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 Nine: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Rating: PG-13
"Good Lord! What a monstrous scheme!" cried a shocked Father Thomas O'Neill after having been told by McCoy and the girls everything that had happened that morning. "Isn't there any way that the game can be stopped?"
"Short of phoning in a bomb threat, nope. And that would be a disaster. The panic would cause more deaths and injuries than it would prevent," said McCoy. "At the risk of sounding cold-blooded, we can't let the game he called. We need a full house at that joint as bait to draw in Susie and her crew."
"Charlie is correct. If we are unsuccessful in stopping Martin and the witches, and they escape, we will not be able to pursue them without our powers," said Talia. "Sailor Moon will be forever lost to us. And Martin will simply travel to another sporting venue to attempt her mad scheme."
"This is our only chance to stop her," said Lita. "And save Sailor Moon."
"Have you procured the tickets for us, sir?" Amy asked.
O'Neill nodded. "Yes. The Archdiocese always gets tickets to local sporting events which we give away to underprivileged children. However, the tickets are under my name, so I'll have to come with you."
Mina gazed at the reverend. "You realize, sir, that by coming with us, you'll be at risk along with everyone else in that stadium."
"That doesn't frighten me, my dear." O'Neill paused to grin and finger the crucifix he wore around his neck. "Besides, with this much at stake, I figure you could use some divine intervention."
"Father, any help we can get is more than welcome," said McCoy with a grin. Then she turned deadly serious. Saddle up, troops. It's time to roll."
"May the Lord watch over us," said O'Neill, crossing himself.
Inside the Darkhold....
22 year old Serena Eastwick was in agony. But it was an agony she waited a very long time to experience.
In the back room of Susannah's home, Serena writhed and screamed in bed as she endured the terrible pain of childbirth. Susannah was at her side as was Paul, her husband of three years who gently wiped his wife's brow.
"Push, sister! Push!" urged Susannah. "The child is almost out!"
"I can't! Oh, God! The pain! I can't!" Serena wailed.
"Yes you can, darling! You can!" said Paul, holding Serena's hand.
Serena let out a scream that came from deep within her soul as she used the last of her strength in one final push that brought her child into the world. The moment Serena's scream faded, there was another cry, that of a baby taking it's first breath as it's life began.
With an expertise from fifteen years spent birthing children, Susannah cut the umbilical cord with a knife that had sat in a bowl of boiling hot water, then gently cleaned the child with damp cloths that sat in another bowl. After wrapping the baby in a thick blanket, Susannah presented it to Serena.
"Congratulations, Serena. You have a daughter," the older woman said.
Tears of joy poured down Serena's cheeks as she held her daughter in her arms for the very first time. "Oh, Paul. Look at her. She is beautiful."
Paul nodded, a huge smile on his face. He then kissed Serena lightly on her forehead. "She is indeed, my wife. Now I have two special women which to cherish with all my heart. Hath thou decided what to name her?"
Serena was silent as thought on a name. Then she smiled and nodded as one came to mind. "Yes, I have, beloved. I shall name our child....Serenity."
Philadelphia's Veterans Memorial Stadium, better known to the locals as simply 'The Vet' was a hotbed of activity as scores of football fans filled the stadium and tailgated outside for the season opening game between the host Eagles and the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. O'Neill, McCoy and the girls, among the throng as they headed for the nearest gate tried not to think about what horrors might be in store for the crowd.
"Do you have any idea where Martin and her cronies will launch their attack?" O'Neill asked.
"Well, I'm guessing Martin's gonna have to be on the field in order to zap everyone," McCoy replied. "Raye, our only weapon against Susie are your spirit wards. Can they give her fits long enough for you kids to transform?"
"Yep. They worked before on South Street and outside our hotel. I've got plenty for the job," Raye said confidently.
"What about Serena?" asked Talia, her voice betraying the rare anxiousness she felt.
"I'm sure Susie will bring the Darkhold," said McCoy. "I'm thinking she's linked to it. Once you've put her down, I can get Serena out. But we're only gonna get one shot at this, kids. One wrong move and it's game over."
"Don't worry, Charlie. We've been in life and death situations like this many times before. We won't fail!" Amy said in a strong, confident voice. The girls smiled, pleased that Amy was in good spirits once more.
Once inside the stadium, McCoy turned to O'Neill. "Thanks for getting us in, Father. We'll take it from here. Enjoy the game."
"Good luck, girls," said O'Neill. "God be with you all."
"So, how do we get on the field?" Mina asked Charlie once the group parted from O'Neill. "Security in this place is sure to be mondo tight."
McCoy, looking around her saw one of the stadium's red jacketed security staff. Breaking out in a grin, she strolled up to the man. "Excuse me, sir. I was wondering if you could take my friends and I downstairs."
The man looked suspiciously at McCoy. "Down to where, Miss."
McCoy's brows knitted and the man gasped then went ramrod stuff, his eyes glazed over. "The pom-pom room. Knowhutimean, Vern?"
The man, entranced by McCoy, nodded. "I understand. Follow me."
One ten p.m.:
A huge cheer went up from the crowd as New England's Adam Vinatieri kicked off to start the game. The Eagles kick returner, Brian Mitchell looked up into the sunny afternoon sky, caught the ball five yards deep in his team's end zone and ran the ball out. The Eagles' green clad, short skirted cheerleaders stood on the sidelines, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a huge, crimson bolt of lightning hit the ground thirty feet in front of Mitchell, blowing him off his feet, stunning both the crowd and the players into silence. When the smoke cleared, the four witches were flanking Martin, holding the Darkhold in the crook of her right arm.
Martin, her devilish grin in place looked all around her at the crowd. "Excellent. Just what I had been hoping for."
Players on both teams along with the officials, having gotten over their initial shock became angry at the intrusion and approached the group, intent on getting them off the field. Martin glared at them in open contempt as the Imperium Silver Crystal, imbedded in her chest glowed.
"Away, fools!" Martin snarled, sweeping her arms in a wide arc and the players on the field and on both sidelines were slammed against the field level seats. Martin turned to her charges. "Jeannie, Samantha, seal this structure."
As television cameras focused on the drama on the field, the brawny brunette and the Korean girl nodded. Their bodies glowed as the duo brought their powers into play.
"Strata....Mutatis....IMPRISONOUS!" shouted Samantha. An instant later, with a loud, sustained rumble like an earthquake, the concrete stantions and fences melded together, trapping everyone inside.
"Gravitas....Altera....ATTRACTUM!" yelled Jeannie, using her powers to draw cars, trucks, even buses to slam against the wall Samantha erected, further preventing any escape.
"The stadium's sealed, Mistress," Samantha announced. She noticed the stadium's security personnel, vaulting onto the field and rushing the group. "Blair, Sabrina. We've got company."
"Not for long," growled Sabrina, her body glowing a bright blue as she held her arms high. "Cumilous....Formulae....VORTEXIS!"
The sky above the stadium darkened and a ferocious wind appeared out of nowhere which Sabrina directed at the oncoming men who charged at them, sending them flying away like rag dolls.
"Mentus.....Abberatum....DISRUPTOROUS!" cried Blair, instantly, but not fatally incapacitating the rest of the stadium force with a powerful mindblast.
Martin nodded. "Very good, Ladies. Now, form on me and concentrate. It is time to begin the absorption. All these minds will now fuel my dream!"
The four girls formed a circle and held hands while Martin stood in the center. They all closed their eyes and concentrated, as they did, the crystal glowed brightly, and a sphere of silvery light expanded from it, quickly growing in size as it entranced the minds of the players and team personnel on the field, then the people in the stands. Martin could feel the mental and psionic energy of each and every person flow into her body, strengthening her exponentially.
"Yes! Yes! More! Give me more!" she cried.
From the Eagles' sideline, six members of the cheerleading squad, unaffected by the power of the crystal untangled themselves from the huge mass of entranced players.
"The bait's been taken!" said McCoy, holding a ward in her hand which negated the power of the crystal. "Let's move before Susie zaps everyone!"
With McCoy in the lead, the girls, all holding wards rushed the field and headed towards Martin and the witches, too deep in concentration to notice them. Raye produced a handful of wards and whispered an incantation.
"In the name of my ancestors, I command you! Evil begone!" the Shinto priestess cried as she hurled the wards at Martin and the witches.
Raye's aim was true as the wards struck the witches and Martin on their foreheads. Cold, crimson flames erupted from the wards and the witches crumpled screaming to the ground. With Martin's concentration broken, the sphere of energy entrancing the crowd receeded.
"No! I can't be defeated by this!" roared Martin, vainly trying to remove the ward. "I must succeed! I must win!"
"Lady, what you must do is shut the hell up!" snarled McCoy, nailing the sorceress with a powerful spinning wheel kick to the side of her head. With a grunt of pain, Martin slumped into unconsciousness.
"She's down! She's down! Hurry up and transform!" McCoy shouted.
As the witches, all in terrible pain watched the girls as thrust their right hands high in the air.
"Mercury Star Power!"
"Mars Star Power!"
"Jupiter Star Power!"
"Venus Star Power!"
"Vulcan Star Power!"
As the crowd looked on, and millions more watched on their televisions, the girls were enveloped in blindingly bright auras of blue, red, green, gold and purple as they transformed into the Sailor Scouts.
Meanwhile, McCoy moved for the fallen Darkhold. Picking it up, the parapsychologist was nearly overwhelmed by the incredibly powerful evil that emanated from its pages like heat waves. McCoy shook off the book's menacing power and concentrated on reaching Sailor Moon who was trapped inside.
"Okay, Serena. Time to bring you back," said McCoy, using her telepathic powers to search for Moon's psyche. The black woman had used her powers many times before in what she called 'high tech exorcisms as she psionically isolated malevolent spirits and removed them from host bodies. McCoy figured this would be no different. This time, she was wrong.
As she concentrated, Martin's psyche, still active fought back, using the crystal to give her the energy she needed.
You will not evict me from this body! Not when my dream of cleansing the male disease from this planet is within my grasp, the sorceress ranted.
Fuck your dream, bitch! I'm not letting you destroy the human race so you can get revenge for Salem, McCoy shot back, her head throbbing.
Foolish cow! With the crystal in my control, you cannot stop me!
McCoy screamed from awful pain as Martin poured the tremendous power of the crystal into her attack. Soon, the crystal would return Martin to consciousness and McCoy would die.
McCoy, her brain boiling made a desperate move. Keeping her right hand on the Darkhold, McCoy put her left on the crystal. McCoy gasped as she felt the power of the crystal flow into her mind, boosting her powers to incredible levels. The black woman smiled from the feeling.
My God! The power! Amazing! I feel like I could change the world, thought McCoy. But for right now, I'll settle for evicting you, honeybunch!
NO! You can't! I won't let you! With one last burst of concentration from Martin, the crystal glowed like the sun, enveloping her and McCoy. When the light faded, both women were gone.
Inside the Darkhold....
Serena, now 26 sat on the bank of a stream with Paul and their four year daughter Serenity who gleefully splashed her feet in the cool water.
"Oh, Paul, tis a wonderful day," said Serena, her head on Paul's shoulder.
Paul smiled and wrapped an arm around Serena's shoulders. "I agree, my wife. Having thou and Serenity has truly enriched mine life. I love thee, Serena."
"And I love thee, Paul. With all mine heart." Serena and Paul then embraced and kissed. Serenity, watching her parents stuck out her tongue.
"Yuck! Sucky face! Sucky face!" she said with a giggle.
Breaking the kiss, the couple chuckled. Serena smirked good naturedly at her daughter. "Remind me to return the favor when you find a boyfriend!"
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of silvery light from twenty feet away. When the light faded, two women lay motionless on the ground. One was dark skinned and wore a kelly green minidress with a cartoonish eagle on the front while the other had long blond hair and was garbed in a reddish black gown. The dark skinned woman stirred an old, almost forgotten memory in Serena's mind. She rose from where she sat and walked towards the duo.
"Serena! What are you doing? Come back!" cried Paul, rising to follow her.
As Serena drew nearer to the women who were waking up, her eyes widened from shock as she knew the black woman was.
"My God! I don't believe it! Charlie!"
McCoy blinked several times before she recognized the woman before her. When she did, her jaw dropped open.
"Jesus H. Christ! Serena?" When she saw Martin, moving nearby, McCoy hopped to her feet, grabbed Serena by the wrist and pulled her away from the sorceress. "What the hell happened? Why do you look so old?"
"I was sent back in time to ancient Salem. I've been here for ten years! What took you so long to find me?"
McCoy gave Serena a puzzled look. "Ten years? Sorry to mess with your mind, honey, but it's only been eleven hours since we were bushwhacked by the witches. We're inside the Darkhold, Serena. Thanks to her!"
Serena, her eyes wide, stared at Martin. "No. It can't be true. I felt the passage of time. I waited months for someone, anyone to rescue me. When no one came, I gave up hope. I started a new life, met a man, fell in love with him, became his wife....I even bore his child! This has to be real!"
"I'm sorry, Serena, it's all an illusion. When I tapped into the crystal, I read Susie's mind and learned everything," McCoy replied dourly. "Susie couldn't destroy your spirit without destroying your body because she needed it, and the crystal. So she stuck it inside the book, then used the crystal's power to create a fantasy world to keep you placated. Tell her, Martin! Tell her the truth!"
"You are most resourceful, Doctor McCoy. I should have heeded Samantha's advice and killed you when I had the chance," said Martin. "She is right, Serena. We are in a virtual reality world of my making. To you, a decade has passed, but to the rest of us, barely half a day has elapsed. Everything you have experienced here has been nothing more than a fanciful lie."
Hearing that, Serena slowly turned around to see Paul, the man she had given her heart to, and Serenity, her beloved daughter disappear before her eyes. "Paul! Serenity! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Don't go! Come back!"
Her mind reeling, Serena sank to her knees in shock. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, feeling her life crashing down. She cried bitter tears for the blissful existence she had led, only to discover it had been a cruel mockery. Serena's heart shattered like glass as her anguished wailing echoed through the valley. McCoy felt Serena's grief and wept along with her.
As Serena cried, her body changed from it's illusionary adulthood into her true form while her clothes morphed back into her Scout uniform. Once her sobbing ended, Sailor Moon slowly stood and glared at Martin, her eyes burning from an inhuman hatred.
"How dare you! How DARE you do this to me?" Moon roared. Never in her life had Moon felt such a terrible pain in her heart. Or such a terrible anger. "You took my most cherished dream of having a normal life with a loving family and perverted it for your own twisted ends! I'm gonna destroy you for that!"
Martin laughed. "I wouldn't if I were you. I'm inhabiting your body. And I control the crystal. If you destroy either, you'll be stranded here. Forever."
The look in Moon's eyes was one of murderous, uncontrollable rage. "Ask me if I give a damn. Guess what, Susannah? I don't!"
When Martin and McCoy were pulled into the Darkhold, the wards that held the witches in check suddenly disintergrated. Then, the book began glowing from a silver light.
Sailor Jupiter, having seen the women disappear gazed in puzzlement at the book. "What the hell's going on'?"
"You won't live long enough to find out!" growled a recovered Sabrina, her body glowing like her companions. "Cumilous....Formulae....ELECTRON!"
A huge bolt of lightning shot down from above and nearly struck the startled Jupiter, but Sailor Venus tackled her out of the way.
"Keep your mind on business, love," said Venus. She gave her partner a deep, heartfelt look. "You're my world, Lita. It would kill me if I lost you."
"Don't worry about that, angel. You'll never lose me," Jupiter replied earnestly. She then pointed at the book. "Martin and Charlie vanished! And look at the book! What's happened to it?"
Venus was at a loss for answers. "Beats me! But it doesn't look good!"
However, the only thing on the mind of the witches was battle. "Jeannie! Samantha! Attack! Kill the Scouts!" ordered Blair.
"Gravitas.....Altera.....DISPERSUM!" shouted Jeannie, using her powers to hurl hundreds of pounds of equipment from the sidelines at the Scouts.
"You're not killing anyone today!" snarled Sailor Mercury, her body glowing from a soft blue aura. "Shine Aqua.. ..ILLUSION!"
With amazing speed, a seven foot wall of foot thick ice sprang up from out of thin air in front of the heroines, blocking the debris like a shield.
"That won't protect you from me, Mercury! Nothing will!" yelled a furious Samantha. "Strata....Mutatis.....ERUPTIUM!"
Using her powers to alter matter, Samantha made the ground erupt like a geyser, blasting the artificial turf and the ground beneath it to shreds, scattering and stunning the Scouts. But they recovered and fought back.
"Mars Fire....IGNITE!" shouted Sailor Mars, hurling a massive fireball.
"Vulcan Shockwave.....STRIKE!" yelled Sailor Vulcan, unleashing a powerful sonic blast.
"Jupiter Thunder.....CRASH!" roared Jupiter, calling down lightning.
"Venus Crescent....SHOWER!" cried Venus, firing her storm of light beams.
The Sailors' attack hit the four witches head on with a thunderous explosion that rocked the stadium, igniting a panic as spectators scurried screaming for the exits in a mad dash that resulted in hundreds being trampled, only to discover all the exits barred. Back on the field, when the smoke cleared, the witches were sprawled on the demolished turf, the auras surrounding their bodies protecting them from the Scouts' onslaught. Rising to their feet as one, the four girls clasped hands and their aura changed to black.
"Energitium....Unitius....DESTRUCTOUS!" the witches yelled in one voice, Before the Scouts could react, a huge, crackling, jet black sphere of energy materialized and shot forward at lightning fast speed.
"Omigod! Move! Move!" cried a horrified Venus.
The Love Scout's warning came much too late as the deadly sphere struck the heroines before they could move. The Scouts screamed from pain as hellish energies seared their flesh and cooked their insides, leaving them barely breathing in smouldering heaps on the ground.
"So much for these fools," said a smirking Blair. "I'll check the Darkhold. You guys finish them off."
Inside the Darkhold...
Moon, insane from hurt and rage, hurled herself at Martin, intent on killing the woman with her bare hands.
The sorceress merely chuckled. "Pathetic little girl." Martin's eyes glowed and Moon was struck by silver lightning that fried her body and she screamed from the agony and crumpled to the ground.
"Serena!" cried McCoy, rushing to the Scout's aid. The parapsychologist was horned to see that Moon's skin was badly reddened from second degree bums. Then, before her eyes, Moon stirred and her burns quickly healed. Moon brushed off McCoy and rose to her feet.
"Impossible! You should be nothing but cinders!" cried a shocked Martin.
"That's where you're wrong, Susannah. The Imperium Silver Crystal belongs to me. There's no way you can hurt me with it," Moon snarled, her rage unsated. "But I still have the means of stopping you cold!"
Moon held her right hand high and the Cosmic Moon Scepter materialized in her waiting hand. She then turned to McCoy. "Get to cover, Charlie. Things are about to get nasty."
McCoy was nervous, almost frightened as she gazed Moon, looking as demonic from her fury as Martin. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm taking back what's mine! My body! My crystal! My life!"
"Foolish cow! I have the crystal! I won't give it up!" Martin roared.
"Sorry, Susannah! But you don't have a choice!" growled Moon, the scepter gripped tightly in both hands. "Surrender....or die!"
"Bah! I'm already dead! But I'll make sure you join me!" Martin thrust out her arms and unleashed a monstrous blast of energy that hit Moon like a locomotive. McCoy, crouched behind a tree feared Moon had been incinerated, then she saw that Moon was still alive, encased in a silvery force field generated by her scepter. Moon, her face an iron mask of hate moved forward.
"No! I will not yield! I will destroy you!" the maddened sorceress yelled. The power generated by the crystal became a howling hurricane that roared like a monster. McCoy held on to the tree for dear life and watched Moon who moved inexorably forward, step by step, inch by inch. The look in her eyes was one of relentless determination, fueled by bottomless anger.
Now it was Martin who faltered as Moon drew closer. With a scream of primal rage, Moon covered the last ten feet separating them and, with her free hand, grabbed Martin by her throat, enveloping them in the silver force field.
"How? How could this be? This is my world! My creation! I should be all-powerful here! How could you do this in my realm?" Martin croaked.
"Because your power is insignificant compared to the might of the crystal! And it belongs to me!" Moon roared. "You may possess my body, Susannah, but the power is part of my spirit! Part of my very soul! By coming into the book, you've returned my power! And sealed your doom!"
Moon clutched the crystal with her right hand and pulled with all her strength. Martin screamed, long and horribly as the crystal was wrenched from her chest and blinding shafts of silver light erupted from the hideous fissure. The two women glowed like twin suns as Martin's body merged with Moon's and, with one final scream the sorceress vanished. The force field then faded and only Moon remained, holding the crystal.
"Holy Mother of God," a wide eyed McCoy whispered. In her fifteen years spent investigating the paranormal, she had never been witness to such a sight before. She cautiously approached Moon, her face still locked in her mask of anger. "Serena? Are you okay?"
Moon glared at the woman. "I'm whole, Charlie, but I'm not 'okay'. I succumbed to Martin's sick fantasy and betrayed the one man I love most in all the world. I'll never be 'okay' again."
McCoy gulped. The black woman opened her mind and felt Moon's crushing guilt, her fathomless grief....and her burning rage. "Serena, I...."
"Not now! We still have work to do!" Moon snapped. "Martin's not dead! While my spirit remerged with my body, she used her power to escape from the book. We have to return to the real world and destroy her! Once and for all!"
Blair, curious about the Darkhold glowing placed her hands on the book and she screamed from pain the likes of which she had never known before. It was like she was being torn inside out and set on fire at the same time.
I need your flesh, child, came Martin's angry voice from inside Blair's head. Yield to me! Now!
The girls, distracted from their task to kill the seriously wounded Scouts gasped at seeing Blair's body enveloped in a black aura as she continued to scream. As the girls looked on, Blair's body changed. She grew taller while her face turned lean and hawkish and her hair reached down to her waist. The final touch were her eyes turning jet black as her lips curled into a demonic grin.
"Ahh. Much better," said the creature.
Sabrina was shocked at the change. "Blair...?"
"I'm sorry, my dear, but Blair is no longer in residence," said the creature in that frightening voice the girls had heard before. "I have taken over."
Jeannie put two and two together and blanched. "Shit! Susannah! What happened to Sailor Moon?"
"Sailor Moon was more powerful than I thought. I barely managed to escape," growled Martin. "She and McCoy are trapped in the book. While I no longer possess the crystal, I can still wreak havoc. But, I will need your help."
"What do you need from us?" a suspicious Samantha asked.
"Your power. And your lives. Energitium.....Absorbus....TRANSFERUM!"
Martin's eyes glowed and the girls were enveloped in a black aura, causing them to scream horribly as their powers, and their lifeforce flowed into Martin, sucking them dry in the process.
"Susannah! No! Don't!" Sabrina cried. "We were loyal to you!"
"And you can be loyal to the death. Goodbye."
"Samantha!" cried Mercury, pushing Samantha out of the deadly field that was killing the witches. But, in her weakened state, the Scout of Water wasn't fast enough to escape the field and was held fast by the aura. Mercury shrieked from agony as her life was leeched away.
"AMY!" a horrified Samantha screamed. Furious, she turned on Martin. "Strata....Mutatis....ERUPTIUM!"
The ground erupted behind Martin as a giant hand of concrete clutched the sorceress tight. With Martin's concentration broken, the witches and Mercury were released from the field. Mercury was unconscious, but Blair and Jeannie were unmoving on the ground, their bodies horribly shriveled.
"Traitorus....witch! You will....pay for this!" Martin hissed. Her body glowed and crackled and the hand exploded. Samantha, weakened from the absorption cried out from the feedback and collapsed. Hovering twenty feet off the ground, Martin glared at the dazed Korean girl. "I'll flay you alive!"
"Flay this, witch!" came a roar from behind the sorceress. "Jupiter Thundercloud... ZAP!"
Martin wheeled around, just in time to catch a lightning ball in her face. Martin, though blinded, remained aloft. When her vision cleared, she saw the Scouts staggering on braced legs, ready for battle.
"Mars Fire....IGNITE!" roared Mars.
"Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!" shouted Vulcan.
"Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!" yelled Venus.
The Scouts' attack overwhelmed Martin who sank to the ground, her aura wavering. As the Sailors warily approached Martin, the witch, enraged, climbed to her feet and glared at them. The look in her eyes was cold and evil.
"I have had enough of you fools!" Martin snarled. Her aura flaring back to life, she thrust her arms skyward. "Strata....Materium....DESTRUCTORIUS!"
Suddenly, the entire stadium shuddered and shook furiously as if caught in a massive earthquake. Thousands of people screamed from naked terror as masonry fell to the field and seats below in huge chunks. The Scouts, viewing the growing catastrophe all around them were horrified.
"The stadium is sealed from the outside! No one can escape!" Martin bellowed at the Sailors. "Unless you give your powers and your lifeforce to me as my lackeys have done, I'll bring this structure down on your heads!"
The Scouts looked at each other. They saw the madness in Martin's eyes and knew that she wasn't bluffing. Their shoulders slumped from defeat. Above all else, the heroines, whose mission was to protect humanity would not allow helpless innocents to come to harm. Vulcan, acting as their spokesperson walked forward. "Very well. We surrender."
Martin smiled. Lowering her arms, the tremors ceased. The only sounds heard throughout the seriously damaged stadium were the cries of hundreds upon hundreds of wounded spectators, players and officials. "Excellent. Come forward and die."
"Not so fast, girlfriend!" came a defiant voice from behind Martin.
Before the sorceress could whirl around, she was struck by a powerful mindblast that drove Martin to her knees, clutching her head in agony.
The Scouts and Samantha gasped at seeing Moon and McCoy hovering over the Darkhold in a silvery sphere generated by Moon's scepter. The black woman's face was drawn from concentration as she staggered Martin with her powers while Moon was livid from rage. Moon set herself and McCoy down on the ground before stalking towards Martin. The Scouts were overjoyed to see their friend, then were taken aback at the look of cold fury on her face.
"I'm not finished with you, Susannah," Moon hissed. "I don't care whose body you're hiding in, I'm still going to destroy you!"
Martin, bleeding from her ears after the telepathic attack rose to her feet. "You're welcome to try, Serena. Cumilous....Formulae...ELECTRON!"
The sky above the damaged stadium darkened menacingly and a huge bolt of ebony lightning descended, scorching the air throughout the stands as it struck Moon with a thunderclap that could be heard for miles around and causing the badly damaged stadium to shudder from the force of the blast.
The Scouts gasped from shock, fearful that Moon had been killed. But when the smoke cleared, Moon was still standing, surrounded by her silvery force field. The Scout leader stood tall, unaffected from Martin's might.
"Is that the best you can do, Susannah?" Moon snarled.
"Far from it! Cumilous....Formulae...ELECTRON!"
A second, more powerful black lightning bolt descended from the darkened skies, striking Moon like an A-bomb. Again, the stadium shook while the impact of the blast blew the Scouts, McCoy, Samantha and everyone else on the field away like straw in a hurricane. And yet, Moon still stood. Martin became incensed.
"Interfering bitch! This will stop you!" roared Martin, extending her arms at Moon. "Energitum....Magmatus....DEMOLISHIUM!"
At her command, a huge bolt of white hot flame erupted from Martin's hands and struck Moon. The terrible heat reduced the ground around the Scout leader to molten slag, yet, she continued moving forward, even as Martin poured more and more stolen power into her attack. The artificial turf caught fire, driving everyone on the field, including the wounded Scouts into the stadium's tunnels under the stands. And still, Moon moved forward.
"Enough games, Susannah! Time for you to die!" Moon snarled, leveling the scepter at the sorceress. "Moon Scepter....Elimination!"
Moon elegantly spun in place like a ballerina, then pointed her scepter at Martin and unleashed a massive energy beam at her with devastating results. The silvery blast hit Martin like a runaway train and she screamed from endless agony as her body disintergrated before the eyes of everyone present. After Martin's body was gone, all that was left was a black, human shaped specter that hovered in the air, it's mouth open from a mournful scream. Moon was relentless and merciless, pouring more power into her attack.
"Die, you monster! DIE!" roared Moon.
Finally, the vengeful spirit of Susannah Martin faded away with a last, tormented scream. Exhausted, Moon slumped to her knees, breathing hard from the energy she exerted to destroy Martin. All was quiet as the Scouts, McCoy and Samantha were first onto the field to approach Moon.
"Sailor Moon!" cried Mars, tears streaming down her face as she embraced her best friend. "I'm glad you're back! I thought I'd never see you again!"
Moon, her rage gone with the destruction of Martin smiled at the Fire Scout. The memories of her experience in the Darkhold remained, but she tried not to think about them. She didn't think she could handle the pain. "Well, I'm glad you had so much faith in me, Raye. You, of all people should know how hard I am to kill."
"Yeah! You're the original bad pension!" said a grinning Venus.
Jupiter smiled and rolled her wet eyes. "That's 'penny', you dope!"
The girls enjoyed a good laugh, but it was short lived as the stadium rumbled, loud and menacingly. All over the structure, masonry fell like rain, inciting a panic from thousands of screaming spectators.
"Dear God! The stadium's collapsing!" cried a recovered Mercury, scanning the building with her VR visor. "The battle damaged it beyond repair! Thousands will die! And there's nothing we can do about it!"
NEXT: The magical conclusion