^.^
Intro
The Sailor X series takes place 15-20 yrs in the future, and it assumes
that the Sailors of the anime and manga series would at some point,
like to get on with something resembling a normal life, although what
passes for normal differs from person to person. Meanwhile, the forces
of evil still threaten Earth and our universe. So, the powers of the
Sailor Scouts will be handed down to another group of teens with the
mandate to protect Earth and the universe from all who seek to destroy
them.
Returning are Luna and the other "feline" advisors/guardians. The
original group of Sailor Scouts may make appearances from time to time
as well...
The series is a bit harsher than the original. It is not strictly aimed
at teen girls, and it has a distinctly "Americanized" slant to it. If
this offends you, you are free to leave. I'd hope I've peaked your
interest enough though that you'll sample a story or two and give me
some feedback.
Thanks, and now...the Sailor X series:
Title: SX1: Manhattan Project
Rating: G
Sailor X #1 Manhattan Project By: John Brengman
The windows of the room let in the star-speckled night. The light
of the stars paled however to the light of the nearby planet, it�s
light reflecting blues and whites to anything nearby, and that included
the lunar base that was home to the Luna Foundation and the operational
center for the Sailor Scouts.
The light from Earth pooled brilliantly in shafts of light shining
through the windows that dominated the far wall of the control room.
The rest of the room was lined with various computer stations that
monitored Earth, the solar system, and various other things. No one
manned the control room at this hour of the night, so the computers
seemed content to hum and beep and whir to themselves.
All of this pleased Luna, who was basking purrfully in the
throbbing of the top of one of the control stations. �Oh, there are
times when it is good to be a cat,� was a thought that drifted lazily
through her mind as she soaked in the rhythmic pulsing.
The lights on the control panel changed to various shades of red
and began flashing insistently. An alarm began clamoring for attention,
and this awoke the sleeping cat. Taking one look at the control panel
that had betrayed her, Luna jumped down and headed for the hallway to
the residence quarters.
Reaching Brandy�s room, Luna rushed in, reaching the sleeping girl
with a quick hop from the floor to the nightstand to the bed. Quickly
the cat pawed at the covers. �Wake up, sleepy-head!� Luna thought, only
to be met with a hand that lightly batted her away. �Not now, Cat,�
Brandy said sleepily.
Luna growled at Brandy�s use of her �pet name� and bit her on the
ear.
�Hey!� Brandy yelped as she jolted awake, �what was that for?�
However, by the time she had asked that question, Luna was already
bolting for the door on her way to rouse the next sleeping Sailor.
�Darn it, Cat,� Brandy muttered as she began to dress�
==> * * * <==
�How could this happen?� Bethany inquired, her blue eyes looking
worriedly toward the windows.
�I don�t know just yet,� Melissa replied, her gaze intently tied
to the computer monitors and the information they were feeding her.
�I�m not even quite sure where to start.�
�Ask Artemis to check for weird energy readings,� chimed in a
hollow voice from the windows.
Bethany nodded and leaned against Melissa�s chair. �Yes, ask that.�
Bethany checked the computer and fed in the question. The response
was not promising?
�Infinity particles?� Melissa gasped. �What are those?�
�They are rare, dangerous, and unstable,� Vanessa answered as she
entered the control room while combing her long white hair. As the
guardian of the Timegate, Vanessa was considered the know-it-all of the
group. �Infinity particles are combined with a chemical reaction and
they perpetuate that reaction. Since the reaction also generates more
infinity particles, the original reaction chain-reacts.�
The others looked at each other as if Vanessa had explained it
perfectly.
Cassandra was the first to react. �Oh yeah,� she quipped. �I buy
it.�
An offended Vanessa was quick to go on the counter-attack. �Well,
you would understand it better if you would pay attention more in
physics class.�
Cassandra was not to be mollified however. She shook her long wavy
red hair and her eyes angrily flashed as she growled, �The TEACHER goes
too fast! I can�t keep up!�
Melissa was about to chime in and remind Cassandra that �Aunt Amy�
had volunteered to help them out with the more difficult areas of
advanced physics when Luna stopped the conversation with a loud whistle
and, �Let�s stay focused, girls!�
The voice from the windows replied, �What can we do about it?�
Vanessa went to a secondary control panel and started entering
inquiries into the computer. After a minute where all attention in the
room was on her, Vanessa straightened up and turned for face her fellow
senshi. �Artemis says that whatever happened did not happen within the
past day.�
�I could�ve told ya that,� Cassandra grumbled.
�In fact,� Vanessa continued, �the decay of the infinity particles
suggests that the accident took place more than fifty years ago.�
Dead silence filled the room as the implications of Vanessa�s
statement became clear. At about that time, raven-haired Rachel entered
the room. �Unless the galaxy�s going to explode, someone�s in big
trouble!� Bethany glanced uncomfortably over at Rachel. Although the
group did not know each other that well, one thing was etched in stone:
never disturb Rachel�s sleep.
The circumstances in this case were different.
Sandra stepped forward from the shadows near the window into the
light provided by the control room lights. �Be careful what you wish
for,� she said, her face somber as she pointed toward the window.
The planet Earth was gone.
==> * * * <==
The conversation continued as the girls and Luna neared the
chamber containing the massive Timegate.
�Do we have any idea who�s behind this?� Sandra asked.
�No,� Vanessa replied, �but very few people have had access to
Infinity particles. Queen Serenity forbade anyone in the kingdom from
having Infinity particles, and even the rulers of the Negaverse were
never insane enough to use the particles they supposedly had.�
�So, let me get this straight,� Brandy said with an angry toss of
her long blonde mane, �we don�t even know who has these particles?�
�You have the rather annoying knack,� Luna stated, �of being
absolutely correct at the most unfortunate times.�
Not liking the verbal jousting between Luna and Brandy, Rachel
broke in, �Ok! So, we go back in time and stop whatever happened from
happening again. Sounds straight enough. My question is, if Earth was
blown away fifty years ago, why are we still here?�
The girls reached a set of metal double doors and stopped. �You
may thank the Timegate for that,� Vanessa replied. �It generates a
field which protects us from the timestream.�
�Oh!� Cassandra exclaimed. �Sort of like those thingamajiggies of
yours��
Vanessa sighed. �Exactly.� She pushed a few buttons on the door
panel and the metal doors separated. The room beyond the doors was
dominated by a huge translucent dome-like structure built into the
floor. While the others watched, Vanessa stepped forward, raised her
right hand in the air and shouted, �TIMEGATE ACTIVATION!� The ring she
wore on her right ring finger pulsed then shot a green beam of light
into the dome. The light washed over the dome, then shot back and
enveloped Vanessa. The group waited while the portal and the senshi
communicated mentally. When Vanessa broke the link, the green light
continued to splash about in the dome as the portal waited for further
commands.
Vanessa went over to a table along one side of the room and pulled
several devices from the storage lockers there. When she returned, she
glanced at the group. �Are we ready?�
Sandra stepped forward. �Someone needs to stick around here in
case something else happens while we are not here. Brandy, Beth, keep
track of us. The rest of you,� she gestured toward the portal, �let�s
go.� With that, the four senshi stepped into the portal, and into the
past�
==> * * * <==
Tinian Island August 4, 1945 7:15 pm
�One scientist bet on the chances that the blast
would ignite the atmosphere. He offered a side
wager on whether it would destroy the entire
world�or only New Mexico.�
- Peter Jennings, �Hiroshima: Why the Bomb was
Dropped� (ABC News, 1995)
The staging area for a secret operation against the Japanese
homeland was a small cluster of buildings grouped around an airfield on
an scrap of land amidst the blue waters of the Pacific. One prefab
corrugated metal building stood near the end of the airstrip, and the
building was under heavy guard.
Within the building stood a large number of storage cases, neatly
stacked in columns that reached halfway to the ceiling. The cases
dominated one half of the building. The other half of the building was
empty except for a single bay-loaded bomb that sat upon its storage
stand in an area roped off from the rest of the building.
A dark figure kneeled next to the cylindrical device. He had
opened an access panel and had inserted a flat circular object about
the size of a wristwatch. The device�s magnetic bottom easily attached
to the inside of the skin of the bomb. The figure replaced the access
panel, stood and looked over to two prone forms laying nearby.
With a slight bow to the unconscious guards, the dark-robed man
murmured, �May your aim be true�although that is not really necessary.
Either way, my plan will succeed.�
�Not if I have anything to say about it!� The robed man looked
around franticly for the source of the voice�and found the group of
senshi standing just inside the huge doors of the building.
�MOON PRISM POWER!� Sandra shouted as Vanessa placed a small
star-shaped device on one of the boxes and activated it.. Sandra�s
shout was followed by, �MERCURY POWER!�, �MARS POWER!�, and �PLUTO
POWER!� as the senshi began their transformations.
Sailor Moon brought her fist down from the finish of her
transformation with a flourish and said, �I am Sailor Moon, Vanguard of
Justice! I will right wrongs and vanquish evil!� The light from the
pyrotechnic display of the transformations faded, and a voice called
menacingly from the darkness, �and you, my friend, are moondust!�
�I am sorry I do not have an equally impressive display to greet
you with,� the dark-robed man said. �Allow me to introduce myself, I am
Scaramanga, Master of Darkness. Now ladies, I will depart, and leave
you to your doom.�
�Not so fast!� Sailor Mars shouted from nearby a stack of crates.
�MARS FIREBOLT BLAST!� A searing firebolt erupted from Mars�
outstretched hand and shot angrily toward the villain. Scaramanga
quickly dodged the blast that slammed into the far wall.
�Careful now, Scaramanga scolded, �You wouldn�t want to damage
such an important part of history, would you?�
�I hate to admit it,� Sailor Moon mentally said to the Scouts,
�but he�s right. No beam attacks directed near that bomb.�
�Yeah,� Mercury growled, �well, direct THIS! MERCURY SHARD!� A
thick crystal shard appeared in Mercury�s hand as she called upon the
power of her patron planet. �Eat this, jerk!� she yelled as she hurled
the shard at Scaramanga, who caught it with a grunt and crushed it in
one hand.
�You are trying my patience.� Scaramanga stated. �DARKFORCE
ATTACK!� Wisps of dark energy burst forth from Scaramanga, slamming
into the stacks of crates, showering them down upon the senshi who
tried to scurry out of the way.
As Sailor Moon picked herself up from under a pile of debris with
the help of Sailor Mars, she mentally called out, �Pluto, are those
devices still working?�
�Yes,� Pluto replied. �We are still outside the timeline.�
�But I am afraid you are out of time,� quipped Scaramanga, who was
now floating above the bomb. �ZAI� With that command, a scorching
energy bolt erupted from his fingers and stabbed Mercury who screamed
and fell to the floor.
�Mars�, Sailor Moon mentally ordered, �See to Sailor Mercury.�
Glancing at Scaramanga, Sailor Moon noted that the villain was hovering
above the bomb, but also beneath a heavy-looking utility hook. With a
mental �Ah!�, she pulled her tiara from her forehead. �MOON TIARA
MAGIC!�
The tiara activated with a flash which illuminated Sailor Moon�s
face with a pale light. �Screwball in the side packet,� she said as she
threw the tiara at the chain holding the hook.. It ricocheted off the
chain and returned to Sailor Moon who caught it triumphantly. The hook
crashed down upon Scaramanga, who was driven upon the bomb. The hook
was deflected by Scaramanga and landed a few feet in front of the bomb.
�I thought you said no attacks near the bomb.� Pluto remarked
wryly as she approached the bomb. As she reached it, Scaramanga faded
and disappeared.
�Hey,� Sailor Moon remarked aloud for the first time, �I was being
careful., unlike some people we could mention.�
Sailor Mars just looked at Sailor Moon and smiled wickedly.
�Finished,� Pluto said as she removed the Infinity Device from the
bomb. �Mission accomplished.�
�Is it?� Mars asked.
�What do you mean?� Sailor Moon asked as she attended to Sailor
Mercury.
�What do we do about that?� Mars asked, pointing to the bomb.
�We do NOTHING about it.� Sailor Moon stated.
�But what about the people who will die when that thing is
dropped?� Mars asked.
�What about the people who died before and after this bomb was,
and I repeat WAS dropped?� Sailor Moon replied.
�We can not pick and choose here, and we certainly can not tamper
with history ourselves!� Pluto insisted.
�She�s right,� Sailor Moon said.
�Yeah, I know,� Mars replied. �It just doesn�t feel good, that�s
all.�
�I understand,� Pluto smiled. �Doing what is right often does not
feel good.�
�Yes,� Sailor Moon said. �But doing what is right when it doesn�t
feel good is what separates normal people from heroes.� Putting her
hands around her comrades, she smiled. �Let�s go home.�
==> * * * <==
Hiroshima August 6, 1945 8:02 am
A silver phoenix soared through the clouds over the southern end
of Honshu. Upon the signal from the pilot, the bombardier released a
single bomb which fell toward its target�.
From the future, Cassandra watched transfixed through the Timegate
as the ground exploded and the atomic reaction sent its plume upward as
the silver phoenix flew into the morning sun.
==> * * * <==
A sleepy Sandra stood by the window of her bedroom and gazed out
at the lunar landscape. Illuminating the dark gray of the nearby hills,
the blue ball of Earth glistened innocently. Squinting to look closer,
Sandra saw that Japan was emerging from night, about to start another
day. With that, Sandra quietly disrobed and prepared to return to bed.
** FINI **
Fanfic �1999 � John Brengman and Artemis Publishing
Sailor X series inspired by Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, c 1992 by Toei
Animation Co Ltd. and based on Kodansha�s manga production of �Sailor
Moon�, written by Naoko Takeuchi
This fanfic is freely distributed. Release date: August, 1998
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