And we're back!

Disclaimer:   Sailor Moon is the property of DiC. No money is being made from 
this and no such intent should be inferred.

C&C,, public or private is welcome. I respond to all C&C....eventually

************************
"7. Ami is actually completely stupid. She only acts smart. 
Serena is her math tutor"
-The top twelve horrible secrets of the Sailor Senshi
****

Much has been made about the ties between faith and duty. Indeed, from a 
certain perspective, many of the worst crimes in history were committed 
because the perpetrators believed doing so was their duty as laid down by 
their faith, that in fact, they were doing good.

While faith didn't motivate Raylene Hino to earn Bunny's wrath by dating 
Deputy Shields, it did bring her to the OSA-P Sunday afternoon in the course 
of her duty as youth minister for the Mount Ryland Baptist Church, which her 
grandfather presided over.

Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. Her throat was parched from singing 
during services that morning and for some reason, the OSA-P had the best 
cream sodas she had ever tasted.

"Aftanoon, Miss Hino," said Molly from behind the counter. "The usual?" 
Raylene fought down a frown and nodded as she took a seat on one of the 
stools. After her mother had died and her father became a county judge, he 
had left her in the care of his father in law who had raised his 
granddaughter the only way he knew how; to follow in his faith.

Young Rayelene had embraced his teaching eagerly, desperate for anything to 
take her mind off her mother. But somewhere along the way, she found herself 
questioning his faith. It was as though part of her was...away...connected to 
something else that she couldn't put a name to. In the end, Rayelene had quit 
believing. But she was still the youth minister and as such, she had her 
duty.

She put all of that aside for the moment as Molly placed the cream soda float 
in front of her. Raising the straw to her lips, she sucked down the clear 
liquid, moving her head back and forth until she had maximum suction. After a 
few minutes, she stuck the spoon into the slowly melting ice cream and 
swirled it around a bit for a few minutes while she tried to figure out the 
best way to broach what was on her mind.

"How well do you know Amy Lynn?" Raylene asked at last.

"Don't," Molly said flatly. "She's got no interest in religion, and I still 
don't."

"But the-

Molly held up a warning finger. "No. Mebbe Mom buys into that black book, but 
I don't. It was written by men, an' as far as I'm concerned that doesn't make 
it God's word." She pulled a rag out of her back pocket and began to wipe 
down the countertop. "Person don't need to sit in a building singin songs and 
listening to speeches to believe. Whole thing's useless."

At that moment, from under the counter, there was the sound of something 
banging and muffled cursing. Something clanged and a door flew off, bouncing 
and sliding across the floor as smoke belched forth from the opening. The 
cursing became louder as somebody scrambled out, swearing sulferlously. They 
stood up and staggered out from the smoke, coughing and calling upon the 
wrath of every deity humanity had ever worshipped in language that would make 
Satan go; "Well really, that's a bit rude don't you think?"

To Raylene's surprise, it was Amy Lynn. After a few more minutes, she either 
ran out of curses or breath and fell silent. Leaning over the counter Raylene 
realized that Amy Lynn had emerged from the access panel that led to the 
wiring of the massive freezer/refrigerator unit/display case. She looked back 
at Amy Lynn, who was dressed in a worn mechanic's coverall. She held a monkey 
wrench in one hand, and her face was grease smeared.

Her eyes fell on Raylene, and she smiled in greeting before turning to Molly. 
"It's shot, I'm afraid," she said, with no trace in her voice of the language 
she had been using only moments earlier. "Most of the wiring is substandard, 
and the motor's essentially overloading it. That, and you've been placing 
more and more demands on the motor as you expand the unit."

"Can ya fix it?"

"I'd have to take it apart completely and even then, I make no promises."

"So that's a no then?" Amy Lynn nodded and Molly uttered a few dirty words of 
her own. "Mom's gonna love that."

Raylene, her ears burning, went to work on her drink.

****
The Crown Motel bore the honor of being Juuban Hollow's finest hotel. It also 
held the town's finest restaurant. Ed and Ned's Bar and Grill. To be fair, 
the sawdust on the restaurant's floor was at least somewhat fresh and the 
menu offered a choice between meat and more meat.

Amy Lynn stared at the check inside the card her Father had just given her 
and then back up at him. It was her birthday and he had taken her out to 
dinner.

"Dad...I...a blank check? You don't have--"

"I want to. You're going into Lawson next week for your driver's test. The 
least I can do is get you a car to put your license to use in. I want you to 
get yourself a car you like, okay?"

"I can't...Mom..."

"This isn't about your mom, Honey. I know it sounds like I'm trying to buy you
r love or something, but I'm not."

Amy Lynn stared at him. She knew he felt guilty for missing most of her life 
and that more then anything, he wanted to make up for lost time, but she felt 
that this was the wrong way to go about it. She glanced out the window. It 
wasn't even Halloween yet, but snow had come early to Juuban Hollow and the 
ground outside was covered in a white blanket. Two figures ran past, and it 
took her a moment to realize it was Bunny and Luna running to Bunny's truck, 
which was parked near the restaurant.

On the other hand...

Amy Lynn stared back down at the check and felt a demented smile spread 
across her face. "Freedom, " she whispered.

****
Amy Lynn grabbed the dashboard as Bunny weaved the truck in and out of the 
light traffic on the highway, the paper of her temporary license crinkled in 
the front pocket of her overalls. Luna sat on the seat between them, 
apparently used to Bunny's driving. There was no sign of the snowfall from 
last week, and Bunny drove with her usual disregard for speed limits.

"This is so exciting," Bunny said, for once not taking her eyes off the road. 
"Your own car. How'd your mom take it?"

"Hit the roof," Amy Lynn said, wincing as the truck nearly kissed the side of 
a convertible in the next lane, the driver responding with a series of 
speculations on Bunny's ancestry.

"Go fuck a tailpipe!" Bunny called back cheerfully, as the distance between 
the cars began to widen. "You think they'll ever get along again?" She was 
aware of why Amy Lynn's parents had divorced, but apparently believed that 
the terms homosexual and gay had something to do with breeding happy monkeys.

Amy Lynn had decided that it would probably be for the best not to correct 
her. She simply didn't have that kind of time. "I don't know," she replied, 
letting out a grunt as she was thrown against the door as Bunny suddenly sent 
the truck speeding across the lanes and down the exit ramp.

"Watch it!" Luna yelled.

Bunny ignored her as she took the truck through a tight curve, through a 
yellow light, and down a side street. After several minutes, she made another 
sharp turn onto a dirt road which ended at a large fenced in yard filled with 
cars and trucks, some barely recognizable as such. The sign over the gate 
read, "Jones Auto Salvage Yard. Jupiter Jones, Propieter." As Bunny brought 
the truck to a screeching halt, the door to the trailer in the center of the 
yard opened and a large man emerged. He was stocky rather then fat, but 
nevertheless bore a noticeable middle. His dark hair was combed back and he 
carried himself with a calm sereness.

"Ah, Miss Tusiniko, how may I be of assistance?"

"This is Amy Lynn," Bunny said. "She needs a car."

"Naturally. If you'll step this way?"

"No need," Bunny said. "Show her Roller."

"Roller?" Amy Lynn asked.

"Trust me," Bunny said. "This is the perfect car for you."

"Of course," Jones said and led them around the trailer to a small lot. In 
the middle of the lot, was an old pickup truck. However, somebody had mounted 
it on large tires and then chopped off the back of the cab and added a 
backseat and over that, a rollbar. Then, a tarp had been tied to the back of 
the cab and roll bar. At one point, the truck had been a deep gold color, but 
the paint was now faded and chipped. 

"So what's the specs?" Bunny asked.

"Automatic with four-wheel drive, completely rebuilt engine and new 
transmission. Three Thousand Dollars, including fees. Would you care to test 
drive it?"

Five Minutes Later...

Amy Lynn brought the truck to a stop back in the yard and smiled broadly at 
Bunny. "You're right," she said. 

****
By the time they returned to Juuban Hollow, the sun was beginning to set. 
While Bunny parked her truck at the curb, Amy Lynn steered Roller onto the 
clinic's front lawn and parked it there. With her mom's convertible and the 
clinic's truck in the driveway, there was no room, and to be honest, Amy Lynn 
was fairly sure that no one would notice one more car parked on a lawn.

"Well, I see you chose wisely," Doctor Anderson said as she descended the 
clinic's steps. "I trust your father will be pleased that his money was 
invested so...wisely." Amy Lynn winced at her mother's cold sarcasm. "I know 
I'm ecstatic to see that you will be in such an...utilitarian vehicle."

Nearby, Bunny shivered. "Ouch," she said to Luna. "I'm glad she's not my 
mom." Luna nodded agreement.

****
Malachite stood, arms crossed, as he watched Jeddite convince their queen 
that his latest plan was worth utilizing the Dark Kingdom's limited supply of 
energy, the bulk of which was directed at keeping the dimensional tear open 
between the pocket dimension hidden under the mountain upon which Black 
Mountain Plantation sat and the outer world.

"And so, my Queen," Jeddite said, concluding his plan. "While the humans 
celebrate their version of Samhain, the youma will strike, drawing Diana and 
Mercury's pawns out where the reserve force will crush them. Then they will 
slaughter the town and we may search unimpeded."

"I disagree, Highness," Malachite said before he could stop himself. "The 
humans will not go down easily," he continued, thinking fast, and most of 
them will no doubt be armed with some sort of weapon. There is also the fact 
that the human military is still investigating the crater left behind by the 
last youma. They too, are armed and more formidably then the townsfolk. Our 
youma are not invincible, after all."

"A good point, dear," Beryl replied, holding up the tunic she was mending to 
the light to check the stitching. "But I wonder, if you speak out of concern 
for the success of Jeddite's plan, or for your daughter, who will undoubtedly 
at the festival."

To his credit, Malachite kept his shock off his face even as his mind raced. 
Jeddite had preferred not to acknowledge the fact that their blood lived in 
the body of a human and wouldn't have said anything to Beryl unless directly 
asked. Nephrite had never been told, but that didn't mean he hadn't figured 
it out. However, he too was not in the habit of volunteering information 
unless directly asked. Which meant...his eyes slid to Zoisite, who stood 
nearby. The younger man smirked, ever so slightly.

Malachite's body turned cold with rage, and then that cold faded to be 
replaced by an icy numbness which then faded into a calm sereneness. He did 
not see Nephrite's eyes narrow. For the older man had trained Malachite and 
thus knew him better then anyone in the room. Malachite had just entered, 
what was for him, a berserker rage.

"Speaking of which," Beryl continued. "Have you determined if she has 
inherited any sort of power?"

"No," Malachite replied, his mouth moving seemingly of it's own volition, as 
though someone else was speaking through it. "I get flashes, brief 
sensations, hints of power, though nothing definite. But I believe that given 
time, she can be awakened. She would be a powerful ally, Queen Beryl. I 
promise you that she will join us or die."

"That's nice, dear, but you've run out of time.   Jeddite. When your youma 
strike, be a sweetie and make sure the child and her mother die. That will be 
all." Deep inside the recesses of Malachite's mind, something seemed to 
click.

"As you command," Jeddite said, and vanished.

"Now run along and finish your chores," she said to the others. The remaining 
generals filed out.

No sooner had the doors closed behind them, then Malachite grabbed Zoisite by 
the throat, lifting the younger man off the floor. "Why?"

"I'm doing you a favor!" Zoisite gasped. "You don't need a daughter running 
around."

"And taking my attention away from you?" Malachite asked, struck by a sudden 
flash of insight. "You disgust me, Zoie." His white gloved fingers began to 
tighten. "You're a small minded man clinging to my boots while you formulate 
your self-serving plots." He smiled thinly. "I really ought to rip out your 
throat."

"Malachite," Nephrite said, laying his hand on the white-haired General's 
arm. "Put him down. If you kill him, Beryl will know and then she will act 
against you. You don't want that, do you? Do you? Look at me, Malachite, do 
you really want to be put in conflict with Beryl?"

"He went behind my back," Malachite replied. "That's not the sort of thing 
you do to someone you love." He looked up at Zoisite, who was now turning a 
nice shade of blue. "You do love me, don't you, Zoie?" Zoisite nodded 
frantically, his efforts to loosen Malachite's hold on his windpipe weakening 
by the second. "See? He does love me," Malachite said. There was no sign in 
his voice or on his face that he was in fact, in the grip of a terrible rage. 
"Of course, that still doesn't excuse what he did, right, Zoie?"

"Gak!"

Nephrite chose his next words carefully. While he had the edge in experience, 
Malachite possessed the raw power to tear him apart without trying and as mad 
as he was, there was no telling what the younger man might do. "Listen, 
Malachite. We need him, even if he is an underhanded weasel. Four Generals, 
remember the Procephy? All Four have to be present before we can crack open 
our prize. Let me take care of him, okay? You go get something to eat and 
leave his discipline to me."

"No, he's mine."

"Trust your teacher, Malachite. Trust me. I will deal with him, okay?"

"Very well," Malachite said, letting Zoisite fall. "But he had better be out 
of my cottage by the time I return from my rounds."

"Naturally." Nephrite watched his pupil go and then turned to look at 
Zoisite. "Idiot," he said softly.

****
Say what you wanted about Juuban Hollow, Amy Lynn admitted to herself as she 
walked into Mount Ryland's courtyard, they sure knew how to throw a Halloween 
party.

Grinning Jack O Lanterns lined the fence and the air was thick with the smell 
of cooked food as around her, children shouted as they ran back and forth. In 
the center of the yard, a huge bonfire burned, adults assisting children with 
the roasting of marshmallows. She paused for a moment to watch the kids 
bobbing for apples and then turned at the sound of her name.

Molly was standing behind a makeshift counter next to another girl who was 
selling cans of soda. As Amy Lynn approached, Molly fished a can out and 
tossed it at her. "On the house," Molly called as the can thudded into Amy 
Lynn's hand. "Nice catch."

"Five years of community softball," Amy Lynn replied.

"Oh? What position?"

"Shortstop."

"Cool."

****
Janice Anderson zipped up her windbreaker and watched as the bar and the BBQ 
did a brisk business. Juuban Hollow's new doctor squirmed slightly as she 
tried to find a more comfortable way to sit on the fence. She had elected to 
sit here so that she could keep an eye on who was buying beer. Logic dictated 
that he who drank the most beer would probably also wind up needing a doctor 
the most by the end of the night. Arthur had assured her that she would 
probably only need to treat a few burns, but Janice knew her fellow townsfolk 
and thusly, everything she'd need short of surgery had been crammed into the 
large black bag on the ground at her feet.

"Hello, Janice."

Turning her head, Janice found herself looking at a woman she had once called 
friend.

"Pat," Janice said stiffly, her tone of voice speaking volumes.

Patricia Haruna visibly flinched. "I deserved that," she said. "But Janice, 
you should have told me you--" she broke off as Janice held up a hand.

"Don't," Janice said softly. "Just...don't..."

"R--right. Janice, can we talk, teacher to parent?"

"About?"

"It's Amy-Lynn. I'm not so sure public school is right for her. I think she 
would be better off at a...special school more her speed." Janice turned her 
head and stared daggers at Haruna.

"What?" she asked softly. "Are you saying that there's something wrong with 
my daughter?"

"Yes! I mean no! I--Damnit, Janice, she not only got the tractor working but 
made it hover five feet above the ground during lunch last week. Working, 
Janice, and she made it hover. You know damn well that it hasn't had an 
engine in thirty years--you helped me and Myron take it out and bury it--and 
it still weighs at least two or three tons. Yet somehow, it's not only 
working, but hovering! I'm a public school teacher! I don't know how to deal 
with this. And do you know what she said when I asked her how she did it? She 
said it occurred to her while studying the wrinkles in the page of her math 
book. Said it looked like a diagram for a car battery, hooch, and a kitchen 
magnet wired together with paper clips. How do you make the leap from 
wrinkles on a page to making a three ton cast iron rusty hunk of junk float 
five feet off the ground?"

Janice didn't answer that, partially because she didn't know how the answer 
either. But she did know what she'd say. It was one of the few things she and 
Michael agreed on even after the divorce. Amy Lynn must never be treated 
differently just because she was a genius. She would be raised like any 
ordinary child. Though they had been only trying to act for the best, it had 
backfired. Amy Lynn thought that things like coming up with three different 
cures for the common cold while in the tub was perfectly normal and didn't 
understand that nobody else did things like that. 

Uneasily, Janice thought of the trunk in her room. Under the false bottom was 
her gun and other dangerous things. But underneath the second false bottom 
was sketches of things that Amy Lynn had come up with over the years. Things 
that could be twisted for an evil purpose. Sketches for things like a mind 
reading machine, artificial intelligence, teleport, time travel, and a host 
of others. It could mean disaster if somebody...untrustworthy it's hands on 
them. Or worse, the U.S. government. She knew she should destroy the 
sketches, but Amy Lynn had made them and the mother in her would not let her 
throw away anything her child had come up with. "Amy-Lynn is a perfectly 
normal child with a few gifts that she should use to the fullest" Janice 
said. "That's what her father and I taught her. There's nothing wrong with 
her."

"N-normal?"

"Normal," Janice said, a note of finality in her voice. Her tone practically 
dared Haruna to argue the point. "Just ask her that the next time she gets an 
idea, to run it past you first. Then when she does, compliment her and try 
not to think about what she's presented you with."

"And that works?"

"It's what I told her science teacher."

"And it--" Haruna started, but broke off as the bonfire in the middle of the 
courtyard exploded outwards. Screams filled the air as burning chunks of wood 
struck people gathered nearby, setting clothes on fire. Janice fell backwards 
off the fence, pain shooting through her skull as stars danced before her 
eyes.

Willing the pain to subside, Janice got to her feet swearing every oath she 
had learned in the barracks and looked at the fire. 

Standing there was a young man with short blond hair dressed in a uniform of 
some kind. Then her eyes narrowed as the man's face began to change. The skin 
darkened, his ears extended to a point and his blond hair became a pale 
white. He wore a military uniform of some kind and his expression was a cruel 
smile. Standing next to him was a creature that seemed to be half woman, half 
cat. Its hands were covered by metal gloves who's fingers were tipped with 
long knives.

"My name is Jeddite," the man said. "Would Doctor Janice Anderson and her 
daughter Amy Lynn step forward?" He waited a few seconds and then nodded to 
the cat creature. With fluid grace, it grabbed the arm of the nearest person, 
a pregnant woman struggling to get to her feet, and proceeded to cut her to 
pieces, its arms moving almost to fast to see. Her screams died only when she 
did. "I'll not ask again," the man said.

Janice swallowed hard and moved to the front of the row. "I'm Doctor 
Anderson," she said.

"A pleasure. And your daughter?"

"I don't know." She answered honestly. 

"I see. Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find her once you're dead." He held 
out his hand, palm facing her as a sphere of energy began to form.

"Dead?"

"Orders. Your presence is distracting General Malachite and she won't have 
that. So..." he shrugged. "Nothing personal."   The sphere began to glow with 
an inner light and Janice made a decision. Nothing to lose now. Maybe he 
would be startled enough that she could do something, 

"Krishna De Vouga," she replied softly, so that only he could hear. "Calnagh, 
Cutah Mak Ganhorg...Guntah." she spat out the last word.

Jeddite's eyes narrowed. "Well, well, well, the queen will reward me--" he 
broke off as a spike of ice shattered the sphere. "What in the..." He jerked 
his head around to see where the ice had come from. Standing in the gateway 
were two young women. One was dressed in white and gold, the other in what 
appeared to be some kind of armor. Both were armed with swords. Between them, 
a giant black wolf, teeth bared as it growled.

"The priestesses. This must be my lucky night. I'll be right with you. "He 
jerked his head and the cat creature sprang forward. The wolf sprang forward 
as well and the thud as their bodies collided was heard across the courtyard. 
"Now then, Doctor, where--" the ground between them sprouted a long spear.

"How dare you lay your hands on someone sworn to save lives?" Standing on the 
branches of the big oak tree was a man dressed in a centurion's armor, the 
helmet hiding his face. A large shield was on his left wrist and in his hand 
was a sword. "A healer's task is an honorable one and I cannot let you touch 
her."

"Why me?" Jeddite sighed. As though it was some sort of signal, a second cat 
creature dropped onto the centurion from above, knocking him from the branch 
and driving him into the ground. "Now," Jeddite said, looking back at Doctor 
Anderson, only to see no one there. "Why do they always want to do it the 
hard way?"

"'Cause we don't roll ovah and play dead, Pointy," the woman in white said as 
she raised the longer of the two swords she held and pointed it at him.

"You? You're pawns, pieces in a game, the both of you." With quick, precise, 
gestures, he traced a rune in the air, and placed his hand under it, palm up. 
"A game I will win." He moved his hand as though to push it forward and the 
rune fired dozens of beads of energy, tearing up the courtyard as they flew 
at the priestesses, who were forced to dodge for their lives. Conjuring his 
own swords, Jeddite leapt forward, swinging both his blades in a deadly arc.

****
The chapel shook as yet another blast exploded outside, and Rayelene let out 
a frightened squeak as dust and plaster rained down from the ceiling. 
"Please, Heavenly Father," she prayed. "Please forgive me. I ask you to give 
me strength to face the demons even if it costs me my life. I know I've 
strayed, but I see now the error of my ways and--"

Hearing a noise, Rayelene spun. Standing on the back of one of the pews was a 
woman. She was tall, almost statuesque, with alabaster white skin, platinum 
white hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore white leather boots that came 
up to just below her knees. Her pants and button down shirt were also white. 
He long coat came down to mid-calf. Her eyes, twin pools of ebony glittered 
softly, and her smile was kind. Feathered wings sprouted from her back. 

"An angel," Raylene breathed.

"No," the woman said. "Not an angel." She stepped down from the pew and 
studied the statue of Christ over the altar. "A good man," she said softly, 
and then turned to look at Rayelene. "You pray for straying, but you were 
forgiven long ago, for there is a task you must complete. 

Your soul is an old one, with many lives. In one of them, you served another 
and were his avatar and champion. He has called you to his service one last 
time." She held out what looked like a pen. Almost as though it had a mind of 
it's own, Raylene's hand took it and she gasped as it seemed to tingle with 
its own fire and she dropped it as though stung.

"I will not serve a false God!" Raylene exclaimed.

"You say the words, but your heart isn't in them. You preach His word out of 
duty, not out of faith.   You teach, but you do not believe. Tis an empty 
life to be a messenger who doesn't believe what she delivered."

"But it's all I have."

The woman came over to her and picked up the pen and then knelt in front of 
her, laying one hand on Rayelene's shoulder. "No. You have friends. Friends 
who need you." She pressed the pen into Raylene's hand, closing her fingers 
around it. "

"Friends?" Raylene asked. She had never had friends before. The woman nodded.

"Answer the call, Rayelene," she kissed the younger woman's forehead. "This 
is your destiny." Rayelene closed her eyes for a moment as her lips touched 
her forehead and when she opened them, the woman was gone. She looked down at 
the pen and then up at the statue. "I'm sorry," she said, and fled the 
chapel.

****
Amy Lynn glanced at Bunny and then back at the one called Jeddite. The fight 
had taken them away from Mount Ryland and onto one of the old mining roads 
that went down Whatchamankinmu Hill and then followed the Pipsqueakacha River 
out towards Buchabonville, some twenty miles north of Juuban Hollow. On the 
other side of her was the strange man in the centurion costume, his sword, 
wet with the blood of the cat creatures, was back in it's sheath and he stood 
in an almost crouch, shield raised, the spear angled to intercept any strike 
that the shield might miss.

Before them, the man called Jeddite. His uniform bore numerous rips and 
scratches through them, his cuts healed over, outlined in green blood. His 
expression was not unlike that of a cornered animal and his slightly hunched 
over posture reinforced that. Luna covered the far side, teeth bared in a 
growl. In a   sense, they had Jeddite boxed in, each of them forming one 
point of a square. That was, of course, assuming that the mysterious man in 
Roman garb was on their side. Amy Lynn frowned as the tactical analysis 
whizzed through her mind and then produced a conclusion. The enemy of her 
enemy was her friend. Centurion, as she thought of him, was Jeddite's enemy, 
or at least was doing a very good job of pretending to be and therefore was 
nominally on her and Bunny's side. She gave herself a small mental shake. She 
had too many what ifs in the equation and made herself look at it like a 
scientific problem. Centurion had stopped Jeddite from murdering her mother 
and once he had dealt with the cat creature, he had repeatedly attacked 
Jeddite at every opening. Therefore, logic dictated that he was Jeddite's 
enemy and their friend.

And logic was always right.

"All right, pointay," Bunny said. "Y'all wanna scurry back under yer rock or 
do we gotta beat yor sorry ass some more?"

"No, no, I think not." Jeddite's arm twitched and the sword sprouted from 
Bunny's shoulder. The blonde went down with a strangled cry but that was 
nothing compared to the roar of sheer rage that Centurion let out as he leapt 
at Jeddite, who spun, his blade glinting in the starlight as it slashed a 
diagonal line up Centurion's chest armor, followed by a kick that forced 
Centurion to double over, curled up in pain as he hit the dirt.

Jeddite then turned and locked eyes with Amy Lynn as he began to walk towards 
her. "And then there was one. Mercury's child, alone and powerless."

"I am not powerless," Amy Lynn shot back, fighting the urge to run as 
self-preservation screamed at her. Raising her hand, she fired ice spikes at 
Jeddite, but he simply knocked them aside with the flat of his blade.

"I can smell your fear, Ice Mage," he said softly. "I can taste it. It's like 
a drug, it fills me, empowers me, makes me whole." He laughed softly. "The 
masking spell is really very good, Amy Lynn, except that this close, I can 
smell your halfblood stink." Caught off guard, Amy Lynn could only stare as 
Jeddite raised his blade and then staggered to the side as a fireball struck 
him. Several more followed and then there was a sound of a thousand windows 
shattering at once and Jeddite vanished.

"Well," said woman's voice. Turning her head, Amy Lynn found herself staring 
at a woman dressed in a red and black form fitting jumpsuit, her hair a mass 
of flames and her eyes glowing bright red. Again the veil seemed to fall away 
and Amy Lynn found herself staring at Rayelene Hino.

"Oh, no," Luna said softly.

*************
Steve "Komodo" T.
 "Then we would drink a lot of beer, and when Mantook was ready, he would 
tell me the story of the Great Moose, who said to the Little Squirrel, "Hey, 
Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat."
-Jim Carrey on Just For Laughs



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