Sebastion Fitsroy wrote:

        An influx of emotion surged through her, consuming her from the
inside out.  The child's eyes glowed from out her red silloutted

"out of her red-silhouetted"

within the cage.  Cindy jerked her head away and continued her
erratic pacing.

        Halebit broke from his meditation and observed, to his
amusement, his second-in-command pacing back and forth like a
caged animal.

        "I'm surprised a child has that much power over you, Cindy."
Halebit's taunting tone echoed from the bare platform.  "If
you're not careful, you may become weak."

        Cindy's heart ached as the echoes of Halebit's voice
reverberated upon her guilt-leadened soul.  Despite all this,
she continued her pacing in painful silence.

        "Do you have a grievance with me Cindy?"  Halebit stood,
keeping her in his meticulously stare.

        "Yes,"  Cindy voice slowly rose in defiance, "yes I do.  Why
the Silver Crystal?"

        "I have my reasons, Cindy."  Halebit's arctic expression warmed
slightly, amused at her boldness.  "Oh, I nearly forgot.  Has
Malance returned?"

        "No he has not, Halebit." Cindy cringed at the mention of her
rival in command, a grim reminder of her earlier sins.  Halebit
always had a talent for hurting others, and Cindy noticed he
never missed an opprotunity to ultilize it.  "Why did you send

"opportunity to utilise"

him after Serena?"

        "The Princess?"  Halebit's lips hinted a smile, cracking his

"at a smile"

stony facade.  "I didn't send him after the Princess, I sent him
after the Timelord."

        Cindy's mask of confidence faltered as she stammered, "W-who?"

        Halebit's smug smile widened, erroding at his face, "You know,

"eroding"

the one who killed your family."

        Cindy's eyes widened, she could hardly forget the man at the
heart of all her pain, the bloodthristy beast who slaughtered

"bloodthirsty"

her family.  She imagined him, his long locks of black hair
soaking with blood and his face splattered, with crimson stuff.

no comma after "splattered"

His eyes filled with mirth and burned with an intensity greater

"burning"

than the tormenting pits of Hell.  She could see him laughing
while licking the blood from his lips, her family's blood.  Fury
replaced her confident mask.

        Halebit continued to smile his collected smile, enjoying the
effect his words had upon Cindy.  "I should never have told you
Tracer had killed them.  Ever since then, you have let your need
for vengeance blind you, Cindy.  I consider that a weakness."

        Halebit eyes seared through Cindy.  "And I do not tolerate
weakness."

        Cindy's fury extinguished under the General's frosty gaze.  She
turned away and sat on the edge of the platform, dangling her
legs.  With her mind now clear of horrible visions, she could
hear the cage rattle gently, like a wind chime on a breezy day,
indicating the discomfort of the child within the small
confinements.

"confines"

        Cindy remarked internally at Reenie's transformation into a
mute.  Not a word came out of her mouth after Halebit's surprise
attack on the temple.  Not a word as Cindy put her into that
cage.  The eyes, though, communicated all she had to say.  And
Cindy didn't like what they said.

        Why?  They asked.  Why did you lie?  Why did you let them do
this?  Why did you misuse our trust?  Why did you waste it all?

Why ask why?  

        Cindy moved her trembling hands to her ears, and tried to
squeeze the memories, the pain, the knowledge from her mind.
Her chest heaved with her every breath, sending little tremors
through her body.  She wanted to get away from it all.  She
wanted to wake up and leave this surreal reality.  Even with her
hands on her ears she could hear the echoes of the gentle
tinging of metal from the cage ebbing her senses.  Then, through
all the rattling, she heard something she never would have
expected.

        Humming.  Cindy's hands fell onto her lap as she raised her
head.  Halebit was humming.  She twisted her head to let her
eyes prove to her unbelieving ears the truth.  There was
Halebit, eyes closed, standing in place letting his body sway to
the imaginary tune he hummed happily.

It's a small world, after all...
It's a small world, after all...

        Cindy's mouth slacked.  Never in her years of knowing the
General had she witnessed such a radical display of emotion.

        Halebit basked in the glow of his perfect plan.  The Silver
Crystal would soon be in hand and then he could finally vanquish
that demon voice, the voice of his deeply submerged emotions,
Nihil, from his mind.

        'Now, Nihil, I will show you I am not weak.'  Then, he heard it.

        Music echoing off the cold, bare walls of the warehouse.  The
sound haunted his mind as if more heavenly creatures sang a song
of victory.  He had proven his worth to everyone, to Cindy, to
Malance, to Tracer, and more importantly to the Moon Princess
and her hapless flock of minions.  The music soothed over his
senses.  He had mastered the art of control.  A master of any
other art would could not match him, for the fools didn't
realize control is power.

        'And I am power.'

        "Wha-what are you doing?"  She asked once the shock subsided.

        Halebit continued to sway lost in the dream-like rhythm.
"Can't you hear it, Cindy?  It's the music.  Sweet, glorious
music."

        Cindy continued to stare, too disturbed to react.

        The General chuckled to the absence of a reply.  'That girl
must eventually learn to respect me.'

        'No.'  Nihil's disembodied voice broke through the melody in
Halebit's mind. 'She just knows you're weak.'

        'I am not weak, and she shall learn to respect that.'  Halebit
retorted mentally.

        Still humming, the General calmly opened his eyes, eager to
melt the stubbornness of his blonde soldier.

        He stopped humming when his soldier welcomed him with a stare
of disbelief.

        'See, Halebit, you are near the end.'  Nihil taunted.  'She has
seen your weakness.'

        'Meditation will cure me of this disease, yes!' Halebit barked
his orders in rapid succession, "Cindy, wait here-"

        'Meditation will not stop me, Halebit.'

        "-You know what to do when the Moon Princess shows-"

        'I MUST MEDITATE!'

        'You're so weak.  Heh.'

        Halebit strode toward his soldier until his face was mere
inches away from hers, "And don't do anything that would
displease me."

No squeezing the toothpaste tube from the middle!

        Cindy did not move a muscle as Halebit stared intently at her
face, pausing to let his voice resonate in her mind.  "Malance
displeased me and he has yet to return."

Displease me, and I will curse you with a poor sense of direction!

        'MEDITATE! MEDIATE! MEDITATE!'

        Halebit's face solidified and he snapped his body around with
authority.  Cindy watched completely baffled while the General

comma after "watched"

marched back toward the privacy of the offices beyond the
platform.

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

        The lights of the city danced and flashed by Serena's dreary,
blank eyes.  Once those reddened and puffy pearls of blue would
not admit anymore tears, she had to face the grim reality of her

No, that doesn't work either.  Not unless the tears are flowing into her 
eyes.  

situation.  Her faith in Cindy would not falter, she knew the

Hmm.  Comma splice.

blonde Traveller had to have been forced into this.

        'I *know* it.  Everything in me knows it.'  She looked down at
her Silver Crystal, emmiting its soft glow.  'And you know it.'

"emitting"

        Darien could see Serena in the passenger seat from the corner
of his eye as he drove toward their destination.  His memory
remained fragmented after Lita's attack nearly electrocuted them
all, but he did remember the scowl of the black-haired Traveller
when he screamed at Serena.  Darien narrowed his eyes at the
disregard of that man.  Hell, that Traveller was less than a man
to treat his woman in such a disrespectful manner.  The echo of
the Traveller's voice bounced around in Darien's head, 'whore,
whore, whore, whore ...'

You know you can sing that to The Blue Danube.  

        Upon activating her compact, Amy wished beyond anything that
she would see Mina's cheery face pop up on the screen.

        Unfortunately, Michelle's grim expression crushed Amy's
optimism.

        "Yes, Mercury?"

        "Is Mina okay?"  Amy felt a nudge from Raye, "Oh, and Chad?"

        Another nudge, "And Grampa?"

        Yet another nudge, "And Ken?"

        The image of Michelle's face warmed slightly.  "Mina's a little
shaken up, but fine."

        An akward pause filled the space in the car while the other

"awkward"

 two

girls waited for Michelle to continue.  Finally, impatience got
the better of Raye and she grabbed the computer.

        "What about Chad and Grampa!?"  In her hast, Raye's raven hair

"haste"

fell into her view, missing Michelle glance off to the side.

"blinding her to Michelle's glance..."

        Raye's strained voice raked over Serena's conscience.  'I'm so
sorry Raye.  I didn't mean for this to happen.'

        "Don't worry Raye.  Everyone's okay."  Michelle soothed.

For a sufficiently loose definition of "okay"...

        Raye pushed aside her hair and stared at Michelle's assuring
face on the screen.  Her intuition screamed to her that
something was amiss but just knowing her grandfather and even
Chad were okay relieved her somewhat of her anxieties.  She felt
so torn; she felt like she was unravelling from the seams.
Betrayal, Chad's and Grampa's injuries, hurt, pain, and despair.
 All within just a few hours.

        'I just wish this would all end.  Now.'  Raye took in a breath
and nodded in compliance to Michelle, "Thanks, Neptune."

        With great care, Raye handed the computer back to Amy, who eyed
her unusually calm friend suspiciously, "Now, when are you going
to leave for the warehouse?"

        Michelle's expression and her tone sombered upon seeing Amy.
"Pluto wants to leave as soon as possible."

        Amy sighed softly.  Neutral tone and masked expressions, Amy
hated when Erica and Michelle did that.  Those two always found
ways to distance themselves from the other Scouts, and only
cooperated when Pluto pulled their strings.  Amy envisioned the
green-haired Time Guardian with strings tied to her fingers and
wiggling them eccentrically.  Little marronettes ressembling

"marionettes resembling"  

Erica and Michelle in mockups of their Scout uniforms danced
upon a stage below.

        Such a prospect and image along with it bothered Amy a great
deal.  It made trusting Michelle that much harder.  Amy glanced
at Serena seated in front of her.  Seeing Serena struggle with
her conscience because of someone else's sins moved Amy a great
deal.

        'It's time to cut those strings.'  Amy brought her determined
eyes to Michelle's image.  "If you do get there before us, tell
Pluto to wait before she decides anything, alright?"

        Michelle's face hinted apprehension.  "Alright."

        *Click*

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

        *Click*

        The sound aroused Ken's consciousness.  His throat still

"Ken to consciousness"

screamed in agony, a reminder of the old man who nearly killed
him.  He still could see the glowing red aura around the hand
constricting the life from him.  Those cold eyes.  For the first
time he actually saw the dark, abysmal color of maddness.

"madness" and it's really a kind of velvety maroon...

        The sudden tremors of footsteps shook Ken's senses.

        "What did Mercury want?"  The neutral tone came from the other
room chilled his spine.

"sending chills down his spine"

        "She wants us to wait until they get there."  Another unfamilar
voice returned.  "How's Vicky holding up?"

        'Vicky? I wonder who that is.'

        "She's a little weakened but Raye's grandfather will survive."
A third, huskier voice replied.

        "That's good."  Replied the second voice.

"replied"

        More slience and footsteps, "Are you ready, Mina?"

"silence"

        'Mina?'  He remembered that name from somewhere.

        "I-I'm okay." Strained a familar voice of . . . of . . .

        Then the realization hit him.  Hard.

        'Mina!  Lita's friend!  Oh, my precious Lita!'  His heart
throbbed at the thought of his brunette goddess.

It was his heart that was throbbing, right?  

        His mind simultaneously became swamped with all sorts of
questions, 'Where's Lita?  Is she okay? Who are these women?
Who was that old man?  Why did he want that little girl?  And
where is Lita?!'

        Ken's eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at the
vaulted ceiling ignited by a sliver of light.

Aaah!  The ceiling's catching fire!

        Carefully, Ken turned his throbbing head toward the door
leaking streams of light from fissures along its edge.  Ken
could hear the voices beyond the door, and his cluttered mind
screamed for answers to his questions.

        Ken's trembled as he willed himself to his feet and stumbling
toward the guiding brightness.  After a few excruciating steps,
he reached the door and rested his head against its smooth
surface.   More voices vibrated against his ear through the door
and Ken haulted his breathing.

"held his breath"  or at least "halted"

        "Are you ready to leave, Venus?"

        Ken's brow narrowed.  'Venus?'

        "I think so."

        "Good.  Now, if you will, transform."

        "Transform?"  Ken croaked silently, his mind now churning with
even more questions.

        'I must-'  Ken shaking steadied himself on frail limbs.

        "VENUS-" Mina's voice pierced through the door.

        '-get beyond-' A breath filled his tired lungs.

        "CRYSTAL-"

        '-this door.'  A shaky hand groped the door.

        "POWER!"

        Ken opened the door to see a fleeting glimpse of Mina holding
on high a small decorative rod, beaming with warm, golden rays.
Ken guarded his weary eyes from the stinging array of oranges
and yellows bombarding his senses.  Once Ken's eyes could stand
the dissapating glow, he saw standing in place of Mina a woman
whose beauty matched even Lita's.  Her face, her blonde hair,
her mysticism, and her scandalously short orange skirt notified
Ken that he was dealing with the one and only. . . .

Madonna!

        "Sailor V?"  Ken's voice crackled with disbelief.  "You're
Sailor V, Mina?"

        Mina looked up and waved nonchalantly, greeting her friend with
a nervous giggle.  "Oh.  Hiya, Ken."

        Immediately, every eye in the room zeroed in on the weary young
man.  Ken's cheeks flushed with embarassment, realizing that he
had unwittingly became the center of attention.   An assortment
of females ranging in various ages stood before him, wearing an
assortment of colored short skirts and bows.

        The Sailor Scouts.  Ken had seen them on TV and read about them
in the newspapers, but he'd never seen them in person before.
It was quite overwhelming.

        His rabid eyes first caught sight of a lean blonde, who he

"avid eyes"  

guessed to be Sailor Uranus judging from her short hair and
domineering stance.  Ken then noted her much more feminine
partner, Sailor Neptune, whose somewhat demure stance
counteracted her partner's outward boldness.

        'Maybe those tabloids do have an air of truth to them.'  Ken
shook his head to discontinue the unpleasant thought.

Nah.  This is a dub universe.  

        Between the couple stood a small, frail child whose skin glowed
in the light of the wrecked bedroom.  In her delicate hands,
though, she held a large glaive, clueing Ken this was Sailor
Saturn.  Though Ken felt sorry for such a girl, he found it
particularly unnerving that the sharp point of the glaive was
aimed in his general direction.  The child's gaze though,

comma after "gaze"

offered him no hostility, but the same could not be said of the
tall woman approaching him.  The look on this mysterious woman's
face offered no welcome, but regarded him as a slowly dying
animal, pondering whether she should let it suffer or end it
now.  Every hair on Ken's body electrified with anticipation.

        Slowly, she came closer to the young man with her long green
hair swaying gently while her golden staff hit the floor in time
with her every step.  Ken could feel his body struggling to move
back, but his fear weighed heavy upon his feet.

        Finally, the green-haired woman loomed over the young man and
addressed him presumptuously.

        "I see,"  Pluto's voice chilled his ears, "that you have
awakened from the attack."

And the Oscar for "stating the obvious" goes to...

        "Y-yeah."  Ken's jaw slacked and locked, refusing to budge.

        'This wasn't suppose to happen!'  The woman did well in hiding
the helplessness she felt.  'What else has changed?  Have I
failed my duty?  Why is everything wrong!?'

        Nethertheless, with no alternative, she continued.  "I'm sure
you have many questions in regards to what you have just
witnessed-"

"Nevertheless"

        Abruptly, to Ken's amazement, his stubborn mouth gave in.
"Hey, you're those guys from before!  Serena's friends, right?"

        He regretted this action immedaitely as the woman went silent
and her piercing stare became a burning glare.

Which warned him to beware
Lest she bean him with a chair

"immediately"

        "Yes, we are."  A gentle voice rang.

        Pluto turned slightly to face Sailor Neptune and Ken took the
opportunity to exhale.  Neptune calmly walked toward them, her
wavy teal hair hardly moving, defying the stern gaze of the Time
Guardian.  Neptune could sense the breakdown within Pluto.  As
long as Pluto kept denying herself things weren't going her way,

"to herself"

things were destined to get worse.  Neptune had enough things go
wrong already, and she didn't want anymore.  Not after letting
that Traveller into her home, not after being lied to, not after
being made into a fool.  Not after Cindy.

        Brushing aside Pluto, Neptune approached the agitated young
man.  Her friendly demeanor relaxed his anxieties.  He wasn't
quite sure what it was about her that made feel at ease.  Her
smile seemed so, so ... motherly.  He felt all tension drain,
and questions flew out his mouth with child-like abandonment.

        "Is Raye?"

        "Yes."

        "And Amy?"

        "Yes."

        "Serena?"

        "We all are."  Chimed in Venus from across the bedroom.
Neptune closed her eyes and smiled half-heartedly.

        Ken took a moment to digest this radical revelation.   "That
means that Lita is. . "

a talking cat!

        'There's no turning back now.'  Neptune solemnly nodded,
quietly confirming his suspicions.

        Ken's mouth opened and then shut.  He didn't know what to say.
In fact, he didn't know what to feel about having a girlfriend
who fights evil as a hobby.

        "If you are now satisfied,"  the severity of Pluto's voice
shook Ken's consciousness, "I and my 'associates' have more
urgent matters to attend to."

        Neptune glanced at Pluto with resentment at the frost put
behind the word, 'associates.'  Silently, Neptune and Pluto
marched back to where the others waited.  Both women kept their
eyes fixed forward, but Pluto murmured softly to Neptune.

        "I will remember this."

        Uranus watched the Time Gaurdian and Neptune walk back, and

"Guardian"

noticed the oddest thing.

Pluto walks like a duck!

        Her partner smirked.

        "What!?"  Raye squeaked, her voice almost exceeding the proper
volume.  She leaned closer and whispered hoarsely.  "Are you
crazy, Serena?!"

        Serena's deep blue eyes glowed in the darkness of the alley,
her whisper barely an echo.  "I want to bargain with Cindy.  I

It's not really bargaining.  

want to convince her that what she's doing is wrong."

        The Time Guardian stepped forward, her staff clicked upon the
damp concrete.  "No.  She has lied to us and betrayed us.  I
doubt this Traveller will listen to reason."

        Serena bent her head downward, letting her long flowing pony
tails fall into view.  "If I cannot convince her to give up
Reenie peacefully, I will permit you to. . ."  Serena didn't
want to say the words, but she had to.  "To take whatever means
necessary to get Reenie back."

        Pluto's shadowed features pondered this condition.  "I see.
Then, we must be prepared to attack if your plan doesn't work."

        Turning to the red silhouetted figures of the group, Pluto
outlined the plan.  "The Queen, Neptune, Uranus, and I will
proceed into the warehouse and confront the Traveller."

        Pluto noticed the frowns from Neptune and Uranus casted in the

Delete "casted"

red light and asked pointedly.  "Do you two disagree with my
plan?"

        Neptune gaze replied venomously, which bothered even Uranus.
"Not at all."

Actually our underwear is riding up.  

        "Good."  Pluto didn't give it a second thought.  She had her
job to do.  "Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus will wait out
here.  We will keep in touch by way of your communicators.
Tuxedo Mask and Mercury will monitor from the rafters above."

More likely from the skylights.  

        "What about the old man?"  Mina broke in, her voice pained with
remembrance.  "What are you going to do about him, Pluto?"

        Pluto hesitated, something in Mina's voice caused her to stop a
moment.  What had happened last time she took control of the
situation?  She played right into the enemy's hands and
practically gave them Small Lady.  Would this be any different?
She never had to struggle with unpredictability on this level
before.  It was like walking blind, and she had already fell
flat on her face.  How was this going to be any different?

        "We'll. . . we must to be prepared for anything then."   Pluto
could see Mina's eye twitch.

        "What do you mean, 'prepared for anything?'"  Raye piped in.
"I thought you had a handle on things!  You're the Time Guardian
for crying out loud."

        Pluto calmly turned to the fuming Raye.  "I must remind you,
Mars, that I cannot predict the future with the Travellers
present here."

        "Yeah, yeah.  You think you've been feeding us that line enough
times?"  Raye hissed, but a hand stopped her before the pain and
angst riddened flood of words spilled forth from her mouth.

"angst-ridden"

        "That's enough Raye."  Mina's soft, commanding voice resonated
from the darkness.  "Just trust her okay?  We need to be
strong."

        Raye twisted her head, and could see both Mina and Lita
standing firmly united.  The neon cast an eerie red aura around
the two giving them the look of two stone sentinels staring
straight through her.  Raye remarked to herself the lack of
excitement Lita displayed.  Usually Lita would tremble with
agitation just before going into a battle.  But no, the Lita
that stood before her remained calm and reserved next to Mina.
Raye knew that it would be wise not to tread any further.

        "Okay, fine.  Let's do this." Raye murmured in defeat.

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

        A slight salty wind caressed the weather-worn glass of the
window, its collection of crystal showing its age and neglect.
The window, at the sacrifice of itself, admitted nothing of the
further dilapidation within.  It succeeded in deceiving the
casual observer by distorting the faint light it ravenously
soaked in.  No one dared enter for fear of what lay beyond the
window.

That...window.  That horrible, terrifying, mind destroying window.
Few could look upon it without losing 3d6 SAN (except for the ones
who made their saving throw and only lost 1d6 SAN)

        This night was different.

        With one great pull, Tracer wrenched the seal of neglect away
from the window, exposing the empty office within to the cool
night air.  The Timelord crawled into the office disturbing the
years of peace the dust had settled.  His nose hardly flinching
from the onslaught of dust, Tracer scurried across the room,
using great cautiously avioding any weak points in the floor.
He hardly wanted the groaning floor to announce his presence to
Halebit.

        That he wanted to do personally.

        With the stealth of a voracious animal in the hunt, the
Timelord entered the main hallway, his eyes staying alert to
each and every  shadow cast by the dominating crimson glow from
outside.

Die-Hard the hunterrrr!

        "Where are you, bastard?"  Tracer breathed hoarsely, his hands
clenched on his shotgun.  "Where are you, Halebit?"

        Carefully, the dark-haired Timelord approached the end of the
hallway where another aged door stood patiently, almost
tauntingly so.  Through its distorted glass, he could see a
rippled figure, sitting rigidly as if in meditation.  Tracer
could feel the tingle of eagerness in his limbs.  It had to be
him.  He revelled in the rage enveloping his body.  All those
years he spent in the wheat fields, the eager student wanting to
please.

        But, no, it meant nothing.  Absolutely nothing.   He didn't
just to kill Halebit, he wanted to see him squirm, to taste
defeat.  And he wanted to be the one to serve it.

With a sprig of parsley, because gaspacho soup is a dish best served 
cold...

        "You are so dead."  Tracer growled under his breath, speeding
his approach toward the door, his finger rubbing againt the
trigger.

"against"

        Leaning gingerly against the door, he sucked in the
salt-saturated air and pushed the door open with his free hand.
His excitement mounted as he saw a mass of short white shoots of
hair welcoming him.

Hellooo
Hellooo
Hello!