We all know what happened after the battle with Beryl. The Senshi and Darien
are reborn and live their lives until the cats wake them up. But what if
something else interefered and one of the Senshi didn't make it?
This is one of my earlier works. Its part one of a three part epic of what
might happen if Serena didn't make it.
C&C (Public or Private) Appreciated
Enjoy!
--Komodo
***************
The IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) Theory holds that each
possible result (No matter how improbable) of each action is played out in a
separate universe.
As an example, say you were standing at a soda machine. You have a choice of
Coke, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, Mountain Dew, Sprite and Mug Root beer.
Simply by choosing that machine to purchase a soda from, you have created
seven universes, one for each selection, now, depending on which one you
choose, that universe might blend into another or careening off in an
entirely new direction, automatically creating one where it did blend back in,
and one for each possible direction it could go.
There's also the Chaos Theory, but that's for another time.
***************
Sailor Mars blinked, awoke, and found herself staring straight down the
gullet of a raging Negaverse Youma, hell bent on ripping her to shreds.
She didn't think, didn't try to think. She simply reacted.
"Mars Fireball Charge!" The monster howled as the white hot fireballs, rated
to be in excess of nine thousand degrees, struck it, reducing it to white hot
ash in less then a second. Somebody in a blue costume grabbed her arm,
tugging on it. Reacting on instinct, she followed her three companions as
they ran to a car and sped away, even as her mind wondered at the number of
companions.
Shouldn't there be four?
***************
She sat in the back seat of the car, trying to sort out her memories of the
past from her life now. Her name was Raye--No. Angela Marz, a student at Bush
Academy, a school on the outskirts of NY2, built on the remains of New York.
In America.
"Oh God." Angela said, holding her head in her hands, gritting her teeth as
memories and knowledge from Artimes fought to align themselves in her head.
The year was 2045. Half the world's population had been killed in 1995 from
the psychic fallout from Serena's battle with Queen Beryl. Both had died, but
the battle had forced a hole in time catapulting them through time to here.
New lives, new place, new problems.
Finally, the memories settled down in her mind, as her organizational skills
took over, finding a place for everything and putting everything in its
place, then gently but firmly closed the book on Raye Hino, and Princess Raye
of Mars, tucking them neatly away where she could always find them if she
needed them.
"Who's our opponents?" She asked, when her head stopped spinning
"Somebody named Diamond from someplace called The Black Moon. He and his gang
of loons are running around in a ship dropping droids and wreaking havoc
across the city." Angela looked down at Artemis.
"Artimes." She hugged him tightly, the contact making everything seem more
grounded.
"Hello Raye." Said a voice next to her. Angela turned to see Kate "Cat"
Harris, the meanest girl at Bush seated next to her. While Angela Marz
wouldn't willingly set foot anywhere near Cat, Raye Hino would since Cat was
the spitting image of Mina Anio. Well, almost spitting image Angela thought,
taking in Cat's closely cropped dyed hair.
"Mina." Angela said, nodding.
"Hello. I'm Irene." The girl seated in the passenger seat turned around and
offered her hand.
"Angela." She replied, taking the hand and studying Irene. Cut the hair, dye
it blue, and she would be staring at Amy.
"Its me, Lita. Just call me Jen." Said the driver.
Angela froze. She knew that voice. Jennifer Louder, the richest girl in
school.
"Jen." Angela said, keeping her voice neutral. "Nice to see you again."
"Likewise." The Car was silent for a long time. Finally, Angela spoke up,
giving voice to the question that had been nagging at her.
"Where's Sailor Moon?"
"She--She didn't make it." Artemis said. "Luna thinks she's with Queen
Serenity now."
"Wherever that is." Cat grumbled.
Angela massaged her temples and then said the only thing that seemed
appropriate.
"Well Shit."
***************
The Next Day Angela, Irene, and Cat met in by one of the school walls with
Artimes. Jen had a meeting of the Student Council that she was obligated to
go to. Angela didn't buy into it.
"This is more important then..." Angela paced angrily. "...The colors at the
School Prom!"
"It goes deeper then that." Irene said. "Her entire family is status
motivated. She has to keep up appearances. We all do." Cat nodded agreement.
"By rights, I should be busting your heads and stealing everything you have."
"We didn't choose the lives we have now." Irene said gently. "All we can do
is live them." Angela blew her breath out noisily.
"I always hated it that you were the voice of reason." Irene smiled.
"Thank you."
"So who's leading?" Angela asked.
"Jen has. Nobody really wanted to argue when she took control. I guess its
her upbringing." Angela massaged her temples.
"So let me get this straight." She said. "We're almost fifty years into the
future." Cat and Irene nodded. "Serena is nowhere to be found." Again they
nodded. "And we can't tap our full power without her." Nods. "What about the
Imperium Silver Crystal?"
"We can't find it." Artimes said.
"Damn." Angela ran a hand through her hair. "What about Darien?"
"He made it." Irene pulled out a data pad. "We can't be sure without waking
him, but we think he's Jack McSweeney, the captain of the Zero G Lacrosse
team."
"That makes sense. Didn't he tell us he captained the soccer team when he was
in High School?" Irene nodded.
"Yes, but what do we do with him?"
"Lets not wake him." Angela said. "He woke up on his own last time--" She
broke up as a new thought hit her. "Artimes? Lets say you're right, and
Serena is lost to us. What about Sailor Moon? Where would she go?" Artimes
Cat and Irene gave her blank looks.
"I don't follow." Irene said. Angela frowned as she tried to put her thoughts
into the simplest terms.
"We are, what we are, because we have something extra in us. Right?" They
nodded. "Without that, we would just be normal humans. Right?" More Nods.
"Fine. So lets say the same rules apply to Serena. Without that...whatever it
is, she would have just been Serena, soul of the moon princess or no."
"I get it!" Irene said. "You think a new Princess has been selected."
"Yeah. And I'm betting she'll lead us to the Imperium Silver Crystal, and
when she does, Tuxedo Mask will come to us." A predatory smile crossed Cat's
face.
"Then we go kick Diamond's ass back to the Black Moon?" Angela nodded,
returning the predatory smile.
"Precisely."
***************
When Jen found out their plan, she was less then pleased that they had
decided to do it without her, but she didn't argue.
"So how do we find her?"
"We hid Artimes in an air vent in the main hallway." Angela said. "The rest
is up to him."
***************
Concealed in the vent as he was, Artimes had a near bird's eye view of the
entire hallway. Below, students walked back and forth, laughing and talking.
He stretched out his senses, looking for the correct Aura. Nothing. He found
three pregnant girls, two guys with an STD they had gotten from one another,
and a Moon Kingdom Aura--" Artimes snapped to full alertness. There. A
short, reddish brown haired girl slipping something into a locker. Her aura
was all but screaming that she was Sailor Moon.
Gotcha
***************
"That's her?" Artimes nodded.
"Positive. I checked her aura twice." The four girls were in Jen's hover car
which was speeding down the expressway on auto pilot. Inside, the driver and
passenger seats had been rotated to face the back seat and all were looking
at a hologram from the student directory. Jen, however, did not look very
happy about it.
"What's wrong?" Irene asked. Jen sighed.
"Its Christie MacCready."
"And?" Cat asked. Jen sighed again.
"After I was born, mother died and in his grief, my Father may have
been...indiscreet. There's no way to be sure and Christie's mother was
paralyzed from the neck down about ten years ago right around the same time
as the rumors about Dad's indiscretion."
"So her mom and your dad shared some skin" Cat shrugged. "So what?" Angela
was quicker on the uptake though.
"She could be your sister?"
"Half-sister." Jen corrected. "But that's not the problem."
"Then what?"
"Rumor has it that her mother's paralyzation may have been the result of a
botched hit by my aunt in an attempt to eliminate the embarrassment." Jen
paused for a moment. "We Louders are very materialistic you see, and Dad
holds the purse strings to the family billions. Any money he would have had
to have paid in child support would be money my aunt wouldn't get." Jen
turned her chair to stare out the window at the lights of the city. "Then
there's the fact that if Dad married her, which would legitimize Christie, it
would mean that someone of 'lower station' would be 'raised to our level' My
aunt would commit mass genocide instead of letting 'a commoner' anywhere near
the family fortune."
"Ouch." Irene said softly. Jen turned her chair back to face them.
"Anyway, the only way to be sure is through genetic testing and her mom won't
let Christie go in for testing. She even had her records sealed to keep
anyone from taking a peek."
"Why?"
"She blames the entire family for her injury."
"Oh."
***************
"I thought you said that they were 'commoners'." The car was idling in front
of the MacCready compound, a huge walled estate.
"They are." Jen said. "They're only worth twenty billion. We're worth forty."
"That's stupid." Cat said. "Ya got billions, you're the same as any other
goit with billions."
"I know it makes no sense, but that's how it is. My aunt is absolutely aghast
that both families are in the same country club."
"Your aunt sounds like she's crazy."
"Its crossed my mind." Jen said, sending the car up to the gate. "Jennifer
Louder and friends to see Miss Christie MacCready." She said to the gate
intercom.
"Is she expecting you?" The voice at the other end of the intercom asked.
"She is now." Cat muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear.
"No. Its a surprise visit. But we do need to talk to her." Jen said. "Please.
Its important." For a moment, all was silent. Then the gates swung open and
they entered.
When they reached the main house, they were met by a tall, slim man dressed
in a fine suit, and a strikingly beautiful woman in a wheelchair.
"Jennifer." She said in a clear voice.
"Ma'am." Jen said, as they exited the car.
"May I ask what your bisnuess is with my daughter?"
"School Bisnuess." Jen said, deliberately being vague as they climbed the
steps, pausing at the top.
Now that they were closer, Angela could really appreciate Ms MacCready's
beauty. In a wheelchair, she was attractive and there was no doubt in her
mind that had she been up and around, she would have been positively
stunning. She could also see that the chair was equipped with arms and the
wires of a cybernetic interface.
"Ms MacCready? I'm Angela Marz." Angela stepped forward and put her hand out,
meeting her eyes.
"Jeri MacCready." She replied, as one of the chair arms rose up to meet hers,
accompanied by the small whine of electric motors.
"Irene Dawson." Irene said, stepping forward and also shaking hands.
"Names's Cat. Yo." A smile crossed Jeri's face and quickly vanished.
"Robert will guide you." She said. Turning the chair and guiding it back into
the house.
"If you will follow me?" The man said, turning and leading them into the
house.
***************
They stood at the opening of the hallway Robert had led them too. It was lit
by a flickering lights made to look like torches and the walls were painted
to appear like stone. In red paint on the wall to their left was an arrow and
the words "THIS WAY TO THE FUN HOUSE"
"It reminds me of a dungeon." Irene whispered as they walked down the
hallway. "Or some kind of Mad Scientist lab like in the DVD's." Angela
nodded, trying to control the beating of her heart.
"I know what you mean, its right out of a horror movie." She said as her foot
pressed something.
Almost instantly, an earsplitting and unearthly shriek ripped through the
air, the lights flickered and Angela staggered back as something collided
with her. Screaming, she fell down, failing her arms wildly.
Angela couldn't tell how long she grappled with her opponent before the
lights came back on but when they did, she found herself nose to nose and
tangled up with Cat.
"You okay?" Cat asked. Angela nodded and both girls stood.
"What...The...FUCK...Was...That?" Jen asked. She was pressed against the
wall, trying to catch her breath.
"I don't know." Angela said, clenching her hands into fists to keep them from
shaking.
"Look at this." Irene was crouched, examining something on the floor.
"What is it?" Angela asked, joining her. Irene was running her hand over a
small bump in the floor.
"A switch of some kind." Irene said. "Brace yourselves." She pressed it.
Immediately, the shriek ripped the ear again and the lights flickered and
went out for at least ten seconds.
"Cute." Angela said when the lights came back on. "Somebody has way to much
time on their hands."
"C'mon." Jen said. "Lets go." And so they went, looking carefully for the
telltale bumps that marked switches.
***************
The door was a mish mash of heavy wooden planks and bars. Bits of what looked
like bone were wedged in between the boards and bars. At eye level, in neatly
formed letters, was a sign that simply read; "Mr. Saunders".
"We should knock I suppose." Irene said, but she made no move to do so.
"I'll do it." Cat said, stepping forward and banging three times on the heavy
timbers. Angela cringed, bracing herself for the worse. But the door only
slowly swung open with a ponderous creak, and the four girls stepped in.
The inside was cool. Stone walls rose high, covered in bits of vine and
cobwebs. To their left, two more doors, each made of heavy timbers and heavy
iron bars. The only hole in them was a small slot about waist height. To
their right, a table laden with chemical equipment. Straight ahead, two metal
spikes, each topped with a metal sphere, electric bolts leaping between them.
"Nice." Angela muttered, taking a step to the left and then falling back with
a shriek as a splotchy green tentacle whipped out of the narrow slot, waved
back and forth for a few moments, and then retracted back into the slot.
"Try the other door." Cat urged, grinning. Angela shook her head.
"Hell no. Lets talk to Christie and get out of this creepy place."
"Yes?" Said a new voice.
"Christie MacCready?" Angela said. "My name is Angela and this is Irene and
Cat and Jen. We need to talk to you.
"So come sit down on the couch."
"Uh couch?"
"Yeah. Can't you see it?"
"Well...no." The chemistry table rippled as a girl walked through it. She was
about Jen's height, with shoulder length red-brown hair pulled back into a
ponytail. She wore shorts and a loose T-Shirt.
"Oh. I left the lab program on. I can't see it from the other side of the
field." She raised her voice. "Bobo, shut off the Lab."
"Yes Ma'am." Said a rich english voice. First the stone walls flickered and
vanished, then the doors, finally, the table with the equipment.
The room was now a typical girls bedroom. The wall where the electric spikes
had been was now a computer and wall phone setup that had apparently been
cobbled together and then continuously refined. Where the two doors had been
had been pushed back at least fifteen meters. The two doors were open and one
was a closet, the other appeared to be a bathroom.
"Your room...its one big simulation chamber...isn't it?" Irene asked.
Christie nodded.
"Yup. Full scale. I can attend a concert if I want, even have my own box seat
at the superbowl." She walked over and patted the computer lovingly." If an
image of it exists, Bobo can bring it to holochromatic life." She said with a
small amount of wistful affection in her voice. "He has access to the entire
data libraries of the Library of Congress, Yale, Harvard, London University,
and dozens more world wide. He can even theorize...within limits."
"What does he use for a processor?" Irene asked, her eyes alight.
"Sixth generation bio-crystal data matrix."
"Fiber-optic cable?"
"Hardly." Christie smirked. "Silicon pathways in a sub-zero true vacuum
cables." Irene was impressed and she joined Christie at the computer.
"What else can you do?"
"Watch this." Christie said. "Bobo, show me a standard eight by twelve
room." They were suddenly enclosed by four blank walls. "Alright." Christie
laid her hand on the wall behind her guests. "Designate this wall as North
and give me a door about midway." A closed wooden door appeared. "Now. On the
west wall, a closed closet door." A hum, and the door appeared. "Now. On the
east wall, an open window and a bed." The requested items appeared. "Now I
could go on and add and take away items until I have it just the way I want
it. Kill the holo Bobo." The room vanished and Christie sat in a exquisite
leather chair in front of her workstation...er...Bobo. "So what's on your
minds?"
"Christie..." Angela said, stepping forward. "You ever dream about being
someone else? A Princess....or a warrior maiden?" Christie's expression
didn't change.
"Your point. Please." She said. Cat pushed forward.
"Look. She's sayin you're the Chosen one."
"Chosen for what?" Christie asked, her tone one of eternal patience. Angela
shook her head and took the crescent moon wand from her jacket and handed it
over. "To Transform, raise your hand and say Moon Prism Power. Come on guys."
She said and walked out, the others following.
"What was that all about?" Jen asked, when they were back in the car and
speeding away.
"She didn't believe us." Angela said. "So I left the wand with her."
"I don't get it."
"She's a scientist. She's going to wonder, and she's going to try it." Jen
nodded, understanding.
"Then she'll find us."
***************
Christie sat on the couch, staring at the thing that girl Angela had left.
Before her, a holo of Sailor Moon, the one who had apparently wielded the
wand before her, slowly spun, showing her all sides.
"Tell it to me again Bobo." She said, sitting back.
***************
Sailor Mercury threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding the hail of
plasma bolts that howled past her.
They were at Dodgers Air Base in New Jersey, where the Black Moon Goons and
several droids had been attacking the planes parked on the tarmac.
The Senshi were locked in a desperate fight to save the lives of the base
personnel.
They were getting creamed.
A flash of orange and Sailor Venus was next to her.
"Hey." She said, breathing heavily.
"Hey." Mercury said and then covered her head as a explosion roared through
the air.
"Fuck!" Venus swore as rocks and bits of debris rained down on her head.
"We're getting creamed by these bastards!"
A flash of red and green, and Sailor Mars and Jupiter joined them.
"Hey." Mars said, by way of greeting. "How-" Whatever else she was about to
say was cut off as a shock wave grenade landed nearby and detonated,
catapulting them into the air and sending them head over heels to a very
painful landing.
Opening their eyes brought them the humiliating sight of being surrounded.
"So. The Sailor Senshi fall at last." A red haired man pushed his way through
the droids.
"And you would be?" Mercury asked.
"Rubius. Pleased to make your aqauintence, albeit briefly." He chuckled.
"Alright Droids--What?!" Rubius ducked as another jet detonated. "Who did
that?" A droid was about to answer, but its head vanished in a burst of
plasma fire.
Turning their heads to look, the Senshi could see that something was walking
out of the smoke, firing a fusion pistol.
"Fire!" Rubius roared, and the droids responded, sending a hail of fire and
laser beams into the smoke, trying to hit whatever it was.
After half a minute, he called a halt.
"Did we get it?" Asked one of the goons, running up.
"No." Came a new voice from above. "You did cost Uncle Sam several billion
though." Everyone looked up. Crouched on top of a flagpole, shadowed by
smoke, was a silhouette...
....a silhouette with two long pigtails.
"Who are you?" Rubius demanded.
"Uncle Sam's Claims Inspector." taunted the silhouette. "And you and your
friends have been very naughty monkeys."
"Get her!" Rubius roared, unleashing his TK darts even as the soldiers and
droids unleashed their own firepower. As each one ran out of ammunition, they
lowered their weapons.
"Did we get her?" Asked a soldier.
"Not bloody likely." was the reply as the soldier's chest exploded as fusion
powered plasma bolts ripped into his chest, showering his companions in green
gore.
"Where are you?" Rubius howled. "Show yourself!"
"I don't think so." was the reply as another soldier's head exploded in a
fountain of blood. Now the soldiers, each one a veteran of several campaigns,
were beginning to get frightened.
"Sir?" One ventured, "Maybe we should call for reinforcements."
"No." Rubius snarled, grabbing the soldier by the shirt. "I will not be
beaten some fast moving.......shadow.....with A FUSION PISTOL!" The soldier's
answer was a whimper of pain as something brushed Rubius's pants leg.
Looking down, he saw most of the soldier's lower body laying on the ground,
connected to his upper body by what appeared to be intestines.
"Droids!" Rubius barked, dropping the luckless soldier. "Find that...claims
inspector...and kill her! I want her head!" The droids saluted and spread
out, disappearing into the maze of aircraft and burning wreckage.
Silently, Sailor Mars counted what was left. Four soldiers, and Rubius. "Take
down the soldiers." She whispered. "Then we gang up on Rubius."
"Right." As one, the Senshi leaped, finishing off the soldiers with a few
well placed punches and kicks. Looking around, Rubius realized he was alone.
Well no matter. He could still finish these four off.
"Danger." His implant warned in his ear. "Emotional stress level too high. TK
enhancement off line."
"You've won this day Senshi. But I'll be back." The familiar energy of the
teleport rushed over him, but instead off the walls of his ship, a warning
alert blared in his ear.
"Emotional Levels too high. Transfer circuits burnt out. Engaging Auto
Repair."
It was a very puzzled Senshi that watched a look of panic cross Rubius's face
and the proud warrior take a step back, then another, and then another, until
he was running away towards the main buildings.
"What was that all about?" Jupiter asked.
"His powers probably rely on some sort of artificial enhancement." Mercury
said after a moment. "and it must not be working right."
"Which means he's powerless until it gets fixed, right?" Mercury nodded.
"Yes. Or at least nearly that." A predatory gleam came into Venus's eyes.
"Well now." She said softly. "Aint that a kick in the head." Mars and Jupiter
traded ugly grins.
"It is indeed." Mars said softly.
"Oh yes." Jupiter agreed.
"Shall we then?"
"After you." With that, the four Senshi took off after their prey.
***************
Some where at the outskirts of the solar system....
The object moved silently past Pluto, crossing Neptune's orbit, and slipping
past Uranus
But it's arrival didn't go unnoticed.
Sensors that had been left behind eons ago by a rag tag band of scared and
hungry colonists, fleeing an oppressive regime registered the object and sent
back the picture of the tree, and its two passengers within the glowing
sphere.
But there was no one to receive the signal, for the colonists were no longer
there.
Eventually, the sensor fell silent, its power exhausted, and it became just
another piece of space debris.
***************
Rubius burst into the barracks, slamming the door shut and then crossing to
one of the deserted bunks and sitting. He had lost those sailor failures.
That shadow, whoever she was, was still on the tarmac. He giggled to himself.
He had by no means won the day, but he had delivered a serious blow to the
military of this penny ante country. The bombs had been placed.
"In three hours." He said to the air. "This entire base will be leveled. Not
one building, plane, or blade of grass will be left standing!" He cackled.
"Now that's not very nice." Said a voice in his ear. "What did the grass ever
do you?" Startled, Rubius jerked his head to look to his left. Crouched at
his bedside, fusion pistol in hand and aimed at him, was a girl, her blond
hair done up in twin ponytails. "I hope you brought protection." She giggled
as she pulled the trigger. "Stress and fear lent new speed to Rubius as he
flung himself to the right, heat kissing his skin as the head of the bunk
exploded in flames. He rolled to his feet.
"How?" He raged. "How did you find me?"
"Easy Old Boy. I followed you. Oh, I think these are yours." She tossed a
handful of Control Gems, their color darkened, at his feet. "Say Goodnight
Gracie." She pulled the trigger again. Rubius ducked and then dove out the
hole in the wall. Behind him, her voice echoed off the metal walls.
"Be vewy, vewy quiet....I'M HUNTING WABBITS!" Then a shrieking, cackling peal
of laughter.
***************
Sailor Mars frowned at the shout and the laughter. The four were standing in
the cafeteria, trying to determine which way Rubius has gone.
"Sounds like our mysterious savior is playing games." Jupiter said, taking a
fry from a half finished plate of food and chewing thoughtfully on it.
"Yeah," Mars said. "But games with who?"
***************
Rubius was in the grip of panic, he wasn't thinking clearly. If he had, he
might have chosen another route instead of heading back to the cafeteria. Two
minutes alone for his implants to repair themselves. That's all he needed.
<Just two minutes> he thought, pleading to deities he hadn't thought about in
centuries, <all I need is two minutes.>
Rubius, like most us, never got exactly what he wished for and this thought
was foremost in his mind as he ran into the cafeteria and found the Senshi
already there and standing between him and the exits.
Turning, he found the claims inspector standing in the doorway, pistol in her
hand and aimed at him.
"Well whaddya know." She half whispered. "I win." She smiled maniacally.
"At least tell me your name." Rubius whispered, too tired to fight anymore.
"Sailor Moon." She said softly as she pulled the trigger. A click was heard,
but other then that, nothing. "Damn." She said, checking the readouts. "Outta
power." Seconds ticked by as what she said sank into the brains of those
gathered. Then, with a howl born of desperation, Rubius leapt for her,
knocking her to the ground.
"Now you die bitch!" He yelled, drawing his hand back to begin what would be
the most enjoyable beating he had performed in years. Her nose first he
decided, then winced as something sliced across his wrist. Turning, he saw a
red rose embedded in the wall.
"Your evil ends here." Said a voice behind him. Turning, he saw a man in a
cape and formal tuxedo, the Senshi spread out around him, ready to fight.
"Rubius honey?" He felt the pistol poke at his gut. "I have a confession to
make." Rubius looked back at Sailor Moon, trying to ignore the sinking
feeling in his stomach. She smiled up at him. "I lied." Her thumb flicked the
switch to reserve power and she pulled the trigger.
Rubius howled as his midsection was consumed by fire. Then sweet blackness
claimed him...and he knew no more.
***************
The first thing he felt was a gentle warmth all around him, then his ears
informed him of the rushing sound of his own breathing. His eyes opened and
he realized he was in a cloning tank. Through the glass, he could see Prince
Diamond...and he didn't look very happy.
***************
Sailor Moon slowly stood and for the first time, the others got a look at
her. Her outfit was not the same as the others. Instead of a white blouse,
skirt, and bows, she wore a suit of armor that appeared to be made of bone
and sinew. Blue strips of crystal ran down her arms and red crystal down her
legs. It appeared to be layered over the shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles.
The hair hadn't changed, but the face was one Mars recognized. She opened her
mouth to congratulate her when Tuxedo Mask moved forward.
"Tuxedo Mask! Wait!" She called out but he had already grabbed her and was abo
ut to kiss her and Mars winced as the sound of Sailor Moon's hand connecting
with his cheek.
"Huh? Meatball Head? Why?" Then he got a good look at her. "Wait. You're
not--" He looked at the others "--and you're not either. What's going on?"
Mars laid a hand on his shoulder. "Its a long story. But lets get out of here
first"
***************
"....and that's all we know." Angela took a bite of the pizza in her hand.
Jack had his head in his hands, trying to take it all in.
"Hey." Christie laid her hand on his shoulder. "So this Serena bought the big
one saving your life. Instead of bemoaning your loss, you should try and get
used to it. Find somebody new."
"How can you make statements like that? You didn't know her!"
"Maybe not, but at least I would be trying to get on with my life instead of
moping around like a sick cow."
"Moping?" Jack half stood. "Let me tell you something, she had more heart
then you'll ever have!"
"Oh you think so?" From there, the argument degenerated into arm waving,
accusations of emotional murder, and name calling. Artemis looked at Angela,
who was examining the wig Christie had made to make her look like Sailor Moon.
"Does this sound familiar to you?" He asked, wryly.
"Everytime he and Serena met." Angela said softly, but unable to keep the
smile from her face.
"You think she has a chance?"
"Honestly Artimes? I don't know." She replaced the wig on its makeshift stand
and smiled at him. "But something tells me its going to be a helluva ride
finding out."
TBC. . .