It's been over five months in the writing and re-writing, but I'm
finally mostly satisfied with how this chapter has turned out. Not a
great deal of action this time around, but I've set up what promise to
be some very interesting encounters in the next chapter, as well as some
emotional scenes. As always, C&C is welcomed and appreciated!
Previous chapters can be found at
www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp/Paradox.html



A General Time Paradox
Chapter 10: Divided and Conquered

    Sailor Uranus opened her eyes and shook her head, trying without
success to relieve her pounding headache. She was lying on a flat
surface beneath a sky that was a swirl of colors, none of which she
could identify. She groaned. "I don't remember having anything to drink
last night..."
    "You're not hung over, Uranus," said Sailor Neptune from beside her.
"We got hit by a powerful blast just as Sailor Pluto pulled us into the
Gate of Time."
    "Is that where this is?" asked Uranus. Now that she thought about
it, the place was familiar. "Then, Sailor Pluto..."
    "... is right here," finished Sailor Pluto. Uranus sat up, holding
her forehead, to see Sailor Pluto standing vigilantly over both herself
and Neptune. "You took most of the energy from the blast, I'm afraid.
Fortunately, you were more here than there when it struck, or it would
have killed you."
    "In other words, you saved us both," summarized Uranus.
    "Did you see where the blast came from?" Neptune asked Pluto.
    Pluto nodded. "The being that attacked you came from a world where
humans live together with creatures known as Pok�mon. Pok�mon come in
many shapes and sizes, but most of them have elemental powers with which
to battle other Pok�mon, or in some cases, humans. What you saw was the
result of an experiment conducted by scientists seeking to generate a
clone of a very powerful extinct Pok�mon known as Mew. The scientists
tried to make the clone superior to the original, but their efforts
merely mutated it into the form you saw, known as Mewtwo. It has been a
willing servant of a criminal mastermind for years, but Chronite has led
Mewtwo to believe that if it can kill the Sailor Scouts, it will earn
its freedom from its master."
    "Who cares where it came from?" snapped Uranus. "How do we stop it?"
    "I'm afraid that even our powers will not be enough to break through
Mewtwo's psychic shield," Pluto said sadly. "It has the ability to
project a barrier that will stop any physical or elemental attack."
    "But what kind of attack isn't physical or elemental?" asked
Neptune.
    "I can think of none," replied Pluto. "There is one way that the
Sailor Scouts of the Inner Planets might be able to break through the
shield... but it would be too risky to put that power into their hands."
    "You have a better idea?" asked Uranus.
    Pluto bit her lip and shook her head. "No, I do not. But it must not
come to that. The risk is too great! We cannot afford to create a
paradox while trying to prevent one!"
    Uranus stood up, counting each muscle that ached as she did so.
"Well, if we can't give them the power to win, then we're going to have
to fight that thing ourselves."
    "Are you ready to fight it?" Neptune asked, her face and voice edged
with concern.
    "Of course," Uranus lied. "I'm in a little pain, but nothing I can't
walk off."
    "The best you can hope to do is distract Mewtwo from attacking the
Inner Scouts," said Pluto. "But the Inner Scouts already know too much.
You must not let them discover any more about you than they already
know!"
    "We know the drill," said Uranus. "We have to stay hidden, the Inner
Scouts have to live, we can't use our powerful attacks, they can't learn
their powerful attacks... have I forgotten anything?"
    Neptune put her hand on Uranus' shoulder. "Calm down, Uranus. You're
letting the tension get to you. We should wait until you're feeling up
to going back -"
    "No," Uranus interrupted. "We're going back now. We've wasted enough
time." She took a step toward the Door of Time and winced at the pain in
her legs.
    Neptune slid her arm around Uranus' back to support her. "We're not
going anywhere until you're ready," she insisted.
    "Let go of me," spat Uranus.
    Neptune did so, stepping back in surprise. "Uranus?"
    "You stay here if you want," said Uranus. "But the Inner Scouts are
out there fighting for their lives, and I'm not going to sit around here
and let that monster attack them any more."
    "But Uranus," Neptune tried again.
    "Go with her," Pluto commanded. "She has a point. The Inner Scouts
cannot survive this battle without your help."
    Neptune nodded. "I understand. We'll do our best, Sailor Pluto."
    "Be very careful," warned Pluto. "Do not attempt to fight Mewtwo
directly. Provide a distraction if you can, but do no more than that. I
will try to think of a way to defeat it without risking a paradox."
    "And what if you can't think of anything in time?" asked Uranus.
    Pluto smiled. "If I do not think of a solution, someone else will."
    Uranus turned back to the Door of Time in disgust. "Blind
optimism... I'm glad she's so cocky, because I'm really not looking
forward to this."
    "This time, it will be my turn to protect you," said Neptune,
supporting Uranus again as they both walked toward the Door of Time.
    "Don't," returned Uranus. "We're both protecting the Inner Scouts.
Do whatever you have to to keep them safe. If that means leaving me
behind..."
    Neptune nodded. "I've heard that order before."
    "Promise me you'll follow it," Uranus requested.
    Neptune nodded again. "I'll do what I think is right."
    "That's not what I -" Uranus began. Then the Door of Time opened,
and the light pulled them through.
    Pluto closed her eyes and held her staff in front of herself. "Inner
Scouts... it is all up to you."
*************************************************
    Sailor Jupiter shrank back from the figure before her. "What the
heck is that thing?" she asked. "Is it alive, or is it a machine?"
    Sailor Mercury tapped at the keys of her computer. "I can't tell...
the reading says that it's electronic, but it's also alive!"
    "Maybe there's something alive under all of that machinery," offered
Jupiter.
    Mercury nodded. "It's wearing computerized armor... but the being
underneath is both electronic and living."
    "It doesn't matter what it is," said Sailor Moon. "We're going to
beat it!" She grabbed the Crescent Moon Wand and held it in both hands,
as if hugging a stuffed animal to her chest.
    The creature took a step forward. A blue light glowed in the visor
of its helmet. "You are Sailor Scouts," said a deep, resounding voice in
the head of each Sailor Scout.
    Sailor Moon dropped the wand. "Who said that?"
    "It's communicating via telepathy," replied Mercury.
    Sailor Moon nodded knowingly. "Ah..." She turned to Mercury. "What's
telepathy?"
    Before Mercury could answer her, all three Sailor Scouts floated
upward, several feet into the air. Sailor Moon screamed and flailed her
arms and legs at the air. "Put me down!" she screamed. "What's going on?
What happened to that gravity stuff that's supposed to keep us on the
ground?"
    "I don't -" Mercury began, before she flew toward the brick wall
behind her, slamming into it nearly hard enough to leave an indentation.
Sailor Jupiter followed her in short order, leaving Sailor Moon the only
Sailor Scout still floating.
    "You're an interesting one," said the voice in her head. "Your mind
is different from the others', somehow. Your power is of a different
kind."
    Her power... Sailor Moon straightened up defiantly, standing at a
slight angle in midair. "That's right! Whoever or whatever you are,
prepare to be struck down by the power of the Moon!" She pulled her
tiara from her forehead and threw it at the creature. "MOON TIARA
MAGIC!"
    The glowing discus spun through the air toward the creature until it
bounced off of an invisible shield three feet in front of its body. The
creature looked down at the tiara in disgust. "That is it? That is the
special power you possess?"
    Sailor Moon yelped. "My tiara didn't even touch him! What do I do
now?"
    "All you humans do is throw roses and pieces of jewelry?" asked the
creature disdainfully. "You're not even worth the effort!" It swung its
arm to the side and sent Sailor Moon flying toward the brick wall.
    "JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!" shouted Sailor Jupiter, sending a bolt of
lightning at the creature while it was distracted. The lightning struck
the shield with no effect as Sailor Moon hit the wall face first. Sailor
Jupiter caught Sailor Moon as she fell to the ground. "Are you okay?"
she asked.
    Sailor Moon raised her arm to wipe some of the blood from her nose.
"My face hurts..." she whined.
    "That shield seems to block all of our attacks," announced Mercury.
"We'll have to find some way to break through it."
    "Well, don't look at us," said Sailor Moon. "You're the genius! You
think of something!"
    "We need to buy some time," said Mercury. "MERCURY BUBBLES SPLASH!"
Sailor Mercury's bubbles filled the air and burst, covering the street
in a blanket of fog.
    Lina sighed in exasperation. "The same old trick again..." She
raised her hand to cast the Diem Wing spell. As she concentrated her
energy, however, she felt a static buildup in the fog around her. She
had no time to react before the electricity surged through her body,
conducted through the condensing droplets of fog on her skin and
clothing. Her muscles spasmed as the charge filled her from head to toe,
frying her from the inside out. The last thought to cross her mind was
that the Sailor Scouts really made a great team, when they used their
powers together... and then she collapsed.
*************************************************
    The rocking sensation of rapid movement awoke Mina from a nightmare
of being betrayed by a trusted friend who she hadn't quite been able to
identify. The aches all over her body quickly reminded her of the truth
behind the nightmare. Amelia... a true friend; a deadly enemy. Yet she
hadn't seen the evil in her former friend's heart, even after Amelia -
no, Lina Inverse - had revealed her true nature. The story that she had
told Mina seemed believable enough... but then there was that armored
creature that had tossed both Mina and Tuxedo Mask around like paper
dolls. Why would someone who was so reluctant to fight ally herself with
such an evil creature?
    Wait... movement? Why was she moving? Judging by the spine that she
could feel her chest resting on, the arms crooked under her knees, and
the bony shoulders over which her arms were draped, she was being
carried on someone's back. But whose? Certainly not Tuxedo Mask's -
she'd have been able to feel his cape. No, this person was wearing a
single layer of thin fabric and had very soft hair which made a nice
pillow. Mina tried to open her eyes to see whose back she was riding on,
but they burned so much that she decided to leave them closed. She
relaxed and let her head roll sideways until it bumped into what felt
like a small ball of yarn, about the size of... a meatball...
    "Are you awake now, Mina?" asked her carrier, in a voice that
sounded slurred to Mina's tired ears, but still carried a familiar
warmth.
    "S'rena..." mumbled Mina. "Izzat you?"
    "I'm Sailor Moon at the moment," replied Sailor Moon, "but
otherwise, you're right."
    "Whyre you carrin' me?" asked Mina. She cringed at the sound of her
voice. Why was she speaking like she was drunk?
    "We had to run away," said Sailor Moon. "Even Sailor Mercury didn't
know any way to fight that monster that attacked you."
    "Wherzz Merc'ry?" asked Mina. She swallowed a mouthful of saliva and
tried again, focusing on each word. "Where... a-are... the others?"
    "Hold on. I need to rest for a bit." Sailor Moon stopped and slowly
bent down to deposit Mina in a sitting position on the ground. Mina
leaned back and felt a brick wall behind her. She gratefully let the
wall support her weight and relaxed her weary muscles. Sailor Moon sat
down next to her. "We had to split up," she explained. "Mercury used her
fog to cover our escape, and Jupiter shocked Lina Inverse with her
electricity so that she couldn't blow the fog away."
    Mina started to let her head droop, but a dull pain rose as she
moved it, so she let it rest against the wall. Her eyes still burned too
much to try to open them. "Where are we?" she asked.
    There was an awkward pause before Sailor Moon answered. "I don't
really know," she said at last. "I was so worried about getting away
that I forgot to watch WHERE I was going." She let out an embarrassed
laugh. "I've never seen this alley before."
    Mina started to groan in exasperation, but it turned into a groan of
pain halfway through as her right arm gave a twinge. "Mina, are you
okay?" Sailor Moon asked worriedly. "I was so worried about getting away
that I forgot to ask how you were feeling!"
    Mina sighed. "I think my arm took a beating when I got slammed into
that wall. Other than that, it's all just one big blur of pain. I can't
tell one part of me from the next."
    A comforting warmth broke through the pain in Mina's shoulders,
accompanied by a slight pressure. Sailor Moon had wrapped her arms
around Mina in a hug. "You'll be okay, Mina. I won't let anything happen
to you," she whispered.
    "I know," Mina whispered back. She felt tears coming to her eyes,
and welcomed them. The salty water relieved the burning enough to allow
her to open her eyes at last, although her tears still blurred her
vision beyond the point of utility. She blinked them away and looked
around for signs of where they might be, but the featureless walls of
the alley told her nothing. However, the echo of sobs off of those walls
spoke volumes. Mina's arms rose to encircle Sailor Moon, returning her
embrace. "Don't cry over me," urged Mina. "You said it yourself. I'll be
fine."
    "I know," said Sailor Moon, sniffing in her tears. "But it hurts to
see my friends in so much pain... sometimes, I wish I could take it all
for myself. I wish I could suffer in your place..."
    "Hey, what's with the sudden angst?" asked Mina, trying to be as
cheerful as possible. "I haven't seen you this down since Tuxedo Mask
went to work for Queen Beryl."
    "I don't know... what's wrong with me," said Sailor Moon. "Maybe
it's the sudden pressure. Even with our fight against Beryl coming up,
things were still going pretty well until a few days ago. Now we're
fighting all these new enemies, and more keep showing up every day. I
just can't help but feel overwhelmed by... well, everything that's going
on now." She straightened up, letting Mina see her face for the first
time since waking up. Between the tears in her eyes and the drying blood
crusting under her nose, she hardly looked like the same Sailor Moon.
"Do you think I'm giving up too easily?" she asked Mina.
    Mina tried not to stare. "What do you mean, giving up?" she asked.
    "I'm supposed to be you guys' leader," replied Sailor Moon, turning
away. "But I'm scared and helpless, and if that thing were to come here
right now, I'd just run away again. We're not supposed to run away, are
we? We're the Sailor Scouts, and we're the only ones who can fight the
Negaverse. If we don't do it, who will, right?"
    "Maybe it's time to admit that this problem really is bigger than
the five of us, Sailor Moon," said Mina, patting Sailor Moon
reassuringly on the back. "Maybe Queen Beryl really has found a way to
beat us. Maybe there really isn't any way we can fight that monster."
    "You think so?" asked Sailor Moon.
    "I said 'maybe,'" Mina reiterated. "But even if we can't win, what
good will it do us to just sit here and whine about it? If we at least
try, and give it our all, then if there IS a way to win, we're sure to
find it. And if not, then at least we went down fighting the good fight.
But if we don't even try to fight, then we'll die no matter what."
    Sailor Moon blinked in surprise. "You know something... that makes a
lot of sense!"
    Mina nodded. "It's like Pascal's Wager. When the only way good
things will happen is if you believe in them, then there's no reason not
to believe."
    "Then why didn't you turn into Sailor Venus to fight them?" asked
Sailor Moon.
    Mina lowered her eyes. "I... well, it's because..." She sighed.
She'd have to admit it eventually. "I didn't want to hurt Lina."
    To Mina's surprise, Sailor Moon nodded. "I know what you mean. It's
hard enough fighting people who have turned into monsters, but when
we're fighting other human beings..." She swallowed. "I just get this
awful feeling inside, like our powers were never meant to be used that
way. I can almost feel Queen Serenity urging me not to hurt anyone every
time I try to fight back."
    "That's not the reason," explained Mina. "I don't know about the new
enemy, but Lina and the others... don't really want to have to hurt us,
either. They're only fighting to save the lives of their friends."
    "What makes you think that?" asked Sailor Moon, not entirely willing
to believe her, but trusting her friend's judgment.
    "Amelia... I mean Lina, told me about her partner in her own world.
She said she was in love with him, but Queen Beryl kidnapped him and
threatened to kill him if she didn't kill us first. And she was telling
the truth. I could feel it in my heart."
    "Well, you have been friends for a few days," Sailor Moon pointed
out. "Maybe you just wanted her to be telling the truth so much that you
thought -"
    "No, I could feel it," repeated Mina. "You know how we all have some
of the characteristics of our Sailor Scout forms even when we're not
transformed? Like, Amy's really smart, Lita's a good fighter, Raye's got
a strong spirit, and you're really brave?"
    "I guess so," said Sailor Moon, nodding weakly.
    "Well, I'm really sensitive to other people's emotions," Mina
continued. "When Lina told me about her partner, she was really sad. I
could feel how much she missed him... and when she tried to attack me, I
could feel how much she hated having to do it."
    "No kidding..." Sailor Moon rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So
they're really not our enemies?"
    Mina shook her head. "I don't think so. Only the new one, the one
that looks more machine than alive, actually wants to hurt us."
    "We tried to fight it," said Sailor Moon. "It's got some kind of
shield that blocks all of our attacks."
    "Did you see the car that hit its shield?" asked Mina. "It didn't
even flinch at that."
    Sailor Moon's eyes flew wide open. "What? A whole car couldn't break
through that shield?"
    Mina nodded. "I don't think there's anything strong enough to get
through."
    Sailor Moon sighed. "It's times like these when I wish I didn't have
to be the leader." She put her hand on her forehead. "Mina... what would
you do, if you were me?"
    Mina smiled. "That's easy." She stood up, pausing every few inches
as a new muscle cried out in pain. Despite the pain, she managed to keep
a straight face as she pulled out her transformation wand. "VENUS
POWER!" She twirled and spun her way through the transformation while
Sailor Moon watched. When the light faded, she held her final pose,
doing her best to tune out the growing aches in her body. Her right arm
felt like it was going to split in two at any second, but the rest of
the pain was bearable. She sucked it up and smiled. "What would I do?"
she repeated rhetorically. "I'd fight to the end, that's what I'd do!"
She punched the air emphatically - with her good hand, of course.
    Sailor Moon leapt to her feet as well. "That's right! We can't run
away just when we're needed most!" She pointed to the mouth of the
alley. "Let's go!"
    "Didn't we come from that way?" asked Sailor Venus, pointing the
other direction.
    Sailor Moon looked at the other end of the alley and rubbed her head
sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'm off to a pretty lousy start, huh?"
    Venus couldn't help laughing despite her growing apprehension. No
matter how stressful the situation, Sailor Moon was still, and always
would be, Sailor Moon. Still, even considering the exacerbation of the
aches as her body shook, it felt good to laugh a bit. After all, with
such powerful new enemies, this would probably be her last chance.
*************************************************
    Buildings whizzed by as Sailor Jupiter fled the scene of the
confrontation with the unconscious Tuxedo Mask on her shoulders. Her
thoughts were racing just as quickly. 'What was that thing?' she asked
herself again and again. 'Electronic, AND alive? That's impossible!
Sailor Mercury's computer can't have been right!' She shook her head in
disbelief. 'Whatever it was, it was powerful! If it can just pick us up
and throw us without touching us... How are we supposed to beat that?'
    The only answer she received was a low moan from Tuxedo Mask as he
began to come to. Jupiter tightened her grip to prevent him from falling
off of her back. "Just sit tight a sec, okay? I'll find a place to stop
and set you down."
    "What's going on?" Tuxedo Mask asked groggily. "What happened to
me?"
    "I didn't see it myself," replied Jupiter, "but we were fighting a
new enemy that could slam us into walls with only the power of its mind.
That's probably what happened to you, too."
    Tuxedo Mask shook his head. "No, I remember now. I saw that enemy
you're talking about. It pointed at me, and threw... something. I felt
it hit me, and that's the last thing I can remember."
    "Something? What kind of something?" asked Jupiter.
    "I don't know," replied Tuxedo Mask. "I didn't see anything at all.
It must have been invisible."
    "Or maybe it wasn't a thing at all..." Jupiter speculated. "Maybe it
was attacking you with telekinesis." She turned a corner into an alley
and stopped to let Tuxedo Mask to the ground. He stood unsteadily,
clinging to a wall for support with the hand that wasn't clutching his
stomach. Concern crossed Jupiter's mind as she realized that she hadn't
yet made sure he was all right. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
    "Not good," he groaned. "My insides are in knots."
    "Do you think you can make it on your own?" she asked, quite sure
that the answer would be a negative.
    Tuxedo Mask stepped away from the wall, groaning with the exertion.
"I feel dizzy..."
    Jupiter caught him as he collapsed and wrapped his arm around her
shoulders, supporting as much of his weight as she could. "Just take it
easy," she advised. "Wait until you feel strong enough to move."
    "Where is it?" he asked suddenly, his voice still raspy and
breathless.
    "Where's what?"
    "The enemy," spat Tuxedo Mask.
    "I don't know," replied Jupiter. "We split up to confuse it. I guess
it must have followed Sailor Mercury or Sailor Moon."
    "It could come after you at any time," said Tuxedo Mask. "You'd
better get out of here."
    "I'm not going to leave you behind," Jupiter replied forcefully.
    "If it catches us, it'll kill us both," Tuxedo Mask reminded her.
"And I can't fight in this condition. You need to find the other Scouts.
If you combine your powers, you'll find a way to win."
    "And what good will winning do if it requires sacrificing innocent
lives?" countered Jupiter. "We don't fight just for the sake of
fighting. We fight because we're the only ones who can protect those who
can't protect themselves. Right now, that includes you."
    "This time, you're fighting to protect yourselves," said Tuxedo
Mask. "You can't do that and protect me at the same time."
    "Darien..." Jupiter reprimanded him, catching his full attention by
using his real name. "How do you think Serena would feel if I let
anything happen to you?"
    It didn't take much mental effort on Tuxedo Mask's part to picture
Serena drowning in a pool of her own tears. "Good point. She doesn't
always keep her head in the battle if she's worried about me, does she?"
He sighed. "Still, I'm the one who's supposed to protect the Sailor
Scouts with my powers, not the other way around."
    "Everyone needs someone to protect them sometimes," Jupiter pointed
out.
    "The other Scouts need your help more than I do," said Tuxedo Mask.
"You should go to them, right away. Just forget about me and go!" He
pulled his arm away from Jupiter and stepped away, heroically pushing
her away, urging her to leave. But without her to hold him up, he
collapsed to his knees, muting his heroism with his simple frailty.
Jupiter turned back to help him to his feet, but he waved her off. "Just
go!" he shouted. "GO!"
    Jupiter took a step back and stood square with her hands on her
hips. "I'm not leaving you alone," she said firmly. "That means that
either you let me take you someplace safe, or we're both going to be
here a while."
    Tuxedo Mask sighed in defeat. "You're not going to back down, are
you?"
    Jupiter stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Of course
not. The Sailor Scouts depend on me for their strength. I can't afford
to back down, ever."
    Tuxedo Mask looked up at her and smiled as he let himself be hauled
to his feet. "All right. Let's hurry, then. You need to get back to the
others quickly."
    Jupiter smiled back. "Don't worry. They wouldn't dare die before I
get there!" She took a first careful step, waited for Tuxedo Mask to
move with her, and then took another step, setting a slow pace as the
pair moved out of the alley toward shelter... not that any place would
provide much shelter if their pursuer found them, but at least they
might be able to make themselves harder to find.
*************************************************
    Pain.
    At first, it was a sudden sensation, in an instant passing from the
habitual, calm workings of life to alien waves of electricity wracking
Lina's body, filling her from the top of her skull to the soles of her
feet, as if sharp pins were poking not only into every inch of her skin,
but every inch within her body as well. Pain filled her so completely
that it replaced all of her senses. Her body was pain; her world was
pain. Within moments, there was nothing else. The juxtaposition between
pain and not-pain vanished; the barrier shattered, and the pain filled
the spaces where it hadn't been before. Every cell in her body screamed,
but Lina could not. Already, her mind had stopped functioning, stopped
thinking; but still she could feel, every tiny jolt as a nerve ending
fired its report toward her dying brain, billions upon billions of
pinpricks summing to a cocoon that surrounded her and filled her and
violated her. The torture went on as if it would never end, the pain
growing even though it was already greater than any single sensation she
had ever felt, greater even than her brain could comprehend, a pain that
shadowed the Universe itself... and then, abruptly, it stopped.
Everything stopped.
    Death.
    Lina could feel nothing in the emptiness that failed to fill the
space where her body had been. And still was, probably. It wasn't as if
electrocution could disintegrate a human body. But whether her body was
still intact or not, she could no longer feel its presence. There was a
hole in the sightless universe of her senses where her body had always
been. Not that she could sense anything around her body, either... but
after having learned to take her body's existence for granted over the
course of her life, its sudden absence stood out in the void, a
senselessness beyond senselessness. Lina suddenly found herself longing
for the pain that had torn through her only moments before, willing to
accept an eternity of torment rather than this total deprivation of
everything, this emptiness, this loneliness... Loneliness couldn't begin
to describe such a state. Loneliness meant that you had only yourself
for company. Lina didn't even have herself anymore...
    Warmth.
    It was a spark of life, seemingly a universe in itself until she
felt the space around it and realized that it was merely a tiny spot of
heat, deep within her. Yet, tiny as it was, it was still a sensation,
and she clung to it like a drifting log on a hostile tide, hoping that
it would pull her back to the world of sense. The miniscule point grew
as she focused on it, slowly taking on the familiar size and shape of
her own body. A body made of warmth, of pure life energy. She no longer
cared that her senses were dead. The warmth, the one sensation that she
could feel, was all that mattered. Having grown to fill her body, it
grew now in intensity, becoming a raging fire within her that rivaled
the heat of the sun, or even a powerful fire elemental spell. Yet for
all that it should have burned, the flame within her was not the least
bit uncomfortable. It was much more like an incredibly hot blush... or,
now that she came to think about it, almost exactly like the feeling
she'd had when Ranma had held her the night before as she cried over
memories of her past. A warmth powerful enough to devour her, but she
felt completely safe in its embrace. Somehow, she knew that as long as
the delicious heat enveloped her, no harm could come to her.
    Cold.
    It felt like an eternity before the warmth faded, but it was still
far too soon that it began to ebb. As the fire left Lina's body, a damp
chill took its place. At first, Lina thought it was merely an
overreaction to the sudden removal of such an intense heat, but as her
senses returned, she could feel tiny droplets of water on her skin. The
sound of her heartbeat echoed within her, and she took a deep breath
that smelled of the aftermath of a heavy rainstorm. The air was so thick
with water vapor that she coughed it up immediately, her tired muscles
forcing her to roll onto her side on the rough asphalt. The jarring pain
of coughing was uncomfortable, but as much as it hurt, Lina embraced it
gratefully; even pain could be a blessing when the alternative was the
emptiness of death. She pressed her arm against the surface of the road,
pushing herself up into a sitting position, surprised at how little
exertion it took. Once her head was comfortably off of the ground, she
opened her eyes, but a dense fog prevented her from seeing her
surroundings.
    "Are you well?" asked a deep voice that seemed to come from inside
her head.
    "I think so," she mumbled. "I feel kind of woozy, but it doesn't
really hurt anywhere."
    "Can you stand?" asked the voice. "Can you use your magic?"
    "I don't know. Let me try." Lina got to her feet with little trouble
and raised her arms. "DIEM WING!" A warm wind blew past Lina, blowing
the cold fog away and clearing the air. "Seems to work fine," she
announced as she got her first glimpse of her surroundings. She quickly
took in the deserted park and the line of empty cars before turning to
the mass of machinery and glowing fur that stood beside her. Something
seemed familiar about it, but she couldn't quite place it. "Do I know
you?" she asked.
    "I am Mew Two," it responded. "We are allies in this fight against
the Sailor Scouts."
    Lina cradled her head in her hands as it began to throb with dull
pain. The spell had taken more out of her than she'd thought. "Mewtwo?"
she repeated. "So you're the one who helped me?"
    "As I said, we are allies," replied Mewtwo. "I thought you would be
of more assistance to my cause alive than dead."
    Lina's heart nearly froze again. "Dead? You mean, I was..."
    Mewtwo nodded. "Your life functions had stopped. I revived them."
    "But, how did you... you can bring people back from the dead? That
takes incredibly powerful white magic! How can something so -" She broke
off, hesitant to use the word 'evil' to describe someone who had just
saved her life.
    "I do not understand my own power completely yet," answered Mewtwo.
"This body, and these powers, truly belong to another."
    "Huh?" Lina scratched her head. "You're borrowing your powers from
someone else, like a monster? How can you do that if you don't even know
how to use them?"
    "I seem to have confused you," said Mewtwo. "I am but a clone of an
ancient Pok�mon known as Mew, created from genetic material found in one
of its fossils in a modern scientific laboratory. The scientists in
charge of the project sought to create an advanced version of the Mew,
and I was the result. According to their estimates, I have all of the
powers and abilities of the original Mew, but a stronger mind and body.
However, they did not seem to know the true nature of Mew's power well
enough for an accurate comparison."
    "So you're trying to prove that you're better than the original?"
asked Lina. "Well, isn't THAT a familiar story..."
    Mewtwo's eyes seemed to narrow behind the visor. "Why would I wish
to prove myself better than Mew? What purpose would such actions serve?"
    Lina shrugged. "It's what the last clone I met wanted to do. Maybe
you're not as evil as I thought you were..."
    "Evil?" Mewtwo shook its head. "I am not evil. I merely follow the
commands of my master."
    "Yeah, I've heard that line before, too. Everyone's just doing their
evil master's bidding."
    "You do not believe that I am innocent of wrongdoing," said Mewtwo.
After a pause, it continued. "I see. You also hold your own wrongdoings
against yourself, even when you are coerced. You believe that it would
be noble to sacrifice yourself in order to protect the innocent, rather
than having to destroy them in order to preserve your own existence. Yet
you still act as you are ordered."
    "And I hate having to do it," said Lina. "I take it you don't?"
    Mewtwo shook its head. "There is nothing wrong with fulfilling one's
will to survive. It is all that I have. You have desires, dreams,
emotions... I have life, and nothing more. No purpose, other than to
exist." It turned its head to stare into the sky. "And what is a life
without purpose? A meaningless existence, worthless both to itself and
the world. But to serve one with purpose, and to become an integral part
of fulfilling that purpose... That is a purpose that I can fulfill. Only
then do I become useful."
    Lina hummed thoughtfully. "That's an interesting way of looking at
it. So you're just following orders because you have nothing better to
do?"
    The glow in Mewtwo's visor disappeared. "You trivialize my
situation."
    Lina quickly shook her head. "Not at all! What I don't understand
is, if you're supposed to be following orders, why are you talking to me
instead of killing the Sailor Scouts?"
    "Your condition took priority," replied Mewtwo. "I had to make sure
that your death and subsequent resurrection did not have any serious
side effects on your physical health or mental condition. Besides, I
have kept careful track of the locations of the four Sailor Scouts who
fled this location. I can proceed with their destruction at any time."
    "Really?" Lina rubbed her cheek with a finger. "So, where are they
now?"
    "Yeah," agreed Ryoko, "where'd they go?"
    Lina whirled to face the space pirate and Ranma, while Mewtwo didn't
move a muscle at their surprise appearance. "When did you two get here?"
Lina demanded.
    Ryoko shrugged innocently. "Well, I just happened to be in the
neighborhood..."
    "Are you okay, Lina?" asked Ranma. "You look a little... burnt."
    "Yeah, getting electrocuted tends to do that," Lina replied
flippantly. "But thanks to Mewtwo, I'm fine now."
    "Mewtwo?" repeated Ranma, staring at the feline Pok�mon uncertainly.
"Uh..."
    "I believe the words you're searching for are 'thank you,'" supplied
Mewtwo.
    Ranma's eyes darted from side to side, searching for the source of
the voice, before he decided that it really wasn't important. "Yeah,
thanks," he said.
    Ryoko cleared her throat impatiently. "If you guys are finished with
the etiquette lessons, I believe we have a job to finish?"
    "Yes," agreed Mewtwo. It pointed into the park. "Sailor Moon and
Sailor Venus are currently in that direction, about three minutes'
flight from this location. I suggest that Ranma accompany Lina to fight
them." It raised its other arm to point toward a building across the
street. "Sailor Jupiter and the man in the cape are in a warehouse
nearly four minutes' flight in that direction. Ryoko, you should deal
with them." Finally, it swung its arm slightly to the left. "I will deal
with Sailor Mercury myself. She is trying to devise a strategy for
defeating us, and I cannot afford to allow her time to finish her work."
    "A strategy?" asked Ryoko. "You think it'd work?"
    "It might," replied Mewtwo. "It certainly has promise. But it will
never come to fruition." With that, it vanished.
    Ryoko hummed. "Weird... it talked like it knew what her plan was."
    "I think it did," said Lina. "It's some kind of mind reader, among
whatever else it can do."
    "Can we trust that thing?" asked Ranma. "It gave me the creeps."
    "It gave us directions," corrected Ryoko. "I don't care what it is
or what it can do; if it can lead me to the Sailor Scouts, I'll follow
it straight to Jurai and back if that's what it takes!" She rose into
the sky and took off in the direction Mewtwo had indicated as Sailor
Jupiter's location.
    "I don't care what she thinks," Ranma said to Lina. "I still don't
trust that Mewtwo thing."
    "Mewtwo saved my life," Lina informed him. "Whatever it is, it's not
really evil. It just... doesn't really know what to do with itself."
    Ranma chuckled inwardly. "Yeah, but it doesn't turn into a girl when
it gets wet," he muttered.
    Lina selectively ignored the comment. "Ready to go?" she asked.
    Ranma sighed. "Sure. Let's go," he said, looping his arm around her
shoulders. Lina nearly jumped at the sudden contact, but once the
initial shock was over, she felt her heart racing for a different
reason. "Is something wrong?" asked Ranma, concerned.
    "No, I'm fine," said Lina. 'It's business,' she reminded herself,
wrapping her own arm around Ranma's waist. "LEVITATION!" she shouted. A
sharp pang of pain shot through her brain, drawing a cry from her lips
before she could bite it back; but aside from the pain, the spell
activated as she had expected, and a wave of air lifted her and Ranma
slowly off of the ground.
    "Something's wrong," said Ranma. "You're having trouble with your
magic, aren't you?"
    "It's nothing," replied Lina. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
    "That's not what it sounded like to me," said Ranma. "You'd better
land. I don't think you should be using your magic for anything
dangerous, like flying."
    "I'm fine," she repeated. "It only hurt for a second. I can't even
feel anything now."
    Ranma sighed and tightened his grip on Lina. "All right. Just don't
lose it when we're up in the air. I don't want to fall to my death
because you can't keep the spell up."
    "If you just relax, I'll have a lot less trouble staying up," Lina
snapped irritatedly. She easily soared into the sky above Tokyo and flew
toward the place where she would meet Sailor Moon and - if she had
transformed yet - Sailor Venus. It wasn't an encounter she was looking
forward to... but the past days had seen precious few of those anyway.
At least, if Mewtwo was as powerful as it seemed, this one would be over
quickly.
*************************************************
    Sailor Mars took another excruciating step, clenching her teeth
against the wrenching in her side as she lifted and dropped her foot for
the umpteenth time. She had been walking for an eternity; yet she still
had an eternity to go. The vision was still there, still burning a
spiritual arrow into her heart, pointing the way to her destination;
that direction was all she could feel through the numbing pain. Oblivion
lingered on the edge of her consciousness, waiting for the tiniest lapse
in her concentration through which it could claim her, but the flame
within her heart kept it away... for the time being, at least. But that
protection would not last much longer. She had long since felt the last
of her life energy ebb away to nothing. It was all she could do to
remain conscious and hold on to the power of Mars as her lifeless body
struggled to remain on its feet and moving ahead. The Planet Power
running through her veins was the only thing keeping her alive now. If
she let it go, she would die.
    The wound in her side had long since stopped bleeding, but she still
clutched it with her left hand as if to prevent what little of her life
remained from escaping through the same portal. Her right hand clung to
the walls of the buildings she passed, holding her upright against
gravity's deadly pull; if she fell now, she would not rise again. Yet in
spite of all the strength she could muster, her body was tiring quickly.
Her vision was so hazy that she couldn't even see her own hands, or the
hair that fell in front of her face every time she lowered her head to
take a few breaths before continuing. She couldn't tell anymore whether
the beads of water on her cheeks were tears, or simply more of the sweat
that poured from her like a waterfall, leaving a trail in her wake that
showed traces of blood as early as two blocks back. She didn't know
where she was or how far she had left to go - it could be one more step,
or one more mile. She couldn't even remember where she was going... only
that she had very little time to get there, and if she failed, the
Sailor Scouts would be destroyed by a power that she could barely begin
to imagine.
    One more step, and she slid her hand forward along the wall to find
another handhold. Tragically, all she found was the corner of the
building. She would have no wall to lean on for the next few steps,
requiring her to draw even further from her already depleted supply of
energy to cross the - street? alley? There was no way to tell how far it
would be to the next wall except to press on until she reached it.
Sucking in a deep breath, she pressed harder on her wound and lifted a
high-heeled foot, wheezing with the exertion. One step, another step,
each one more dizzying than the last. Only two steps from the wall, and
already her brain felt like a brick inside her skull. Bent over forwards
at nearly a right angle, Sailor Mars lost her balance and fell, quickly
taking another step forward to catch herself. Her heel came down on the
edge of the curb, and the sidewalk fell away under her toes, dumping her
on her face in the street. She heard brakes screeching, and the rush of
air passed mere inches from her head as the car swerved to avoid her.
She steeled her stomach and rolled to the side, pulling herself onto the
curb before another car was forced to attempt the same maneuver.
    As she lay there on a sidewalk somewhere in the middle of Tokyo,
Sailor Mars heard her breath come out in strangled gasps as her throat
closed up, as much from the shock of the near death experience as from
having used far too much energy that she didn't have to begin with. The
world turned to a swirl of tan-and-navy plaid before her eyes as she
began to pass out from lack of oxygen. The endless darkness of oblivion
surrounded her, pressing against her, trying to overwhelm and consume
her, and she had to fight to keep it away. "Stay... awake!" she croaked,
forcing the words out in an effort to stave off unconsciousness.
Unfortunately, the world continued to slip away as the power of Mars
within her lost its solidity. She stretched out her hands, clasping her
fingers as if to hold Planet Power in them, but the energy oozed right
through them and out of her body; and through the gap, the blackness
poured in, filling her with its horrible taint. She fought to push the
darkness back out of herself, but it was like trying to move a giant
water balloon with her hands - every time she pushed it away from one
part of herself, it bulged into the surrounding areas and continued
flooding into her. Her soul cowered in the center of the flood,
completely engulfed by the void except for the tiny thread that
connected her to Planet Power - her final lifeline.
    Then, the darkness grabbed that thread and began to pull on it, and
Raye's grip began to slip as the thread slid through her fingers as if
it had been greased. 'Somebody, please help me!' she begged as she clung
to Planet Power with all of her fading strength. 'Mars... Queen
Serenity... anybody! I can't... hold on... forever...'

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

BLUE: Tell me if this sounds messed up to you. First there's the Pokemon
Gameboy game. Then there's a card game based off the Gameboy game. Now
there's a Gameboy game based off the card game based off the Gameboy
game! Isn't that messed up?
PINK: ...
BLUE: Uh, hello?
PINK: Sorry. I stopped listening after you said Pokemon.

My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp


             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'