Gr... stupid excite account...
C&C is very welcome. Ya'll enjoy, ya hear?
Life's Lessons
A Sailor Moon fanfic by Kristin Renee Taylor
Chapter Three -
"The Descendants of the Silver Millenium?"
"Yeah, I know, it's not the best name in the world. Kinda corny,
actually, but, hey, it's what we got. And it does a pretty good job
at distinguishing us from the Senshi. After all, *they* can't claim
to having lived in the Moon Kingdom. We can."
Terri pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her face in the
fabric of her skirt. "I don't understand any of this," she said
misreably.
Her rescuer laughed. "Frankly, Terri-chan, I'd be surprised if you
*had* gotten any of this. Kami-sama knows it took Ami-chan three
times before I even had a clue about what was going on."
Terri lifted her head. "So what *is* going on? And what's going to
happen to me? And Yoko... Can't we save her?"
The woman's expression saddened. "We can't help your friend,
Terri-chan, and I'm sorry about that. We've risked far too much just
to get you out of Tokyo."
"So we're just going to leave her?!"
"Hey, If you want to waltz back in there and ask for them to
release her, be my guest."
Rei's voice drifted out from the cockpit. "I've got two CTDF
hovercraft on my radar, Mako-chan."
"Can you outfly them?"
"In this heap of junk?" Rei snorted. "I'd have a better chance of
beating all eight Senshi on my own."
"'Mako-chan'?" Terri asked.
She flashed Terri a bright smile. "Name's Makoto. Everybody calls
me 'Mako-chan,' and I haven't been able to get them to stop." She
stood. "How far till we hit the Barrier?"
"Three minutes," Rei said, glancing back at them. "Two tops."
Makoto nodded. "Plenty of time." She scooped her cap up and
gestured towards the cockpit with it. "Have a seat with Rei-chan and
strap yourself in. Things are about to get bumpy."
Terri obeyed, holding the two robes Minako had given her to her
chest. Inside the cockpit, she sat down in the co-pilot's seat.
"What's the Barrier?"
Rei, wearing a black leather jacket and a black hat, looked at
Terri. The waning sunlight glinted off of her sunglasses. "The
Barrier's the place where Crystal Tokyo's magic ceases to have
influence, and its the official starting point of the Wasteland.
We'll be safe since those hovercraft can't fly past it."
The radio crackled to life. "This is the Crystal Tokyo Defense
Force. Land your vehicle now or we will be forced to fire. I repeat,
land-"
Rei cut it off. "Mako-chan? You ready?"
Wind whipped through the cockpit. "You bet!"
Terri looked around. "Where are they?" Rei pointed. Terri looked
through the right window and, by straining, she could just make out
two black dots, which quickly resolved into two, large, black oblong
shapes. They reminded Terri of giant ravens, wings frozen mid-flap.
One of them shot past her on the right, out of sight. The other
moved in front of them, easily matching their pace. It revolved
around, pointing it's 'beak' at the helicopter, which had begun to
glow red.
Terri cringed in her seat. "They're going to fire!"
Rei bowed her head, removing her sunglasses with her right hand.
"Fire..."
A small globe of swirling red energy formed at the apex of the
hovercraft's beak.
Terri screamed.
Rei lifted her head, violet eyes narrowed dangerously. "SOUL!"
Flames appeared around the hovercraft, and it jerked to one side
as a bolt of red knifed through the air. Rei yanked on the control
stick, threw herself to the right, and the laser sliced through the
cockpit's windshield to Rei's left, vaporizing the window, leaving
behind the smell of melted plastic and burnt leather.
Seconds later, the hovercraft exploded in a shower of fire and
black, smoking debris. As the copter flew through the fireball, Terri
recoiled from the flames that lept through the shattered windshield.
Rei sat up slowly, coughing in the smoke that had managed to get
in. She looked at Terri, "You okay?"
Terri nodded mutely, and gasped. "Your arm!"
The passing laser had gone straight through the fabric of Rei's
jacket, leaving her left arm and shoulder a bleeding mess. Rei
examined it critically, and flexed her hand a couple of times. "It's
nothing. I'll live."
"But-"
"Now is not the time to worry about my arm. I'm more concerned
about that other hovercraft. I hope Mako-chan's okay."
As if in answer, there was loud "whump" from behind them, quickly
followed by an exuberant "HA! Take that, ya bastard!"
Rei sighed, "Forget I said anything."
A smug Makoto took over flying the helicopter, while Rei, in the
cargo bay, used the first aid kit to treat her injury. The cargo bay
had been stripped of all furnishings, save for two crates. Shrugging
out of her ruined jacket, she broke open the top of one of them and
withdrew a purple wool sweater and a couple of blankets.
Pulling the sweater on over her head, she carried the blankets to
the cockpit and gently draped them over a sleeping Terri. She studied
the sleeping woman carefully. "She looks a lot like her father."
Makoto looked briefly at Terri. Snow from the broken window
swirled in. They had entered the Wasteland's continous winter almost
half an hour ago. "You think so? Hm... I guess she does, kinda. More
than I thought she would."
Rei hesitated, and slowly brushed a strand of hair out of Terri's
face to see her better.
<<<"You must be the new underclassman. I'm Aino Minako. You can call
me Minako-chan. Don't call me 'sempai,' though. I still have
nightmares about all of Mako-chan's boyfriends."
Startled, I looked up from my book, shading my eyes from the
sunlight. "Um... I'm sorry... I'm still not very good at-"
"How's this, then?" Minako asked, switching easily to English.
I smiled. "You speak English very well."
Minako shrugged, and sat down on the bench next to me. "I spent
a year in England. If that doesn't teach you better English, nothing
will."
"England, huh? Maybe we have a common friend up there."
Minako smiled sadly, "I doubt it. I was too busy doing stuff to
make more than a couple of friends."
That got my interest. "What on earth could you have been doing for
an entire year that so totally killed your social life?"
Minako suddenly looked at her watch. "Oh, hey! Would you look at
the time?" She stood. "I've gotta go meet my friends for our study
session. I'll catch ya later, Terri!" She jogged off, waving over her
shoulder.
I watched her go, puzzled. As I gathered my own belongings, I
noticed a strange object lying where Minako had sat. I picked it up
and studied it, thinking she must have dropped it.
A pink pen... Well, not a pen... Some sort of wand with wings and
an orange-ish crystal globe sitting on top of it. I tilted it, to
examine the surface better, and was surprised when some sort of
symbol appeared, somehow engraven inside of the globe. The wreath
meant nothing to me, but the other one...
I spoke without realizing it, unaware of how flat and emotionless
my voice now was. "This is the symbol of the Senshi known as Venus,
also known as Aino Minako. Now that I have found one, it will only be
a matter of time till I locate the others.
"Then I'll have revenge for my father's murder...">>>
Rei jerked her hand away. Shaking, she closed her eyes, bracing
herself on the back of Terri's chair.
"Earth to Rei-chan. Come in, Rei-chan."
Rei took a deep breath, and opened her eyes. "I'm sorry,
Mako-chan. Did you say something?"
Makoto looked at her askance. "I said 'We're here.'" She peered
closely at Rei. "You okay?"
Rei looked through the windshield, leaning forward so she could
see more easily through the near-blinding snow. A single finger of
blackness stood out, stark against the white. Rei smiled. "Y'know, I
don't think I've ever been happier to see the Tokyo Tower."
Terri was awake when Makoto brought the helicopter down onto a
landing pad so covered with snow as to be practically invisible,
hidden as it was in the shadow of the Tower. Neither of her two
companions seemed bother by the extreme cold, and, watching them from
the cargo bay as they tied heavy cables to the helicopter, Terri
found herself shivering even more fiercly, despite her two blankets.
Makoto saw her and climbed in beside her. She grinned and clapped
Terri on the back. "Don't worry. It's nice and warm down below."
"B-b-b-b-b-below?"
Makoto nodded.
As if taking it's cue from Makoto, the entire landing pad
shuddered. There was a loud grinding noise, and the platform begin to
sink into the ground, descending down an elevator shaft.
Terri looked up as the helicopter's blades sank beneath ground
level. She was in time to see the shaft's entrance close above her.
Lights blossomed along the shaft's walls, illuminating Rei as she
joined them, her injured arm hanging stiffly at her side.
Terri was amazed. "Those lights... They're not magical?"
"Nope," Makoto answered. "Purely electric. You have absoluetly no
idea how hard it is to find functioning light bulbs in this day and
age. Right, Rei-chan?"
Rei made a sound that could've been an agreement. Terri looked at
her, and recognized the distracted expression on Rei's face. She
sighed softly and sank into her own thoughts.
They descended for a long time. Terri dozed off, lulled by the
monotanous noise, and the appealing warmth. With a start, she sat up
straight as she realized that it *was* warm. And getting warmer.
Already, the two blankets seemed like too much, and she slipped them
off. She turned to Makoto. "How-"
"We tapped a couple of thermal vents, and quite a few hot springs.
Or, that's what I managed to figure out from Ami-chan's explanation.
It's a lot more complex than that."
The elevator opened up into a loading dock full of people. As the
platform ground to a halt, they set up a ragged cheer and swarmed the
trio. Terri found herself hugged, patted, and fussed over. Somehow,
she was squeezed alongside a wall and fell through a doorway.
Someone laughed. "Gomen. They get a little over-excited when
someone comes back from the surface. Here, let me help you up. My
name is Mizuno Ami."
Terri climbed to her feet and couldn't help returning Ami's gentle
smile. "You must be the brilliant Ami-chan that Makoto keeps speaking
aboout."
Ami blushed. "Mako-chan tends to overexaggerate soemtimes." But
her blue eyes shone with mirth. "I suppose I should formally welcome
you to our home, Terri-chan, since everybody else is occupied." She
gestured for Terri to proceed her. "Come on. I'll show you around the
base."
Now that she was no longer running for her life, Terri found
herself enjoying the other woman's presence. There was something
about her that was different from Makoto's confidence, Rei's
mysteriousness, and Minako's... Well, Ami was just different from
Minako. There was also an unusual sadness about Ami that the other
three didn't have.
The underground complex was certainly impressive, and Ami had
designed the plans for it, including the elaborate system that kept
every part of the place well heated.
The base, Ami said, consisted of five seperate levels spanning
fifty square kilometers, with the loading dock and other
vehicle-related operations being on the top, close to the cargo
elevators that allowed access to the surface.
The second level contained more workshops, but of smaller types,
excluding an extensive smithy. Ami's pride took up the entire third
level, and parts of the first two: a tri-level arboreium full of more
trees and shrubs and plants than Terri had ever seen. They stood
beneath a redwood so tall that its top brushed the roof
nearly thirty feet overhead.
Something fluttered, and a bright red bird landed on a lower
branch, head tilted as it studied them.
"A cardinal," Ami said, seeing Terri's fascination. "One of the
few species that I managed to aquire before the ice killed them." She
sighed. "I wish I could have saved more, but space was so limited...
But I suppose I should be glad that I managed to save anything at
all."
"I wish there was something like this in Crystal Tokyo."
"There is." Terri looked at her, stunned disbelief written all
over her face. Ami coughed, and the cardinal, startled at the sound,
flew off. "The Groves of Crystal Tokyo were designed to work in
concert with this, my Ark. However, things didn't go quite as I
planned. It's truly a shame, too, because some of the Groves were
supposed to contain other varieties of flaura and fauna.
Unfortunetly, my sources tell me that several of them have stopped
functioning, and the contents were lost."
"But, even without the Groves, this place is astounding. I wish
all of my friends could see this."
"You might get your wish, if everything workes out for the best."
Terri looked at Ami. "What do you mean?"
Ami looked at her, then quickly looked away. "Come, you've still
got a lot to see."
Rei walked into her apartment, locking her door with a voice command,
and headed directly for the bar. She poured herself a shot of Scotch
and downed it in one gulp, slamming the shotglass on the counter.
"What took you guys so long?"
Rei glared at Minako over her shoulder. The other woman, sprawled
on Rei's couch, grinned disarmingly. Rei grunted and poured herself
another glass. She sat down at the other end of the couch. "You left
us a couple of presents. I hope you don't mind that Mako-chan and I
opened them without your presence."
Minako shrugged. "No problemo. I was a bit occupied myself."
Rei lifted an eyebrow. "You didn't..."
Minako grinned. "You know, Venus really needs to get a life. She's
turning kinda creepy."
"Minako-chan!"
"What? Hey, I survived, didn't I?"
"That's not the point, Minako-chan. The point is-"
"The *point* is that I bought you and Mako-chan enough time to get
out of there before the Senshi realized that I wasn't alone in that
little operation, and all at the expense of my own carcass." She
snatched the shotglass out of a stunned Rei's hand and downed the
Scotch. She exhaled explosivly. "Ah, Kami, I wish more of that stuff
was still around.
"The Senshi know about Terri."
That jolted Rei's brain into working again. "How?"
Minako had been peering into the glass, now she looked up at Rei.
"You, of all the people in the world, have to ask that?"
Rei opened her mouth, but Minako cut her off. "Is the block still
in place?"
Rei shut her mouth and looked away.
Minako stood and walked to the bar. Rei jumped as she slammed the
shot glass down hard enough to crack the thick base.
Minako growled, "At least you have the decency to look guilty this
time."
Rei leaped to her feet. "That was uncalled for, Minako."
Minako spun around, blue eyes blazing with fury. "You screwing
around with Terri's head in the first place was uncalled for, Rei.
You're the reason we're in this damn mess to begin with."
Rei shook with rage. Wisps of smoke curled upwards from beneath
her feet as the carpet started to scorch.
With extreme effort, Minako regained her self control. "We can't
afford to fight, Rei-chan. Not now."
Rei closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Her voice was calm when she
said, "What do you need me to do?"
"First, we need to tell Mako-chan and Ami-chan what we did to
Terri-chan." Rei's eyes flew open. Minako lifted a hand, forestalling
her argument. "it's not fair, Rei-chan. Not to them. They need to
know if they're going to help us with the final part."
Rei sighed, and nodded slowly. "Yeah... I guess it's better they
know now from us, rather than later from Terri-chan. What else?"
"You need to undo what we did to Terri-chan."
Rei decided to sit down again.
Minako leaned heavily against the bar. For the first time, Rei
noticed that her friend was favoring her right leg. Rei shook her
head. "You don't know what you're asking me to do."
"I know exactly what I'm asking you to do. I'm your leader,
remember?"
Rei laughed sourly. "Oh, I remember all right. And Kami-sama knows
I wish you weren't."
Terri's rooms were located on the fourth level, along with everyone
elses. Ami's labs, and some sort of complex that Ami hadn't been able
to describe accurately, were on the fifth level.
Terri feared that all the luxury would spoil her. Her bedroom
alone was twice the size of her dorm. She didn't even want to try
comparing the size of her bathroom to the shower room at the
University. All the opulence threatened to make her either sick or
giddy.
Ami watched from the doorway as Terri went through the rooms,
exploring this or that. She laughed when Terri exclaimed over the
size of her closet. While Terri raided the refrigerator, Ami
explained the nearby facilaties in greater detail.
"There's a gym and baths in Section A. Feel free to use both. If
you need anything, just ask somebody. They'll be happy to help you
out. Hm... I'll have to get someone to make you some more clothes."
"How do I get in touch with you, or the others? Where do you
sleep?"
Ami got a strange look on her face. "If you ever need me, I'll be
in my lab. I usually have several projects going that require
near-constant attendance. My apartments are down there.
"As for the others... Mako-chan's somewhere around here, but she's
usually up in the Ark, helping out the gardnerers."
Terri looked up from her food search, "She likes to garden?"
Ami smiled, "Surprising, ne? But, yes, she does. And she's
excellent at it.
"However, should you ever need to talk to Rei-chan or Minako-chan,
don't bother searching for them. Those two always seem to pop up
whenever you need them. And when you don't need them, they can never
be found."
Terri nodded and took her findings to the coffee table in front of
the couch. "Huh..."
"Are you going to eat all of that?" Ami gestured to the mound of
food.
Terri grinned. "Yes."
Something on Ami's wrist started beeping. She looked down at it,
and then smiled at Terri. "Then I'll leave you to it. Try not to
gorge yourself."
Terri was too busy stuffing her face to say goodbye.
"Mercury."
She lifted Her head. "I see you survived your encounter with
Minako."
"Cut the crap. She's alive."
Mercury closed Her eyes, seeing through Her mind's eye a tiled
floor, a sink, and a toilet, all starkly lit by a single flourescent
light in the ceiling. "I am aware of that fact, Venus."
"What are We going to do about it?"
"You shall do nothing. I am already dealing with the matter."
"What!? You have the nerve to sit there and tell *Me* not to do
anything!"
Her vision shifted so that She looked down, into the sink. Water
ran from the faucet, washing down a copious amount of blood from the
porcelin.
"Venus, I am the patron Senshi of Knowledge. There is nothing that
goes on that is beyond My notice. When I say that You will do
nothing, then You will do nothing, is that clear?" Her voice was as
sharp and brittle as thin ice.
Venus's rage was evident. "What do You know that I don't, Mercury?
What have You been hiding from Me?"
Once again, Her vision changed, staring at the mirror above the
sink. The reflection revealed a pale and drawn Ami. She slowly
pressed a trembling hand to her lips.
Unconciously, Mercury mimicked the action. Opening Her eyes, She
pulled Her hand away, gazing steadily at the blood on Her gloves.
Slowly, She smiled. "Face it, Venus. I just have better sources of
information than You do."
=====
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Kristin Renee Taylor - Bad Gal Extrodinare
"If just one person likes your stories, isn't that enough of a reason to keep writing, Tomoko? The world you created in your story isn't just yours anymore!"
-Lita aka Sailor Jupiter, "A Pegasus Page Turner"
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