Author's Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
The Vengeance Factor
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Seven: Gains And Losses
Rating: PG-13
Katrina, realizing that gunfire was coming from her left and right knew immediately that her opponents were trying to catch her in a pincers maneuver. Peeping up over the hood, her eyes widened at seeing the car Duncan rode in approaching her, despite the flattened left front tire.
"Damn! I'm a sitting duck here!" she whispered. Moving to her left towards the open doorway to the warehouse thirty yards away, the Interpol agent saw a shadow coming up fast. Katrina squeezed off two three round bursts from the Uzi and was rewarded by a scream of pain. Without hesitating, Katrina wheeled around and fired another six rounds, certain the other goon was coming up from behind, the 9mm rounds chewing up the front of her rental car.
Satisfied that her flank was covered, Katrina dashed for the doorway like a track star, leaping over the bullet riddled and lifeless body of Maki, blood oozing from the wounds he incurred. Seconds later, the car Duncan drove rammed into the left side of Katrina's vehicle, then exploded with a loud boom. Katrina, near the doorway, felt the tremendous heat of the blast and knew right away that the Irishman detonated, the force of the blast blew the Briton off her feet and she tumbled up to the door, dazed and bruised.
"Too close, old girl," Katrina muttered after regaining her senses. She then glanced down and saw a large, unsightly run in her pantyhose that ran the length of her left leg. "Son of a bitch! My best hosiery! Ruined! Now I'm pissed!"
Katrina saw that she dropped her handbag with the two spare clips in it when she fell. As smoke billowed from where the two cars sat burning, the Interpol agent saw her handbag on the ground fifteen feet away. Katrina started towards it, but a bullet richoceted off the asphalt barely a foot away from her outstretched hand. Not wanting to risk getting shot, Katrina turned and ran into the warehouse.
The inside of the warehouse was dark, musty and reeked from smoke from the fire that savaged the facility. Katrina was deep into the building before she stopped next to a bathroom and knelt by the wall. Breathing hard, the Briton removed the clip from the Uzi and checked her ammunition.
"Twelve rounds left, at best," she said, putting the clip back in her weapon. She then checked the Glock 17 handgun secured in her shoulder holster along with the two spare ten round clips for same. "Add thirty more for my sidearm and that'll be more than enough to end this farce."
Forcing herself to calm down, Katrina decided to sit and wait for Duncan and whoever was with him to enter the warehouse. Once they did and they came into view, Katrina would mow them down like wheat with a scythe. Given how dangerous Duncan was with his power, Katrina felt justified in terminating him with extreme prejudice, even though she was under orders by her superiors to bring the Irishman back alive, something she knew was now impossible.
Katrina, holding the Uzi tight in her hands was so fixated on the front door, she failed to notice someone creeping up behind her until it was too late and a hand clamped itself over the woman's mouth.
Outside, Goro lay coughing on the ground some twenty feet away from the two burning cars. After falling back from gunfire leveled at him by Katrina, he barely avoided death when Duncan rammed his car into the Briton's vehicle and detonated.
Standing up, his clothes scorched, his eyebrows singed and his face darkened from soot, the Yakuza gunrunner considered himself luck to be alive.
"Someone's looking out for you, pal," he muttered.
Gazing at the wrecked vehicles, Goro looked for the bizarre, crackling gray cloud that was Duncan as he reformed his body, but all the smoke billowing from the burning vehicles made that difficult, and he didn't want to get any closer than was absolutely necessary.
Skirting the perimeter of the wrecked cars, Goro considered leaving. His two cohorts were dead, and he knew it wouldn't be long before the police and the fire department arrived on the scene. He looked around for Katrina but didn't see her. Suddenly, the sound of crackling energy to his left made Goro turn. There he saw the energy cloud descend to the ground and reform itself into the human shape of Duncan who was on one knee, clutching his head and grimacing. Goro trotted over to him.
"Hey, Duncan! You okay?" he asked.
Duncan, his head pounding, stood up and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"Coulda fooled me. And what was with blowing yourself up while I was so damn close to everything?"
"Don't get so panicky," the Irishman growled. He took several deep breaths and the pain lessened some. "I'm gettin' more control over this thing, mate. I willed myself to keep my blast at low power. I only wanted to stun Howell, not kill her."
"Well, your little plan didn't work....mate. She made it inside that warehouse before you went boom," grumbled Goro, pointing at the open doorway of the building just ahead. "And she's still armed. What's more, it won't be long before the cops show up. If we're gonna grab that chick, we gotta do it quick."
Duncan scowled. Even though he wasn't concentrating on his power, he now felt a steady, warm tingle from head to toe, like he was being exposed to a low surge of electrical current. Was something else wrong with him besides the headaches? A sudden sense of urgency gripped him. "For once, I agree with you. Let's get in there and grab her!"
Katrina, fearing that one of Duncan's goons slipped into the warehouse from behind resorted to her unarmed combat training to free herself.
The Interpol agent swung her right foot behind her, cracking her assailant's shin with the heel of her shoe, eliciting a cry of pain. Katrina then rammed her right elbow into the other's midsection with all her strength, bringing out another cry and the Briton was released. Without breaking stride, Katrina decked her assailant with a vicious spinning wheel kick, sending the person to the floor. Picking up her fallen Uzi, Katrina leveled it at the person and began to squeeze the trigger when the person cried out:
"Kat! It's me! It's Venus!" came a pain filled croak from the Scout of Love who lay sprawled on the floor, an ugly purplish bruise on the left side of her jaw from the kick. A thin line of blood trickled down her chin.
Katrina's eyes widened when she saw who she had attacked. "Mina?"
"What's left of me," Sailor Venus replied, rubbing her sore jaw. She then looked around her at the surroundings. "Wow! Talk about deja vu!"
"Jesus H. Christ! You bloody idiot!" roared a now angry Katrina, helping Venus to her feet. "That was a stupid thing you did! I could've killed you!"
"No kidding! It's a good thing I'm tougher than normal in Scout form, or I'd be out cold. Are you okay?"
Katrina nodded, her anger subsiding. "I'm fine. What took you so long?"
"I didn't know where you were. And it's not like I can carry a cell phone in this get-up to call you," answered Venus, feeling her healing powers working the injuries she suffered at Katrina's hands. "I arrived here just as those cars blew up and I saw you run inside. I wanted to get Duncan, but I had to find out if you were hurt. Uh, what's with the Uzi?"
"It's the reason I haven't been captured, dear," Katrina replied bluntly, holding up her weapon. "Like I figured, Duncan tried to take me alive to lure you into a trap, but I held him off. However, he's not alone."
"He's got help?"
"Yeah. He's working with a couple of Yakuza thugs. I think Duncan killed one, and I took out another before he detonated the car he rode in."
"And you're gonna kill Duncan?" Venus wanted to know.
Katrina gave Venus a hard look before nodding. "If I can. With his powers, there's no jail on Earth that can hold Duncan unless he's drugged senseless or lobotomized. I've decided to save everyone the bother and blow his miserable head off. Got a problem with that?"
Venus thought on that for several moments. Her mind took her back into her past when, during her time spent in England, she was ruthless and quick to kill youmas whenever they threatened innocents. Her time spent with Serena and the others over the last two years softened her hard edge, causing her to forget just how dangerous she used to be. Perhaps it's time I return to being the hunter. Just this once, she thought. The blonde Scout set her face and shook her head.
"None. Let's waste that bastard before the others show up," she replied, her voice hard and cold. "I have no trouble with killing Duncan, but the Scouts will. And you're right. It's the only way to stop him."
As Junko Sakurada drove like a maniac towards the Nanohana office park, she yelled angrily into a cell phone.
"I said I need the whole area cordoned off for a half mile! Not a quarter mile! Have the SWAT squads and the fire trucks standing by at the main gate! No one is to deploy until I arrive! I'll be there in five minutes!"
Ending the connection, Junko concentrated on her driving, firming up plans for handling the situation she would soon face. It was only fifteen minutes earlier when she got a call at headquarters from a patrol car that was in the area of the abandoned office park when an explosion was heard. Figuring it might be Duncan, Junko called Katrina but got no answer.
Not willing to wait on the Briton, the Tokyo Police Inspector mobilized personnel to combat the threat. As Junko rounded a corner and saw three black SWAT trucks, four fire engines and two dozen uniformed men all gathered at the main gate, she felt confident she could handle the threat without interference from the Scouts. Especially since she came up with her own plan for stopping Duncan in his tracks.
After screeching to a stop, Junko hopped out and trotted up to the SWAT commander who saluted her. "Lieutenant Iwasaki. How are we doing?"
"We've got enough people here and are ready to go, ma'am," Iwasaki replied. "What do we have exactly?"
"The perp's name is Seamus Duncan, a terrorist with the Irish Republican Army. He was directly responsible for yesterday's disaster in Roppongi," Junko replied. As she took off her blazer and slipped into a tactical vest similar to what the SWAT men wore, Junko steeled herself for what she would say next because of how incredible it would sound. But the men needed to know everything there was to tell about their quarry so they wouldn't be put into jeopardy due to lack of information.
"I'm sure you've all heard the term floating through the department to describe....unusual suspects: 'Bug Eyed Monsters' or B.E.M.'s? Well, that's what Duncan is. Don't ask me to explain it, but this lunatic is some sort of mutant who can detonate himself like a bomb, then reassemble his body so he can do it again. Duncan's a homicidal maniac who'll kill anyone who gets in his way. Cops, civilians, anyone."
The assemblage of men looked at each other in shock and puzzlement. Iwasaki inwardly groaned. It had only been little over a week since the incident at Budokan Hall with the weird monster and its sonic powered scream. Most of the men had heard of the Sailor Scouts and their battles against aliens and monsters, but never figured on actually facing such a threat themselves.
"What's this guy after, ma'am?" one of the patrolmen asked.
"Does it matter? Our job is to stop him, period!" Junko shot back. She then turned to six hard faced men who stood nearby, holding sniper rifles in their arms. "Gentlemen, you've got the gas grenades. Your job will be to immobilize Duncan with them. The only time this madman is vulnerable is when he's in human form. Choppers have spotted the area where the explosion occurred. Position yourselves on nearby rooftops surrounding that building and wait for my orders. Understood?"
The men nodded, none saying a word.
Strapping on a belt holster, Junko chambered a round in her 9mm Beretta, set the safety and put the weapon in the holster. No Sailor Scouts in sight. Good. We don't need them. Ordinary humans can take down that monster! "Gentlemen, set the perimeter! SWAT team, let's go! We've got a perp to capture!"
Back inside the warehouse, Venus and Katrina crept towards the door when gunfire from the doorway forced them to the ground. Katrina squeezed off two three round bursts with her Uzi to stop the shooting.
"Whew! That was close!" said Venus, hugging the floor. "Sounds like one gun. Duncan?"
"Doubtful. Why would he need one, given his powers." The British woman's eyes widened from horror as she noticed how close to the wall she and Venus were. "Omigod! On your feet! Now! We've gotta get away from here! We've been lured into a feint!"
No sooner had Venus and Katrina scrambled to their feet and started running, the wall behind them exploded with an ear piercing thundercrack. The force of the blast lifted the women off their feet and sent them flying across the expanse of the warehouse while the heat scorched their clothes. When Venus and Katrina came to a rest on the floor, they were semi-conscious, battered and bleeding from the impact of the blast and the debris they had been pummeled with.
At the huge hole in the wall, the large gray crackling cloud slowly coalesced into the human form of Duncan. Right away after he reformed, his headache returned full force while he noticed something else: even though he was calm and not concentrating on his power, he felt hot all over while his body continued tingling. Duncan frowned at this new development, but he didn't care. All that mattered was seeing Venus and Katrina sprawled on the floor. His ruse had worked.
"Excellent," he muttered, a sleazy grin spreading across his stubbled face. "Goro! Come on in! We got 'em!"
Goro cautiously entered the warehouse, an empty handgun in his left hand while another weapon was in his waistband. He looked around and saw Duncan standing over the unmoving bodies of Venus and Katrina. "Looks like your plan worked, pal. What now?"
"Gimme that spare gun. I'll keep this simple and blow blondie's head off." The Irishman then smirked. The tingling he felt increased. "After that, I'll have some....fun with Howell. Y'know, maybe I'll take you up on that offer to raise hell with the Yakuza bigwigs. I always wanted to be a Godfather. It's my favorite movie. And you'll be my right hand man."
"Sounds wonderful," Goro replied, but there was no enthusiasm in his voice. The more he was with Duncan, the less he liked it.
Without saying a word, Goro handed Duncan the spare gun. The Irishman chambered a round and, with an evil grin on his face, he pointed the weapon at Venus' head. "But, first things first. At long last, you bitch, your ass is mine!"
"Shine Aqua Illusion!"
Before Duncan could pull the trigger, a three foot wide shaft of solid ice rammed into him from behind like a battering ram and he was sent hurtling away where he crashed into a large wooden crate fifty feet away. Goro whirled around and saw six sailor suited women in the doorway, their lovely faces hard from anger at seeing their teammate hurt.
"Oh, shit!" Goro groaned. Knowing he wouldn't have time to reload his gun, the Yakuza gangster dropped his weapon and ran for his life. Sailor Moon, watching the gangster flee, casually removed her tiara and willed it to morph into her powerful energy disc.
"Sorry, friend! But you're not going anywhere!" she proclaimed. "Moon Tiara....MAGIC!"
Moon hurled her energy disc at the fleeing Goro. Even in the low light of the warehouse, Moon's aim was perfect as the disc struck Goro in the middle of his back. But Moon, thanks to long hours of practice, mentally controlled the disc's power output and it hit Goro with only enough force to knock him out instead of disintegrating him. As the disc returned to Moon's waiting hand and reverted back to her tiara, she nodded, pleased with the results.
"Sirius! Bring that scumbag over here!" she ordered. "Merc! Mars! Vulcan! See about Duncan! And be careful!"
"Right away, boss!" the Star Scout replied, and the foursome carried out their leader's orders.
In the meantime, there was only one thing on the mind of the anguished Sailor Jupiter as she knelt by Venus and cradled her partner in her arms. The last time she had been with Mina, Jupiter fought with her. Now, she was motionless and bleeding in her arms. Jupiter's heart ached and automatically feared the worst.
"Oh, no! Oh, NO! Venus! Mina! Speak to me, baby!" Jupiter cried, tears pouring down her face. "Wake up, damn you! Don't you die on me, girl!"
"Whoever said I was dying?" Venus grumbled groggily. She then opened her eyes and gave Jupiter a weak smile. "Hi, sweetie. What kept you?"
"Traffic, you dumb blonde!" Jupiter joked, her tears now ones of relief as she hugged Venus tight.
Venus couldn't think of anything to say, so she didn't bother to try and simply enjoyed being in the embrace of her best friend. The argument she had with Lita was long forgotten as Venus felt warm and safe and wanted to spend forever in Jupiter's arms. Then, she remembered Katrina. "Kat! How is she?"
"She's fine, Mina. Just waking up," said Moon, kneeling next to the groggy Interpol agent. "Looks like we got her just in time."
"No kidding!" said Venus, feeling her strength return, thanks to her healing powers. "But we still have to deal with Duncan. And there's only one way to do that. With extreme prejudice!"
Moon's eyes widened, she was taken aback from the hard edge in Venus' voice, and what she had suggested. "You mean....kill."
Venus nodded as she rose to her feet with an assist from Jupiter. She too felt uncomfortable with her partner's attitude. "Damn straight," the Scout of Love growled.
Meanwhile, Mercury scanned Duncan who lay unconscious in the shattered remains of the crate he crashed through. What she saw through her VR visor in its x-ray mode were a myriad of broken bones, damaged organs from broken ribs and internal bleeding. A check of Duncan's head found something that made Mercury cock an eyebrow from puzzlement.
"How is he?" Sailor Mars asked.
"He's alive, but that's about it," the Scout of Water replied. "Duncan's suffered major injuries and he's bleeding inside. Fortunately, Sailor Moon can heal him with her scepter."
"In the meantime, Duncan must be rendered impotent," said Sailor Vulcan. "I will use my telepathic abilities to shut down his mind. That will keep him from using his powers."
"Make it fast, Tal," said Sailor Mars. She heard the sound of helicopters outside and frowned. "Sakurada and that army of cops we saw outside the main gate will be here any minute now. We don't want to risk anyone getting hurt if this lunatic comes to before they arrive."
Vulcan nodded as she moved forward and knelt by Duncan. "Acknowledged. Amy, monitor Duncan and alert me if his condition changes, no matter how insignificant."
"You've got it."
The Scout of Order placed the fingertips of her right hand on Duncan's forehead and concentrated, bringing her telepathic powers into play to enter Duncan's mind. What she found was a roiling, chaotic morass of a subconscious, not unlike a storm of violent thoughts which stunned Vulcan with its power. Visibly grimacing, Vulcan tried to calm the mental storm inside Duncan's brain, but, despite her powers being boosted while in her Scout form, the going was surprisingly hard for her. Then, with a barely audible gasp escaping her lips, something totally unexpected happened.
Even though Duncan was out cold, his subconscious was fully active, and was tormented by the nightmare that plagued and tormented him relentlessly for the last two weeks.
Once again, he was helpless, sprawled and wounded as a leering, demonic looking Sailor Venus loomed over him, laughing at his misery and pain. The loud, manic laughter that erupted from Venus' throat were like red hot needles piercing his brain, just like the laser beams that pierced his arms and legs, leaving him paralyzed. Once again, she cruelly mocked the Irish terrorist for being weak.
"Poor, pitiful little boy! Look at you! What a pathetic waste!" the demon Venus snarled. "Death is too good for a miserable maggot like you!" the creature then pointed her index fingers at Duncan's head as her death's head grin grew wider. "But it's a gift I'll gladly give you! In spades!"
"No! No! Don't kill me!" the terrified, pain wracked Duncan screamed. "Please! Don't!"
"Sorry, dirtbag! I don't take requests!"
"Stop!"
Seemingly out of nowhere, the puzzled astral form of Vulcan appeared and walked up to the demon Venus who, along with Duncan were just as startled to see her.
"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here?" creature Venus snarled.
"Fascinating," said Vulcan, looking about at the surroundings: a dingy, dark and dilapidated warehouse, completely different from the one she and her teammates were currently in. "It would appear that I have entered a virtual reality simulation of Duncan's subconscious. The realism of this environment is absolutely phenomenal. Perhaps a by-product of his powers."
"Enough talk, bitch! Why did you interrupt me from my work?" creature Venus demanded.
Vulcan cocked an eyebrow at the demonic version of her friend. She found the evil that radiated from this doppelganger like heat waves to be disturbing. "You have me at a disadvantage, madam. Exactly what does your 'work' entail?"
"Why, making this scumbag's life miserable! What else?" creature Venus replied. "Every time this loser goes to sleep, I take over and torture the hell out of him! Make him feel the pain of all his victims before I kill him! I'm having the time of my life dragging Duncan through the ringer."
"Interesting. And how long have you been at this?"
"Ever since he found out Venus was still alive two weeks ago," said creature Venus with a grin. "For twelve years, Duncan made fools out of the London Police, Scotland Yard, even Interpol. Nobody could so much as lay a finger on him. He was untouchable, invincible. But, in the end, it was a girl in a sailor suit who brought him down. Duncan couldn't handle it then, and he can't handle it now. That's why I've been torturing him!"
Hearing that, Vulcan stroked her chin as all the pieces fell into place. "I understand. What you are saying is that when Duncan learned Sailor V had survived the incident in London's East End, the shock of that discovery resulted in the development of a dangerous psychosis. A subconscious abnormality in which a twisted version of the woman who captured Duncan torments him in his dreams, thus providing the staggering psychological stress that triggered his latent mutant powers to life."
"Very good. You're pretty smart, Miss Pointy Ears," creature Venus snorted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to kill Duncan again."
"Lady! Whoever you are, don't leave me!" Duncan pleaded to Vulcan. "I'm beggin' you! Don't let her kill me!"
Creature Venus glared at Vulcan. "If you know what's good for you, sister, you'll go back where you came from! I won't let anyone stop me from wasting Duncan!"
Vulcan was unmoved from the threat. "Remarkable. Duncan's own subconscious has developed a sentience divided from his own mind. A malevolent 'life' of its own." She then stepped between Duncan and creature Venus. "I cannot allow this to continue. Duncan's mind must be shut down so he will cease being a threat in the real world with his powers."
Creature Venus just laughed. "Sorry, girlie, but that's not possible. Even if you turn off his brain, his subconscious----me----will still be awake, I'll still torture Duncan in his dreams, and I'll never go away until he finishes what he came here to do."
"Kill Venus." With no other option open to her, the Scout of Order assumed a combat stance. "Very well. Apparently, It appears that I will have to test the veracity of your bravado."
From six different rooftops that surrounded the warehouse with the two cars burning at the front entrance and a smoking hole on the west side of the building, SWAT snipers positioned themselves around the cordoned off area.
Sergeant Aki Nomura, in overall charge of the sniper squad heard his radio beep. "Nomura here."
"This is Sakurada. I'm half a block down from the warehouse with the troops. What's your situation?"
"We're almost in position, ma'am. However, it looks like the Sailor Scouts beat us here. They're inside the building now," Nomura replied into his lip mike as he peered into the building.
"What? How?"
"How else? They're superhuman. It looks like Duncan's in there with them, but they haven't made a move to exit. What are your orders?"
Down on the street, Junko, at the head of the main SWAT unit fumed. What the hell are those freaks up to in there, she wondered. "How long before your men are all in position?"
"About a minute."
"All right. Once your men are ready, fire the gas grenades inside. If we're lucky, we'll take down Duncan, and the Scouts in one pop."
By her own admission, if she had the time to make one, Vulcan had never been in a situation quite like this before.
Despite her agility, Vulcan couldn't avoid the spinning wheel kick from creature Venus which clocked the alien Scout on the side of her head, sending her to the floor with a grunt of pain. Slightly disoriented from the blow, Vulcan rolled out of the way as the evil doppelganger brought her right foot down on the spot where Vulcan's head had been only a moment earlier.
Scrambling to her feet, Vulcan barely had time to erect a defense before creature Venus rocketed a fist into her midsection, doubling her over, followed swiftly by a knee, driven up against Vulcan's jaw, and she was sent to the floor again, dazed and in pain.
"What's wrong, dearie? Can't bring yourself to hurt a teammate?" the creature sneered. Laughing from contempt, Venus kicked at Vulcan again. But this time, the alien Scout was ready and she grabbed Venus' foot in a two handed grip.
"You are correct, creature. I would not hurt a teammate," the Scout of Order growled. "But, in your case, I will gladly make an exception."
With a mighty heave, Vulcan sent creature Venus flying across the warehouse and the doppelganger crashed through several crates. Rising to her feet, Vulcan, ignoring the pain from the battle walked over to where the frightened Duncan lay and knelt next to him.
"What are you going to do to me?" the Irishman wanted to know, his eyes wide from fright.
"With the freakish manifestation of your subconscious subdued, I can now accomplish the task I came here to perform. Shutting down your mind," Vulcan replied. Her face it's usual expressionless mask, she knelt next to Duncan who became even more afraid. "This will not hurt. You have my word on that."
"NOOOOOOO!" roared creature Venus, staggering out of the wreckage, her eyes blazing from hatred. "I won't let you interfere! Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!"
Vulcan barely had time to leap out of the way as creature Venus' Crescent Beam scorched the air, missing the alien Scout by mere inches. Vulcan, rolling behind rusted heavy machinery for cover reassessed the situation. Vulcan knew that if her mental self were killed here on the astral plane, the violent psychic shock would kill her in the real world.
But if I retaliate with my own powers, provided I can at all, that same shock would kill Duncan, Vulcan thought. And since my mind is linked with his, I will be trapped inside his subconscious. Perhaps forever. This situation has become unworkable. I will have to pull out and rethink my strategy.
Just as Vulcan concentrated on ending the mind meld, creature Venus jumped her from behind, locked her fingers around Vulcan's throat and squeezed for all she was worth.
Inside the warehouse, only fifteen seconds had passed since Vulcan initiated her mind meld with Duncan, and already, the Scouts were openly nervous.
"I don't like this, guys," said an openly concerned Sirius. "It shouldn't have taken this long for Tal to put her mental whammy on someone. Something's wrong here!"
"I agree," said an equally worried Moon. "Amy! What's happening?"
"I'm not sure. Tal's adrenaline levels just shot up like a skyrocket. It's like she's fighting something," said Mercury, checking reading on her friend through her visor. She then saw something in Duncan that shocked her. "What the hell? I'm getting the same readings from Duncan! Only a hundred times stronger! His internal injuries are healing at incredible speed! The bleeding's stopped! His broken bones are knitting before my eyes!"
Suddenly, Vulcan's eyes snapped open wide and loud, horrible gasping sounds erupted from her throat, as if she were desperately trying to get air into her lungs. Meanwhile, Duncan's body began convulsing.
"Omigod! Tal!" Sirius yelled.
"What's going on?" demanded Katrina. She was just as shocked at what see was seeing as the others. But no one knew what was going on between Vulcan and Duncan.
"Where do you think you're going, freak?" growled creature Venus, her fingers locked tight around Vulcan's throat.
Vulcan replied by ramming her left elbow into creature Venus' midsection, the Scout of Order was rewarded with a grunt of pain as the doppelganger of her friend released her death grip and staggered back. Gasping herself, Vulcan calmed down and concentrated.
"This is not over, Duncan. You will be brought down," she intoned. Closing her eyes, Vulcan vanished.
"COME BACK HERE, YOU BITCH!" creature Venus roared. Furious, she turned her attention to Duncan, still helpless on the floor. Her demonic grin returning, creature Venus rose to her feet and staggered over to him.
"Well, at least you didn't skip out on me," she said. "I'll deal with the freak and her friends later. But, as for right now, it's dying time for you!"
"No! Don't! Don't kill me!" Duncan screamed. But his pleas fell on uncaring ears as creature Venus pointed her index fingers at Duncan's head and fired.
"Tal's lifesigns are wavering! Her EEG's fluctuating wildly! She's close to going into shock!" Mercury cried.
"No! NO! TALIA!" a hysterical Sirius screamed, rushing towards Vulcan, intent on pulling her best friend away from Duncan. At that moment, Vulcan screamed from pain as she disengaged herself from the Irishman and lay panting on the floor. Sirius, tears pouring from her eyes was first to Vulcan's side and enveloped the stricken Scout in her arms while the others gathered all around.
"Tal! Tal! Speak to me! Please! Are you okay?"
"I....am....well," Vulcan croaked. She then offered a weak little smile to her friend. "There was....no need for concern, Tanya."
"Like hell there wasn't, you pointy eared moron!" Sirius snapped back, her voice choked from emotion. She had been terrified to see the girl she loved like a sister in such frightful distress. "I thought we were going to lose you! What on earth happened?"
"Something I....hadn't encountered before," said Vulcan, helped to her feet by Sirius. "Something I wasn't prepared to face. There is more to Duncan than meets the eye. And it is just as frightening as his powers."
Just as a curious Moon was about to ask Vulcan what she meant, Mercury, still scanning Duncan spoke up. Her voice was filled with fear. "Good Lord! I don't believe it! Duncan's body temperature! It's rising! Fast! Over 200 degrees, and climbing!"
"What? You said he had to be awake to use his powers!" Mars cried.
"Apparently I was wrong! Even though he's still unconscious, Duncan's about to explode!"
At that very moment, six black, soup can sized projectiles came crashing through the rooftop windows and landed near the Scouts. Upon impact, thick, white gas erupted from the canisters and the heroines instantly began coughing and gagging.
NEXT: Victories And Defeats