Title: SX4: The Cycle Broken
Rating: R (hentai advisory issued upon first release)
Sailor X #4 The Cycle Broken
By: John Brengman
PROLOGUE
Beryl wrenched herself free of Mars� fiery grip and turned around.
Sailor Mars limply dropped to the floor of the throne room
�MOON ZERO MAGIC!� A disk of destructive magic appeared at the tip
of the staff and floated outward until it reached the queen.
Beryl roared as the energy consumed her. The scorching pain seared
through every fiber of her being. Her scream shook the Sailors to their
bones as her body disintegrated.
A wraithlike entity floated up from the spot that Beryl occupied
only moments before. With an evil laugh, the shadow-form swirled around
the room. Beryl�s voice boomed, �You still have not defeated me!�
The wraith then slammed into Sailor Mercury, knocking her to the ground
before vanishing into the floor.
Sailor Mercury opened her eyes. She felt as if she were ice-cold
all throughout her body, but she thought it was because she had used
one of her powers and put it out of her mind. Sailors Jupiter and Pluto
grabbed her hands and helped her up. After a second, she shrugged them
off. �Leave me alone,� she murmured coldly.
Too much had happened for the others to be concerned over what was
possibly a quirk of Rachel�s combustible personality. The wraith shard
buried itself deeply in the background of Rachel�s psyche and bided its
time. It sensed that it needed tome to recover�but it had found a new
home�and if it were careful, it would have all the time it needed�
==> * SM * <==
Noruma District, Yotochib Prefecture 2:24 PM
Near the shore of Tokyo Harbor
The rain continued to pour down from overcast skies. Prefecture
police chief Hikari Kumada grimaced as he looked into the sky
momentarily, the weather matching his mood. He stepped across a large
puddle near the railroad tracks and joined another officer who was
stooped down near some dense undergrowth.
Nearly obscured through the brackish weeds was the naked body of a
young woman. The rain had washed the body clean, but both men could
still see the thin red line that unnaturally cut across the young
woman�s throat. Her ripped undergarments hung waterlogged from one leg.
The police assumed that the unidentified woman was the tenth
victim of a terribly active insane individual who was terrorizing the
slums in this area of the Tokyo-Yokohama-Chiba megacity. The police
chief had been called in by the city elders, who hoped that his
expertise might shed some light on this old case�or at least, his
presence would uplift the morale of the local police and reassure the
populace that the perpetrator of these crimes would soon be in custody
and on his way to the maximum security facility on Mikura Island. *
Neither of these things had happened, and while the city still
maintained its faith in the police chief, the chief himself was
beginning to show his frustration.
�What have you found?� He demanded tersely.
�Not much,� Lieutenant Ryunosuke replied as he took pictures of
the corpse�s neck. �The individual was possibly assaulted and raped.
Obviously, she was then killed and dumped here.�
�I think we don�t have to pay you thirty-five thousand yen a year
for that sort of expert observation,� Kumada replied. �I could have
told you what you have just reported. What I want to know is, was it
him?�
Ryunosuke had turned toward the nearby shoreline and was scanning
the rock-encrusted ground to the north of where he was standing.
Walking over a few feet, he stooped down to pick up a wilted scrap of
paper. Returning, he handed the paper to Kumada who turned it over.
The paper was a playing card, specifically the Queen of Hearts.
The back of the cards featured a picture of a large red heart shape
surrounded by wicked-looking thorns, some of which drove deep into the
heart.
�It�s him,� Kumada muttered as the coroner arrived and Ryunosuke
continued the picture taking. Finishing this, the lieutenant busied
himself with gathering the woman�s soaked clothing which was scattered
in a haphazard manner north and east of the body. As Kumada briefed the
female coroner, Ryunosuke continued to pick up debris that was laying
strewn over a paved walking path that connected the run-down housing
developments to the south with the beach to the north and east.
Just as Kumada had finished his presentation, Ryunosuke waved at
him from near a storm drain along the walking path. �Sir,� he called,
�here�s another one�.and she�s alive!�
==> * SM * <==
Bethany Dell�s House 5:07 PM
South side of Tokyo
�And in local news,� the television anchor said, �the Playing Card
Killer has struck again, this time in the Noruma District near
Yokohama. Police reports indicate��
Sandra Usagi, Rachel Kyle and Bethany Dell sat transfixed by the
news. Precautions in their neighborhood had been taken after the first
couple of victims had been found. In fact, Luna had advised that the
girls return to their residence at the foundation headquarters, but
Sandra had rejected that advice. �With all that has happened recently,�
she�d said, �I think we could all use some time away from here.� When
Serenity had not stepped in, the majority of the girls had headed to
Earth for a bit of rest and relaxation. A couple of days after they
arrived, which had been three weeks ago, the police reported the first
victim.
The news report continued. �Again, police have found the trademark
of the Playing Card Killer at the scene of the crime�� A picture of the
playing card appeared on the screen. �Police are advising the
population that they are making progress on this case. There are
reports that one of today�s victims was found barely alive��
�I think I may have to rethink the whole R&R idea,� Sandra said
quietly. �I certainly think the base would be safer right now.�
�Yes,� Bethany agreed. �The novelty of being back here has
certainly worn off.�
The girls turned to Rachel, but she seemed entranced by the news
coverage�..
�..the girl was carried through the dark living room toward her
parents� bedroom. Panicked, she looked over at the couch and saw that
her mother was draped unconscious over it. A bottle of hard liquor
stood on the table at the end of the couch, its cap off. A small glass
lay on its side, alcohol from it still dripping onto the carpet.
The girl nearly had her head slammed against the door frame as she
was carried into the bedroom, but that didn�t seem to matter�only her
raised arm protected her�
The girl was thrown roughly onto the disheveled bed, but before
she could scamper away and hide again, like she did the last time she
had been cornered, she felt a weight press down upon her, pinning her
to the bed. A hand was slapped down over her mouth.
The girl tried to squirm away but it was no use. Her pajamas were
ripped open. The weight of her assailant pressed down, forcing her legs
apart�
A hand reached out to grasp the nightstand near the bed, but only
succeeded in toppling a deck of cards to the carpet. Some landed
backside up�.a picture of a heart surrounded by thorns�.
�..violation�
�Rachel?�
Rachel blinked to clear her head and saw her two friends looking
at her with concern.
Rachel stood up and crossed the room. It wasn�t until she�d
retrieved her jacket and headed to the door that the others reacted.
�Where are you going?� Sandra asked.
�I have to see that girl in the hospital,� was all they heard
before Rachel left the room.
�Hell,� Bethany said. �We�d better tag along.�
==> * SM * <==
Yokohama Regional Hospital 6:48 PM
Rachel clutched her coat around her as if it were shielding her
from harm, even as she drifted down the halls of the hospital. She had
easily lost Sandra and Bethany on the road to Yokohama. She got quite
some distance into the hospital before she was stopped. When she was
stopped, she simply stated that she was a relative of the still-living
victim and demanded loudly that she be allowed to see her.
When she finally reached the bedside of the barely-living woman,
Rachel simply stood and gazed deeply at the prone figure. In the
background, the machines whirred and beeped as they performed their
duty of keeping the battered form alive. The lights were subdued and
shadows shrouded the woman.
A hand touched Rachel�s shoulder. She looked over and saw Sandra
standing there smiling a thin smile. Bethany stood beside Sandra and
looked at the unconscious form in front of her. The three women let the
sights and sounds of the room wash over them. Rachel reached over and
brushed back a wisp of black hair from the woman�s face.
The calm was broken when a police officer entered the room. He
walked over to the woman and asked, �Who here is the relative?�
Something stirred within Rachel, and she used this diversion to
hurriedly leave the room. The police officer turned to stop her, and
that was when Sandra also slipped away.
The delay had cost Sandra. Rachel was nowhere to be seen. Sandra
stopped in an intersection and scanned the halls. Her friend was
nowhere to be found. She noticed a door leading to a stairway and
decided that perhaps the quickest way out of the building was in that
direction.
The door slammed shut behind her as Sandra descended the stairs.
The white light cast a harsh glare on the concrete walls. Sandra
continued down the stairs, not really paying attention to what was in
font of her, intent only on retrieving her friend.
�Stop,� a voice ordered coldly as Sandra reached the second floor
landing. Turning, Sandra looked down toward the next landing about a
half a floor further down. There she saw Rachel Kyle, her friend and
partner, the young woman selected to be Sailor Mercury.
Rachel held a pistol, and it was pointed up toward Sandra. �Don�t
come any closer,� she said steadily.
Sandra attempted to step down the stairs toward Rachel, but
quickly drew back when her friend stepped back and jerked the gun up
further. Now it was aimed at Sandra�s head.
�Don�t try to stop me,� Rachel said. �I will kill you.�
�I don�t believe that,� Sandra replied, �and you have to know
that.�
�I don�t care,� Rachel growled as she inched toward the next set
of stairs, her eyes unmoving from Sandra.
�Let me help you,� Sandra pleaded.
�No!� Rachel screamed. �Go away!� Her finger tensed on the trigger
and a shot rang out, nearly deafening Sandra, who dropped to the
concrete floor. Alarms began to ring, and Rachel hurried down to the
next level of the hospital.
Only minutes later, Sandra was seated on a bed while a doctor
checked her ears. An officer stood grimly nearby. Bethany hung in the
vicinity, her concern for her friends now doubled as Sandra told her
what had happened in the stairway.
�She shot you?� Bethany asked with amazement.
�No,� Sandra replied. �She could not have missed at that range.
She intentionally missed.�
At that point the officer stepped forward. �Ms. Usagi, we�re going
to have to ask a few questions.�
�We don�t have time, officer,� Sandra replied as she produced her
business card from her purse. �Ask your superiors to get a hold of the
Luna Foundation�s legal offices. They will provide you with a complete
report as soon as it�s available.� With that, she grabbed Bethany and
left the room.
�Where�s Rachel?� Bethany asked as they hurried down the hallway
toward the exit.
�I don�t know,� Sandra replied. �Which is why we have to call Luna
and have her use the base�s scanners to lock in on her.�
==> * SM * <==
The wraith shard rejoiced. It had found the perfect hiding place�a
person with huge emotional resources to feed upon. Gleefully it watched
from inside while Rachel ran through the slums of Yokohama which grew
around the industrial coastline like a fungus. Rachel ran past
discarded buildings and piles of rubble without notice�she was intent
upon one thing�
�Revenge!� The wraith shrieked happily. Then, it pulled another
memory from Rachel�s mind to ensure that nothing would stop her from
carrying out her vengeance�
�..Rachel got off the school bus near her house in Noruma�where
her mother had taken her after the two women had been kicked out of the
house by her father. The fence protected the adequate yard from the
debris outside. The battle against the oncoming slums was a hard
one�the blue paint on the house was showing its age. Debris piled up
against the outside of the fence. Most of the people on the block were
either old or infirm�too weak to move themselves to a better
neighborhood, or too useless for their families to move them.
This neighborhood had one thing that kept Rachel and her mother
here though�safety. Her father would never find them if�no, when he
changed his mind and lusted again for them.
Rachel pulled her key from her pocket as she reached the front
door. �Funny,� she thought as she noticed the door was unlocked,
�mother usually keeps this locked�maybe she forgot�� The young girl
shrugged this irregularity off and entered the house.
The kitchen seemed to be in order�there were no dishes to be done.
Another first. Again, Rachel shrugged it off�at least that was one
chore she wouldn�t have to do.
She entered the living room. The curtains were closed, and the
lamp which stood atop the small table next to the worn couch was on. At
four in the afternoon?
As Rachel went to turn the light off, she noticed her mother lying
on her side on the couch. Her left arm was propping her head up, and
she held a book in her right. �Mother?� Rachel said.
It was then she noticed the blank stare�her mother wasn�t reading
the book she held�
�Mother�.� Rachel whispered weakly.
The woman�s necklace was wrapped too tightly around her throat�a
small trail of blood escaped from her nose�
Rachel ran from the room and collapsed in the hall�
In the living room, obscured under the coffee table�a playing
card�
�.and not even the wraith could retrieve the memory of what
happened after that. Rachel picked herself from the ground where she
had collapsed. Looking around, she reassured herself that she was in no
danger, then continued on her way�
==> * SM * <==
The Yokohama slums 7:50 PM
The house in Yokohama had not fared as well as the one Rachel had
lived in while she and her mother had lived in Noruma. Parts of the
roof had caved in. Some of the walls looked like they would not last
much longer. What windows remained were cracked or broken entirely.
This place was no longer a habitat for a family.
It was however, an excellent place for a man who never wanted to
be found to hide.
Rachel stepped through the rubble and entered the next room. A
familiar coffee table stood along one wall. Gas lamps atop the
debris-cluttered table illuminated the room. A pile of books stood at
one end of the table, as if they themselves could hold back the
destruction around them.
Near the center of the table stood a deck of playing cards�a deck
obviously thin from use.
�Who do we have here?� A rough voice inquired from another doorway
to Rachel�s left. She turned and saw a man about her height, with black
hair and an unshaven appearance. His tattered clothes did their best to
conceal his body, but the man�s skin could be seen through the gaps.
�This has gone far enough,� Rachel said calmly as she pointed at
the cards on the table. �I won�t allow you to hurt any more people.�
The man looked at Rachel as if he did not understand. �What?� All
I need is a new deck of cards�I seem to have lost a few��
Anger stirred within as Rachel heard the old game beginning�.act
innocent and no one will suspect you..
�I don�t mean the cards!� Rachel yelled. �I�m talking about
everything else�.what you DO with those cards!�
�I don�t know what you�re talking�.� The man�s face changed in the
split second of recognition.
�Wait a minute,� he growled. �I know who you are�.�
�Rachel,� his voice hissed.
==> * SM * <==
The Yokohama slums 8:15 PM
Sailors Moon, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto rushed down the deserted
streets of the slums. Most of the people who scratched out a living
here retreated into the rubble before sunset to avoid whatever roamed
the streets after dark. The Sailors were glad for this one item in
their favor�they wouldn�t have to worry about being stopped by the
authorities in the area, or worse�
�Are you sure she�s in the area?� Sailor Uranus asked.
�Yep,� Jupiter replied. �According to Luna, we�re within about
five blocks of Rachel�s location.�
�Why couldn�t we have just teleported directly to her?� Uranus
asked, concern for her friend evident.
�We don�t know what kind of trouble she is in,� Sailor Moon
replied. �I certainly wouldn�t want to simply pop in on her without
making sure we won�t be endangering ourselves too much.�
�I just hope we�re not too late,� Uranus said.
�Me too,� Sandra said to herself. �Hold on, Rachel. We�re on our
way.�
==> * SM * <==
The man had brandished a knife after discovering who he was
facing. Rachel had backed up to the wall near the table.
�I told you what I�d do if I ever found you,� he growled as he
advanced toward her. �I warned you!�
�Like you �warned� mother,� Rachel replied coldly.
�That bitch! She took what I gave her, and deserted me! She
betrayed me! I only wanted to give her love!�
�We�ve seen your kind of love.� Rachel said sternly. �The kind of
love you gave me when I was nine years old �just a damned child.�
�And you loved it��
�I was your daughter!� Rachel screamed. �YOU HAD NO RIGHT!�
�You ARE my daughter!� The man hissed as he pressed the knife to
her neck. �I have every right!�
The knife dropped as the man grabbed Rachel�s shoulder, starting to
remove her shirt�
�..the girl tried to squirm away but it was no use. Her pajamas
were ripped open. The weight of her assailant pressed down, forcing her
legs apart�
�..violation�
�NO!� Rachel screamed as she slammed her fist into the man�s face.
He toppled back and collapsed in a heap to the floor.
�Not again!� She said as she bristled with rage. �NEVER AGAIN!�
�MERCURY POWER!� As the transformation sequence progressed, the
wraith drank in the emotional energy that seemed to radiate from the
young girl. Soon, it would be fully healed again� It heard Mercury in
the background: �You are going to pay�.for everything you�ve done�.for
everyone you�ve hurt!�
The man did not seem to notice the change that had just happened.
�Actually,� he snarled. �Now that you�re back, I will have you whenever
and where ever I want!� He again grabbed at Mercury, who slammed a foot
into his stomach. The man was sent flying into the far wall.
�You BITCH!� The man yelled as he tried to stand.
�I may be a bitch,� Mercury said distantly. The room darkened as
she prepared to call upon the primal forces at her command.
��but I am still alive!�
A globe of primal ice enveloped Mercury, then exploded out to
cover the room. The man was bathed in a pale blue light. The flame from
the nearby gas lamp was extinguished.
�My thanks, Sailor Mercury,� Queen Beryl said within her. �I am
whole again!�
The temperature in the room plummeted as the primal energy flowed
forth.
�My gift to you,� Beryl shouted within Mercury�s mind. �Arise,
ETERNAL SAILOR MERCURY!�
Snakes of pure primal energy swarmed out and collided into
everything. They eagerly searched the area for any form of energy. A
shaft of blue light found the gas lamp and consumed the energy stored
within it. The lamp fell apart as the devouring energy left.
Wisps of energy descended upon the man. They tore into him,
leaching every ounce of energy from him.
The darkforce bloomed within Rachel as the life energy flooded into
her. The searing shards of light ripped every bit of now-dead flesh
from the bones of the corpse, then blasted the bones into rubble.
Her task done, Mercury tried to halt the power she had
unleashed�and found she couldn�t. Instead she fell into a trance and
started humming a eerie melody.* It wavered a bit, then hit its high
note, which Mercury held. As that note continued, the sphere of primal
energy expanded, drawing everything around it into its icy clutches. It
soon expanded exploded out of the house, blasting the walls of the
decrepit structure apart�and continued to grow larger�
In the depths of Mercury�s mind, Beryl laughed as the deadly
sphere expanded.
==> * SM * <==
�There she is!� Uranus exclaimed as she saw the icy sphere appear.
�Yes,� Jupiter replied, �but what is that?� She pointed at the
expanding sphere.
Sailor Moon snapped out of a mental fugue �Whatever it is,� she
said. �Luna just told me its off the scales up at the base. We�ve got
to get the hell out of here, now.�
�But Mercury�� Uranus protested.
�She�s in the center of that!� Sailor Moon shouted as she pointed
back at the still-expanding sphere. �Sailor Jupiter, get us out of
here!�
The Sailors vanished as Jupiter teleported them to safety.
==> * SM * <==
The Crystal Palace
Neo-Queen Serenity entered the Star Chamber. Its walls were made
from quartz-like crystal and lighted by a large circle of nine clear
crystals. One crystal represented one of the planets dedicated to the
defense of the Moon Kingdom. The queen entered the circle and stood at
its center, briefly noting that the blue crystal representing Mercury
was dark..
�May the use of this power protect the innocent!,� Serenity
shouted. Then, �PLANET POWER!� The planet crystals flared to life,
bathing the room in a warm glow. Serenity raised her royal scepter in
the air and shouted, �MOON REJUVINATION MAGIC!�
A bright beam of intense light bloomed in the chamber and arose
through the glass ceiling. Travelling through space, the magical energy
circled the moon once, then turned and headed toward Earth.
==> * SM * <==
The moonbeam slammed into the area of the city covered by the
primal sphere. Waves of energy cascaded over the sphere and absorbed
it. Then both the sphere and the moon energy vanished�leaving a huge
circular hole in the city
Nothing stirred within the circle. Sailor Mercury was gone.
==> * SM * <==
�Are you sure she�s alright?� Brandy asked Sandra once the Sailors
had returned to the Luna Foundation headquarters.
Sandra turned from gazing out across the lunar surface at Earth.
�She is alive, that much we know,� she said. �As for being alright,
that�s a different story.�
�So what can we do?� Brandy asked impatiently.
�Nothing,� Sandra stated simply. �As long as she doesn�t want to
be found, we can�t help her. The Foundation has contacted the
authorities in Tokyo. If they find her, we�ll be contacted.�
�I wish we could do something to help,� Brandy said sadly. She
sniffed back a tear. Out of all of them, Brandy was taking the group�s
recent losses the hardest.
Sandra nodded slightly in agreement. �I do too,� she said silently
as she returned her gaze to the window.
FINI
FOOTNOTES AND EXPLANATIONS
Notes:
1: While this story is not hentai or ecchi in nature, an advisory will
be posted due to its content.
2: Mikura Island, also called Mikura Jima is located approximately 150
km southeast of Tokyo.
3: The melody Sailor Mercury sang to unleash the primal sphere was
taken from �Smack my Bitch Up�, by
Prodigy, copyrighted 1997. (The above title is a guestimate�the album
labels substitute a picture of an ant for the word �bitch�
Fanfic c 1999 � John Brengman and Artemis Publishing.
Sailor X series inspired by Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, c 1992 by Toei
Animation Co Ltd. and based on Kodansha�s manga production of �Sailor
Moon�, written by Naoko Takeuchi
This fanfic is freely distributed. Release date: September, 1998
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