulder with bone crushing force. Venus was already unconscious before her body crumpled to the ground.
"MINA!" cried Jupiter, her insides turning to ice at the sight of her best friend having been hurt. "Stefan! You monster! I'll destroy you for that! Jupiter Thunder....DRAGON!"
Jupiter's antenna shot up on her tiara and she summoned a lightning bolt from above. The savage energy danced about her body for a split second before it formed into the huge and terrifying shape of a dragon. Then the enraged Scout sent the energy construct at Stefan who quickly morphed into his solid stone form, just as the blast struck him. Stefan cried out from pain as the dragon construct enveloped him.
"Mars! Mercury! Now! While Stefan is staggered! Take him down!" shouted Vulcan, crossing her arms over her chest. "Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!"
Mars nodded, her body glowing red hot while soft blue light again enveloped Mercury.
"Mars Firebird....ATTACK!"
"Shine Aqua....ILLUSION!"
The ground shook violently as Stefan was hit simultaneously by Vulcan's sonic energy beam, Mars' monstrous phoenix construct and Mercury's most powerful ice blast. The explosion that resulted from those tumultuous forces of destructive energy coming together could be heard for miles.
When the smoke settled, the Scouts were sprawled on the ground while Stefan lay unmoving a hundred feet away, his body smouldering. All was quiet as the heroes struggled to get to their feet. Jupiter, wobbling on braced legs staggered over to where Venus lay and cradled the stricken girl in her arms.
"Mina! Talk to me, babe! Please! Are you okay?" Jupiter yelled, worried sick for her partner.
Venus' eyes fluttered open. "Uh-huh. Stiff and sore, but alive." With a warm smile, Venus reached up and put a hand on Jupiter's cheek. "You can't get rid of me that easily, girlfriend."
"But what about Stefan? What happened to him?" asked Moon, Mars and Vulcan crouching beside her.
"In a word, Serena....nothing!" growled Stefan as he stood up, his eyes blazing from hatred. "A valiant effort, ladies, but useless. You can't stop me."
"This drama grows tiresome," growled Vulcan, seething to kill the monster despite her promise to Moon. "Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!"
The Vulcan Scout unleashed another sonic blast that caught and unprepared Stefan off guard and blew him off his feet. Just as he rose, Mask returned to the battle, knocking him down with a flying kick to his back.
"Scouts! Prepare the Sailor Planet Attack!" Vulcan ordered, rushing forward to join Mask. "Stefan must be sufficiently weakened before Sailor Moon can return him to human form! Mask and I will keep him occupied! Hurry!"
The others quickly formed a circle, joined hands and concentrated. Despite their injuires, they found the strength to bring the full might of their powers to bear. Their bodies glowed brightly like suns as the power quickly built up within them while Vulcan and Mask valiantly battled Stefan.
"Mercury Star Power!"
"Mars Star Power!"
"Jupiter Star Power!"
"Venus Star Power!"
"Moon Cosmic Power!"
Vulcan, dodging a high velocity wind blast hazarded a look over her shoulder and saw the bodies of the Scouts, glowing white hot from the energies they radiated. Even from a hundred yards away, Vulcan could feel the tremendous heat. "Mask! Prepare to move! The girls are about to fire!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" said Mask. Removing two roses from the folds of his cape, he leaped up and jammed them in the eyes of Stefan, blinding him. "Something to keep you busy, monster! Let's move, Vulcan!"
While Stefan struggled to pull the rose stems from out of his eyes, Vulcan and Mask dashed for safety as the clock to armageddon hit zero.
"SAILOR PLANET....ATTACK!" the five Scouts yelled as one. Stefan pulled out the stems just in time to see an impossibly huge, multi-colored energy beam streak at him at incredible speed with a roar like a thousand locomotives. Stefan never had time to even think about avoiding the beam as it hit him head on with a thunderous explosion like that of an A-bomb blast that shook the earth for miles around and ignited leftover coal deposits still in the ground, resulting in dozens of secondary and tertiary explosions.
It took fifteen long and painfully slow minutes for the dust and smoke to settle. What was left was a crater, over a quarter mile in diameter and ten feet deep. And at ground zero lay the unmoving bodies of the Scouts, Mask and Stefan. Slowly, the heroes, their uniforms in tatters, their bloodied bodies throbbing terribly from unending pain stirred and looked around them. For the Scouts, summoning the Sailor Planet Attack left them completely exhausted as it drained their lifeforce to dangerously low levels. They all hoped the risky strategy had worked, for their strength was now gone.
The heroes all stared at Stefan, unmoving, seemingly unconscious. That gave them reason to think the fight was nearly at it's end. All that remained was for Moon to summon the Cosmic Moon Scepter and return their enemy to human form. With a nod, Moon rose to her feet, held her right arm high, and the Scepter appeared in her hand. No sooner did she do that, Stefan stirred and sat up, smirking like a demon.
"Oh, no! It can't be!" Moon cried.
"But it is. You're not done with me yet," growled Stefan. Back on his feet, the monster looked and sounded weak. "I still have to kill you, bitch! Nothing will stop me from doing that!"
"This will! Moon Healing....ACTIVATION!"
Moon leveled the Scepter at Stefan and silvery energies shot out from it, bathing Stefan's body. The man-monster screamed as his body twisted and contorted hideously. The others looked on as Stefan's huge form slowly reverted back into human form. All the while he shrieked from pain.
"It's working! He's returning to normal!" cried Venus.
"No. Something is wrong. Look!" said Vulcan.
Before the eyes of the Scouts and Mask, Stefan's body reverted from human back into it's terrible monster form. Moon, seeing this, concentrated harder, commanding the Imperium Silver Crystal to expend more and more energy. This caused Stefan to scream louder and his body returned to human form. But it didn't stay that way for long as it morphed yet again into that of a monster. Despite being ravaged by great pain, Stefan laughed.
"You....don't....understand, foolish bitch! This....will not....stop me!" he roared, his voice louder than thunder, his body glowing white hot. "As long....as I live....and breathe....and hate....nothing in the universe....not even the Crystal....will stop me....from killing you!"
The others then looked on in horror as Stefan began to move towards Moon who continued firing energy through the Crystal at him. With each step he took, Stefan's pain induced laughter grew louder and more maniacal. Moon gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"This can't be happening!" cried a frightened Mars. "How can Stefan resist the power of the Crystal? No one can do that! Not even Queen Beryl!"
"Stefan is doing just that. His undying hatred of Serena and his insane desire to destroy her is enabling him to resist the Crystal," said Vulcan. "His mindpower, fueled by his madness is giving him the ability to fight. He could well be right. As long as Stefan lives, he will never be stopped."
"But Serena's lifeforce is linked to the Crystal! If she keeps that up, the strain will kill her! Just like Queen Serenity!" cried Mask. He tried to stand but couldn't move as his left knee was badly sprained. "Serena! Stop! Now! Please!" he screamed over the roar of the energy unleashed by the Crystal....and Stefan's mad laughter as he came ever closer to his prey.
"I....can't....Darien! I have....to stop him!" cried Moon, her face twisted from agony, her body wracked by limitless pain as she continued her onslaught against Stefan, now within twenty feet of her, laughing all the while.
Scowling, Vulcan had seen enough. Rising to her feet, her own body throbbing, she held her arms high. "It is time to end this madness!"
With a flash of light, a seven foot long silver staff appeared in Vulcan's hands. Then, at one end of the staff, a bright greenish energy construct, shaped like a scythe blade flared to life. The others gasped from shock. Vulcan had summoned her greatest weapon, the weapon that contained the very essence of her lifeforce. Just like on the Moon a thousand years ago, history repeated itself as Vulcan, hefting the scythe-like weapon let out a fearsome battle cry and charged Stefan before the others could move to stop her.
Moon's eyes widened at seeing Vulcan rushing towards them with her weapon and murder in her eyes. "No....Talia! Don't....kill him! Please!"
"I have no choice! I love you, Serena! I will not let you die again!" yelled Vulcan. "STEFAN! Face now the mind of Vulcan! The heart of Vulcan! The soul of Vulcan! Face it again for the final time!"
Raising the scythe over her head, Vulcan leaped high into the air and swung the weapon down at Stefan who whirled around to see it descend.
"Vulcan Deathscythe....DESTROY!"
Stefan, remembering what Vulcan's weapon did to him on the Moon let out a cry of fear and was distracted just long enough for the blade to cleave him in half, releasing a titanic burst of energy that caused the former right hand man of Queen Serenity to scream in horrific pain as he disintegrated. All he could think about as oblivion claimed him was the failure of his dreams of power, of conquest, of revenge, concepts which shaped his life. All gone.
As for Vulcan, she felt the terrible energies of Stefan roast her alive. But it didn't matter, what did was saving Serena. In the end, illogical or not, it was all Vulcan cared about. As her body disintergrated, Talia Kirk was content. Her last thought was a fond farewell to her friend whom she loved more than life itself. Then, a blinding ball of silvery light from Moon's scepter enveloped everyone as a silent explosion shook the earth for miles and tore the sky apart.
For what seemed like an eternity, all was still amidst the devastated landscape as the Scouts and Mask lay unmoving on the shattered ground. And, several feet away from Moon lay Vulcan and an all-too human Stefan, their bodies fully restored but unmoving.
Moon was first to awaken, her first sensation was of throbbing pain that covered every square inch of her body. But she didn't care about that as her heart was wrenched at seeing Vulcan sprawled before her. Serena crawled over to where her friend lay.
"Tal? Talia? Speak to me! Are you okay?" Close to panic, Moon took Vulcan's hand in hers to feel for the telepathic link the two of them shared. She felt nothing, just a yawning, empty void. "No. Oh, God! NO! Don't do this to me! TALIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Moon's screams awakened the others, their wounds healed by the Scepter. They rose to their feet and staggered over to where Moon, holding Vulcan in her arms sobbed uncontrollably.
"Amy! Talia won't wake up! Do something! Please!" begged Moon.
Mercury touched the stud in her right earlobe and her VR visor materialized and she called up her mini-computer. The Scout of Water did a scan of the unmoving Vulcan and the readings staggered and saddened her.
"According to my scan, Talia's unhurt, thanks to exposure to the Crystal's healing energies. But her mind. Dear Lord, her mind...."
"What about her mind? What's wrong?" Mars demanded.
"I can't detect any brain activity. Not one iota," said Mercury in a choked voice, tears spilling from her eyes. "Talia's mind....it's gone!"
Next: Finding The Way Home