Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters contained within this
work are the copyright of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansya and
probably lots of other big people I'm forgetting. I am using them
without permission, but suing me because of it would be futile as I have
nothing. Feel free to distribute this work around (for no profit, of
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If you publish or repost it somewhere, please let me know.
     Comments, criticism, flames, etc. welcomed (and, in fact,
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The World Without
A Sailor Moon fanfic by Mike Chenoweth [Ultrace@aol.com]
Co-Plotted by "Tuxedo Will" Wolfshohl [Wwolfshohl@logicon.com] and
     Nikki "Jet Wolf" Purvis [Jetwolf@ix.netcom.com]
Additional editing by Novareinna [Novareinna@aol.com]

Part 2:  Mercury Gets a Helping Hand? Birth of the Sailor Team!
December, 1996


     Queen Beryl was smiling, a rare occurrence. There was an
uncomfortable shifting around the throne room until it became apparent
what the source of her smile was--the flowing of recently collected
energy.
     "I commend you, Jadeite. Your gathering of energy was a great
success."
     Jadeite bowed. "Thank you, My Queen. The next plan should be even
more bountiful. My youma, Morga, has already discovered a site where
high concentrations of human energy are spent. This location is more
likely to draw the attention of the humans, but it's clear that the
strongest among them--this Sailor Mercury--is no threat to us."
     "I find it disheartening that this same being who poses no threat
managed to hold your youma to a standstill," Beryl said, making Jadeite
regret mentioning Sailor Mercury. "Proceed with this plan, but have that
girl eliminated."
     Jadeite merely nodded in agreement, not debating the matter of
Morga's victory over the human. He had already intended for his servant
to destroy the annoyance, anyway.
     "By your leave," he said, vanishing from the room.

     Luna sat in the darkness, facing the screen.
     "We fared badly. Ami-chan is brave, but she's not strong enough to
fight the enemy alone." She frowned. "I wanted longer to search for the
Princess, but I think our time is up."
     "Yes," the screen answered. "We have no choice..."
     Luna hurriedly hit her paw against the screen to shut it off as
soon as she became aware that she was not alone in the room. She didn't
see or hear the woman who had just entered--Luna felt her. It was the
enemy.
     Carefully making her way around the arcade--and without noticing
the black cat that remained constantly hidden in the shadows--the woman
toyed with and adjusted each of the game machines in turn until she was
satisfied. Then, as quickly as she had arrived, she disappeared, leaving
behind a relieved but concerned Luna.

                            ------------------

     Ami awoke to the faint beeping of her alarm and the feel of a warm
cat laying on her. She rolled over to look at the clock and winced, not
at the fact that it was five-thirty, but at the pain in her neck; it was
still extremely sore from the previous day's fight. The numbness in her
arm, fortunately, had long since gone away.
     She reached over and turned off the alarm.
     On the portion of the blanket that was over Ami's stomach, Luna was
stirring. The cat stretched out and yawned, and Ami, more tired than
usual, did the same.
     "I don't remember you coming back last night," Ami said. "Where did
you run off to?"
     "There was some business that I had to take care of, Ami-chan.
More importantly, I discovered where the enemy is going to strike next."
     "You did?" Ami asked, sounding more disappointed than she intended
to. She had very successfully hidden from the cat just how terrifying
her encounter with the monster had been. The monster's attitude and
parting words had made it clear that Ami was nothing more than a pest
who was spared from death only on a whim.
     "Yes." If Luna detected the disappointment in Ami's voice, she
didn't show it. "The enemy's next target is going to be the Crown Gaming
Center. I'm certain of it."
     Ami tossed her covers aside, got out of the bed, and made her way
toward the bathroom. "How do you know that's the next target?"
     After a few seconds of finding her way out of the sheets and
blanket that had been flung onto her, Luna answered. "I felt the
presence of one of the enemy in the Gaming Center. She was tampering
with the machines there."
     Ami examined her neck in the mirror. Only some mild discoloration
from the bruising was visible. Another few seconds without Luna's
interference, and those bruises would have turned into broken bones and
a crushed windpipe. She shook her head and tried to put it out of her
mind as she emerged from the bathroom. "What do we know about the enemy,
Luna?"
     "Not much, unfortunately," was the reply. "All we know of them are
monsters whose objective is to drain the energy from humans. There's no
telling what they do with the energy or what their ultimate goal might
be."
     "They must have chosen the arcade next because of how excited the
kids get when they play those games, then," Ami said, thoughtfully.
"And in that case, they'll probably wait until after school to do
anything. That's when most of the kids go there."
     "Good thinking," Luna agreed.
     "I don't have juku again until tomorrow, so I should be able to
check the arcade as soon as school lets out today," Ami said. She picked
up the computer-compact. "And if this can alert us to the enemy's
presence, I'll check it regularly at school in case they attempt
anything before then."
     "I'll keep an eye on the area during the day as well," Luna said.
     Ami spent the next twenty minutes or so leisurely dressing and
getting together her school supplies. She had an hour and a half before
she needed to leave for school, plenty of time to discuss something else
she was curious about. "Now, who are these companions and princess you
mentioned...?"

                            ------------------

     "And I don't even remember what happened... This horrible thing was
choking me, and then I woke up and she was gone..."
     "You must have fainted and had a dream, Naru-chan!" the girl said.
     Ami had stopped on the way to her second class and joined the small
crowd which was gathered around the girl she had rescued the day before.
     "That's what I thought, except for this!" Naru said, pulling down
the collar of her uniform to reveal the marks left from her partial
strangulation. There was a collective gasp from several of the crowd.
"And there were people all over the floor, asleep! It was real, Usagi."
     "Then maybe you were saved by Sailor V!" Usagi suggested.
     "That would have been so great..." Naru said breathlessly, looking
off into the distance and almost forgetting for a few moments about the
entire ordeal.
     `Sailor V?' Ami wondered. `Luna didn't mentioned her earlier...
But is she one of the people we're looking for?'
     She was about to ask Naru more about Sailor V when the crowd, aware
that they were going to be late for class if they didn't get moving,
dispersed, and Sailor V became to Ami just another plaguing thought in a
day already full of them.

     The two of them met outside the school. As Ami came walking down
the stairs amid a stream of students, Luna was waiting. The cat didn't
initiate any conversation until they were completely alone, and on their
way to the gaming center.
     "Nothing," Luna said. "Not even a peep of unusual activity."
     "I checked my computer and didn't come up with anything, either,"
Ami agreed, almost absently.
     Apart from the brief report of the day's happenings, there was very
little conversation. Luna could tell that something was troubling Ami,
and had a good idea of what it was.
     They came to a bench across the street from the arcade, sat down,
and watched. Half an hour passed. Slowly, the arcade began to fill to
near capacity, and it was shortly after that that Amy's computer, active
but silent during that time, began to beep.
     Ami checked the computer to make sure there was no mistake. The
enemy was now inside the arcade, and as though on cue, people were
inconspicuously falling to the floor unconscious. Ami probably wouldn't
have even noticed it in the bustle of the city if she hadn't already
been watching for this.
     She stood up, and pulled out her transformation pen. Luna, leg
still bandaged, also got up and prepared to enter the arcade, before Ami
turned to her. "Luna... Stay here."
     The cat was surprised and confused. "What?"
     "You still haven't recovered from yesterday. I don't want you to
get hurt any more," Ami said, uneasily.
     "But I..."
     "Luna," Ami started, and paused for a long, uncomfortable moment.
When she continued, her voice was anything but steady. "If something
happens to me... You'll have to find the others you told me about.  So,
please, stay here... Okay?"
     Luna looked up at the girl sadly. "Ami-chan..."
     Ami gripped her pen tighter and looked back at the arcade with
determination. "But don't worry, I haven't given up yet. They're not
going to hurt anyone else if I can do anything about it."
     She took off across the street as Luna watched her run into the
arcade.

     Ami wasted no time once she was inside. As before, people were
scattered around the area, but she didn't need to examine any of them.
She knew there was only one way they would recover.
     "Mercury Power, Make-Up!"
     If the words hadn't caught Morga's attention, then the sudden burst
of light that heralded the arrival of Sailor Mercury would have. In
either event, the youma turned to look at her opponent.  "You again. It
was a mistake to come here. This time, I won't be so merciful!" she
screeched.
     "Shabon Spray!" Ami yelled, throwing forward her arms. As fog
filled the area, she quickly moved some distance from her original
position while activating her visor. Morga's form, along with those of
the fallen humans, became visible. Ami noted that, strangely, the people
were all remaining on the ground, unlike before.
     She didn't have time to wonder about why that was. She detected
Morga's slight movements just before a powerful gust of wind, coming
from the youma's direction, swept over Ami, taking with it almost all of
her cover. When she regained her footing from the sudden gust, Morga was
right in front of her. Ami didn't even have time to raise her arms
before she was backhanded across the face, sending her flying into a
corner of the room.
     Morga pulled her face back into a horrific mockery of a smile. "No
more tricks," she said, raising her arms. "This will end it."
     Energy started to crackle between the ugly, wrinkled hands, and Ami
desperately looked from side to side for some protection, realizing with
a near panic that there was nowhere to run, and nothing she could do.
     Within a few seconds, Morga had drawn the collected energy within
herself, becoming so powerful that she herself was glowing intensely.
Ami closed her eyes, partly to avoid being blinded, and partly because
she knew she was going to die. `I'm sorry, Luna...'
     That's when the two voices called out.
     One voice belonged to Morga. "DIE!" she howled.
     The other voice was unfamiliar to Ami, but there was one thing she
realized instantly--it was a human voice.
     "Crescent Beam!"
     Morga turned her head toward the doorway, where daylight was
pouring in and silhouetting the figure there. A thin pinpoint of light
was racing out from the figure's fingertip, straight toward the youma.
     Unaware of the beam until it was practically upon her, Morga was
struck full force with the attack. As though the concentrated light were
some sort of catalyst, the energy Morga had built up released itself
much more quickly than she had planned. She had a few seconds to twist
her face into a mask of pain before the energy blew her apart into a
mass of dust that fell to the floor and disintegrated.
     Amy was paralyzed with shock.  The figure stepped into the arcade,
becoming more than a silhouette. Ami could see a blonde-haired girl
wearing an outfit very similar to her own, the biggest difference being
a mask that served as a disguise.
     "Sailor Mercury?" the girl asked.
     "Who are you?" Ami asked in response, keeping her distance.
     The girl took off the mask and tossed it aside to reveal a pair of
sparkling blue eyes. "I'm Sailor V."
     "Sailor Venus, now," someone corrected. Ami watched as from behind
the girl, Luna emerged, and with her came a white cat carrying a symbol
just like the one on Luna's forehead.
     "Luna...?" Ami asked.
     "It's alright," Luna said. "They're friends."

                            ------------------

     Luna decided it would be a good idea for the four of them to return
to Ami's house and discuss a few things.
     Ami, sitting on the bed, rubbed her jaw lightly. The hit from
earlier had left it tender, but probably wasn't serious enough to even
bruise it.
     The girl who had, as Sailor Venus, saved her earlier, was a few
feet away looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry we didn't arrive any sooner,"
Minako said. "I didn't mean to scare you like that, letting that youma
corner you..."
     "I think I understand why," Ami said, turning to Minako. "You let
her collect all the stolen energy in one spot and then destroyed her to
release all the energy?"
     "Uh, yeah, that was it," Minako agreed, with an expression
indicating that the concept had been the furthest thing from her mind at
the time. Ami completely failed to notice it.
     "I'm just glad we made it in time," Artemis said, stretching from
his perch on one of the chairs. "That was close."
     "You're one of the people we've been looking for?" Ami asked.
     "That's right," Artemis responded. "We've been fighting against the
Dark Kingdom for a while now."
     "Dark Kingdom?"
     "That's what the enemy call themselves," Minako said. "We learned
that much about them, but nothing else."
     "We were trying to provide a distraction elsewhere so Luna could
search for the others, but we decided to come and join you when the
enemy stepped up their efforts here," Artemis continued.
     Luna smiled. "And not a moment too soon..."
     "Given the circumstances, I'd have to agree," Ami said, also
smiling. "Thanks, Minako."
     "No problem," Minako said, cheerfully. "After all, with friends
like us, who needs enemies?"
     Ami gave her a confused look.
     Artemis rolled his eyes. "You mean `That's what friends are for.'"
     "Whatever."