Hi,

I'm a bit rushed for time this morning, so I'll just drop this off.

(WARNING: This story contains scenes of extreme violence.)

ENDWORLD: MOON RUN
CHAPTER 6: BUSHWACKED
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*****

	Hickok looked out the window of the VTOL and he thought, "How much 
blasted longer is this gonna take?!?"

	"So," he heard Jupiter say to Rikki, "You practice martial arts?"

	"Yep," Rikki replied.

	Hickok decided, seeing that two of the other members of their team 
were asleep and that the one called Pluto seemed to be doing some 
kind of meditation, he might as well join the conversation, "My pard 
don't do himself justice.  He's the best martial artist that the 
Family has."

	"Oh," was Jupiters reply as she raised an interested eyebrow, "that 
is so cool.  I'm pretty good with martial arts myself."

	Hickok almost laughed at the obvious come-on.  What was with this 
girl?  "I thought that she was interested in Blade," Hickok pondered, 
"Now she's been praticaly throwing herself at Rikki the whole trip.  
Gee, I wonder if she knows that he's married too."

	He was drawn out of his thoughts as a large snore from Sailor Mars, 
which sounded like an industrial size buzz saw on wood instead of the 
normal hand held one, shook the plane and made him nearly jump out of 
his seat.  Though the others would never know for sure, they could 
have sworn that they heard the pilot mutter, "Oh great.  More 
turbulence."

	Venus jolted awake and looked around as she muttered sleepily, "Wha..
. are we under attack?"

	"Nah," Jupiter said, "It was just Rei."

	"Man," Venus replied, "she snores like Usagi."

	"I heard that," Mars groaned as she too woke up, "and I am NOT like 
Usagi."

	A long silence followed, which was finally broken when Rikki asked, 
"So, what is it like to live before the Big Blast?"

	Before anybody could answer, the pilot of the plane turned around 
and addressed his passengers.  "This is your captain speaking.  We 
are now less than 30 minutes from the drop point, and I'm supposed to 
fill you in on what your supposed to do."

	"Wait a minute," Venus asked, "Did you just say 'drop point'?  As in 
parachuting 'drop point'?!?"

	"PARACHUTING?!?!?!?" The Warriors and Sailors exclaimed.

	The pilot nodded and said, "Yep, and I apologize for the choice of 
words, but I gotta give you a 'crash' course in the basics."

	The pilot threw back six small parachute packs.  Then he instructed 
his passengers on how to put them on.  "Ok, you take those straps and 
attach them by the small of your back.  Now adjust the pack so that 
it lies on your belly.  No, that's too low and that's too high.  If 
you don't put it right you'll get caught up in the material as it's 
coming out.  Hey, you got it on your first try.  Have done this 
before.... Venus wasn't it?"

	Venus grinned sheepishly and said, "Well, once."

	Jupiter looked at her and asked, "How come you never told us?"

	"I didn't really like it that much."

	"You sure did a better job with this dang blasted contraption then 
us," Hickok said as he tried to untangle himself from the straps.

	"Good thing Usagi isn't here," Mars quipped, "it would have taken 
her the rest of the trip to get this thing on."  She however, wasn't 
having that much luck with it either.

	Pluto had very little trouble with her parachute.  "When one is a 
Sailor Senshi, one must be prepared for anything," was her reply to 
the impressed looks that the others gave her.

	"Now then," the pilot said, "This is what is going to happen.  In 
about half an hour, we will be twenty miles from Androxia.  We can't 
fly any closer or we'll be picked up by their radar.  We also can't 
land because there aren't any clearings big enough.  But there are 
some big enough for people to land in.  That's the reason for the 
parachutes.  When we get to the drop point, one of you'll open the 
door and on the count of ten you'll jump, one at a time out the door. 
 Then as soon as you can't hear the plane anymore, count slowly to 
ten and pull the cord on the front of the chute.  That will open it 
and you'll drift slowly to the ground.

	"Once on the ground, you can disconnect the chute by pressing this 
button.... No, no, don't try it now.  Then, me and my copilot will 
fly to North Texas, that's land owned by the Civilized Zone and land 
at one of their air bases.  Then we'll be waiting for your signal for 
a dust off..."

	"Dust off???" most of others asked.

	"That means, when you call us, we'll come as fast as possible to get 
you out of there."

	"How do you plan on doing that?" Riki asked, "You said you wouldn't 
be able to land."

	"We won't, while at the air base we'll pick up a very long rope 
ladder and when it's time we'll drop it to you and you'll climb up it.
"

	Anyway, the briefing concludes and a little later...........

	"Okay," the pilot yelled back, "get ready!"

	Jupiter pulled open the door with a grunt, and had to step back, as 
the wind force threatened to suck her out the plane before she was 
ready.  "Okay," she said, "Who wants to go first?"

	"I'll go," Mars answered, "I've always wanted to try this."

	As soon as she got a good look out of the plane however, she paled 
visibly and said, "Gee, I never knew that the ground could look so 
small."

	"You volentered," Jupiter said, "so off you go!"

	With that, she pushed Mars out of the plane.  Jupiter then counted 
to ten and leaped out with a cry of, "BANZAI!!!"

	Hickok was up next,  "GERONIMO!!!"

	Then Riki, "HE'S NOT HERE!!!"

	Venus, "GOING DOWN!!!"

	Pluto was last and with a "why not" shrug of her shoulders, shouted, 
"COWABUNGA!!!"

	Jupiter listened intently as the VTOL's engines faded away until all 
she could hear was rushing air.  She slowly counted backwards from 
ten and pulled the ripcoard.  Her arms felt like they were being 
ripped out of their sockets as the parachute burst out of its bag and 
filled out above her, pulling on her arm straps.

	Her speed slowed dramatically and she realized that the others were 
catching up to her.  "Hey," she yelled up to Venus, "I thought you 
said we wouldn't like this, but I think it's relaxing."

	Venus answered with, "Did your arms hurt when the chute opened?"

	"Yeah."

	"Well, last time I wasn't expecting it and my arms were sore for a 
week."

	The group of six floated slowly to the ground.  They all landed in a 
pile of bodies and silk.  When they had untangled themselves, they 
all stood and brushed themselves off.  "Hey," Pluto asked, "Where is 
Sailor Mars?"

	"Up here!" Mars shouted.

	Mars had come down in a group of trees and while she had come 
through unharmed, her chute had gotten tangled in the trees and she 
hung several feet off the ground.  "My clip is stuck!  Get Me 
DOWN!!!"

	Venus aimed her index finger at the straps a few inches above Mars's 
head and Mars exclaimed, "Hey wait!"

	Jupiter got under Mars and said, "Don't worry, I'll catch you."

	"What if she blows my head off?"

	"I'll have to catch that too."

	Venus checked her aim one last time, concentrated and shouted,  
"CRESCENT BEAM!!!"

	A beam of yellow light came from her pointed digit and hit the 
straps dead on, cutting them clean through.  Mars yelled in shock as 
she fell and Jupiter, true to her word, caught her, but Mars weight 
caught Jupiter off balance and they fell to the ground with Mars on 
top of Jupiter.  "Ooof," Jupiter groaned, "You have GOT to lose some 
weight girl."

	"I do NOT!" was Mars's reply, "I'll let you know that I'm at the 
perfect weight for a girl my age!"

	The two of them rose to their feet and the whole group gathered 
together to plan their next move.  "So," Rikki started, "Which way to 
Androxia?"

	"That a way," Hickok pointed west, "I caught a gander of it from the 
sky as we were droppin' in.  Pluto you seem to know what we're 
supposed to do, so fill us in."

	"When we arrive in Androxia," Pluto started, "We must find the time 
altering device and destroy it.  We must also find Anne and Ail and 
do something about them.  We must......

	"You must surrender."

	The six whipped around wildly to look for the source of the calm 
voice that had seemingly come out of nowhere.  What they saw was bad, 
very bad.  They were surrounded by a whole platoon of men, mutants, 
and several Supiriors.  "We've been bushwacked!" Hickok exclaimed.

	"That is correct," the same calm voice said as its speaker 
approached them.

	The being had the same basic face as a Supirior but that was where 
the similarities ended.  It was at least 8' tall, was layered with 
muscles, and had a long blond ponytail hanging down the back of its 
head.  "What is that?!?" Riki asked in amazement.

	"Don't know," Hickok answered, "I recon it's some kind of new 
Supirior."

	"That is correct," the Supirior answered, "I am a Mark Two Supirior, 
designate P-001."

	"Well whatever the hell you are pal," Jupiter thundered (sorry) back,
 "thinking you can capture us is a stupid move."

	"I have an IQ of 341, I am incapable of doing anything stupid.  Now 
this is your last warring to surrender or we will take you by force.
"

	"We'd rather be taken!" was Venus's reply.

	"Very well!  All units, attack!!!"

	The small army of men, mutants and Supiriors charged.  The two 
Warriors drew their lasers and Pluto pulled her Time Rod from its 
subspace pocket.  Hickok sighted and fired, blowing the face off of a 
birdlike mutant.  Jupiter crossed her arms over her chest and 
concentrated.  Thunder shot down from the sky and connected to the 
lightning rod hidden in her tiara and she flung her arms out, sending 
the lightning towards her foes with a cry of, "SUPREME THUNDER!!!"

	The lightning flew out and blasted several of the enemy, turning 
them into charred remains.  Mars followed suit with her fireball.  
"FIRE SOUL!!!" she shouted.

	The fireball hit a Supirior in the arm and burned it clean off.  The 
Supirior looked at the arm for a second in detached interest and 
continued its charge.  Mars gapped in shock and would have gotten 
clobbered by the Supirior, if it hadn't been for Rikki firing his 
laser directly in between the Supiriors eyes and blowing a hole 
through its head.  "I guess," Rikki said, "The only way to get'em is 
to blow them apart."

	Venus aimed her finger and fired a Crescent Beam, but as it left she 
changed it into a new attack with the command of, "CRESCENT BEAM 
SHOWER!!!"

	The beam split into a dozen more beams and each one hit with deadly 
accuracy.  One cut a Supiriors head in half, another shot hit a man 
in the stomach and left a bloody hole where his guts had been, a 
mutant was hit by several beams and all of his limbs were shorn off.

	Pluto meanwhile had her Time Rod at the ready as she faced off with 
the Mark Two Supirior.  The red top of the Rod began to glow and a 
golden energy ball flew off it with Plutos command of, "Dead Scream.
"

	The Supirior moved so fast that the Dead Scream missed him 
compleatly.  The blast continued on its way and struck a group of 
humans, shredding them into various body parts.  Pluto was caught 
flat footed and was bashed in the stomach by the Supirior's huge fist.


	"BURNING MANDELLA!!"

	"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!!!"

	"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!!!"

	The three combined attacks of fire rings, a concentrated ball of 
electricity, and a golden chain made of hearts, ravaged more of the 
enemy forces.  Rikki was surrounded by a pack of mutants and with his 
arm a blur, he effortlessly drew his katana and sliced into the 
throats of the surrounding mutants.  They all gurgled as they fell 
over backward, blood dribbling from their mouths.  Hickok had also 
taken out a large number of the enemy without them even getting close.
  He prepared to fire again when the voice of the Mark Two Supirior 
cut through the air, "CEASE!!!"

	All action stopped as everyone looked at the scene before them.  The 
Supirior had Pluto by the throat and held her high in the air.  The 
Time Rod lay uselessly on the ground.  "Surrender now," the Supirior 
said as he tightened his grip on Pluto's neck, causing her to gag, 
"or I'll crush your friends throat like a twig.  You Warriors drop 
your weapons, and no tricks from you Sailor Senshi."

	Hickok and Rikki dropped their Gaskell Lazers and very reluctantly 
surrendered their other weapons.  The Sailors raised their hand in 
the air.

	"Oh well," Jupiter whispered to Hickok, "We didn't really have a 
plan to get in Androxia anyway."

	"Yeah," he whispered back, "but I just hope Blade and the others are 
having better luck than we are."

END CHAPTER 6
NEXT: CHAPTER 7: RED STAR ATTACK

Oh No!  One of the groups has been captured.  How will they escape?  
Will they compleat their mission?  Are Blade and the others having 
better luck?
To find out..... read on!

May The Spirit Preserve You!