Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation, and DIC.
As you look around you, on a day to day basis, do you ever wonder if there might be other worlds occurring simeoultaneously with our own, even on our own home planet, although we might not recognize it? Well, they exist. In a realm of interlacing spheres, the central, most important sphere is comprised of several planes...all known as the Prime Material.........
Such is the setting of this six-part story. Of course, you know who owns what copyrights, but the rights to this story are all here! On a side note, make sure you've read "Enter Sailor Earth", "A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed", and "All In A Day's Work" for back story. These are all updated with the English names of the outer scouts, the proper transformations, and proper attacks. The sequel to this is "Best Destiny" and "15 Minutes Of Fame". Please e-mail any comments, criticisms, or compliments to daman187@vegasnet.net.
SAILOR MOON ALTERNITY
By Daryll Pung
Part 1: The Beginning
PG-13
Chapter 1: One of Those Bright Sunny Days
6:58....
6:59....
7:00. The numbers changed, and the alarm went off, startling Serena out of her
bed. As she climbed off the floor and staggered over to her clock, a single thought went through her head....WHAT!? She hit the button, and the noise was silenced.
"Well, this is a first," yawned Luna. "You've never woken to the alarm before!"
"Yeah, I know," muttered Serena, still half asleep. "I don't know why either. But my bed looks so...comfortable..." she trailed off as she climbed back in bed and pulled the pillow over her head.
Luna rolled her eyes.
* * * *
"Well, she actually awakened to the alarm today. Of course, she promptly rolled over and went back to sleep, but it did happen!" Luna said to the other girls.
Serena flushed at their giggles.
"Umm, guys?" Serena began.
"Yes, Serena?" asked Amy.
"Is it just me, or has absolutely nothing been happening with the Negaverse lately?" Serena said thoughtfully.
Amy, Lita, Samantha, Melanie, and Mina all sat back, puzzling that thought over. Finally, Amy spoke.
"You're right. We know they have a new leader, although we still don't know who....but it's been months since the incident with Melanie and nothing's happened since."
Melanie blushed.
"Don't worry, Mel, we don't blame you for what happened," Mina said soothingly.
"Hmmm..." said Lita.
"What?" asked Samantha.
"Look at that guy over there! He looks just like my ex-boyfriend! He's so cute!" Lita said in a daze.
Everyone rolled their eyes. As they all stood to get back to school, perhaps only Amy noticed the dark-haired stranger that ducked behind the tree nearby.
Huh? thought Amy. Who's that?
* * * *
That's them. They are the ones...most of them, anyway. I have to warn them before that jerk from the Negaverse can activate any more nodes...but if need be, I can trick them into fighting in a preplanned node...if they don't heed my warning, of course. He typed on his microcomputer. I know just how to set this up if they ignore me.....
* * * *
Luna was walking back towards Serena's house to await the girls' return from school when the hand reached out of the bush and grabbed her. She found herself set on the ground. As she turned around to face her foe, she heard a voice.
"Shhhh! Keep quiet! I mean you no harm!"
Luna turned to face a crouching young man with dark hair. He was tall, dressed in casual clothes, with sneakers and sunglasses finishing his outfit. He put a finger to his lips.
"What do you want?" asked Luna quietly.
"I need to speak with you and every last one of the Sailor Scouts this evening in this park! Right at sundown! Don't be late!" With that, the stranger vanished into the park.
Luna could only look on as he disappeared, puzzled. She turned and proceeded back to Serena's house.
* * * *
"And I don't know if he was from the Negaverse or not," said Luna. "I didn't sense any evil about him...as a matter of fact, I didn't sense anything!"
"I see," said Amy.
"It's almost time," interrupted Lita. "We better contact everybody."
"Should we appear as Sailor Scouts?" asked Serena.
"That's your call," advised Luna. Serena nodded and began contacting the other Scouts.
A half hour later, the group entered the park. The nighttime gave a spooky feel to their surroundings, and the soft mist that hung low to the ground heightened the sense of mystery. They neared the center of the park.
"I thought he said he'd be here?" murmured Raye.
"I am," came a reply from right behind the group. Everyone whirled. He was wearing the same outfit as before, this time augmented with a black jacket.
"What's all this about?" demanded Serena.
"It's simple, really. I have a warning for all of you," he answered.
"All of us? I don't even know some of these people. What does this have to do with all of us?" asked Serena, feigning confusion as Raye rolled her eyes.
"Nice try, Sailor Moon," he grinned. Serena's jaw dropped, and the other girls' eyes went wide.
"How...how do you know that? Who are you?" Serena stuttered.
"Who I am is of no concern to you. All that matters is what I have to say to all of you Sailor Scouts, including your auxiliaries."
"Auxiliaries?" asked Serena, glancing at Amy.
"He means Luna, Artemis, Darien, and Reeni," she whispered.
"Oh," said Serena, turning her gaze back to the mystery man.
"Heed my warning, Sailor Scouts. A new threat from your nemesis, the Negaverse, is attempting to unravel the threads that define our existence. Show your faces anytime in the coming month, while the junction is right, and you may find yourselves far from here. He is known as Darkstrike. That is all," he finished. He turned and disappeared into the mist.
"Wait!" called Lita.
It was too late. He was gone.
"What did all that mean? Amy?" asked Serena.
"I'm not sure...we better head to the temple to discuss this!" Amy said.
"I agree," said Luna.
"To Raye's temple, then!" said Serena. The group turned and left.
Serena glanced back as they left, but she didn't notice him in the shadow of a large tree, watching them with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Chapter 2: Cryptic Warnings and Strange Occurrences
"I don't know how he knew who we were. We've always been most careful about our identities. How could he have found out?" asked Mina.
"More importantly, how did he know who all of us are? We don't appear very often," said Michelle, indicating herself and the other Outer Scouts, sitting near the fire in the temple.
"Back to his warning...what did it all mean?" questioned Amara.
"'Unravel the threads of our existence'? 'Junction'? 'Far from here'? What does it all mean?" puzzled Samantha.
"I'm not sure," answered Amy. "I just remembered, I saw him watching us at lunch today. Who knows how long he's been watching us? He seems to be good at blending in with his surroundings. As for the warning.....it might have some connotation with maybe combining the Negaverse with our universe..."
"That would be awful!" exclaimed Trista.
"We can't let that happen!" said Raye.
"I said maybe! I'm not sure exactly what he means. Talk about mysterious messages...." Amy thought.
"And if he thinks we're going to hide when people may be in danger from the Negaverse, he's nuts! The Sailor Scouts will not let innocent people suffer!" Serena declared angrily. She still hadn't recovered from the shock of him knowing who she was.
"Calm down, Serena," soothed Darien.
"I can't!" she snapped.
Melanie yawned. "I think we should sleep on this....it may make more sense tomorrow."
"Sounds good," said Lita.
Serena nodded.
The Scouts split, agreeing to meet the next day. They all headed for their respective houses, unaware of the figure crouched in the tree near them.
I thought they wouldn't listen, not that I blame them......that just means that if Darkstrike is going to drop them through a node, it might as well be one that is preplanned. Let's see if I can't set this up right.......
* * * *
The next day, Serena was on the way home when she caught sight of someone following her. She ducked into the arcade and watched the figure walk by. She recognized him as the guy who had given her the warning the previous night! His glance caught hers. She moved towards the exit to intercept him when an explosion occurred across the street. Several cars went flying, people screaming. Serena gasped as a tall being in a black cape strolled out of the smoke.
"Ha ha ha...puny humans! Darkstrike is here! Will no one stand up to me?" he shouted. He was dressed in pure black, with a black cape and glistening fangs. His glowing green eyes swept the crowd.
Serena pulled out her Sailor communicator when his hand clamped her arm. Startled, she looked right at him. He glared at her.
"Not here, not now...." he said. "I'll take care of this!"
"How?" Serena asked in surprise.
He let go of her arm and pushed through the crowd.
"Hey, moron," he called.
Darkstrike glare at him, and then launched a white ball of energy at him. To his surprise, his target nimbly rolled out of the way, coming up with a black handgun, firing twice. Darkstrike was surprised, but dodged the bullets almost casually.
"Nice moves, but do you really think a simple human firearm is going to hurt me?" he roared.
"Does it matter?" the mystery guy answered with a smile.
"You impudent whelp! I think you're going to another world!" Darkstrike grinned as he opened a vortex right on his adversary. To his surprise, his adversary warded off and closed the vortex.
"Tell ya what, why don't we settle this later tonight, in the park?" said his cocky foe. "I have things I need to do, and this could prove interesting. Say, just after nightfall?"
"Only if you bring the Sailor Scouts!" Darkstrike roared.
"Deal....catch you later," he said, tossing him a salute as he began to turn.
"Wait!" called Darkstrike. "You know who I am, but I don't know who you are!"
"My codename is Stryfe. That's all you need to know!" He disappeared into the crowd.
"Humph...not smart! Now I have plenty of time to find his weakness! Ha ha ha ha!" Darkstrike grinned evilly, then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
As the crowd began to disperse, murmuring about this unusual event, Serena felt someone grab her arm and drag her into the alley. She found herself spun around and pushed against the wall.
"Hey-" she began to shout, only to have her mouth covered. It was him again, the one calling himself Stryfe.
"I will release you if you do not draw any attention to us," he said in a low, urgent tone. She nodded, eyes wide. "Pretty eyes. Very well, I am going to release you now."
He removed his hand from her mouth and let her go. She took a second to compose herself, and then glared at him.
"How dare you!" she hissed. "Saying you'll bring us! How do you know who we are? What did all that you said last night mean? And you can't honestly expect us not to defend-"
He cut her off. "Relax. If you follow me, I see I must explain some things. Let's go." He turned and began walking off.
"Wait!" she called, and then ran after him.
Twenty minutes later, they entered the park. He waved her to follow closely. Serena nodded. After ducking through bushes and dodging around several trees, he halted in front of a boulder and pulled out a microcomputer. She crossed her arms.
"Call all your friends here," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"You want answers or not?" he asked mildly.
She just looked at him. He sighed.
"I will explain everything if you get your friends here now. Darkstrike isn't going to wait forever, and I must prepare you," Stryfe said.
"Fine," she said. Keeping her eyes on him, she activated her Sailor communicator. Within an hour, they were all gathered around him at the boulder. He surveyed them, seeing some curious expressions, some angry. Shrugging, he typed in the code on his microcomputer, and half the boulder opened to reveal a set of stairs going down.
"Follow me," Stryfe said. Turning, he walked down into the darkness.
Chapter 3: Answers and Questions
Stryfe led the way down the stairs, activating his hand beacon as they moved down. Behind him, all the members of the Sailor Scouts walked. They were startled when they heard the sound of the boulder closing behind them.
"Great," murmured Raye. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Stryfe scowled at them. "Come on!"
He led them into a futuristic chamber, with computer consoles everywhere. The vast chamber had a central seating area, as well as a comfortable room off to one side for relaxation. The hum of air conditioning was barely audible above the sounds of the computers. In the alcove to the left was some interesting equipment. Not even Amy could identify its purpose.
He grabbed one of the chairs, turned it around, and straddled it. He motioned for the rest of them to make themselves comfortable.
"Why should we trust you?" asked Darien.
"Because you have no choice," answered Stryfe. "There are bad happenings on the horizon, and if I don't prepare you, things could get desolate really quick."
He removed his sunglasses to reveal his brown eyes. "First, introductions. I know who all of you are, including your heroic alter-egos. I am Stryfe. That is the only name I go by."
"Wait a minute....I've seen that name in the news," said Amy in surprise. "You are a mercenary!"
"On the surface, yes."
"First, could you explain your message to us?" asked Amy. "Does it have to do with Darkstrike joining our universe with the Negaverse?"
"Partially. That is his first goal. He has mastered using the nodes to banish people, although that is the limit of his knowledge. He was our contact in the Prime known as the Negaverse, but like most in that dark place, the power went to his head. We are working to prevent further knowledge from getting to him, and to restore what he's messed with," explained Stryfe.
"Wait a minute...Nodes? Prime?" asked Amy.
"Who's 'we'?" asked Michelle.
"'We' is the Order of Planar Preservation," said Stryfe. He sighed, and then stood up. "Okay. Imagine you have the universe in the palm of your hand. It looks like a big sphere. You crack it in half. You see the inside is divided. First, there are approximately twenty segments around the outer edge. These are planes of existence we call the Outer Planes, or Planes of Power. They are generally not nice places. Then there is a vast inner section, one solid sphere. This is the Astral Plane. The most common thing you see here is nothingness, with an occasional silver cord stretching across the distance. These silver cords are the lifelines of travelers there. Okay so far?"
"What's a 'Plane'?" asked Melanie.
"If I am understanding this right, an alternate reality, right?" said Amy.
"Essentially correct. Planes are homes to many different beings. Places like 'Heaven', 'Hell', and the like are places in the Outer Planes. Mysterious happenings here on this plane of existence, such as the Bermuda Triangle, are simply Nodes. More on that in a minute. To continue my analogy, the next layer is divided into ten segments. These segments are the Inner Planes, also known as the Elemental and Quasi-Elemental planes. Now imagine the last inner sphere is essentially a gray mist with thousands of plates stacked in the mist. This gray mist is the Ethereal Plane.
"When you hear stories of ghosts and other such creatures that reappear or disappear, they are generally ethereal in nature. The 'plates' are the thousands of stacked Prime Material Planes. We are on one of those Primes. The Negaverse as you know it is actually yet another Prime, albeit a much darker one. Now, these Primes are amazingly similar. Some people have places in all of them, some in most, some in a few, some in only one. You might not recognize yourselves, but you are there. Also, time sometimes flows at different rates. Some are in sync, while others are faster or slower. However, any being from one of these Primes can live on any of the other ones."
"Okay..." muttered Artemis.
"So what are these 'Nodes'? And what about this order of yours?" questioned Luna.
"Nodes are transport zones between the Primes. You cannot go anywhere but the Primes through Nodes. You have to utilize other means to reach the other Planes. Some Nodes are natural. The Bermuda Triangle Node is one of these. Others are preplanned and have preset destinations, or the destinations are rotated. These are controlled by the Order. The third kind is created by beings meddling in what they don't understand. These can dump you anywhere. That is the kind of Node Darkstrike tried using on me earlier. Because of my powers through the Order, I am immune to that. However, I cannot extend that to others," he finished.
"And the Order? And why did you want us to fight him? And why the park?" asked Serena.
"The Order is a small group of three or four people on each plane in contact with ourselves in all of the other Primes. Our job is to keep the beings from the Primes from meddling with other Primes. Some Primes have only one member, while some have up to six. This one has four. I am the main contact. The Prime A-73, the Negaverse, is currently the only Prime with none, since Darkstrike has been dissolved from the Order. As for why you have to fight him, the answer is simple. He is from the Negaverse, and we can't affect him. But you Sailor Scouts can.
"As for the park, this is a preplanned, rotatable Node. If he uses his powers here, your destination Prime will be known and we can get you back. It may take awhile, but you will get back. Otherwise, we'd have to search all 8,746,886 Primes for you. That could take even longer. The reason Darkstrike is doing this now is that by disposing of the guardians of this plane, the time is perfect for him to dissolve the Ethereal layer that separates our two Primes and fuse them, bringing utter chaos to both Primes," explained Stryfe.
"You did mention a junction. So what number is this Prime? And where would the Node send us?" queried Mina.
"We are Prime A-74. The letter signifies the time frame, the number the actual plane in that stack. The Node is currently set to Prime B-21," answered Stryfe.
"So that equipment over there is your Planar control stuff?" asked Amara.
"Correct," replied Stryfe.
"So you want us to fight him-" Serena began.
"It's your job, isn't it?" Stryfe interrupted mildly.
Serena was startled, nodded, and continued on, "and if he sends us to another place, you'll ensure we get back?"
"Me or one of my alternate selves," Stryfe answered.
"I don't see we have much choice in the matter, meatballhead!" said Raye. "It is our duty, you know."
Serena stuck her tongue out at Raye. "I know exactly what Sailor Scout duties are!"
"Just making sure!" Raye said sweetly.
Lita rolled her eyes.
Just then, one of the computer terminals beeped. Stryfe got up to answer it. He pressed part of the screen, and a carbon-copy image of him, dressed very differently, appeared.
"Preparations are complete, Stryfe," the person in the monitor said.
"Good. If this goes wrong, we'll need them," Stryfe answered. "I've briefed the involved parties and hopefully this won't go any further, but we shall see. I'm going to be there to try and intercept his planar vortices."
"Well, be careful. I wouldn't want to see myself get hurt, even if it's on another plane!" his alternate self grinned.
"Agreed," chuckled Stryfe. "Talk to you later!" The screen went dark. He turned to face the Scouts.
"It's time."
Chapter 4: Sad Departures
The Scouts shared a glance. They nodded. He turned and led them back up the stairway. He pressed a sequence on the panel by the door, and the Scouts walked out into the misty night.
He followed after sealing the boulder.
As they ducked out of the bushes, flames greeted their eyes. Darkstrike was stalking around, and in his anger set flame to several trees and bushes.
"Definitely time, guys," said Lita, pulling out her wand.
"MOON COSMIC POWER!"
"MOON PRISM POWER!"
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!"
"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"EARTH LOVE CRYSTAL POWER!"
"EARTH ANGER CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MARS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER!"
"SATURN PLANET POWER!"
"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"
"URANUS PLANET POWER!"
"PLUTO PLANET POWER!"
And Darien pulled out his special rose.
The light show rapidly attracted Darkstrike's attention, and he turned to face the now-transformed Sailor Scouts.
"Aaah...the fun begins. And how could I not recognize a former associate, a member of the Order...Stryfe!" Darkstrike said smugly.
"Wow, I'm impressed. Both your brain cells actually communicate," grinned Stryfe, arms crossed. "Not the sharpest pencil in the box, hmm?"
"Arrgh! You'll pay for that!" snapped Darkstrike.
"I'm sure," Stryfe said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Darkstrike shot a white ball of energy at Stryfe, who rolled nimbly out of its way.
"MOON TIARA MAGIC!" called Sailor Moon. The glowing white disc nailed Darkstrike in the side. He glared at her.
"Sailor Moon, no declarations?" asked Sailor Mars.
"I'm not in the mood," Sailor Moon said angrily.
"And I'm not in the mood to play with you!" snapped Darkstrike. He opened a vortex towards her. Just as it was about to consume Sailor Moon, Stryfe reached her and closed it. Darkstrike gritted his teeth.
"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" shouted Sailor Mars. Burning rings of flame nailed Darkstrike.
"You little brat!" roared Darkstrike. He raised his hands, and dark lightning bolts flew towards Sailor Mars.
"EARTH LOVE SHIELD!" cried Sailor Earth-Love, coming up in front of Sailor Mars. She strained with the impact against her shield.
"VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" yelled Sailor Venus. The impact of her attack occurred just as Darkstrike launched another vortex. As Darkstrike howled in fury, Stryfe jumped forwards to close the vortex. Darkstrike saw his chance and hit Stryfe hard with a Nega-charged kick to the side of the head. Stryfe collapsed from the draining effects of Nega-energy.
Sailor Earth-Love deflected the bolts into a nearby tree and ran to refresh Stryfe. As she did so, Darkstrike caught her in the vortex Stryfe had been trying to close. A burst of white light occurred, and Sailor Earth-Love was gone.
"No!" gasped Sailor Earth-Anger, clutching her head.
Darkstrike grinned evilly as more vortices opened, encompassing the whole team in one huge flash of light that abruptly disappeared. The last thing the Scouts heard was Darkstrike's evil laughter.
In the park, a lone figure lay on the ground. There was no sign of the Sailor Scouts or Darkstrike. The flames had died out. The figure groaned, and one eye opened, glancing about. Stryfe sat up, putting a hand to his head against the rush of dizziness. He shook his head and looked around, taking in the scene. He stood, and leaned against the base of a nearby tree.
"Great. Just great."