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 Five: Magic Carpet Ride
Rating: PG-13
"You're passing on the meeting today?" a startled Jeannie Travers said to Samantha Cho in the living room of the former's house. The two girls lived only a few miles apart and regularly got together. "What brought this on?"
"I have an appointment," Samantha replied tersely. "I'm meeting someone downtown at the Holiday Inn near Independence Mall."
The brawny brunette smirked. "Oh-ho! Meeting a guy? You go, girl!"
Samantha frowned. She didn't want Jeannie to know that she had lost interest in boys ever since she and the others bonded with the book. It was as if just being near a boy disgusted her. Samantha, who wasn't gay had no idea why, until last night near the library. "No, it's not that. It's a girl from out of town at the library yesterday. We're going to visit computer stores."
Jeannie rolled her eyes. "No wonder you're such a nerd. Blair's not gonna like this."
"I don't care. I've had more than my fill of witchcraft. Especially after last night. Aren't you worried about where all this is leading?"
"Nope. I'm having a blast. The power I've got is super cool."
"Yeah. But think of the price you paid for that power. The price we all paid!" Samantha argued, holding up her right hand so Jeannie could see the angry scar on her palm. Jeannie grimaced and turned away, not wanting to think about the ceremony four months ago. And the horrific nightmares she's had every night since.
"Look, Jean. Blair's insane. You know it, I know it, even Sabrina knows it, but she's too scared of that lunatic to say anything," said the Korean girl. "Her scheme to draw out the Scouts tomorrow could kill hundreds, maybe thousands, and potentially be seen by millions!"
"Chill out. Sam. You don't know if she really plans to go through with that," Jeannie argued. "Blair may be nuttier than a truckload of Planters, but not even she's that far gone."
"Are you sure? During the brief times we've been near the book. I've felt it's power, it's evil!" Samantha countered. "And Blair keeps the damn thing in her bedroom! There's no telling what it's done to her mind!"
Jeannie was silent for several moments as she mulled over Samantha's words. "I think you're overreacting. But let's say you're right, and Blair's gone off the deep end. What do we do about it?" the brawny girl wanted to know. "No way we can go to the cops with this. They'd slap our pretty young asses into straitjackets faster than you can say 'abracadabra'."
"Well, there's one thing we can do, Jean. Walk away. This has gone way too far. Thursday's disaster on South Street was proof of that. Blair's scheme was the clincher. And I....I killed someone last night."
Jeannie's eyes widened. "You....what? Who? Where?"
"A homeless man sleeping in the park near the library. Crushed him in the bench he lay on like a bug," said a dour Samantha.
"Jesus."
"It gets better. I can't explain it, but the evil in that book, it....took control of me. Made me hate that poor man because he was a man, driving me to kill him," said Samantha, tears filling her eyes. "We've all got a monster inside us. Jean, and it came from that book. We have to walk away from this madness, right now while we still have control."
"What if Blair won't let us walk? What if the book won't let us walk?"
"Then we find a way to destroy that book! I know this sounds crazy, but I really believe that thing's gonna kill us all."
Once again, Jeannie was silent as she considered Samantha's words. "Before Thursday, I thought this was just a game. We played tricks on people, got back at shitheads who made life miserable for us and had fun. Now, I'm not so sure. If Blair's double-crossed us, if that spook we've been messing with is planning mass murder for its new world order crap, then maybe we should hit her, hit them where it hurts."
Samantha smiled from relief and squeezed Jeannie's shoulder. "I couldn't agree more. But we don't need to hurt Blair, the book's just using her. If we can destroy that thing, we can end this nightmare."
"But how?"
"I'll think of something." The Korean girl checked her watch. "I'd better get going. My friend will be waiting for me. Our meeting's not until four. Knowing Blair and how she loves to shop on Saturdays, she'll probably be late, giving us plenty of time to work on some sort of strategy. Are you with me?"
"Absolutely. Check in with me before we go to your place if you come up with an idea."
"I will. See you." Samantha turned on her heel and let herself out of the house. Alone in the house, Jeannie dwelled on what she and Samantha were planning to do: betray Blair and destroy the book.
While Jeannie reveled in the power she had, she hated the grim consequences that ate away at her soul every night when she went to sleep. Jeannie wouldn't mind returning to her old life which was much saner than what she was living now. As Jeannie turned to head for the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Thinking it was Samantha, Jeannie went to the door and opened it.
The brawny girl gasped at seeing Blair in the doorway, a grim faced Sabrina standing behind her. The scowl Blair wore on her face was chilling.
"Good morning, Jean. How are you today? I had the most startling premonition last night after I went to bed," said Blair in a low growl. "I dreamt that you and Samantha were going to betray me. Is this true?"
Shit! "Betray you? What gave you that nutty idea?"
"Not what, dear. Who. The book told me." Blair's eyes began glowing, making her look demonic. Jeannie, afraid of what she saw, backed up into the house. "I think it's time we had ourselves a little talk."
Blair entered the house, followed by Sabrina who closed the door behind her. Moments later, there was an ear piercing scream of horror.
Serena giggled nervously as Charlotte McCoy stared at her. "Sailor Moon? Hee hee! Who's that? A Navy man from Korea?"
The black woman smirked. "Cute. Said the same thing myself yesterday morning. I'll admit I was skeptical too....until I watched you and your buddies pop into that alley next door last night. I gotta say that Sailor Teleport's a really cool trick."
The girls gasped, stunned from what they heard. Even Talia was taken aback. "How....how do you know about that?" a wide eyed Mina asked.
"Investigative research." Grinning, McCoy reached into her handbag and pulled out a Sailor Moon video which she displayed to the girls. "You guys look a lot younger in person." She then cocked an eyebrow at Talia. "But I didn't see you on the show, Miss Pointy Ears. Why's that?"
Talia gave her a stony look. "I am what you might refer to as, 'the new kid on the block'."
A scowling Lita had heard enough. She rose from her chair and glared at McCoy. "Lady, I don't know what your game is, but I'm done playing it! Raye! Let's show this tramp the door!"
McCoy, unfazed, shook her head sadly as the Shinto priestess, equally angry stood up. "Kids. No patience these days." The black woman's brows knitted and Lita and Raye suddenly froze in place, then plopped back down in their seats, their eyes wide from shock.
"Hey! I can't move!" Lita cried.
"Neither can I!" said Amy.
"What did you do to us?" Raye demanded.
"Nothing much. I manipulated the neural synapses in your brains that control motor functions. It comes in pretty handy for self-defense."
Hearing that, Talia cocked an eyebrow. "Fascinating. You are a telepath."
"You are correct, madam!" said McCoy as she pulled up a chair and sat next to Serena. She then picked up a piece of bacon from Serena's plate and ate it in four bites. "Mmm! Tasty!"
"Do you mind?" Serena growled. If there was one thing that she hated was anyone stealing her food. McCoy picked up on that and chuckled.
"My, my. Such angry thoughts. You are a glutton. Just like on TV." McCoy then became serious. "You may find this hard to believe, but I'm on your side. I don't want to pick a fight, I only want to compare notes as I think we have a common enemy."
Raye was unconvinced. "Really? How do we know you're not working with that 'common enemy'?"
"Good question. Well, if I wanted to take you out, all I had to do was place a suggestion in your minds for the lot of you to jump off the Ben Franklin Bridge with free weights tied to your ankles. But I'm not that kind of girl. If I turn you kids loose, will you behave long enough to hear me out?"
"Do we have a choice?" Lita demanded.
"Nope." Unable to resist, McCoy picked up another piece of bacon from Serena's plate and munched on it.
"Hey! Stop that!" Serena yelled.
The girls looked at each other for a moment. Their eyes told McCoy what she wanted to hear. "We will behave," said Talia.
"Great." McCoy blinked and the girls were released from their immobilization. "I knew you'd see things my way."
"What do you want to talk to us about?" Amy asked, cutting right to the chase. She was feeling impatient because of Samantha.
"Like I said, I'm a parapsychologist. My job is to hunt things that go bump in the night. I've been hired by the Archdiocese of Boston to find a book that's suspected of being cursed," McCoy explained. "It's called the Darkhold, said to be the only surviving text from the Salem Witch Trials. Those two nutcases you tangled with on Thursday may have gotten their powers from that book."
"Salem? Massachusetts?" said an astonished Raye.
McCoy nodded. "Bingo. The Darkhold is a book of powerful magic spells created by a coven of witches who were later given hemp neckties by an extremely irate populace."
A puzzled Mina scratched her head. "Hemp neckties?"
"They were hanged," Lita growled. "What's that got to do with this?"
"Plenty. According to legend, the last of the witches sold her soul to the Devil for immortality, and her spirit was sealed into the book," the black woman explained. Grabbing a fork, she stabbed one of Lita's sausages from her plate and ate it. Serena shuddered slightly, feeling an unearthly chill deep inside her soul. Having heard McCoy's words, she experienced a strange feeling of deja vu.
"Rumor had it people tried to destroy the book right after the trials but couldn't, probably because of the enchantment placed on it. For the next two hundred plus years, the book had been in possession of private collectors, some of them wannabe witches themselves until it was bought by the Salem Museum of History in 1920. Then, four months ago, it was stolen."
"By who?" Talia asked.
"A shady book dealer who was found dead in a Bronx rowhouse a month after the theft. Shot in the back of the head with a nine millimeter at point blank range," McCoy said casually. "Whoever that guy sold the book to didn't want to leave any loose ends behind. He had no identification on him, but a map of Philly was found among his possessions."
"How'd you find out about that?" Mina asked.
"I read the minds of the detectives who worked the case. Telepathy makes for one hell of a timesaver. I'm guessing he was gonna meet the buyer here, but was intercepted in New York, then whacked after the sale."
"So, you're saying that the person who's in possession of the book has gained magical powers from it?" asked Amy. "For what purpose?"
"To kill us! What else?" grumbled Serena. "They said as much when we fought them!"
"No, I think there's more to this deal than that," said McCoy, stroking her chin. "I can't imagine some loopy witch asking Satan for immortality so she can have some nutcases throw down with you super-teenyboppers three centuries later. That doesn't make sense."
The girls looked at each other, world weary, yet knowing expressions on their faces. "You'd be surprised where we're concerned," said Raye.
"Not likely. Honey, I've been places and seen shit that would turn you white." McCoy paused to chuckle as she glanced at a scowling Raye. "Oops, sorry. You already are. Anyway, there's something else at work here. Something big. And you guys are in the way of whatever that is."
"That is why we were targeted. So, you are here to prevent this from happening," said Talia.
"Not originally. My job was to find the book. Nothing more. I had no idea you existed until yesterday," said McCoy. "With my telepathic powers, I can seek out paranormal phenomena, that's how I found you last night. But the Darkhold's been blocking me. Something I hadn't counted on. I'm guessing Raye tried to find the witches last night and struck out. I watched her being carried in. I suggest we join forces and give it another shot."
Serena felt another chill from deep inside herself. It worried her. But she didn't know why.
Lita, arms folded, still scowling, shook her head. "No thanks. We don't need any help."
McCoy let out a short, harsh laugh. "Oh, yeah, I'll second that. You blew up South Street, got two dozen people hurt, one person killed and let those crazies get away pretty good on your own. Congratulations, kid. What will you do for an encore?"
The auburn amazon, furious, glared lasers at McCoy. "Go to hell."
"After you. And watch your language. It's not ladylike."
"What do you have in mind, Dr. McCoy?" Mina asked, placing a hand on Lita's shoulder to calm her partner.
"Please, call me Charlie. Here's my idea. I add my powers to Raye's and try again to find those nutjobs. If we find them, we find the book and stop whatever's going on before it gets out of hand."
"I advise against it," cautioned Amy. "Raye was nearly left a vegetable from last night's reading."
"Raye! Don't do it!" a worried Serena cried. The chill she felt increased. She then glared at McCoy. "How do we know we can trust this woman? She could hurt you!"
Raye held up a hand to silence Serena. "Calm down, 'Rena. I'm not a child who needs to be protected. And I've gotten my strength back. If McCoy's everything she's cracked up to be, then let's go for it. She's right about one thing, though, we've got to find those girls and stop them before they commit any more mischief."
"I am also telepathic, Dr. McCoy. I can lend my abilities to the task," Talia offered. She stared intently at the black woman, a slight look of smugness on her face. "I have sensed you trying to probe my mind ever since you arrived at our table. Unsuccessfully, I might add."
"Only because I wasn't trying hard," the black woman retorted, a wicked grin on her lips. "Trust me, sugar, no matter how good your defenses are, if I wanted in your head, you never would've stopped me. Not in a million years."
Talia's eyes narrowed as she briefly succumbed to annoyance. She bristled at having been challenged. "Is that a fact?"
"You betcha." McCoy's grin faded as she stared at Raye. "Okay, we'll need a quiet place to work if we're gonna pull this off."
"Upstairs in our room," said Raye. As the girls rose from the table, Amy, still seated, looked out the window facing Arch Street and sighed, her expression painfully sad. She checked her watch. Samantha would arrive soon, but Amy would have no choice but to cancel their outing which she eagerly anticipated. She had come to enjoy Samantha's company, and not being able to keep her date with her newfound friend depressed her.
As usual, duty comes before my personal life, Amy thought sadly. I know I shouldn't be selfish, but God, sometimes I really hate this!
Talia, seeing the dour faced Amy cocked an eyebrow. "Amy? Is something wrong? You look distressed," the Vulcan girl asked.
The blue haired genius shook her head and stood, hardening her features as best she could to mask her disappointment. "No. I'm fine, Talia. Let's go."
In the privacy of Raye's and Serena's room, the Shinto priestess, Talia and McCoy sat in a circle on the floor and meditated for twenty minutes to clear their minds while they others sat near the door and quietly watched. Once the trio finished, the parapsychologist gave both girls a steely eyed look.
"Here's how this is gonna work. Raye, I want you to open your mind to me and recall as best you can the things you saw during your reading last night. I'll use my powers to enhance, strengthen and clarify your memories," McCoy said. "With any luck, we'll be able to pin down the location of the book, and find out what those bimbos look like. Think you can do it?"
Raye nodded, her face set from determination. "Absolutely!"
"Good. Talia, your job will be to shield our minds while Raye and I are out of body. You're our defense mechanism in case whatever's in that book discovers us sneaking around and tries to whack us. If anything fatal happens to us on the astral plane, the psychic shock will either drive us insane, or just plain kill us. And neither option's on my agenda for today. Got it?"
Talia also nodded. "Understood. I will protect you."
"Excellent. Amy, I want you to take notes of everything Raye says. The rest of you, no talking. Not even whispers. Any distractions, especially after we begin could be terminal. Let's get started."
Raye, Talia and McCoy clasped hands, closed their eyes and tilted their heads back as they concentrated and brought their powers into play. Raye gasped softly as she felt the black woman's psyche enter her mind with a forcefulness she never before experienced. It was like Raye's mind was a door which McCoy barged though with very little effort. Yet, there was no pain or discomfort as McCoy used a gentle touch to enter Raye's mind. At the same time, the Shinto priestess felt the reassuring warmth of Talia's strong spirit as it wrapped ghostly yet protective arms around her and McCoy.
Relax, Raye. I'm not going to hurt you, Raye heard McCoy wordlessly say. And Talia's got our backs. Open your mind to me. Open it fully. Let me see what you saw last night.
I'll try, Charlie, Raye replied. She then concentrated with all her might and suddenly, her spirit form burst free from her flesh and blood prison and floated into the early morning sky, opening a panorama of the city opened before her eyes. Just like last night, Raye's astral form, naked and bearing huge white wings hovered over the hotel, but she wasn't alone. McCoy, also nude and sporting similar wings floated near her. The black woman smiled.
Not bad, huh, kid? Makes you wish you could do this in real life. Now, focus. Which way do we go to find the book?
"West," whispered Raye. Amy jotted that down.
On the astral plane, the two women flew west, soaring high over the city like eagles as their wings easily bore them aloft. Raye smiled, she felt beautiful again, free of all petty human concerns, just like last night. The two women followed the Vine Street Expressway until it joined with Route 76 West, sparse with traffic on a Saturday morning. All the while, Raye whispered directions which Amy wrote. Serena, Lita and Mina looked on from fascination.
Raye flew on, McCoy close behind. After several miles, Raye banked sharply left at the turn-off for City Line Avenue and the women were now on the thoroughfare that separated Philadelphia from Philadelphia County. Raye continued west, giving directions every step of the way. McCoy used her powers to strengthen Raye's concentration and was amazed at how unerringly Raye followed the path her mind touched last night.
Raye. I read in your mind that the book was in the northern part of the city last night. Why west, McCoy wanted to know.
It's mystical energies are strongest in this direction, Charlie. With your powers augmenting mine, I can feel it, Raye explained. It's located here, in this area of the county. I'm sure of it. I suspect the owner travels with the book to the houses of the other girls for their spellcasting sessions.
Makes sense. Don't lose focus, honey. And keep giving those directions to Amy. Hey, Talia! You with us, girlfriend?
I am, Dr. McCoy. Worry not. I....have your back.
The unearthly chill Serena felt increased as Raye grew closer to where the book was located. This too she had no explanation for.
The journey west continued onto Lancaster Avenue for several more miles, the scenery having changed to that of large, opulent homes, well manicured lawns amid a serene, peaceful environment. McCoy, having grown up in Chicago's infamous Cabrini-Green projects before moving to California and UCLA with her scientist father always disliked how the rich flaunted their wealth for all to see. The black woman constantly told herself not to be jealous of the status of others. She never fully succeeded.
Charlie! I feel the forces strongest here, in a place called Bryn Mawr! The closer we get, the more powerful that force from the Darkhold becomes, thought Raye. She finally arrived at a lavish home with a private driveway in front and hovered over it. The Shinto priestess whispered the address to Amy. This is the place where the book dwells. I can feel it's power! It's evil!
So can I, Raye. This is some serious shit. What about those girls?
I can see their faces in my mind. I'll try to describe them. "The first girl, the one who bought the book, the one who killed the buyer from Boston, she has curly red hair and green eyes. This is her home. She's obsessed with her beauty. And the power she now has. Her name is....Blair."
"The second girl, a blonde, goes to a Catholic school in the city. She's Blair's best friend. Her name is....Sabrina."
"The third girl, she's from the inner city. Like Lita, she's a workout freak, has brown hair, and is a brawler. Her name is....Jeannie."
"The fourth girl, she's Asian, very smart, likes books and computers. Her name is....Samantha."
Amy, busy writing stopped short when Raye described Samantha, and her insides suddenly turned to ice. The blue haired girl's eyes widened while her mouth fell open. The expression on her face was one of utter and complete shock. Samantha? The girl I met yesterday? No!
Tears filling her eyes, Amy dropped the notepad, shot up from the bed and hurried for the door. The others, startled at their friend's abrupt behavior just watched, then a concerned Serena got up and followed Amy as she opened the door and hurried from the room. Once out in the hall, the chill Serena had left her and she actually felt relieved.
Amy, her heart in her throat as she walked down the hall checked her watch. Nine forty-five. Samantha would be here soon.
This can't be true! Samantha can't be one of the witches! She can't! SHE CAN'T! Amy then broke into a run for the elevator, almost in a panic, she had to get downstairs quickly. She had to see Samantha, had to find out the truth.
Reaching the elevator, Amy jabbed the down button several times. Horribly impatient, she turned for the stairs when she bumped into Serena who was shocked to see tears running down Amy's cheeks.
"Amy? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Sere, I....I can't explain right now! I have to get downstairs! Fast!" with a ding, the doors to the elevator opened and Amy entered, Serena close behind.
"For God's sake, Amy! Talk to me! What's going on?" Serena demanded. She had never seen her friend act the way she had, and the haunted, frightened look in Amy's eyes worried her no end, because she had seen it before. "This has to do with one of those girls Raye mentioned, doesn't it?"
"I don't know!" Amy yelled angrily. "That's what I have to find out! Stay out of this, Serena!"
"No way!" With a forcefulness Serena didn't know she possessed, she grabbed Amy's shoulders and slammed her against the wall of the elevator. She pinioned Amy with angry blue eyes. "Dammit, Amy! Don't shut me out! You acted like this with Sarah and it nearly killed you! I'm not gonna let you go through that hell again! What are you hiding from me?"
Amy couldn't speak. Serena was stunned at the look of anguish on Amy's face. The elevator then reached the ground floor and the doors opened. With a strength borne of desperation, Amy squirmed her way out of Serena's grip and rushed out into the lobby, her eyes scanning every square inch of the area while Serena was hot on her heels.
Please! Oh, please, God! Don't let Sam be one of them, thought Amy, her mind in turmoil. I don't think I could stand to lose another friend! Not like Sarah!
Not seeing Samantha, Amy rushed outside, ignoring Serena shouting her name. Nothing else mattered to Amy except finding Samantha, and learning the truth. Once outside, the blue haired girl saw a Honda Civic sedan pull up to the curb, then Samantha got out. She waved at Amy who ran up to her.
"Good morning, Amy. I was in such a hurry to see you, I got an early start," said the Korean girl. She then gasped at seeing Amy in tears. Before Samantha could say anything, Amy threw herself into the other girl's arms. "Hey! What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Or everything. I'm not sure. I'm just glad you're here," said Amy, hugging Samantha tight.
Samantha was puzzled as she broke the embrace. "Huh? I don't get it. You're not making sense."
Before Amy could respond, someone coughed from behind Samantha. The Asian girl whirled around to see Blair, Sabrina and Jeannie walk up to her. Blair was smirking while Sabrina was stone faced and Jeannie, bringing up the rear wore a scowl expression on her face. Amy gasped, recognizing the two girls in front from the other day. Her heart sank.
"A-ha. So, this is who you've stood me up for, you little traitor," said Blair in a hiss.
Samantha's mouth fell open. "Blair? How did you find me?"
"We followed you, after I had a little chat with Jean here. Thanks to some....friendly persuasion, she told me how naughty you two were, planning to go behind my back and prevent the new world order from coming about," said Blair, her face was the picture of malevolence. "Shame on you. I guess I'll just have to teach you the same sort of lesson I taught Jean."
"Hey, Amy! There you are! Why'd you run off?" demanded Serena who ran up to the group. Her eyes widened from horror at seeing Blair and Sabrina. "Oh, my God."
Blair grinned like a shark at seeing Serena. "Well, well, well. We meet again, Sailor Moon. Most convenient. Now we can kill you like we planned." Blair eyes glowed. And Serena screamed as her mind exploded.
Back in the room, McCoy, satisfied to have learned all she could from Raye had just ended the astral connection when she suddenly cried out from terrible pain. Raye and Talia also felt the psychic torment.
"Son of a bitch! Those psycho chicks! They're here!" growled McCoy, her head throbbing.
"And they are attacking Serena," snarled Talia. She felt the same sort of pain the other day via the telepathic link she shared with Serena. The Vulcan girl, instantly angry thrust her right hand high. "Everyone! Transform!"
The others wasted no time following Talia's order. The room lit up like the sun from a multi-colored display of magical energy as the girls morphed into the Scouts. McCoy was left wide eyed and speechless from what she experienced. The black scientist had seen many incredible sights in her time, but this was something that defied her ability to comprehend. Close up, the power she felt that radiated from the Scouts was staggering.
"Hurry! The window! We're only three flights up!" said Sailor Jupiter, opening the window and climbing out on the ledge. She paused to glare at McCoy. "Stay here, McCoy! This is out of your league!"
"Bite me, butch! You're gonna need my help! One way or another!" said McCoy as she rushed out the door. "See you kids downstairs!"
"Christ! What a pain! I should put her sorry ass in traction!" a disgusted Jupiter growled.
"Shelve those charming thoughts for now, love. We've got to help Serena!" Sailor Venus suggested. Following Jupiter's lead, the Scouts jumped out the window, one at a time to the street below.
Unlike on Thursday, Blair wasn't smiling this time as she bombarded a helpless Serena with her mindpower. This time, the redhead meant to destroy her enemy.
"Blair! For God's sake! Stop!" cried a frightened Samantha. "This madness has gone too far! Stop it before you kill her!"
The Asian is right! Stop, you fool, came the angry voice from the book from within Blair's head. The blonde girl is not to be harmed! She is the avatar!
Blair's jaw fell open and her eyes widened as she stared down at Serena. Her? She's the one with the pure soul the book told me about?
"It's already too late, traitor!" growled Jeannie, an emerald green aura surrounding her body. She pointed an accusing finger at the Korean girl. "Gravitas Alteras....IMMOBILIUM!"
With a gasp, Samantha crumpled to the sidewalk, unable to move as if her body suddenly weighed tons, which it did, thanks to Jeannie's power to control gravity. "Jean! No! What happened?"
The brawny girl glared at Samantha. "What happened was that Blair straightened me out! Made me realize that we can rule the world if the book's plan is carried out!"
"But....Jean....the book's plan....calls for....murder on a....horrific scale!"
"So what? I can live with that if can be a god!"
Desperate, Samantha turned to Sabrina. "Bree! Please! Don't....let this....nightmare happen!"
The blonde's face was impassive. "Sorry, Sam. I'm with my best friend. All the way."
Amy, looking on was horrified. Her best friend was screaming in torment while her new friend was in league with the madwomen she fought two days ago. Anguish vied with anger for control of her mind. Anger won out as she thrust her right hand high in the air. "I will stop this! I will stop all of you! Mercury Star Power!"
Amy's fingernails turned a bright blue as her transformation wand materialized in her outstretched hand. Her body flowed and shimmered like an ocean's waves, and, an instant later, Sailor Mercury, the Scout of Water stood before them in a combat pose. The girls were stunned from watching the dramatic transformation. Samantha in particular was shocked.
"Oh, God. No. Amy," she whispered, her voice filled with pain.
Mercury, seething from fury quickly launched her attack. "Mercury Ice Bubbles....BLAST!"
The blue haired Scout unleashed a barrage of rock hard, hailstone sized ice balls that battered Blair, Sabrina and Jeannie before they could react. Samantha, spared from the attack because she was prone on the ground looked on as the girls were ruthlessly pummeled.
"Amy! Stop! Don't hurt them! Please!" she cried. With Jeannie's concentration broken, the Asian girl climbed to her knees.
Mercury shot Samantha a withering look. "Don't call me that!" she hissed. The Scout of Water could feel that cold, all-consuming hate resurface, that same hate which nearly destroyed her several months ago after the death of Sarah Womack. For a moment, the enraged Scout nearly turned her powers on the helpless girl, but didn't as she forced herself to calm down.
Kneeling next to Serena who was unconscious from Blair's onslaught, Mercury checked her friend's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found it strong and steady. She then glared at Samantha.
"You deceived me, Sam. You never said you were mixed up with those lunatics," she snarled.
Samantha, over her initial fear became angry herself. "You weren't supposed to know. And don't you dare cop an attitude, you hypocrite! When were you gonna tell me that you're a Sailor Scout?"
The Water Scout's mouth opened, but no words came out. She had no answer for that.
"I thought as much. That girl there, she's Sailor Moon, just like Blair said, isn't she?"
Mercury's face turned to stone. She didn't want Samantha to see how much she was hurting emotionally. "I can't tell you that."
"Fine! Keep you fucking secrets! I don't care!" yelled Samantha, tears streaming down her face. The feeling of betrayal was like a knife in her heart. "I liked you, Amy! I really liked you! We could've been the best of friends! Now it's all shot to hell!"
Despite how hard she tried to stay strong, the grief Mercury heard in Samantha's voice reduced her to tears as well. "I'm sorry, Sam! I never meant for this to happen! Please believe me!"
"LIAR! I don't believe you! Not anymore!" Samantha roared. As her anger skyrocketed, so too did the evil that dwelled within her soul and gave the Korean girl her power. Samantha glowed a bright orange as she held out her right hand. "Blair was right after all! You are the enemy! I hate you, Amy! I HATE YOU! Strata Mutatis....CONSTRICTOUS!"
The sidewalk behind Mercury rumbled, shook, then morphed into a huge fist which grabbed the Water Scout with lightning fast speed before she could avoid it. As Samantha, tears still pouring down her face slowly closed her fist, causing Mercury to scream as the massive construct that held her fast slowly began to crush her in its grip.
"How does it feel, Amy? How does it feel to be hurt, like I've been hurt by your betrayal?" the Korean girl snarled, her eyes shining from rage and madness. "Well, you won't be in pain for very much longer....friend! I'm going to grind your miserable bones into powder!"
NEXT: Magic in the Night