Chapter Five: Noon at Midnight Auriel finished her dinner, and sighed melodramatically. The empty house was dauntingly huge around her, echoing and dark. What time is it? Nine p.m., and I already have nothing to do. I don't want to write, I finished my homework last night, there's nothing good on t.v., and the mall is closed so I can't go shop. It's a Friday night and I am stuck here, by myself, big surprise. I really need to make some friends, but being the new girl sucks, especially considering I'm going to graduate in a few weeks, there's no time to meet people. Stoner meowed at the back porch, his little claws scratching daintily at the screen door. Hoisting her lazy rear out of the kitchen chair, Auriel flicked on the porch lights and flipped on the radio near the door for noise. Nudging the door open with her shoulder, Auriel reached down to pick her kitten up, drawing back with a gasp when she noticed Stoner wasn't alone on the porch. A slender, exotic woman stood behind him, her dark hair shimmering green in the faded porch lights. Gulping, Auriel blinked several times, trying to clear the images crowding in her head, overriding her thoughts. "Ummm, may I help you, ma'am?" Oh Goddess, she looks like the woman from my crazy dream. Celia smiled, the Solar Sailor's memories were rushing over the girl as she watched, threatening the tiny one's sanity, but the child was holding up well, clutching the tiny cat to her chest much like a life preserver. Apollo, perhaps we'd better explain before she chokes you to death, hmmm? The tiny kitten nodded his head, and angled his body for an easy escape, should Auriel not handle the situation well. "Auriel," Celia said, an emerald green light glowing behind her, "it's time you remembered dear. I think Stoner would have to agree with me, don't you Stoner?" Auriel, who had already begun to back away with Stoner clenched tightly in her arms as soon as the lights began to glow, shrieked and slammed the back door using her foot. "Oomph! Auri, why'd you do that?" Stoner gasped out, as the lock snapped shut. Auriel screamed and dropped her calico kitten, staring at him with wide eyes, her mouth gaping open. This has gotta be a dream, it just has to! My cat is talking like those two in the dreams, the lady out front looks exactly like my dream Sailor Pluto, and she knows my name! How does she know my name? "You're not real" she denied, shaking her head and shivering lightly, "there is no way you are real!" Stoner bristled in annoyance, puffing out as big as he could. "Come on Auri, you found me in that alley. You know I'm real, you're the one that takes care of me. What did you think only humans can talk? Get real!" "But, but..." she stammered, tears threatening. Celia's voice gently called through the door, "Let me in Auri, and I'll explain it all." Auriel glanced from the talking cat, to the door, cat, door, cat, door. Does she think I'm crazy? Am I honestly supposed to allow a complete and total stranger just waltz in to my house, especially one that knows my name? Auriel stared hard at Stoner, her eyes going dry and painful in their sockets. However, if I don't let her in, I may never find out what's going on. "All right," she whispered shakily, "but if you're gonna kill me, be quick okay?" The door opened slowly, and instead of the exotic woman of before, Sailor Pluto stood in her place, her staff at attention. "Finally," she sighed. Stiffly formal, Auriel stepped away from the door. "Won't you please come in?" Pluto smiled, "Auri, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you, I promise. Hello Stoner, how have you been?" The cat purred and nimbly leapt on the table as Pluto sat down. He found a comfortable spot and neatly situated himself, looking at Auri with his strange, amber colored eyes. He ran one small paw over his matted head, arranging the fur in a bristling fashion. "Maybe I'd better introduce myself, Auriel. My real name's Apollo." He bowed his tiny, kitten head, and raised it proudly. "You see, when you found me in the alley, I was looking for you for Pluto. She woke me and sent me here to protect you until such time as you would be awakened." Grinning, he batted at the air in front of him, "I must say, it's been an amazingly easy assignment so far. No one even knows you exist, so there hasn't been anyone from the Negaverse around. I haven't even had to awaken the Solar Sailor yet, so for the past few months, you've lived a relatively peaceful life. But as your dreams have foretold, that's soon to end." Pluto reached over, and began scratching the back of his neck lightly, "That's why Pluto's here, to tell you about your past, to awaken you," he purred. Auriel closed her eyes and thumped in to a chair across from Pluto at the table. "You are the woman from my dreams then, aren't you?" Celia nodded, "Yes, I sent them to you, and all the other Scouts. There can be no surprises this time, or all will be lost." Running her hand through her hair, Auriel looked confused. "Surprises?" "All the other Scouts found one another by accident," Pluto explained, "and each time, it created a shock to the group. They are aware of your presence now, due to the dreams, and when it comes time to fight again, you, The Solar Scout, will join them in all your glory." Stoner patted her hand with his paw, "I know it's a lot to swallow right away. Why don't we take our time in telling you, and stop us any time it gets confusing, okay?" Auri nodded, "Stoner...Apollo, um..." He chuckled, "Call me Apollo, okay? It's my human name anyway." She looked at him sharply, her eyebrows raised drastically. "You mean you're not really a cat?" Pluto grasped Auriel's hand in her own, "You know how the dreams tell you of the Silver Millennium, correct?" Auriel nodded, and pulled away, striding across the room to turn off the low music drifting from the radio. "Yeah, I'm a...Sailor Scout, right?" She tested the word on her tongue, liking the way it felt. Turning on the tap, she filled two glasses and Stoner's bowl with water. Returning to the table, she handed Celia the glass, and resolutely gulped down half of her own. Pluto smiled, turning the glass in her palms, "Yes, you are the Solar Sailor, the only Solar Senshi in the universe. Do you remember the final fight against Queen Beryl in the Silver Millennium?" At Auri's nod, she continued, "Well, all of the Scouts and Knights were reincarnated thanks to Queen Serenity. All, except for a few from the Solar Kingdom." "But, what about me?" Auriel asked, her brow furrowing, "I'm not adopted or anything, I remember growing up here. I had to have been reborn, right?" She looked to Pluto for confirmation. "Yes, you were reborn. Well," Pluto looked uncomfortable; "the main reason the others weren't is because, umm, Auriel, most of your court that lived and trained on the moon was eternal." "Eternal? What do you mean, like vampires?" She stood up, her hair flowing down her back, biting her lip to keep from lashing out. "No," Pluto soothed, shooting darting glances at Apollo, who was also uncertain as how to go on. "No, Auri, it's not that. The commoners are mortal, as are the royalty, but two children in your court were born with eternal life. That would be Apollo here, and Aurora, your twin sister." Auriel thumped back down in to the kitchen seat. "I have a sister?" she squeaked, incredulously. Apollo nodded, "We never died, so we couldn't be reborn. Instead we slept the thousand years in the Portals of Time with Pluto. She saw to our needs, and watched for the births of the reincarnated Knights and Scouts." Pluto continued, picking up the story where he left off, "One by one, they were born. One by one, they were activated. Solan and yourself are the last two children from the original Millennium who have yet to be activated. Like you, some were activated through intervention, namely by Luna and Artemis. Others, like Tuxedo Mask, activated themselves, and a few, though born in the Silver Millennium, still haven't discovered their bloodlines yet, therefore they can't be activated." "When Pluto woke me, I was still horribly wounded from the battle. Thusly, I couldn't return to Earth in my true state, or I would most likely die. Only Aurora, your sleeping sister, can heal my wounds, Auriel. Therefore, I was granted the role of cat advisor, much like Luna and Artemis, until she awakens, and is able to heal me." Apollo patted her hand with his paw, and pushed a small wand in her direction. It was silver and gold, with the solar symbol at the top, in crimson and blue. "You are the Solar Sailor, Auriel. Pick this up and shout, "Solar Star Power! You will transform in to the Solar Sailor, and then, and only then, will everything click in to place." Auriel stared at the wand, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She knew, instinctively, that this was not something to rashly jump in to. Do I want to do this? Once I pick that thing up, I won't be Auriel James anymore; I'll be the Solar Sailor, I'll be royalty, I won't be normal. She remembered the dream from the night before, the desert; her Princess caught tightly in the tentacles of the great beast, the wailing scream which turned out to be her alarm clock, the trim fighting figures of the other Scouts battling to save their princess. She remembered the ball, Serena smiling at her with her two front teeth missing, Corrine forcing her to sit down so she could remove the glass in her hand. She remembered another ball; almost twelve years later, watching Ami's face fall as her dreams of living happily ever after with Zoisite were wrenched away by fate. She remembered the last battle, screaming as Ami's body crumpled and fell, Princess Serena and Prince Darien floating in the updraft of Beryl's rage, her fellow Scouts and Knights fighting and falling all around her. The heat engulfed her, and she remembered shrieking at Pluto to do something for Aurora, as Pluto held her pain-wracked, spasming body tightly in her arms. Solan and Apollo valiantly gave their lives to protect the dying Solar Sailor, falling one by one, explosions shattering the lovely Moon Palace in to rubble. Auriel came to, shaking violently. "I cursed Fate and Destiny, didn't I?" she whispered. "I screamed and cursed them, saying I would be their servant no longer, and I died doing it, didn't I, Pluto?" Tears trickling down her face, Pluto nodded, "Yes, you did. You only represented fate and destiny then Auri, you don't understand them as you do now. "At the time, you didn't understand that fate and free will can be the same thing. 'Nothing is fated' you told Ami while you were listening in on her thoughts, and you were right. Nothing is fated, but some tragic things are destined. "Zoisite was destined to go to Earth to look for Malachite. He was destined to go to the Black Forest, and he was destined to attempt using magic and advice he did not understand to try to win Ami back. It was his free will, and eventually his fate, to fail and in turn, take each of the four Generals with him. You did not understand that then, instead you fought your guardian Fate at every turn. You blasphemed your own destiny, locking your powers away with your hatred and misunderstanding. The time line will continue with out your blessing, and you didn't understand that then, but you do now, don't you?" Auriel nodded, picking up the small transformation wand, "I didn't then, but now I do. Fate is mine to control, providing it aligns with Destiny. Destiny is first and foremost, fate is an added attraction. It was their destiny to be together, but fate led them astray, because of me, because I could not endure seeing Ami upset. "I've learned my lesson Pluto, now I understand." Bracing herself internally, she held the wand high up, her back arched and head thrown back, "Solar Star Power!" * * * * * * * * * * * Zoisite stood at the enchanted pool, his eyes weak from days of staring deeply into the dank depths. "I don't understand," he whispered, "how traveling to this distant star is going to gain me Ami's love back." The tiny water sprite shook its red hair out of its eyes and quietly shook its head. Reaching in to the pool, it ran its hand along the rough bottom, and after a few minutes, found what it was looking for. Pulling out a dripping hand, it loosely grasped a pale stone and as Zoi watched, the stone shimmered in its palm, transforming in to a delicate mirror. The sprite held the mirror out, offering it to Zoi, who cradled it in his hands for a moment, before staring deep in to the smoky depths of the glass. The treasure room of Darien's palace was reflected up at him, and Zoi's eyes momentarily snapped up to watch the expression on the tiny sprite's face. There was only a mild curiosity, no malice or fear, so he returned to the mesmerizing images playing before his eyes in the glass. An image of himself stealthily snuck in to the room, ignoring the priceless jewels, passing by the bags of riches; his target a slowly rotating pedestal floating at the back of the throne room. "Oh no," Zoi whispered, as the flickering image of himself cautiously reached out and removed a pale glittering blue stone from the tray of four. The other three stones shimmered for a moment, and dimmed slightly, their strength faded due to the loss of their brother. Zoi looked up, staring hard at the sprite, "That's the only way I will win Ami back? If I remove my stone of power from the seat of Prince Darien's Guardian strength and offer it to this woman living on this far star?" The sprite nodded sorrowfully, and took the mirror from Zoisite, casting it back in to the pond violently. Touching his shoulder sympathetically, it squeezed lightly, communicating its sorrow. The moment passed, and the creature's face changed from sad to mischievous. It daintily beeped him on the nose, and flitted quickly away, fluidly diving in to the pool, and out of sight. "But..." Zoisite reached after the impish thing, now long gone. He shook his head, and gathered his parcels, pondering the things the tiny sprite had shown him for the past few days. If I take my stone, I won't be bound to Darien any longer. I'll be a criminal, a rogue General, like Malachite. But...if the only way I can get Ami back is by taking it and offering my services to this Beryl, isn't she worth the risk? Wouldn't Ami do the same for me if she thought that I needed it? * * * * * * * * * * * The heat broke around ten p.m., and a strange storm swept across the sky, purple lightening flashing and rain drumming against the roof of the temple. The Scouts and Knights within looked at Lita and Ken accusingly. "Lita," Mina ventured, "the lightening is really freaking Serena out, could you tone this down a bit or something?" Ken laughed, "I wish we could, but this has absolutely nothing to do with us. Neither one of us called it here, so there's no way we can stop it, sorry." "I'll be fine," Serena whispered shakily, tightening her grip on Darien, "I just need to concentrate on something else for once, like this new Scout." The Scouts looked at her incredulously, Serena wanted to work? "I think Serena's right," Ami chimed in. "We really need to try and locate this new Scout right away. If we don't she might discover her powers and do some damage accidentally!" Greg agreed, "Yeah, I know when I found out, the first thing I did was go out in to a field were I wasn't going to be noticed and started throwing ice spears around. It was fun, but not very constructive." Adam nodded, "Yeah, I've been having the urge to transform ever since I woke up." "Well," Darien volunteered, smirking; "Chad and Ken have trained today already. How about they show you two some pointers?" "What!?" the two boys gasped, shooting glances of terror at Raye. Chad began, "Darien, I really don't..." Interrupting, the fiery little priestess simply smiled, "Darien, I think that's a wonderful idea. That way we can all get in a little hand to hand combat, without our powers of course, and we can test the boys to see how their fighting skills measure up." Lita shook her head, "Count me out, I am still woozy from the sleep-spell or whatever that thing was." Mina agreed, "Yeah, are you sure that would be such a good idea? I mean, we are all still really weak, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready to go back to sleep." Serena pulled out the bottle of aloe again, and unscrewed the cap; "I can't, as much as I honestly want to train right now. If someone were to hit me with a punch or something, I think I would pass out from the pain." Darien turned her around, and poured a small amount in to the palm of his hand. Rubbing the aloe briskly between his hands, he applied a liberal amount to the back of her neck, carefully smoothing the cool lotion over the burned flesh. The phone rang and Raye reached across Chad to answer it. "Hello. Oh hi, Corrine." She looked at the crowded room with surprise furrowing her brow. The Scouts all glanced up at the mention of the blond Sailor Uranus. Raye put her hand over the mouthpiece, "Guess what? Pluto put them to sleep too! Corrine and Nerissa are hopping mad right now!" Lita gasped, "Oh, no! What is Pluto trying to do? Did she think we wouldn't figure out it was her?" "Hold on," Raye returned to the phone, listening intently to Corrine's hurried voice on the other end. The Scouts glanced around the room, worried. The Knights were calmly gathered in the corner, discussing whether or not to brave the rain to go to Neptune's home and speak with the Outer Scouts themselves. "Okay, bye." Raye rested the phone in to the cradle, calmly turned to the room and sighed. "Okay, here's the deal. Saturn thinks that Pluto has found the Sailor from our dreams, she was asking her about it before she knocked her out." "But why did she..." Adam trailed off. Raye continued, "They think the knocking-us-out thing was to warn us about her future arrival. We've been having these way weirdo dreams the past few weeks about a specific fight, starring this particular Sailor Scout, then BAM!, all these recovered memories of the Silver Millennium hit us all at once, knocking us out and leaving us completely incapacitated for hours on end." "So what do we do Serena?" Adam turned to her, his face creased in worry. Serena glanced at Raye, "What are the Outers going to do?" Raye shrugged, "Mostly calming each other down, I think. Corrine is ready to leap in to her car and speed over here despite the slick streets. Nerissa is going to keep her there until the rain lets up a little, then they'll come over and help us plan." "Well," Serena drawled slowly, "I think that the best plan of action is to stay here. She hasn't hurt any of us intentionally, and it is pouring down out there." Lightning flashed and she jumped nervously, grabbing Darien's arm tightly. "Besides, at least here we can keep a close eye on any proceedings, right?" "Right!" agreed the Scouts. * * * * * * * * * * * "I think we should simply remain here," Princess Serenity sleepily advised her royal court gathered around her high bed. Her hair, mussed and golden, lay across the pillow unbound and shimmering in the pale light of the starry night. "Zoisite only left a week ago. Surely, it takes longer than that to find a stray General. Malachite could easily be hurt somewhere, and Zoi could simply be looking after his health by remaining on Earth for so long." "But Serena," protested Lita, "then why would Nephrite and Jedeite be missing as well?" She examined Mina's face cautiously as she spoke. Her friend was emotionless, her bruises stark and heavy against the bright color of her nightgown. Lita bit back a few choice words and continued on, "Besides, Prince Darien knows nothing of their departure, merely that they left notes that they had a date with their destinies. Something's wrong, or else we wouldn't have all had the same dream. It's a sign." A low yellow glow illuminated the bedroom as Serena leaned over and flicked on her small unicorn bedside lamp. Four anxious faces met her tired gaze, and begged her help. Running her delicate hands through her heavy hair to tame it, she reached in to the upper drawer of her bedside table and withdrew two pale pink ribbons. "Okay, I understand. I would feel the same way if Darien disappeared on me suddenly." She finger-combed her hair in to two parts, thinking aloud, and captured each side in a low pigtail directly beneath her ears. "Well, Zoi had a legitimate excuse for leaving. Auriel told him that her messengers had seen Malachite in the Black Forest. No one knows why Malachite left," shooting an apologetic glance at Mina, "but it's a good guess that unless Zoi find him, he won't be returning. As for the other two..." Mina turned her head towards the patio. "Listen!" she hissed, interrupting Serena's train of thought. "The alarms, the alarms are sounding!" A low wail vibrated in the distance, pulsing and shrill against the quiet Moon night. It reverberated louder, growing more insistent as people poured out of castle doors, inquiring as to the emergency. The Scouts raced down the stairs, uncaring as to their state of undress, rushing out to the garden, jostled by the castle folk, tripping and skidding their way to the front of the crowd. "What is it? What's wrong?" Serena panted, vainly trying to halt a nearby cook. He didn't answer, turning away, and grabbing his meaty wife by her arm, "Let's hurry Berneace, or we won't be able to help find them!" "Who?" gasped a breathless Lita, "Who needs finding?" Pulling out her mini computer, Ami scanned the area, looking for fellow royalty. "Well, Nerissa and Corrine are over with Pluto and the Solar family at the far end of the garden. Your mother's over that way Serena, perhaps we should make our way in that direction quickly!" Mina yelped as a man bumped in to her roughly, "Ouch!" He turned, and upon seeing the Princess, dropped to his knee abruptly, head hanging low. "I am sorry, my Princess Mina. I did not see you there." "Adonis?" Mina whispered, "Is that you?" He raised his head, a small amazed smile resting lightly on his lips. "You remembered me, Princess? I am honored beyond words." Smiling softly, Mina helped him to his feet. "Don't bow before me Adonis, I don't deserve it. And, yes of course I remember you, how could I forget Malachite's best warrior?" He blushed, and finally took note of Serena and the others. He again bowed low, his silky hair shining in the garden lights. "Princess', it is my honor." Serena sighed, "Thank you Adonis, you have always been a gracious and faithful servant of the crown and we have often noted your elegance in tight situations. However, I implore you, please do not feel the need to bow to any of us. We aren't Queen's yet, and all we ask of the moment is to reach my mother at the far end of the garden." "Is that all, Princess?" he inquired, an amused smile lighting his lips. "Yes, Adonis, that is our only need at the moment," Serena replied saucily. He laughed at her pertness, and cleared his throat, "Then it is done, fair Princess." "Make way for the Princess'!" he roared out, standing as tall as he could in the crushing press of bodies. The tight squeeze lessened and people parted for their royalty, with Adonis guiding them. "This way, ladies," he urged, quickly maneuvering them to the shaky rise on which Queen Serenity stood. "Thank you, Adonis, for finding my daughter," Queen Serenity graciously said. The Scouts joined with the Solar family and the other princess' near the rosebushes. Raising her voice so all could hear, she motioned for silence. The crowd hushed and grew still, as their Queen motioned for quiet. "My fellow companions," the Queen called out, her voice strained and weak, "a terrible thing has just been discovered. Four hours ago, on Earth, Prince Darien's four Guardian stones were stolen from the treasury! Whoever has those four stones, hold the powers of Earth's four greatest warriors in their hands. "Should they decide to use our beloved Generals against us, Malachite, Jediete, Nephrite, and Zoisite will have to obey, for their very existence rests in those powerful stones. If those stones were destroyed, the Generals would perish. Yet there is hope, for as long as those stones remain intact, they live on." The crowd gasped and began speaking among themselves, and Queen Serenity once more motioned for silence. "There is more, I am afraid. Nevertheless, twenty minutes ago, our faithful advisors, Luna and Artemis, discovered that our Inner Knights are also missing. The King of the Earth, Prince Darien's father, believes that whomever stole the stones also kidnapped our Knights and his Generals, for all, I say, all of them are missing!" "They're missing!" came the cry, spreading like wildfire from one mouth to the next. "The Knights are missing! The Generals are gone! They've been kidnapped!" "We must be patient," Serenity's voice cried out, "we must continue on and send out search parties until they are all found!" The Scouts gazed in bleary-eyed shock, as the crowd rushed away to be assigned to search parties. Mina began crying softly, silently, her tears dripping quietly down her face and splashing the neck of her orange nightdress. Lita held her hand, tears burning her own eyes, acid churning in her stomach. "I am gonna throw up," she announced, and proceeded to color the bushes nearby with the remnants of that evening's dinner. Serena held a pale and shaking Ami tightly, her eyes frantically searching for Darien's tall form in the crowd. "We'll find Greg, Ami, I promise!" she whispered vehemently in Ami's ear. "Greg..." Ami sobbed, as she turned in to Princess Serena's arms, clutching tightly to the tiny girl. "He and I fought...over Zoi's leaving, before he left...and tonight, and now, now..." she couldn't finish, tears welling up and cascading down her face. "Stop it, all of you," demanded an irate voice. Raye stood proudly nearby, her tangled thick black hair melding nicely with the inky sky above. "Look at you, all of you, crying and sniveling like babies! They have only been gone for a few hours since dinner; they couldn't have gotten too terribly far! If we transform right now, we can scan for their energy and probably track them down before they get out of range!" Mina's head snapped up, her natural leadership of the Scouts asserting itself, "Princess Mars is correct!" She wiped the traces of tears from her face, standing tall against the rising wind. "Are we Scouts or are we mice? This is the first time the boys need us, and it probably won't be the last, and I, for one, am not going to remain here a moment longer crying about it!" Nodding her head, and wiping away the last vestments of her tears, Ami steadied herself against Serena's shoulder. "Let's do it!" Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Lita nodded her head sharply. "For the boys!" Laughing, Raye threw her arm valiantly in to the air, "No! For the Moon!" Nerissa and Corrine looked at each other and shrugged. "Oh well," Corrine sighed, "we weren't going to get back to sleep anyway." Nerissa grinned back, and threw her own arm in to the air, "Neptune Star Power!" * * * * * * * * * * * "Jediete," Zoisite called in to the pulsing darkness of the crystal room, "where did you put that little old man from Mars? The little bald religious fellow?" Jediete turned, his eyes flat and cold, pebbles in his emotionless face. "I don't answer to you, Zoisite, only to Beryl. Ask her where I put him, if you simply must know." "Look," Zoisite snapped impatiently, swirling rose petals from Mercury Knight's fighting rose decoratively in the air; "I don't have time for this. We both need energy boosts, but we won't be granted those unless we finish this messy business and quickly." "Here," grunted Jediete from the corner, "then why don't you make yourself busy and take care of this one, huh?" A thin plain woman with soft brown hair caught up in a braid landed at Zoisite's feet. He poked her soft body with his toe, rolling her over on her stomach. Something fell out of her hand, bright on the dark, cold floor. A silver necklace lay sparkling on the ground beside her, two moons entwined around an artist's brush. "Put her in a chamber or something," Jediete gasped, as he wrestled the unconscious body of a tall thin man in to a pod between two others containing a large, fat cat and a smallish girl with dark honey-brown hair. "Fine," Zoisite snapped, "but I'm only helping you so we can both get our energy boosts faster. Where's an open pod?" "Over there," Jediete grunted, "between the peasant boy from Jupiter and the priest from Mars." "Are there any other pods left?" Zoi asked as he shut the lid closed on the tall thin woman. "No," Jediete said with a smirk, "We have one cat, one old priest, one young priest, one young boy from Jupiter, and the young girl with the brown hair is from Venus. There is also the artist from the moon, and at Queen Beryl's request..." his voice cut off, as he flipped the power switch to the pods on abruptly. The pods began to glow, electricity joining all the inhabitants of the pods in painful synchronicity. Their bodies began to writhe as the bolts shot through each one, joining them forever, sending currents of negative energy through their prone forms. One by one, eyes began to burn red, human forms twisted in to horrible parodies of what they had been before, mutating, expanding. Each pod person fought the energy for minutes before succumbing; all save for the last. He strained against his bond, shrieking as the negative energy attacked his nervous system. Throwing his head back, he arched his body, screaming in painful short busts. "...Greg, Mercury Knight. I should have figured he'd be the last to fall," Jediete snickered, as he turned the power up. "Shadow Warriors, born for our Queen, Beryl, ruler of the Negaverse, come in to the light!" Uncertain as to why his stomach rolled at the sight of the writhing figures, Zoisite broke away, running in to the throne room for a breath of fresh air. "Zoisite," cooed a vicious, hissing voice, "you have served your Queen well this evening. They will be our greatest warriors, our greatest weapon against the enemies from the moon. Who would dare destroy a precious Knight? Certainly not the simpering Scouts." Zoisite turned away, his stomach clenching at the site of her, poised spider-like on the throne. She narrowed her eyes, measuring his repulsed obedience in his body language. "You are tired, do you feel ill using the evil creatures that have taken our home, and control our universe? Step through the door to the energy chamber, lay down and surrender to the energy bursts and your strength will be returned to you." "But, Queen Beryl," he hesitated, "what about the others?" She leaned forward, stroking one long tipped finger down the side of his face, scratching the side of his neck harshly. "They already rest, and gain strength by the moment, Zoisite. See, Jediete already sleeps, and you can too." At the far end of the throne room, a pale light bloomed against the grainy darkness. A small pod began to glow with a delicate blue light, calling to him. "Go, Zoisite," she whispered in his mind, "the first time didn't hurt, why should this one? Go, and rest, and let the energy of the Negaforce heal you of your uncertainty." Stepping past the battered bodies of three unconscious Knights sprawled in front of the Queen's throne without a second glance, Zoisite made his lagging way to the phosphorescent pod. The lid closed with a snap and a hissing pressure release sound escaped the coffin-like bed. On either side of Zoisite, Malachite and Nephrite slept not-quite-so-peacefully. They both tossed and fought against their bonds, straining with all their might to be free of the electric shocks running through their respective craniums. "Shhh," Beryl whispered, licking her pointy teeth, as she sunk to her knees beside Nephrite's pod, "the memories only hurt because they're so deep. Let go, forget, and all the pain will drip away. Drip, drip, gone..." * * * * * * * * * * * "Do you hear something?" Lita asked a sleepy Ken, sprawled across her lap. His eyes fluttered open, then narrowed in confusion. "Yeah," he whispered, "almost like..." A terrified scream shattered the peaceful stillness of Raye's guest bedroom. Both Lita and Ken leapt up, racing across the room and banging the door open. The hall was white hot, and permeating a strange metallic scent. The living room seemed to be the source of the odd odor, foul and ripe, it blew down the hall like a hot wind off a garbage heap, singing their eyelashes as it past. "Ugh," Lita moaned, "The smell, it's horrible! Jupiter Star Power!" Rings of electricity spun around her bare form and moments later, Sailor Jupiter stood proud and strong beside Ken, eyes snapping and lightening flashing from her fingertips. Ken shook his head, astounded as always at how truly lovely Lita was when riled. "Well?" she asked impatiently, "Aren't you going to transform?" Reaching inside his shirt, he pulled out his forest-green transformation rose, savoring the powerful electric bolts racing over his arm, and crackling along his legs; morphing his simple button-up shirt and jeans in to the green tuxedo of Jupiter Knight, Sailor Jupiter's eternal protector. "Ready?" Lita asked, bracing herself for attack. Drawing his scimitar, he nodded, "As I'll ever be." They crept silently down the hall, in crouched position. The horrid, rancid aroma grew worse the closer they came to the living room. "Who was left in the living room when we left?" Lita hissed at Ken, as she dropped to her knees to peer around the wall. He shook his head, his dark hair swaying softly over his eyemask. "I have no idea, we left fairly early. I would guess Serena and Darien, Ami and Greg, Raye, and Mina. Chad and Adam went to the kitchen, remember?" She pulled back, "Ken, this is bad. I can't see any of them anywhere, but the smell is definitely coming from that room." "Don't suppose it's Serena's cooking, do you?" Ken asked hopefully. She cracked a bare smile, and slowly rose to her feet. Grasping his hand and covering her nose with her hand, she led the way to the other rooms in the house. "Nothing," Ken stated, twenty minutes later. Bleep, bleep, bleep. Jumping at the sudden sound, Ken looked at Lita, "What's that?" He pointed to her backpack, where the creepy sound was coming from. "My communicator!" she gasped, pulling it out. "I completely forgot I brought it with me!" Lita, came Ami's crackled voice from the small green pad, ...help...and Serena is in desperate... "Ami!" Lita yelled, pushing buttons frantically, "I can barely hear you! Where are you guys? I can't hear you! Ami! Ami!" The voice grew stronger for a moment, ...traveling amuse...t p..k. Hurry! Serena can't hold....for much...please! ...keep Ken there, or else...it's urgent, he'll d... "Ami! Ami!" Lita yelled, pounding on the small buttons, "Come back, Ami, help me!" Ken laid his hand on her shoulder, "Lita, calm down. We'll find them, I promise. Just follow the big stink, right?" She turned to him, "No! I find them, you stay here. Ami said for you to stay here, and that's what you're going to do. I don't know what this is all about, but I'm about to find out!" She pushed away from him, and dashed out the door, leaping in to her small Hyundai and racing down the street. "Be careful," he whispered as his fiery little princess drove away. "Oh, you needn't worry about her safety, Jupiter Knight," a voice hissed quietly behind him, "it's not Lita you should be worried about right now." * * * * * * * * * * "Sailor Jupiter, can you see anything?" called Sailor Mercury from the bottom of the hill. Jupiter looked down from her high perch to the Scouts and Solar family huddled below. Serena stood tall, Sailor Moon on her first official mission for the Moon Kingdom. The other Princess', though brave and proud, looked trepidatious. There had never been need to transform before, other than training; but this wasn't training, it was their Knights' lives at stake here, not a petty score. "No, Mercury," she yelled, "I can't see a thing with all this haze!" She ran down the hill in great leaping jumps, skidding to a halt near Sailor Pluto. The wise older girl looked at her with eyes that had seen too much and nodded slowly. "Why don't we split up?" suggested Venus timidly. "That might not be such a good idea, Mina," Serena mused, "it would make it much easier for them to attack us if we split in to separate groups." Raye snorted, "Don't be such a worry-wart Serena!" She flipped her ebony hair over one thin shoulder, glancing around the group for support. "We need to find them fast! Who ever took the Knights isn't after us, they have what they want already. If they wanted us, we'd be long gone by now!" Corinne agreed, "Mars is right, I think we should follow Mina's plan and split up. Speed is of the essence here, or they could be long gone before we can even pick up energy tracings." "Well," Mercury ventured, "we followed them here this far. It might be a good idea if we stayed together, after all. There is safety in numbers." "But what about finding them quickly?" Auriel insisted, "Time is running out, right Pluto?" Sailor Pluto shook her head, "Leave me out of this, I refuse to be dragged in to this discussion." Sighing, Neptune and Saturn stood by Corinne. "Let's just split up, okay? We have our communicators if anything goes wrong and we're wasting time here." "Jupiter?" Sailor Moon asked, "What do you think?" She looked off in to the haze, her dark auburn hair swaying softly in the humid breeze. "I don't care if we split up or stay together. All I know is that we're wasting time while Jupiter Knight, Ken, my soul mate, is missing and could be hurt!" She whirled on the Scouts, dark eyes flashing black lightening, "Together, apart, who cares?! Let's just go!" Nodding Sailor Moon made her decision, "Jupiter's right! Saturn, Apollo, Solar; you go north. Darien, Mercury; you go east. Pluto, Solan, and Venus; you three go south. Aurora, Neptune, and Uranus; you go west. I will go east with Mercury and Darien. Meet back here in four hours if you haven't found anything, no longer! "Raye, Lita, I need you two to do something very important. I need you two to remain here and search the vicinity in case they went underground. You will be the only group of two, so be very careful and watch each other's backs. If we aren't back in four hours you go back to the Moon and get help. Don't come after us, don't try to be heroes, because if we don't come back, we're in serious trouble and will need more help than two Scouts alone could give. You got it? Hurry!" The group split up, running rapidly in their assigned directions, scanning the ground for energy outputs from the strange planet. * * * * * * * * * * * "Serena!" Jupiter called in to the mist of the Sunnyland traveling amusement park. The field where it had been set up was deserted due to the late hour, and Lita felt a chill snake up her back as the damp humidity closed in on her. "Darien!" she tried again, her voice cracking with fear. Something was watching her; she could sense it, slowly stalking her in the darkness, gliding forward step, by step. "Hyah!" she screamed, snapping her foot back, catching Venus Knight squarely in the jaw. He reeled back, tripped over a rock, and thumped to the ground, clutching his face. "Oh Adam, I am so sorry! "Oomph," he gasped, slowly gaining his feet. "Wow, remind me never to piss you off when sparring, okay? You pack a mighty mean blow." He ran his hands along his jaw, checking to make sure it was in working order, as Lita surveyed the scene. "Where are the others?" she asked. He shook his head, "I don't know. One minute I'm talking to Mina about the Silver Millennium, the next this hairy beast breaks down the door, grabs her, and disappears! She didn't even have time to scream. I tried to go after her, but someone hit me on the head or something, because when I came to, I was here." "Well," Lita began slowly, "you're the first person I've seen. Ken is back at the temple, because Ami contacted me to give me the location of where she and the Scouts were, then told me to keep him there. I couldn't find it at first, but then I followed the smell, and it led me here." "What next?" Adam asked taking off his Knight mask, "You are the first person I bumped in to also, so maybe the others are around here too." "You couldn't be more right!" screamed a voice over the loudspeaker. "Welcome ladies and gents, one and all, to the only Negaverse Park Picnic! All around the park are rides and shows, pick the right one, and a Scout or Knight is yours to keep! But pick the wrong one," a cheesy, ringside clown music began playing in the background, "and your lovely and fair Princess Serena will be dropped closer and closer to the Black Vacuum System!" Lita and Adam heard a shrill squeal from above. Serena hung, suspended in mid-air by a leather thong tied around her wrists, above a glittering black hole hanging above a Dunk Me! tank. "Lita, Adam! Get out, go now! Save yourselves, run! Leave me!" she shrieked. "No, no, no, Princess Serena!" the voice boomed, annoyed. Serena's tiny body shook like a fish on a line with each deafening word. "We had a deal. No warning your friends about the danger, remember? You are the bait, and I am the winner! I won't hurt them any more, but you have to keep your side of the bargain, which is, if you can't remember, to SHUT UP!" Lita screamed as Serena was abruptly released from the top of the ride. She plummeted down; halting an instant before her feet touched the glittering vacuum. Her limp body slowly ascended again, swaying softly in the slight wind. "Now, now," the voice soothed, "please remember your side of the bargain next time, Sailor chump!" "Serena!" Lita yelled, "Sailor Moon!" "Lita, Adam. Welcome to my world. You have four hours to find the other Scouts without getting captured yourselves. Every ten minutes you take without finding a new Scout, Serena gets another six inches closer to the hole." "But that's not fair!" Adam bellowed to the sky, "She only has a few feet to spare!" "Who ever said life was fair was a pansy! Deal with it! Your time starts, NOW!" * * * * * * * * * * * Pluto, Apollo, and Auriel, in her Solar Sailor uniform, surveyed the scene. Several shattered wooded benches lay on their sides before a small blue-striped tent. The opening flap rustled in the mild breeze, slapping against the sides of the tent with a hollow, thwak! sound. "This does not look good," Apollo surmised in a wondering tone of voice. The Solar Sailor glared at him, "Well, duh! Pluto," she turned to the older Scout, "what's going on here?" Pluto gently pressed her forward, closer to the tent. "Why don't we go in and find out?" Auriel smoothed down her flashing gold skirt, rocking timidly back and forth on her matching ankle boots, "But...it is after hours, what if we get caught?" Apollo laughed, "Auriel, you're the Solar Sailor now! If you got caught you can run away!" "So?" Auriel asked, getting irritable, "They'd probably catch me." Pluto shook her head, a smile slowly playing along her lips, "Auriel, should you choose, as the Solar Sailor, you can run as fast as the speed of light. To any police officers, it would be as if you simply disappeared." The Solar Sailor's eyes opened wide. "I can run how fast?" she gulped, images of Grecian gods flitting through her head. "All the Solar children have that ability," Apollo stated proudly. "We're all born that way. I used to be pretty fast myself, at least in my human form I mean." A piercing scream cut through their conversation, effectively ending all debate. "SERENA!" "Who was that?" Auriel snapped her body around, frantically searching the area for signs of life. Pluto brandished her staff wickedly; "Your princess is in trouble, Auriel. I suggest we go save her." "Princess?! As in, the Moon Princess?" Auriel gasped, her cheeks flushing pink. Pluto thwacked her on the back with her staff, "Yes! Hurry!" They raced in the direction of the scream, leaping over benches and chairs littering the ground. Apollo bounced along behind, hastily picking his way through the scattered debris. Auriel, intent on reaching the source of the scream, didn't pay attention to the ground beneath her feet. Her right foot caught under something heavy and limp, she went sprawling, skidding face-first along the hard packed earth below. "Ouch!" she gasped; the ground was radiating some strange heat, pulsing along her hands, tingling along the tips of her fingers. The green-white heat returned the nape of her neck, tightening and tingling the nerves, a blossoming headache born from the ashes of memory. Pluto ran back, grabbing Auriel under her armpits and hoisting her to her feet. "Are you hurt?" Shaking her head, Auriel pushed back her flyaway auburn hair back from her face, mopping the dripping sweat off the sides of her face with her gloved hand. "I'll be fine, but what did I trip over?" They both turned to decipher the lump hidden in the misty night. Pluto softly poked at the huddled mass with the end of her staff. To their surprise, the lump stirred, moaning softly. Shaking, the Solar Sailor ran her fingers along the nearest edge of the creature. "It's fabric," she gasped. Grabbing a handful of the rough dark burlap, she yanked backward, using her body weight to pull the heavy concealing fabric off whatever lay beneath. Pluto paled as two blue boots encasing two long shapely legs were revealed at the far end of the receding blanket. "Sailor Mercury!" * * * * * * * * * * * Saturn, Apollo, and the Solar Sailor stopped two hours later, panting at the mouth of a rocky cave. "Well?" Saturn turned to Apollo, "Are we supposed to go in or what?" Apollo towered over the smallest Scout, his chameleon hair shifting colors in the light, mirroring his confusion. "I'm not the leader here, but I think we should go in. All the energy readings indicate that Venus Knight is in here. Auriel, it's your decision. Do we go back and get the others, or do we stay here and enter the cave?" "Well," the Solar Sailor whispered, her brow furrowing, "hold on, let me see if I feel any bad vibes in there." Joining her hands, Auriel interlocked her fingers tightly, feeling a pale, buzzing fire build at the base of her spine. Releasing the tiny fire in her mind, a slow expansion of consciousness behind her closed eyes grew, creeping along the hazy corridors of the cave, slipping over dark shadows, coating gleaming dark dank pools with cleansing light. The world faded, leaving her alone in the darkness. "Follow me," she insisted tonelessly. Quickly stepping over the branch directly before her, she rushed to the mouth of the darkness, entering the silence without a pause or last look at the hazy light of day. Saturn and Apollo shrugged, and quickly caught up with the princess, trusting her to find the way. They tripped their way along, following Auriel as closely as they dared, bumping in to walls, splashing in small rivulets of slimy water twisting along the dusty cave floor. After what seemed like hours, Saturn abruptly stopped. "I can't see anything! Auriel, are you sure you know where you're going? I feel like we've been going in circles!" Auriel's voice cut through the inky blackness, a few feet to the left of Saturn, "What?! Guys, where are we?" "Huh?" confused, Apollo reached out for the voice. "You mean you don't know? We've been following you this whole time, and you don't know?" Auriel patted the air until she touched someone warm. "Following me? Apollo, I've been following you! What do you mean following me?" The person beneath her hand shifted slightly, and Auriel felt a rippling movement beneath her hand as he turned. "No, Princess," growled a low tenor, "you've been following me!" Auriel screamed as two arms clasped her roughly to the body, and her tiara began to glow brightly, pulsing with the intensity of her fear. The light revealed a hideous, rotting zombie, roughly grinning down at his struggling prisoner. His oozing face bubbled and cracked with every movement she made, flaking and peeling off, dusting her auburn hair with bits of his decomposing body. "Auriel!" Saturn screamed, brandishing her glaive, "Hold on!" There was a thump from behind, and Auriel skidded across the ground, clutching her right shoulder, which had been ripped out of its socket during the struggle. Apollo had the creature by the hair, yanking back, trying to manifest his golden spear, but failing. Auriel watched with horror as the thing threw Apollo off its back forcefully, slamming him in to a nearby pile of rubble. There was a sickening crack, and Apollo lay still, his body slumping to the floor in a tired heap. Saturn began to power up, purple flashing lights swirling around her miniature frame, and Auriel stumbled to her feet, blood running from a gash above her left eye. She threw her weight against the wall, painfully but successfully relocating her shoulder. "I don't think so, little girl," gurgled the monstrosity, as Saturn began to raise her glaive above her head. "No one can beat the power of the Negaverse!" A bright flash, and Saturn was in its arms, clasped roughly to its rotting decomposing flesh. "No!" she grunted, as it brought its lips close to her own. "Come on little Princess," it cooed, drawing her struggling form closer to his own, "one little kiss for your soul. I promise, you won't feel a thing, then you'll be all powerful, just...like...me!" "Saturn!" Auriel screamed, "Let her go or else!" It stopped it's hideous seduction momentarily to turn to the Solar Sailor. "Or what," it queried menacingly, "you'll call the other Sailor failures? No, I don't think so." It ran it's mutated hands through Saturn's short black hair, in what could only be called a tender caress, stroking her pale cheek with one oozing finger. "Come to papa..." "Solar Flare Obscure!" A bright light spiraled it's way out of Auriel's cupped hands, shooting for the gruesome couple, stunning them both enough for the revolting thing to drop the half conscious Sailor Saturn. She tumbled to the ground rolling near Apollo, her face scratched and bleeding from the encounter. Intensely angered at the sight, Auriel began powering up. "You wanna play, nasty? Why don't you go to the graveyard where you belong, huh? Didn't anyone ever tell you that a good dermatologist can help you with that skin problem?" she taunted from her crouched position on the cave floor. "Golden Rays..." Three golden beams shot out from her upraised right arm, spinning in three rings around her spread fingers above her head. Auriel pointed her fist at the creature, then extended her index finger, releasing the bright rings in the thing's direction. "...Surround!" Rebounding off one another, the rings circled the zombie, swirling faster and faster around his shuffling form, effectively trapping him. "Still want to pick on the Sailor Scouts?" she tossed at his howling body. Bracing her legs wide on the rocky floor, she cupped her hands high above her head, gathering energy, "Total..." Her body began to glow, as all the light and heat in the cave receded and pooled in her sun shaped earrings, flashing in little bolts to her cupped hands above, "...Solar..." the room went completely still and dark, the silence was impenetrable. Shaking, the shivering zombie felt an icy brush of air against the back of his neck. "No!" it hissed, "Not to me! Not to..." "...Eclipse!" Auriel yelled triumphantly in his face, opening her hands and clenching her eyes tightly closed. A bright ball of concentrated heat and energy exploded from her hands in his face, ripping his already torn body to Nega-shreds, effectively destroying him. Shaking from the exertion, Auriel thumped to the ground beside Sailor Saturn and Apollo. "Oh, Goddess," she whimpered, "did I just do that?" A faint light radiated from the end of the cave, "Yes, Solar, you did." Eyes opening wide with amazement, Auriel raised her head, "Goddess?" A rough, violent laugh answered her beseeching question, "No Auriel, MALACHITE!" * * * * * * * * * * *