If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, please contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. Sailor Sirius is the property of Sharon Williams. Any references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
The Adventures of Talia and Tanya:
Volley Into Danger
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Six
Rating: PG
The four humans and the huge creature stared at each other from a distance of fifty yards for what seemed like an eternity. Then, that frozen moment in time was shattered when the beast let out a bellowing roar.
"I strongly recommend that we vacate immediately," Talia said calmly.
"Huh?" said a puzzled Aoki, staring up at the creature.
"She means let's make Michael Jackson and beat it!" cried Tanya. And the foursome did just that, seconds before the beast lunged at them, and the group ran at full speed through the woods towards the lake.
The loud snapping and cracking of trees from behind meant that the monster was lumbering after them, making the foursome run all the faster. Before they reached the clearing for the shoreline, Talia, in the lead, veered sharply to the right and they followed her for a good hundred yards before they hid behind a thick clump of trees.
No one dared to utter a sound as the foursome saw the creature emerge into the clearing. It craned its head to the left and right as it searched for its prey. Breathing hard and heavily, the creature uttered a low, ragged growl, as if from frustration, then it lumbered slowly back into the lake. Once it submerged, the group, save for Talia let out a collective sigh of relief.
"We made it! We're safe!" said Aoki in a wheezing croak.
"Safe, under these conditions, is a relative term, Officer. However, I would agree that random chance operated in our favor," Talia said.
"In plain old English, stone face, we were lucky," Tanya retorted.
"Was that what I think it was?" a frightened Chris wanted to know.
"If you mean a prehistoric animal, yes, it was," Talia replied. For the first time in her life, the Vulcan girl experienced true and unbridled awe. The discovery of a live dinosaur thrilled her in ways she couldn't put into words. "Fascinating. Utterly fascinating."
"Fascinating my ass!" Tanya snapped. She couldn't stop shaking and was openly terrified. "How in blazes could a freaking dinosaur be alive today?"
"Unknown. I can only speculate that since the creature is amphibian, it might have been trapped in ice millions of years ago, plunging it into a state of suspended animation," Talia replied. "If I recall my science lessons, this region was locked in an ice age during the late Cretaceous period, the last era of the dinosaurs, thus giving credence to my theory regarding its existence."
"Since you've got all the answers, Talia, why'd it go back in the water so soon?" Aoki wanted to know.
"Being a water breather, I suspect the creature can function on land for short periods of time only." The Vulcan girl then set her face and emerged from cover. "If you will excuse me."
"Where are you going?" Tanya demanded.
"Down to the shoreline. There is something I need to look for."
"Are you serious? What if that thing comes back?" Chris asked. Like Tanya, he too was shaking from fear and couldn't stop.
"That is highly unlikely at present. The creature's breathing was extremely labored, meaning it was exhausted from its foray on land. It will need to replenish its strength before resurfacing. I shall return shortly."
"No way!" said Aoki sharply, grabbing Talia by the arm. "As a police officer, I'm responsible for your safety! I'm not letting you go down there!"
Talia glared menacingly at the young officer. She didn't like being manhandled and it made her angry. "While I respect your authority, there is much more at stake here than my well being. What I have to search for will determine why the creature came ashore, and when, not if it will return. So release me, or I will break your arm."
Aoki, startled by the deadly coldness in Talia's voice let go of her arm. Just like the monster, Talia frightened him. The Vulcan girl then turned to Tanya. "There is no need for you to accompany me, Tanya. Stay here."
Tanya shook her head. "Like Aoki said, no way! I'm coming with you!"
"That makes two of us!" said Chris, instantly regretting what he said, but he felt a pressing need to protect Tanya.
Aoki rolled his eyes and followed the trio, convinced they were all crazy.
Walking up to where the creature went back into the lake, Talia scanned the shoreline. She ignored the huge footprints in the sand that creature left behind while the others were shocked at their size. "Uh, Tal? Exactly what are you looking for?" Tanya asked.
Talia stopped short and stared down at something on the ground. She frowned from the discovery she made. "That," she said, pointing down.
The others stared at what Talia pointed at and recoiled from horror. The object was a severed right arm leaking blood onto the sand, a submachine gun still clenched in its hand.
"Merciful Allah! NO!" cried a horrified Tanya. Talia quickly enveloped the stricken girl in her arms and turned her away from the hideous sight.
"Jesus Christ!" Chris muttered, turning his head and closing his eyes. Feeling faint, his legs wobbled and he sank to his knees.
"Blast!" growled Aoki, desperately trying not throw up. His brief tenure as a cop hadn't prepared him for such a sight. "What this what you were looking for, Talia? Did the monster do that?" he asked Talia in a shaky voice.
"Yes. This clinches my suspicion, the creature is a meat eater. And it has a taste for human flesh," replied Talia, holding Tanya tight. She then stared hard at Aoki. "That is why it came ashore, Officer, to sate its hunger. The commotion we heard earlier was the creature fatally surprising the terrorists who headed this way in search for us. There is no doubt in my mind that it will return. The only question, is where."
"Oh, no! The lodge is literally a stone's throw from the lake!" Chris exclaimed. "What if that monster surfaces there?"
"The end result will be carnage," Talia replied, simply and grimly. "The panic from its appearance alone would almost certainly cost lives. Throw in the terrorists, and we are faced with a potential disaster."
Just then, everyone saw a foaming froth from the middle of the lake. Moments later, air bubbles slowly headed towards land.
"Uh-oh! It's coming back! Let's hide!" said Tanya.
As the foursome turned to run, Talia scooped up the fallen machine gun, severed arm and all and returned to the trees they hid behind and watched as the creature slowly emerged from the lake and wade ashore. It looked around for several moments, then turned to its right and lumbered off. Everyone except for a highly intrigued Talia were horrified at what they saw.
"The creature is headed for the lodge," she proclaimed. "Given its ponderous gait, I predict it will take fifteen minutes to reach its destination."
Hearing that, Aoki dropped his head. He felt lost and helpless. "I....I'm in over my head. Terrorists are one thing, and they were gonna be trouble enough, but a real live dinosaur....that's too much for me to handle."
"Perhaps for you, Officer. But not for us." Talia then turned to Tanya. "Tanya, it is time. We cannot delay any longer. Lives are at stake. Only we can prevent an almost certain catastrophe."
The pretty black girl nodded reluctantly, her faced lined from sorrow. She knew what Talia was suggesting, and dreaded it immensely. Especially with Chris present. "Yeah. You're right, as always."
Chris was confused. "What are you two talking about?"
"This," Tanya said sadly as she raised her right arm. "Sirius Star Power!"
Talia, her right arm raised, followed suit. "Vulcan Star Power!"
Tanya's fingernails turned black while a white six pointed star materialized on her forehead along with the Sirius Emerald Star Stone. The stone then glowed from a dark blue light that swallowed Tanya, changing her clothing in bursts of tiny stars into the blue and black uniform of Sailor Sirius, the dynamic Scout of the Stars.
At the same time, Talia's nails turned bright purple and her transformation pen appeared in her hand. A triangle of golden light shot down from it, enveloping Talia from head to toe who spun within it like a ballerina, her clothes morphing into the purple and violet uniform of Sailor Vulcan, the cooly logical Scout of Order.
"No! It can't be...." whispered a wide eyed Chris, stunned beyond belief after the transformation were complete.
"Good God!" cried Aoki, his mouth agape. "You're Sailor Scouts!"
"Correct," Vulcan replied.
Chris, meanwhile, was in shock as he stared in disbelief at Sirius. "Tanya? Is that....is that really you?"
Sirius, her heart in her throat and tears in her eyes nodded slowly. "Yeah. It is. I'm sorry, Chris."
"This is no time for idle chatter. We all have work to do," Vulcan said sharply. Prying the fingers of the severed arm from the trigger guard of the machine gun and casually tossing the appendage over her shoulder, Vulcan pushed the weapon into Aoki's hands. "I assume you know how to use this. You and Chris continue on to the cabins and call for help. Then get to the lodge and warn everyone about the creature. Sailor Sirius and I will confront it."
"But....but how?" Aoki asked.
"That is our concern, not yours. Go!"
Chris, his head spinning, was still horribly perplexed. "Ti....?"
"Please, go, Chris. I'll explain later," Sirius said somberly. Without saying a word, Chris joined Aoki and the two men headed back into the woods. Heartsick and angry, the Star Scout glared at Vulcan. "Dammit, Tal! Did we have to blow our secret identities? You could've knocked them out with your nerve pinch long ago! Why didn't you?"
"Because they would have been left defenseless, easy prey for the beast or the terrorists. Would you have preferred that?" Vulcan replied, a hard, cold edge to her voice.
Sirius shook her head, realizing Vulcan was right. The vision of an unconscious Chris being devoured by the monster gave her a chill. "No."
"I thought not. This way, they at least have a fighting chance to survive. Right now, stopping the creature is our number one priority, Sailor Sirius. Not protecting our secrets."
"Point taken. I hate to sound gutless, but we'd better call Serena and the others for help. Fighting dinosaurs isn't something we trained for!"
Vulcan shook her head. "We do not have the time. The creature will reach the lodge in minutes. The lives of everyone there depends on us. As for our secret identities, I will deal with that problem later. Provided we survive this encounter. Come!" Without waiting, Vulcan pushed off, knowing Sirius would be by her side. And she was, albeit reluctantly.
Sound, as it is wont to do, travels. And in the early morning stillness, the roar of the creature easily reached the ears of everyone at the lodge, putting the assemblage, both terrorists and hostages on edge.
"Sacre bleu! What on earth was that?" a nervous Desjardins asked Rainer.
Rainer shrugged his shoulders. He felt a chill run down his spine. "I don't know. Terada, there aren't any wild bears loose on these grounds, are they?"
Terada, equally as perplexed shook his head. "Not that I know of. What about the squad you sent to retrieve that friend of the Van Buren boy? Maybe they came across whatever it was."
"Good idea." Rainer keyed his radio. "Unit four. Come in."
No reply, just static. Rainer tried again. "Unit four! Andre! Respond! What's happening?"
Still nothing. That frustrated Rainer. "Shit! Unit three! Break off from jammer duty and head for the river! Unit four isn't responding to my calls! Find out what's going on!"
"Roger! We are on our way!" came a response over the speaker.
Maddie, watching the situation from several feet away knew that something was wrong. She turned to Mrs. Slaughter who stood next to her. "Looks like something's gumming up the works for the bad guys," Maddie whispered to her. "Maybe Tal or Ti got off the grounds and called for help."
"I certainly hope so. I'd hate to imagine what might happen if this situation gets out of control," said Mrs. Slaughter.
Nearby, Cynthia sat on the floor, one of the terrorists, holding an Uzi submachine gun stood nearby. Unlike everyone else who felt a deep chill at the sound of the roar, her mind was fixed on one thing and one thing only: escape.
Darn it! I'm Cynthia Van Buren! No way I should be demeaned like this! And especially by a bunch of croissant eating thugs who are after my daddy's money, Cynthia thought angrily. I can't just sit here and hope for someone to rescue me! I have to do something! I have to save myself!
Cynthia watched as Rainer, Terada and Desjardins turned towards the front doors of the lodge. She then glanced up at the thug who, partially turned around, was also distracted by the sound of the roar. The rich girl smirked as an idea came to mind. Slowly placing the palms of her hands on the floor to brace herself, Cynthia prepared to act. "Oh, sir?"
The goon turned back around to glare at Cynthia. "What do you want?"
"This!" Cynthia thrust her right leg upward, her foot impacting hard on the thug's genitals. The goon howled from great pain and, like Cynthia hoped, dropped his gun as he crumpled to the floor. Moving fast, Cynthia scooped up the weapon and trained it on Rainer and his startled partners.
Rainer, seeing Cynthia hefting the weapon chuckled. "Cherie. Exactly what are you trying to do?"
"Escape, you creep!" Cynthia snarled. "I'm not letting your keep me prisoner any longer! Come any closer and I'll fill you full of holes!"
"Oh, really? I doubt you even know how to use that," said Terada in a mocking tone as he took a step towards Cynthia.
"I don't, huh?" Cynthia expertly cocked the weapon, set the Uzi's fire selector switch to three-shot burst then held the weapon up to her shoulder for firing. The terrorist leaders, as well as the hostages were stunned and wide eyed at what they saw. The thugs then trained their weapons on Cynthia.
"Surprise, jerk! I've been taking shooting lessons on the sly for two years! I can fire anything from a derringer to an M-16!" Cynthia growled. "When your father makes guns for a living, it pays to know how they work! Especially if you stand to inherit the family business! And I'm a crack shot! Take another step, and you'll find that out, the hard way!"
Terada smirked and took another step forward. "It seems we underestimated you, Miss Van Buren. The next move is yours. Despite your alleged prowess with firearms, can you pull the trigger on a human?"
Cynthia's hands were steady. "Maybe. You want to take the chance?"
"We outnumber you, little girl!" LeClair growled. He itched to kill the girl, ransom or not. "You don't stand a chance of escaping alive!"
"Save your threats, Frog! You don't dare kill me and you know it!" Cynthia snapped back. "Without me and Chris, your ransom scheme goes down the toilet! Harm us, and my daddy will hire every bounty hunter and mercenary in the book to track you down and wipe you off the face of the earth!"
"Cindy! For the love of God! Don't provoke these lunatics!" Maddie cried.
"Shut up! I'm not going to put up with this madness any longer!" a furious Cynthia yelled back. "Thanks to these bastards, my chance to show off my volleyball skills for the U.S. team's been ruined! It's not fair! It's not fair!"
"Terrific. In other words, it's all about you, isn't it?" a disgusted Mrs. Slaughter grumbled at the rich girl.
"Of course it is, you stupid cow! It's always about me! Nothing else, and no one else matters!"
Terada grinned. Then took another step. "I see. When you say 'no one else', I assume you're referring to your fellow hostages. After all, you're not alone here you know."
"Stay back!" Cynthia shouted.
Another step. "Or what? You'll shoot me? Lifeless targets are one thing, my dear, flesh and blood people are quite another. Personally speaking, I don't think you have the guts."
"That's what you think, dirtbag." To the horror of everyone, Cynthia squeezed the trigger and pumped a three round burst into Terada's chest, blowing him off his feet and he landed in a heap on the floor. People screamed at what happened. The terrorists all aimed at Cynthia who stared in mutely at Terada's body. Her mind whirled at having fired at another human being.
"Nobody shoot!" Rainer yelled at his men. "We need the girl alive!"
"Holy God! I....I don't believe it!" cried Maddie. "Cindy! You killed him!"
Before Cynthia could reply, something incredible happened. Terada stirred, opened his eyes, then sat up, eliciting more screams from the assemblage. Staggering to his feet, Terada winced from the pain in his chest that quickly subsided.
"Mon dieu! It is not possible!" Desjardins croaked. "Terada wasn't wearing body armor! How could he have survived that?"
Rainer was at a loss for answers. "I....I don't know."
"Tsk. How unsightly," Terada grumbled, staring down in disgust at his chest and the bullet holes that leaked blood. He then glared at Cynthia who's jaw dropped. "No thanks to you, young lady, my hand was forced before I was ready. I might as well show everyone my true colors."
As everyone looked on, Terada changed. His skin turned dark gray while taking on a steel hard texture. As his body grew large and massive, topping out at an astonishing seven feet tall, six barreled gatling guns emerged from his forearms while multi-pod rocket launchers grew out of his shoulders. The creature's eyes morphed into perfect circles that glowed a bright yellow and its pupils looked like the crosshairs of a rifle scope. The monster flexed its pectoral muscles and the bullets popped out of its chest while the wounds healed with amazing swiftness. The monster, its head bald, leered menacingly at a now frightened Cynthia. It found her fear comical.
"I apologize, Miss Van Buren. You did have the guts," said the monster, its voice a deep, booming echo. "I'm impressed. Truly I am. But, in the end, I'm afraid it was all for naught."
As Chris followed Aoki through the woods, his mind spun from having seen Tanya transform into Sailor Sirius. Chris was numb because he thought he had known Tanya, but that took him completely by surprise.
Preoccupied as he was, Chris nearly bumped into Aoki who came up short and motioned for Chris to duck down behind some brush. Moments later, five more armed men tromped by them. Aoki scowled, realizing there were even more thugs loose on the campgrounds than he thought. The young policeman didn't want to think about the dinosaur headed for the lodge, and the two lone teenage heroines trying to stop it.
Chris' mind however, was a million miles away, his thoughts taking him back in time some three years....
It was late on a Saturday afternoon. He and Tanya, as they regularly did on weekends, went to the movies. Chris loved being with the pretty black girl, he felt comfortable with Tanya and could talk to her about anything, though the two teens often talked about their favorite sport, volleyball.
As they twosome headed towards Tanya's house, she slipped her hand into Chris' and their fingers intertwined. The blond rich boy looked at Tanya and smiled at her, and she demurely returned his smile. Chris' heart pounded in his chest like a triphammer. Because he was just thirteen, Chris couldn't understand his feelings, much less put them into words, nonetheless, what he felt for Tanya was undeniably strong. He was falling in love.
Wow! What a terrific girl, thought Chris. I'm so glad that she likes me!
After the duo reached Tanya's house, she motioned to the door. "Would you like to come in and watch some TV?" she asked.
"What about your father?" Chris nervously asked.
"He's at his church, getting things ready for services tomorrow." Tanya then giggled. "You're not nervous about being alone with me, are you?"
Chris, jittery, looked down at his feet. "Well, uh, kinda."
Tanya giggled again. "Relax. You've known me long enough to know I don't bite." Her face then took on a more serious expression. "I....I just want to be with you a little while longer before you go home. Please?"
With a sigh, Chris nodded. "Sure. Lead the way."
The two kids entered the Cambridge home. After Tanya turned on the TV as 'Battle of the Planets' came on, the couple sat down on the couch. A foot or so separated them. Tanya pointed at the screen. "Cool! BOTP! I never miss this show! I think Jason is so cute!"
Now it was Chris who chuckled. "Yeah! But Princess is a certified hottie!"
"More of a hottie than me?" joked Tanya as she scooted closer to Chris.
Chris, nervous, shook his head as he stared into Tanya's eyes. "Nope. Tanya, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Do you mean that?"
"Uh-huh. I like you, Ti. I like you a lot." Chris blushed as he was suddenly gripped by a need to do something very important. "Uh, I, er, was wondering if, jeez....I mean, could I, ah, would it be okay to....?"
"To kiss me? Of course you can, silly," said Tanya, a surprisingly mature smile on her face for a thirteen year old as she placed a hand on Chris' cheek. "I've been waiting for you to ask me that from the day we first met."
Chris gulped, then, praying he wouldn't screw it up, leaned close and titled his head, as did Tanya. His eyes closed as he gently kissed the ebon beauty. Chris' mind exploded from ecstasy as he thrilled at how soft and warm and sweet Tanya's lips were. The feeling was wonderful to him, unlike anything he ever experienced before. While the moment lasted only a few seconds, to him, it was an eternity, an eternity of purest joy.
When their lips parted, Chris, his head spinning, stared into Tanya's eyes which brightly sparkled like diamonds. He found it difficult to tear himself away those molten pools set into Tanya's rich, chocolate skin. "Wow! That was awesome! Did I....did I do okay? That was my first time."
"Me too. And you did just fine," Tanya replied in a husky voice. For several moments, the couple stared at each other until the sound of an explosion from the TV speaker broke the mood. The duo, startled, chuckled.
"Maybe you shouldn't have turned the TV on," Chris joked....
"Chris! Chris! Snap to!" Aoki hissed, nudging Chris hard.
Chris, snapped out of his reverie blinked in confusion at Aoki. "Huh? Something wrong?"
"Yeah! You spaced out on me! What were you daydreaming about?"
"None of your business," Chris grumbled.
Aoki, angry, grabbed a fistful of Chris' lapel. "Wrong answer, boy! This is no game! These woods are crawling with goons, and they're armed to the teeth! I need your head on straight or you'll get us both killed! Got it?"
Chris, realizing he was wrong, nodded, forcing Tanya out of his mind. "Yes, sir, I do. I'm sorry. Where to now?"
Aoki let Chris go and pointed ahead. "That way. We've reached the outer ring of cabins. C'mon."
After making sure the coast was clear, Aoki and Chris bolted from cover and ran towards the nearest cabin some fifty feet away. When they reached the cabin, they saw the door wide open, with Aoki leading the way with his weapon at the ready, he led Chris inside where they found no one present.
"No one's home. What do you think happened?" Chris asked in a whisper.
"I'm guessing everyone's been rounded up. Probably taken to the main lodge," Aoki replied. Going into one of the bedrooms, Aoki picked up the phone, but heard nothing. "Phone's dead. Let's try another cabin."
The duo moved to another cabin, its door also wide open. Going straight to the bedroom, Aoki tried the phone and heard the same thing. "This one's dead too. I think the terrorists cut the phone lines."
"Not good," said Chris. He spied a cell phone sitting on a bed and, grinning, snatched it up. "Hey! Look! Salvation!"
Handing the phone to Aoki, the cop turned it on and dialed police headquarters. Nothing. "This is weird. The battery's fully juiced, but the signal's not getting through. Like something's blocking it."
"Or somebody. Maybe those clowns are using some sort of electronic gizmo to block wireless calls," Chris suggested.
Aoki scowled. "If you're right, that means we're completely cut off, ten miles from civilization with terrorists on one side, a rampaging dinosaur on the other, and over a hundred hostages trapped in the middle!"
"What now?"
Before Aoki could respond, he heard the sound of footsteps at the front door. Someone was coming inside.
God! I can't believe I'm actually doing this, thought a frightened Sirius as she and Vulcan closed in on the dinosaur. I should be running the other way! Super powers or not, I've never been so scared in my life! "Uh, Tal, if it's not too much trouble to ask, could you please tell me how we're supposed to waste this monster?"
"Our objective is not to destroy the creature, Sailor Sirius," Vulcan calmly replied. "My preference is to avoid using lethal force since it is a living being. But, under no circumstances, must we allow it to reach the lodge."
"You're preaching to the choir, girlfriend. Do you have a plan to keep that from happening?"
"Yes. We draw the creature away from the lodge and force it back into the lake. Break left, I will go right. We must first block its path."
"Oh, great! I just knew you were gonna say that!" Sirius groaned. She could feel her nerves fraying from the terror she had trouble holding back. Taking a deep breath, praying she won't fall apart at a crucial moment, the Star Scout followed Vulcan's orders and, increasing her speed, burst up to the monster on its left side.
Running full tilt at forty miles an hour, the two heroines had no trouble overtaking the lumbering monster. After having passed the monster, Sirius glanced to her right and saw Vulcan nod ever so slightly, a sign for the Scouts to turn around and then stop, barely a hundred yards in front of the oncoming horror. The creature, seeing the colorfully dressed pink animals didn't stop.
"Okay! We're in front of the damn thing! Now what?" Sirius demanded in a noticably shaky voice, her body trembled and her heart pounded in her chest.
"Use your scepter illumination blast to disorient it," Vulcan ordered. She noticed how agitated Sirius was and that concerned her. "I will do likewise with a sonic beam. If we can sufficiently harass the creature, it might be persuaded to return to the lake."
Sirius nodded as she summoned her scepter while Vulcan crossed her arms over her chest. With the creature practically looming over the heroines, its eyes filled with a terrible hunger, the Scouts attacked.
"Sirius Scepter....ILLUMINATE!"
"Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!"
A blast of blinding light erupted from the Star Scout's scepter which Sirius hastily aimed at the creature's face. At the same time, Vulcan fired her sonic energy sphere which streaked mere feet past the monster's head and into the early morning sky. The dual attack of blinding light and a sonic boom caused the creature to howl from pain as its eyes and ears were brutally assaulted and it stopped in its tracks. Vulcan saw this and scowled.
"We must retreat. It is going to collapse," she said to Sirius.
No sooner had she said those words when the creature, dazed and stunned from the attack fell forward as its front legs buckled. Vulcan leaped safely away, but Sirius, wide eyed and paralyzed from fright was rooted in place as she stared up in slack jawed horror at the falling monster.
"TANYA!" Vulcan screamed as she dashed forward in a desperate attempt to save her friend. A moment later with a thundering, earth shaking crash, the monster collapsed on the spot where Sirius stood.
TO BE CONTINUED