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 Seven
Rating: PG
"We must retreat. It is going to collapse," Sailor Vulcan said to Sailor Sirius, staring up at the monster, dazed and stunned from the attack the Scouts unleashed on it began to fall forward.
Vulcan leaped safely away, but Sirius, in a continual state of terror from the moment she first saw the monster was wide eyed and paralyzed from fright. Rooted in place, unable to move, all Sirius could do was stare up in slack jawed horror at the falling monster.
"TANYA!" Vulcan screamed as she dashed forward in a desperate attempt to save her friend. Moments before the monster crumpled to the ground, Vulcan managed to grab Sirius and dove clear the area before the monster came down with a thundering, earth shaking crash. Protecting Sirius with her own body, Vulcan hit the ground brutally hard from the momentum of her lunge as the heroines tumbled a good twenty yards away from the fallen creature.
Both the creature, and the Scouts lay senseless and unmoving. After several long moments, Sirius was first to recover, she stared first at the monster, then she looked at Vulcan who, face down on the ground was bruised and bleeding from numerous cuts and scrapes.
"Tal? TALIA!" Sirius shrieked. She gathered the unconscious girl in her arms and gently shook her. The terror of her friend's condition was greater than that of the creature, and, panicking, Sirius feared the worst. "No! No! NO! TAL! For heaven's sake, please, talk to me! Are you alright?"
Vulcan slowly opened her eyes and stared up at her partner. "I am....alive. As for being all right, that is....open to interpretation."
"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" said a greatly releived Sirius, hugging Vulcan tight. Only then did the Star Scout remember what had happened, and was deeply ashamed at her behavior. "Tal, I....I'm sorry."
Vulcan gazed at Sirius in puzzlement. "For what?"
"I screwed up. Royally. For the first time since I became a Scout, I froze at a critical moment, and that nearly got us killed!" said Sirius, tears of guilt spilling from her eyes.
"There is no need to apologize, Tanya. You had a natural reaction to a situation you were not prepared for," said Vulcan as she gently dried Sirius' tears. "I do not hold that against you. The only thing that matters to me is your safety. I would gladly lay down my life to protect yours."
Hearing that, Sirius' heart warmed and she hugged Vulcan a second time. Her friendship with the stoic, alien girl had become extremely important to her, and it frightened the ebon beauty to the depths of her soul to imagine life without Sailor Vulcan, without Talia Kirk by her side. She silently prayed that would never happen. "Thanks, Tal. That means a lot. Sometimes, I wonder why you put up with a knucklehead like me."
Vulcan gave Sirius a kind, sincere smile. "Because you are my best friend. And I love you very much. That is reason enough." Refreshed from her healing powers repairing her wounds, the Scout of Order stood up, then helped Sirius to her feet. The girls then stared at the creature which still lay on the ground. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to contend with."
"I'll say. Is it dead?" a worried Sirius asked.
"No. It is still alive. From all indications, it was badly concussed by our attack," Vulcan replied. "Because the creature is amphibian in nature, it was not used to inordinately bright light and loud sounds, neither of which can be found at the depths it inhabits."
Despite the risk, Vulcan walked slowly closer to the dinosaur, her eyes bright from undisguised awe and wonder. She could see bullet holes on its side that slowly leaked blood. Gunfire from the terrorists it devoured, she reasoned. "Clearly this is the most important scientific discovery in the history of mankind. If only there were a way to restrain the animal so it can be properly studied."
"Restrain that? HA! Good luck! This thing could use the Rose Bowl for a cage!" grumbled Sirius, staying where she was. Her nerves were still on edge and had no intention on getting closer to the creature. "Besides, we've still got the terrorists to worry about. Everyone at the lodge must've heard Dino bellowing. What do we do about that?"
At that moment, the creature stirred. It turned its head to glare at the two Scouts, then, with a menacing growl, it slowly rose to its feet, then starting moving towards the heroines.
"The terrorists will have to wait, Sailor Sirius. It would appear we have the creature's full attention," Vulcan calmly stated.
Two minutes earlier....
To both the terrorists, and the hostages, the sight of Terada, having been shot at point blank range by Cynthia, only to get up and transform into a gray skinned giant bristling with weapons was nothing short of terrifying.
"Good Lord," whispered a stunned Rainer. "What are you, Terada?"
The creature laughed out loud. "Foolish human! Terada was just a disguise! My real name is Arsenal! A warrior of the Negaverse!"
"A what of the where?" said a puzzled Desjardins. "Are you some sort of alien from another planet?"
"To your pitifully limited mindset, human, yes! I am of a race devoted to conquering this planet!" Arsenal replied in his booming voice. "Sleeper agents such as myself are placed throughout this country, surreptitiously striking at targets in our sacred mission! None can withstand our fearsome might!"
"No one except the Sailor Scouts!" Maddie defiantly cried out. "They've been kicking your un-cool asses like rented mules for the last two years!"
His face a mask of rage, Arsenal lumbered up to Maddie and leveled the gatling guns on his right arm at her. "I don't like being reminded that so many of my brothers have perished at the hands of those sailor suited bitches! Say another word, and I'll terminate your worthless life here and now!"
Maddie, wide eyed from terror gulped and clammed up.
"What are you going to do with us?" Cynthia wanted to know.
"The same purpose that brought us all together, my dear! Money!" Arsenal answered, turning to glare malevolently at Cynthia. The Uzi she held fell from stiff fingers. He brought a foot down on the weapon and smashed it. "Maintaining our undercover operations requires considerable amounts of capital! Capital your father will gladly provide if he wishes to see his precious daughter alive again!"
"Where do we stand in this grand plan of yours?" Rainer wanted to know. He was angry at having been duped.
Arsenal chuckled. "I was originally going to divide the ransom from Van Buren equally between your group and the Yakuza cell I was in charge of! Now that my secret is out, I'll just take the whole thing!"
"And what about us?" an angry LeClair demanded.
"You get to continue living, as my soldiers!" Arsenal countered.
LeClair became enraged and aimed his weapon at the creature. "Your soldiers? Like hell I will!"
Before LeClair could squeeze off a burst, Arsenal fired the gun on his right arm. Rounds of white hot energy shot out from the spinning barrels and struck LeClair directly in the chest. The burly Frenchman screamed horribly as he disintegrated before everyone's eyes, leaving behind a pile of dark, smouldering ash on the floor.
"Idiot! No wonder everyone hates the French! Such abysmal stupidity!" growled Arsenal. The remaining five terrorists trained their weapons on the Negaverse agent who ignored them to glare at Rainer. "So, Jean-Claude, would you or any of your compatriots care to try their luck?"
Rainer seethed. Having to deal with a monster who held the upper hand wasn't something he counted on. The Frenchman chafed at his plans crumbling beyond all repair. "It appears I don't have a choice. All right, you damned fiend. You win."
Arsenal grinned. "A wise choice, mon ami." At that moment, the distant sound of the creature's pain filled roar reached the ears of everyone, causing more unrest and concern.
"There it is again. What on earth is that?" a worried Mrs. Slaughter asked.
"That, dear lady, is a very good question. It's time we answer it," said a now scowling Arsenal who turned to Rainer. "Rainer, send out the men and discover what's out there."
"And how are we supposed to guard all these people with my men outside?" Rainer wanted to know.
The Negaverse agent glared at him. "For starters, they're no longer 'your men'. They belong to me. Second, after having seen what I'm capable of doing, the hostages won't think of doing anything stupid. Follow my orders."
Again, Rainer seethed, but was helpless against the otherworldly creature. "You heard him! Get going! And find the Van Buren boy!"
The five men, mostly French, glared at Arsenal, but none dared to raise their weapons against him. Sullenly, they marched out of the lodge. Once the men left, Arsenal turned his attention to a visably frightened Cynthia and leered menacingly at her.
"In the meantime, Miss Van Buren, perhaps we can have a little....fun!"
Once again, Cynthia screamed.
One minute earlier....
Three of thee five men that watched over the electronic jamming equipment in one of the SUV's stood outside the cabin Aoki and Chris were in while the other two were inside, guns at the ready.
Claude, the leader, looked warily about the living room area. He motioned for the man with him to check the bedroom on the right while he went in the one on the left. Once in the bedroom, Claude saw nothing out of place. Staring at the closet, he cautiously approached the door and put a hand on the knob when he was startled by the roar of the creature.
"Sacre bleu! What was that?" Claude grumbled. He rushed back out into the living room area where his accomplice waited. "You heard that?"
"Oui! That must be what Rainer ordered us to look for!" the other man replied in a slightly nervous tone.
"Then let's find the thing! It must be nearby! C'mon!"
Rushing outside, the group of men headed back into the forest. Back in the bedroom, the door to the closet opened and Aoki and Chris carefully exited. Both men were trembling from the near encounter with the terrorist.
"That was close!" said an openly relieved Aoki who glanced at the submachine gun in his hands. "I thought I was gonna have to use this thing!"
"I take it you've never shot anyone before," Chris opinioned.
Aoki shook his head. "Nope. Traffic cops aren't called upon to get into shoot-outs. Did you hear that roar? What in blazes are the Scouts doing?"
"I don't know. But we should get back to them," said Chris. Hearing the beast bellow made him worry about Sirius. "With the phones out, we're just spinning our wheels. And those goons are headed that way! The girls will be caught between a rock and a hardplace! They'll need our help!"
Aoki shook his head. "No, we can't go back. Our responsibility is to the hostages at the lodge. The Scouts are on their own."
"Screw that! I won't abandon Tanya!" Chris moved towards the lake, but Aoki grabbed him by the arm and shoved the rich boy to the ground.
"Dammit, Chris! Grow up! We don't have time for this!" Aoki angrily shouted. "The Scouts have super powers and can take care of themselves! What about the hostages, including Cynthia? Will you abandon them because of some schoolboy infatuation?"
Chris seethed from anger at Aoki's harsh words and wanted to leap for his throat. Then, the logic of his argument sank in, and indecision took over as Chris was torn between his sister and the girl he once loved, knowing he could only help one. With a sigh of resignation, Chris, his heart aching, got to his feet, having made his decision. He prayed he wouldn't live to regret it.
"No. I can't." Chris then glared at the policeman. "Aoki, I think you're an asshole, but you're right. We have to help Cindy and the others."
Aoki also sighed. He felt bad for Chris. "For whatever it's worth, Chris, I know what its like to have your guts chopped up over a girl. If it'll make you feel better, I'll let you slug me after this is all over."
"If we live that long," Chris grumbled.
"I won't make any promises. C'mon."
As the pair turned and headed for the lodge, Chris took a long glance behind him in the direction where the Scouts were, where the monster was, and soon, the terrorists. Thinking about Tanya in danger made him want to cry, despite how un-manly it was in his mind. It also made Chris realize that, even after three long years, he was still in love with the pretty black girl, and that only intensified his pain.
I'm sorry, Tanya. I'm sorry I can't be with you. Please, forgive me.
"Well, girlfriend, we most definitely have Dino's attention! In fact, I think he's seriously pissed off at us!" said Sirius and she and Vulcan sprinted through the woods while the creature lumbered after them, roaring in its rage at them. "So, do you happen to have a plan, or are you playing Indiana Jones again and making it up as you go along?"
"A little of both. It is important to be able to adjust your strategy during the course of a mission as circumstances dictate," Vulcan calmly explained. "Our overall objective however remains unchanged: steering the creature away from the lodge. By keeping its attention focused solely on us, it will not seek another, more compliant target, namely, the hostages."
"Hey! I'm all for that! Problem is, it's one thing to lead Dino away from the lodge, how the hell do we keep him away without dropping the hammer?"
"If you are referring to the use of lethal force, I might just be able to avoid resorting to such drastic measures."
Before Sirius could ask what Vulcan had in mind, there came a different sort of roar from directly ahead of the Scouts. Moments later, an SUV laden with black clad terrorists burst out of the woods, startling the heroines.
"Holy crap! Look out!" cried Sirius, diving out of the path of the vehicle, as did Vulcan. The terrorists, seeing the massively looming form of the creature yelled out from terror, followed by the squeal of brakes as the driver tried to swerve out of the beast's path.
The vehicle did, but overturned in the process. The creature, further incensed, focused it's attention on the vehicle, and before the stunned men inside could escape, the monster brought a heavy foot down on the SUV, crushing everyone inside before they had a chance to scream. The creature stomped on the wrecked vehicle several more times, reducing it to a flattened, mangled mess.
"God in heaven!" a horrified Sirius croaked, her heart in her throat after seeing the vehicle demolished and the men inside killed. Even though they were the enemy, the Star Scout didn't want them to die such a horrible death. "Those poor devils didn't stand a chance! Where'd they come from?"
"The lodge, I suspect. Undoubtedly they heard the animal's roaring and came to investigate," Vulcan calmly replied. "In any event, the number of human adversaries we were up against has now been effectively reduced."
Sirius seethed. She hated the cold and callous way Vulcan made her point about the terrorists. Just as she was about to call her partner to task for what she said, the vehicle's ruptured gas tank exploded, literally right in front of the creature and it screamed from the fireball that enveloped it. Backing away, the creature, it's head severely smoking from burning flesh roared and thrashed about from pain and rage.
"Oh, boy! That's not gonna help its disposition!" Sirius commented.
Vulcan nodded. "I agree. Maddened, and now wounded, there is no telling how the animal will react."
Just then, the monster, still roaring lumbered right at the Scouts, Sirius dove for safety, but Vulcan calmly stood her ground and didn't budge as the creature loomed over her.
At the lodge, the sounds of the creature's roaring and the explosion of the SUV could clearly be heard, further upsetting the already nervous hostages, and annoying Arsenal.
"What the hell is going on out there?" he growled. "Rainer! Call the men! Find out what's happening!"
Scowling, the French terrorist keyed his radio. "Rainer to all teams. Report status! Come in!"
Nothing. "Anyone! Come in! No response, Arsenal, and there's no one else to send! Now what?"
The Negaverse agent fumed. What was supposed to have been a simple hostage operation that wouldn't have required revealing his true identity was fast spiraling out of his control. Was it possible that the Scouts had found out about the mission and were systematically wiping out Rainer's men before coming after him? But then, what was out there howling like some crazed beast? He had to find out.
"The Scouts! It has to be those damned Scouts!" Arsenal snarled. "Rainer! You and Desjardins watch the hostages! With the rear doors locked, no one can escape. Shoot anyone who tries! I'm going to end this madness!"
"What about her?" asked Desjardins, staring at Cynthia who sat cowering on the floor.
Arsenal glared at the rich girl. "She stays. I don't want anything distracting me while I deal with whatever's out there. Besides, she's our bargaining chip. Without her, we get no money. Watch her carefully."
Rainer nodded. "We will."
"One other thing. Don't even think about running off with the Van Buren girl while I'm gone," Arsenal said directly to Rainer. "Your heartbeat has been recorded into my auditory sensors. No matter where you go in this country, or on this planet, I can find you. And kill you. Understand?"
Again, Rainer nodded. "Oui. I understand."
Grunting a reply, Arsenal turned and stomped out of the lodge, much to the relief of everyone inside.
"Hey! Mr. French Fry! You gonna let E.T. call all the shots?" Maddie asked Rainer in an openly derisive tone.
"Shut up! It's not like I have a choice!" Rainer snarled back. "You saw what that monster did! He could kill us all!"
"Chances are he's gonna do that anyway!" said Brad Powell. "I don't think that....thing cares about us mere mortals."
"No. But he cares about me. His meal ticket," said a sullen Cynthia, feeling her world crumbling all around her. It made her think about the harsh way she treated people she thought were inferior to her. Now Cynthia was one of those people, and it didn't at all sit well with her. She vowed to change her approach to people, to life itself....if she survived this nightmare.
Outside, Aoki and Chris were secreted behind bushes fifty yards away from the main lodge when they saw Arsenal tromp by. The two men were wide eyed and open mouthed from shock at seeing the Negaverse agent. Once Arsenal had gone, both men exhaled from relief.
"What on earth was that?" Chris asked in a whisper.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Aoki nervously replied. "That thing looked about as human as that dinosaur the Scouts are tangling with. C'mon. Let's check out the lodge."
Aoki and Chris crept near to the main enterance to the lodge where they saw Rainer and Desjardins near the door. The pair then crept around the corner of the building.
"Looks like there's just two of those creeps," Chris whispered.
"Don't get cocky. That's one gun more than we have," cautioned Aoki.
"Then we need to draw them out. That's my job." Chris then stood up.
"What? You'll get yourself killed!" Aoki hissed, grabbing Chris' arm.
"No I won't. Remember, those goons need me alive or they won't get their ransom. I'll lure them out, then you ambush them."
"You mean, kill them."
Chris' face was hard and compassionless. He already abandoned Tanya, he won't abandon his sister. "Kill them, wound them, I don't give a shit. Whatever it takes to free Cindy and those people. You got a better idea?"
Aoki scowled and shook his head. He didn't. Still, the notion of shooting at someone for the very first time made his guts churn. With a heavy sigh, the young cop released Chris. "No. All right, go ahead. Dammit. This stunt will probably get us both killed!"
Despite the gravity of the situation, Chris chuckled. "Hey! Life's not worth living without taking a risk every now and then! Wish me luck!"
"I'll wish us both luck. We're gonna need it!"
"TALIA!" a horrified Sirius screamed, watching Vulcan stand directly in the creature's path as it lumbered at her. "Get out of the way!"
Vulcan didn't respond. Instead, she placed the tips of her index fingers on the purple gem of her tiara and concentrated. "Vulcan Mindstorm....ENGAGE!"
At the alien Scout's command, a nimbus of purple light enveloped her head and a narrow beam of purple light streaked out from the gem and struck the creature in its head, stopping it dead in it's tracks. With a howl, it collapsed forward, but Vulcan calmly leaped safely out of the way before it crashed to the ground. As Vulcan observed the fallen creature, Sirius, beside herself from anger ran up to her.
"What the hell were you trying to do, you idiot? You could've been flattened" she roared.
Vulcan regarded her partner with a raised eyebrow. "Not likely. I was not in any perceivable danger. To put myself in such jeopardy would not have been logical. I had to position myself in front of the creature in order to subdue it."
"Well, you could've warned me!" Anger gave way to relief as Sirius hugged Vulcan tight. "I thought I was gonna lose you! Why did you wait so long before you knocked him out?"
"Because I was unsure that I could. I had never used my telepathic attack on so large a lifeform before."
Calming down, Sirius broke the embrace and smirked at her best friend. "In other words, you took a guess."
"I find your comment highly insulting, Sailor Sirius. Vulcans do not guess," the Scout of Order replied haughtily.
"Uh-huh. Sure they don't. What now?"
"I will now execute a plan I have formulated. That being a mind meld with the creature and placing a suggestion in its brain to leave this area and head out to the open ocean."
Hearing that, Sirius' eyes widened from horror and her mouth fell open. "Whoa! Slow down! Wait a minute! You're talking about joining your mind with a dinosaur! A freaking dinosaur! Do you have any idea what could happen to you if something goes wrong?"
Vulcan nodded. "I do. Despite the primitive nature of its brain, I could be fatally overwhelmed from psychic backlash should it regain consciousness while joined as it was in tremendous pain when I subdued it."
"But you have to be in physical contact with that thing to use your mental powers! And it's still smouldering from the blast! You'll burn your hands to the bone!"
"That is a risk I am prepared to take. The only other option would be to kill the creature. And I refuse to do that. Time is short. I must act quickly before it recovers."
"Hold on." Sirius removed her gloves and handed them to Vulcan. "It's not much, but they may give you some added protection."
Vulcan, her heart touched from Sirius' gesture, smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Tanya."
"My pleasure. Just don't get yourself killed," said Sirius, her eyes bright with tears. "I've gotten used to having you around."
"I will do my very best to stay alive." Vulcan slipped Sirius' gloves over her own. "While I am engaged with the creature, I cannot defend myself. I will need you to protect me should more terrorists arrive."
Sirius nodded, her face hardened from determination. "No prob, girlfriend! I got your back!"
Taking a deep breath, Vulcan cleared her mind as she walked up to the head of the unconscious creature. Ignoring the smell of roasted flesh, the alien Scout placed her hands on the side of the monster's head. Vulcan winced from the heat that penetrated the two pairs of gloves she wore, yet, it wasn't as bad as Sirius feared. Blocking out the pain, Vulcan called upon her mental powers.
"My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts. I know what you know. I feel what you feel," Vulcan whispered. A second later, the alien Scout threw back her head and screamed, loud and long from terrible, searing pain.
In another area of the woods, the five men who left the cabin where Aoki and Chris were hiding at heard rustling from behind. Whirling around, the men leveled their guns and waited for their pursuer to reveal himself.
When Arsenal emerged, the men, shocked at what they saw instinctively opened fire on the tall, menacing creature. The fusilade of automatic weapons fire staggered the Negaverse agent, causing it to grimmace from pain. However, the gray skinned brute stood his ground and, enraged, leveled his forearm weapons on the group and fired a salvo of his own.
Rounds of white hot energy streaked forth from the spinning gun barrels and struck down the five men with disturbing ease before they could cry out. Seconds later, they were reduced to piles of ash, just like LeClair back at the lodge. Arsenal, his face twisted from the pain, his body riddled with holes that leaked brakish blood before repairing itself, glared at the smoking piles.
"Foolish humans! A pox on you all!" he snapped. Just then, the sound of a female screaming from a long distance away reached his ears. His auditory sensors pinned down the location and the computed the distance away the sound was. With a nod, Arsenal trotted off in that direction. He hoped to find the Scouts at the end of that scream. Then he would make them scream more.
Sirius' blood ran cold at the scream that Vulcan let out. The cry that came from her throat was both human....and not human.
"Tal! Tal! Are you okay?" the Star Scout demanded.
"Pain! Light! Pain! Sound! Pain! Burn!" Vulcan growled angrily. "Tiny pink animals....cause me PAIN! Hate them! Hate them all! EAT THEM ALL!"
"Oh, my God!" a wide eyed Sirius whispered, realizing that it wasn't her partner who was speaking, but the creature. She had never before seen what happened when Vulcan linked her mind with another lifeform, and the end result was frightening. Her mind reeling, Sirius desperately tried to pull herself together. She had to stay strong in order to help her friend who needed her. "Tal! Can you hear me? Are you still there?"
Vulcan's face twisted into a bestial mask of pain and rage. Yet, she nodded. "I....am....here."
"Then stay with me, V-Girl! That's an order! Remember the plan! Get him to return to the lake!"
Again, Vulcan nodded. The alien Scout, tears of agony streaming down her cheeks slumped to her knees, her mind on fire from the creature's pain that she felt through the meld, yet, she didn't break it. "I....will....comply!"
As Vulcan concentrated, Sirius heard a rustle of brush from behind her. The Star Scout whirled around and gasped from horror at seeing Arsenal who was briefly startled at seeing the dinosaur. Then he grinned dangerously at Sirius and leveled his arm weapons directly at her.
TO BE CONTINUED