Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation, and DIC. Ogre Battle and all related characters are the property of Atlus, Nintendo, and Sony. Final Fantasy VII and all related characters are the property of Squaresoft and Sony.
Sailor Moon: Quest for Marius
By D. Pung
Part 6: No Rest For The Wicked
PG-13
There was a crowd gathered on the streets outside the police station. Police cars and ambulances, sirens blaring and lights flashing, skidded to a stop outside, officers piling out with loaded weapons. An alarm could be clearly heard. The media was already arriving. On the inside, officers loaded their firearms and nervously clutched them, wondering just what they could do.
For Sailor Earth-Anger was pissed. And there was nothing worse than a pissed-off Sailor Scout.
Except maybe a group of pissed-off Scouts.
Sam sighed. Their brainstorm wasn't going well, and she wondered how her twin was doing. She established the link.
And immediately cut it with a loud cry, hands clutching her head. She fell to her hands and knees in front of the others, gasping. They were all around her now.
"What's wrong? Sam, you ok?" asked Amara.
"Just... touched.. Mel's mind," gasped out Sam. She shook with effort. "I've never tried to open a link with her before when she's in a murderous rage."
Needless to say, that caused the others to blink in surprise.
"'Murderous Rage'?" asked Michelle.
* * * *
The rookie officer stared in disbelief. He was a big fan of Sci-Fi movies, and this was straight out of one. The door in front of him and his fellow officers was made of at least an inch of reinforced steel. Another hollow wham, and another huge dent appeared, added to the hundred already there. The door suddenly burst apart, and Sailor Earth-Anger stepped through.
And glared.
The officers clutched their weapons and leveled them at her. The air rang with the sound of safeties being removed and weapons cocking. "POLICE, FREEZE!"
Earth-Anger's hand came up, and she said something. It was not clear, but the effect was as suddenly vines burst from everywhere, wrapping around the firearms and officers, pointing the firearms towards the ground. She stalked amongst them, her glare wilting all those whose gazes she met. Soon she approached the other door.
Shotgun and rifle blasts were heard. She dodged aside, shrugged, and smashed through the wall. Bricks and chunks of masonry sailed through the air, and Earth-Anger burst out of the wall immediately behind the wise guys with the boomsticks. One whirled, eyes wide with surprise. His weapon was yanked out of his hands and he stared in shock as Sailor Earth-Anger wrapped it into a pretty bow, then he ducked as she hurled it. Earth-Anger jumped forward, and shortly the gunfire was silenced, the officers held to the wall by their very own firearms, warped into shackles from enhanced Scout strength, enhanced even further by bottomless fury.
She reached out to her twin as she moved on. She kept it short and to the point, knowing her twin didn't like her normally orderly, quiet mind in its chaotic, angry state. She also didn't care as she requested the others' presence before closing the link.
She was now in the office sections of the police station. Some officers decided to get creative and attack her hand-to-hand. She casually caught the first one and hurled him through a nearby door. He crashed into several file cabinets. Another came at her from the other side. She grabbed him, arm across the throat. On their free time, Mel and Sam often enjoyed watching American wrestling on TV. So she took inspiration from her favorite character and performed a copycat move that would have shamed the original, as she RockBottomed the officer through a desk.
She met with little further resistance as she burst out of the front door. The two front doors were made of glass, and were locked. Earth-Anger merely yanked the doorframe out of the wall, and chucked it behind her, and stormed right out into the brightly lit nighttime skies. Flashbulbs exploded, spotlights centered on her, and officers pointed loaded weapons at her. She was about to go off again when she noticed two officers bickering. She recognized Lt. Togiro, and what must be his captain, arguing behind a bullhorn. She jumped and landed lightly behind them, ignoring the weapons.
"Sir, let me handle this! I told you we should have let her go a long time ago! There was not enough evidence to keep her, and I still don't understand why you did it!" Togiro shouted, no respect evident in his tone or demeanor. He grabbed the bullhorn out of his superior's hands and turned to face the entrance.
"Lieutenant, you still don't get it. Those girls need to learn respect!"
"From the likes of you?" Togiro snorted. "Please. Those girls are practically angels. They've saved this planet, this city so much; it's like second nature to them. She volunteered to remain behind, so they could clear their name. You would go and fumble this!" Togiro was livid. He had never been this angry. "Now we have hurt officers, God knows what amount of property damage, and one rampaging Sailor Scout! This is on your head!" With that, he ignored his captain and concentrated on the task at hand. Then, both officers blinked. There was no Scout at the entrance, and a lot of guns pointed in their general direction.
Then they were both tapped on the shoulder. They turned to face a livid Sailor Earth-Anger. Togiro blinked. "I'm extremely sorry, Sailor Earth-Anger. There was a mix-up. We should have released you a long time ago, as the evidence quite clearly supports your story-"
His captain cut him off. "I determined that you should be held until we can actually prove your innocence," said the cocky captain. He suddenly found himself grabbed by his uniform front and yanked to within a millimeter of Earth-Anger's face. Her angry green eyes glared into his.
"You getting' all this?" asked a reporter scant feet away. Her cameraman nodded.
"Every word. So, the Scouts are innocent, she nobly elected to be held and processed like a normal person, and that smart-assed captain is pissing her off. This can't get much better, we've been trying to nail that captain with corruption charges for almost six months!"
"It just got better," said the reporter with a gasp. Blurred shapes descended rapidly from the sky, landing all around Togiro and his captain. The remainder of the Scouts had just arrived. At least, the only Scouts to be seen lately. Some appeared to be missing.
Earth-Anger barely noted the others, Togiro and this lowlife of a captain didn't. Earth-Anger glared at him and spoke in a cold voice. "Is that normal procedure?"
"Well, no," the idiot blundered. He was scared now, scared by the rage in those beautiful eyes.
"Then WHY?" roared Earth-Anger. "I oughta blast you!" Her hand reared back, and stopped. Another gloved hand held hers. And only another Sailor Scout could restrain her. Earth-Love gazed quietly at her as Uranus stepped up.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but chill out, Earth-Anger!" said the temporary leader of the team. "I felt we should resolve the issue the way we normally do, but you wanted to try reason. As you can see, us reasoning with the public is problematic at best." Uranus spoke in a calm, reasonable tone. Earth-Anger blinked, and lowered her hand.
Uranus continued, as much for the cameras as for calming the enraged Scout. "They just don't understand where we're coming from, even though we've tried to explain it. They don't understand we wouldn't intentionally hurt a fly. And to be sure, you've done your part."
"Unless, of course, the fly was about eight feet tall and trying to rob people's energy," smiled Earth-Love as her twin absorbed Uranus' words. Her joke broke the tension, and Earth-Anger released the captain, who began to dust himself off. Earth-Anger and Earth-Love embraced.
"Touching," murmured the captain. "And convenient. As long as you're all here, you're all under arrest."
"WHAT?!?" exclaimed the team. Then an officer screamed. Everybody whirled. GT phased into view. He held an officer in his oversized hand, and he broke the officer's neck, then dropped the body and punched the car, which promptly exploded. Time stopped for a second, as the cameras recorded the beast for all posterity. Then the Scouts reacted.
"Get him! Pluto, Saturn, block off his back! Earths, front and center! Mini, with Earths, Neptune cover left! Go!" The Scouts leapt into action.
Mini-Moon landed right behind the twins, and started the attack.
"PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!" called the petite Scout. The exploding hearts caused GT to backpedal a few steps.
"SATURN SILENCE RUSH!" The glaive-shaped energy blasts smashed into GT with astonishing speed and force. GT was staggered. He chose that moment to make an escape, and charged at the twins. Earth-Anger snatched Mini-Moon and jumped clear, while GT's swipe caught Earth-Love and dumped her into a police car, smashing in the roof. Earth-Anger dropped Mini-Moon.
"NO! You son of a BITCH! EARTH ANGER SWARM!" The energy blasts obscured things temporarily, and when the nimbus faded, he was gone again. The crowd gasped, and then focused their attention on the Scouts. Earth-Anger opened the connection as she jumped up on the car, and pulled her twin up.
"DAMNIT!" raged Uranus. "We have got to kill him, if only because I hate how he goes invisible! Saturn, anything you can do for that officer?"
Saturn sadly shook her head as she examined his body. "No, he's dead." She looked up to see Earth-Love shaking her head groggily. Then her twin grasped her hand and pulled her upright, on her feet.
"Earth-Love, you okay?" asked Uranus. Neither Earth Scout answered, staring at each other in astonishment. "Hey! You guys okay?"
Earth-Anger held up her hand.
"He's about two blocks away. Now, he just stopped. He probably just crawled back under whatever rock he came from," whispered Earth-Anger. Both twins had a look of intense concentration.
"What!?" exclaimed Neptune. The Scouts grouped near the twins, as did the cops and media. The twins broke the link with a smile.
"Makes sense, sis," smiled Earth-Love. "It stands to reason our new powers would require us to combine our strength!"
Earth-Anger faced Uranus. "We felt his movement seismically when we were linked. When he runs next time, we can track him down and finish him!"
"All right!" shouted Uranus. "He's moondust next time we find him!"
"Way to go!" smiled Neptune. The Scouts shared a high-five. Then they focused their attention on the flustered captain. The watching crowd fell silent.
"Well, you just saw the proof with your own eyes," said Pluto quietly.
"Well, um, er... yes," the captain stuttered. Togiro glared at him. He nodded at Togiro. "It's your case, Lieutenant."
Togiro smiled. "In that case, all charges against the Sailor Scouts are dropped!" The crowd cheered as the sirens from the ambulances and fire trucks drew closer. The Scouts exchanged grins. Finally, the public's fear of them would be ended. Then Earth-Anger whispered in Uranus' ear.
She nodded, and overrode the noise by shouting, "Lieutenant!"
He looked back at them, away from the reporter; as the crowd quieted down to hear what was next.
"We wish to establish a liaison with your department," began Uranus. "If we cooperate, any strange happenings can be reported to us quicker so we can deal with them faster. So, we will give you a special radio frequency to call us. In return, if you are short of manpower for some reason and school's out, you may call on us for assistance."
Togiro blinked, and his captain nodded before departing. "Well, I guess I'm it," he said. "Shall we go and work out the details somewhere quiet?"
And the crowd went wild....
* * * *
Jupiter clenched her nails tightly. Her eyes were closed, and she was clinging for dear life as the wind rushed by.
She was hating every second of it.
Be brave, girlfriend, she told herself. There's no other way. The distance is too great to walk, and Warren and Fordham both need to be present.
That didn't mean she had to like it, although everyone else did.
They were having the time of their lives, flying on the backs of Fordham's two wyverns, evenly split. The team was with Fordham and Warren, heading towards Temple Shalina to confront Marius. Even though Mercury's trap wasn't ready, it had been decided to keep the pressure on until they could properly deal with her.
Fordham was astride Sakar, with Moon, Mask, Mercury, and Luna behind him. Warren rode Jervyal with Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Artemis. The two wyverns flapped their immense wings tirelessly as they flew close to the treetops. Nap of the earth, Mercury called it. Jupiter swore she would hate the term forever as the terrain swept by below. Not that she was aware of the terrain, just the turns, dives, climbs, and steady flapping.
Nor did they expect this to be easy. Jupiter found it made it a little easier to deal with the flying when she concentrated on the coming battle. She knew that Marius was caught surprised by the ambush, and would be much harder to deal with when she was ready for them. Moon didn't care, though. Mercury either. After all, Marius was responsible for Mercury's pain. Her thoughts turned toward Mercury. She opened her eyes just long enough to glance at her on the other Wyvern.
Mercury was wedged between Moon and Fordham. Moon supported her as she scanned with her visor and typed on her computer, relaying instructions to Fordham. Jupiter closed her eyes again as she felt another turn coming on. Her stomach dropped as the Wyvern banked and dove. When the flying settled down, she once again glanced about.
They were now flying over Neptune's element. The waves of the sea went by beneath at astonishing speed. Her eyes closed again as she gathered her thoughts.
Mercury was trying. She was a little more open than her usual self, but that's because she knew intellectually she would find it easier to recover by sharing her feelings with her friends. She was still prone to bouts of irrational anger and sadness. As a Scout, however, she was recovering nicely. The whole team knew that there would be some permanent aftereffects, and one seemed to be a more humorous Mercury (although some of her humor was above their heads), as well as one more prone to getting physical. Her humor seemed a direct result of her forced cheerfulness that was no longer so forced. They had isolated themselves with her as much as possible to help speed her recovery. And every member of their team wanted a piece of Marius. Jupiter wanted nothing more than to punch that witch's face in.
Jupiter kept herself busy with images of Marius getting pummeled as the flight flapped on.
* * * *
It was an exhausted group indeed that sat around the campfire. The area had seen rain lately, and the damp chill was getting to everyone. The fire was drying them out, lit as it was by Sailor Mars. They were quietly reviewing things when their Sailor communicators beeped.
"Moon here," said a tired Moon. Amara's face filled the little screen.
"Hey, Moonface, how's it going?" asked Amara.
"Tiring. We're headed to confront Marius and hopefully scare her away from the other bad guys here, so we don't have to worry about their combined powers," yawned Moon.
"Don't do that!" said Mars again as she followed it up with her yawn. Chuckles and yawns went around the entire little camp.
Amara chuckled. "Got some good news for a change. Firstly, all charges have been dropped, the public loves us, and we've got GT-creep on the run. The Earth twins have discovered they also have higher powers, they just have to combine their strength to use them. They can track GT-creep seismically, and we should be able to finish him off next time we face him. Also, we are setting up a link with the police so we can cooperate with them." Amara explained the agreed-upon terms. "I hope that's okay?"
Moon nodded with a smile. "That's great! I'm glad everyone's okay and things are turning out right. Keep me informed!"
Amara smiled. "We will. Good Luck to you guys!"
"Luck to you too!" smiled Moon as the connection ended. She looked up to the sky above, and shivered. It was a dark and scary night...
* * * *
Which turned into a beautiful dawn that broke over the sky in shades of vibrant red and orange. They were already up and about, preparing for the end of their journey. They each thought about just one thing.
Revenge against Marius. The team was slightly preoccupied with these thoughts as the wyverns flapped their immense wings and prepared for the remaining flight.
"You know, flying these things isn't so bad," commented Jupiter. The entire group blinked, and Mercury walked over and placed her hand on Jupiter's forehead, then moved it to her cheek, then the top of her head, ending up with a tug on her ponytail.
Moon stifled a grin as she realized what Mercury was doing. She blinked. "Well, Mercury? Is she okay?"
Mercury pulled out her computer, and began pointing it at Jupiter. Finally, Jupiter could bear it no longer. "Well?"
"Hmm. Temperature's normal. No adverse signs, so I can think of two reasons she just said that. She may be attempting to maintain a show of strength to us so we don't lose respect for her, or.." began Mercury.
"Or what?" asked Mars, concerned. It seemed only Moon and Mercury knew where this was going.
Mercury shrugged as she put her computer away. "..Not quite ripe yet. Probably because her ponytail's too tight." She turned away and grinned as she walked towards the wyvern she was supposed to ride.
Moon covered her mouth. Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Mask, Luna, and Artemis just stared at one another. Finally, Moon could stand it no longer, and collapsed into laughter, clutching her stomach and rolling on the ground. The others soon joined her as they got the joke, and Mercury leaned against the warm hide of the wyvern, with a smile on her face.
"Oh, that was a good one," smiled Fordham. Warren sported a grin as well. "I had no idea reserved Mercury was such a prankster. What a pleasant surprise."
"For us too," sighed Venus, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "I can see we'll have to watch out for Mercury's jokes now."
Moon smiled. "I'm just glad she's almost recovered. I think it'll be fun to help her explore her new traits."
Mercury grinned. "We really should be going. Jupiter, after you."
Jupiter rolled her eyes. "Don't take offense to this, girlfriend, but.." and Jupiter brought her hand up in a rude, offensive gesture, although her lips were curved into a smile. Mercury pretended to be shocked, and more chuckles followed as they got airborne. Once they were flying, however, total seriousness took over. Each Scout prepared themselves for the upcoming fight. Each vowed to personally separate Marius' head from her spine. In a nice way, of course...
* * * *
They broke into a clearing far from civilization later that day. The sun was nearing the horizon, and a soft mist was prevalent. There was little to no wind, and the surrounding air was cold. Pine trees surrounded them.
"We have a slight walk ahead of us," said Warren. "We'll likely get there just after sunset."
"Then, let's not waste any time," said Mars. She cracked her knuckles in anticipation. Nods marked agreement, and they set out. It was a long, spooky, quiet walk, every step filled with anticipation.
They were not disappointed. As they broke from the treeline, their gazes rested on Temple Shalina. The once noble temple, carved from white marble, was now coated with growths of dead vegetation, and evil hung malevolently in the air. The surrounding temperature seemed to drop a few degrees as they moved closer. A dread filled them. This once holy ground, perverted to evil, seemed to ooze vileness.
Suddenly, a shape cloaked in crackling black energy emerged from the vegetation. Marius swooped towards them. She had an angry expression on her face. Then she noticed them, and rolled her eyes before landing in front of them.
"Well, well. Come to destroy little old me?" she crooned.
"You betcha," snapped Jupiter, standing ready. "Ready to taste some pain, bitch?"
Marius frowned. "How brave," she sneered. "As it is, you little sluts have nothing to worry about."
"What is that supposed to mean?" growled Mars.
Marius glared at her with disdain. "Hush, little firebug. All I meant is that idiot Rashidi is stupid and greedy, and it's simply no longer sensible for me to try and collect the Zodiac Stones, especially since the Liberation Army has a huge head start."
They shared a collective blink. "Well, that's all good," began Venus, before Marius cut her off.
"I suppose it's comforting to know that you rebels will eventually succeed," smirked Marius. "Rashidi's too dumb, for all his purported intelligence. Still, he does have some neat minions, and connections to the underworld here, which supplies me with a little distraction for you. Good riddance, Sailor Scouts." Marius waved her hands, and a huge scaly gray beast approached, charged with negative energy. Warren gasped, his eyes wide.
"What is it?" asked Moon. She noticed Mercury's computer out, scanning both Marius and the incoming creature.
"It's an Ogre," he said softly. "The ancient menace from the underworld. And she's changed it somehow. This isn't good!"
Marius cackled as a white glow encompassed her, and she vanished.
"She's shifted!" called Mercury. "And it's attacking!"
The Scouts dodged as a huge fist slammed into the ground in their midst, releasing a blast of purple energy.
Fordham drew his sword, and mentally commanded an orb of ice to surround it. He released it at the beast.
It had no effect.
"MARS SEARING INFERNO!" The immense column of fire poured from Mars' outstretched hands, enveloping the beast in raging flame. As the flames died out, Mars blinked in astonishment.
The Ogre charged her, uninjured. She dodged aside, barely avoiding the lightning-quick, massive fists. Then a blast of flame raged from above, and a huge green tail slammed into the Ogre, knocking it off its feet. The two wyverns circled overhead, then scattered as the Ogre released a blast of negative energy towards them. It shifted its attention back to the fight at hand.
It was promptly swarmed by hundreds of spirits, which attempted to devour its energy. The Ogre shrugged off Warren's Phantom attack, and reeled as Mask smashed it upside its huge head with a cane before leaping back and releasing a salvo of roses.
"Okay, that didn't work," frowned Warren. "Back to the drawing board."
Mercury followed that up by using her powers to create an ice slick beneath its feet. Jupiter concentrated. Lightning crackled around her as she summoned.
"JUPITER CHAIN LIGHTNING BURST!" The blast had a minimal effect on the Ogre, but it did knock it off its feet again, causing a painful fall, and it began attempting to climb to its feet. Mercury's ice slick made it hard for the Ogre to get up.
"VENUS SHINING LOVE FORCE!" The wall of love energy slammed into it, again dropping it to its knees. This attack actually registered.
Either it's vulnerable to love power or we're wearing it down, mused Mercury as Warren prepared to cast again. Bursts of acid vapors blasted the Ogre, ripping into it quite painfully. The only bad side effect of Warren's Acid Cloud was that Mercury's ice slick was demolished.
That and the Ogre roared, releasing an expanding sphere of negative energy that began to envelop them. They all collapsed. The sphere drained their energy, replenishing the Ogre's, and they each began to feel extreme pain as their bodies began to be ripped apart.
"NO!" screamed Moon. She staggered to her feet. "I don't think so! MOON TIARA DEVASTATION!"
The white disc slammed into the Ogre, knocking it back as the explosion followed. The sphere was destroyed, and as the shockwave passed over them, the Negaforce was banished from the Ogre. Badly wounded, it staggered back to its feet.
The Scouts dazedly regained theirs. Warren shook his head to clear it, then glanced up and surveyed the situation. The Ogre moved towards the dazed Scouts. Just as the Ogre was about to pummel the Scouts, two shapes slammed in from above, tearing viciously into the Ogre with claws, teeth, and tails. Small bursts of flame from the wyverns occasionally illuminated the mauling.
"Now!" shouted Warren. At his shout, Fordham commanded the wyverns clear of the Ogre.
"MERCURY FREEZING WAVE SMASH!" The expanding wave of ice energy slowed and froze the Ogre's flesh.
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!" The kinetic blasts of her attack smashed into the Ogre, staggering him. The wyverns circled overhead like vultures.
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
The twin attacks of love energy and flames blasted the Ogre senseless, and Moon decided to go retro. She pulled the Imperium Moon Staff out of her pocketspace and charged it up. She twirled her staff and pointed it at the Ogre.
"MOON EVIL ELIMINATION!"
The attack was recognizable as her old Moon Scepter Elimination, but was more powerful and impacted into the Ogre with enough force to knock it with a crack against the walls of the desecrated temple, where it roared one final time before disintegrating.
"Nice," said Fordham as the wyverns landed. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
The Scouts agreed wholeheartedly.
* * * *
"So, we tracked her transfer to Prime D-53," said Fordham. Destin and Saradin had joined them after their return, and were listening on the debrief.
"I still find it hard to believe," murmured Saradin. "An Ogre?"
Warren nodded solemnly. "There is no doubt. Somehow, though, I don't think Rashidi has enough power to summon a whole bunch of them, or we would have been defeated by now. I think that was the only one he had."
"If word of this gets out," began Destin softly.
"It won't," said Warren. "The specifics of this mission were secret anyway, and all that anyone has to know is the Locust is gone. Soon the Scouts will follow, and all will be forgotten. We don't have to mention it at all. It bothers me hiding such a thing, but we do not need a loss of morale."
"Agreed," sighed Destin. "I don't like it, but agreed. Something like this would definitely create a problem with the troops."
"Why?" asked Artemis.
"Because Ogres are the one thing every good person fears. Ogres are the stuff of nightmares, the essence of evil. It would certainly give everyone pause. So, we will simply not tell anyone what was actually fought," said Saradin. "Besides, we have more important considerations, such as the upcoming fight against Gares that everyone is gearing up for."
"Anyway," said Fordham. "I'm preparing a node for your jump as we speak."
"Let's do it, then," said Luna.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye," smiled Saradin. Destin stood as they did.
"Thank you once again, Sailor Scouts. I and my companions greatly appreciate your coming, and we wish you the best in your future journeys."
Moon smiled. "Thank you, Destin. Please pass on our thanks and well-wishes to everyone."
"Even Deneb," grinned Venus. With that, they followed Fordham to the Node.
"Wait a minute.." began Moon. "D-53?"
"Oh no," groaned Jupiter. "The Highwind."
Laughter accompanied them as they jumped into the node.
* * * *
Vincent and Red XIII rounded the corner, deep in conversation. A white flash suddenly filled their vision, and suddenly they found themselves entangled in a mess of Sailor Scouts. As Vincent shook his head from the fall, he heard laughter. He glanced over to where the sound came from, to see Dev clutching his side.
Red XIII and Vincent were not amused...
TO BE CONTINUED...