Happi Nuuu Yeers, everibodie!

<Bastion swings his champagne glass with glee>

Ahem.  Seriously, though, it's 1999, (at least central time),
and it's time to celebrate with another part of Terrible
Things.  Isn't that exciting, kids!?

Yeah, I know you would be...

                 **Warnings:**
Original characters are roaming, *the shock*!
Mild language and adult content, *the horror*!
Dub names are being used, *the infringement*!

And if that hasn't scared you away, I don't know what will.

Any and all C&C is very welcomed because friends let friends C&C, 
<wink>!

This part is dedicated to David Johnston, for ridiculing me, 
laughing at me, and pre-reading for me.  Thanks Dave, you're
a sweety, <grin>.


Terrible Things To Waste

Part 2: Blame



	A mechanized suit weaved its way through the tall structures of
Tokyo that dwarfed the skyline.  Malance's suit seemed humanoid
in shape but massively leaden in composition.  The powerful roar
of his engines assured him of his supremacy over the weak. 
Malance noticed the reflections of the city's lights fluctuating
off the suit's dented surface, giving it a viscous quality.  

	A sight quite majestic. 

	Yet, all he could see were the dents.  

	The dents marked a sign of weakness on his part, failure to
anticipate the enemy.  That Lord forsaken Timelord.  He knew
that someone as himself, who possessed such power and control,
could never be weak.  The General only taught the best, and
those who did not prove worthy were useless, weak.  Malance knew
he could prove his worthiness to the General by crushing the
Timelord.  He could prove he was the best.  In the end, though,
he could not deny his failure to the General.    

	Dread enveloped Malance as he reached a warehouse near the edge
of the city.  Landing at the entrance of the structure, Malance
cautiously entered.

	Malance approached the elevated loading platform within where
an old man waited patiently.  The old man's short, grey hair
stood at attention atop his head, as his spartan type military
uniform made him rigid in shape.  The red neon light outside cut
through the darkness, giving the hard worn wrinkles on the old
man's face an eerie silhouette.

	"Explain your tardiness, Malance," the echoes bounced around
the bare platform.

	"Upon my return, I detected a temporal disturbance," the large
metallic oddity moved closer, and finally stopping in the path
of red light.  

	The light reflected the damage of its armor, and the old man
viewed the crimson indentations.

	"I take it that you ran into an unexpected guest then?  The
Timelord, I am assuming?"  The old man paced around the platform
with red light reflecting off the rigid structure of his face.  

	Malance noted that the General's face remained so cold and
calculated, it seemed almost calm.

	Perhaps, a calm before the storm.

	"Yes, General Halebit."  Malance tried to hide his nervousness
with a decisive tone.

	"No matter, I anticipated such an event of the Timelord's
survival."  the old man calmly replied, pondering sharply in his
mind;

	'He knows how to use the sword.'

	The General waved his hand at his loyal soldier, "Leave my
pupil and begin the second phase of the plan.  Report to me if
you spot the Timelord."  

	Malance solemnly nodded and made his exit from the warehouse. 
Halebit slowly paced around the platform thinking over this new
development.

	Halebit had been careful to cover the expected and even some
impossible problems for this mission, because, apparently,
survival ran in Tracer's family.  Halebit, himself, had paid
witness to the father's amazing ability to escape from
impossible situations.  

	Always with that wretched sword.  

	The general, though, failed to figure out who informed the
Timelord as to their location in this dimension.  Especially
since he had been so meticulous in keeping it anonymous.

	Halebit pondered for a moment and looked out into the thick
darkness his soldier had just occupied, "He's loyal, maybe too
loyal."

	Quite unexpectedly, the old man felt a sharp shot of coldness
hit his gut.  He could feel the coldness spread to his chest as
its overbearing weight pressed upon him.  His shoulders began to
shiver, and his hands began to shake uncontrollably.  He fought
for control of his body, but his addiction had taken over.  He
collapsed to his knees holding his quivering fists to his face.
He began to panic and his thoughts began to bounce around in his
mind, making them incomprehensible. Finally, one thought
prevailed:

	'I must have more crystals.  I must have them NOW!' 

	Then, Halebit screamed in agony.



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

	

	The sandy haired woman adored the sight of her lover seated
across from her.  She studied with painful detail the soft
contours of her face created by the iridescence of the
candlelight.  Her eyes followed those contours to her wavy green
mane that engulfed her lover's shoulders in a crashing crest of
hair.  

	She was glad for the opportunity to have a romantic dinner,
since  parenthood thrust itself upon them after adopting
Victoria.  Though having the child impacted their lives greatly,
taking care of the youngster made her and her lover, the green
haired goddess before her, closer than ever before.      

	"Damn it, Michelle.  You're beautiful when you eat,"  the sandy
haired woman sighed.

	Her green haired partner let a smile gently curve the corners
of her mouth, "Eric, according to you, everything I do is
beautiful."

	Erica sat up in attention and flashed a wry smile, "Do you
doubt my taste?"

	Michelle slowly rested her head on her palms and gave Erica her
patented coy look, "Not at all."

	Erica snatched Michelle's hand and gave it a sensual kiss,
making the recipient blush slightly.  Erica could feel the
romantic mood escalating, and she knew where it was going. 
Unfortunately, a flash of crimson light quickly extinguished
their passions.  The two women snapped their heads towards the
source of the flash.  Erica squinted her eyes to see through the
glare of the light, making out two figures, one of which carried
a key shaped staff.  Erica knew immediately it was the Time
Guardian, and whatever business she had with them was never a
pleasant affair.  

	As the light dissipated, Erica could see the blond stranger
alongside the Time Guardian.  She noticed the confused look
toward the Time Guardian, as though she was hoping to get some
acknowledgment or answer from her.  The Time Guardian, though,
seemed to ignore the stranger and addressed Erica and Michelle
instead.

	"Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, by orders of the Queen, you
are to guard this Traveller until her quest is accomplished." 

	"Huh?" Erica coughed.

	The blond stranger turned toward the couple, blinked in awe,
and then enthusiastically crossed the room towards the dinner
table.

	"I can't believe this, I'm actually getting to meet Haruka and
Michiru.  The two most famous lovers ever known across the
dimensions!"  The blond woman could hardly contain her
excitement.

	"Who?"  Michelle smiled politely concealing her momentary
confusion.

	The blond Traveller paused, pondering for a moment and slowly
spoke, "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong people. . . . You are
Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus, right?"

	Michelle glanced toward the rigid Time Guardian before
answering, "Um, yes." 

	Erica blinked a few more times, "What's this about most famous
love-"  

	"Pluto," Michelle quickly cut in, causing Erica to give her a
look of contempt, "Why does the Queen want to assist this woman?"

	"The Traveller had convinced the Queen to assist her in
defeating the Travellers that tracked her to this dimension." 
Pluto stated flatly.

	"Waitaminute," Erica put her hands up, halting the
conversation, "What are these 'Travellers' and why did Neo-Queen
Serenity send her from the future to us now?"  

	The blonde woman smiled politely, "I am an inter-dimensional
time traveler and actually it wasn't the Neo-Queen, it was, um,
Serena, I believe."  .

	"What!?"  The couple exclaimed, making the Traveller jump back
nervously.

	Pluto averted their shocked gaze, "She is technically the
Queen, and I must obey her orders, or risk possibly losing her
confidence from her future self.  I will ensure that this
Traveller will not cause any folly.  This I promise.  Now, if
you will excuse me, I must return to the Time Gate."

	The Time Guardian brought her staff upright and in a flash of
red, she disappeared.  The two lovers narrowed their eyes in
frustration.  They had disliked the suddenness of Time
Guardian's missions, and, though, they had an obligation as
Sailor Neptune and Uranus to follow these missions, they never
enjoyed them.   

	The Traveller smiled nervously at the two women who stood
silently before her, "Um, my name is Xendyte, or Cindy . . . .
whichever you prefer."

	"Yes, nice to meet you."  Michelle cautiously approached
Xendyte, "I'm Michelle and this is Eric."

	The sandy haired woman nodded in response, still keeping her
scrutinizing eyes fixed on Xendyte.  In studying the woman,
Erica noted her long blond hair, held back in a pony tail, as
well as her wide, dark blues eyes.  Erica felt her subconscious
begin to swim in the blue hue.  A very pacifying feeling indeed. 

	Erica forced her eyes closed and continued her study.  The
glimmer of the woman's bracelet proved to be the perfect
distraction for her eyes.  The bracelet composed of
diamond-shaped red rubies connected at the tips around her
wrist.  Erica eyes roamed to Xendyte's aged and worn uniform. 
Her face soured at the assorted rips and tears in the uniform,
along with the dirt that infested it.  Yet, underneath the
tattered clothing, Erica could see the gentle curves of
Xendyte's feminine figure.  Her very feminine figure.

	"Xendyte?  An interesting name,"  Michelle turned to her dazed
partner, "Don't you think so, Eric?"

	The voice of Erica's partner made her aware of a third person
present in the room.

	"Um, yes, it is," Erica stampered. 

	An uncomfortable silence fell upon the three women.  Finally,
Erica's voice ended the interlude. 

	"So," she coughed, "Can you tell us why are you being tracked?"

	Xendyte shifted nervously, "I'm a rebel fighting against the
Counsule, the ruling corrupt government of my world.  They have
sent their Timelords to track me down and destroy me."

	"Timelords?"  Michelle's eyes narrowed.

	 Xendyte's body instantly became rigid, "They are bio-tech
enhanced soldiers that keep the order of the Counsule."

	"Bio-tech?"  Erica leaned forward, intrigued by Xendyte's
sudden change of mood.

	"Technology that uses machines to interact with our bodies." 
The draftiness of Xendyte's voice chilled the room. 

	Sensing the tension, Michelle smiled and changed the subject,
"Anything interesting about yourself that you'd like to share
with us."    

	The blond woman paused, forcing herself to withhold the
swelling of emotion building within her.

	Flashes of the bloody massacre of her family popped into mind. 
The blurred images of Timelords attacking accompanied the sounds
of the innocent dying.  Silver shot red blood everywhere, her
family's blood, on her, on a Timelord's swords, on the hands of
that Timelord, grinning in enjoyment of death and havoc being
produced.  She could barely take anymore of the scene.

	'As long as I don't have to talk about it, I'll be okay,' she
desperately fought for composure.

	"Yeah, like what did this Counsule do to cause you rebel,
anyway?"  Erica shot out casually.

	The dam of emotions broke as Xendyte's lips began to quiver and
tears welled in her eyes.  Upon seeing this, Michelle gingerly
approached the sobbing blond, and gently placed her hand on a
shoulder.

	"I think we can question her more tomorrow.  She looks like
she's been through a lot tonight."  Michelle spoke softly as she
shot an accusational glance at her partner.

	The dumbfounded Erica shrugged innocently.

	"You can sleep on the sofa in the living room," Michelle turned
to Erica and narrowed her eyes, "Eric, could you get some extra
blankets from the hall closet."

	Erica huffed and left, as Michelle directed the blond woman to
the living room.  Erica strode over to the hall closet and
grabbed for the first sheets she saw.  She didn't know what she
did to deserve this, the night had started out so well.  A
romantic dinner and quite definitely a romantic ending.  Then,
the Time Guardian shows up and dumps this stupid blond in their
laps, saying, 'Here, take care of this for me,' and disappears. 
Now, Michelle was mad at her for something she didn't do.  

	As Erica entered the living room, she noticed Xendyte staring
at her.  Erica pondered a moment at this, before becoming aware
of the deep scowl on her own face.  Erica didn't have to  look
to see the of disappointment on Michelle's face.

	As of that moment, Erica knew this was going to be a long,
lonely night.  

	Overcame by frustration, Erica dropped the blankets on the sofa
and promptly left the room under the critical gaze of her lover.

	"Don't be mad at her, Michelle, " Xendyte wiped the last tear
from her eyes, "I mean I would be just as mad if I were in her
position."

	Michelle's glare soften a little, "It's okay, Eric and me have
our quarrels sometimes, but, in the end, she cools down and
apologizes."

	Michelle turned to the blonde, smiled, and winked, "Usually."  

	Xendyte smiled in return, and, for the first time that long
night, she honestly felt secure.

	After a long moment, she found herself gazing into the emerald
eyes of Michelle.  	

	"Um, thanks,"  Xendyte torn eyes away, embarrassed, "Thanks for
everything."

	Michelle felt her anxieties about this woman die away, "You're
very welcome, Cindy."  

	After Michelle departed, Xendyte wearily laid down upon the
couch, spread the blankets over herself, and tried to relax. 
Unfortunately, relaxing only left her mind congested with the
images of her family's gruesome death.  Images that haunted her
every waking moment.  

	All because of her love, her love for them.  

	She couldn't understand what all-powerful force of Fate decided
to take them away from her.  She could never forget what
happened that day, never;

	She remembered the arid wind of the desert licking her face, as
she strained forward.  Her mother struggled along side her,
carrying a young child in her arms.  Cindy used the sheath on
her head to prevent the sand from blurring her vision.  She grew
curious why her father kept such a very diligent pace crossing
the sand.

	"Dad, hold up!"  She yelled.

	The man stopped and waved them on, "Come on, hurry up!  We've
got to keep going."

	The young woman ran towards her father, so she didn't have to
yell, "Dad, what's going on?" 

	The man froze and nervously adjusted his glasses, "Uh, the
Counsule just gave me some extra credits for developing the new
AI system in their building.  You know, the one you helped with,
and I thought we'd go to one of those paradise dimensions.  So,
um, I just want to get there in a hurry."

	"Are you sure?"  She could sense the sound of guilt in his
voice.

	The man avoided his daughter's stare as his mate shouted,
"Could someone take Seamus?  He's getting heavy."

	The young woman smiled and turned to her mother, "Sure Mom,
I'll take the little rascal off your hands."

	The young woman ran towards her exhausted mother to take the
child of her hands.  As the child passed hands, the older woman
thanked her daughter and ran toward to her mate.  The young
woman shifted a little to accommodate for her brother's weight
causing him to stir.

	"Cindy, are we there yet?"  The little brown haired boy rubbed
his sleepy eyes.

	"I'm not sure, Sam."  Her apprehension about this trip was
getting to her.

	Why were they so far away from the Community before traveling
to this dimension?  Why was her father so nervous?

	Fate's reply brought her worst fears to light.  Cindy could see
a faint shimmer of light just ahead.  The shimmers grew to a
dazzling brightness and dissipated to reveal four heavily armed
soldiers with visors concealing their identity.  The lead
soldier took a step forward and intercepted Cindy's quivering
father.  

	"Xavier, chief technician of shield technology, there is
evidence of your association with the rebel group known as the
Society.  Punishment is sentencible by death.  How do you
plead?"  The soldier smirked at the cowering man.

	"I beg you, Timelord, listen to me.  I'm not apart of the
Society, no matter what they told you!  Please believe me!" 
Xavier begged as his mate narrowed her eyes.  

	"What is the meaning of this!"  The older woman exclaimed, "I
will not tolerate such talk fro-"

	The Timelord responded by punching the woman in the face.  The
twisted grin of the Timelord reminded Cindy of a wild animal
thirsting for the slaughter.

	"In the name of the Counsule, I hereby sentence you to death."  

	The massacre that proceeded tortured her soul so much that she
could only recollect brief gruesome images, a nightmare turned
reality.

	She could remember little of the Society rebels rescuing her
from the massacre.  She did remember very vividly, though, her
first meeting with the general of the Society.  She remembered
the rebels that rescued her did not hesitate presenting her to
him.  She remembered his brown hair with white streaks running
through it.  Most especially, she remembered his face, a face of
a man who hadn't aged well.

	She remembered the general offering his hand to her with a
manner of dry empathy, "I am your savior, General Halebit of the
Society.  I am sorry about your family, the Timelords who killed
them will pay.  That much, I am sure."

	At the mention of her family, her mind broke down, and her
memory of her first conversation with the general was quite
fuzzy.  The uncomfortable feeling she got from the general's
forward and cold mannerisms, though, she could never shake from
her memory.   In fact, the feeling never subsided, and she made
it a point to avoid him.  

	She quickly learned the general thought of the Society as a
military operation, an operation run by the 'General,' (as he
insisted on being called).  Because of this mentality, Halebit
gave her no time to grieve.  Halebit immediately started
training her to make her into a soldier, make her useful.  She
remembered how much she hated the grueling workout sessions that
he personally attended. 

	He would stare at her with scrutiny during those sessions, and,
one day, she finally she lost it.

	"Damn it, Halebit, I don't have to take this anymore!"  She had
screamed towards the General, "You are nothing more than a
tyrant!  You're no better than the Counsule!"

	The old man just stared at her while the entire group glared at
her for speaking such blasphemy.  She quickly sulked away and
silently continued on as the General's eyes followed her more
closely.

	After her public outburst, the other Society soldiers began
regarding her with more spite and started to make verbal and
physical threats.  Cindy then resided to putting on a false
smile and blamed her outburst on fatigue, but inside her rage
and anger still burned.  Fortunately, the  soldiers' memory soon
subsided.  

	Halebit, though, never forgot.  

	He constantly reminded her of her family's death, reopening the
wound.  Her punishment for questioning his authority.  

	He even promoted her to second in command, to make her mental
torture by his hands unescapable.  As second in command, she
could see Halebit's power first hand, as well as his cruelty. 
One such occurrence she could never forget;

	As the General walked crossed the platform, the assembly of
Society soldiers became silent in awe of their leader.  The
General knew gathering the entire Society together in assembly
would offer the Timelords a golden opportunity to strike,
presenting him with an interesting problem in giving his
speeches.  Instead, the General opted to tour the small factions
of the Society across the dimensions.

	The General scanned the small group of soldiers, the last group
of this grueling tour, and methodically spoke the words
rehearsed in his mind.

	"My fellow soldiers,"  the General's voice boomed in the
silence of the attentive crowd, "I, your General, express my
satisfaction with your prowess in our battle against the
Counsule. . ."

	Cindy quickly became dulled to the General's recanted words,
until. . . .   

	"Then there are those who offer us nothing in this battle, and
I plan to make an example of . . ." the general motioned off to
one of the soldiers to his right to bring in his 'example.'

	Cindy sat upright in attention, this was not apart of the
General's normal speech.  She noticed a soldier being dragged
across the platform, the 'example.'  She knew him as one of the
new recruits who constantly fell victim to paralyzing anxiety
fits during battle drills.  Cindy felt utter disgust as she
anticipated the general's aim.

	"Now I will show you I do not hesitate to eradicate weakness." 
Halebit proclaimed. 

	Upon hearing these words, the soldier's face became paralyzed
by fear.

	The hands of the General started to burn of red energy as the
soldier began to levitate off the platform.  The crowd eagerly
waited as the soldier began to claw at his throat and struggle
for air.  Halebit narrowed his eyes and clinched his fists
harder.  

	*Crack*

	The soldier's limp body fell to the floor.  Halebit gazed at
his loyal servants as they cheered, leaving Cindy horrified at
the spectacle.  She realized how Halebit exerted control. 
That's all he ever wanted.  

	Control.  

	From that moment on, she promised herself she would bring an
end to Halebit's tyranny of the Society. . . . and of her. 

	The blonde woman blinked.  Cindy found herself staring up at
the smooth white ceiling of the apartment once more.   

	She yawned.  It seemed sleep finally decided to return to her.  

	She narrowed her eyes and scowled at the specs on the ceiling.

	'And with the Scouts' help, I plan to keep that promise,' Cindy
then drifted into slumber. 

 -End of part 2- 


Side note:

"Counsule" within this context is spelt correctly.  Why, you ask?
Well, that's how the Roman's spelt it, <shrug>.

Also, tip of the hat to Ms. Ellis, thanks babe.

Oh, and BTW, to protect my hyde, I now have a sponsor!

                    -[Cue blatant spot]-

               Blammo's Mystery Meat Kit (c).
                  Fun for ages -10 on down!
        *Stomach Pump-O-Matic (tm), not included*

                    -[End blatant spot]-

(Hey, it's better than Mixxine)

All original characters are owned and copyrighted by Bastion (c)1998, 
er, make that 1999. 
And Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and in America by DIC.

Thanks for reading, and please come again.

And party like it's 199-, oh wait...

Bastion
bastion@ix.netcom.com