Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation, and DIC.
Sailor Moon: Quest for Marius
By D. Pung
Part 11: Lunar Eclipse
PG-13
Sailor Uranus yawned. After all, a crowd and the local media were watching, and all the Scouts had learned to put a little show and style into their fighting. It impressed the public that much more.
A crackling purple blast flew towards her. She dropped to her belly, and as it passed she kicked off viciously, flipping through the air behind the monster. She landed gracefully, and spun around to face the youma. Her hand swung up in its usual style, energy already gathering to it.
"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"
The blast blew the youma off its feet, and it tumbled backwards. Tuxedo Mask was waiting, his cane in hand, and he dealt a mighty blow to the creature, sending it flying right back towards Uranus, who already had her sword at the ready. She swung in a vicious arc, and both halves of the monster tumbled past her, already disintegrating into dust. Sword in hand, she turned to face the rest of the fray as Mask came up beside her and the crowd applauded. The others had things well in hand, as there were only a few enemies left. Even as she watched, Mars and Jupiter closed in on one of them.
"JUPITER CHAIN LIGHTNING BURST!"
"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"
Fire and lightning ripped into the unfortunate creature, instantly reducing it into dust. As it blew away in the wind, a shout came from behind the two.
"Heads up!" called Venus. She dropped low, and swept the youma that had been sneaking up on the two from behind. It tumbled forward, and she rolled out of the way.
She tried to, anyway. It fell almost right on top of her, and the wicked claws dug deep into her midsection, causing her to scream in pain as hot blood ran down her side. She gritted her teeth and delivered a vicious punch to the creature's face, and its head jerked back. She was about to punch again when a thorny vine wrapped around it and pulled it off of her. A white-gloved hand reached down and helped her to her feet. It was Sailor Earth-Anger. She turned her head fractionally, and her eyes assumed a vacant look as Mercury leapt into a flying kick, her foot plunging right through the monster's head, and it burst into dust, causing the vines to fall limply to the ground and disappear as she landed. She promptly ducked as the last one swung at her. She glanced up to see the claws of the other hand coming right at her face.
They never made it. A glaive blocked, and Saturn gazed steadily at the youma.
"Trying to get away?" she asked calmly. She dropped the tip of her glaive, letting the thing regain its balance, then sliced upward. It recoiled, black fluid gushing down its chest. As Saturn readied another strike, wind howled around her.
"NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!"
"PLUTO FINAL SAY!"
The simultaneous attacks smashed into the youma, sending it to meet its maker. Saturn glanced around, and gasped slightly as she saw Earth-Love arrive by a badly bleeding Venus. Uranus and Mask had joined the others as Mercury helped Venus relax, lowering her to the ground. Earth-Love exhaled softly and let her powers flow.
"EARTH LOVE REFRESH!"
The silvery, misty swirls of her power spiraled around everyone, and Venus sighed as the wounds closed and healed. The aura faded, and the crowd burst into cheers as the lights flashed. Mini-Moon helped Venus to her feet. She winked.
"After all," she mumbled, "you're the best with the press!"
Venus nodded slightly, and smiled her brilliant smile as she stepped to the forefront of the Scouts. Her ripped bodysuit made her look that much more dramatic, she thought.
As the questions began flying at Venus, Mercury noticed Stryfe in the branches of a nearby tree. He pointed to his microcomputer, then her. She narrowed her eyes, then produced her computer from her pocketspace. Has it only been a week? she thought as she activated it. Seems we've fought every day. Then she blinked, and read the message Stryfe had just sent her. She quickly tapped her keyboard, and sent her reply.
MEET US AT THE C. H. TEMPLE IN AN HOUR.
He nodded, and dropped out of sight. Mercury pushed her way forward to Venus.
"Do the Scouts have any explanation for these recent attacks?" asked a reporter.
"We're investigating the recent rash of attacks, but at this point we're uncertain of the exact cause. Rest assured we're doing everything in our power to get to the bottom of this," Venus replied confidently.
"Sailor Venus!" shouted another reporter. "The one question everyone wantsanswered... Where is Sailor Moon?"
Venus' confident smile faltered momentarily, and she hesitated. Mercury seized her chance, and leaned over to her ear, whispering rapidly. Venus nodded,and blinked.
"Well, we've just had some new developments, and we have to go check on some things. So, I'm sorry, but we're going to have to cut this one short!" Venus smiled for the cameras. Saved by the alarm, she thought. Wait, that's not it...
With that, the Scouts leapt to the nearby rooftops, and raced over them, heading to the one place they were guaranteed privacy. Fifteen minutes later, they dropped into the courtyard of the Cherry Hill temple. Energy swirled, and the Scouts were gone, replaced by eleven weary girls and one weary guy. Raye opened the doors, and they all followed her inside.
By the time Chad escorted Stryfe into the room, they were in much better spirits. Everyone was lounging comfortably around the room, drinking soda and munching on refreshments. The buzz of conversation died as they entered.
"That'll be all, Chad," said Raye, setting down her soda. "Make sure we're not interrupted."
He nodded as he departed, closing the doors. He took up position on the other side of the doors.
"Well, you certainly got my attention," Amy said, sitting up as she produced her computer. She activated it and turned the computer around so everyone could read the message on the screen.
HAVE NEWS ABOUT MOON, VERY IMPORTANT.
"So, what's the news?" asked Luna from the pillow she was curled up on.
"I've recently spoken to Derrelli. Apparently, Marius had a few tricks up her sleeve. She saved a corrupted hellhound, which attacked as the node was activating. It knocked Moon out of the node, where she promptly turned it into a pile of dust. He intercepted her as she was heading back along the trail. She decided to leap right away, at a time lapse here of one month. So, in thirty days, Sailor Moon will be back," Stryfe began. He paused as they exchanged sighs of relief.
"However, this may be ill advised," he continued. He frowned. "Admittedly, I may be worrying about nothing. But, we can't send someone to check and make sure Marius has been stripped of her power for five weeks, and she may be holding other surprises."
"So, to summarize," began Amy. "Moon is on her way back, due in four weeks, and we should be on our toes as far as Marius is concerned, for at least a week after Moon returns."
"That also tells us why there's been a rash of attacks recently," said Artemis. "Marius is trying to distract us."
Stryfe nodded slowly. "A possibility."
Lita frowned. "All right, Mr. Genius! What do you think is going on, since you're such a damn expert?"
"Clam down, girlfriend," said Mina. "We're all feeling the pressure." She turned and looked at Stryfe. "We're all on edge," she said. "The news you've given us makes it easier, but things have been rough as of late."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Stryfe said. "Derrelli should've made her wait. Because of the time differential, there is no way to really protect Sailor Moon while she is in transit. And what with the recent goings-on, I believe more than ever that Marius has an awful trick up her sleeve."
"How so?" asked Trista.
"She's not distracting you..... she's wearing you down. She is trying to exhaust you, exhaust your reserves, dull your reactions. She's trying to break apart the cohesiveness of your team. And the worst part is..." Stryfe trailed off, gazing out of the window. He felt the glares and wondering looks at his back.
He sighed. He turned.
"This group needs Sailor Moon more than ever. Marius is beginning to succeed. And that's what frightens me more than anything. For I firmly believe Marius is planning for something to happen to Sailor Moon."
"Like what?" asked Michelle quietly, as the Scouts exchanged looks.
Stryfe turned, raised his eyebrow, and sighed. He moved towards the door. As he opened it to leave, he paused for a second.
"I wish I knew."
* * * *
Amy closed the door quietly behind her. As she tiptoed across the dark living room, heading towards her room, a shape moved away from the window.
"Amy?" a voice called softly.
She stopped. The shape moved to turn on the light.
"You're still up, mother?" she asked quietly as the light clicked on. Her mother was dressed in a nightgown and robe.
"I've been worried about you," she said, quietly. "You haven't been yourself lately."
Amy sighed. "A lot of bad things have been happening. Not to mention, I no longer have to hide the truth. It makes things easier."
Her mother smiled faintly as she sat down on the sofa. She patted the seat next to her. "It's not just that, Amy. I won't pretend to totally know you anymore, but a mother does know certain things about her daughter, even if she is a reincarnated Sailor Scout. Something happened on your trip. It hurt you. I want to know what it was."
Amy sat down slowly, and sighed. She felt her eyes moisten as the deep well of pain began to rise in her. She held out her right arm and stared at it, still certain she could see the line in her flesh where it had been severed. She noticed her mother looking at her with concern. Amy curled up against her mother and slowly began to recant her tale, noting the look of horror on her mother's face as she told it. Amy couldn't know that across the city, in a dozen households, each Scout was doing something similar with their families....
* * * *
The sun shone brightly in the sky. Its rays cut through the cloud cover, chasing away the darkness. A cool breeze blew gently through the city. As the day warmed up, the technicians setting up a platform in front of the palace smiled. The day's turnout would have been impressive anyway, but the sun guaranteed the events to follow would be remembered for a long time to come.
They were naturally right, of course. Even before noon, a huge crowd was already beginning to gather, and the media were already setting up. A senior tech stood and wiped the sweat off his brow. The attention was to be expected, of course. He glanced at the agents of the Emperor and Prime Minister's security details. To him, it was only natural all of Japan, and even the world, would have their eyes on this event.
After all, it involved the Sailor Scouts. Then he spun, eyes narrowing as he spied a girl stepping across the barricades. He noted the security detail didn't move, and as the blue-haired teen came closer, he stood and bowed. She inclined her head politely.
"Greetings, Miss Anderson," he said. She had already produced her computer.
"And to you, Mr. -?" she began, raising her blue eyes to him. She was dressed conservatively in a white blouse with a blue skirt and a blue vest.
"Hirito," he supplied politely. She nodded.
"I hope you don't mind, but I've come to assist in the preparations," she said. She smiled. "So where are we?" she asked.
He grinned. "Right this way," he said with a sweep of his arms.
* * * *
"And so, from this day forward, we, the citizens of Japan, and the world hereby recognize the Sailor Scouts as an organization... an organization devoted to preserving our way of life, to protecting us from the supernatural. Everyone here appreciates their sacrifices. To top it off, we are introducing into the United Nations a resolution to recognize them as an international peace preservation force!" the Prime Minister said with a sweep of his arms. The applause was tremendous.
"And by order of the Emperor and myself, we hereby make today Lunar Day, in honor of the leader of their team, who sadly could not be with us today. This will be a national holiday, recognized by all government services!" he continued. As the applause died down a bit, he motioned the Scouts forward. Venus stepped up to the microphone. The gathered crowd was the biggest crowd she had ever seen, and although it was almost nighttime, one couldn't tell due to all the TV lights, cameras, and reporters.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, Sailor Venus, temporary leader of the Sailor Scouts!" intoned the Emperor. The response was deafening.
It was nearly five minutes before the noise of the cheering and applause died down enough for Venus to make herself heard. She cleared her throat.
"Thank you, everyone!" she began. The cheers increased. "This is truly an honor. We have always held to the beliefs of goodness, of making the world a safe place for everyone. I can tell you right now that the official motto of the Scouts will be 'For Love And Justice', since that is what we live our lives by. We devoutly hope that we will be able to help usher in a new era of peace and tranquility, and everyone only has to remember one thing. We will always be there to help! Oh, and for those who are wondering, Sailor Moon's official business will be concluded soon, and she will rejoin us at that time!"
"Thank you, Sailor Venus! All of you. But for your hard work, we would not be here today. The world is indeed a safer place with you around!" the Prime Minister shouted over the crowd. As if to give lie to that statement, an explosion roared over the night air, and everyone turned to see an expanding cloud of gas and flame, oddly purple in color. Mercury stepped forward, visor sliding into place as she activated her computer. A quick glance was enough, and she nodded to Venus.
"If you'll excuse us," Venus said in the mike. She dropped back a step, then charged the edge of the stage, jumping as she got there, immediately followed by the others. Luna and Artemis were already in Jupiter and Mars' hands as they leapt. The stunned crowd applauded as the Scouts jumped over their heads, and moved to follow. Twin black limousines, carrying the two leaders, were already disappearing into the palace gates as the gates closed. Only the news helicopters were able to follow the Scouts as they hopped from roof to roof, and they circled the smoking crater as the Scouts arrived, cameras rolling.
The Scouts landed calmly on their feet. The crater was nearly an acre in size. Around its edge, the plant life was wilted, as if from an energy drain. The Scouts slowly spread out, and half a second later the cause burst from the trees. They dropped into battle stance as more than a dozen youma attacked.
The first one ran right at Venus. She held her pose until it was on top of her, then ducked and swept it off its feet. Jupiter's fist then made contact with its face, and it flew into one of the trees, stunned and temporarily incapacitated as the tree cracked from the impact.
Now all the youma were at close range, so the Scouts kicked into high gear, forced to separate. As they dropped back, dodging the blows, the crowds began to gather at a safe distance, and the media were watching raptly. The helicopters orbited as the Scouts fought, spotlights sweeping the battlefield.
Time to turn the tide, thought Mask, blocking the blows with his cane. He dropped, kicking the nearest creature in the knee. It staggered, and he viciously struck it in the head, and flung a half dozen roses into it. It collapsed into a pile of dust. Another rushed at him, and he tripped it up with his cane before planting the tip into its skull, followed by another salvo of roses. It, too, disintegrated.
Mars and Jupiter were back to back, blocking the blows, and fighting back as much as possible. As Jupiter threw a punch, Mars threw a kick, and then both rolled in between the legs of their enemies, coming to their feet on the outside as the two monsters staggered together. Dark clouds gathered overhead as a nimbus of fire rose around Mars.
"JUPITER SUMPREME THUNDER!"
"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"
As the fireball burst between the two, lightning crackled out of the sky, striking Jupiter before she redirected it to her enemies. They crumbled to dust under the shocking lightning that raged through them. The smell of burnt ozone permeated the air as Mars grinned at Jupiter.
"Old school. That was fun," Mars said, eyeing their handiwork. She glanced at Jupiter, and noted the alarm in her eyes.
"Pyro, look-" gasped Jupiter.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"
A torrent of freezing water smashed into the youma charging Mars from behind. It slammed into the same tree as the previously stunned one, and both were encased in ice.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!"
Twin rays of burning light sliced through the air, sweeping the frozen shapes, shattering them. The shards quickly dissolved into nothingness. Mars and Jupiter turned to see Mercury and Venus sharing a high five. They gave a thumbs up, and all four returned their attention to the battlefield.
The outers had six in the middle of them, keeping them at bay with weak attacks. It seemed to be degenerating into a standoff, as the youma were too quick to allow the Scouts to charge their higher powers. The four, joined by Mask, raced to assist. Suddenly, a youma leaped from the bush at them, only to strike an energy field inches from Jupiter's head. A glance to the right showed Earth-Love maintaining her shield as Mini-Moon readied her attack.
"PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!"
The exploding hearts slammed into the monster with devastating force, lifting it off its feet and slamming it into a light pole, which cracked under the impact as the creature disintegrated.
Venus smiled at the both of them, and as they looked back, vines snaked around the six contained enemies, bursting out of the ground. As they tightened their chokehold, the outers unleashed their powers. As wind, ocean, time, and death energy flew, Earth-Anger unleashed her attack, joining in.
"EARTH ANGER SWARM!"
The combined attacks not only scorched the ground, but instantly reduced the attackers into piles of dust, which quickly dissolved in the breeze. The Scouts formed up, and the crowd cheered. As the cheers slowly died to applause, Mercury frowned. She noticed Stryfe nearby, scanning with his computer. He glanced up, gave her a thumbs up, and disappeared. The Scouts shrugged, and wearily turned to finish their business.
Cameras flashed as they moved towards the reporters. Luna and Artemis ran up as they stopped. Venus smiled, and struck her trademark victory pose, throwing up a "V" for victory.
"MOONDUSTED!"
* * * *
"Its almost time," yawned Amy. The Scouts, dressed in civilian clothes, were lazing around in front of the Tokyo Museum of Natural History, which was where Stryfe had directed them, telling them the node was in the museum. He was even now working his computer, hacking into the museum security systems and shutting them down. He looked up.
"Okay, doors unlocked and intruder alarms disarmed. Let's go," he said, leading the way. Luna was right next to him as he opened the door. He glanced at her with a slight smile.
"Miss her?" he asked.
Luna simply nodded. Artemis was draped over Mina's shoulder, and she wanted Serena back as much as the rest, with the possible exception of Darien. It had been a difficult time for him as of late.
Amy paused in the doorway. She was bringing up the rear, and she glanced back over her shoulder. She could barely see the construction several blocks away, where Sailor Scout Plaza was being built.
Sailor Moon will be so proud, she thought. She turned and entered the darkness. She walked briskly, drawing near the others, reflecting. The museum was dead silent. It was quiet... too quiet.
Uh oh, she thought. There haven't been any attacks in the past two weeks! Is Stryfe right? Is Marius planning something? As she puzzled over that question, they moved into the Egyptian exhibit.
A clatter interrupted their progress.
The Scouts froze, glancing in the direction of the noise. The lights were minimal, lending a spooky atmosphere. Luna slowly moved towards the source of the noise. A table was lying on its side, the artifacts that had been on it spread all over the floor. Then she spotted the source, a crouching youma. She blinked in shock.
Amy frowned as she summoned her computer. She turned it on, scanning the area. She picked up Luna, and then...
"Guys, its a negacreep!" she hissed.
"What!?" gasped Lita.
"Transform!" called Mina, raising her hand, golden energy already gathering.
"You got it!" snapped Raye. "MARS COSMIC POWER!"
"VENUS COSMIC POWER!"
"JUPITER COSMIC POWER!"
"MERCURY COSMIC POWER!"
"MINI-MOON HEAVENLY POWER!"
"EARTH COSMIC POWER!"
"SATURN COSMIC POWER!"
"URANUS COSMIC POWER!"
"NEPTUNE COSMIC POWER!"
"PLUTO COSMIC POWER!"
Luna hurriedly rejoined Artemis behind Mask as he finished his transformation. She glanced at the youma. It scrambled to its feet, hissing at the Scouts as the energy of their transformations faded. As they slowly moved to surround it, the creature took off running, its clawed feet echoing off the hard marble floor. Its sudden departure caused the Scouts to stand for a moment, confused.
"That's different," said Neptune.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," frowned Stryfe.
"What are we waiting for?" asked Mars angrily. "Let's go toast that thing!"
"Maybe it was sent to try and assassinate Sailor Moon?" asked Artemis.
"Maybe," said Luna hesitantly. The group moved cautiously down the hall, with Mercury scanning with both visor and computer. They moved into the dinosaur exhibit.
"Welcome," hissed a low, evil feminine voice. Marius stepped forward, surrounded by youma.
"Uh oh," said Earth-Anger quietly. "Marius!"
"Bitch!" raged Jupiter. "Let's get her!"
"Hell yeah!" shouted Mars. "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"
The fiery rings flashed into the youma, knocking several back onto the floor, where they writhed in pain. The other Scouts quickly followed suit, trying to weaken the immense number of creatures before they were overtaken.
The monsters were crumbling to dust, and more kept coming. The Scouts were slowly being forced back into a hallway. The sheer numbers of youma threatened to overwhelm them.
Stryfe leapt up onto the Tyrannosaur skeleton, hiding as he scanned the area. He noticed abnormally high concentrations of negative energy. What is going on? he thought.
The tide of youma thinned. By forcing the Scouts into close quarters, the Scouts were able to layer their attacks for increased potency. The combined assault slowed, and finally halted the advance of the things, and the flow of the fighting was now dictated by the Scouts, who were becoming quite efficient at dusting their enemies. Outside, it was quite obvious there was a fight inside, from the dark clouds overhead, and the occasional lightning bolt that streaked into the museum without damaging it. That, and the police cordon due to the massed fire trucks. Apparently Mars' attacks had set off the fire alarms. Fortunately, due to a little rerouting of the video feed from the security cameras, the police had kept the masses from getting inside, and everyone could see what was going on.
The lines of youma buckled, and collapsed, and the Scouts, barely even touched, finished off the last enemies with a flourish. Unfortunately, much of the museum was now in ruins.
"Whose idea was it to put a node here anyway?" sniffed Uranus as the team arrived back in the mostly intact dinosaur exhibit. Stryfe was well hidden, still perched on the Tyrannosaur skeleton, scanning away. He noticed that the energy seemed to be all over everything, even as the node began to build up its charge.
"Well, well. The Sailor Scouts, fighting in hopes of seeing their precious princess again, defeat my army of youma," Marius said silkily. Her voice had a dangerous, dark undertone to it. "Fortunately, I have a few tricks up my sleeves."
Stryfe was extremely surprised to feel the skeleton shake, and even more surprised when the big head swung around, red dots of light shining where the eyes once were, anchoring cables snapping. The toothy maw opened, and the roar that followed startled him off, causing him to hit the ground hard. A quick glance showed every dinosaur skeleton in the place was coming alive, as he rolled out of the way.
The Scouts were, needless to say, stunned by this. They quickly recovered as a Dienonychus skeleton leapt at them. Mask batted it aside with his cane. Mars jumped to her feet as the team scattered.
"MARS SEARING INFERNO!"
The fiery column raged into the skeletal dinosaur, and it exploded, shards of bone flying everywhere.
"Great, now we're in the middle of Jurassic Fucking Park!" snapped Jupiter as she dodged the horns of a rampaging Triceratops skeleton. She jumped aside, grabbing a still hanging section of support rail. She noticed the Triceratops move towards lower pray, and relaxed fractionally, even as she saw the Tyrannosaur coming at her, bony jaws opening wide with a loud roar. She smiled as the rod on her tiara rose, crackling with electricity. Outside, lightning again flashed out of the sky, rippling into the museum. Sparks flew as the lightning crackled into the girder she was on. The Tyrannosaur skeleton approached, and as it made contact with the hanging girder, it closed the circuit and allowed the stored potential to rip through it. The Tyrannosaur exploded, shards of fossilized bone going in all directions. Stryfe rolled out of the way of the falling ribcage pieces, and noted Marius in a corner, concentrating hard.
What the hell is she doing? he thought. He glanced around to insure he was safe, and opened his computer.
Jupiter stood, and was about to jump down and attack when a loud screech caught her attention. She whirled to see a Pteranadon skeleton streaking towards her, wings spread wide. Even as she moved to dodge, she heard a shout.
"MERCURY FREEZING WAVE SMASH!"
The Pteranadon skeleton was suddenly encased in ice, and it lost flight capability, crunching into the ground and shattering into thousands of pieces. Jupiter waved her thanks, then gasped as the Triceratops charged Mercury from behind. Jupiter leapt, and hit Mercury, knocking them both to the ground, rolling out of the way. The Triceratops skidded, trying to stop, as the Earth twins combined their potential.
"EARTH ANGER PETRIFY!"
Soon the Triceratops skeleton was once again nothing more than an unmoving, stone skeleton. The twins concentrated on the others still moving, such as the Stegosaurus skeleton stalking Saturn.
"EARTH ANGER PURIFY!"
Her white globe flew out, rippling towards the Stegosaur. It made contact with a white flash, and the Stegosaur stopped moving, eyes now glowing blue. At Earth-Love's mental command, it turned around and moved towards the Allosaurus skeleton attacking Neptune.
Venus gasped as she noticed the petrification wearing off of the Triceratops.
"No way! VENUS SHINING LOVE FORCE!"
As the wall of golden energy struck the Triceratops, it shattered, again sending flying bone in all directions. Mercury winced.
"It's a shame, all these historical treasures," she sighed. "Damn that bitch!"
"Amen, sister!" said Jupiter, pulling Mercury to her feet.
"Thanks, by the way," said Mercury.
"No prob," grinned Jupiter, running back into the fight. Mercury quickly followed.
Neptune gasped as the skeleton of the carnivore above her backed her into a corner. It roared, and the stony jaws came at her. Just then, there was a whipping sound, followed by a loud crack as the Allosaur skeleton was knocked away from her, off its feet. The Stegosaur followed, resuming a battle well over a hundred million years old. As the two titans clashed, she glanced over to see Pluto and Uranus trying to protect Mini-Moon from an Ankylosaurus skeleton and a Diplodocus skeleton. She glanced at Saturn. They shared a nod, and a fierce grin.
"NEPTUNE STUNNING TSUNAMI!"
"SATURN SILENCE RUSH!"
A wave of water slammed into the Diplodocus skeleton, smashing it into the walls behind, cracking them with awesome force as the skeletal dinosaur was crushed from the force of the water. The panzer-like armored dinosaur skeleton didn't fare much better, shattering from the crackling death energy constructs.
Grins thanked them, grins that turned into gasps as Uranus and Pluto saw the charging shape behind Saturn and Neptune. Mini-Moon raced forward.
"Look out!" she shouted, waving her hands.
The two Scouts turned and flinched as the spike-thumbed Iguanadon skeleton charged them. Suddenly, a hail of roses nailed it, shredding it into so many bone fragments. Both Outer Scouts threw up their arms to block the hail of bone.
The battle of titans continued in the background as Mini-Moon spotted another coming in from behind Mask. He noticed too, and even as the ostrich dinosaur skeleton raced at him, he dropped and tripped it with his cane.
"PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!"
The Ornithosuchus skeleton stumbled right into the exploding hearts, getting tossed back into a cement wall, where it shattered. Luna and Artemis scrambled out of the way of the flying bone, skidding to a stop, and panting hard. Both glanced up to see a Celiosaurus skeleton open its jaws and snap at them.
"Yikes!" shouted Artemis as he butted Luna clear. His tail was caught in the thing's mouth, and he was picked up by it, yowling all the while.
Jupiter grinned at the small dinosaur skeleton. "Excuse me," she said, rearing back her fist. It turned, and its jaw shattered as she struck. She punched again and again, smashing the skeleton to bits.
"Thanks," said a shaken Artemis as the remnants of the skeletal dinosaur hit the ground. His eyes widened, and Jupiter turned.
The Allosaurus skeleton chucked the Stegosaurus skeleton, sending it flying across the exhibit hall. It smashed into the opposite doorway, shattering on impact.
"Damn! URANUS GALACTIC COLLISION!"
"PLUTO FINAL SAY!"
Nine blasts of time energy ripped into the Allosaurus, which was roaring in victory. At the same time, the glass dome above shattered, a fiery meteor streaking in from above, highlighting the dark clouds. The impact rocked the ground with howling wind. The Allosaurus skeleton quite naturally exploded from the impacts. As the winds died down, the Scouts could hear cheering from outside. They shared a few quick grins.
"All right!" smiled Venus.
"Now let's get that bitch!" said Uranus.
"NO!" shouted Stryfe, catching their attention. Things were already glowing silver-white. He charged Marius, already knowing it too late. "DAMN YOU!"
The white flash came and went, and Stryfe skidded to a stop as Tuxedo Mask dropped to his knees, clutching his head.
"No!" rasped Mask. They were all stunned, and even more so as Mini-Moon gasped, drawing their attention.
"What's happening to me?!" snapped the panicked Scout. She was fading in and out from view.
"Damn damn damn damn!" said Stryfe, feeling utterly useless. "She had enough power left to utilize the potential of the node!"
"Meaning?" asked Venus.
Stryfe gritted his teeth as Marius cackled.
"Well, Scouts, I'll be seeing you. If I weren't so tired I'd finish this now, but I'll save that for another time," she grinned evilly. Dark energy flashed, and she was gone.
"Stryfe?" asked Mars. She balled her fists. "What's going on? Where's Sailor Moon?"
"She's gone," said Mask. He staggered to his feet, a haunted look on his face.
"What!?" blinked the Scouts.
"I, I," began Stryfe, dropping to his knees. "Shit. The bitch used the last remnants of her power to deflect Sailor Moon while she was in transit," he said miserably. He glanced at Pluto. "Get the little one out of here."
"Yes. She should be protected in the Gateway," said Pluto, activating the Garnet Orb. "Go, Small Lady. We'll figure this out and save Sailor Moon. Besides, you can still watch."
"O, Okay," said a visibly frightened Mini-Moon. She jumped into the opening doorway. As it closed, Pluto turned to face Stryfe. She crossed her arms as he furiously worked his computer.
"Well?" she asked as the Scouts supported Mask. Stryfe finally stopped, frustration on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said, voice a mere whisper, cockiness gone completely. He was a picture of dejection. "Your future is now in jeopardy, and your leader is gone."
"Bullshit!" snapped Jupiter. "You know where she went!" Stryfe shook his head sadly.
"She's out of the Order-controlled planes. We're not all-powerful, you know. Even we have our limitations, and Marius just took advantage of that," he said.
"You can't get her back?" asked Venus in shock.
"Not without her help," said Stryfe. "She'd have to let us know, and its doubtful she knows how to do that. The worst part is Marius knows exactly where she is. There is nothing to stop Marius from hunting her down."
"Oh, no," breathed Mercury, tears evident in her eyes. "Sailor Moon...."
* * * *
Sailor Moon blinked as the white light, well, staggered. It finally faded, after an indescribably long time. She came to rest on her knees, and as she looked up, the first thing she saw was skulls. She was on a pile of human skulls. She stood up in shock. The world around her was dismally dark, with cloudless skies. Rusting, destroyed, twisted metal and skeletons of humans surrounded her as far as the eye could see. An explosion echoed in the distance, with fire reaching into the black, scorched sky. A huge flying robot streaked overhead, spotlight highlighting her. Laser fire streaked towards her, and she dodged as flaming skulls flew everywhere. A rocket streaked skyward, and the thing exploded as a bloodied hand roughly yanked her to her feet. She was spun around to face a human in rough clothing, blood on his face. He held a futuristic gun, and had a look of desperation on his face.
"Who are you! Don't you know there are Terminators about?" he shouted over the sounds of fighting.
"Terminators?" she asked, confused. "Where the hell am I?"
He blinked at her as if she was insane, then his eyes widened. He shoved her roughly. She hit the ground hard, and was about to protest when he started firing wildly over her head, lasers flying out. Suddenly, lasers raked him, and he burst into flames. As his body fell backwards, she rolled over to her belly, staring in shock as a skull in front of her was crushed by a cold, metallic foot. She raised her eyes to examine the robot. It was black in color, and skeletal in nature, giving it a menacing look. It held two huge guns, one in each hand. Its head was the most frightening, however. It was a metallic skull, with an evil grin and glowing red eyes.
Which were focused on her. The guns pointed at her, and her blue eyes stared into the red ones for what seemed like an eternity.
Then it pulled the trigger.
TO BE CONTINUED....
Well, I just want to add that Terminator and all related characters, etc., are the property of James Cameron, Pacific Western Entertainment, Lightstorm Entertainment, Mario Kassar, and Carolco Home Video. Hope everyone's enjoying the story so far, and stay tuned for the exciting conclusion in Sailor Moon: Quest For Marius, Part 12: "New Moon Rising"! Any comments or criticisms may be directed to me at daman187@vegasnet.net. Later!