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. Batman and all related characters are the property of Bob Kane and DC Comics. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
To Live And Die In Tokyo
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Three: Full Moon, Dark Knight
Rating: PG-13
Fifteen minutes earlier....
The girls and the familiars hastily gathered at the temple after Serena relayed the news that Amy was missing.
"Anything, guys?" a worried Serena asked her friends who looked for Amy on their own before coming to Cherry Hill.
"My search of bookstores near Amy's home was fruitless," said Talia.
"I called Andrew at home. He said she hadn't been in the arcade," Lita chimed in.
"And I swung by an Internet cafe a mile from here that's open until ten. Amy told me about it once. No one's seen here there either," added Mina.
"What's more, Amy hasn't activated her communicator," said Luna.
"This is certainly ominous. Where could she be?" Artemis wondered.
"I could find her through a fire reading," offered Raye.
"I recommend against it. We do not have the time for the lengthy process a divination entails," Talia said in a curt, dismissive tone. "We need a more expeditious method of locating Amy."
"But how? Not even we can search the whole city!" Serena whined.
"Do not surrender to defeatism, Serena. No situation, regardless of its complexity is impossible," Talia countered calmly. "Fortunately, we have a potential clue as to her whereabouts. Sarah Womack."
"That girl Amy told us about?" Raye asked. She felt slighted and more than a little angry at Talia for having coldly refused her suggestion.
Talia nodded. "Precisely. Amy's dour mood was a direct result of her meeting with Sarah last night. Logically, if we find her, we find Amy."
"Makes sense to me. But how do we do that?" Luna asked.
"That Internet cafe Mina mentioned. We can access the online database of the city's address listings. Sarah's home address should be there."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" an anxious Serena cried, already bolting towards the main gate.
Present time....
Amy's heart shattered like glass as she stared up at the reptilian beast that used to be her old friend.
"No. Dear God, no. Sarah," she croaked.
The creature that was once Sarah Womack glared malevolently at Amy as she sat helpless on the floor. Instincts that were more animal than human told the beast that the girl at her feet was her enemy, prey to be destroyed at her whim. She could feel incredible strength burning through her body, yearning to be released. But another part of her, the human part that still existed found the strength to resist that urge. Barely.
"Amy...." the creature said in a low growl. She gritted her teeth and clutched her head as if in pain. "Get out! Can't control....this....thing....inside me! It wants....to kill you! Tear you....to pieces! Please! Get out! Now!"
Amy, in tears, shook her head. "I can't, Sarah! I won't leave you!"
The beast roared, her cry a combination of rage and anguish. Sarah raised a clawed hand to attack Amy. "Sorry....Bookworm. Can't help....myself...."
Amy, rooted to the spot, closed her eyes and waited for the end. Before Sarah could strike, the kitchen window imploded and Batman swung inside with a vengeance, planting both feet into the creature's back with enough force to send her hurtling across the apartment, crashing into the living room wall.
Amy gasped in shock at the Dark Knight, standing in a defensive posture. "Batman? How did you know to come here?"
"I placed a homing device on the back of your friend's shirt while we were in the alley," Batman replied, his eyes locked firmly on the monster. "I planned to question her if I failed to get the answers I sought from her pusher."
The creature, dazed, slowly stood up, her eyes blazing from hatred.
"Looks like that's a dead end too. What made the girl change?"
"Sarah ingested the cocaine she bought before I arrived," said Amy, fighting a losing battle to keep her wits. "But it shouldn't have mutated her like that thug you fought!"
"Unless it had been spiked with something," said Batman. The creature, hissing like a snake stalked towards the Dark Knight who knew his chances of survival against his monstrous foe in the cramped confines of the apartment were next to none. "Stay out of the way. I'll try to subdue her."
"Please, Batman! Don't hurt Sarah! She's my friend!" Amy pleaded.
"I won't make any promises. Find some cover!"
The creature that was once Sarah snarled menacingly at Batman as she came closer. Amy, secreting herself behind the overturned kitchen table saw the Dark Knight remove a small, box like object with a tuning fork attachment on top from his utility belt. Batman pressed a button on the box and an arc of electricity jumped across the fork. In an instant, Amy knew what the device was, and when Sarah came into range, Batman ducked under a flailing forearm, shoved the device up against her ribcage and pressed the button.
Sarah roared from pain as an electrical charge shot through her huge body, lighting up the kitchen. Seconds later, the creature dropped smoldering to the floor. Standing next to the body, Batman saw its chest rise and fall steadily and heard the soft hiss of its breathing. While Batman designed his taser to immobilize the likes of the brutishly powerful Killer Croc, he had no way of knowing what effect it would have on this creature. He expected the beast to change back as had Tanaka, but it didn't. The Dark Knight frowned.
"Something's wrong here," he growled.
With the speed of a cobra, Sarah leaped up, plowed a shoulder into Batman's midsection and the pair were sent flying out the wrecked kitchen window and into space, with the street fifteen stories below.
"NO! SARAH!" Amy screamed, running to the window.
With a calmness borne from long hours of training, Batman removed his grapple line gun from his belt with his right hand, grabbed Sarah's arm with her left and fired the hook, catching a flagpole with pinpoint precision. Ignoring the pain in his arms from the sudden stop and the heavy weight he was supporting, Batman used the momentum of the fall to swing himself and Sarah onto the roof of a furniture store across the street from Sarah's apartment building. But the landing was less than perfect as the pair tumbled across the rooftop.
The two antagonists lay unmoving on the roof for several moments, then the creature rose shakily to her feet as Batman struggled to stand.
"That hurt! I'll kill you for that!" the bestial Sarah snarled.
"HOLD IT!" a female voice suddenly shouted from behind the creature.
Sarah whirled around and saw five silhouetted female forms standing at the far end of the roof. As one, the forms strode confidently into the light, displaying the colorful sailor suits they proudly wore. The creature growled low in her throat while Batman's eyes narrowed.
"Who the hell are you?" Sarah demanded.
"We're the Sailor Scouts! The Champions of Justice!" Sailor Moon intoned, a hard look on her lovely face as she stood in the center of the group. "I don't know what you are, lizard lips, and frankly speaking, I don't care! You're trouble with a capital 'T', and in the name of the Moon, we shall punish you!"
"Terrific!" Batman muttered disgustedly.
From across the street, Amy viewed the scene with a growing horror.
"Oh, no! The girls!" she cried. "They'll try to destroy Sarah! I've got to stop them!"
The bestial Sarah grew angrier by the second. "Yeah, right! Punish this!" Forgetting Batman, she launched herself at the Scouts with blinding speed. But the Sailors were equally as swift, dodging the creature's flailing claws.
"Let's make this fast! We've got someone to find!" growled Sailor Mars, bringing her hands together. Her body glowed a bright red as she brought her powers into play. "Mars Celestial Fire....SURROUND!"
Mars hurled her fire rings at the creature who just managed to dodge them as they destroyed the building's chimney, but the impact of the blast staggered the beast, sending it to the ground.
Sailor Jupiter, the antenna shooting up on her tiara, electricity arcing about her body like a human lightning rod pressed the advantage. "Say goodnight, ugly! Jupiter Thunder....CRASH!"
A split second before Jupiter loosed her lightning bolt, Batman slammed a shoulder into the Thunder Scout, throwing off her aim and the blast hit the side of the apartment complex across the street.
Jupiter glared hatefully at Batman, straddled on top of her. "Hey! Whose side are you on?"
"My own. I won't allow you to kill that creature," Batman said frostily. With one hand, the Dark Knight slapped an arm bar on Jupiter while pressing a knee into her back. Jupiter cried out from the pain applied to her right shoulder.
"Let her go!" a furious Sailor Venus shouted, rushing to aid her partner. Batman used his free hand to pull a bolo from his belt and, in one smooth motion, hurled it at the Scout of Love. The strong cables of the bolo wrapped themselves around Venus' lower legs and she fell hard to the ground.
"You asshole!" Jupiter roared. "Let me up or I'll break your stinking neck!"
Batman, sensing movement behind him, nodded. "As you wish." Hopping to his feet, but maintaining his hold on Jupiter's left arm, the Dark Knight roughly hoisted the Thunder Scout up and, spinning around, judo threw Jupiter over his shoulder, smashing her into Mars and Sailor Vulcan like a missile as they tried to sneak up on Batman from the rear, leaving all three dazed.
Meanwhile, the creature busied herself attacking Moon, swiping at the Scout leader with her claws and just barely missing.
"Stand still so I can kill you!" Sarah yelled.
"Sorry! But I'll pass on that!" said Moon. The creature finally managed to hit her target, tearing open the midsection of Moon's tunic and gouging her stomach. Moon screamed as Sarah's claws ripped her skin, drawing blood and she crumpled to the ground. Sarah loomed over the fallen and now frightened Moon, grinning evilly as she lifted a claw to deliver the killing blow.
Before Sarah could strike, something whizzed past her face and she staggered back. The creature saw that the object was a red rose, its stem planted halfway into the concrete. The rustle of cloth made Sarah look upwards where she, the Scouts and Batman saw a lean muscled young man standing on the edge of the roof across the street. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a matching top hat, shoes and a long flowing cape lined in red. His mask, white like his shirt, tie, vest and gloves partially hid his strong, handsome face. The caped figure casually leaped across the street and landed in front of Moon who smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Who the devil are you?" the creature demanded.
"Your worst nightmare, monster! I am Tuxedo Mask! As long as I live, no harm shall befall Sailor Moon or the Sailor Scouts!" Tuxedo Mask produced a black cane from the folds of his cape and took a defensive stance. "Prepare to be defeated, for good shall always defeat evil such as yours!"
"You've got to be kidding," Batman muttered under his breath.
With a snarl, Sarah leaped at Mask who swung his cane in a wide arc, catching the creature across its head with a loud crack, sending it flying. As the stunned Sarah rose to stage another attack, Vulcan crossed her arms over her chest and a golden sphere of light enveloped her.
"Vulcan Shockwave... STRIKE!"
Vulcan' s thrust her arms outward and her sonic energy blast screamed towards Sarah, rippling the ground as it headed straight at her. The blast clipped the creature on the shoulder as she tried to dive out of the way, but the force slammed her into a chimney. "Sailor Moon! Now! Eliminate the creature!"
With a nod, Moon, ignoring the pain of her wounds climbed to her feet. She removed her tiara, and, with a mental command, it morphed into her powerful energy disc. "This fight's over, lizard lips! Moon Tiara... MAGIC!"
Moon hurled the disc with all her strength. Before it could hit Sarah, a thick wall of ice suddenly sprang up in front of the creature and intercepted the disc. The resulting explosion when the disc hit the wall blew everyone off their feet while being pelted by shards of rock hard ice. After everything settled, the Scouts and Mask were puzzled to see Sailor Mercury walk up to them.
"Mercury? What gives? Why'd you stop me from wasting that monster?" a puzzled Moon asked.
Mercury's face, wet from tears, was tight and drawn from anguish. "Because that monster is my friend, Sarah." The Scout of Water then stepped between the creature and her teammates. "I'm sorry, but I won't let you destroy her. Not without going through me first."
The large warehouse was as plain and nondescript as was all the others that lined the expansive Tokyo waterfront, the only difference being the three sleek black luxury cars that pulled up in front.
The passenger doors of the lead car, a Lexus LS400 opened and Hiroyuki Tomba and Carlo Falcone stepped out, followed by Tomba's assistant, Genryu who was the driver. From out of the other cars, both BMW's emerged eight hard faced, scowling men, four each of Caucasian and Japanese descent, all dressed in elegantly tailored dark colored suits that failed to hide the blatantly noticeable bulges of handguns in shoulder holsters. The Caucasians quickly formed a phalanx around Falcone and suspiciously eyed everything while the Japanese men lined up behind Tomba. With Tomba leading the way, the assemblage headed towards the huge front doors.
"My trip to Thailand was quite successful as we brought back a substantial amount of....merchandise as per our arrangement," Tomba said in his smooth voice to Falcone.
"How much is substantial?" Falcone asked gruffly.
''Two tons."
Falcone gave a low whistle. "Not bad, Hiro. Let's have a look."
Tomba nodded to Genryu who removed a swipe card from his coat pocket. After swiping the card through the reader near a smaller door, it beeped and Genryu opened it to allow access to his boss and his companions. Once everyone had entered, Falcone smiled at what he saw. The inside of the warehouse was a combination high tech laboratory, processing plant and storage facility, manned by white coat clad chemists at tables, laborers in dark blue overalls hefting parcels and watched intently by burly, menacing looking men in gray combat fatigues toting automatic rifles. In one comer sat forty pallets stacked seven feet high with thick-banded bails. Two such men, stationed at a guard shack eyed the men and nodded when they saw Tomba.
"No problem with security?" Falcone asked Tomba.
Tomba shook his head. "None. We have video cameras outside which scan every square inch of the pier area and the harbor. They're monitored twenty four hours a day. In addition to that, we have the latest in military designed motion sensors with a radius of over one quarter mile, including the air space above us. Trust me, Carlo, nothing short of a ghost can take us by surprise."
Falcone snorted. "You haven't seen Batman in action, pal. That guy makes Houdini look like a piker. He could sneak into Fort Knox at high noon and no one would know it."
"Well, should your Dark Knight find us and make it inside, we have three dozen armed men ready to kill on sight. Hopefully, it won't come to that as anominity has been our greatest asset," the Japanese crimelord replied. "To the outside world, this place is an import-export business, which, in a perverse sense is true. We import narcotics, refine them, then export them to those wretched souls in need of what we provide. Rather ironic, yes?"
"Yeah. You could say that. Speaking of refining, how much stuff have you got ready for shipment to the States?" Falcone asked.
"At present, five tons. Two and a half each of high grade heroin and cocaine. We'll be starting work on our latest shipment from the Golden Triangle tomorrow. Everything will be ready to go after our summit in four days." Tomba replied. He led Falcone and the assemblage to one of the workstations where chemists were hard at work using state of the art equipment to process the drugs. "Once our....marriage has been finalized, we'll be able to send two tons of merchandise to the States every two weeks, along with enough manpower and firepower to help our Sicilian brothers reestablish their dominance in America's narcotics arena. It will be glorious, Carlo. Absolutely glorious."
"I'll believe that when it happens. There's still Batman to worry about," Falcone grumbled. "If he's here, he'll move heaven and earth to screw us once he catches on to our scheme. And, if he wasn't trouble enough, don't you boys have your own little do-gooder problem?"
Tomba chuckled, a cold, chilling sound to the Sicilian. "Ahh, yes. The Sailor Scouts. You've heard of them?"
Falcone nodded. "I speak Japanese, pal. Remember? There's talk all over town about those bimbos. Do you think they'll get mixed up in this?"
"Highly unlikely. The Scouts spend most of their time allegedly fighting aliens and monsters. For some unknown reason, Tokyo seems to attract such horrors. I doubt they'd become involved in combatting the sort of ordinary street level crime that we specialize in."
"I can't take that chance, Hiro! Not with this much at stake!" Falcone snapped back. "We've got billions riding on this deal! The last thing we need is for the Bat, or those Sailor sluts getting in the way! Can you deal with them?"
Tomba nodded, an oily smile spreading across his face. "Most assuredly, my friend. Should Batman, or the Scouts interfere, I have the means to wipe them all off the face of the Earth."
"Your private army here?"
"No. They are merely the first line of defense. My real weapon is in there." Tomba pointed at a door at the far end of the warehouse. It was large, thick and heavily barred.
Falcone raised an eyebrow from curiosity. "What's in there? A nuke?"
Tomba chuckled again. "Hardly. For now, I prefer to keep it a secret. But I assure you, it will eventually give us the edge we need to rule this planet."
"Rule the planet?"
Tomba frowned. He had let his fervor momentarily get the best of him. "Er, figuratively speaking of course."
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife as Mercury stood between her teammates and the creature that used to be her old friend.
"Your present course of action is highly illogical, Sailor Mercury. I strongly suggest you stand aside and let us deal with the creature," said Vulcan.
"Go to hell! I won't let you near her!" Mercury snapped back. "Look, despite what she's become, Sarah wouldn't hurt anyone!"
"I hate to argue with you, Mercury, but this wasn't a belly rub she gave me," said a wincing Moon, leaning against Mask for support. Mercury gasped at seeing the shredded midsection of Moon's tunic and blood seeping from the gashes on her stomach. "A little deeper and she would've tom me open like a bag of chips. I'm sorry, but we've gotta take her down."
"Your friends are right," Batman added. "Once she's been subdued, a means can be found to reverse the mutation. But she must be put down."
Sarah, her reptilian face locked in a grimace became highly agitated. "Forget it! I'm not letting you take me!" Before the Scouts or Batman could react, Sarah, moving with blinding speed, grabbed Mercury in one arm, lifted her off her feet and wrapped a clawed hand around her throat.
"Mercury!" Moon screamed.
"Nobody move!" Sarah shouted. "Stay where you are or I'll gut her!"
Jupiter growled low in her throat, her expression more feral than human. "If you hurt Mercury, I swear to God, we'll hunt you down like a dog!"
"Screw you! I gotta find him! Gotta find Tanaka!" spinning around, Sarah tucked Mercury in the crook of one arm, dashed to the edge of the roof and leaped off. The heroes ran to the edge where they saw Sarah land on the ground three stories below before bounding away. As the Scouts moved to follow, Moon dropped to her knees.
"Sailor Moon!" cried the girls as they and Mask knelt around her.
While Batman chafed at the Scouts' interference, he hated seeing anyone hurt as Moon clearly was. Ignoring the suspicious looks Mask and the girls gave him, the Dark Knight knelt beside Moon and removed the first aid kit from his belt. "Those scratches look bad, Sailor Moon. Better let me treat them."
Grimacing, Moon shook her head. "No time for that. Gotta find Mercury. Can't let anything happen to her." She closed her eyes and concentrated, drawing upon the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal in her brooch.
Batman arched an eyebrow from mild surprise as he saw Moon's bleeding stop, then her wounds closed and healed. In a matter of seconds, no trace of the gashes were left, not even scars. Feeling her strength returning, Moon rose shakily to her feet.
Mask, putting an arm around Moon was concerned. "Sailor Moon! You shouldn't push yourself!"
"Don't baby me, dammit!" Moon yelled angrily. She pushed herself away from Mask. "I said we have to find Mercury! She comes first! Got it?"
Scowling but chastised, Mask nodded. "Yeah, I do."
In spite of himself, Batman was impressed with Moon's healing trick, but more importantly with how she selflessly put the welfare of her abducted teammate before her own. Perhaps there's more to these kids than I realized, he thought.
"But where could Sarah have taken Mercury?" Mars wondered aloud.
"I think I know," said Batman. He didn't like being saddled with adolescent amateurs, but with one of their own in danger, he knew he'd never be able to keep the Scouts at bay without getting into another slugfest, something neither he, or they had time for. Having made his decision, the Dark Knight pulled out his grapple gun and, leaping off the roof, he fired the hook and it caught on a flagpole. "Follow me! If you can keep up!"
In the fevered mind of the creature that was once Sarah Womack, returning to the side street where she bought her drugs from Tanaka was the only thing she could think of doing.
Standing on the roof of a building, Sarah looked down and scowled as he watched a tow truck crew winching Tanaka's abandoned SUV, but Tanaka himself was nowhere in sight. That infuriated her. The creature rammed a fist into a nearby door, punching a hole in it.
"Tanaka! That rat bastard! Where'd he go?" she roared. "I've gotta find him! Make him change me back!"
"Sarah! Please! Calm down!" said a nervous Mercury, standing nearby. She was at a loss to understand why she was unable to act, unable to even think. In almost two years spent fighting the forces from the Negaverse, Mercury had faced far worse horrors, yet this was different. Not even the nightmare of Greg becoming a monster under Zoicite' s thrall affected her like this did. Mercury wondered if Sarah's mutation had completely unhinged her.
"Shut up!" Sarah roared, whirling around to pinion Mercury with a fiery stare that the Water Scout inexplicably shrank under. "What do you care? And how the hell do you know who I am anyway?"
Mercury sighed. "Because, you're my friend....Carrot."
Sarah did a double take when she heard her nickname, something only one person on Earth knew. Staring at Mercury, her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as the realization sank in. "Oh, my God! No! It can t be! Amy?"
Mercury nodded. "Yeah, it's me."
"I don't believe this! You're one of those Sailor Scouts everyone talks about? Since when?"
"Since before you were bom. It's a long story, Sarah, one I doubt you'd believe," said a somber Mercury. "That's not important. I still want to help you, but you have to stop running. That's only going to enrage my teammates. And Lord only knows what Batman wants with you. I don't want you getting hurt."
Sarah growled as a war of wills took place inside her head. The human side of her wanted to trust her friend while the bestial half wanted to kill her. The mental tug of war infuriated her. With a howl of rage and pain, Sarah clutched at her head. Mercury became fearful for Sarah. And fearful of her.
"Sarah! What is it? What's wrong?" she asked.
"Bookworm, I....I....AARRGGHHH!"
With a snarl, the beast took over. Sarah shoved Mercury aside and leaped off the roof. Down on the street, the two man tow truck crew had just finished securing Tanaka's SUV when the creature landed in front of them. Before the workers could react, Sarah backhanded one man, bouncing him off the wall, then she grabbed his partner by his jacket and hoisted him up with one arm.
"Where is he?" Sarah demanded, her inhuman visage frightening.
The man, frightened, promptly wet himself. "Who are you talking about?"
"Tanaka, you idiot! That's who!" Sarah then raised a clawed hand over her head. "Tell me where he is or I'll tear you apart!"
"I don't know! I swear! I don't know!" the man screamed.
"LIAR!" Just as Sarah brought her hand down, something grabbed it from behind and she was roughly yanked to the ground while the man, having fainted from terror fell from her grasp. Enraged, Sarah got to her feet and saw that a thin, strong nylon line, connected to a black, metal, bat shaped object was wrapped around her wrist. Sarah whirled around to face Batman, holding the other end of the line.
"You again! How'd you find me?" growled Sarah.
"You mentioned Tanaka's name before running off. It stood to reason you'd return here, the place where you bought whatever it was that mutated you," said the Dark Knight. "As for Tanaka, he's either in a hospital room or a jail cell. Surrender, and I'll try to return you to normal."
"It's either that, or throw down with us!" shouted a furious Jupiter as she, the Scouts and Mask approached Sarah from behind. "Where's Mercury, lizard lips? What have you done with her?"
"Here I am!" shouted Mercury, leaping off the roof and landing in front of her teammates. "Don't worry, guys, I'm fine. Sarah didn't hurt me."
Mercury then tumed to face Sarah. "Please, Sarah. Don't let the beast control you. You're stronger than that. We can help you. But first, you have to help yourself. Give up. I'd rather die than fight you."
The Scouts, hearing that were stunned. Moon in particular felt a terrible chill race down her spine. Was Amy really serious about that? Just what did Sarah mean to her, she wondered, feeling a brief but painfully sharp stab of jealousy. But Moon quickly dismissed those selfish thoughts.
"Mercury's right, Sarah. There's no need for any more fighting," said Moon, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
Sarah gnashed her teeth from pain as the war between her human half and her bestial half raged on in her head. She wanted to give up, and she wanted to kill. At the same time. Sarah felt her mind, her very sanity shredding itself away. With a moan, she dropped to her knees. Batman, ever wary, kept a firm grip on the rope, cautious of a ruse.
"I'm tired. I'm hurting. I hate what I've become," said Sarah in her sibilant voice. Tears sprang from her eyes and rolled down her face. She then looked Mercury in the eye. "Please, help me. Don't leave me like this."
Mercury broke out in a huge grin of relief "Don't worry, Sarah. We will help you." She then approached Sarah. As she did, Batman saw the creature's muscles tensing.
"Mercury! No! Stay back!" the Dark Knight shouted, but it was too late.
With a roar, Sarah leaped up, grabbed the rope in her powerful hands and hoisted Batman off his feet before he could let go. Using Batman's rock hard body as a weapon, Sarah swnng him at the Scouts with murderous velocity, slamming him into Mercury before she could dodge. The force of the blow sent Batman and Mercury crashing into the others, knocking them over like tenpins. Sarah then snapped the line tied to her wrist and stalked the heroes.
Jupiter was beside herself from rage as the antenna rose on her tiara. "Bitch! I'll waste you for that! Jupiter Thunder... CRASH!
Lightning shot down from above and danced about the Thunder Scout's body before she hurled it at Sarah. But the creature anticipated the attack and dodged it by leaping high in the air. Before Jupiter could react, Sarah pounced on her feet first, slamming Jupiter to the ground with tremendous force, then she rained powerful blows on the helpless amazon.
"Get off me!" shouted a badly beaten Jupiter, kicking Sarah off her, but the effort left her physically spent and semi-conscious.
As Sarah scrambled to her feet, Venus, furious over her best friend having been pummeled went into action. "Venus Love Chain....ENCIRCLE!"
Venus' gleaming love chain snaked out from her fingertips, formed into a lasso and snared Sarah who struggled to free herself. "You're not going anywhere, freakazoid! Mars! Vulcan! Put her down!"
The Scout of Logic moved on Sarah first. Her fists clenching and unclenching, the alien Scout rocketed a right fist hard into the creature's midsection, breaking ribs beneath her scaly skin, doubling her over. Vulcan followed up with a double fisted uppercut that lifted her off her feet before dropping back to the ground.
Sarah, using a sudden burst of strength broke free of the chain, causing Venus to scream in agony from the energy feedback to her mind and she crumpled unconscious to the ground. The effort to free herself left Sarah weakened, leaving her open to an attack from Mars who decked her with a flying kick to her chest, bouncing her off the fire escape with a loud clang.
"No! Stop it! PLEASE!" Mercury shouted. She tried to run towards Sarah but was tackled by Moon. "Blast you, Moon! Let me go!"
"I can't, Mercury!" cried a heartsick Moon, using all her strength to restrain her wildly thrashing friend. "Sarah brought this on herself! This is the only way we can stop her!"
Mask produced a pair of roses while Batman pulled a batarang from his belt and, simultaneously, the caped heroes hurled their weapons at Sarah with unerring accuracy. The stems of Mask's roses pierced Sarah's shoulders, numbing her arms while the batarang struck her between the eyes, and she roared from pain before collapsing to the ground.
Batman's eyes narrowed as Sarah rose shakily to one knee. Sarah's absorbed far more punishment than the pusher Mercury and I fought earlier, yet, she's still eager to fight. How is this possible, he wondered. The longer this battle went on, he reasoned, the greater the chance of it ending in tragedy.
"Give it up, Sarah," the Dark Knight then said. "Continuing to fight is pointless."
Sarah, battered and bloodied, growled like a wolf as she glared menacingly at the heroes. Her eyes then locked onto Mercury's and her bestial features softened. In fact, her expression became one of immense sorrow.
"You're right. This can't....go on. It....has to end....right here....right now," she whispered.
What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion for everyone. With a terrifying roar of fury, Sarah jumped to her feet and charged at Mercury and Moon, both shocked into inaction. Mask, his heart in his throat leaped at the creature from one side and Batman from the other in a desperate attempt to bring her down, but Sarah, her strength increased from her anger, shook them off without breaking her stride as she continued her maddened charge. With Venus still unconscious and Jupiter badly weakened from the brutal pounding she absorbed, Mars and Vulcan looked to each other, both realizing they had no choice left to them.
"Mars Firebird...."
"Vulcan Shockwave...."
"ATTACK!"
"STRIKE!"
Mars' fiery phoenix construct and Vulcan's sonic blast hit Sarah full force at the same time, just as she came within ten feet of Mercury and Moon. The tremendous explosion upon contact drowned out Sarah's horrific cries as her flesh was incinerated and her bones were shattered.
"SARAH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mercury screamed as Sarah's wrecked and smoking body fell to the ground.
No one moved, no one even dared speak as Sarah reverted back to a now hideously ravaged and naked human form. Mercury finally broke free of Moon's grip and crawled over to where Sarah lay. Sobbing pitifully, Mercury gathered Sarah in her arms. Mars, looking on was anguished over having struck down Sarah. Vulcan, impassive as ever felt regret over her actions, but didn't let it show. Batman, scowling over the tragic end of the battle he saw coming but was helpless to prevent retreated into the shadows, not wanting to intrude upon the Scouts and their grief.
"For God's sake, Sarah! Why? Why did you do that?" asked a devastated Mercury, tears pouring down her face in streams.
Sarah's cracked and blistered lips formed a crooked grin. "Don't cry....for me....Bookworm. It was....the only way to....kill the beast. It wouldn't....have stopped....until you were....all dead." Sarah coughed and dark blood bubbled up in a froth from her mouth. "Oh, man. I don't...feel so good. I think I'm on....my way out."
"No! You're not! You're not! Hang on! I'll get you to a hospital!" Mercury cried frantically.
Sarah shook her head. "Don't bother. I'm....not worth it."
"Of course you are! You're my friend! Don't die! Please!"
Sarah coughed again and an impending death rattle could clearly be heard. "Sorry....Amy. Looks like....I'm gonna....let you down....again. Story....of....my....life...."
And with a weary sigh, Sarah's eyes closed, and she died. From the rooftop several stories above the street, Batman watched in moumful silence as the Scouts and Mask gathered around Mercury, still holding Sarah in her arms while her wails of heartrending anguish echoed up and down the small street.
Next: A Prelude To Obsession