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 Nine: The Chill of Vengeance
Rating: PG-13

The reptillian monster that was once Tomaroch tilted back his head and let out a fearsome roar as he revelled in his terrible, newfound power.

"This is not good," growled Batman, staring up at the mindnumbing horror that the Negaverse scientist had become. Sailor Mercury, caught fast in Batman's grip merely seethed, her own beast raging wildly within her.

Carlo Falcone gulped, his nerve wilting. "No shit, Sherlock. Unless you got a howitzer in that friggin' belt of yours, let's haul ass out of here!"

"WORMS! NO ONE WILL LEAVE ALIVE!" the transformed Tomaroch shouted. "LOOK UPON MY POWER! THE POWER THAT WILL SPELL YOUR DOOM!"

Tomaroch's glared at the four unconscious mobsters on the gurneys. Suddenly, red beams of searing energy shot out from the monster's eyes that incinerated and the helpless men along with Tomaroch's transformed assistants.

"Tony! Sam! NO!" Falcone cried.

Mercury found the strength to break free of Batman's grip and she charged the monster. "It doesn't matter what you've become, you bastard! I'm still going to destroy you! Shine Aqua... ILLUSION!"

Mercury produced a huge funnel of water of out thin air that became hard as rock and it slammed into Tomaroch like a freight train, plowing him into the far wall which buckled under the impact. But the deranged Scout wasn't finished. She could still see Sarah in her mind's eye as she died in her arms. Running towards the monster, Mercury's heart ached from grief while her soul burned from rage. She would not rest until Tomaroch died at her hands.

Tomaroch, his shattered ribs and punctured organs mending almost instantly staggered to his feet and whipped his massive tail at Mercury. Batman moved quickly, tackling Mercury before the flailing tail made contact and they tumbled to the floor. Standing up, the monster lumbered at the heroes.

"Bats! Stay down!" yelled Falcone, unloading on the monster, emptying his clip into Tomaroch's chest, causing him to stumble back, but the scaly nightmare stayed on its feet. As his wounds healed, ejecting the bullets in the process, the monstrous Negaverse agent roared from laughter.

"Mary, mother of God! What I wouldn't give for a nuke right now," the Mafiosi grumbled, his heart in his throat.

"STUPID HUMAN! I WILL GRIND YOUR BONES INTO POWDER!" rumbled Tomaroch, slowly stalking his prey.

Batman scowled. As powerful as Tomaroch had become, could he stop the monster without killing him? He had incendiary bombs in his belt which he planned to use for destroying the mutagen processing facility and could well destroy Tomaroch, but did he dare take that fateful step? Alien or not, Tomaroch was a living being, and it went against the Dark Knight's most sacred principle never to take a life. "Mercury! Can you encase him like you did those cops at the impound yard?"

Mercury glared at Batman, her eyes wild from rage and insanity. "You idiot! I don't want to imprison Tomaroch! I want to kill him! Mercury Ice Bubbles...FREEZE!"

The enraged Water Scout unleashed another murderous hailstorm at Tomaroch who staggered under the impact that pummeled his body like sledgehammers and shredded his flesh like razors, but his healing powers repaired him with alarming speed as he stalked towards her and Batman. But Mercury didn't stop, increasing the ferocity of her attack, putting her lifeforce itself into her assault until the room itself had turned into an Arctic landscape with below zero, jet force winds swirling through the huge space. But Tomaroch kept coming, laughing all the while. He them fired his eye beams at the ground, and the explosion knocked Mercury, Batman and Falcone off their feet.

With Mercury barely conscious, the ice assault ceased and Tomaroch stood smiling over his fallen foes. The mutated scientist felt like a god for whom nothing was beyond his power to destroy. He glared down at Mercury, deciding she would be the first to die. Batman, seeing he had no choice took out one of the high explosive grenades. The Dark Knight regretted that Tomaroch was beyond his ability to subdue without resorting to deadly force.

Just then, the floor and walls shook mightily and an ear piercing shriek made everyone wince. Suddenly, the door to the space imploded and flew at Tomaroch like an artillery shell from the force of a sonic energy blast, slamming him to the floor. Mercury, Batman and Falcone looked behind them and saw the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, battered and bloodied stride into the room.

"Knock, knock!" Sailor Moon growled.

"Whew! Looks like the calvary's arrived," said a relieved Falcone. Batman thought the same thing but wasn't about to publically admit it.

Tomaroch, throwing off the door was beside himself from rage. "INSECTS! YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME! COME IN, SAILOR SCOUTS AND DIE AT MY HANDS!"

"Turn down the decibels, Nega-sleaze! You don't scare us! If you're behind this madness, then you're in for a world of hurt!" Moon intoned. "In the name of the Moon, we're gonna put you down! Waste him, team!"

"Mars Fire....IGNITE!" yelled Sailor Mars, hurling massive fireballs at the transformed madman that set his scaly flesh afire.

"Jupiter Thunder....CRASH!" shouted Sailor Jupiter, blasting away with powerful bolts of lightning that seared his body.

"Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!" cried Sailor Venus, shooting a laser beam that punched through Tomaroch's chest.

"Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!" roared Sailor Vulcan, firing a sonic energy blast that pulverized the monster.

While the Scouts unleashed their barrage, Moon and Mask scampered over to where Mercury lay senseless on the ground next to Batman and Falcone.

"Mercury! Thank God! Are you all right?" a worried Moon asked as she cradled her friend.

The Water Scout looked up at Moon. "To tell you the truth, no." Mercury then passed out. Moon placed two fingers on Mercury's neck and breathed a sigh of relief when she found her pulse. She then glared hatefully at Batman.

"I'll bet you didn't expect to see us again, did you?" Moon snapped at the Dark Knight.

"As a matter of fact, I did. But this is no time for banter," Batman growled back. "Mercury's nursing a death wish. She's willing to throw her life away to kill Tomaroch. Get her out of here! Now!"

"Leave that to me, Sailor Moon!" said Mask who took the initiative and bundled Mercury into his strong arms. "I'll get her to safety! You see to it that monster doesn't get away!"

"If it's all the same with you, Bats, I'll just leave with cape boy here," said a nervous Falcone. "I ain't got no 'S' on my chest, pal, and this crazy shit is way over my head."

With a nod, Moon rose to her feet, as did Batman. Unlike in the park, the Dark Knight saw a fiery, steely eyed, take no prisoners look of determination on the face of the Scout leader. What Batman saw wasn't a frightened teenage girl----but a warrior. "Consider it done, beloved! As for you, Batman, stand aside! My friends need me!"

"Do you plan to kill him?" Batman asked.

"I'm going to stop this monster by any means neccessary! If you've got a problem with that....tough!" snarled Moon. "If I had the time, I'd kick your caped crusading ass for what you did to us in the park!"

"You'd try." Just then, a hideous roar of rage caught the attention of the heroes and they saw Tomaroch shake off the effects of the Scouts' attacks and rise to one knee, his eyes blazing from bottomless hatred.

"FOOLS! I AM BEYOND YOUR PUNY POWERS!" the monster bellowed. "BY ALL I HOLD DEAR, THIS PLACE WILL BE YOUR TOMB!"

Tomaroch then fired his eye beams up at the roof and it came down in a calamitous crash, blocking off the only exit from the damaged warehouse. The Scouts, Mask, Batman and Falcone desperately dodged tons of falling girders, steel beams, concrete and glass. Laughing maniacally, Tomaroch, fully healed got to his feet and charged the stunned heroes like a rampaging rhino. The Dark Knight, back on his feet, removed out a batarang with a line on it and hurled it at the monster's feet, wrapping his ankles. Batman pulled with all he had and tripped up the surprised monster who fell face first to the ground.

"An excellent diversion, Batman," said Vulcan, hefting one of the fallen beams with her super strength and, using it like a club, smashed it down on Tomaroch's head. The sound of bone crunching could be heard and dark, greenish blood spurted out of the ugly gash on his head. That brought a wicked smile to Vulcan's lips, her own bloodlust soaring. She scowled as Tomaroch staggered to his feet. "Time to put this fiend out of his misery."

The Scout of Order swung the beam at Tomaroch a second time, but the beast blocked it with a forearm before it connected with his head. The glancing blow knocked the beam from Vulcan's hands while the wounded scientist crumpled to the ground while the cavenous room filled with smoke. But Tomaroch didn't stay down long as he reagined his feet yet again, his healing powers repariing his hideous head wound and knitting his broken arm.

Snapping the line wrapped around his ankles, Tomaroch staggered on braced legs and whipped his tail at Batman who just managed to dive out of the way with Falcone before they were pummeled.

"Thanks loads, Bats," said Falcone, grinning at his unlikely savior.

"Consider us even," was all the Dark Knight said.

Tomaroch, again fully healed roared his defiance. "I AM THE RAW, UNFETTERED POWER OF MY MUTAGEN! YOU PITIFUL CHILDREN CANNOT STOP ME! HURT ME ALL YOU WANT, BUT YOU'LL NEVER DESTROY ME!"

"Like hell we can't!" growled Moon, summoning the Cosmic Moon Scepter. The other Scouts gathered beside her. "Mister, I've had enough of you! Scouts! Hit him with all you've got!"

"Mars Firebird....ATTACK!" shouted Mars, her body glowing a bright flame red as she summoned her terrifying phoenix construct. Tomaroch screamed as the hellish flames of the phoenix consumed him.

"Jupiter Thunder....DRAGON!" roared Jupiter, huge arcs of electricity dancing about her body as she called upon her monstrous lightning dragon. It's horrific power ravaged the beast.

"Venus Crescent....SHOWER!" yelled Venus, shining brighter than the sun itself while unleashing her devastating laser attack. Dozens of energy beams ruthlessly punctured Tomaroch's battered body.

"Vulcan Deathscythe....DESTROY!" cried Vulcan, swinging her scythe in a wide arc, releasing an incredibly large shockwave of sonic energy. Her blast slammed into Tomaroch like a hundred runaway locomotives.

"Moon Scepter....ELIMINATION!" bellowed Moon, leveling the scepter at Tomaroch and firing a blast of near immeasurable power that sounded like the tolling of armageddon itself. Against such power, Tomaroch was like a leaf caught in the fury of a hurricane.

The end result of the Scouts' doomsday onslaught was nothing short of cataclysmic as an explosion of unimaginable force rocked the warehouse. When the smoke cleared several minutes later, the Scouts were still standing, but the entire space had been reduced to smoking, burning rubble while the rear of the building had been blown completely away, leaving behind a gaping hole open to the night sky. Tomaroch was nowhere to be found.

Falcone, slowly standing let out a low whistle at the devastation that surrounded him. He felt like he was in a war zone. "Jeeee-zus!" he croaked.

Batman, standing next to the gangster nodded slightly. "Carlo, I couldn't agree with you more."

Moon, weary from the blast she fired looked around her for Mask, but found him prone on the floor. And Mercury was missing.

"Tuxedo Mask!" cried Moon, rushing to his side. "What happened? Where's Mercury?"

Mask, a knot on the side of his head, grimaced. "Mercury must've been faking unconsciousness and hit me while you were blasting that monster. Doesn't take a genius to figure out where she's gone."

"After that monster! If he survived the blast! C'mon, team!" ordered Moon. And the heroines quickly headed out the back of the ruptured building. Moon, in passing, shot Batman a scathing glare.

"If you know what's good for you, stay out of OUR way!" she snarled.

The Dark Knight's mouth curled briefly into a smirk. Besides, he had other duties that demaded his attention. "He's all yours, ladies."

Tomaroch, laying dazed on the pier considered himself lucky to be alive. Despite the enormous strength he gained from absorbing the mutagen, it proved to be no match for the might of the Scouts. His regenerative powers were unable to handle the incredible onslaught thrown at him and, after being blasted through the back wall, he reverted back to humanoid form.

Rising slowly to his feet, battered, bleeding and naked, the Negaverse scientist saw that he was only fifty yards away from the slip where the hydrofoil with the shipment of mutagen tainted drugs sat. Tomaroch, too weak to teleport ran for the boat. If he could escape from the Scouts and reach the private airfield where the cargo plane awaited, his plan for conquest could still succeed. He grinned at the thought that success could still be attained.

Just as Tomaroch reached the rear of the boat, the point of a large ice spear brutally rammed through the center of his chest, spewing a horrific geyser of blood. He screamed from agony and tumbled onto the boat, the point of the makeshift weapon jutting out his body. Writhing on the deck from agony, Tomaroch saw Mercury slowly approach him. For the first time in his life, the Negaverse scientist felt the icy chill of fear as he stared up at the Water Scout, her face was an iron mask, her eyes cold and dead.

As Tomaroch tried to stand, Mercury extended her arms and scowled. "Mercury Ice Bubbles....BLAST!" she shouted, mercilessly pummeling the mortally wounded alien with a hailstorm barrage that left him a bloody mass of rendered flesh and shattered bones, barely clinging to life as he lay in a heap on the deck. And yet, the Water Scout, hissing like a snake still wasn't satisfied. A harsh, bestial, grating voice inside her tortured mind screamed for his death, over and over, a horrific soundtrack to the still present mental images of Sarah's death.

"How does it feel? How does it feel to know death has come for you? Like Sarah felt when it came for her?" Mercury snarled at Tomaroch. Tears began falling from her eyes as the terrible ache in her heart returned. "Your poison perverted Sarah! Drove her insane and made her take her own life! She was the first real friend I ever had in this world! And you took her away from me! You didn't destroy just one person that night, you madman, but two!"

"Like I....said....it was....purely....unintentional," Tomaroch rasped.

With a thought, a soft blue light enveloped Mercury's hands, and a four foot long shaft of water materialized, then hardened into another ice spear. Her teeth bared like a wolf, Mercury raised the makeshift weapon over her head. It sparkled in the moonlight like a crystal. "This is not. I told you I would make you suffer. Now, I'm going to kill you."

"Mercury! Stop!" cried Moon from behind her. The Water Scout craned her head around to see the Scouts and Mask ten feet away. Mercury scowled, then turned back to face Tomaroch.

"Go away. I have to do this. I have to kill him."

"No you don't! For God's sake, Amy, let it go! Please" begged Moon. "Killing him won't bring Sarah back! It's time to end the bloodshed!"

"Shut up, Serena! You don't understand! I loved Sarah! I owed her my life! I can't rest until this maniac pays the price for destroying her!"

Moon, without a moment's hesitation, boarded the boat and walked around to kneel in front of the prone Tomaroch. "I won't let you wreck your life by committing murder."

"You idiot! Get out of the way! He's from the Negaverse! Why should you care what happens to him?"

"Now you're the one who's being dense. I don't care about him. I care about you," said a heartsick Moon. "I'm your best friend, and it's tearing me apart to see you like this. The only way you'll kill this man is to kill me first."

Mars and Mask, openly concerned moved towards the boat but was stopped by Vulcan who held out her arms in front of them. "Raye, Darien. Stand your ground," the Scout of Order whispered firmly. "Serena knows what she is doing. You must allow her to resolve this situation. For Amy's sake."

The two heroes fumed. "I hate it when you're right," Mars grumbled.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence as Moon and Mercury stared intently at each other. Finally, it was Mercury who cracked.

"Serena! For the love of heaven! Stand aside!" she cried.

Moon shook her head as tears came to her eyes. "I can't, Amy! I won't! There's so much good, so much gentleness within you, moreso than anyone I've ever known. If you kill him, you'll lose your soul. Trust me, this vermin isn't worth that price."

Mercury's face was twisted from emotional agony. "It's too late for me. I'm already damned. I have to finish what I've started."

"No you don't! Would Sarah want you to kill for her? Is murder any way to honor her memory? Look, I'm sorry that you've lost your friend, but I don't want to lose mine!" With tears pouring down her face, Moon stood up and held out her arms. "Come back to us. Come back to me. I need you, Amy. You're part of my life, and I love you."

Mercury wavered, torn from indecision. Her heart fought valiantly against the dark forces of madness that corrupted her mind and relentlessly drove her to seek vengeance for Sarah's death. In the end, Mercury's heart was stronger and emerged victorious. The voices in her head, yelling for revenge finally stilled. The ice spear slipped from her hand and shattered on the deck, then Mercury ran into Moon's waiting arms. The Water Scout sobbed uncontrollably, her tears washing away the rage and guilt that poisoned her soul.

"Oh, God! Serena! I love you too! Please! Don't let me go!" Mercury wailed.

"I won't, Ames. I won't," said a weeping Moon, a smile of blessed relief on her face as she held Mercury tight. Her heart swelled from joy as her friend had returned. "I'll always be here for you."

Tomaroch, hidden from view of the others behind Moon and Mercury rose to his knees. Although he was dying, the madman saw an opportunity to take two of his enemies with him to the grave. Standing up, the Negaverse scientist prepared to fire his eyebeams one last time at the girls.

"You on the boat! Get down!" a voice shouted. Moon pulled Mercury down onto the deck as a shot rang out. Tomaroch's head snapped back violently, his brains mushrooming out the back of his shattered skull as he slumped to the deck. Moon and Mercury gasped at seeing Tomaroch slide silently into death's embrace before disintegrating.

Everyone turned at the direction the shot came from and saw a smirking Falcone standing on a crate thirty feet away, a smoking gun in his hand. He gave the Scouts a salute after hopping down to the pier. "Bada bing, bada boom, Tomaroch. That's what happens when you fuck with the Mob."

Moments later, a series of thunderous explosions rocked the wrecked warehouse and Batman sidled up behind the gangster, startling him. The Dark Knight saw the end result of what Falcone had done and scowled fiercely at the Mafiosi for having taken a life, even an alien like Tomaroch. Falcone leveled his gun at Batman.

"Do you really want to push your luck, Carlo?" the Dark Knight snarled.

For a second, Falcone considered pulling the trigger, but thought better of it. The Mafiosi removed the clip and placed the gun on the dock. He then smiled at the Dark Knight.

"I know when to quit, Bats," said Falcone, raising his hands. He then shook his head and chuckled. "Besides, after all the shit I've been through tonight, a stay in the pen will be like a vacation."

The south end of the Tokyo waterfront was a scene of chaos as firemen fought to extinguish the fire that raged through the devastated warehouse that housed a laboratory of death. A hundred yards away, more firefighters worked on putting out a blaze that gutted a ship.

From the rooftop of an office building a quarter mile away, the Scouts, Mask and Batman watched the grim scene. At the other end of the rooftop, oblivous to everything, Mercury huddled in silence in Moon's arms. The others respected their need for privacy and left them alone.

"Is there any possibility that evidence of Tomaroch's mutagen might be uncovered?" Vulcan asked Batman who stood behind the heroes.

"None. Before I planted the incendiaries that gutted what was left of the warehouse, I did a check of Tomaroch's office and labs and found no handwritten notes or electronically stored information," the Dark Knight replied. "It looks like he kept the formula in his head, meaning the process died with him. With his laboratory destroyed and the drugs on his ship up in flames from thermite charges, the mutate threat is over."

"What'll happen to Falcone now that he's surrendered?" Mars inquired.

"He'll be extradited back to Gotham to stand trial for the murder of the city's assistant District Attorney which he masterminded. With the help of a confession from one of his stooges, there's a good chance Falcone will spend the rest of his life behind bars."

"Do you think he'll blab to anyone about us, or what went on here tonight?" Mask wondered.

Batman shook his head. "Not if he's smart. Revealing the existence of the Sailor Scouts or the Negaverse would earn Falcone a one-way ticket to a place far worse than Gotharn Penitentiary."

"Yeah. Arkham Asylum," said Venus, huddled next to Jupiter.

The Dark Knight shot a quizzical look at Venus who grinned sheepishly at him. "I lived in Britain until two years ago and worked with MI-6. They have a huge database on every prison and mental institution in the world. And they mentioned Gotham City a lot."

Batman nodded. "Ladies, I'm impressed. And that's something I rarely say to people in this line of work. Despite my initial misgivings, you handled the situation with Tomaroch like professionals. You've earned my respect."

Jupiter, still fuming over the being subdued by Batman during the brief but humiliating battle in the park was about to shoot him a foul mouthed retort, but a swift kick to her shin by Venus told her to keep quiet.

"Thank you, Batman. You are too kind," said Vulcan who didn't believe in holding grudges. "While we may have been at cross purposes initially, it was quite satisfying to have worked together and achieved one goal: saving lives."

"I won't argue that," said Batman. He then motioned with his head at where Moon and Mercury sat. The Scouts and Mask stared at the girls. "You can tell Sailor Mercury her secret identity is safe with me. Your friend succumbed to her demons tonight and briefly descended into the sort of madness that very few ever emerge from. Frankly speaking, I'm amazed she did, given the depth of her mania. Mercury will have emotional scars to be sure and will need a lot of support from you if she is to make a full recovery."

"Don't worry," said Mars. "We'll be with her, every step of the way."

"I expect no less. Keep up the good work."

When the Scouts and Mask looked back behind them, Batman was gone. Even Vulcan with her superhumanly acute hearing failed to hear the Dark Knight depart. She cocked an eyebrow while the others gasped out loud from shock.

"Fascinating," Vulcan said.

Meanwhile, Moon held Mercury like a mother would her child and gently stroked the Water Scout's hair. Mercury felt safe, warm, protected and, most of all, loved while in the comforting arms of her best friend. The horrors of the last few hours, the memories of the rage that nearly destroyed Mercury were still fresh in her mind, haunting her with their intensity, and she knew it would be a very long time before she could fully recover from her nightmare.

At least I won't have to face this horror alone, thought Mercury. I'll have Serena to guide me through the darkness and back into the light. Thank God she's here for me.

"Are you going to be okay, Ames?" a concerned Moon asked.

Mercury thought on that for several moments before she responded. "Eventually. I can't say when, but I will be. For now though, I just want to go home. And try to forget."

Moon yawned. "Sounds good to me. It's way past my bedtime anyway."

"One more thing."

"Name it."

"Would you sleep over with me tonight?"

Moon grinned. "Do you want me to? You know I snore like a chainsaw."

Mercury returned her friend's smile. Already she was starting to feel better. "I'll take my chances." Her expression then became serious. "I need you, Serena. I don't want to be alone after everything that's happened tonight."

"No chance of that, Amy. You'll never be alone while I'm around."

Twenty-four hours later....

In a huge meeting room filled with futuristic equipment, three legendary figures sat at a large round table with the letters 'JLA' emblazoned over a shield in the center. For the past ten minutes, Superman and Wonder Woman listened intently as Batman gave a detailed report on his encounter with the Scouts. The Dark Knight originally considered keeping the existence of Tokyo's defenders a secret, but decided instead on full disclosure, just in case Sailor Mercury's fears that the Scouts' war against the Negaverse somehow became public.

"Remarkable," said Superman, stroking his lantern jaw after Batman had finished. "I had no idea these Sailor Scouts even existed, never mind this threat they mentioned from the Negaverse. And not much gets past me, given my day job at The Daily Planet."

"I find it disturbing, Kal," said a scowling Wonder Woman, her arms folded over her chest. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of leaving the defense of the world's largest metropolis in the hands of teenagers."

"I'm surprised at your reticence, Diana," said Batman, his tone slightly condescending. "Given the fact the Scouts are female, I thought this would please your feminist tendencies."

Wonder Woman's scowl deepened. She didn't like being baited by the always calculating Dark Knight. "This has nothing to do with gender, and you know it," she snapped. "Protecting a city as large as Tokyo is too great a responsibility for people as young as the Scouts. Perhaps the League should take a more active role in safeguarding the city."

"I strongly advise against that. For one, despite our name, we can't devote all our attention to just one area of the globe. Two: the Scouts would deeply resent outside interference, as was the case with me," Batman explained. "What's more, while those 'teenagers' may be undisciplined and inexperienced, they're also powerful, and dangerous. Push them hard enough and I suspect they could give even us a run for our money."

The Amazon Princess snorted. "I seriously doubt that."

"I don't. You didn't see them in action."

"So, what do you recommend?" the Man of Steel asked his friend.

"A hands off policy, Clark. We give the Scouts the same level of autonomy we give J'onn, Wally, Kyle and Arthur to deal with their affairs in any way they see fit. Sailor Moon and her friends have done well without our help, and I see no reason that will change in the future."

Superman, the chairman of the Justice League of America mulled over Batman's words before he spoke. "As always, Bruce, I trust your judgement implicitly. If you think the Scouts can handle things in Tokyo on their own, then we'll leave them alone. Diana?"

Wonder Woman, still frowning was silent for a moment, then she nodded. "I'll go along with your decision, Kal. Far be it for me to debate the wisdom of the world's greatest detective."

"That's smart of you." Batman rose from the table and strode towards the exit. "If you'll excuse me, it's time I return to Gotham. I have a lot to catch up on there."

"I hope we made the right decision," said Superman.

The Dark Knight paused at the exit and briefly glanced over his shoulder at his teammates. "We have," he said in a voice that left no room for doubt. Batman then walked out.

Amy's struggle to return to normalcy began the moming after the battle against Tomaroch when she surrendered her transformation pen and communicator to Luna at the temple, leaving the girls stunned. Amy explained that she needed to get away from her perilous life as a Sailor Scout if she were to fully recover from her hellish experience.

Reluctantly, sadly, Luna was forced to agree, fearing Amy was too emotionally scarred to be an effective member of the team, something she had a difficult time getting across to the others save for Talia who found Amy's decision sound and logical. Amy's recovery over the next several weeks proved to be difficult as she struggled daily to deal with the emotional impact of her actions when she sought to avenge Sarah's death.

Amy, in her arrogance used to think she was above that sort of madness because of her intelligence. To have discovered she was wrong, that she was imperfect like everyone else was a blow that nearly crippled her psyche. Amy's emotional problems caused her grades to slip for just the second time in her life as she was unable to concentrate on her studies. Just like at Brighton after Sarah had been expelled.

The crushing guilt Amy felt over her rampage, her driving need to kill agonized her, making her feel cut off from the world. Yet, Amy was never alone. Her friends selflessly did all they could to support her. And during those long, sleepless nights, Serena was there when Amy woke up screaming from nightmares and needed to talk, or just to offer a soft shoulder to cry on. Amy shed an ocean of tears that ultimately cleansed her soul during that grim time, and many were the times that Serena cried right along with her.

Over a month after the battle on the waterfront, Amy called Serena to her home to talk. She asked Serena to bring her pen and communicator, saying she was ready to resume her duties as a Scout. When Serena arrived, the girls retreated to Amy's bedroom.

"Thanks for coming, Sere," said Amy, closing the door behind her. Amy looked rested, her eyes clear and filled once again with their normal vitality and intelligence. It was a pleasant thing for Serena to see.

"No prob. I've been looking forward to this day," said a grinning Serena. She held out Amy's pen and communicator. "I believe you asked for these."

Amy nodded. "I certainly did." She lovingly held the items in her hands. After putting the her conmiunicator on her wrist, Amy closed her eyes and held her pen high over her head. "Mercury Star Power!"

Amy's body flowed and shimmered like an ocean's waves as she transformed into Sailor Mercury. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.

"This feels good," the Scout of Water proclaimed as she struck a pose, admiring her reflection. "For a time, I wasn't sure I could ever bear to become Mercury again without dwelling on the evils I committed a month ago. Now, I feel proud to be wearing my uniform again."

Serena's smile widened. "I'm glad, Ames. We missed having you around."

"And I missed being with you and the guys. It was like a part of my life had been taken away from me," said Mercury. "Unfortunately, the guilt made being a Scout so hard to deal with. That's why I had to walk away. But now, I'm over my problems, thanks to you."

"You're welcome." Serena's face then fell. Now it was Mercury who became concerned.

"What's wrong, Sere?"

"Guilt. I didn't want to say anything because of what you had been through, but I was....jealous of Sarah," Serena replied. "I could see she was important to you, and deep down, I couldn't handle knowing you were so close to someone other than me. That sounds so selfish, doesn't it?"

Mercury closed her eyes and concentrated. In a flash of soft, sparkling blue light, she changed back to Amy and sat Serena down on the bed and took her friend's hand in hers.

"No. Not at all. You're only human. That means you're not perfect, something I nearly killed myself trying to be in school." Amy said thoughtfully. "Sarah was very special to me, I won't deny that. One day, I'll tell you why. But you don't have to be jealous of her. Sarah represents my past, but you are my present, and my future."

Amy paused and, with her eyes shining from deep affection, gently placed a hand on Serena's cheek. "You mean the world to me, Serena. Not to slight the girls and all the support they gave me, but I never would've survived the past month without you. Like Sarah, you saved my soul, if not my life with your love. I can never thank you enough for that. And for being my friend."

Serena, overcomed from emotion, threw her arms around Amy and hugged her tight. The girls wept as they enjoyed the simple but heartwarming pleasure that came from being in each other's arms. These were the times that Amy treasured most, being in the company of a dear friend who loved her.

"Hey! It was my pleasure," said a teary eyed Serena after the girls broke their embrace. "After all, I'm your best bud, so it was my duty to go the extra mile. Anyway, you have no idea how glad I am that you're back."

"Why's that?"

Serena's smile turned into a pout. "The study sessions! They've become torture sessions! Talia's a slavedriver who won't give me a break like you do! She's killing my poor brain!"

Amy broke out laughing when she heard that. She laughed so hard, her sides hurt, and, like being in her Scout uniform, it felt good. "Okay! Okay! I'll go back to running the sessions tomorrow. We can't have you overloading your brain. Right now though, I'm in the mood for something other than schoolwork."

Serena was stunned. She never thought she'd ever hear Amy say anything like that. "What could that be?"

"Ice cream! I'm dying for one of Andrew's yummy sundaes! My treat!"

"Yippee!" cried Serena, deliriously happy at the notion of free food. "Now that's what a friend is for! Splurging on sweets! Let's go!"

Rising from the bed, Amy and Serena clasped hands and left the bedroom.

Author's Closing Notes: A good barometer of a writer's skill is the ability to take a familiar character, put him/her into an unfamiliar role or situation and make it all completely believable to the reader. For me, transforming sweet, kind and gentlehearted Amy into a rabid, bloodthirsty, vengeance driven monster made for quite a challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed. You see, every story begins with the basic premise of "What if?", so when I plotted TLADIT, I asked myself: "What if shy and peaceful Amy (the least likely member of the team to go on a homicidal bent) were to go berserk and seek to avenge the death of a friend with bloodshed?" With my premise established, I then created my catalyst, Sarah Womack, the troubled girl from Amy's past who's tragic death triggered Amy's brief descent into madness. As with my previous stories, the principal theme of TLADIT was friendship, in this case, the friendship of Amy and Sarah from their days at Brighton and how the grim incident related in chapter six left Amy beholden to Sarah whom, at the time was her first really close friend, thus her rampage to gain retribution for Sarah's death. The other elements of the story: Tomaroch's plot to unleash worldwide carnage with his creature making mutagen, the Mafia-Yakuza drug angle (Gotham mobster Carlo Falcone was another supporting character I enjoyed writing about) and Batman's presence helped to tie everything together in this story which had been very rewarding for me to write. And I hope it was rewarding for you to read as well. Oh, and before I go, for anyone out there who doesn't read JLA (Justice League of America) and wasn't familiar with the names Batman mentioned earlier in this chapter, they were the civilan identies of Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), The Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) and Aquaman (Arthur Curry). And of course, Kal is short for Kal-El, the Kryptonian birthname of Superman (Clark Kent). Take care, everyone and have a great day!

Jeffrey C. Branch

July 27, 2001