Rated PG-13 contains some strong language, violence and erotically suggestive material The characters of Sailormoon are the creation and possession of the brilliant Takeuchi Naoko. They belong to Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai, Toei Animation, DIC, and all others associated with rights. No copyright infringement is intended. The characters of the Ranma « universe are the creation and possession of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and her licensees (Shogakukan Inc., Kitty-Fuji TV, Viz Communications Inc.) No copyright infringement is intended. I would like to thank my pre-readers. Without their tireless efforts and endless patience this fanfiction would not exist. Angel de la Hoya, first volunteer pre-reader. It is solely due to her early and frequent encouragement that this story is in it's final form. Thiemo Guenther, should be co-creator due to his detailed and exhaustive analysis. Ken Wolfe, WOW. To have one of my favorite authors offer C&C. Dave Eddy, And another of my favorites. H-Packrat, who offered some telling criticism and corrected a blunder on the part of the author. Pre-readers are worth their weight in any precious metal you choose. Pre-reading is a voluntary action . . .but absolutely necessary to producing a readable work of fiction. And good C&C is harder than writing. Without their efforts This would be a much poorer story. I can not thank the above persons enough . . .so I wrote them into the story. ^_^ As always any errors and omissions are MINE. If you have read my "Love is a Battlefield" and "Bloodfist" you know what I mean by [dark/WAFFy]. The following story contains some scenes of violence. There are also some erotically suggestive portions. HOWEVER there is nothing in this story that is not integral to plot development. ************************************************* ##Warning! Guard Patrol ahead. Autonomous Defense Mode Initiated.## She wished the voice would shut up. She was so tired. Too tired to make sense of that stupid voice. ##Combat Capabilities 0.06. Initiating Escape and Evasion sub- routines.## She wanted to weep with frustration. Every time she was almost asleep that stupid voice would wake her up. The meaning of the words niggled at the back of her mind, but the meaning just wouldn't come. The voice sounded impatient, worried even. Maybe if she answered it, it would shut up and let her sleep. "Wh' h'ppn." ##Input not understood## Stupid voice. "Whus hap'ning." ##Escape route compromised. Enemy forces closing in. Detection/capture imminent. Defense sub-routines require command input## She struggled to open eyes glued shut by exhaustion. The blinding light sent a stabbing pain through her head. Stupid voice. Using all those big words. She'd show it. "Shu'up. Tr'n off ligh' n let me sleep. Jus go way be quiet." There was a momentary pause. ##Command input accepted. Initiating new Escape sub- routine.## The shambling stinking scarecrow raised an arm and placed it against an apparently featureless part of the wall. There was a brief flare of heat and light. Then lights went out and alarms went off all over the palace. Intruder alert sirens whooped along side the shrill ohee-ohee of fire-alarms. Then the sprinkler system went off. In the confusion, no one noticed the lone figure make its way through the dark confused corridors. By the time the fault in the security system was isolated and repaired the figure was already deeply asleep in a bed in the old part of the palace that had not seen use in over a century. ************************************************* "Higher, papa. Higher. I want to fly!" Papa threw her higher and higher. The mountains looked like hills, her house like a toy. Then papa, mama, the mountains all vanished. "Work through the pain! Haven't you learned anything! If you can't get this much right you're useless." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I try to be good. But it's hard. It hurts. I'm sorry." "Don't talk, focus. Focus!" Pain flashed through her body. She arched against her bonds till her joints cracked and she cried blood as vessels in her eyes burst. "Now FOCUS. Bring the ball through the hoop. Don't let the sides touch." She concentrated, focusing on the swirling colored motes. She concentrated through the pain, bringing the gnat sized objects into focus, controlling the delicate sensory implants with virtuoso skill. Like threading a needle in a hail storm, standing on one leg in a small boat, while someone drove burning iron into your joints. It just took practice. And just like that the microscopic ball flew through the infinitesimal hoop, with microns to spare. And the pain. . . stopped. Peace washed over her body and she slumped sobbing and sweating in her bonds. Distantly, disinterestedly she could hear voices. "How did it go?" "Magnificently. You were correct. I would never have imagined she could reach this stage so quickly. She maintained control at all times. And there is no evidence of the psychosis or delusional behavior that was so troublesome with the previous subjects. We have actually exceeded the threshold imposed by the new generator technology by 20%. Phasing up or down should actually be quite pleasant. . . in comparison." "And the primary weapon?" "The generator has already been installed. We should be able to do our first power up by tomorrow evening." The voices faded as she was wheeled away, still strapped to the test frame. She could see brightly colored cloth swirling next to her head. It was one of them. Beautiful and bright she'd thought they were angels when she'd first come here. Now she knew. She'd been bad. She didn't know why or what. But she'd been bad. She'd told them she was sorry. She told them she'd be good. She almost never did that anymore. It just wasted time. A tear leaked from an eye that shouldn't have had any more tears to cry. "I'll be good." she whispered. " I promise, I'll be good." ************************************************* * She bolted awake, her sleep fuzzy mind trying to separate dream from reality. "I brought you a tray." She whipped around in the bed at the sound of the voice. Huge sky-blue eyes blinked solemnly back at her. "I brought you a tray," the voice repeated, "you can eat it in the bath." A tiny hand, pale as star light, reached out to tug her gently off the bed. Dazed she followed the insistent tugging till she found herself confronting a tub the size of a small lake filled with fragrant herbs. Tugging and pulling the small hands soon had her filthy clothes piled in a heap at her feet. "Get in now. I'll help you." Her small helper dropped her own robe to the floor and stepped naked into the tub with her. "They call me 'Stormy'.What's your name?" "I. . . I. . . " At her look of miserable confusion her petite helper patted her softly on the shoulder. "I know, I don't like my name either. Stormy's just a nickname. How 'bout I come up with one for you?" she thought for a moment. "I know. 'Misty', 'cause your eyes look just like a morning mist. Well, fog, really. . . but calling you foggy wouldn't be as pretty. Is Misty OK?" She asked anxiously. Stormy seemed to take silence as consent and as simply as that she had a name. She'd had one "before", a name and a life, but that was so long ago as to be beyond a dream. But now she had a name again. She was no longer the "subject", the "project" or "Weapon 4". She was a person. Stormy, seemingly unaware of this internal turmoil pushed Misty gently but firmly into the tub. "Wait just a minute and you can eat." Stormy scrubbed away at the grime and oil that blackened Misty's arms. "OK, now you can eat while I finish the rest." With that she swung out a tray loaded with small sandwiches, cold cuts, cheeses and a pitcher filled with cool, sweet spring water. Misty grabbed the pitcher and drained it in one prodigious gulp. She followed this by cramming fist fulls of food into her mouth as fast as she could swallow without chewing. Stormy ignored the spray of food particles and gasping gulping noises as she contentedly bathed her new friend. "Lift please." She brought the sponge down in long gentle strokes. "I hope you like the cakes, they're my favorite." Stormy didn't seem to expect an answer. Or perhaps the way Misty inhaled the delicate honey-cakes, mixed indiscriminately with cheese, bitter relish and parched nuts was an answer in itself. "Are you ticklish?" Stormy scooted down and lifted one of Misty's feet into her lap. She paused, brush held expectantly in one had. "Tell me if you are, 'cause I don't want to get kicked in the head. I mean I've got a friend. She TELLS everybody she's not ticklish. . . .BUT. . . We were trying on shoes one day, and I ran a finger down her sole. . . trying to get the shoe on. She's got really, really big feet. Well not that big, but bigger than mine. And I'll tell you, she let out a shriek and almost took my head off." Stormy's chatter paused for a moment and she rubbed her cheek reminiscently. "So anyway tell me if you are. . . ticklish that is." "I don't know. I've never been tickled." "REALLY?" Stormy looked at the small bare foot in her hands, a mischievous glint in her eye. Then she shook her head regretfully. "No, you need to rest first." She proceeded to scrub both grimy feet with the precision and detachment of a pathologist cleaning a specimen. "All done. Now, hold your breath." "Huh?" "Hold your breath silly. Like this." She demonstrated, sucking in a large gulp of air, puffing her cheeks out. Misty did so, uncomprehendingly. "We need to wash your hair." So saying Stormy yanked on the feet resting in her lap, pulling Misty completely under water. She came up sputtering to find Stormy already behind her, a large dollop of shampoo in her hands. "Just relax. I'm really good at this. Probably 'cause I get so much practice." The combination of a full tummy, warm water and gentle fingers massaging her scalp was like a drug. Helplessly her head fell back to rest against a surprisingly strong bare shoulder. "Just relax, I'll be through in a minute." The warm soapy water and the soft voice touched some forgotten, forbidden fragment of her lost life. A tear fell from her eye, then another and another. "You're crying. What's wrong?" "I don't know. I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm. . . " "Hush, It's all right. It's all right. I 'll protect you. It's all right." It was absurd, foolish. To think this tiny girl could protect her from. . . them. But she was so tired. So afraid. She wanted to believe. . . ************************************************* . . . "Did you have a nice sleep." When she 'woke again it was still daylight. "You fell asleep in the tub, so I just put you to bed." Misty peeked under the covers that had been drawn over her. "I brought you some clothes." Stormy handed her a bundle that seemed to consist of the same lacy pink froth Stormy was wearing. Misty looked in horror at the "cute" confection and Stormy broke out in a braying laugh that sounded more like a turbine with a broken impeller fan than something produced by a human throat. "If. . . if you could ONLY have seen your face!" The memory threatened to send Stormy off into paroxysms again. "Sorry. . . I couldn't resist. Here, THESE are for you." She handed Misty a bundle, consisting of short boots, work pants and shirt of a heavy cloth. Stormy grinned at the look of relief in Misty's eyes. "I couldn't resist. We have company coming and I had to dress up." She twirled, petticoats and over skirt flaring in a deadly vortex of lace and ruffles. "I love dressing up, and I adore lace. . . but this!" She giggled again. "Anyway, I'll be gone most of the day. I brought you another tray and some books. You can go out into the garden if you want." she indicated large doors of frosted glass. "They're pretty overgrown because no one comes to this part of the palace much any more. Except me. This is my own special place." She looked at Misty seriously. "And now it's yours too." She glanced at a bracelet strapped around her wrist and let out a shriek as a row of numbers and letters flashed briefly. "Ohhhh! I am sooooo laaaattteee! Gottagogoodby!" And disappeared through the door in a taffeta storm. . . ************************************************* * . . . ."Is this what you wanted?" Stormy poured a bag of tools out on the floor. Misty had been in this room for over a week. Every day she woke up to find Stormy by her bed. Every day Stormy brought food, books, games. Sometimes they'd talk, well Stormy would talk. Misty listened fascinated, even when she didn't understand the alien concepts of. . . friends. . . freedom. . . laughter but was soothed somehow by the gentle voice. Or Stormy would try to teach her how to play a game, or they would walk in the garden, wild and overgrown after a century of neglect.. Two days ago Misty had asked for some tools. Stormy didn't ask any questions. She never asked questions. And Misty had too little knowledge of human nature to think this strange. She hadn't seen a human being in ten years. "Yes, this is just what I needed." "Ewww! Doesn't that hurt?" Stormy watched in horrified fascination as Misty opened up her abdomen with a quick neat slash. "No," she answered truthfully prying up a rib with her fingers. "I have a high pain threshold." She reached behind the ribs and pulled out a small grey cylinder with a wet sucking sound. She pulled a thin wire from a small orange box that was among the tools Stormy had brought her and plugged it into an access port in the cylinder. "Run diagnostics."she commanded the whispering voice. She watched the test unit display change as her implants ran through diagnostic routines. "Yes, this is just perfect. . . see!" She held out the tiny instrument in a bloody hand. THUNK! ************************************************* "I'm sorry Stormy." Misty didn't sound sorry. She honestly didn't understand why her friend was upset. "That's OK, you couldn't know." Stormy sat with her face carefully to the wall while Misty worked. "Uh, how much longer?" "I don't know. Be silent." Stormy grinned at the blank wall. Misty had a lot of social skills to learn. It would be so much fun teaching her. ##Energy weapon on line. Kinetic weapon on line. Primary Weapon locked.## She hugged herself in delight. She'd never expected this much. Her chance of success had just increased by several orders of magnitude. There were holes in the security system. She'd proved that when she escaped. She couldn't kill herself. She couldn't kill Pluto or any of the senshi. She couldn't kill the Queen. She couldn't kill the Princess. Ah, but therein lay another hole in the programming. Mistake, oversight, act of Goddess. It didn't make any difference. She couldn't kill the Princess, but they'd never told her what the Princess looked like. There was nothing to prevent her from killing a perfectly unknown person who happened to occupy the Princess's apartments. She couldn't kill herself. . . but when she killed the Princess. . . ************************************************* She waited for the Princess to return to her rooms. She'd accessed the security computer and downloaded the Princesses schedule. She should be returning from the dinner party in just a few minutes. ##Sensors detect movement. Three to five individuals moving toward ambush. Do you wish to refine data?## "NO!" No, the last thing she wanted was a clear picture of who was coming. If her implants recognized anything that identified the Princess they would lock her down tighter than any chains. She calmed her breathing. Soon it would be over, she would be free. They would never hurt her again. And best of all, it would hurt HER, hurt her plans, whatever they were. She savored the thought as she waited for the one person who could grant her release. She would kill the Princess. . . then someone would kill her. "Weapons off safe. Standby to power up." She had to wait to power her weapons till the last minute. She wasn't sure how good the palace's internal sensors were and she didn't want to be detected at the last moment. She could be ready to fire in under a second. Agonizingly slow to her enhanced senses, but sufficient for her task. She could hear foot steps now, no need for augmentation they were so close. The door latch started to slide. "Power to weapons." The door quivered and swung inward. ##Weapons hot,## the voice whispered. ##Targeting data?## "Targeting set to manual control." ##Manual targeting confirmed.## She swung both guns up and centered on the opening door. The blast would kill everyone in the corridor. She would have fired through the door, but it was armored. The time it would take to burn through the door might be enough time for her target to escape. A figure entered the room and she started to fire at. . . STORMY! She froze in confusion as she recognized her friend. Then other figures crowded into the room. SENSHI! Alarms began to scream in her head as fail-safe routines started. Her augmentation shut down, leaving her weak and vulnerable as any normal human. She'd anticipated that this might happen and planted a few surprises of her own. "Run Simulation. . . Palace Coup." She felt a hesitation, then her augmentation spun back up as the idiot savant computer in her skull accepted input telling it that this was a war game simulation and not real senshi. It wouldn't fool the computer long, but she didn't need long. As power came back to her weapons she brought them to bear again as a brightly colored figure, twice her size, smashed her to the ground. "Mars, Mercury get the princess out of here!" She froze. . . Princess. . . her augmentation recognized the regalia, the jewels, Imperial signet. . . another set of fail-safes went off. This time she didn't just loose power. THEY had tried to teach her not to disobey. THEY had tried to teach her not to question them. BUT. . . They had also taught her to withstand pain. That lesson made it difficult for them to discipline her. But THEY were clever and cruel as they were beautiful and bright. They turned her own mind against her. Even as Jupiter pinned her to the ground she screamed and bent almost double in convulsions, throwing the big senshi across the room. Psychotropic drugs flooded her system, stripping away reality. A buried program activated, filling the void with night terrors, phantasms and fears carefully stolen from a young girl and hoarded against need. The horrified senshi backed away from the convulsing, screaming figure. "Princess, get back!" "Misty, it's me. Stormy." "No,no,no. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't hurt me any more. I'll be good." Misty tried to crawl to Serenity. "Make it stop. I'll be good. I promise. I promise. Please. I'll be good." The Princess dropped to her knees and hugged her friend to her. "It's me, it's me! What can I do!" Misty curled into a small weeping ball at Serenity's feet. "I'll be good, make it stop, make it stop I'll be good!." "Princess! Princess!" "What, Mercury!" "Tell her she's being good!" "What!" "Hurry, tell her she's being good!" The frantic Princess grabbed her friend and whispered fiercely in her ear. "You are good, you are good." The convulsions lessened. "You are very good. You are my friend. My good friend. You are a good girl, a very good girl. The best." She held the shuddering girl, repeating this litany over and over 'till her voice was gone and the girl fell into an exhausted sleep. "Well that was exciting." Sailorjupiter limped back to her friends from the kitchen bearing a tray with glasses and a pitcher of spiced wine." I take it you know her?" "She's the friend I told you about." Sailormars stared at her princess. "You didn't tell us she was a homicidal maniac." "That's not fair!" "FAIR! This maniac almost fried us and you talk about FAIR!" "Actually, there are a couple of interesting things about the princess's new friend." Sailormercury was looking at her computer and entering commands. "OH! Something interesting aside from the fact that she tried to kill us with a pair of CANNON!" "Calm down Mars." "Well, excuse me if almost being assassinated makes me CRANKY!!" "Look at this." Mercury pointed to a schematic on her computer screen. "Now this is her pharmocopia. Most of the drugs are pretty standard, pain killers, antibiotics, stimulants. But this little section here, contains a very powerful psychotropic drug. It's usually used in treating mental illness. . . " "I told you she was a nut case." Mars muttered. Mercury ignored her and continued. "And this," she pointed to a blinking icon, "is a miniaturized dream state actuator. This is used in treating certain deep seated phobias and psychoses." She tapped a few keys. "I'm going to play back what happened just after the princess opened the door. Here you can see she is about to fire. She recognizes the princess and freezes. Now this was a voluntary reaction. Then we enter the room behind the princess. Our 'friend's' implant's--" "Her name is Misty." "Sorry, Misty's implant's go wild and try to shut her down. But someone, probably Misty, is a very clever programer as well. There was a routine coded that told the implants that we were all just a simulation. No senshi here, just a computer simulation of senshi. That fooled the master computer but THEN something else happened. I'm not sure exactly what but it was centered on you." Mercury indicated her princess. "ME?" "Something triggered some core fail-safe that dumped the drugs into her system and started the dream- state actuator. But instead of being used to CURE a phobia or psychosis it was use to give them. Some one arranged to drop her into her worst nightmare and then magnify it." "Will she be all right?" -"I don't know. She should be dead. By normal standards that was a lethal dosage of drug. On the other had it looks like someone has completely rebuilt her. She's even got a complete "MolFac' installed inside her body. I've never heard of. . ." "Wait, wait, 'Molfac?" "Sorry. Think about when you go to the healer and they inject tailored molecular machines to fix a broken bone, or repair a torn ligament. Well, she's got a factory inside her to manufacture molecular machines. As long as it's got power and raw materials it can keep her up and going no matter the damage. And it's been used. . . a lot. My scans indicate that every bone in her body has been broken, multiple times, over a period of years. It's harder to tell with soft tissue but her repairs are so extensive that she looks like a quilt." "Who would do somethin. . ." Jupiter's voice trailed off. "Oh shit. Them!" "Yeah, with friends like them, who needs enema's." "That's an old joke, Mars. And not very funny." "Oh yeah, well how 'bout this. What's the difference between Sailorneptune and Queen Beryl? Queen Beryl wears a longer skirt." "I've got one!" Jupiter chimed in. "What's the difference between Sailoruranus and Queen Beryl? Queen Beryl has a sense of humor." "Ok, Ok." Venus reposted. "What's the difference between Sailor Pluto and Queen Beryl?" "I don't know." "Neither does anyone else!" Usagi sat on the floor with Misty curled in her lap like an abandoned kitten. She looked up at her jesting friends. "What are we going to do?" The senshi looked at their princess. "We could hide her. My uncle has a hunting lodge." "That's no good Mars. Even if we fooled the demon bitches, Pluto could find her anywhere she hid." "We've got to think of somewhere Pluto can't find her. . . or someone Pluto can't intimidate." Mercury put in. "Well, the only two I can think of that would go against Pluto are the Goddess OR Her Majesty. . . " Jupiter joked. "Well, we can't depend on miracles," Venus dead panned. "So I guess it's the Goddess." "I think. . . I think I have an idea." The princess looked at her friends. " I need to go get something. Look after Misty while I'm gone. Don't take any chances with the Outer's or Sailor Pluto. If you have to. . . go to my mother. I think I'll be back before anything happens but. . . " "Yeah. But why not just go to your mother now?" The princess looked up at her big friend. "Because I don't want to put mother in the position of having to choose between Sailor Pluto and me. She has enough to worry about with all the trouble Beryl is causing." The princess walked out of her apartments followed by the commander of her guard. "This is a big mistake. We should just give her back." "Venus," The Princess looked betrayed, "you've seen what they did to her, what they'll keep doing." "They must have a reason. . . " "Oh yes. They always have a reason.." Her bitter condemning tone would have shocked most of the palace residents who knew only the cheerful smiling princess. "They can justify anything. . . Sacrifices must be made!" she mimicked. "The problem is, by the time they're through sacrificing to save the Imperium. . . there won't be anybody left alive to save. Well not this time. They don't get her. Not now! Not ever!" "We can't stop them." Venus held up her hand to forestall objections. "You are our Princess. You command and we obey. Besides," Venus gave her liege a wry grin, "nothing would give me more pleasure than to hand those two their heads." She saw Misty's surprised look and explained. "I was visiting some friends at the super-metal mining facility about ten years ago. That's in the asteroid belt so it falls in the Outer's jurisdiction. Well, there was an outbreak of Nerve Fever. In a closed system like the belt habitats it's horrible. And since the incubation period is almost four weeks the whole system was contaminated before anyone knew it. It was so bad they had to call on the Inner System to help with treatment and evacuation. I was on one of the unaffected habitats that was used as a staging area." Venus chuckled "Up to that time I knew I wanted to be a senshi, but I wanted to be an Outer. Guard the Frontier, first contact with aliens, the whole bit. Well, I got to see Inner and Outer senshi in action. The Outer senshi all looked like they'd just stepped off a recruiting poster. Especially Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune. And their groups of refugee's. . . No crying babies, every one in their queue, no pushing or shoving. It was text-book perfect. Then you could walk down and see the Inner's working. Uniforms rumpled, and dirty. They looked like an unmade bed. Babies crying, children playing in the halls people pushing and shoving in line. It was a real mess. I thought they were a joke. Then, one day, I watched the Outer's process a new batch of refugees. They sorted, cataloged and moved them along like they were so much trash that had to be disposed of. And I found out why their refugees were so polite. They were terrified of the Outer senshi. I watched them separate a little boy from his parents. The parents had tested positive for the virus, but the child was clean. So the parents went to quarantine and the child went to holding. Well this kid had a stuffed animal, a bear or horse or something. And he was clutching this thing and crying for his mama and papa. Problem was this stuffed animal wasn't on the Outer's approved list. Only NECESSARY items, as decreed by the all knowing Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune. I watched one of the Outer senshi SNATCH the doll out of that child's hands and dump it. I hated them for that. They could have made an exception. The Inner's did all the time. But not the Outer's. That would be too untidy, too inefficient. "Sacrifices have to be made." That was the first time I ever heard that. I found out later that's the un- official Outer Senshi motto." Venus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We can't stop them if they come. If you let me call out the Inner Guard . . ." Venus's voice trailed off as her Princess shook her head. "And have senshi fight senshi? Inner Guard against Outer . . .Civil War. Wouldn't Beryl just love that. No, we do this on our own. Just my own personal guard." "Then we can't stop them." Venus repeated. "Maybe in a few years when we're older, stronger. But they'll be hurting when they leave." Princess Serenity slipped a heavy chain over her head and dropped it over the surprised Sailorvenus's head. "This is my personal seal. When you speak it is with my voice. When you act it is by my will. If any one attempts to take Misty, you tell them she is under MY personal protection. Tell them any attempt to remove her from my care will be treated as an act of treason and I will so charge them in the High Court." "You do know what this means, don't you?" "Well, at the very least I'll find out who means the most to mother, Sailor Pluto or me." ************************************************* "Good morning sleepy head. Have a nice nap?" Misty bolted up right to see. . . a very large. . . breast? It spoke again. "Not a morning person? You're just like the rest of these slug-a-beds. I just LOVE mornings," the voice caroled. She scooted back to gain some perspective and discovered an even larger girl attached to the mammoth mammary, which turned out to be one of a matched pair. "Hey, Venus! Rise and shine. You need to show our guest around while I fix breakfast." A huge right hand blurred toward the bed covers. THWAK! "Owwwwie." A tousled bond head popped up from under the covers. "Save it for Mercury you sadist. SHE likes it." Venus rolled off the bed rubbing her injured dignity and glaring at her sister senshi. Jupiter laughed and padded back into the kitchen. "Ha, ha, ha. Very funny." Venus looked down at the bewildered girl on the bed. "Uh, Misty isn't it." The small dark head bobbed once. "OK Misty, lets get you cleaned up, then fed. We have a long day ahead. . . I hope," she muttered sotto voice. "Mercury, time to get up." She prodded the small senshi who lay drooling cutely into her pillow. She giggled slightly at Venus's assault, only drawing her arms in slightly to protect her ribs. Venus poked again, harder. This caused Mercury to curl up on her side , knees just under her breasts, one hand going to her mouth like a small child. "Yuch!" Venus grimaced. "Even asleep she's adorable. HEY Jupiter" she shouted to her culinary comrade. " How can you stand this! She makes my teeth ache, she's so sweet." "She has her moments." "Ha, I've got it. A low powered 'Crescent Beam'." Venus started to power up. "Might even leave her eyebrows." "Aaaakkk! I'm up, I'm up!" Mercury bolted out of the bed, hands held protectively over her eyebrows. "How nice you could join us. Now lets get going." "Jupiter, it's your turn to get Mars." "Aww. Do I haffta?" "I did it the last two times. Now move." Venus and Mercury shepherded Misty toward the bathroom while Jupiter grimly stalked toward the bed and the remaining senshi. "I bet you wondering why you're naked," Mercury asked her charge as they headed for the bath. "'Cause we like looking at naked girls?" "Shut up Venus!" Mercury snapped. "Your old clothes were covered in vomit. And there was no sense in putting clean clothes on you to sleep when you were so dirty yourself." Venus chuckled evilly. "Good one Mercury. Now explain why WE are all naked." Mercury took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "WE are naked because my analysis indicated that it was the sens. . . " She paused as Misty tensed beneath her hands, "because our uniforms caused you to react badly." "And because we like to look at naked girls," Venus chirped. "I think it's the crystal," Jupiter intoned as the padded by. . . a comatose Mars slung over one shoulder like a bag of rice. She disappeared around a corner headed toward the cold section of the bath. "Uh oh!" "Quick, down!" Venus grabbed Misty and hauled her down behind a cabinet as Mercury hurled herself under a low bench. SPLOOSH! "Ahhhhhhhhhh!COLD!" "Uh. . . "MARRRRRRSSSSS! "It's not my fault." "FIRRRRREEEEE!" "Mercury made me do it?" "SSSSSSNNNNNAAAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEEE!!!" "I'vegottagocheckonbreakfastbynow!" Jupiter thundered past as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels, instead of a fiery serpent nibbling just a little higher. "Well that went well." Misty gazed at Venus in bewilderment. "She didn't set off the sprinklers." "ONE time, and no one ever lets you forget." The senshi of fire squished into the room, looking like a drowned cat and smelling like burnt wool. She looked around the room. "Hey, why is every body naked?" "It's the crystal." Jupiter came into the bath carrying two heavily laden trays. "Jupiter's got this theory that long exposure to the crystal has made the Imperial family. . . a little strange." "Hey, it explains the short skirts. And remember Serenity the First had a TREE as her chief advisor." Misty was settled into the steaming water, two senshi on either side of her. "You know, eating in the bath was one of Stormy's better ideas. It's fast, comfortable and you're all clean when you're done." "And you get to look at nake. . . " "Will you knock it off." Mercury bopped her friend lightly on the head." "Ummm. Why do you call her 'Stormy'?" "Ha! Well Serenity is the Imperial family name, but of course each Sovereign has her own personal name and later chooses her Reign name. Well 'Stormy' HATED her personal name, so every one called her 'little Serenity'. That wasn't much better as far as she was concerned. She was always getting into so much trouble that someone finally said she had as 'little Serenity as a typhoon.' From then own she was called Stormy." The five girls washed and ate in companionable silence. "Well, now what do we do?" Jupiter asked the walls. "Get dressed, if there's anything in Stormy's closet that will fit" Venus looked at her giant companion who grinned back. "Or won't strangle us in lace," Jupiter added. Venus looked dismayed at the prospect. "Why don't we just 'port something from our rooms, or buy new?" Mars asked? "Because THEY may be out looking for our friend Misty. The Royal Apartments are shielded. No one can tell who, if anyone is in here right now. And even THEY might hesitate to blindly invade the princesses apartments. But if THEY knew we were here then. . . " BANG! BANG! BANG! Every one jumped as the door shuddered under massive blows. "Shit!" Venus cursed and leaped to her feet. "Mars, Mercury take Misty and run for the Queen's apartments. She may shelter you, at least until she talks with Stormy." "We're not going to leave. . . " "Don't argue. I promised Stormy that we wouldn't let them take Misty. This is our best chance." "And if the Queen won't give us shelter?" "Don't let them take her, not alive." Venus took up position beside the door. "Jupiter, open a hole with a thunder bolt when I open the door. That'll be your signal Mercury. Lay down a 'Shabon Spray' and try to break out down the corridor. I'll cover with a 'Crescent Beam' as long as I can. Mars, you just burn anything still moving. Ready?" Mars fire burned with an angry flame while frost rimmed the ground around the grimly determined Mercury. The stench of ozone filled the air as fat balls of electricity dripped like sweat off Jupiter to plop on the ground with an evil hiss. Venus felt her own body swell to bursting with golden power as she readied her "Crescent Beam." She swore to herself that she would burn Sailorneptune a new asshole before she went down. She reached out and gently unlatched the door, then slammed it open. "SUPREEEEM. . . "SHAAAABONNN. . . "THUN. . . "CRESEN. . . " "FIRE. . . " "BEAAAA. . . ' "Hiiiiiiiii! I brought Coooookkkkiiiieeeessss!" "!!!!!!!!!!" ************************************************* ". . . my hands were full." the princess wailed. "That's no reason to scare us half to death." "Hey, these cookies are good!" The other senshi glared at Mercury. "Well they are." "You are such a child about sweets," Jupiter said fondly. "Here have one of mine." "F'ank 'U,"Mercury mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs. Venus rolled her eyes in exasperation. "If we can get back to the problem at hand. What are we going to do about Misty and. . . THEM?" "This!" The princess pulled a box out of her pocket. "S-T-O-R-M-E-Z S-T-U-F" Mercury traced the letters on the box . "K-E-P-P O-U-T. I hope for the sake of your tutors that this is an OLD box." The princess stuck her tongue out at the senshi of water. "This is all my best things. I had to go to the summer palace to get it." She dumped the box on the floor. Sea shells, brightly colored pebbles and a birds nest spilled out across the carpet. Mars let a handful of pebbles run through her fingers. "Well, yes I can see how this would strike terror in the hearts of. . . " "Not that silly, THIS!" She dug through her pile of small treasures and held up a palm sized brooch. Mars stretched out a hand toward the object, then snatched it back as if she'd been burned. "Where did you GET that!" she hissed "Grand mama gave it to me." "Grand mama! You wouldn't happen to be talking about Serenity Iron Tongue also known as Serenity Maneater and Serenity BUBBLEHEAD!!" "Well, she was a little eccentric." "ECCENTRIC!" The senshi of fire screeched. "She had all of her lovers flash frozen. . . " "Only after they were dead." the princess excused ". . . and made them CABINET MINISTERS!!" "Grand mama said she could get more work done, and it was so much quieter." Mars glared at her princess , puffing like a walrus with adenoid problems. "THAT GRAND MAMA!! You got that." She pointed to the offending object "from HER!" "I think it's beautiful." Misty reached down. . . "NO! Don't. . . " Mars screamed. . . . and picked it up. It was old iron, black with age. A dragon and a phoenix twisted together in a savage embrace. The dragon had pierced the phoenix's breast while the phoenix claws were driven deep into the dragon heart. Blood ran together from both wounds to join in a single ruby drop, the only splash of color on the unrelieved black. ". . . touch it." Mars finished weakly. "What's the problem, Mars?" Jupiter asked. "The problem is, that the last time someone had one of those" she pointed at the broach in Misty's hand "they turned the 'Old Stone Fort'" she lurched up from the floor and stomped over to the sliding doors that faced the gardens "or what used to be the Old Stone Fort" the doors slammed back. Every one winced as sunlight streamed into the dimly lit room, "into a crater three kilometers across and six hundred meters deep." She pointed to an ornamental lake in the distance. "I don't suppose GRAND MAMA gave you an instruction book to go with that. . . damn. . . thing." "OK, Mars, you've had you're little tantrum. Now why don't you provide a little detail." Mars glared at Venus for a second before plumping back down beside the group. "Two thousand years ago the senshi didn't exist. The Imperial family was warded by the Blood Guard. Each year that a Royal baby was to be born a young woman, heavy with child, would come down from the Iron Mountains. She and the Royal mother-to-be would stay together for that year. Blood Guard were joined with their charge before life and after death, so the stories go, drawing their first and last breath together. In between, they would sleep in the same bed, eat from the same bowl, drink from the same cup. The thought of one would come from the lips of the other." She looked at her companions. "Two thousand years ago the last of the blood guard and all but one of Serenity's line were murdered during the 'Revolt of the Barons'. Serenity Ironback, known as Serenity the Sorrowful lived to birth her child, then followed her Blood Guard into the next world. No one ever came down from the Iron Mountains after that, and expeditions sent into the mountains found nothing or never returned." "That's so sad." Mercury hugged her self as a chill went through her body. "There were attempts to revive the Blood Guard of course. The last, four hundred fifty years ago resulted in an explosion that vaporized the 'Old Stone Fort'. No one has tried since. Of course, no one has had one of those." she pointed at the broach. "If it's real, then it might well solve our problems with Pluto and the Outer Senshi. Even Sailor Pluto can't arrest a ball of hot gas and bone fragments." "They probably tried to force it." The senshi all turned to Misty at the sound of her voice. "It won't work if you force it." This time it was their Princess. "What did the brooch have to do with the Blood Guard?" Jupiter asked. "No one knows, except that it had something to do with an exchange of oaths. Oaths which" Mars added looking pointedly at her Princess "no one knows anymore because they were never written down anywhere." "It can't be written on paper." Serenity said "It's written on the soul." Misty added "The oath is personal. . . " "Between the two. . . " "Who are one. . . " Their hands met and somehow the brooch was clenched between them. " forever. . . " Mars looked startled, then concerned. "Uh, guys. I don't think this is such a good idea. Maybe we should think about this." The two figures were on their knees, facing each other. "My blood when you thirst. . . " "My fire to warm you. . . " Jupiter grabbed her princess around her waist and heaved. Muscles bunched in her shoulders and veins popped out on her brow. She would have has better luck pulling the palace up by the roots. "My flesh when you hunger. . . " "My steel to defend you. . . " Mercury was rapidly tapping commands into her computer. She glanced a readout, startled. "This does NOT look good. I think. . . " "I am the blood, with wings to carry" "I am the guard, my life is yours." A whirlwind of light surrounded the two. Blood dripped from their clenched hands where the iron brooch bit into tender flesh. The horrified senshi watched as blood from the two swirled together, dripped from their fists. . . and disappeared. "I am the soul, with heart to shelter." "Before this life. . . " The light grew brighter, the wind faster, cutting their flesh like glass splinters. The senshi were forced unwillingly back against the wall. "And into the next. . . " "Forever." A freezing blast of flame, beautifully terrible slammed them into blackness. ************************************************* * "How is she. . . how are they." Mars had come awake at the bottom of a tangle of senshi. She had clawed her way from under to find her princess and her princess' 'Blood Guard' unconscious, hands still locked together. Now the looked down at the two figures on the bed then back at Mercury. "How are they?" "Asleep, as far as I can tell." "Nothing else!" the fire senshi asked anxiously. "Well.. ." Mercury drawled consideringly "WHAT!" "I believe this 'Blood Guard' thing must have worked." She looked at her computer display. "Respiration, pulse, even blood pressure and core temperature. . . match." She quirked a grin at the slack jawed Mars. "Also, their alpha waves and REM match. I think they're even dreaming the same dream." "Well, I'm not leaving her alone with this. . . this. . . " Mars glared at Misty curled against HER princess, then looked challengingly at Mercury. "I think Stormy would appreciate that." Mercury ran a quick scan. "In fact, why don't you lie down too. You took a nasty crack on the head." Mars looked mutinous, then nodded. She toed off her shoes and slipped in beside her princess. "I'm not going to sleep," she growled at Mercury. "Just lie down a second 'till my head stops hurting." "Of course. I don't expect anything else." Mercury concentrated on her computer. The click of computer keys was accompanied by little grunts of frustration or hrumphs of disbelief. A low buzzing sound interrupted her concentration. She hit a function key. The buzzing got louder. Mercury hit the key again with a little "mew" of frustration. Startled when there was still no response from her computer she looked up. A smile spread over her face as she saw the senshi of fire fast asleep, curled protectively around both her sleeping princess and her princesses "Blood Guard." Mercury gently drew a coverlet over the sleeping girls and quietly left the room. "How's it going?" Venus whispered. "They're all asleep." "Even the pyro?" "I used a little psychology. How's it going here?" "Great. Let me introduce you to 'Misty Brightwater, Centurion in the Blood Guard." Venus handed a sheaf of hardcopy to Mercury. "What! Centurion! Blood Guard? I thought we were going to HIDE her not. . . " "Relax. This Blood Guard is a provincial militia named in honor of the original 'Blood Guard.'. Militia are constantly rotating through the Capitol for training and equipment upgrades. Plus everyone knows the princess is always taking in strays. One more lonely homesick girl won't be noticed. It's perfect. Hiding her in plain sight." Mercury looked awestruck "How long do think we can hide her? And what happens when THEY find her?" "I don't know. Under the law she and Stormy are LEGALLY the same person." "HUH?" Jupiter was reading the papers over Mercury's shoulder. "That's how 'Blood Guard' and the one they guarded were regarded in the 'First Empire' and the law is still on the books. I guess with the real 'Blood Guard' all gone it never occurred to anyone to change the law. But LEGALLY they can't touch her now. But THEY've never been too concerned with the law." "But how long do you think it will be before THEY find her?" Jupiter asked again. ************************************************* It took nine months, eighteen days. ************************************************* ". . . was NOT!" "Yes you were. I saw you." Mercury turned to 'Misty' who was in her normal place, just behind and to the right of the princess. In fact she was so precise in her placement that many in the Palace had started calling her Storm's Shadow or just Shadow. She didn't seem to care what anybody called her, she only answered to the princess. "You were there, you tell us. Wasn't Stormy flirting with that prince from Earth?" Misty' turned expressionless eyes on Mercury. "Do you really want to know?" she asked tonelessly. Mercury nodded in the affirmative. The Blood Guard stopped and turned to face Mercury squarely. "You are certain?" Mercury gulped a little at the serious tone. She could see out of the corner of her eye that her sister senshi and the princess had all stopped to listen. "Uh, yes, I am certain." "Very well." The Blood Guard advanced a step as Mercury retreated. "I will tell you." The put her hands on either side of Mercury's head and leaned close 'till they were nose to nose. "But then I have to kill you." Mercury's magnificent brain whirred with the precision of an atomic clock; then hiccoughed as it processed that last statement. "Eeeeeep." Mercury scooted back so quickly she fell and slid across the floor on her rump. Misty's lips quirked in an infinitesimal smile. "Gotcha." ##Alert! Entering Shielded Area## Misty absently noted the whisper's message. This was normal when entering the Royal apartments. ##Alert. Entering Shielded Area. Active Sensors to standby. Passive Sensors reduced to .24.## The shielding scrambled active sensors with feedback and reflector ghosts, and even passive sensors were hashed unless greatly reduced in sensitivity. ##Area clear within scan range.## The scrolling map in her head showed an area empty except for the icons identifying the princess and her senshi. She would be glad to have the princess back in her rooms and under cover. Dancing struck her as only slightly less dangerous than clearing a mine field. It was especially troublesome that there were no dances for THREE people. Misty had improvised by learning to steer her own dance 'partner' (Venus joked that Misty had a dance 'hostage' ) alongside the princess and her partner. Mars head snapped up from talking to Venus. "Wha. . . " ##WARNING!## The whisper was urgent now. ##Energy spike. Portal opening. Multiple portals detected.## The walls shimmered like ripples in a pool of water. ##WARNING. Hostile detected. Multiple hostile's.## Black figures erupted from the floors, wall and ceiling. Misty swept a hand knocking the princess to the ground. The rest of the senshi moved to form a defensive circle around her. "Comm systems are jammed. I can't get out." Mercury's voice was low and urgent. "We don't want the princess. We just want her." The tallest of the black clad figures pointed directly at Misty. Misty looked at the hallway, crowded with heavily armed and armored figures, then back at her princess peeping out from the center of her senshi's protective circle. She knew where these black clad figures were from, knew who the one in front must be; Sailoruranus. "I'll come with you." "NO!" "Good choice. Come over here." Misty walked away from the senshi and toward the speaker. "Now put these on." The figure shoved a set of heavy shock-restraints into her hands. "No, Misty. Don't. . . " "It's OK Stormy. Remember what we talked about." But Stormy wasn't thinking about the law, or plans or anything else. The shock of being attacked in her own home, almost in her own rooms had driven such mundane thought from her head. The black-clad spokesman grew impatient at the delay and grabbed Misty by the hand. Misty jerked back reflexively, her body remembering old pain these hands had given. The situation went to hell. . . 'Black-clad' clubbed Misty with a nerve-burner thinking she was trying to escape. . . Misty cried out in pain and shock. . . Stormy broke away from her senshi and ran toward her friend. . . 'Black Clad' lashed out blindly at the half-seen figure coming up behind. . . Stormy flew backwards in a spray of blood hitting the wall and sliding to the ground like a broken doll. . . "Weapons hot," Misty commanded. CRESCENT BEAM!" A savage golden beam scorched through the air, narrowly hitting 'Black Clad" who dove for the ground. Venus tracked the beam left, blasting chunks from the ablative armor worn by the swarm of black clad invaders. ##Selecting Armor Piercing Anti-personnel Incendiary. Power at 0.02.## The computer automatically selected a weapons mix and power setting that wouldn't kill everyone, friends included, when used in the close confines of the corridor "SUPREME THUNDER." Jupiter's attack rolled harmlessly off black armor. The invaders knew who they would be up against and had come prepared. They came forward, confident of their immunity. Jupiter snatched the first armored figure to reach her off it's feet. Grasping it by the ankles she began to swing it in great sweeping arcs, attempting to batter her way through the crowd surrounding her. ##Input targeting criteria## "Identify princess and her senshi as friendly. All others hostile." ##Input accepted## Mercury had abandoned her futile attempts to summon help. Finding her SHABON SPRAY as useless against the black armored figures as Jupiter's thunder, she launched a gallant and suicidal barehanded attack on an armored figure striding purposefully toward her downed princess. She leapt on the back of the invader, and wrapping her legs around its torso began smashing its armored head with the Mercury Computer. The figure reached back with black gauntleted hands to pluck Mercury from her perch. "Fire." The stream of 4mm darts moving at mach 25 turned the black armored head into a rapidly expanding pinkish grey mist. Mercury dropped to the ground with a little "oooph", and rolled clear as the headless figure fell to the ground with a rattling clang. As she pulled herself groggily to her feet her computer made a small electronic sound of distress and Mercury looked at the display. "They're opening another portal," she cried. "We can't hold them." The air shimmered and twisted with the energies of a large transport portal opening. As the portal stabilized the dismayed senshi could see more armored figures and what looked like a stun cannon. "MARS WAR FIRE!!" The blast of super-heated plasma blew through the black armored figures just emerging from the portal reducing them, their stun cannon and sixty centimeters of armored bulkhead to a fine ash. The portal abruptly popped out of existence like a soap bubble in a furnace. All fighting stopped as the stunned combatants, on both sides, looked at the warrior of fire who stood swaying on her feet.. "HA! You better not mess. . . " her eyes rolled up in her head and Mars dropped to the floor like an empty laundry bag. "Got her! Let's go!" Venus twisted in the grip of two armored invaders to see Misty fall under the point- blank fire of six neural disrupters. Her last sight, as an armored fist hammered her into blackness, was of an unconscious Misty and the hoard of armored figures winking out of existence. ************************************************* "Aaaaaa" Sailoruranus hissed as Sailoneptune sprayed wound-sealant on the burn running from wrist to shoulder. "I could do something for the pain it you'd let me." "Leave it. Pain is instructive. Maybe I'll learn something from it." She pounded her good had on the table. "Dammit. This was supposed to be a simple pickup. Grab the girl, in and out. Quick clean, no one hurt." She looked grimly at her companion. "How bad is it?" "We're clean." At Sailoruranus's look of disbelief she went on. "It's true. We'd already taken care of the security net. And Mars's fire actually did us a favor. Any residual traces we might have left were destroyed by her blast. There's no evidence of who we were." "They'll suspect. . . " "Suspicion is not evidence. Pluto can convince the Queen that it was Beryl." "What are our losses?" "Twenty four dead. Most of those when Mars blew the portal. Thirty more wounded. Three of those may not make it." Sailoruranus swore harshly. "What were those idiots thinking! They were outnumbered, surrounded. Hell, they didn't even have light armor. All they had to do was give us the target and no one would have gotten hurt." It didn't occur to Sailoruranus to include "the target" in the list of people who would get hurt. Or even in the list of people. "They're just children." Sailorneptune said tolerantly. "They're too emotional to make good decis. . ." She broke off as the admittance chime sounded. Sailoruranus stiffened. "I'll see who it is." Sailorneptune left the bedroom, while Sailoruranus fretted. She could hear the door open, then voices. Indistinct, they quickly became clearer. ". . . honored to have you visit Majesty. But I'm afraid that this isn't a very good time. Sailoruranus isn't feeling well. . . " Hastily Sailoruranus tugged her tunic over her burned arm with a grimace of pain. ". . . can not go in there." Sailorneptune blurred through the air and slammed against the wall with a force that shook the walls. Sailoruranus jerked to her feet in shock as Queen Serenity appeared in the entrance. "Can not?" the voice was mildly questioning. The eyes were not. "In my own palace, you tell me that I 'can not'?" Sailoruranus knelt before the Queen her mind racing. Something in their cover story had broken, but what? How much did the Queen know? She tried to stall for time." "Gracious Majesty, if Sailorneptune has given offence I am sure. . . " "Where is she?" "She, Majesty? I don't. . . " Sailoruranus screamed as she was slammed against the wall. Her vison blurred as a giant hand smashed again and again into her middle. Finally she was released sobbing and vomiting to fall to the floor. Delicate footsteps clicked over to where she lay. She opened one eye to stare blurrily at the hem of a silver gown. "You may tell me what I want to know," the voice was delicate, soft and cultured, "or I will take it from you." The voice was indifferent to Sailoruranus choice. "I. . . I" she wiped a pink froth from her smashed lips. She could feel broken ribs grate. "I don't know what you mean graci. . . " Queen Serenity blazed with power as she prepared to rip Sailoruranus's mind apart like a used tissue. "DON'T!" Feebly Sailoruranus let her head roll to one side to see Sailorneptune scrabble across the room on her belly. "Please, don't hurt her. I'll tell you. . . " "Don't! Not for me. We have to. . . " "She'll take it from you anyway. And you'll die for nothing. Nothing!" Sailorneptune sent a frantic mental command that opened a sealed portal. "There. She's in there!" Queen Serenity reappeared carrying a limp form. She stared coldly at the two fallen senshi. "The senshi you commanded are under arrest for high treason. It has been a while since the executioner has had any work. I imagine after the first dozen it will come back to him." Sailoruranus struggled to her knees. "Majesty! Please, the senshi were under my command. They were only following. . . " "Orders? This may serve to instruct your successor as to which orders should be given and which orders should not." The Queen paused and turned back to Sailoruranus. "Did you know that you struck my daughter?" Sailoruranus sucked in an involuntary breath, then gasped as her broken ribs protested. "No, Majesty. I never. . . " "My daughter says as much. She tells me that she came from behind, suddenly. That you could not have known it was she." The Queen paused, lost in thought. "My daughter does not understand that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good. She believes instead that the good should be increased. . . so that all may share." Queen Serenity looked down at Sailoruranus. "I have sheltered and protected my daughter all her life. I did not wish her to learn about the ugly side of the Imperium; the greed, lies and betrayal that fuel court life. I wonder if I shall thank you for instructing her so well?" ************************************************* "Serenity, I have some good news. It seems as if Beryl's research and development facility has suffered an accident. There is. . . " Sailor Pluto halted as Queen Serenity held up a hand. "A palace coup." Sailor Pluto grinned. "I didn't realize you wanted to play. My news can wait." She started forward. "Betrayed by my closest advisor." Sailor Pluto reached for the Queen. "What is weapon 4?" Only someone who knew the guardian of time well would have sensed her slight hesitation. "What do you mean?" Her head snapped back. A ring on the Queens hand ripping a long deep furrow in her perfect skin. She reeled back, the shock of the blow more devastating than a sword to the heart. She stretched out a hand. . . "DO NOT TOUCH ME!" "Please, just let me. . . " "LIE!" The Queen drew in a long shuddering breath. "Don't bother. I know about weapon 4, and what you have done." "Then you must know I did it for the Imperium, for y. . . " Sailorpluto stumbled back as the Queen surged forward in a rage. "Don't say you did it for ME. Don't you dare say that you kidnaped, murdered, tortured for ME!! Don't you tell me that you had my daughter and her companions ATTACKED for ME!" Pluto fell back, white faced, before the Queens rage. "Ser. . . Majesty, I had to do it. Beryl is. . . " "Beryl."The Queens harsh laughter shivered across the room. "What need have I to fear Beryl when I have YOU!" Pluto staggered at the accusation , catching herself on a table before she could fall. "At least Beryl never pretended to love me! At least Beryl never betrayed my trust!" Pluto raised a trembling hand. The Queen cut her off with a savage motion. "NO! Not a word! I should kill you with my own hands. She glared at the guardian of time. " The Weapon 4 project is finished. I want all records of it and all other projects you are running, on my desk in the morning." She immediately killed the spark of hope in Pluto's eyes. "Send one of your lackeys with the records. I don't won't you polluting my air with your presence." Pluto tried one more time. "Majesty, by the love we shared, may I speak?" "Speak." The words grated unwillingly. "Beryl and her Shadows are dangerous. I had to find a weapon to fight them. That is why. . . " "What need to fight Beryl if we BECOME her!" The Queen's fists clenched 'till the knuckles whitened. "I loved you," she said suddenly. "I loved you from the first moment I saw you in my mother's court. I thought you were the most beautiful, the most perfect creature in the universe. I thought that you were lonely. That I could help you.. . And I loved you with all the helpless, hopeless passion of an infatuated twelve year old. Everyone told me how cruel you were, how inhuman. That you were nothing but a creation of the crystal, with a heart to match. When you came to my rooms that first time. . . I thought that the Goddess had answered my prayers. I didn't know it was the devil" She rose from her seat to tower over the kneeling Pluto. "But I am sworn to protect the Imperium and its people. I will not sacrifice their lives to avenge my own betrayal. I can not afford a division in the Imperium now. You and the Outer senshi may live. . . on sufferance. You and they will retire to the outer system." She turned to go. "Serenity, please. . . " The Queen stepped through a portal. "please. . . " ************************************************* A door that didn't exist opened from a place that had no name. A tall figure with long dark hair stepped through and looked at the six girls tumbled together like a basket full of kittens. Kittens that had been through a very hard day. She selected one slight figure that was nestled up against a tiny blond girl with absurdly long hair. She motioned with her staff and both she and the girl vanished. ************************************************* "It's very difficult to carry on a conversation if you keep trying to kill me." Misty snarled and lunged again at the guardian of time. Again she bounced off an invisible shield. "You should be pleased," Pluto continued. "Queen Serenity arrested the Outer Senshi and condemned them to death, after first breaking several important bones. And I have been banished." Pluto noted Misty's feral snarl. "Now you and your princess and her senshi can live happily together. . . until Beryl comes. The you have a choice of hoping she dies in the fighting or you can kill her yourself. I don't think you want her delivered alive into Beryl's hand's." "I can protect her." "As you protected her today? And the Outer Senshi weren't even after the princess." "I can. . . " "Do nothing. But I can. I can give you power. Power to defeat Beryl. Power to protect your princess. If you come back to finish the project." "Why are you asking? Why don't you just take. You're good at that." "Because you are under the Queen's protection now. If I take you she will come after me. I can't fight Beryl and Serenity at the same time. But you can come of your own free will." "Why me? Why am I so important?" Pluto sighed to herself. It would have all been so much simpler if they had managed to obliterate the girl's personality completely. But as usual the technical people had overestimated their capabilities. It would have been nice though. So much less trouble. "Because the weapon we have developed to combat the Shadows, to allow you to exist between dimensions, has killed everyone who has used it or driven them mad. You are the only one who can survive the pain of transition between dimensions. The only one who can withstand the madness of zero-space. You are the only one who can fight the Shadows and win." ************************************************ ". . . upgrades worked perfectly. The new power receptors are even better than we anticipated." "And how long before we can duplicate Weapon 4?" The director smiled. "We have already started. We should be able to decant the first batch within six months. Initial programming and implant installation should be relatively straight forward with what we have learned. I think we should have no more than a 40% wastage." "How soon to produce completed weapons?" "Eighteen months for the first six. After that, with the facilities we have, I think we can produce two weapons every four months." Pluto tapped the table in front of her thoughtfully. "I think that is acceptable. Beryl is still rebuilding her R&D facility after that fire last year. And she seems to be concentrating a great deal of effort in the mono-pole mining facility." A briefly wistful look crossed her face as she remembered Queen Serenity's almost childish glee at her ploy to distract Beryl. She banished the thought ruthlessly. "I would like to see. . . " An alarm rang and a face appeared on the communications screen. A terrified tech looked out at her. "Sailor Pluto, a message from the capitol! They are under attack!" Pluto froze for a stunned moment, then lunged for the console. She entered a code. Her heart thudded in her chest while she waited for the screen to clear. "Sailor Pluto, thank the Goddess. We've been trying to get through to you but. . . " "The Queen! Where is the Queen?" "I don't know. I think she went to 'Cloud Song' to rally the Inner Guard but. . . " "Give me Commander Tarn. If she can hold the curtain wall I can. . . " "Tarn is dead. The wall is down. The Shadows are already in the palace grounds. We must have. . . " Pluto stared at the blank screen. A portal snapped open behind her and Sailoruranus supporting a wounded Sailorneptune stumbled out. "Pluto. . . the Shadows. They destroyed the Outer Guard barracks. The power grid is down and the portal system is failing. We need to warn. . . " Pluto ignored the senshi and turned to the director. "How long to get the Combat Support Unit back on line?" "The CSU? Why I don't know, several hours, perhaps a day. As I mentioned we are re-calibrating the power. . ." "Strip the facility. Empty the infirmary. Unless they're six weeks dead I want to see everyone on the transport grid with a weapon in fifteen minutes." She thought a minute. "Put the CSU on autonomous repair mode. Tell it to signal as soon as it's ready." "What do you have in mind Pluto." Sailorneptune asked, sagging with exhaustion. "We're going to port directly into the palace. The Queens tower is the most heavily armored part of the palace. If we can hold it long enough for the CSU to come on line we can counter-attack with. . . " "The Princess!" Misty burst into the room, panting heavily. "Something is wrong. I can feel it." "The palace is under attack. We are leaving as soon. . . " "NO! I'm not waiting on you. You don't care about her." There was a flare of light as Misty wrenched open a portal to the Moon Kingdom and vanished. ************************************************* The palace was burning. She could see people and stone melted together. The primary weapon activated without conscious thought. The familiar screaming pain was swallowed by her terror for the princess. "Active sensors at maximum," she ordered the whisper. "Locate the princess." ##Searching.## A nightmare shape rose suddenly before her black and twisted; it screamed and writhed as it burned in the fires of zero-space. A huge hand scattered buildings and people like toys as it lunged for her. "Kinetic Weapon. Select super-dense. Maximum acceleration" ##Super-dense Selected. Acceleration set at 0.3C## the voice whispered. "Initiate phase lock." ##Phase lock complete.## came the whisper "Fire." Ordinarily an object that was in zero-space, that peculiar place between dimensions, was invulnerable to outside forces until that object chose to leave the safety of zero-space and touch normal-space. Unless that outside force had the ability to phase into zero- space as well. 20,000 rounds per minute of super-dense 4 mm needles blasted out of the "barrel" of the coil-gun at a little over fifty thousand miles per second. The swarm of needles blow-torched through the Shadow destroying its containment field with. . . unfortunate and fatal results. The Imperium's last blood Guard raced through the expanding gas cloud that had once been one of Beryl's elite shock troops. ##Accumulators at 0.38## She cursed her carelessness. She'd used too much power killing that first Shadow and without the CSU there was no chance of. . . ##. . . nitiating power tap. NO RESPONSE. Initiating power tap. NO RESP. . . ## "Cancel" she told the idiot-savant computer. "CSU not available." ##Acknowledged. 18 minutes combat capability remains at present power drain.## A pair of Shadows converged on her from the flanks. Her internal map showed the princess just beyond them. The energy weapon burned the legs off one, the kinetic weapon blasted the second in the torso. She didn't wait to see the results but raced on toward her duty and her friend. ##5 minutes combat power.## Ahead, she could see the huge figure of a woman looming over a tiny seeming figure in armor and below that. . . "Princess!!" She sent power to her contra-gravity and JUMPED. ##4 minutes power. First warning. Prepare to shut down phase generator.## The giant figure laughed and reached for the fragile blond figure. ##Target lock.## she put the targeting pip in the center of the cruel laughing face. "Select Kinetic weapon. Fire." ##Null, response. Magazine empty## "Select Energy Weapon. Fire." ##Null response. Power below minimum level for Energy Weapon.## A long metallic staff appeared in her hands. It shimmered and twisted as it formed into an ugly beaked war hammer. She sent power to her contra-grav again and JUMPED! ##2 minutes power. Beginning fail-safe shut down of phase generator.## "OVERRIDE!!" she snapped. ##Failure to shut down will result in. . . ## "OVERRIDE! IMPERIAL PRIORITY!!" she screamed at the computer. ##Override acknowledged.## She was almost there. Three more jumps. Power to contra-grav and JUMP. ##40 seconds to shield collapse.## And JUMP!' ##15 seconds.## The giant sneering face dominated everything now. That and the pitiful figure hanging in the air before Beryl. ## 8 seconds.## She brought the hammer over her head. Fiery hooks ripped at her body. The world shimmered and shook as dimensional shear slowly ripped her body apart. The dying containment shield flared and hissed as it devoured her body and shredded her sanity. And JUMP! She soared into the air high above Beryl. She could see the evil face slowly start to turn upwards, comprehension slowly come to the eyes. ##3 seconds.## She was screaming the hate and rage and fear of a lifetime directed at this one moment, this one target. She would fulfil her purpose. She would kill Beryl. Then she could rest. ##2 seconds.## The hammer came down in a savage arc, to smash that giant skull like a rotten fruit. As the hammer neared the end of its arc a bright white light swept over the doomed capitol. As it moved over the ground it swept away the dead and dying, sins and sinners, clean and unclean. . . leaving nothing in its wake. ##1 sec . . ## Chapter 10 MOUKA TAKABISHA!!" The chi-blast smashed Sailorpluto to the ground, collapsing the "Black Dome Close". Sailorpluto vanished, leaving Akane sobbing in the middle of the street like an abandoned child. Ranma scooped her up in his arms and cuddled her tightly against his chest. Even as he held the weeping girl in his arms his head swivelled back and forth, searching the darkness for the aura he'd felt from across the street. Blood and madness . . . so strong now that he could almost taste it. Old blood and bright madness . . .just standing in the same spot occupied by that . . .woman . . . made his skin crawl. "Dammit Tomboy," he whispered fiercely, "What the hell have you gotten yourself into now?" ************************************************* "You want me to what?" Tendou Nabiki stared at her little sister with narrowed eyes. "Get me transferred to another school." "Would you like an Imperial Audience while I'm at it?" Nabiki asked sarcastically. "Or perhaps instead of. After all the Emperor is no longer a god . . . I can probably get you in to see the Emperor." Akane looked at her sister with shuttered eyes. Nabiki hated that. Always before she'd been able to read her little sister like a cheap manga. Now . . .And Ranma. Ranma was acting . . ." "What do you need?" Nabiki stared down at her little sister with a twisted smile. "Well, a couple of HUNDRED million yen would be nice to start with. You know, for the little things . . .new school uniform . . .bribes . . .transfer authorizations . . . bribes . . .record transfers . . .BRIBES."Nabiki tilted her head thoughtfully."You know, I sense a pattern here. M . .O . . N . .E . .Y. To get you transferred to another school for next year . . ." "Tomorrow." Nabiki's mouth dropped open with a surprised bark of laughter. "TOMORROW! Go with an Imperial Audience little sister. Breakfast with the Emperor . . .hell I could get you lunch with Kamisama for what it would cost to get you transferred . . .IF I could get you transferred . . . by the end of the YEAR. By TOMORROW . . . I'd have to bribe half the Prefecture . . .no . . .the entire Prefecture up to the Governor's office. And not little bribes either . . .getting people up this time of night adds a surcharge . . ." Akane's expression went blank for a moment and she tilted her head slightly to the side as if listening. Then, suddenly and silently she turned and went into her room. Nabiki stared at the closed door and was startled by a harsh light that spilled out around the edges. She took a tentative step toward the door then stopped, startled as it opened and Akane stepped out. "Here, will this help?" Nabiki automatically held out her hands as Akane poured a stream of raw gold from a bulging pillow case into her cupped palms. "If you need more . . ." "No . . .thank you." Nabiki said faintly. "Tell me. Do you want to change schools . . .or BUY one?" ************************************************* "Haruna sensei! What are you . . .I mean please come in." That Minako was surprised to see Usagi's old teacher was beyond understatement. And who was the nondescript man in the expensive suit? "What a . . .surprise to see you Haruna sensei. I'm sorry but I was just on my way out." "I'm sorry to bother you Minakosan, but this is very important. I would like to introduce you to Nagumo Seiji from MITI. He is very concerned about recent . . .events on the Home Islands. He would like to talk to you about them. Minako controlled her expression with some effort. She was not helped in this when Artemis dug his claws into her shoulder in involuntary reflex. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry RAN Japan Inc. The government and military reported to them and they send orders down as to how the country should be run. "I'm afraid I don't understand Haruna sensei. Why would a government official want to talk to me?" "Talk to Aino Minako? No interest at all." The nondescript man stepped forward for the first time. "To talk with Sailor V? A great deal of interest." Minako didn't even blink. She'd had a great deal of practice dissembling as Sailor V, and even more as Sailorvenus. "M . . .m .me? Sailor V." Minako almost bent in two with a great sputtering laugh. "You've been talking to my agent. I used to MODEL as Sailor V. Promotional stuff and . . ." "Perhaps it would assist the discussion if you were to know . . ." "You said you wouldn't tell her!" Haruna sensei hissed grabbing the man by the sleeve. "You promised . . ." "If it were possible. We do not have time for foolishness. She is, as you yourself have reported, a professional." "Reported?" Minako was starting to have a bad feeling about this. "Haruna sensei, what is going on?" "I'm sorry Minakochan." Haruna sensei took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I KNOW you are Sailor V . . .and Sailorvenus. I know because I watched you . . .followed you to Hikawa Jinja. I have pictures . .. recordings. I know all about you. About Artemis, Luna, the Princess. I know . . ." Minako had to believe . . .the mention of the shrine by itself was almost enough. Luna and the Princess clinched it. "Why?" "Because your Haruna sensei is a spy . . .for the American CIA." Minako couldn't help it. She burst out laughing . . .so hard she thought she was going to hurt herself. Strangely the little man from the ministry seemed offended while Haruna sensei had a small smile of sympathetic humor on her face. "Heheheheheh."Minako clutched at her aching sides. "Oh . .oh . .oh . . .you really had me going there." "It is funny." Haruka sensei said. "But it's no joke." "But . . .how . . .who . . .I mean . . .why would the CIA want to spy on a school. Why would you DO it . . .I mean . . ." "I'm an American citizen Minako. And all I did was watch and remember and report. The CIA knows that everything in Japan depends on the entrance exams . . .who will be running the businesses . . .the government ministries . . .everything depends on the entrance exams . . . And what high school you graduate from. All they wanted was advance warning on who was going to be running the country and the industry in the next century." "And . . .us?" Haruna sensei gave Minako a small smile. "Usagi and the rest of you were an accident. The farm . . .ummm the CIA school teaches you to be aware of everything . . .and suspicious of everyone. Usagi and Ami and the rest of you were just a little . . .strange. I looked . . .and I found." "And . . .told." It wasn't a question. "Not everything. Just enough to protect you." "Protect us? How?" "People are afraid of what they don't know . . .don't understand. I gave the Agency enough information so that they felt comfortable with each new situation. So that they knew enough about what was going on that they didn't feel it was necessary to . . .interfere. You have to admit that there have been some interesting things happening around here." "You didn't feel it was necessary to inform the Japanese government though, did you?" Haruna sensei looked at small man. "I don't work for you Seiji." Nagumo's lips tightened with suppressed fury at the insulting tone. It was bad enough that these . . .these girls . . .had been running around Japan for years with absolutely no governmental control. Acting without supervision, without orders . . .doing whatever THEY thought was right instead of what had been decided by policy. And now this . . .this . . .spy . . .this gaijin . . . this woman . . .talking to him this way. "No. You are a foreign national engaged in espionage. A crime that carries the death penalty. You can be shot . . .taken out and shot as a spy. A dirty, gaijin whoruurrrrrk" Nagumo Seiji scrabbled desperately at the hand that had clamped around his throat. "I don't think you should take that tone with Haruna sensei. Not in MY house." Minako ignored the ministry flunky gasping in her grasp and turned back to Haruna sensei. "I'm very sorry. Please continue." "There's not much more. I haven't been active for years. Not much interest anymore. Or funding. Then I got a call. There has been a lot of activity world wide. Strange sightings, explosions. I'm not sure of everything that's going on. I do know that I have been instructed to contact you . . .and the Japanese government." She glances at Nagumo, slowly turning blue. "He's . . .well he's all the ministry could spare on short notice. I am suppose to tell you and your friends that the American government is aware of your existence and prepared to render whatever aid they can to support you and the Japanese people." Haruna sensei pulled a folded square of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Minako. "This is a list of authentication codes and radio frequencies." She looked at Minako with a grin that transformed her face. "You get to pick your own code names." Minako's face lit up with manic glee while Artemis hid his face in fear. ********************************************************** "Class, I would like to introduce Tendou Akane, a new transfer student . Now who would like to show her. . ." "AKA-CHAN! AKA-CHAAAN! Hiiiiiiii!" Tsukino Usagi bounced up and down in her seat in a manner very unlike a high school student but very like Tsukino Usagi. There was a moment of stunned silence followed by a round of snickering as the class realized what Usagi had named her new friend. "Usagi!" The sensei began sternly. "Please control yourself. I need someone to show Tendousan . . ." "Thank you sensei" Akane broke in politely, " I appreciate you letting Tsukinosan be my guide." "But . . .I didn't. . .She's not . . ." Sensei's mouth snapped shut. "Very well. There is an empty desk in the back of. . ." Sensei's mouth dropped as Akane lifted the desk in front of Usagi, student included, and exchanged it for the empty one he had started to indicate. "Hrrmmph. Very well. If we can all just settle down class will start." ************************************************ ". . .swer the question Tsukino-chan. Tsukino-chan!" A delicate buzzing snore, like a band-saw cutting through glass, was Sensei's only answer. Sensei's lips tightened and he launched a piece of chalk at Usagi's head. Five hundred centimeters from it's target the chalk vanished. Sensei blinked, then saw the chalk pinched between Tendou Akane's thumb and forefinger. Her grip tightened and the chalk vanished in a small explosion of dust. Sensei paled at the look in her eyes and stumbled back a step. "Usagi-chan!" Ami shook her friend urgently "Usagi-chan!" "Jus' five more min'ts mom, jus fiv. . ." Minako yanked Usagi 's head up by her braid. "Look, somebody lost a gallon of 'Rocky Road'." "WHAT! WHERE? It'smineIsawit first!!" Everyone ducked as Usagi's braids lashed the air like a flail. "Usagi" Minako twisted Usagi's head toward the front of the room. "Tendousan is in Samurai pit-bull mode. Do you think you can stop her before she bends the sensei?" "Yeah" Makoto added "we might miss lunch if we're all in jail." "LUNCH? "Usagi screamed the word, as a martyr might have cried a saints name in the flames. "Is it lunch time?" The sensei looked at the clock, which read forty five minutes 'till the noon recess, then looked at Tendou Akane. Twelve years of training and education crammed into his cerebral cortex demanded that he maintain discipline in his class room. Ten million years of survival instinct imbedded in his pre-brain told the cerebral cortex to shut-the-hell-up. "Lunch time! Class dismissed!" ************************************************* "Ami can I. . ." "No.!" "Minako, are you going to eat. . ." "Yes." "Makotoooo. Could I have a little. . ." "You already ate mine during first period, remember?" "But I'm starvvvvving." "Here Usagisan." Akane handed Usagi a bentou. "Thiffgooojewmatii?" "She says 'This is good. Did you make it?'" Ami translated helpfully. "Any bentou Akane makes is considered a lethal weapon." Usagi and her friends were startled when a petite red-head swung down from the tree. "RANMA!. . ." Akane screeched in the most normal tone the senshi had heard that day. " What are you wearing?" Ranma swung in a circle, skirts flaring cutely. "It's my new school uniform. Like it?" "You Pervert! What are you doing wearing a dress?" "Who you calling a pervert, tomboy." "Tomboy! TOMBOY!! WHY YOU . . ." "Ummm. Akachan. Whose your friend?" Akane turned sheepishly to Usagi. "Ahhh this is. . .ah. . .Ranko. A, uh, friend of mine." "Ranko? I thought she said Ranma?" Minako wondered aloud. "Just call him a pervert." Akane fumed while Ranko grinned at her. "Him?" "Akane just called Ranko him?" "I thought it was Ranma?" Akane ignored the chattering voices and turned fiercely on a chuckling "Ranko". "What are you laughing at?" "AKA . . .chan?" Ranko smirked at the fuming Akane. "Aka . . .CHAN. That's a perfect . .." " Would you SHUT UP!" Akane ground her teeth in frustration, turning an alarming shade of . . . "Just what are you DOING here." she hissed "and wearing a DRESS!" "I go to school here now. I'm in your class as a matter of fact. I would have been here earlier but Nabiki insisted on cash up front. She gave me a discount 'cause she'd already done the hard work gettin' you in." Fascinated Ranma watched Akane turn colors he never even knew existed. "You . . .school . . .HERE!! . . ." Akane sputtered incoherently as she tried to grapple with the concept. Almost immediately she latched onto another grievance. "That . . .that skirt. Just what do you think . . ." "You're just jealous 'cause it looks better on me than on you." Ranko backpedaled hastily as Akane's aura flared, creating a double shadow of everything in front of her. "I'm wearing a dress 'cause I'm registered as a girl. A lota' the classes, like Gym, are segregated. An I'm not lettin' you outta my sight. Not 'till I find out what's goin' on." Akane's aura flickered out like a match in a typhoon. Ranko gently reached out and pushed her jaw shut. "Wha. . .what are you talking about." "I'm talking about you disappearing all the time. I'm talking about your new 'friends'." Ranko swept a hand to indicate Usagi and the others. "I'm talking" Ranko backed Akane against the tree "about last night" slender arms like silk covered steel snapped out to either side of Akane's head, pinning her in place "and the strange woman" Ranko stretched up on tip-toe 'till her eyes were level with Akane's "who tried to KILL YOU!" "What!" "What happened?" "You didn't say any. . ." "Why didn't. . ." AKA-CHAN!" Usagi nearly bowled Akane and Ranko over as she hurtled herself at her friend. "Are you all right!" "Aaaaaak! Can't breath!" gasped Ranko who found herself the filling in an Usagi/Akane sandwich. "I'm fine Usagisan." Akane replied peeling Usagi off her, thereby saving the Saotome line from extinction. "Ranko is exaggerating as usual." "What did this woman look like." Ami asked worridly. "It's nothing to be concerned. . ." "She was about this high" Ranko held her arm above her head. "She had long dark hair, an' it may have been the light but it had a funny shine to it . . .kinda . . .greenish." Ranko didn't miss the looks the girls exchanged. "An' she carried this long stick with a big ball on top, sittin' inside this valentine heart thingy." "That's S. . ." Usagi blurted. "Strange. Really Strange" Makoto finished, slamming a hand over Usagi's mouth. "Did you tell the police. . . or anyone?" "You guys got any idea who it coulda been?" Ranko ignored the question and pinned Makoto with a hard look. "Who it could have been?" Makato parroted. " Uh . . .no . .no idea at all?" "You're lyin'!" Ranko said flatly. Makoto stiffened at the insult and took a combative step forward. She stopped suddenly, unsure what to do as she realized the charge was true. "Ranma!" Akane was furious "How can you say some thing like. . ." "I find you unconscious in an ally, beaten half to death" Ranko held up a hand and folded down a finger "You disappear and no one know where you've gone" another finger disappeared "some strange woman tries to kill you , you transfer to a new school and suddenly you've got all these new 'friends'." The fingers had turned into a fist which Ranko shook in Akane's face. "THAT'S how I can say something like that." He glared up at the taller girl shaking with emotion. "But it don't matter what's goin' on 'cause I'M here and I ain't leavin'" "Are you saying I can't take care of myself? That I need someone to look after me?" "Listen ya stupid tomboy. . ." "OH! Now I' m stupid." "Listen.Ya nearly got killed on Phoenix Mountain. An' I'm always havin' ta chase after you 'cause some prince or somethin' has kidnaped you or. . ." Usagi and her friends in amazement as Ranko catalogued the misadventures of Tendou and Saotome. ". . .ve you from some ridiculously huge animals or . . ." "Well if I'm so much trouble. . ." Akane tearfully tried to shove Ranko away from her. "You never LISTEN" Ranko shouted in frustration "You just NEVER listen. If ya would just. . . AH Hell!" Pietite hands grabbed Akane by the ears and jerked the startled girl off balance. Akane opened her mouth to protest this rough treatment just as Ranko opened her mouth to berate Akane about her stupidity. Time slowed to a crawl. The two teen's froze in place . . .so close to each other that a hydraulic ram couldn't have forced a postage stamp through the gap . . .yet not touching still. There was a tiny freckle in the corner of Akane's mouth. Ranma had never noticed that before. Fascinated he watched her nostrils gently flair with each breath she took He could spend hours just watching her breath. Often at night he would hang outside her window just . . .listening. Each breath she took brought Akane an aroma that was Ranma . . .no matter what form he took . . .uniquely Ranma. It made her feel . . .warm . . .safe. Akane could see a vein in Ranko's throat gently pulse. With life . . .Ranma's life. She could feel her insides get all squishy as she inhaled and Ranma's essence filled her lungs. Her eyelids felt heavy and against her will closed. She could just . . . "Wooooo! Somebody get a bucket!" "Bucket! We need the fire hose!." "Akachan. Doesn't that hurt?" Akane was distantly aware of an annoying buzzing sound that gradually resolved itself into voices. She opened her eyes to confront a pair of dazed sky blue orbs peering muzzily back at her.Startled she tried to pull back only to find her hands had somehow trapped themselves inside the waistband of "Ranko's" skirt and were cupping. . ." "Eeeeeeep!!" The two blushing teens hurriedly disentangled themselves. "An' let that be a lesson to ya'" Ranko panted. Akane flushed with embarrassment . . .and something else . . .something that she chose to identify as anger. Anger was safer . . .much safer than . . .something else. "PERVERT! Just what do you think you're doing?" Akane didn't pause to give Ranko time to answer. "How dare you follow me. And how dare you call my friends liars. And another thing . . ." Akane was on a roll. "What were you doing following me. And what's this business about someone trying to KILL me?" Akane laughed sarcastically. "That's the stupidest thing . . ." Usagi and her friends watched apprehensively as Akane tore a strip off the petite red-head. Apprehensive partially because of the slight tic beside Ranko's right eye . . .evidence of superhuman effort to hold back a retort. But also because the small red-head was absent-mindedly folding a section of chain-link fence between her fingers like a piece of paper. ". . . can't believe the nerve you have . . ." Akane stopped abruptly when Ranko held up a hand, palm out. "All right. You had your say . . .now it's MY turn. Ya got other people worried . . . Kasumi for one. An' Nabiki. Ya got her worried enough that she helped me change schools . . .at COST!! Don' ya think that comin' home all beat up . . .talking to yourself . . . transferring to a new school . . .well they're all worried about you." Ranko paused. "Me too." Akane looked down at the ground, seemingly fascinated by her toes. "Y . . .they don't need to be worried. I'm fine. I . . ." Ranko cut through her protestations. "An' that . . .woman . . .that tried to kill you. We don't gotta worry about her neither?" Akane's head came up . . .intending to object. That protest died under Ranko's glare like a moth in a furnace. "Umm . . .Rankosan?" Ranko turned at Ami's softly questioning voice. "Rankosan. What makes you think this woman was trying to kill Akanesan. I mean . . .what evidence do you have . . ." "I'm a martial artist. That's all I've done my whole life. Maybe I ain't so good at other stuff . . .but the Art . . .there ain't no one better than me. I know when someone's ready for a fight . . .how good they are . . .if they mean business. I KNOW! An that woman was tryin' to KILL Akane." "What do you mean . . .you know." Makoto put in skeptically. "How could you just look . . ." "The way I know about you." Ranma speared Makoto with a look. "I know that you try to act big and tough. An' you're brave all right. Got a lotta heart. Ain't no one gonna stop you . . . But deep down . . .you're scared. Scared you're gonna' be alone." Makoto paled at this summation, but Ranko had already started on her next target. "And you." She pointed to Ami, who shrank slightly under Ranko's consideration. "Cool, calm. Real smart." Ranko paused. "Real . . .real smart. Got good instincts . . .but don't believe in 'em. Don't believe in yourself. So you hide behind your smarts. So no one will see . . .you." Ami paled and hid her head in her hands as Ranko swung on her next target, Minako. "And you . . ." Ranko paused, puzzled. "You're a deep one." Ranko's brow wrinkled. "You . . .you're dangerous. There's blood on your hands." Minako stiffened slightly, then relaxed. "There's blood." Ranko continued. "But it's clean. Just like you." Ranko bowed slightly, one equal to another. "We ought to spar sometime." Minako brightened and returned the bow. "An' You." Ranko stepped up to Rei, who stood her ground and glared at Ranko, daring her to do her worst. "You . . .try to make people think you're tough. And you are. Ya got a lotta chi . . .a whole lot." Ranko cocked her head and raked Rei with a long searching gaze. Rei resisted a compulsion to cover herself with her hands at the sudden sensation of being naked in public. "You're always . . .afraid . . .but not for yourself . . . never for yourself. You're afraid of failing . . .someone . . .else. Someone you love . . .more than your life . . .some . . .one . . ." Rei paled, swayed and would have fallen if not for small hands which suddenly were there to catch her. "And as for you." Ranko turned her gaze to the small blond figure supporting Hino Rei. "As for you . . ." Ranko's cocky attitude disappeared and her eyes went wide with shock Straightening suddenly she executed a very low, profoundly respectful bow. "Forgive me for my impertinence master. I meant no disrespect. But I believe that I have demonstrated why I believed the . . .woman . . .I saw was a threat . . .a deadly threat to Tendou Akane." The other senshi were amazed at the transformation . . .from sarcastic, rough talking . . .to polite almost formal . . ." Akane was beyond amazement and well on her way to shocked. She grabbed Ranko by one sleeve and spun her around. "Just what are you doing." Akane hissed. "Mr. "I bow to nobody". I thought you didn't call anyone master." "I didn't." Ranko replied so simply that Akane could think of nothing to say. ************************************************* "Setsuna! Where have you been? There's a new enemy and . . ." "Weapon 4 is active. Yes I know." the guardian of time looked at her companions. "We are facing the strongest enemy yet. If we loose this battle every living thing on Earth will die." Kaiou Michiru and Ten'ou Haruka looked at each other then back at Meiou Setsuna, Sailorpluto. "What do you want us to do?" "You must retrieve Weapon 4. Without it we have no chance of defeating this enemy." "That should not be a problem." Michiru started "she has already helped in two battles and . . ." "That is not enough. Weapon 4 must be FULLY activated under our control." Haruka hissed in dismay. "That. . . may present problems" Michiru said slowly "the Princess will not. . ." "What the princess does or does not want is irrelevant." Setsuna said cooly. "Our mandate is to guard the outer reaches of the solar system against invaders or to repel them by any means necessary. By any means."she repeated flatly. "Against the loss of billions of lives and the life of an entire world, the loss of one individual is a small price." "What do you want us to do?" ************************************************* Shoho (Rear Admiral) Ugaki Yusho was waiting for the Americans. As he stood on the port wing of his flagship Kurushio he wondered if his father has felt the same way fifty years earlier. If he had it had not, he thought sourly, been for the same reasons. Then his father, under the command of Tanaka Raizo, Japans greatest Destroyer commander had lain in ambush to destroy the Americans. Now he was burning incense and saying prayers for the safe and quick arrival of the American task from the Indian Ocean. The Admiral paced slowly up and back on the small wing. "Measles!" He still couldn't believe it. Two weeks earlier there had been a carrier group within six hours steaming of Japan. Then an outbreak of . . .MEASLES . . .of all things had sent the Americans on their way back to Hawaii. A new strain the doctors had said. Very dangerous. Now he was waiting on the task force the Americans had diverted from the Indian Ocean. Admiral Ugaki paced to the rail and looked at his force, twenty ships to defend all Japan. Under normal circumstances he would have been confident. The JSDF utilized one of the worlds most sophisticated coastal and air-born radar networks. Admiral Ugaki was confident his ships, especially the new Aegis destroyers backed by the F15J's, F3's and older Phantoms of the Air Defense Force could pin any enemy on the beaches where the Ground Defense forces could deal with them. But now . . .he took another quick turn and stared at the ships wake. Now . . .there would be no warning . . .no time to move forces . . .to alert air wings. Not against an enemy who could appear from nowhere . . .appear INSIDE the Home Islands with no warning. How could he defend . . . "Admiral! Sir . . .The Capitol . . .it's under attack!" Ukagi bolted through the opening into the bridge in time to see a brilliant white flash that lit Tokyo bay. "Captain , take us into the bay . .. flank speed. CIC, what do you have?" There was a rumbling whine as the big jet turbine slammed to full power and Kurushio heeled sharply in a crash turn to port. The rating at the console that linked the bridge to the combat information center turned slightly toward his Admiral. "Sir, CIC reports many air-born objects. Very small . . .fast . . .hard to lock up. Tentative count . . .15 . . .no . . .18. And a large . . .distortion that appears to match reports of the enemy's transport effect." "Flag to all ships." Ukagi settled himself in his leather chair. "Form on Kurushio. The enemy is inside the bay. Fire plan Autumn Wind." He could hear the atonal shriek of the General Quarters alarm, the pounding feet of sailors . . .young men in his care . . .racing for their action stations. Forward he could see the single 176 mm mount traversing as the gun crew made last minute checks. Aft he knew the missile crews were readying their SAM's and hoping they wouldn't need the Phalanx Gatling gun. Ukagi hesitated for a moment then continued. "I know every man will do his duty. May the Emperor live ten thousand years. EI!" "OU!!" Ukagi smiled as the enthusiastic response came back from all over the ship . . .and over the radio from the rest of his small fleet. "What air support do we have available?" This was no idle question. Japan's Air Defense Force was at the breaking point, being the only force that had a realistic chance of engaging an enemy that didn't need roads or sea- lanes to travel. "Ummm." The rating ran a finger down a list detailing squadron readiness. "The 801'st has two F15J's at plus five. And three more at plus thirty." ************************************************* "Isurugi! Would you quit fiddling with my aircraft!" "Sorry Mitakasan" The young private bowed in apology. Well as much of a bow as was possible when crouched on the wing of an F15 fighter. "Sorry Hanedasan." He twisted and sketched another half-bow at the pilot of the other F15 just a few meters away. "But this is a very serious time. . . it's important that I do my job well . . .so that you can do yours." "You need more than a good job to help that clumsy little bitch." Came the sneering retort from Haneda. "You need direct intervention from Kamisama." "WHAT! Why you whoring little . . ." "PLEASE . . .SHUT . . .UP!!!" The uncharacteristic outburst from the normally mild (but enthusiastic) private silenced the two pilots. Chest heaving with emotion private Isurugi glared first at his girlfriend and then at his mistress. (Exactly who was which had yet to be decided.) "I have been studying reports on this enemy. As a result of what is known I have loaded your guns with depleted uranium anti-tank rounds. I also managed to . . .borrow . . .four Phoenix missiles. You have two each. The rest of your missiles are Longbow Hellfire II anti-tank missiles." "What! Why anti-tank. Why not . . ." Isurugi turned to Haneda. "The Phoenix gives you a much longer range. With the Hellfire you have to close to six thousand meters. But the enemy is very tough. They are armored more like tanks than conventional aircraft. I don't think standard AAM warheads are enough. But the Hellfire's might . . ." Whatever Isurugi had to say was lost in the blare of the alert signal. Instantly Isurugi snapped shut the inspection port and slid off the wing. Running under the plane he yanked loose the wheel chocks. As he did so the F15J's engines roared into life. Sprinting hard he yanked loose the wheel chocks of the second jet and fell to the ground, covering his head as the two planes rolled off down the runway. Recovering from the awful noise Isurugi rolled to his feet just as the two planes, wingtips less than a meter apart rotated off the concrete. As if the two planes were flown by one person the jets accelerated to one thousand feet, gear and flaps came up simultaneously and the fighters turned toward Tokyo at full afterburner. ************************************************ "Would you quit following me!" Akane hissed. "Hey, I'm just takin' a walk!" Ranma grinned infuriatingly down from his perch on the fence top. "Just pretend I'm not here." "I wish I could pretend you were in Hokkaido.." Akane muttered to herself. "I think it's kind of sweet of her uh I mean him." Even after an explanation of Ranma's rather unique . . .outlook. . . on life Usagi was still a little confused. She wasn't the only one. "There's at least a 35 kilo mass difference between your male and female forms. How on earth do you balance the mass energy equation!" Ami asked again. "I mean, if you just converted that much mass to energy you'd blow up all of Tokyo. I suppose you could shunt it off using. . ." "Do you have any idea of what Ami's talking about?" Makoto whispered . "I think she's upset about how Ranma loses so much weight when he changes to Ranko." Minako replied. Makoto frowned over at her small friend. ". . .blem of acquiring mass for your conversion UP to your male feeeeeeeeeeepppppppp!" Ami squawked as she was snatched into the air by Makoto. "MAKOTO! What areeeeeee. NO! Don't heheheheheh!" Ami squirmed and giggled as Makoto poked and prodded her sides. "WHAT are you DOING!" Ami gasped,tugging and pulling her clothes back into place after Makoto put her down. "You're not at all fat." Makoto said seriously. "What?" "In fact you could stand to GAIN some weight." Makoto frowned. "If some guy said you're too fat, you just let ME talk to him." Ami looked at her big friend as if she were crazy. "Makoto, what in the world are you talking about?" "I know it's easy to get hung up on your appearance and all that. But your health is more important. You're smart and pretty and I think you look just fine like you are and . . ." "Thank you, I think. But why this sudden interest in my weight?" "Well Minako said that you were trying to find out how Ranma loses all that weight when he changes into Ranko, but if you try to loose that much it'll make you sick and . . ." Ami placed a finger against Makoto's lips to stop the flow of words. She looked up into her giant friends concerned face, then dropped her gaze to see Minako, Usagi and Rei all looking back with identical concern on their faces. She glanced up at Ranma who shrugged with a "don't-ask-me-haven't-understood- a-thing-you've-said-all-day" look. Finally she looked at Akane who grinned back with sympathetic understanding. Ami drew in a deep breath and looked back at her friends. "Thank you for worrying about me. I promise I won't take any chances with my health." "That's great!" Makoto said with relief. "Why don't I make a bentou for you every day?" "That's not necess. . ." "And supper too!" Makoto enthused "That way we can be sure you're getting proper nutrition." Ami looked at the circle of faces surrounding her and suddenly understood the old adage that it's easier to escape from enemies that from friends. "All right." she surrendered "That sounds nice." "Yayyyyy! A party." Usagi was ecstatic. "Uh, That's not what . . ." Ami began. "We could have it at my house." Akane added shyly. "As long as you don't cook. . ."Ranma began. "There's something evil. . ." Rei's head came up suddenly. She turned her head like a hound casting for a scent. She stiffened , then took of at a dead run. Usagi and the others were a split second behind her. "HEY! Wait for me." After a startled instant of hesitation Ranma bounded along behind the group. Rei's impression of evil was soon confirmed by screams and explosions in the distance. As they drew closer to the scene the impression of disaster was magnified by the streams of terrified people fleeing the scene. "Uh. . .what about. . ." Makoto jerked her head in the direction of Ranma who was hovering protectively over Akane who in turn was hovering over Usagi. Usagi was feeling a bit mashed since Rei was crowded protectively and possessively on her other side. "I'm not sure. . ." Minako flinched as the sky flashed white and the top of a distant building rose lazily into the air like a leaf blowing in the wind. "DOWN!!" She dove for cover, dragging Ami and Makoto with her. Moments later the shock wave roared over them in a blast of hot wind and a rumble that shattered windows and rippled the roadway like a bowl of jello. "Is everyone OK." "OK here." "Fine." "What the hell was that?" "We're alright here." "I'm getting Muuuuuushed!" Usagi complained from the bottom of a protective mound of senshi, Blood Guard and bystander. "Better than getting your baka head blown off." Rei snapped. "Akane! Can we trust. . ." Minako jerked a thumb at Ranma. "With your lunch, money or panties, NO!" Ranma bristled at this and his mouth opened to protest. "With your life or honor, absolutely." His mouth snapped closed and he felt his face heat up. "All right then, Henshin YO!" "MOON. . ." "MARS. . ." "JUPITER. . ." "MERCURY. . ." "VENUS. . ." Ranma looked at Akane who was watching her princess transform into the pretty sailor soldier for love and justice. "Hey, tomboy, don't you have a transformation?" "No, I'm not a senshi." "MAKE UP!!" Ranma paused to watch vari-colored energies surround the five girls. "That's too bad." "Huh! Why?" Akane dragged her eyes away from Usagi to see Ranma watching the five girls. She suddenly realized what Ranma was seeing, or rather what he WASN'T seeing. "Why you perv. . ." "I bet you'd be really cute." "C. .c. . cute?" Ranma winked at her and all of Akane's higher brain functions promptly turned to mush and ran out the soles of her feet. The five senshi finished their transformations to find Akane staring with huge dazed eyes at Ranma, who was rocking back and forth on his heels, a look of complete innocence on his face. "If you two are quite finished?" Minako politely inquired. "We have some 'Big Nasty's' to pound." She turned to the senshi of water. "Mercury, what do we have." Mercury typed commands into her computer as her visor gathered data from the surrounding area. She looked up sickly at her friends. "A. . akane. Would you please scan the area and give me a count of the enemy. "Passive Sensors to maximum sensitivity. Search for hostile's." Akane commanded the voice. ##Working## the voice whispered.##Multiple targets found. Energy signatures consistent with previous contacts.## the whisper paused ##Active portal detected. Flying vehicles detected. Listing contacts now.## A mental grid map of the area popped up with a tabular listing of enemy numbers and types in the lower right corner. As she watched the portal icon flared and another icon, tentatively identified as a vehicle, crackled into existence. "I estimate one hundred plus infantry" Akane reported "in powered armor accompanied by six to eight vehicles. Maybe twice that many. The vehicles appear to be a lightly armored flying scout. I'm sorry the count isn't more precise but the proximity of an active portal interferes with my sensors. In addition they are using some sort of jammer . I could try to burn through on Active, but that would give away our position." "That agrees closely with what I'm finding as well." Mercury looked at her friends. "I think we may have a problem." Before she could say more two jet fighters, emblazoned with the rising sun, roared overhead. "Wha . . ." "I believe help has arrived." Venus watched closely at the two planes reefed around in a tight turn, less than a thousand feet above the street and accelerated hard toward a clump of enemy flying machines swarming just above the now ruined docks. There was a rumbling noise and as the amazed senshi watched a trio of GSDF tanks charged down a side street, treads ripping up the asphalt as they headed for the dock area. "WOOO!" Ranma shouted involuntarily. "Do we follow . . .or what?" He asked, not being familiar with senshi combat etiquette. "We follow . . .carefully." Venus decided. And with that the small group headed for Tokyo bay. ************************************************* "I have tone." Haneda announced. "Fox two. Fox two on the big guy stationary over the docks." The Phoenix missiles left their hard points and headed toward their target at mach 3 plus. Immediately she jinked hard left, pulling nine gees in the turn, then jerked the heavy Eagle back around to close on burner on the remaining targets. The Phoenix missiles, hers and Haneda's, had impacted with little apparent effect. Peripherally she noted Mitaka tied to her starboard wing as if by a steel rod matching her move for move as they moved in to launch their Hellfire's. If they survived , they would close and engage with guns. "I have tone. Launch, launch ,launch." Eight Hellfire anti-tank missiles ripple fired from her wings and accelerated past mach 2. "Launch, launch, launch." Haneda heard Mitaka's voice over the radio and could see a flash as eight additional Hellfires streaked toward their target. Her Eagle lifted as it suddenly became lighter by several hundred kilograms. Haneda pulled back on the controller and kicked hard right rudder in the start of a reverse Immelman. A hammer of sound and fire slammed her against the side of the cockpit and centripetal force pinned her in place as her Eagle spun earthwards and flames ate at her nomex flight suit. "NO!" The involuntary denial was forced from Mitaka as Haneda's Eagle was blasted apart by a bolt of lightning from a black armored flier that came, literally, from no-where. Even as she recoiled in horror from the sight of Haneda's death spiral, her hands and feet moved with the effect of years of training and an inborn warriors heart. Her Eagle shuddered as she chopped power and popped the dive-brakes. Stall and engine warnings shrilled, ignored, as Mitaka kicked the rudder hard over and the Eagle slid drunkenly through the air. The black flyer shot past the Eagle and into Mitaka's sights. Tone sounded and she ripple fired her remaining complement of Hellfire missiles. Without waiting to see their effect she dropped the nose of her jet and went to full burner, wondering if she had enough air to recover from her stall. At one hundred feet Mitaka pulled out of her dive, low enough to see a flash of blond hair and . . .sailor suits? There was no time to sight-see as she roared skyward like a home-sick angel in a zoom climb. Half mad with grief and looking for revenge Mitaka scanned the sky for, looking for the enemy and found. . . . Haneda didn't remember triggering the charge that blew her clear of her dying Eagle. She remembered the explosion that had killed her beautiful plane . . .remembered the fire . . . praying she wouldn't burn . . .And now she was floating in the air . . .Haneda took a deep breath and winced as her ribs protested. Bruised? Broken. Who cared. She was alive. She hadn't burned. That was a plus in any . . . "Haneda . . .you bitch. You stupid, stupid . . ." Mitaka didn't realize she was crying as she cursed the slowly descending figure of her team mate. "See if I ever let you forget . . ." Her prayerful curses cut off as she saw the black flyer coming back . . .trailing oily smoke and fire . . .but flying still and headed for . . . "Damn you . . ." She was out of missiles. Mitaka selected guns . . .centered her targeting pip . . .and went to war emergency power. Haneda heard the scream of abused jet engines and twisted in her harness. She saw the black flyer . . .dark and evil as it scudded through the air toward her . . .she saw an Eagle. Mitaka! She could see it growing . . .larger and larger as is shrieked through the thick air. "uh oh." Haneda grabbed the risers of her parachute and pulled, spilling air, trying to drop . . .as fast and as far as she could before . . . Lightning blasted from the black flyer . . .toward the Eagle. Jinking, twisting and rolling the Eagle closed on its prey. "DIE!" Mitaka toggled her cannon and the Eagle shivered as the 20mm gun slammed back at the black flyer. Swinging gently in mid-air Haneda had a wonderful view of the battle. The same view, she suspected, a mouse had just before it was swallowed by the cat. The black flyer was obviously hurt . . .it's maneuvers were slow . . .awkward. But still deadly as it fired bolt after bolt of lightning. Thunder rolled and shivered the air until Haneda was almost deaf and the air stank of ozone. But the Eagle was a whirling, twisting impossible target as it twisted through the air stressing the air- frame with maneuvers that McDonnell-Douglas had never dreamed of. "Good girl . .. good girl." Haneda twisted her body as she unconsciously mimicked Mitaka's piloting. "You got him . . you got him. Now break off . . ." Mitaka was beyond reason. Beyond fear. Her panel was a blaze of warning and failure lights. She didn't care. Like a wolf with it's teeth in the throat of an enemy . . .Mitaka wouldn't let go . . .COULDN'T let go. "Break off . . .break off . . .Please Mitaka. . ." The big jet fighter slammed into the black flyer at 600 knots. Haneda wrapped her arms around her head and drew her knees into her chest just as the shock wave hit. It tossed her like a leaf in a typhoon, twisting and turning in her lines in a way that could have easily collapsed her parachute dropping her to her death. "Damn you . . .Damn you." Haneda swung limp and uncaring as she drifted toward the unseen ground. "mine . . .was . . .bigger." Haneda's head jerked up at the faint cry and she dashed tears from her eyes. Twisting wildly about she searched the sky, starting wild and dangerous gyrations in her parachute. "mine . . .was . . ." THERE! Above her and almost a thousand meters distant. Straining Haneda could see the tiny figure dangling beneath a silken hemisphere, hands to mouth as she shouted . . . " . . .bigger . . .mine . . .was . . .bigger . . .than . . .yours." Haneda inflated her chest and hands cupped to mouth shouted back. "I . . .SLOWED . . .HIM . . .DOWN . . .FOR . . .YOU . . ." She had to get this stupid grin off her face before she landed. ************************************************ Noses pressed against the window of the hastily evacuated 'All Players Caf‚' Usagi and her friends watched horrified as the second fighter rammed the alien craft and both machines then slammed into the Odaiba Seaside Park. A huge ball of fire and black smoke erupted from the park and even from their fifth floor vantage the small group could see park visitors stream from the disaster like ants from an overturned anthill. "oh god,ohgodohgodohgod." Makato wrapped her arms around her stomach and closed her eyes. It was impossible at this distance but she thought she could hear screams from the center of the fireball. "Come on." Usagi called to her friends as she dashed to the stairs. Rei snagged her arm and dragged her to a stop. "Just where do you think YOU're going?" "We have to help . . ." Rei cut her friend off and pointed out the window at two trucks; one with JSDF markings, the other a civilian fire truck. It was a pitiful response to a disaster of that magnitude, but amazing that any response at all was possible. "WE do nothing. We're not equipped for fire fighting. And we've got another job . . .stopping the things that did that." Usagi started to argue when Akane put a hand on her shoulder. "Reisan is right." Usagi looked at her Blood Guard in hurt betrayal but whatever words of protest she had were stillborn by Akane's white faced calm. "Reisan is right." Akane repeated. "It is our job to stop this from happening . . .ever again." Usagi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Jerkily she nodded once in agreement then turned to her other Senshi. "Ami . . .what should we do next?" "We've got to close their main portal." Ami rapidly entered commands into her computer. " It's near the International Trade Center . . .there's a distortion consistent with the alien transportation effect that covers an area from the Takeshiba Pier northeast to Hamacho Park and west past the Nakkei Building. "That much?" Makato whispered. Ami had just described an area of influence that gutted Chuo- ku, one of the three central wards of Tokyo, one of the most densely populated areas on earth and only 4 km from . . . "The EMPEROR!" Makato gasped in sudden realization. "We have to . . ." "Relax." Ranma put a calming hand on the big Senshi's shoulder. "The Emperor has the best security in the world. I'm sure he's just fine." ************************************************ "COWARDS . . . .FOX CHILDREN . . . UNCLEAN ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING OF PORTUGESE . . ." "Stupid boken boy keep head down." Shan Pu yanked Kuno into a ditch as a vaguely beatle shaped flyer shot overhead on a firing pass. Kuno jerked free and leapt from the ditch screaming imprecations at the departing flyer. Shan Pu cautiously peeped over the lip of the ditch in time to see the burning Fujimi Tower fall with a resounding crash. Brushing mud and filth off her clothing Shan Pu emerged from cover to bop Kuno on the head to get his attention. "What silly samurai boy think he do with sword against flying machine and cannon?" Grumbling Kuno turned to the Chinese Amazon. "Know you that a true Samurai fights not with steel but with a warriors heart. Mere technological toys can never overcome the JAPANESE SPIRIT!!!" Shan Pu rolled her eyes as Kuno struck a pose and started to slap him again, then stopped as she noticed a cable running from his armor to the hilt of his sword. "What this?" She asked, fingering the cable. "Japanese spirit run on batteries now?" With a disdainful sniff Kuno pulled free of Shan Pu's grip. "Jest if you will. Know that Kuno is faithful and obedient to his Emperor's wishes. As a true Samurai, son, grand-son and great-grand-son of Samurai . . ." Shan Pu whapped Kuno, in the same fashion (and for the same reason) one might strike a stuck phonograph. "Just tell what cable for. No give family history. Shan Pu have weak stomach." "Gaze then upon the miracles of JAPANESE SCIENCE and be amazed." As he spoke, Kuno drew his sword and pressed a switch inlaid in the grip. A narrow beam of light flashed from the sword. As Kuno swung the sword in a narrow arc Shan Pu heard the whine of electric motors. Turning she watched as concealed SAM batteries slid smoothly into position, tracking the moving sword. "Hmmph. General Electric Laser Designator." Shan Pu sniffed as she looked Kuno up and down. "Maybe stupid boken boy not so stupid." She tilted her head to one side consideringly. "So . . .here is order ramen and pork bun." Shan Pu pulled out a covered tray. "Please to pay 500,000 yen." "500 . . .!?!" Kuno's face twisted in rage. "That's robbery. I won't pay." "Oh-Key_Do-Key." Shan Pu agreed cheerfully, putting away the steaming tray. "You no want . . .Shan Pu no give. Many hungry people in city under attack by alien. Not so many take-out-place still deliver. I go now. Find hungry person with Yen, Dollar, Mark . . .maybe hungry person with gold or jewel. Bui-Bui." "Aaaaaaa. Kuno must have food to fuel his iron body. For the good of the Empire, and for no other reason, will I agree to this . . ." ************************************************ " . . .close enough for Usagi to attack the portal. She's the only one with enough power to collapse it." "What about Akanesan?" Minako immediately regretted the question as Ranma stepped protectively between Akane and the Senshi. "Akane ain't . . ." 'Akanesan doesn't have the endurance." Ami cut in. "She has a lot of power but she exhausts herself very rapidly in combat." "What about getting some help from the SDF?" Rei questioned, pointing out the window toward the bay where ships could be seen maneuvering as they fired cannon and missiles at alien flyers swarming over the bay. On shore tanks and artillery pieces fired and moved in a maneuver known to militaries world wide as 'shoot-and-scoot'. "I'd like to "Ami admitted. "but without the proper authorization codes we have no way . . ." "Ooooops." "Oooops?" Ami turned to a blushing Minako. "What do you mean . . .Oooops?" "Ummm." Minako dug her toe into the carpeting. "Here, this might help." Ami took the folded square of paper from Minako's hand. ************************************************ "What's it look like Tigger?" Colonel Terrence Young asked his Defensive Systems Officer. First Lieutenant Antoinette (Tony the Tigger) Tregarth scanned her panels. "Green here Skipper. Nothing on the board." "Thumper? Were coming up to 'feet dry'. You ready to blow things up?." Captain Mike (Thumper) Morgan the Offensive Systems Officer looked at the diagnostics for his two nuclear tipped missiles. "Green and mean. You fly it, I'll fry it." "Don't quit your day job. OK . . .how's it look Nash?" "I think . . ." Whatever Captain Preston Nash thought was lost at the B1B gave a sudden lurch. "Skipper . . .we've lost the navsats!" Tigger called from the back. "Can you fix it?" "Negative. It's not us. The satellites are just . . .gone." Colonel Young swore under his breath. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. Out of an twelve plane flight of six bombers, four F22's and two tankers, two of his precious B1B's had aborted from mechanical troubles. A storm front had forced them to re-route, costing six hours flying. Then he'd lost one of his tankers and ALL of his fighter escort to an enemy attack over the Philippines. Finally, an hour ago, all three of his remaining bombers and his tanker had been diverted to China; Leaving Colonel Terrance (Terry the Pirate) Young feeling VERY lonely as he approached Japan. And now he'd lost the nav-sat's. His inertial navigation system was the finest in the world. However at 900 mph ,200 feet above the ocean . . ." "I think we better call ahead to confirm our reservation . . .and maybe get directions to the hotel." "Roger that." Captain Nash set the scrambler to the pre-sets for the JASDF and readied a message for burst transmission." ************************************************ " . . .Narita is under attack at this time. Haneda airport has been heavily damaged. Repairs to the runway will take at least another 10 hours. The sixth air wing at Komatsu may have a runway open in three hours. No other airfields under our control can be ready any sooner. Also we have no . . .repeat NO aircraft available for escort at this time. The second air wing may have an F4 Phantom ready to fly out of Chitose in three or four hours." Colonel Young listened to the litany of disaster crackle from the speaker. He did NOT want to be fiddle-farting around off the coast of Japan with no GPS, two nukes and lots of bad- guys in the air. Plus they'd been in the air over 20 hours. And even at cruising speed the B1 was a thirsty beast. It would be awfully embarrassing to run out of gas. "Negative . . .negative. We need a tanker and fighter support. Otherwise I will have to divert to Taiwan. You can call in a strike from there once you . . ." "No . . .No . . ." Even digital encryption could not filter the desperation from the voice. "We must have help now. You have atomic weapons. You must destroy the Tokyo Bay portal." "We can organize a strike from Taiwan. With proper support, by tomorrow . . ." "By tomorrow Tokyo may be gone . . .and soon all of Japan." "Can you at least give me navigational aids? And an update on the local terrain? I must have this information for a low level approach." "We have lost all air traffic control apparatus. And we have no way to send terrain data . . ." "Hello . . .hello?" A young female voce cut into the secure channel. "Is this the American airplane?" "What? Who is this?" Colonel Young glared at his pilot who shrugged his shoulders. "Ummmm , this is . . .ahhh this is 'Mermaid', authentication bravo phoenix niner niner six five star star, and I think I can help you." ************************************************ "Mermaid?" Rei stared at Ami who flushed in embarrassment and looked accusingly at a grinning Minako. "Hey , I got to pick our code names and I wanted something appropriate." "What's mine?" Minako looked away from Rei toward Makato. "You're 'Oak Tree'." "Oak Tree. I like that." "Yeah, you're Oak Tree, Ami is Mermaid , Akane is 'Hammer' and Usagi is 'Angel. ' "Oooooooo." Usagi looked wide-eyed at Minako. "Angel, that's pretty. Thank you Minako. And what are you?" "Beauty, of course. Sorry Ranma, I don't have one for you yet." Ranma shrugged, uncaring. Not so another member of the little group. "HEY. What about me? Don't I have a code name?" Minako turned to the fuming Rei. "Oh, sorry. I forgot. Of course you do. It's . . ." ************************************************ "PYRO?????" Colonel Young winced as the soprano scream knifed from the speaker into his brain. "Reichan . . .keep it down. I'm trying to talk to the Americans. I'm sorry Youngsan. As I was saying, I will transmit navigational data to you. I am sending location data in degrees, minutes, seconds of latitude and longitude." "Thank you . . .uh Mermaid." Strange as it seemed the preposterous code-names and identifiers had been entered into their authentication data base. And at a level higher than any one else in the JSDF. He could either trust the gentle voice (and Air Force Intelligence) and continue on to Tokyo or abort, divert to Taiwan and hope there was enough of Japan left to be worth saving at a latter date. "Thank you." He repeated. "And can you send terrain data? We will be coming in at a very low altitude. The lower we are the safer from enemy attack. But we need to know about buildings, power lines, enemy fortifications." "Hai . . .uh I mean yes. Yes I can provide that. Please tell me what format you need and . . ." ************************************************ Ami closed the cover to her computer with a snap. "Let's go." "Go? Go where?" Usagi looked bewildered. "Don't you want to wait until . . ." "I've done everything I can. Either I succeeded and now an American bomber can shoot an atomic missile into Tokyo . . .or I failed and four brave men will die, and Tokyo with them." Ami turned stony faced to her friends. "I've detected another portal operating somewhere between Shibuya-ku and Shinjuku-ku. The SDF doesn't have anything that can respond. If we hurry perhaps we can . . .can stop it before the enemy gets established. If we hurry . . .if we . . ." Usagi gathered her friend into her arms. "Amichan . . .Amichan . . .you're not God . . .you're not even a Bodhisattva . . .you did what you always do . . .your very best. And that's all anyone can do." "Oh Usagichan . . ."Ami squeezed her friend tightly. "How do you always know what to say . . ." She paused and looked down at Usagi. "And how did you know what a Bodhisattva is?" "Uh . . .hehehe . . . .well there was this new manga and . . ." Laughing Ami led Usagi and her friends down the stairs. Rei started after her friends, then hesitated as she saw an unopened bottle of club-soda on a table. Coming to a sudden decision she picked up the bottle and quickly cleaned her mouth and hands with the water. Placing a coin on the table as an offering she turned to face the sea through the window and bowed low twice, twice clapped her hands and bowed deeply once more. "Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us, I believe are all our brothers and sisters, why are there constant troubles in this world? Why do winds and waves rise in the oceans surrounding us? I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon blow away all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of mountains." ************************************************ "Admiral!" Ukagi spun around at the excited cry. "Sir . . sir . . .LOOK. . . .the AMERICANS!!" Ukagi followed the pointing finger to see the massive B1 bomber slicing through his frantically maneuvering fleet at over Mach 1.3 . . .10 feet BELOW his ships bridge. ************************************************ "So far . . .so good." Colonel Young checked his board a final time as they entered Tokyo Bay. "Thumper . . .heat 'em up. I don't think we're gonna' get but one chance at this, so I want to fire both nukes at once. Tigger, you handle the decoy's. I want to burry the two big boys in the middle of all our decoy missiles." Acknowledgments came from his back seaters. "Feet dry coming up in 2 minutes boss." Young glanced out to see the blurred shapes of the Japanese 'fleet' swell and vanish in an instant. He checked the radar scope for the amorphous return that indicated an active portal. Placing his hand lightly on the side-arm controller waited for the proximity warning that indicated dry land. The tone sounded and he spoke to his pilot. "I have the aircraft." He felt the slight shiver as control was transferred to him. "Commanders airplane." Nash acknowledged, moving his hand away from his controller and focusing on the instruments. "I have acquired the target." Thumper called from his position. "We can launch now if you want." "Negative . . . we're going to carry our birds right down their throat. Tigger . . .decoys at your discretion." There was a brief rumbling shudder as the first clutch of decoy missiles dropped free. Aft, chaff and flares were ejected in a pre-programmed pattern. G forces hammered the four against their harnesses as the terrain-following system slammed the big bomber over, around and sometimes under bits-and-pieces of down-town Tokyo. As they broke into the clear a clutch of black insect-like flyers popped into existence off their port wing. Immediately Nash swept the wings to full aft position as Young snapped off the TFS and rammed the four throttles to the fire-wall. At full after-burner the big plane leapt forward at Mach 1.6, each of the G.E. turbofans gulping fuel at over 3 gallons per second. "Missiles away!" Thumper called from the back seat as the two nuclear tipped cruise missiles dropped free of the bomber buried in a cloud of the remaining decoy missiles. Freed of their weight the plane lifted suddenly and Colonel Young pulled back on the controller, hauling the bulky bomber upward in a zoom climb more suited to a fighter than a 400,000 pound bomber. The airspeed indicator spun rapidly upward even as the fuel gage dropped by 12,000 pounds. As they passed 55,000 feet the missiles detonated in the heart of the portal. At 62,000 feet the edge of the shock wave, distorted and channeled by the space twisting properties of the portal caught the bomber, tossing it through the air like a child's toy. Even as they spun through the air like a piece of lint on high spin cycle Young and Nash fought to regain control of their aircraft. Engine stall warnings, Low oil pressure warnings, Engine fire alarms and of all things the ground proximity warning all sounded. "Flame out skipper. All four are cold." Nash called. "We got nothing burning. Aux. power coming up . . .now." "Restart procedures . . .number one." Young kicked hard right rudder and pushed the nose down in an attempt to kill the spin while keeping enough airspeed to windmill his dead engines. "Skipper . . .fuel temp's BELOW -5 degrees." "WHAT? That's imposs . . .never mind." Young dismissed the strange aftereffects of the alien portals destruction. " Fuel heaters. ON." "Roger. Fuel heaters . . .ON." "Generator breakers . . .ON." "Generator breakers . . . ON." Nash confirmed. "Main booster pump ON." "Main booster pump . . .ON." Ignition switch ON." Young called to his pilot. Ignition switch ON." "Pressurize main tank." "Main tank pressurized . . .pressurizing fuel cross feed system." Quickly the two pilots ran through the restart procedure. "Nothing skipper. Still cold." "Restart . . .number four." Nash and Young repeated the restart procedure on the starboard outboard engine as the big plane bled altitude like a hemophiliac at a glass eating contest. "No joy on number four." "Restart . . .number two." Young rapidly went down the checklist. "Gentleman." Young spoke to his crew while he went through the In-Flight engine start procedure. "It is my opinion . . .Generator Breakers ON . . .it is my opinion that if we pass 5,000 feet . . .Main booster pump ON . . . .5,000 feet without a restart . . .Ignition switch ON . . .without an engine . . .pressurize main tank . . .that our contract with the Air Force to fly this airplane is null-and-void and we should leave." "Number two cold skipper." Young looked at the altitude indicator . . .12,000 feet. Time for one more try." "Restart . . .number one engine." Nash looked startled. "Number one? But we . . ." "Restart number one engine." Young repeated firmly. Quickly the two men raced time and altitude to restart the number one engine. At seven thousand feet the engine coughed once and died. No time for another try. "Stand by to eject." "Hell skipper." Tigger drawled from her back seat position. "If I wanted to swim I'd 'uv been a squid. These are zero altitude seats. Guaranteed to blast you free at ground level or double your money back. How 'bout one more try." By the book Young should, and could, eject all four of them. But the cold Sea of Japan was not an attractive spot for swimming. And the middle of a war made it unlikely a search and rescue effort would be either speedy or thorough. "Alright Tigger . . .give me an altitude count. And we all leave at 1,000 feet. . .Restart . . .number one." All four of them could be clear of the bomber in 2.0 seconds. Plenty of time. The altitude indicator unwound like a broken spring as Young and Nash raced through the restart procedures again. "Generator breakers . . .ON." "5,000 feet." "Generator breakers . . . ON." Nash confirmed. "Main booster pump ON." 4,000 feet." "Main booster pump . . .ON." Ignition switch ON." Young called to his pilot. Ignition switch ON." 2,000 feet" "Pressurize main tank." "Main tank pressurized . . .pressurizing fuel cross feed system." "1,000 feet." Tigger called from the back seat. "Eject . . .Eject . . .Ej . . . " Nash ordered . . .as the number one engine coughed . . .sputtered and rumbled into life." "CHECK FIRE." Young and Nash called simultaneously. "Restart number four." Young ordered as he pulled back on the controller. At 500 feet number four rumbled into life. Young shoved the throttles to full power while bringing the controller back to lift the nose. At the same time Nash brought the wings completely forward to increase lift. "This is going to hurt." Young thought as the black oily surface of the Sea of Japan filled his vision. Number two engine rumbled into life and Young automatically corrected for the uneven thrust caused by flying on three engines. And, suddenly as a heart attack, the horizon was falling BELOW the nose of the big plane, although it was a few moments before Young realized what this meant. Just as the realization that he wasn't going to die (just yet) sank in, the number three engine snarled into life. "Well, hell. That was easy. If we can scare up a tanker, what say we just head for home now?" "Ummm. You might want to re-think that skipper." "Oh, why is that Captain Morgan?" "Take a look to starboard." Young looked in the direction Thumper indicated . . .to see the outer third of the starboard wing canted upwards at a 20 degree angle. "I . . .see what you mean. Well, I've always wanted to see China. Or maybe Korea." "If it's dry, I'll be happy." "You always were easy, Tigger." "Colonel Young sir . . .while I realize this is a low level bomber, I don't think Rockwell ever rated it as a submarine." "Huh?" Young returned intelligently. Silently Nash pointed forward . . .at a small fish plastered against the armored glass." ************************************************ "Are you alright?" Ranma looked at the big Senshi in concern. "fast." "Huh?" "fast. i was going fast." "That's right Makato." Ami said soothingly. "You were going fast. But we're stopped now." "Hasn't she ever ridden the monorail before?" "Generally," Rei staggered up, holding onto Minako. "We ride INSIDE the cars." Rei paused, gulping in air. "Are you INSANE!! Jumping on the roof . . ." "Wheeeeeeeee!!!!" Usagi danced up, spinning around in a little circle. "That was Fuuuuun!" Minako gave a little shake of her head. Rei was not nearly so restrained. "Fun? FUN! Are you insane! We could have been killed. You really are a . . ." "Especially when we changed trains at Shimbashi. Juuuuuump . . .WHOOOOSH . . .Juuuuu . . ." Rei turned green at Usagi's exuberant pantomime of their recent journey and made a mad dash for the bushes. "Something she ate?" Ranma questioned. Akane whapped her iinazuke on the head. "We're getting close." Ami looked up from her computer. "The portal is operating intermittently so it's hard to localize . . ."She paused, tapping a few keys, then closed the cover and put her computer away with a little sound of disgust. "They've shut down again. I know the epicenter is within a kilometer or two of here, but I can't localize until they start up again." Minako looked around trying orient herself. Even at the best of times Tokyo was a confusing place to navigate. Now . . .the streets were filled with rubble, some were completely blocked. Smoke and dust filled the air and sirens wailed in the near distance. "Ami, I need directions. Which way should we go?" Ami activated her visor and turned in a slow circle. "That way." She said stopping and pointing. "Shinjuku station is just ahead . . .I think. And it's within five or six hundred meters of the outer edge of the epicenter of the portal effect. Perhaps we can find someone at the station who has noticed enemy activity in the area. That may help us localize the portal before they activate it again." Five minutes of running that included a great deal of climbing over and through fallen walls and overturned vehicles brought them suddenly to an open area facing the southern entrance to Shinjuku Station, framed by the giant 'Times Square' building on the right and the 'Southern Terrace' on the left. Although 'open' was a relative term. Clear of rubble and debris the space, including the elevated crosswalk connecting the two buildings, was a solid mass of humanity . . . men, women, children . . .salarymen, housewives . . .and dotted here and there the white helmets of policemen providing a token appearance of order and safety. "What the . . .what in the world is going on? This is a dangerous place. These people should leave." Ami looked up at Makato from her computer. "I think that's what they're doing. A train just left here . . .it's about 4 kilometers down the line. And it looks like another one is loading. It appears to be an evacuation center." "Evacuation! But . . ." "It makes sense Rei." Minako added. "Things are looking really bad. And it's probably going to get worse. I only hope that they can evacuate more of the city." "But where are they going to PUT everyone?" No one had an answer to Usagi's question. Deciding that the southern entrance was impassible Minako quickly led the small group around to the east-park entrance. There she hoped to get close enough to a policeman or one of the scattered military personnel to ask about enemy activity in the area. "Hey . . .look!" Usagi shouted suddenly, causing a spasm of combat reflex among her body guard. "It's 'Long Vacation'" Her friends looked stupidly at her , dumfounded by her seeming non-sequitur. Stamping her foot impatiently, Usagi pointed her finger. "There . . .up there. Ohhhh. There's Minami . . .and she's just found out her iinazuke's run off with all her money." Following her pointing finger the others saw a giant TV screen on the side of the building filled with the image of a desperate looking young woman. "BAKA." Rei cuffed Usagi. "The world is ending and you're watching re-runs of a stupid soap-opera?" "But Reiiiii . . .I never got to see how it ended. Mama made me start studying for exams just when that mean old teacher told Sena he had no talent for the piano. And he was about to give up his scholarship and . . ." "Minami bought a keyboard and started to take lessons to learn to play the piano in one weeks time. She wanted to show Sena a miracle so he would believe in himself again. But she was also dating someone else at the time and . . ." Ranma trailed to a stop as he suddenly realized everyone was looking at him slack jawed. "Ummmm . . .at least that's what I heard . . .somewhere." He finished weakly. "Makato, if you'd make a path for me . . .I see a truck with JSDF markings over there." Ami pointed off to the left. "I'll go ask if they've seen anything that might indicate the center of enemy activity." As the two headed off Usagi rounded excitedly on Ranma. "Ooooo! Then what happened . . .after she bought the keyboard? And started lessons. Did Sena start playing again? And what about Shinji . . . and Momoko?" "Well . . .uh . . .I uh never actually watched it myself. But I heard that after Minami bought the keyboard . . .and remember her iinazuke ran out on their wedding with all her money so this was a really big purchase for her . . .anyway she really dedicated herself to her piano lessons and . . ." ************************************************ Minako decided that Usagi was safe enough with Ranma and Akane on one side and Rei hovering close by on the other side. The mass flight from her beloved city depressed Minako . . .and when she was under stress she liked to be up high. With a great leap she sprang to the top of the pedestrian concourse. She had a brief flash of slack-jawed adults and awe-struck children as she hit the side rail and jumped again. Twice more had her at the top of the train-station. There was a wild roaring cheer from the crowd and Minako flashed a V sign and waved at the people. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly and gazed out over burning city. Here and there she could see emergency vehicles . . .further out she could see small dots darting through the air. The distance was too great, even for senshi enhanced vision, to determine if they were human or alien. She hoped they were human but was afraid that the aliens controlled the skies of Japan. A flash, low on the horizon, drew her attention toward the west. Shifting position she shaded her eyes with her hand and stared intently for a moment. The flash came again, and she thought she saw a cluster of alien fliers, like a swarm of insects, skimming just above what was left of the skyline. Swearing under her breath she dropped quickly toward the ground, looking for Ami as she descended. "No . . .Kittychan . . .I want Kittychan." As she jumped from street-light to tree-top above the packed mass of humanity Minako heard the shrill piping voice . . .above the rumbling murmur of the thousands . . .she heard that one small voice. Looking down toward the sound her vision suddenly narrowed on a small boy . . .five or six years old . . . being thrust bodily toward the entrance of the train station by officials anxious to load another evacuation train with as many children as possible. Following the desperate child's gaze Minako saw a flash of color almost buried in a sea of shuffling feet. With the precision of a surgeon Minako threaded a golden chain between the dense packed sweating mass to snatch the . . .cloth doll . . . from the ground. A cold chill shivered Minako's bones at the sight of the doll . . .like some half remembered dream. Shaking off the feeling she flipped the doll into the child's hands and bounded off to find Ami and tell her she might have found the enemy. ************************************************* "All right. This is gonna be great!" Ranma enthused looking at the sight below him. On Akane's advice they had followed him to the top of the highest building still standing. Now Usagi and the other senshi looked at him as if he were crazy. Akane merely shook her head in fond exasperation. "I know you're salivating at the prospect of fighting your first alien species. . ." "Second." he retorted. " What about Taro?" "He's not an alien, just cursed. Besides, didn't he bounce you around like a rubber ball?" "HEY! He just got lucky." "Yeah, a couple of dozen times. We can't afford any mistakes here, these 'guys' are playing for keeps." "Yeah, Yeah." Ranma grumbled "OK, see we got one big problem and one little one. That" he pointed to the rippling of the air that indicated a Portal "is our big one. As long as that thing is working they can keep reinforcing. The little one is those" this time he indicated a swarm of small craft that were darting in and around the wrecked buildings. "As long as they got the 'high ground' we can't move freely, can't attack, can't disengage without them seein' us. And if you can see the other guy before he sees you-you win. If HE sees YOU first- you lose." "And what about the hundred or so soldiers-in powered armor. You don't consider those a problem?" Rei asked sarcastically. "Nah." Ranma waved a hand dismissively. "We cut off that portal thingy and they run out of gas sooner or later. Then all that armor and stuff's just so much dead weight. And we get rid of their 'eyes in the sky' and their infantry is blind, deaf and dumb." "Nice tactical analysis" Mercury approved. "But the fact is they DO have the flying scouts, they DO have the portal and they CAN reinforce. And I don't see how we can do anything about any of that." "Hey." Makoto objected."Why not do what we always do. Jump in the middle, blast everything that moves while Usagi does her stuff." Makoto's eyes gleamed at the idea of mixing it up with this new enemy. She hadn't forgotten the last time and she was looking forward to some payback. "Because as soon as Usagi powers up for her attack they'll detect it. At best they'll mount an infantry attack, at worst they'll bomb us from the air." "Or maybe a combined attack." Ranma added. "Ok, so if we attack the portal, the infantry and air will kill us. If we try to take out the infantry, the air will locate and pin us down while the infantry kills us. And in the meantime more and more of those things are coming through the portal." Rei summarized. "Yeppers." Ranma grinned. "Quit teasing then Ranma." Akane admonished. "Bleeeeee!" Ranma stuck his tongue out at Akane, then turned and grinned at the senshi. "See, we're going to use their own strength against them." ************************************************* "I don't like this." Ranma said grimly. "It's your idea Ranma." Akane reminded him. "It wasn't my idea for you. . ." Akane put her hand on his shoulder. She could feel his body shiver with repressed tension. "Look, someone has to. . ." "It doesn't have to be YOU!" "Yes it does." she said patiently. "Let me do it." Venus came up behind him and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I sympathize with you Ranmasan. But, like it or not, you're a soft target compared to the senshi. And all of us put together can't take as much punishment as Akane-chan. You came up with a good plan, now let us carry it out." "Dammit, I'm a better martial artist than Akane, I should. . ." "That's why I'm leaving you with Usagi and Ami." Akane interrupted. "I would never leave them otherwise." "Why do YOU have to do it!" Ranma repeated stubbornly. "Who else is there? Ami is our command and control. Her sensors are at least as sensitive as mine and she has much better analytical skills. Or perhaps we should send Usagi?" Even Ranma grinned faintly at that as Akane continued. "Usagi is staying put until we have their air and ground elements tied down sufficiently to give her time to launch her attack" She glared sternly at Ranma. "This is all your idea and it's a good one. Venus, Mars and Jupiter are all used to working as a team. It doesn't make sense to split them up. That leave you and me. You're a better martial artist but I"VE got all this nifty hardware. You don't have armor, you don't even have a communicator. You're good, but no one's that good unarmed against that many guns. " Akane sighed and leaned against Ranma. His arms came around her reflexively and she relaxed in his embrace. "I'm scared Ranma." He tightened his grip at her words. "Really sacred. The first two times I did this, I was just reacting, not thinking. This is the first time I'm going to do it deliberately. And I'm scared. Scared I'm going to die. More scared I'm going to klutz out and someone else will die because of me. I need to know that you're here with Usagi. And Ami. If. . .if it goes wrong, I know you'll get them out of here alive. Please. Promise me you'll stay here and look after them?" Ranma tightened his grip then pushed her to arms length so he could look directly into her eyes. "Do it just like we planned. Nothing fancy. Do NOT get mad. Gettin' mad's the fastest way to loose a fight. Stay centered. Keep the music in your head. Dance, don't slug Don't let 'em pin you down." "Hai, sensei!" Akane grinned impishly. Ranma shook her lightly. "I mean it. None o' your 'What-the-hell-let's-pound-the-snot-outta-somethin'- 'till-it-breaks' stuff. You've told me about all your weapons . . . Snipe at 'em and KEEP MOVIN'. An' you got good instincts, you just think too much. I ain't never seen anyone, an' I mean ANYONE you couldn't land at least one punch on. DON'T think about what your doin', just do it. And keep doin' it over an' over 'till the bad guys are done." "Promise me you'll look after Usagi for me? And Ami?" Akane stared intently into Ranma's eyes, willing him to understand, to agree. Curtly he jerked his head in a short up and down motion. "Thank you Ranma." She stood quickly on tip-toe and brushed her lips against his, then disappeared down the side of the building. "I think that's our cue to get going." Vensus said watching Akane disappear. " Give us a few minutes to get into position. We'll give you a single 'click' on the communicators when we're ready." "You guys be careful." Usagi was nearly in tears. "No problem. We beat Beryl, The Black Moon Clan, the Dead Moon Circus, Galaxia. We even passed the entrance exams. We'll wax these guys and be back in time for a late supper." Jupiter gave her princess a quick hug. "Right!" Venus exclaimed cheerfully "When the going gets tough, we take a shortcut." "OK, baka brains. Try not to fall asleep up here." Rei said gruffly. Usagi stared intently into her eyes for a moment then threw her arms around the senshi of fire, squeezing her tightly. "I love you Rei. You're the best friend I ever had." Rei stared, silent and stunned for a moment. Then she turned away quickly and without a word descended down the side of the building opposite the side Akane had descended. Venus and Jupiter quickly followed leaving Ami, Usagi and Ranma alone on top of the building. ************************************************* "She's starting now." Mercury whispered pointing at a display on her computer. Usagi and Ranma looking over her shoulder could see a moving graph spike suddenly. "That's her primary weapon activating. We should see someth . . ." There was a sudden rumbling buzz, like a jet turbine eating a bucket of ball bearings and one of the small flying craft fell from the sky trailing a plume of greasy smoke. ********************************************** ##Target destroyed.## the whisper announced with satisfaction. ##Two hostile flying craft approaching on reciprocal vector. Hostile ground forces converging.## Icons bloomed on the mental grid map. Akane could see wo swift moving flyers and at least fifteen ground troops eaded her way. "Active sensors to maximum power. Bounce a tight beam off that lead flyer." The whisper hesitated. ##Warning. Active sensors will reveal position to hostile flyers.## "Won't it just." Akane murmured. ##Not understoo. . .## " Go active, maximum power." ##Acknowledged.## A massive surge pulsed from Akane's sensors, pinpointing her location like a giant "Here-I-am-please-come-shoot-me-now" sign. Being well mannered murderous alien invaders, the flyers politely and instantly turned toward this energy pulse and dove toward Akane's signal. Prudently they maintained a wide separation and jinked randomly to throw off any defensive fire. "Select Armor Piercing. Weapon power set to 0.5." This was likely to be a long fight. She had to conserve power. " Contra-grav to standby." ##Acknowledged.## Akane stepped into the open and watched the two flyers approach. The lead ship opened up with what seemed to be a heavy version of the infantry warp-gun professor while the wing 'man' ripple fired a particle beam weapon. Both flyers achieved direct hits on their target. They watched the ground explode into a white hot vapor of rock and steel. Even had their instruments been able to penetrate the sensor hash created by their own weapons fire they would not have believed the results. As the two flyers zoomed over an obviously destroyed target, a small figure erupted from the expanding dust cloud behind them. They had absolutely no warning as super-dense darts moving at 10,000mps blasted through them like an anvil through wet tissue. ##Targets destroyed. Accumulators at 57%.## "Nuts." Akane muttered to herself as she descended toward the ground. She'd still used too much power killing those two. She didn't need to vaporize them, just knock them down. She looked around guiltily, hoping that Ranma hadn't seen her mistake. ##Input not understood.## "Reduce kinetic weapon acceleration to 5000mps." That should reduce power consumption and still give her enough "oomph" to knock down the flyers ifshe aimed carefully. ##Acknowledged. Enemy flyers on intercept course.## Four icons blinked on her mental map, coming in from widely divergent courses. ##Enemy ground force numbers now estimated at between40 and 60.## More icons crawled across the virtual ground covering the map like a malignant fungus Akane snarled at the oncoming flyers and she swung her kinetic weapon up and over to target the closest attacker. ************************************************* "That's number three down." Mercury tapped commands into her computer. She examined the changing alpha-numeric crawl on the screen. "I think she's really made them mad now." Ranma grunted from his position peering over the edge of a broken wall. "Let me see." Sailormoon tried to wiggle forward to Ranma's side. Mercury snagged her ankle and dragged her back without raising her head from the screen. There was a long, wide furrow in the dirty rubble showing where this action had been repeated many times before. Sailormoon spat dirt from her mouth and glared at Mercury. "If you want to see what's going on you can look at the computer." Mercury said, still without looking up." "You're just being mean." Sailormoon hissed. "Ranma gets to look and I. . ." "Ranma is suffering from testosterone poisoning. It's common among teenage boys. They grow ut of it if they live long enough." Sailormoon sniffed at her senshi and settled back down grumbling under her breath. Mercury decided she really didn't need to know and turned her attention back to her computer. . . and Ranma. He hadn't said a word since Akane had left, didn't even respond to her deliberate gibes. His attention was on the distant battle as if human eyes could pierce the growing darkness, rubble filled streets and clouds of dust and plasma thrown up by weapons fire and exploding vehicles. "She's all right, Ranma. Akane shows up on my scanners like a beacon. They're not even getting close." Mercury lied. Actually Akane had been hit several times. Mercury knew that only her ability to exist in zero-space had saved her. And Akane's energy signature was getting weaker. She was running out of power, fast. And she still had a long way and eight more flyers to go. ************************************************* Akane's breath came in sobbing gasps and her shoulders heaved with exhaustion. A distant part of her mind reminded her that a martial-artist always breathed from the belly and noted that shoulder breathing was the beginning of the end. "Sys. . .tems St. . .st. .atus." ##Accumulators at 18% Energy Weapon off line, insufficient power. Kinetic Weapon, magazines empty. Protein envelope integrity compromised. Blood loss within 12% of maximum repair capacity. ## Akane twisted and spun like a worm on hot coals frantically trying to avoid being hit by the weapons massing fire upon her. She was especially wary of the warp-guns. Even at her best they could hurt her. With her energy levels so low she was increasingly vulnerable, even to the blaster fire. If they could co- ordinate blaster fire from five or six vehicles . . .or if they managed to keep a warp-gun on her for more than a second, or if they could get good hits with two or more at the same time. . . She screamed and tumbled to the ground as a warp-gun caught her flush on her hip. Only a life times martial training brought her rolling to her feet . . .running before another beam could converge and finish her off. She lurched off in a stumbling run, zig-zagging through the rubble even as more armored figures closed in from the ground and eight of the last enemy fliers swooped down from above. "MARS. . ." "JUPITER. . ." "FIRE BIRD" "LOVE AND BEAUTY. . ." "EVOLUTION. . ." "SHOCK!!!" >From their hidden position the combined attack of three angry senshi caught the remaining flyers completely by surprise and bunched together. The energy of the attack blasted seven pilots and machines apart like a puff ball in a typhoon. The eighth fell like a stone into the rubble field below. "YES!" Mercury was ecstatic. "They got them all. Every enemy flying machine is dead or out of action!" She turned to Sailormoon. "Get ready. They're going to have to open the portal, either to retreat or to reinforce. When they do. .. " "I dust 'em! " Sailormoon responded tensely. "Never mind that. How is . . ." "I don't know. There's too much interference from the blast to see very well. But I'm sure she's all right. Now get ready to. . ." The black armored figure caught Sailormoon and Sailormercury completely by surprise. Sailormoon frantically backpedaled, tripped and landed hard on her rear. Sailormercury scrambled frantically to bring her 'Aqua Rhapsody' to bear on the attacker. Even as her hands closed around her harp she knew with a sick certainty she was going to be too late. "MOUKO TAKABISHA!!." The ki-blast slammed the armored figure into the ground. "Never mind this guy." Ranma yelled as he launched himself at the prone figure "Get that portal before more of these guys show up." Mercury watched, dazed, as Ranma launched an attack so rapid that, even with her visor, she could barely see the individual blows. She shook off her stupor and turned to Sailormoon who was just dragging herself off the ground. "Sailormoon, the portal" Mercury glanced down at her computer. "Quickly, the portal is opening and something is coming through!" Sailormoon looked off in the distance. The slight shimmering in the air had changed to a pronounced twisting ripple, like water running down a drain. A dark, armored shape could been seen nosing it's way through the dilating portal. "SILVER MOON. . ." Even occupied as he was part of Ranma's attention was on Sailormoon and her attack. He noted her graceful flowing movements, so unlike her normal manner. With approval he saw her center herself with precise flowing motions that irresistibly reminded him of Aikido. "CRYSTAL POWER . . ." Sailormoon was blazing with power now. Ranma's black armored opponent stumbled slightly as the brilliant light washed over everything. Ranma took this opportunity to see if his opponent could fly. "KISSSSS!!!" The bolt of energy slammed into the open portal. There was a micro-seconds hesitation, then the space around the portal erupted like dynamiting an aquarium. Ranma had a moment to note that his opponent could NOT fly, and didn't seem to bounce very well either. As the Skroach hit the ground twenty stories below Ranma had just enough time to hear a wet crunching sound , like stepping on a large cockroach, before the shock wave hit. ************************************************* ##Containment shield shut down safely. Accumulators at 3.23%. Initiating self-repair routines.## "You do that." Akane panted under her breath as she tried to drag herself out from under a fallen I-beam without success. ##Input not un. . .## "Affirmative. Initiate repairs" She thought a minute. "Establish secure link with Sailormercury." ##Unable to establish link. Jamming still in effect. Systems remain degraded below. . .## "Run scan." Akane cut the voice off. "Passive mode only. Locate hostile targets." ##Unable to scan. Jamming. . .## Wearily Akane cut off the voice. She was deaf, dumb and blind. She heaved at the beam pinning her down. Pain erupted through her body and she fell back in agony. She lay on her back, trying to bring the pain under control before she puked all over herself. "Initiate medical self-test." ##Listing damage to organic components: Protein envelope has been pierced in the following locations.## Here a schematic of her body popped up in her mental window. ##42% of protein envelope has been burned beyond repair capability. Fabricating tissue replacement.## Icons flashed and changed as the whisper detailed her injuries. She was going to have to wait for somebody to rescue her. She hated that. She hated to wait and she especially hated to be rescued. The thought of Ranma finding her like this galvanized her into action. She concentrated briefly and a short thick rod appeared in her hand. The rod lengthened and thinned toward the end. Akane jammed the rod under the beam where it rested on a block of masonry. If she could lift the beam, just a little, she could pull her legs free. Of course if she slipped the beam would crush her lower body into bean paste. Akane slowly drew air into her lungs, her lower belly expanding as she inhaled.. She imagined an ocean of ki beneath the ground and each time she inhaled she drew a golden thread from that ocean into her belly. Every time she exhaled she pushed out all weakness and pain. Slowly the outside world faded and the only thing that existed was the bar in her hand and the growing golden ball of ki. Finally the golden orb filled her to bursting. Her hands closed around the bar and she imagined the golden power surging through her arms, lifting the steel beam and freeing her legs. She heaved, and the steel beam moved! The masonry block tilted and tumbled away out of sight. Now the steel was supported only by her arms. Her back and shoulder muscles surged as her legs moved slightly, then stopped. Her right leg was tangled in something deep in the wreckage that she couldn't see. Akane stared into the deepening gloom, at she shadow of the steel guillotine that hung over her lower body. Her arms were trembling uncontrollably now, her body was drenched in sweat as if she'd fallen in a river. Akane knew she was going to die now. Her strength would give out, the beam would crush her, like a tube of toothpaste. Her implants were too exhausted to repair such major damage. The beam sagged a little. In a burst of rage Akane heaved again. She was NOT going to let this stupid, stupid building kill her. That was the last of her strength and she felt her arms collapse like wet cardboard. In dream-like slow motion she watched the steel beam fall, waited for the sudden flare of pain that would signal her last seconds of life. "Dammit, tomboy. I thought I told you to . . ." Akane had time enough to see Ranma's scolding face loom above her before blackness covered her like a blanket. As the concerned senshi crowded around Ranma and the unconscious Akane they did not notice two figures crouched in the ruins only a few score meters way. Chapter 11 "WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW!!" It wasn't original. And Hibiki Ryouga didn't really expect an answer. Still, it was a great tension reliever. Not as good as beating the stuffing out of Ranma of course. He thought of RAnma, the trouble maker; RANma, the coward; RANMA, the womanizer . . ." He could almost feel his rivals throat in his hands as he squeezed the life out of him. "Excuse me." a soft shy voice said. He would grab Ranma and twist his lying. . .. "Excuse me." "WHAT!!" "May I have my book-bag back please?" Hibiki Ryouga looked down and saw a torn, twisted mass of leather a and paper in his hands. His eyes followed a tattered leather strap that led from the shredded bag to a small, pale hand. From there it was a surprisingly brief trip from hand to arm to head. A raven dark cap of hair topped the head which did not even reach the bottom of his shoulders. His eyes dropped to a painfully delicate, beautiful face dominated by a pair of huge violet eyes. A GIRL! A really, really TINY girl. A really, really tiny BEAUTIFUL . . ." Ryouga's glacially slow but precise thought processes ground to a halt as previously noted details were analyzed and new conclusions drawn. A YOUNG girl. A REALLY, REALLY . . ." "Excuse me." the shy voice came again, like rain whispering on crystal bells. "Excuse me, but you're squeezing my hand." Ryouga looked down at her hand, or rather where her hand should have been. He could feel her soft warm hand trembling inside his fist like a frightened bird. He could see her fragile wrist protruding from his huge hand. He could see how her skin whitened under the pressure . . . "AAAAAAAAA!!!" Ryouga snatched his hand away as if he'd grabbed the hot end of a poker. He dropped on his belly at the girls feet. "I'msorrypleaseforgivemeI'mnotapervert-It'sallRanam'sfa ult!" "Oh, you've hurt yourself." Ryouga flinched in embarrassment as he felt the girl kneel beside him. He felt a delicate fluttering on his scarred knuckles. He opened his eyes to see a small pale hand resting on his large calloused one. A soothing warmth spread through his hand and up his arm. Soon his entire body tingled with energy and a strange peace. Startled, he looked down to see the cuts and bruises that always covered his hands fading like the stars at sunrise. "My name is Tomoe Hotaru. What's yours?" Ryouga looked into eyes that had darkened to purple. Deep mysterious pools . . . "Hibiki. Hibiki Ryouga." ************************************************* * "Would you just get back into bed!" "OH, my son! So manly." "I give my permission. . ." "But father, they're too young. . ." "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!!!!" Usagi and most of her friends watched in amazement. Forgotten and almost unnoticed the object of the verbal sparring limped slowly down the stairs and crossed to the one person standing alone. . ". . .panda. It's just not possible. I could almost believe a sex change. That's just a chromosome difference. Except for the mass discrepancy. But a panda is a different species. The brains are wired differ. . ." Mercury's muttering trailed off again as she typed furiously, occasionally raising her visored eyes to scan Saotomesan who had forgotten he was once again human and was gesticulating wildly with his signs. "You probably don't want to know about the cat the duck and the Minotaur then." Ami jumped at Akane's teasing whisper. "Oh, I didn't see you." "You wouldn't have noticed Taro Pantyhose coming down the stairs." "WHO!" "Uh, he fell in the spring of Yeti riding a Yak while carrying a crane and an eeeeeeelllll!" Akane yelped as Ranma scooped her off her feet. "Don't forget the octopus." Ranma added, then looked sternly at Akane. "BAKA. You've got to rest if you wanna get better." "I'm fine. My. . .ooooww!" Akane rubbed her side where Ranma had poked her. "Why did you do that?" "Sure you're fine. Just had a building fall on you is all." "My implants are fix. . ." Akane trailed off as she noticed Ami's glazed look. Usagi walked up behind Ami and gently bopped her on the head. "OK, Ami-chan. Time to eat." she pulled the computer out of her hands. "And stop thinking. I can smell brain cells frying from across the room." "B. . .b. . .but he said OCTOPUS!" Ami was almost in tears. "Why did he say octopus, Usagi?" Ami looked desperate. "There's a panda too. Did you see the panda?" "Yes I saw the panda."Usagi said soothingly, "Bad, bad panda for upsetting you. We can have Rei do a Burning Mandella. You'd like that wouldn't you?" "That's it. And then I can dissect it. I can find out how it works." Ami turned pleading eyes to Usagi. "I can find out! I CAN! If I cut it into pieces, into tiny, tiny pieces I can figure it all out." "That's right." Usagi reassured Ami. "Tiny, tiny pieces. But first let's get something to eat." "OK." Ami said in a little girl voice as she meekly let Usagi lead her away. "POP'S!! Get outta there!" Ranma glared at his father who was wrapped tightly around a bush in the garden outside. "That's right Mr. Saotome. Usagi won't really let Ami dissect you." "Yeah, just cut off a few piece. . .owww!" "Quit teasing, Ranma." "Oh, I don't know. I'd like to get video of the dissection." They turned to look at Nabiki. "It'd sell better than that 'Alien Autopsy' I bet." "!!!!!!!!!!" "OK, Nabiki, YOU'RE going to have to get him off the roof this time." Akane groused. "Hey guys!" Makoto burst into the garden. "I think you're gonna want to see this." ". . .ite House has confirmed a nuclear detonation." the young NEK news anchor was visibly shaken. "There are unconfirmed reports from the Peoples Republic of China of three and possibly four detonations of devices in the 20000 kiloton range. A joint communication from . . ." "I'm tapping into the satellite system." Ami worked furiously at her computer. "It looks like the enemy has been making incursions in other countries." she entered a few more commands then turned the screen so the others could see. "These points designate unconfirmed sightings of 'strange lights', 'monsters' and other unusual phenomenon. A lot of these sightings were undoubtedly the 'usual 'UFO' type sightings but many were probably genuine. And there is no way to tell how many actual alien visitations went unnoticed. In fact it appears that there may have been several other visitations in Japan at the same time we were fighting that first group. If we hadn't stumbled on them by accident they probably would have been in and out without anyone knowing." Ami paused to collect her thoughts. "I believe that these were scouting parties, a large number of small lightly armed groups. They were not here to fight, just to gather information, make maps, that sort of thing. I think the second incursions were a reconnaissance-in-force, to refine their data from the first visits." Ami punched a function key and the icons on the world map shifted yet again. "This last visitation was very visible. I have CONFIRMED reports of alien invasions in Europe, North and South America, Russia, the Baltic, China, India and we all know about the one in Japan. It looks like the Americans killed the enemies portal by firing a nuclear tipped cruse missile into the center of it. I suspect that explains the other nuclear detonations we've heard about." "What does it mean?" Usagi asked worriedly. "Invasion. These things have been scouting, now they're trying to establish a beach-head." ************************************************* * At that moment five hundred thousand metric tonnes of vitrified rock and battle-steel passed through the outer fringes of the asteroid belt at 64kps. Navigation thrusters made a minor course correction and then engines went to full power. The huge mass was now headed for a precise point in space that would intersect the earths orbit exactly above the small island nation of Japan. ************************************************* * "Would you like to go to a party?" "P . . .p . . .p. . .arty!" Ryouga was stunned. No girl had ever asked him to a party before. Well there was that one time, but he didn't think his mother counted. And it was his own birthday after all. "I . . .I. . .I.." "Please hold this, I'll be right back." Hotaru suddenly thrust the tattered remains of her book bag into Ryouga's hands and ran off toward the sound of people screaming. Ryouga stood frozen in place then pounded after Hotaru. He could see her round a building in the distance and he sprinted to catch up. ". . .OWER MAKE UP!!" The voice reverberated with power and a brilliant light spilled out into the street. Ryouga came around the corner in time to see Hotaru swirled up in a vortex of energy. As he watched, her street clothes burst apart. Dimly through the pulsing light he could see ribbons of energy run up her legs and become knee- high boots. Involuntarily his eyes were drawn up her long legs to . . . "AAAAAAAA!" Blushing Ryouga spun away, shutting his eyes and pinching his nose shut. By the time he had recovered himself he turned around to see that Sailorsaturn was fully engaged with the Skroach warrior. "SILENCE WALL!" Sailorsaturn staggered as the warp-gun's point-blank fire forced her back a pace. The enemy could not pierce her shield but neither could SHE attack. Even if there were no other enemy soldiers around she would eventually tire. She had to put some distance between her attacker and herself, disengage long enough to counter-attack. Even as she thought this the black armored figure forced her back step by step. He heel caught in some debris and she went down catching herself on one hand.. Out of the corner of her eye she could see another figure approaching. Her only chance was to drop to the ground as she collapsed the 'Silence Wall', hope she would be below the warp-gun's effect, hope she was fast. . ." "SHI SHI HOUKOUDAN!!!!" Muddy green fire vomited down the alley, slamming the armored figure against an overturned truck. Saturn had the opening she needed. "SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE" "Are you all right Tomoesan?" Ryouga crunched through still twitching bits as he ran up to the ichor-splattered girl. "I. . .I'm fine Hibikisan. Thank you for. . .for. . ." she waved vaguely at the ground. "You're welcome, Tomoesan. Uh, what. . .?" Ryouga pointed at her fuku and glaive. Sailorsaturn took a deep breath. "I'm Sailorsaturn." "S. . .Sailor. . ." Ryouga stuttered and stepped back. "I understand." Sailorsaturn said sadly. She was all too familiar with rejection. Only Small Lady and Usagi had ever really cared about the "destroyer of worlds". With dragging steps she turned to go. "Uh, does this mean the party is on a boat?" Startled she looked up to see Ryouga walking beside her. "Because, uh, I have this little problem with water and . . ." ************************************************* "Get dressed." Startled Michiru looked up from the book she was reading to see Meiou Setsuna standing at the foot of the couch. "I beg your pardon?" "Get dressed. We're going to a party." Michiru swung her legs down to the floor, jolting Haruka who had been asleep with her head in Michiru's lap. She shook her lover by the shoulder. Haruka grumbled under her breath and snuggled deeper into Michiru's lap. "Anybody we know?" Michiru asked while thinking of ways to wake Haruka before the end of the century. "An old . . .acquaintance." Setsuna replied, dumping a tumbler of ice water on the sleeping senshi. ************************************************* "Usagi, how can you eat at a time like this?" Rei hissed. "BuifgooondIgotakpemystrenfup." "She says 'It's good. And she's got to keep her stren. . ." "I KNOW what she's saying Ami." "I was translating for Akane-chan." Ami replied calmly. "Thank you Ami-chan. But I'm beginning to catch on. It's not too much different from Ranma. Don't do that, Makoto-chan." Akane warned the senshi of thunder. "Wha. . .?" Makoto froze, her hand half way to a bean-jam bun. "I'm sorry." she blushed contritely. "did you want. . ." "No." Akane laughed. "I just didn't want you to get hurt." she jerked her head in the direction of Ranma. Makoto looked at Ranma. He was focused on the bun with the quivering intensity of a shark smelling blood in the water.. A prickling in her spine brought her head slowly up and to the left where she saw Usagi, eying the bun as if it were the last lifeboat leaving the Titanic. As gingerly, as if there were a rabid badger with a bad attitude asleep in her pants, Makoto edged her chair away from the table. The tension in the air was so thick you could bounce a fifty yen coin off it and get change. "They may be a while. Why don't we go sit in the garden and talk?" Akane got up from the table. "That was delicious Kasumi. Thank you." "Yes, it was wonderful Tendousan." Minako added politely. "Would you like some help cleaning up?" "Thank you, but no. Why don't you all go and figure out how to save the world. I'll bring some tea in a minute." Rei stared after the eldest Tendou daughter as she disappeared into her kitchen. "Is your sister always like this?" "Oh no. Normally she's not this agitated" Akane apologized. "But a lot has happened lately." "I don't see the problem." Makoto argued as they seated themselves in the garden. "We just keep on doing what we've been doing." "It's not that simple." Minako replied. "We just barely stopped this last bunch. And the JSDF is still cleaning up stragglers that were trapped when we blew up their portal. What do we do if, or rather when, they open two or three or MORE portals?" "It's worse than that Minako-chan." Ami looked up from her computer. "The government has just officially requested a United States Carrier Task Force armed with nuclear weapons." "What! That's crazy. The people. . ." "It's not crazy Rei-chan." Ami looked grim. "The government doesn't dare let these aliens get a foothold in Japan. It's not just to save Japan either. If the aliens were to establish a beach-head on the home islands. . .we would be a danger to the rest of the world. If the Americans don't send atomic weapons. . .well, I'm sure the Chinese or Russians would be only too happy to send us a few. In fact hey might not wait for a beach-head to be established." "Are you all right, Usagi-chan?" "My head hurts, Akachan. I keep wishing for a normal life, no more monsters, no more fighting, no more end-of- the-world stuff." Usagi closed her eyes and a tear trickled from under the closed lids. "My head hurts." Akane lay her princesses head in her lap and began caressing her temples with gentle fingers. "It's all right princess. I'm with you now. And your senshi are here." Akane bent and brushed the half dozing Usagi's cheek with her lips. "It's going to be all right. . .this time." Ranma watched in amazement as Akane took Usagi in her arms with a gentle tenderness that . . . Ranma shook his head angrily. He was NOT jealous! "Oh, hello Ryoga." Heads turned at the sound of Kasumi's voice. "And you've brought a friend. How nice. Everybody is out in the garden. You missed dinner so I'll just go make some snacks." "I didn't know you knew the Tendou's Hotaruchan." "I don't Ryougachan. My friend Usagi told me to meet her here." Ranma listened to the voices that drifted out into the garden in amazement. It sounded like Ryouga . . .chan? And with a GIRL? Then two figures appeared in the garden and Ranma's jaw dropped. It WAS Ryouga . . .and a girl. A very . . .small. . .girl. A very. . .YOUNG girl. And they were holding hands in a VERY friendly manner. The concept of Ryouga. . .all on his own. . .meeting a girl AND being able to walk three steps without getting lost. Ryouga with a girl and not blacking out from blood loss . . .Ryouga not becoming overly excited and maiming the girl . . . or all of the above . . . Ranma was frozen in shock Not so Usagi. "Hotaruchan!" Usagi sprang up, the top of her head catching Akane just under her chin and knocking her flat on her back. "Ha, some super-warrior you are." Ranma said sarcastically, helping Akane up. "A real martial artist would never be caught. . ." In horror Ranma watched Usagi throw herself into Tomoe Hotaru's arms, sending the smaller girl staggering backward. Automatically Ryouga's arm shot out to steady the two girls, just as Kasumi stepped through the door; a tray loaded with snacks and a large pitcher of tea . . .ICED tea . . . in her hands. Ranma thrust Akane from his arms and leapt . . . "Bweeeeee!" "A Piiiiig!" Ami wailed. "He's a pig now! I saw it." "Now, now Ami." Makoto scooped the small genius into her lap and rocked her back and forth. "Now, now. It's not that bad." "It's WORSE!! How can he be a pig? He can't be a pig. He just can't!" "Well," Rei looked on as Ranma poured hot tea on the pig. "now he's a boy. A naked boy." "A naked boy with a really . . .nice personality." Minako added grinning.. Centripetal force slung Ami tumbling as Makoto whipped around to the front. "Heh.,heh,heh." Ranma sounded like a starter motor with a bad bushing. "You know, Akane. There's a really funny story behind all this. Isn't there a funny story Ryouga?" "I. . .I'll just get dressed and. . ." "Leave them." It didn't sound like Akane at all. Ranma could see her lips moving . . .but the voice . . .It gave him the same shivery feeling he'd gotten on his second trip into the pit-of-starving-cats for cat-fist training..(He hadn't know what to expect on the first trip, and didn't really remember anything after the third.) Ryouga froze as a very sharp blade inserted itself just under his chin. He slowly straightened up under the gentle urging of the blade. His eyes almost crossed rying to focus on the steel as it disappeared under his chin. He recognized it. Kasumi had baked fresh bread. And of course you needed a sharp knife to slice fresh bread cleanly. A VERY sharp knife. How thoughtful of Kasumi. "What are you doing?" the spine of the knife rapped the knuckles of his cupped hands. "Move them." The point of the knife moved to lightly trace a line from his belly button to his Adam's apple. "Or loose them." The knife retraced it's path downwards. Ryouga took one look at Akane's eyes and let his arms dangle at his sides. "Good boy." Everyone shivered at the venom in her voice. "What a good P-chan you are. Now turn around." "What are you doing!" Ranma put a hand on Akane's shoulder and froze as the knife whipped around like a striking snake to rest just under his heart. "Why I'm peeking Ranma. Just like HE did to me. Just like he watched me undress for bed. Did you two get a good laugh out of that?" "It wasn't like that Akane-ch. . ." Ryouga's head rocked as Akane backhanded him. "Don't you call me that. Only my friends can call me that. You're not my friend. I don't know who you are. I don't know. . ." A shudder wracked her body. "I thought you were my friend." she whispered. "I thought I could trust . . . that I could talk." Akane paled and swayed on her feet. " . . .Talk to you. My god. I talked . . .to P-chan. I told him things. Trusted him. He was my friend. I told him. . . told him." She started to shake violently. "Why. . .what did I ever do to you. . .Why would you hate me that much? I should have known. . .the bandanna. . . but I trusted. . .I trusted. . ."Akane clutched her belly and fell to her knees sobbing. "I trusted you. . . I trusted . . ." Ranma dropped to his knees beside her. "Akane. . .Akane! Please. You're going to make yourself sick. Please don't cry!!" "Akan. . .Tendousama." Ryouga joined Ranma on the ground. "Please. It's my fault. I should have told you. But I was ashamed of my curse. And you were so kind to me. I was afraid. Afraid that if you found out I would be alone again. Please Tendousama. Please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." "Akane-chan. You have some more guests." It was perhaps not an ideal time for Meiou Setsuna to walk through the door. Ranma and Ryouga were blasted across the garden as Akane surged to her feet. Even with a life dedicated to martial training Ranma was hard put to end up on his feet. Out of the corner of his eye Ranma could see Ryouga down on all fours. Most of his attention was focused on . . . Akane. He'd never been this close to "Weapon 4" when she activated. He watched in disbelief as Akane seemed to burst into flame, her features melting and reforming. He could see her body twisting and rippling like a reflection in a tide pool . He could see every detail of the cannon in her right hand, every aspect. . . CANNON? . . . Uh oh! HATE. Her blood boiled with it. Rage. Her muscles clenched 'till her bones ached. "Full power to graser." she ordered. ##Graser at full power## the Whisper acknowledged. "Target selected." she dropped the targeting pip in the center of Setsuna's chest. ##Invalid target. Identification files list designated target as senshi. Invalid target. Iden. . ## "OVERRIDE!" she snarled. ##Invalid tar. . ## "OVERI. . .:" Weapon 4 screamed and jack-knifed forward as fail-safe protocols activated. ##WARNING. Senshi are not valid targets. WARNING. Sen. . .## Weapon 4 ignored the Whisper. She focused through the pain. She'd had good teachers. "Initiate secondary sensor suite test protocol." She felt a brief hesitation as the system diagnostics started. There was a faint buzzing as the primary sensor's went off line and the secondary's kicked in. She'd been waiting for that infinitesimal window. "Load digital re-mapping sub-set Initial point set to zero, zero, zero." Digital re-mapping was intended to provide improved long-range scans. To enhance contrast, remove sensors ghosts and defeat enemy stealth systems. By setting the initial point to zero, zero, zero the software increased the resolution to the point that the details obscured the identity. Suddenly the senshi disappeared from the sensors to be replaced by an unrecognizable blur. With a howl of triumph Weapon 4 raised her weapon back into battery and . . . "USAGI! NO!" Rei screamed and lunged for Usagi as she darted to put herself between Akane and the three Outer senshi. "Akachan, Akachan. Please listen to me."There was no sense of recognition in the twisting flowing features. Suddenly a dreamscape seemed to flash before Usagi's eyes. Of a young girl, with grey eyes the color of . . . "Misty? Misty! It's me, Stormy. Please Misty. Don't do this. It's all right. I won't let anyone hurt you. Please . . ." With a tearing shuddering cry the figure in front of Usagi slammed back down into normal space. Usagi reached out and caught Misty in her arms as she fell. Ranma was a fraction of a second behind, steadying Usagi as she staggered under Akane's weight. The three of them sank to the floor, Ranma and Usagi holding the weeping girl protectively between them. "What are you doing here." Makoto snapped, stepping forward aggressively to confront Setsuna and the two figures behind her. "I asked them to come." Usagi said from her place on the floor. "HEY!" Ranma's eye's focused squarely on Setsuna. "That's the woman from the other day, the one that tried to do something to Akane!" He started to his feet, but was tangled up with Usagi and Akane. "What did you do to Ak. . . to Tendou-sama!" Ryouga placed himself in front of the three outer senshi. Heavy ki boiled from him like pus from a old wound. Even if she hated him, if he'd lost even her friendship. . . he would defend Akane to the death. "Please!" Usagi's gentle voice stilled Ryouga's heavy ki, even if it couldn't dissipate it completely. "Please. I invited them here to try to solve our problems, not start a fight." Slowly, grudgingly Ryouga backed away. "I wanna know what SHE was up to!" Ranma looked pointedly at Setsuna. "There is a new enemy." Setsuna began. "You have all seen it. An alien race who wishes to take the Earth, the Solar System and all it's riches. After they have eliminated the human race." She paused and looked down at Akane, Usagi and Ranma. "I am. . .sorry. I acted precipitously. I needed to talk to. . .Akane. We will need her power if we are to win this battle. I needed to talk to her" Setsuna laughed mirthlessly "but I had little reason to believe she had any interest in talking to me. So, in my arrogance, I tried to force her to listen. I have been too much alone, too used to acting without consulting others." She pretended not to see all of the inner senshi nodding their heads. "My need. . .OUR need is great. The enemy is very powerful and I was afraid." This statement got everyone's attention. "I lost my home once before, and people that I loved." There was no doubting the genuine anguish in Setsuna's voice. "I was afraid to take a chance, afraid of losing Akanesan's help, and thereby the lives of billions of people, my home and people I have come to . . .care for. "Setsunasan." Usagi looked up at the older woman, her eyes filled with tears. "How could you doubt that we would help you. We are senshi, we should always fight together." "You have a generous heart princess. Other's are not so generous. And. . .I have no right to ask for generosity or forgiveness in this case." "I will talk to Akane-chan when she is feeling better. I am sure she will help you if she can." "Thank you princess. But please tell her she will be helping her own family, everyone on Earth as well, not just me or the senshi." *************************************************