Author's Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. All 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 Witches Of Philadelphia
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Four: Black Magic Woman
Rating: PG-13
In a back alley near the Independence Mall Holiday Inn, Charlotte McCoy, a flashlight in hand was searching for the place where she felt the powerful surge of magical energy that came from the Scouts.
Moving stealthily down the alley, McCoy stopped short and gasped when she spotted a six foot wide, half foot deep crater in the concrete. Opening her mind to use her telepathic powers, the black parapsychologist grimaced as she picked up intensely strong emanations from the crater. The power McCoy sensed staggered her.
"What in blazes?" she muttered, staring down at the crater, totally confused. Then she remembered the Sailor Moon videos she spent most of the day watching, and everything fell into place. "Okay. I get it now. The Scouts teleported, just like in the cartoon. Amazing. But where did they go?"
Suddenly, McCoy felt a terrible bolt of pain in her mind that made her cry out, and, dropping the flashlight, she fell to knees while clutching her head. For several moments, McCoy couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't do anything but endure the monstrous agony until it finally subsided. The torture felt like it went on for days when it only lasted for seconds.
"Good Lord!" McCoy croaked. Leaning against the wall, she breathed heavily as she tried to sort out what had happened. "Something just went down on the astral plane. Something ugly. But what?"
Suspecting the incident involved the Scouts, and that they could return at any moment, McCoy climbed slowly to her feet and staggered off to her car which was right across the street. She decided to wait for the Scouts. She still needed to see them in the flesh. And determine what role they would play in her investigation into the Darkhold.
Half a city away in the basement of Jeannie Travers' North Philadelphia rowhome, she and the girls were busy learning new spells from the book when they collectively screamed from a deep, stabbing pain in their minds.
The girls lay moaning on the floor for several minutes, barely conscious as the pain subsided. They all had felt the exact same thing: a presence had invaded their minds from the astral plane, and something else cast that presence out. Brutally. Fortunately for them, Jeannie's father was out of the house, and the basement's thick stone walls muffled the girls' screams.
"What....what was that?" a dazed Jeannie wanted to know. "It felt like someone took an ice pick to my brain....from the inside!"
"Same here. Blair! What the hell just happened?" a shaky Sabrina demanded of her friend.
Blair, slow to sit up shook her head. She felt so dizzy, she feared she would vomit. Wearing an imported cashmere sweater, that just wouldn't do. "I....I don't know. I think someone touched our minds while we were in tune with the book. Someone was searching for us, on a psychic level. I think it may have been the enemy."
"The Scouts? That makes sense," said Samantha. She hadn't told the others about the homeless man that she had killed earlier. It was working on her conscience in ways she didn't want to think about. "According to the manga and anime----that's comic book and cartoon----Sailor Mars has psychic powers which she uses to detect evil forces. If the real life version has the same abilities, she must've performed a divination to search for us."
"You think she found us?" a worried Sabrina asked.
"How would I know?" Samantha snapped back. "Blair's the expert on all this mumbo-jumbo crap! Not me!"
Blair cocked an eyebrow at Samantha's outburst. She noticed the Korean girl had been unusually sullen since she arrived for the meeting an hour ago, but wouldn't tell anyone why. Of the foursome, Samantha, a child of science and technology had the hardest time accepting the existence of the ancient black arts and becoming one with the group after Sabrina brought her onboard. This left Blair more than a little suspicious.
"To answer your question, Bree, I'm not sure," said the rich girl. "This is as new to me as it is to you. But if the Scouts are looking for us, we'll have to take action and bring this situation to a head."
Jeannie grinned like a shark and cracked her knuckles. "You mean a fight? I'm down with that!"
"I'm sure you are, Jean," Blair said coldly. She was equally disdainful of the brawny brunette whom she saw as being only one step above a Neanderthal. Feeling pressured by the new events, Blair decided it was time to reveal everything she did know about what the book wanted. "Listen up, all of you. I'm going to let you in on what the book wants done. And my plan to carry out its wishes."
When the astral form of Sailor Mars was bombarded by the truth about the evil she sought after, she silently screamed. Her wings then vanished and her ghostly form was roughly pulled back into her physical body where she screamed for real. Long and loud.
The other Scouts, psychically linked to Mars were mentally pummeled by the enormous feedback from the abrupt end to the reading, and they screamed from the agony Mars felt. Even Sailor Vulcan, with her vast mental disciplines was caught off-guard and unable to shield her mind from the terrible pain. Semi-conscious and sprawled on the floor, the faces of the Sailors, bathed in sweat were contorted from the brainfire that battered them.
"Sweet freaking Jesus!" a dazed Sailor Jupiter croaked. "I thought my head was gonna explode! What happened to us?"
"As near as I can tell, we were felled by some sort of psychic feedback from Sailor Mars," said Vulcan, struggling to orient herself. "It would appear something catastrophic happened to Raye during her divination."
"But what could it have been?" Sailor Mercury wondered aloud.
"Who cares about that? Raye's out cold! I think she's hurt!" said a worried Sailor Moon, cradling the unconscious Mars in her lap. Just then, voices could be heard in the distance.
"Yeah! I heard it too! I think it came from the Japanese House!"
"I've called the police! C'mon! Let's check it out!"
"Oh, great! Company's coming!" Sailor Venus grumbled.
"No shit, Sherlock! We screamed loud enough to wake the dead in three states!" Jupiter growled. She turned to Moon. "Serena! What's the call?"
"We get out of here! What else?" said a frantic Moon. "Form the circle so we can teleport!"
"Are you crazy? We're in no shape for that yet!" said Venus, struggling to stand. "I don't know about you, but I can barely think straight! We'll kill ourselves if we try to teleport!"
"Venus is correct. We will need time to regain our strength. Meanwhile, we must escape," Vulcan said calmly. "Mercury, if this structure is similar in design to Raye's home, it should have a rear egress that leads into a ceremonial garden. Could you check for that, please?"
With a nod, the Scout of Water tapped the stud in her right earlobe, activating her VR visor. She quickly scanned the rear of the house. "You're right, Tal. It does, and it's clear. But probably not for long."
"Understood. Jupiter, carry Mars, the rest of you, gather up our footwear and leave. I will cover your retreat," said Vulcan.
Moon shuddered from an old and unpleasant memory. "The last time you said those words, you brought down a skyscraper. You're not gonna do that again, are you?"
Vulcan gave Moon a reassuring smile. "No. This time, I intend to exercise considerably more restraint. Activate your homing device so I can find you."
"Okay. Be careful, Tal."
"I will. Go."
With Jupiter picking up Mars and the others scooping up the shoes and boots, the Scouts scampered out the back, leaving Vulcan alone in the main room. No sooner had the Sailors left when Vulcan heard the front door open, followed by footsteps. Hiding in a comer near the doorway, the Scout of Order, hidden by darkness patiently waited for whoever had entered the house to come into the room.
Her wait wasn't a long one. Two security guards, flashlights on cautiously entered the room. Vulcan watched the two men walk deeper into the room before she acted. Quickly moving up behind them, silent as a ghost in her bare feet, Vulcan clamped her fingers on the neck of each man and squeezed. The two men gasped from pain, then collapsed.
Vulcan regarded the fallen men for all of five seconds before activating the homing device on her communicator. A red arrow, pointing at two o'clock appeared on the display. Vulcan crept out of the back door of the house and pushed off to find her teammates. Creeping through the trees like a ninja, careful not to make a sound, the Scout of Order approached the others as they waited for her in a clearing.
"Greetings," she said, startling the girls who had their backs to her.
"Christ! Don't do that!" whispered a shaking Venus. Breaking out in a grin of relief, she handed Vulcan her boots which she quickly put back on. "Did you have any trouble back there?"
Vulcan shook her head. She felt undignified to have been barefoot. "None. How is Raye?"
"Not good. She still hasn't regained consciousness," said a worried Mercury, standing over Moon who once again cradled the still unconscious Mars in her arms. "Her brainwave scans are almost nonexistent. It's as if her mind has shut down. The shock of whatever she saw was too much for her to handle. I don't when....or if she'll wake up."
"Terrific. From the frying pan right into the volcano!" growled a disgusted Jupiter. "Can we still teleport back to the hotel with one hundred pounds of dead weight on our hands?"
Moon, instantly furious, glared at the Thunder Scout, her eyes blazing from rage and hatred. If she wasn't holding Mars, she would've leaped for Jupiter's throat. "Dead weight? You stinking bitch!"
"Enough! We have no time for arguing!" Vulcan snapped. "We can still teleport, however, in order to compensate for Mars' energy, we will have to double our concentration. Hurry. Form the circle."
The Scouts did as Vulcan ordered, clasping hands while Mars lay motionless in the center of the circle they formed. The heroines closed their eyes, tilted their heads back and concentrated with all their might. The power quickly built up within them and their bodies brightly glowed from colorful auras as they focused hard on the teleportation maneuver.
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"
"VENUS STAR POWER!"
"VULCAN STAR POWER!"
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
As two uniformed police officers, guided by the shouts rushed into the clearing, guns out and flashlights in hand, they stopped short and gazed in amazement at the Scouts, enveloped by auras so blindingly bright, the cops had to shield their eyes from the painful glare. Then, in one voice, the Scouts yelled at the top of their lungs: "SAILOR TELEPORT!"
An instant after those words were spoken, a huge shaft of silvery light shot down from the star filled night sky, surrounded the Sailors, then retreated back into the sky, taking the heroines with them while leaving behind a crater in the ground. The cops, wide eyed, slack jawed and thoroughly stunned were silent, staring down at the crater which was lightly smoking.
"Uh, Starsky? Did you see what I just saw?" asked one of the cops, a tall, lanky blond in a small voice.
The other cop, shorter, with dark hair nodded. "Yeah, I did, Hutch."
"So, how do we report this?"
"Who said anything about reporting it? I don't wanna spend the rest of the night in a rubber room. As far as I'm concerned, we didn't see squat."
The first cop mulled it over for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Works for me. Let's get out of here. I'll spring for donuts."
Back outside the hotel, McCoy had just gotten over the headache from the psychic feedback she felt when she saw a huge shaft of silver light descend into the alley she exited from only five minutes ago.
After the lightbeam receded into the heavens, McCoy saw five female forms while a sixth lay motionless on the ground. Quickly putting a pair of night vision goggles, McCoy looked on as the six forms, dressed in sailor suits glowed from colorful auras for a moment, forcing McCoy to close her eyes, lest the light, magnified hundreds of times through the goggles damaged her retinas.
When the light faded and McCoy opened her eyes, she saw that the Scouts were now garbed in normal clothes. One of the girls, tall and brawny and sporting a ponytail hefted the motionless sixth girl into her arms and the group, looking all around them sneaked back into the hotel. McCoy grinned.
"I'll be damned! The Scouts! They're real after all!" said the black woman, taking off the goggles. She felt her mind tingle strongly from the energy she felt from the girls. "And the power they radiated! Unbelievable! They could level this town if they put their minds to it! I think it's time we meet."
In the room Raye shared with Serena, the girls looked on in concern as Talia scanned for the mind of the Shinto priestess who lay unmoving on her bed.
Her eyes closed, her fingertips lightly pressing on both sides of Raye's head, the Vulcan girl concentrated mightily to help her friend. For the last thirty minutes, Talia used her telepathic powers to reach Raye's mind and pull her out of the coma-like state she was in. Amy sat nearby, using her minicomputer to monitor Raye's vital signs. The others, their emotions in turmoil watched from a far corner of the room so they wouldn't disturb Talia.
"Do you think Tal can help Raye?" a distraught Mina asked Lita in a whisper. She held Lita's hand tight and huddled next to the tall girl as she desperately needed her partner's strength.
"It's her or nothing, angel. Amy said using the Crystal to heal Raye might cause brain damage," a dour Lita replied. She then turned to Serena who wore an anguished look on her tear streaked face. "Sere, about that 'dead weight' crack I made earlier, I was horribly out of line and you had every right to curse me out. I know how much you love Raye, and I'm sorry for saying what I did."
Serena smiled slightly. "It's cool, Lita. I know you didn't mean it. Right now, I'm concerned about Raye. Oh, God, if anything happens to her...."
"Don't say that! Don't even think it!" hissed Mina, her throat tight. A tear slid down one cheek. Even though she occasionally had trouble getting along with the fiery temple maiden, Raye was a dear friend whom she loved, and Mina was just as worried as everyone else. "If anyone can pull Raye out of her coma, or whatever it is she's in, Tal can. You've gotta have faith."
"Yes, you're right. I've gotta believe Tal can help her," said Serena.
Beads of sweat formed on Talia's brow as she continued trying to reach Raye's mind. She had contemplated performing this task as Sailor Vulcan in order to take advantage of the considerable increase in her telepathic powers but feared she would cause severe damage to Raye. Talia concluded she needed a surgeon's precision to help her friend, not sledgehammer force.
Where are you, Raye? Why do you not respond, the Vulcan girl wondered to herself.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Talia's probing achieved success as she found Raye's missing psyche. What she saw was through the mind link was Raye's astral image, naked and curled in the fetal position on the floor before the sacred flame of the shrine room in her home in Tokyo. What made Talia, her astral form garbed in her Scout uniform, cock an eyebrow out of curiosity were the white feathers strewn on the floor, as if something lost its wings. After cautiously approaching the Shinto priestess, Talia looked into Raye's eyes and saw nothing but pain and horror mirrored in them.
Raye? What is it? What is wrong, Talia wordlessly demanded of her friend. What did you see during the reading that traumatized you so deeply?
Raye looked up at Talia, she opened her mouth, but no words came from her lips at first. Then, as recognition of who Talia was set in, Raye relaxed.
Talia? Thank God. It felt like I've been cut off from everyone for centuries. I've been so alone, and so scared, Raye said wordlessly. I saw something so horribly evil, it devastated me. It was old, powerful, and filled with a terrible hatred of men. I've never felt such monstrous hate before. And it's close to us, Tal. Very close.
What do you mean by that?
One of us is slowly being corrupted by that evil. And she doesn't even know it's happening.
Who is it?
Tal....I....I....
WHO?
I don't know. Her face was hidden from me. I'm sorry.
Talia dwelled on what she was told for several moments. Then she shrugged. No matter. We will figure this out. We always do. The Vulcan girl then held out a hand to Raye. Come. It is time to return home. The others are waiting for us. I will lead the way.
Raye was hesitant at first, then she took Talia's hand and was helped to her feet. It was then that she saw the light and was drawn towards it.
Back in the real world, Raye's eyes slowly opened and she looked around her. As the others gathered around her bed, Raye broke out in a small smile. "Hi, guys. Did I miss anything?"
"Not a thing! But you've gotta stop falling asleep on the job!" joked Serena who threw herself into Raye's arms and sobbed uncontrollably for several minutes. The others were content to wait for their hug Raye and show how much they loved her and were glad she was well. Talia stood off to the side and patiently watched. Finally, Raye stared at the Vulcan girl.
"Well? What are you waiting for, Kirk? An invitation?" she said in a fake growl to Talia as she held out her arms. The Vulcan girl nodded then embraced Raye who hugged Talia tight. "Thanks, Tal. Where would we be, where would I be without you?"
"Let us hope you never have to find out," Talia replied. Her face may have expressionless, but the tear that trickled down her cheek spoke volumes. After breaking the embrace, Talia hastily wiped away the moisture and gave Raye a studious gaze. "Are you well, Raye? Do you remember what you saw during the reading?"
Raye was silent for several moments, then she shook her head. "Not much. What I do know is that there are four girls our age involved with a terrible evil that's corrupted their souls. I think it has something to do with a book, but I'm not sure. I couldn't see their faces, but it looks like these girls are using witchcraft, and they're very powerful."
"Powerful as us?" Mina asked.
"Yes. Perhaps moreso.
"But why are they after us?" a puzzled Serena asked.
"I don't know."
Lita shook her head, her face lined from disgust. "Delightful. In other words: situation normal, all fucked up. Par for the course."
"Well, love, you were the one who said that you'd rather fight bad guys than live a boring life," a smirking Mina pointed out.
Lita gave her best friend a sour look. "Yeah. And don't think I haven't regretted saying that ever since."
While the banter was going on, Talia glanced at Amy and saw she looked to be down, unusually somber. That made the Vulcan girl think about what Raye told her on the astral plane:
One of us is slowly being corrupted by that evil. And she doesn't even know it's happening.
Could Amy be the one, Talia wondered.
After everyone returned to their rooms, exhausted from the teleport to do anything but turn early, Talia, having changed into a nightgown observed Amy, still dressed as she sat on the end of her bed, her head down. The Vulcan girl was having a difficult time accepting her own suspicion that Amy had been corrupted by the evil force Raye mentioned. It seemed logical to her, given the circumstances, but Talia had long since accepted, albeit reluctantly, that logic rarely worked where the Scouts were concerned.
"Amy? You seem depressed. Is something troubling you?" she asked.
Amy turned to face Talia, a sorrowful look on her face. "Yes. I didn't do my job today, then I lied to cover up my blunder. And Raye suffered because of my incompetence."
Talia, sitting next to Amy, cocked an eyebrow from puzzlement. She hadn't expected that. "Incompetence? Explain."
"I never looked for that information on witchcraft like I promised."
"What happened?"
"I met someone outside the library, a local girl who loves books and computers just as much as I do. We hit it off instantly and spent the day going through computer books." Amy paused as tears filled her eyes. "Doing that research slipped my mind. I'm to blame for everything that's happened tonight! If I had done my job, we never would've had to go to Fairmount Park, and Raye wouldn't have been hurt!"
"Nonsense. Even if you had found information, Raye was still intent on performing the divination. And we both know how inflexible Raye can be once she makes up her mind," Talia countered. "As for what happened at the Japanese House, that was a totally unexpected occurrence. You cannot blame yourself for that. To do so would be highly illogical."
"I still feel like I let everyone down."
"No, you did not. As usual, you performed exceptionally well during the crisis. Your analysis of Raye's condition prevented the possibility of brain damage had Serena used the crystal to heal her. As you humans would say, you pulled your weight."
Amy chuckled. Suddenly, she felt better. "I really wish you'd stop saying 'you humans'. You're just as human as we are. Even if you won't admit it. That little quirk makes you just as stubborn as Raye."
"A....human trait?"
"Absolutely," said Amy with a grin.
Talia thought on that for a few moments. Then, she gave Amy a sly smile. The Vulcan girl was convinced that no evil lurked inside her friend. "I will take that as a compliment."
Down the hall, Serena lay staring at the ceiling in the darkened room. Listening to Raye's soft snoring, Serena had felt uneasy ever since last night but couldn't figure out why. It was as if when she fell asleep, something ugly deep inside her soul would awaken, but she had no idea what that something was. It had Serena almost afraid to close her eyes.
C'mon, Tsukino! Grow up! You're too old to be worrying about monsters under the bed, she thought angrily. You're just spooked over that fight with those crazy chicks the other day. So they're witches! Big freaking deal! We'll mop the, floor with 'em like everyone else! Go to sleep, stupid!
It took some effort, but Serena finally managed to relax and she fell into a deep sleep. Once her consciousness was subdued, the thing inhabiting Serena's subconscious awakened. It felt elated over having thwarted the black haired girl's attempt to find it on the psychic plane, but she had come disturbingly close. However, it was not quite ready to take over, to use the tremendous power this girl possessed to exact her revenge on the world of men.
Who are you, Serena's subconscious asked. Where did you come from'? Why are you plaguing me?
The thing was taken aback. It hadn't expected the host to become aware of its existence.
Answer me! Who are you? What are you?
Calm yourself, child, and I will explain all. My name, in life, was Susannah Martin. But that was before I was cruelly murdered by fanatical, self-serving zealots who used religion and fabricated morality to murder me and my friends.
Then, you're a....you're a ghost?
Of a sort. I lived in Salem, Massachusetts, three centuries ago. I, along with a close knit group of women, all of whom were my dearest friends were practitioners of the magic arts. Over a dozen strong, we were harmless females who sought not to commit evil or play God, rather we used our powers to help crops grow in lean times, assist midwives with the birth of children, and to heal the sick and injured. We gathered together our spells into a book and drew upon it for our inspiration, our devotion, our power. And through us, our town thrived and prospered and was strong. Then, all changed.
What happened?
In the year of our Lord, sixteen hundred and ninety-two, I was in a tryst with John Proctor, Salem's magistrate and leading citizen, a married man who could not resist my amorous charms. When Proctor, a man who loved the trappings of power learned that I was a witch, he betrayed me to the townfolk out of fear that he might be linked to my activities and stripped of his office. Witchcraft was seen as abomination and a perversion of God's will. It was not enough that Proctor exposed me, he launched a mad crusade against our coven as an excuse to mask his affair, cloaking his carnal indiscretions with false righteousness.
He rooted out all my spellcasting sisters, had them arrested, brutalized, tried and then executed, hung like common criminals in a horrific public spectacle for all to see. We were murdered without pity, without remorse. Without mercy. And the entire town, especially it's menfolk succumbed to Proctor's madness, cruelly turning on it's women, pointing the finger of harsh accusation against any female whom they suspected of witchcraft, whether it had been proven or not. Wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, lovers, two dozen of us in all were slaughtered.
Hearing that, Serena felt a terrible pain in her heart. I'm sorry, Susannah.
Do not pity me, child! I have no need of it!
But....but how did you survive all these centuries?
Before I was hung, by that bastard Proctor himself, I sold my soul to Satan for the ability to survive the ages until I could be reborn into the world. My spirit was sealed into our coven's spellbook which Proctor branded 'Darkholde' and then threw upon a burning pyre with my lifeless body. While my flesh was destroyed, the book was not, thanks to the black power Satan imbued within its pages. The book survived Proctor and the monsters who killed me, locked away in Salem for three centuries until it illegally came into the possession of the redheaded girl whose mind touched yours the other day.
What do you want with me?
Your power, child. From the moment I bonded with you when the girl named Blair used her mindpower against you, I sensed within you, a great and limitless power, and that birthed within me a plan. I will use your power to exact my revenge against the world of man. Once my spirit has been released from the Darkholde, and plans are being made to do just that. I will take over your mind and body and banish you into the book. Then I will summon your Imperium Silver Crystal and use it's vast power to eliminate the unholy taint of males from this world for all time!
No way! I wont let you use me as a weapon to commit genocide!
You don't have a choice, my dear. I am entrenched now, and safely hidden. Every time you sleep. I grow stronger. Your friends, the psychic and the grim one with the strange ears will not detect me until it is already too late. Even as we speak, my surrogates, the four young women whose souls they sacrificed to me for the power they wield will set the wheels into motion that will bring about my resurrection. And you will be the avatar for my vengeance!
Susannah! Please! You don't have to do this! Maybe I can help you!
Quiet! The only way you can help is by surrendering your body to me so I can lash out at those who caused my death....MEN!
But that was over three hundred years ago! The ones who wronged you are long gone!
It does not matter. As long as men inhabit this world, I can never be at rest, will never know peace until every last male on this planet has been eradicated! Just envision it, child! No more violence! No more war! A world free of the vulgar male disease! A world of women alone who would strive with all their will to achieve a peace that this civilization has long sought but could never gain because of the barbaric mindset of men! With your help, with your power, this dream can be achieved!
By depriving wives of their husbands, children of their fathers, parents of their sons, women of their lovers? No! That's wrong! Susannah! Please, listen to me! I have a lover! A very special man who owns my heart and would lay down his life to protect me!
Yes, I know. Your precious Darien. Your sleeping mind has been quite the open book to me, Serena. Well, he will not be long for this world once I have been reborn and unleash your might. Of that, you can be sure.
Forget it! I'll kill myself before I let you hurt him or anybody else!
For what seemed like hours, there was a deadly silence. Then Serena heard a cold and chilling laugh. I am sorry, my dear, but that won't happen. When you wake, you will not remember our talk. Therefore, you will not be able to stop me. Sleep now, Serena. It is important that you be well rested for when I take over.
No! You can't! You mustn't! Raye! Tal! Anyone! Help me!
But no one could hear Serena's anguished pleas. A moment later, the thing quieted her subconscious and Serena slept soundly. All the while, the entity giggled fiendishly while it grew ever stronger.
"So, now we know that there are four of these crazy chicks on the loose. What do we do about it?" Lita wanted to know. She and the girls had gathered together for breakfast in the hotel's restaurant to plot their next move against the witches they fought two days ago.
Raye, nursing a cup of strong, black coffee shrugged. "I have no idea."
"Well, that's certainly ominous," said Amy, enjoying a bowl of bran cereal. She glanced at her watch which read five after nine. Samantha would be here in an hour. Amy hoped she wouldn't have to cancel her outing today with her newfound friend. "Do you think those other girls are as powerful as the two we fought on Thursday?"
Raye shrugged. "Can't say. But we'd be stupid to think otherwise."
Serena, a plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon and home fries in front of her, pouted. "Jeez! This just gets worse by the minute. It's almost making me lose my appetite!" She then shoved a forkful of eggs into her mouth.
"Yeah! Almost!" grumbled Mina, a butter slathered piece of toast in one hand. "Well, guys'? What's the next move? Any ideas?"
"Perhaps. Raye, is it possible that you can track down the place where those girls were last night?" asked Talia, holding a cup of hot Earl Grey tea.
"I'm not sure, Tal. It all happened so fast. I don't remember any landmarks or street signs," said a glum faced Raye. "All I know is that they were north of here. Unfortunately, this city is huge. Chances are I'd be leading you on a wild goose chase. But there's more to this than those girls."
"What do you mean?" Mina asked.
Raye shuddered before she spoke. "I only just remembered this when I woke up this morning. My mind touched a spirit that had given the girls their powers. This spirit was ancient, powerful, filled with rage and an all-consuming thirst for revenge."
"Revenge? Against whom?" Talia wanted to know.
"I'm not sure. My memories are fuzzy. Frankly speaking, the things I felt last night I don't want to remember. It....frightened me. But I think that spirit is the real menace, and those girls are it's dupes."
The table went silent. It was rare that proud, strong and arrogant Raye admitted to being frightened by anything.
"Well, ghosts aside, we've got to do something!" Lita argued, her pancakes and sausage ignored. "Who knows what those nutcases up to. After what happened on South Street, we've got to find them. Someone else may have made this mess, but, like it or not, it's our job to clean it up."
"But we still don't know who they are. Or why they fought us!" Serena pointed out.
"Maybe I can fill in some of the gaps," came a voice from behind them. The girls whirled around to see a tall, handsome black woman with long braided hair stroll up to their table.
Wearing a black leather jacket over a red turtleneck, tight jeans and brown ankle boots, the woman made the girls wary as she handed Serena an embossed business card. Then, in a low voice only the girls could hear, the woman said to Serena: "Hi. I'm Dr. Charlotte McCoy, parapsychologist and paranormal investigator. It's a real pleasure to meet you....Sailor Moon."
NEXT: Magic Carpet Ride