We're not dead, just pining for the fjiords...


	"Poor Libra, dying like that," Onogiri Sayuri said to Leo as he
paced about the great Chamber of the Zodiac with her.  She wasn't sure why
he was here, or what they were doing.  "Are they still trying to figure
out what killed her?"

	"Oh, we all know what killed her; the only question is proving
it," Leo said grimly.  "You'd think Scorpio could have had the patience to
wait just one day...which means Libra probably found something out."

	Sayuri, Leo Istarii (for she was now Leo's heir), stopped.  "You
think she murdered Libra?"

	"It looked like a stroke.  But members of the Zodiac, as a general
rule, do not suffer instant death by body failure at her age.  Perhaps I
am paranoid, but I think something is going wrong.  I don't know if
someone has betrayed us or if someone has been subverted by the Dark
Kingdom, or what.  But I can feel the darkness growing.  Can't you?"

	Sayuri stopped and closed her eyes and opened her mind to the
currents of destiny as she had been taught.  What was, what is, and what
should be.  She could feel them shifting, subtly, darkly.  Her senses
weren't good enough to be sure of how or why.  "Yes, I can," she said.
"It is...isn't it possible that the Dark Kingdom murdered Libra instead of
one of us?"

	Leo sighed, staring at the symbols on the floor.  "Yes.  But I
don't want to believe that."

	"Why?"

	"Because if the Dark Kingdom can undetectably murder the Ascendant
One of the Zodiac, then none of us can hope to stand against them, and we
are doomed."

	They both stood uncomfortably in the silence.  "Perhaps if we can
get the Star Princess and take her power, since it rightfully belongs to
us..."

	"We need the Star Orb.  Which remains lost.  So long as it remains
lost, even if we take her, all we can do is stare at her.  The Orb is the
key to unlock that door.  And all our divinations for thousands of years
have been unable to..."

	There was the sound of running feet.  Leo slid smoothly into a
ready position for combat; Sayuri imitated him a little more clumsily.

	Cancer ran in, her red hair flying about wildly.  "I have...well,
news.  Some good, some bad, all urgent."

	"Go on," Leo said.

	"The Senshi are after the Star Orb."

	Leo stared, his brown eyes filled with shock.  "They found it?"

	"Apparently, it is in the Dark Kingdom.  We don't have the full
details, but the majority of them have gone to the Dark Kingdom to get it.
And it looks like the Dark Kingdom is preparing to attack."

	"We have to get it," Leo said.  "And we have to stop them."

	"I know.  I just finished talking to some of our agents and found
all this out.  We'd best gather...those we can trust, and decide what to
do," Cancer said.  She glanced briefly at Sayuri, then at Leo.

	Leo nodded.  "We have to act, and act quickly.  Come with us,
Sayuri."

	"Yes, sir."  Sayuri followed him out of the room and prayed she
wasn't about to get in over her head.


*****

Naru:     I'm tired of always running
          I've grown tired of the night
          I wish I had some cunning,
          Had some power, had some might.

     We see a collage of Naru running from monsters,
grabbed by monsters, trapped inside big moss balls by
monsters, etc.

Sailors:  You don't need to keep on running.
          You don't need to fear the night.
          We can save you with our cunning,
          With our power, with our might.

     We see a collage of images of Usagi and the other
Sailors saving Naru and many other people from monster
attacks.

Naru:     I don't want someone to save me;
          I'd just like to save myself
          I don't want to be a helpless doll
          That must sit upon the shelf.

     We see Naru sitting at her window, looking out on the
starry night sky of the city.  One by one, lines trace the
constellations.

Pluto:    If you want to have the power
          You must reach into your heart
          Look inside to find your strength
          For that's where power starts

     We see Pluto holding out an eight-pointed star, which
hovers just above her hand.

*****

Sailor Moon Z:

Series Concept by Jeff Hosmer and John Biles
Primary Writer this Episode: John Biles

Based on the Series Sailor Moon, copyrighted by a whole lot
of people who aren't us.

Episode 23
"Waiting for the Hammer to Fall.
 Can the Zodiac be Stopped?"

*****

	Steven paced nervously.  Probably nothing was going to happen.
Probably he was just missing a day of school.  Probably Minako would
emerge triumphant.  "Still nothing, Ryo?" he asked.

	Ryo looked up from his homework.  "I have not had a vision since
the last time you asked me that, thirty seconds ago."

	"I'm not sensing any danger," Augur said.  There were magical
advisor cats everywhere, snoozing under the table, lying draped on
people's shoulders and heads, half-stuck into cabinets and so on.  The
advisor cats had all mobilized to help guard Naru, should the need for
fighting arise.

	Futsu-Nushi no Kami stirred from his nap.  "Hermes is still on
patrol, right?"

	"I think so," Ryo said.

	"We're fine, then.  Dogs aren't good for much, but they have good
noses." Futsu-Nushi no Kami rolled over and went back to sleep.

	"I should be with them," Naru said.

	Umino sighed.  "Naru-chan, honey, we just had this discussion
fifteen minutes ago."

	"I don't want to be coddled."

	"Miss Anderson won't coddle you at all if you don't get your
homework done," Clark said, not looking up from his book.  He was taking
notes from the novel he was reading, his hand moving jerkily across the
page of his notebook; they could all tell he was tense, but weren't sure
why.  "I can give you all an English lesson if you need a distraction."

	There was a terrible silence.

	Then Umino said, "That might help, actually."

	Steven said in English, "Not a problem for me."

	Ryo said, "No, no, that won't be necessary, Maguson-sensei."

	"No English!" Himeko said.  "Please, no English."

	Steven went and stared out the window, looking at his reflection
in the glass.  The courtyard of the temple was perfectly peaceful.  Go and
Hermes were roaming around the grounds, watching for trouble.  His hand
crept down to reassure him that the sword was still at his hip; he could
feel the faint pulse of its power as his hand drew near it.  It was a
dream given form.  It made him feel a little better to have it, even
though he knew little of how to use it best; it helped that the blade
itself would guide his hands, once drawn.  And he'd learned the basics of
it while staying at Dia's estates.  Unfortunately, mastery of the sword
took years, and he didn't have years.

	"Let's do another horoscope," Naru said to Augur.

	"I don't think the stars have moved much since..." he began, then
stopped as she stared at him.  He licked his lips nervously.  "Alright,
let's do another horoscope."

	Himeko put her homework aside and turned to watch, as did Steven.

	Naru got out a piece of paper from her backpack and quickly drew a
circle, then began to cover it with symbols, periodically checking a large
book she also extracted from her pack.  He could see tiny strands of
energy flowing around her hands as she worked, and around the cat as well.
The Star Power.  His own power of the Sight was growing stronger; he
couldn't use magic very much, but he could see it, and he was getting
better at telling what it was for.  He could see the Star Power inside
her, if he made any effort to gaze a little deeper, could see the bond
that tied her to Umino, could see Augur tapping the power as well.

	The air was full of things which no one else but him and maybe Rei
could see.  Rei didn't have the full range of the Sight which he did,
although her own senses were better trained than his.  It was sometimes
good, and sometimes it just meant he knew there were things going on he
couldn't do anything about.

	"See?" Augur said.  "Everything is going to be fine."

	Naru frowned at the horoscope.  "It's all so vague."

	"Probably because you're fatigued from too many horoscopes.  Also,
we don't know the best questions to ask, yet."

	"Best to just work on your homework," Artemis said.  "Fretting
yourself to death won't help."

	Naru tore up the horoscope in frustration.  "This waiting is
killing me."

	"It's going to be alright," Umino said.  "The Senshi beat the Dark
Kingdom back when they were a lot weaker.  They'll be fine."

	"Pluto is too obnoxious to die," Himeko said.

	"AAAAH!" Ryo suddenly shouted.

	Everyone leaped to their feet; cats suddenly sprang alert
everywhere.  "What?  What did you see?" Naru asked in a panic.

	"Oh man, Daichi's not going to be happy," Ryo said.

	"What?  What is it?" Himeko asked, grabbing his hands.

	"He's going to get a soccer ball in the face," Ryo said.
"Probably this morning."

	Himeko grimaced.  "Don't panic us over a soccer game."

	"It was just like...for a moment, I thought it was coming at my
face," Ryo said.  "I'm sorry."

	Steven sighed and stared out the window again.  I hope he's okay,
Steven thought.  Daichi had stayed at school because he didn't even have
any weak powers and he missed class too much without doing it
deliberately.  But he's probably worried too, Steven thought.

**********

	Momonochi Hikaru, the school nurse, sat back up.  "He'll be fine,
Hikaru," he said to Hibino Hikaru.  "He just needs a little rest."

	She let out her breath.  "Good," she said.  "He took that soccer
ball right in the nose."

	"See, I told you," Daichi said.

	Hibino Hikaru put her hands on her hips.  "Don't be macho, Daichi.
You could have had a broken nose."

	"Well, it is possible to die from having your nose driven into
your brain," Momonochi Hikaru said.  "But that doesn't happen easily."

 	Hibino Hikaru's eyes crossed in horror at the thought.

 	Daichi got up.  "Well, back to class."

	They headed out into the hallway.  Hikaru asked very softly, "Is
Himeko on a Sailor mission?"

	"Yeah," he said softly.  "Big strike against the Dark Kingdom.  I
can't say more about it."

	"Is she going to be okay?" Himeko asked as they started down the
stairs.

	Daichi paused and stared at her.  "Who are you and what did you do
with the real Hikaru?"

	Hikaru punched Daichi in the arm, startling him again.  "Daichi, I
am capable of worrying about people, you know."

	"You two have been feuding for years."

	"Stupidly," Hikaru said.  "Like I told her...I've given up.  I
know you'll never love me, not even if the heavens open up and tell you
to.  And if we're not fighting over you, there's no reason for us to
fight.  I've been so obsessed with chasing you that I hardly have any
friends.  Because no one wants to listen to me ramble on about you all the
time."  She sighed and stared down the stairs as she started down them.
"You knew about the whole killing the ninja-me thing, didn't you?"

	"Yeah," he said.  "I couldn't figure out how to snap her out of
that."

	"Well, I did.  And I just...I saw we were going to be friends.
Himeko and you and I.  It's not what I longed for, but it's a lot better
than what we've had.  You have both been better to me than I deserved for
all the aggravation I've caused you."  Hikaru sighed.  "You know..."

	She stopped on the landing.  "I joined the Transdimensional
Defense Club because you joined it.  I thought it was really silly, but
now..."

	She stared out the window as he caught up with her.  "I've seen
monsters.  I've FOUGHT monsters.  And rival groups of...I don't know what
to call the Zodiac.  There are things, things out there that would destroy
us, wipe out humanity, wipe out our world.  Some of them may be after me,
thinking I know more about the Senshi than I do.  Doesn't it scare you
sometimes, Daichi?"

	Daichi stared out silently at the grounds of Tsunami.  A tough
looking old cat snoozed on one of the benches by one of the walkways.
Several cleaning ladies were pushing a cart across the grounds towards one
of the dorms.  A robin perched in a tree, watching the cat warily.

	"I nearly died several weeks ago," he said softly.

	Hikaru froze in place.  She remembered her own near brush with
death.

	"Fighting against Pyroxenite. He's one of the Dark Kingdom's
generals.  Robellia and I had to fight him, all by ourselves, while Mars
and Erika and Hime-chan were in the middle of a magical rite."

	"Robellia?" Hikaru asked.

	"It's a long story, but many people from here have duplicates in
the Kingdom of Magic, where we had the fight.  Robellia is your
duplicate."

	Hikaru's eyes widened.  "Did she...I mean...does she..."

	"She is a magician, like everyone there.  Anyway, I had to block a
flame blast from Pyroxenite with my body to protect them.  I should have
just killed him when I had him helpless earlier, but I couldn't do it.  I
couldn't kill someone I thought was no longer a threat."  He shuddered.

	She reached towards his shoulder, then pulled her hand back.
"You're not a killer," she said softly.

	"I may have to be," he said.  "If the Dark Kingdom invades, I
can't afford to hesitate.  I can't let someone get away who might...who
might hurt someone later.  But I don't...I don't want to have to do that.
I wish I could forget all this, but I can't.  If the Senshi...if the
Senshi fail, there's only going to be us.  And it's going to be a war."
His hands clenched into fists.  "If Himeko dies...I...I will probably
become very, very stupid.  And it's going to be your job to stop me."

	Hikaru gulped.

	"I'm a soccer player, not a general.  I can get people to follow
me, but I'm not a tactician.  And if Himeko dies...I will do something
crazy.  Don't let me.  And if I die...you're going to be in charge."

	Hikaru felt her nerves jangle.  "Don't say that."

	"It's you or Yuu.  Would you put Yuu in charge of a war?"

	"No," she said softly.

	"Maybe...maybe it won't come down to this.  The Senshi have beat
all their previous foes, but now...two at once...I don't know.  If it
comes down to us, I fear we won't have Hime-chan to lead us.  And if we
don't have her, I don't know if I will be of any use."  He turned to face
her.  "Which means, that it will be up to you."

	"But...but I'm not a general either," Hikaru said.  "I can do a
little martial arts."  She executed a reasonably nimble snap kick.  "I was
studying it to try to impress you, but... you never noticed."  She sighed.
"But I'm not a general."

	"You're a leader," Daichi said.  "As shown by the fanclub you led
all these years.  And you've got strength.  You just never used it for
anything useful before.  And you can be more ruthless than me or
Hime-chan, if you have to.  Yuki is a good tactician; we're going to need
her.  Listen to her advice, if it comes down to...down to you."

	She nodded solemnly.  "I will."

	"We'll know by tonight, if they're coming back okay.  I think.
The club will need to meet either tonight or tomorrow, so get the word
out."

	"I will," she said.

	"We'd better get back to class," he said, starting down the
stairs.  "I'm counting on you, Hikaru."

	"Pyroxenite..."  The name suddenly clicked with her.  "He's the
one who sent people to kidnap me.  Is he dead?"

	"Yes," Daichi said.  "I nearly died stopping the explosion when he
tried to blow himself up once he saw he couldn't win."

	"Good," she said.  "I don't know how much I can trust the Senshi
to succeed, having seen them in action, but...maybe most of them are
smarter than Minako."

	"Yes, they are," Daichi said.  He sounded quite confident of that.
"Not that it's too hard to be smarter than Minako."

	"So you know who they all are?  I've figured out some of them,
but..."

	He continued down the stairs.  "I know them all.  I'd be with the
other Auxillaries, but I don't even have weak powers, so Himeko told me to
go to class."

	"Also, you're going to flunk if you don't go to class more often,"
Hikaru said.

	Daichi winced.  "You're so blunt, Hikaru."

	"I'm good at that," she said.  It felt good, being able to be
really honest with him.  "The truth hurts sometimes.  It hurt me.  But
whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger, I guess."

	She paused at the bottom step.  "You never called me Hikaru to my
face before."

	He paused, blinking.

	"Until today.  I was always 'Hibino-san'."

	"I didn't want to encourage you," he said.  "By being too
familiar."

	She shook her head, as if shaking thoughts out of it, then smiled.
"Let's go, Daichi."

	"Let's go."

***********

	Yuuichiro had the distinct feeling something had gone wrong.  He'd
wanted, NEEDED to help them, so he'd jumped after them at the last second
so they couldn't say no.  Part of him knew this was probably suicidal, but
he had to go.  Rei needed him.  Even if she probably didn't need him.

	He'd always been able to tell he loved her more than she loved
him; he accepted that rationally, if not emotionally.  But she was the one
for him; he hoped she would see that one day, though he feared she would
not.  But whether she did or not, he would do his best for her.  He could
do no less.

	Unfortunately, right now, his best consisted of wandering lost
through seemingly endless corridors, armed only with a wooden sword and
his wits.  Dark blue and green crystal glowed softly around him,
reflecting distorted images of him back at him.

	He stopped, leaning against the wall, and tried to figure out what
to do.  Just wandering mindlessly would only get him to starve to death or
fall down some chasm.  He sat down and began to meditate; it wasn't easy
to imagine the Sacred Fire in his mind, but once he did, it soothed him.
He gazed into it, hoping for some vision.

	What he saw was more frustrating than helpful.  He saw his first
meeting with Rei, but this time, she was as taken with him as he was with
her.  Long walks in the park, and days spent in prayer before the fire
together.  The lore which eluded him in reality came to him easily in his
vision, and together they battled evil.

	He did not want to watch this story of things that might have been
but weren't, but he couldn't stop himself.   It hurt deep down, to see
these things, and know they couldn't be.  Because something was missing.
He was inadequate, somehow.  He'd done something wrong, or something was
wrong with him.  He wasn't worthy of this happiness.  But Rei was.  She
deserved to smile like that, and yet, she seemed unhappy so often.

	Because of him.  Because he was a failure.  He felt a great gloom
settle over him, felt his energy draining away, replaced by despair.  He
never did anything right.  He was hopeless.  What was the point of even
trying?  Nothing, nothing at all.

	He sat and basted in his own despair.

***********


	"Yes, ma'am.  He skipped school today," Takashi said.

	Polly frowned.  "And he's not home sick?"

	"No, ma'am.  His girlfriend..."

	"I'm his girlfriend!" Polly snapped.

	"Sorry, ma'am.  His mistress isn't in class either."

	She frowned, tapping her phone with one finger.  "If he doesn't
show up by the time school lets out, call me again.  I will have to do
something."

	"Yes, ma'am."  Takashi hung up while Polly put away her cellphone
and headed back to class.  I hope he's alright, she thought.  Stupid
senshi have probably gotten him killed or something.

***********

	Steven's head came up from his homework, as did Ryo's.  Something
was wrong.  He wasn't sure what it was, but something was definitely
wrong.  "Did you feel something, Ryo?" he asked.

	"Yes," he said.

	Himeko frowned.  "You too?"

	"I didn't feel anything," Clark said.

	Naru frowned.  "Maybe...I'm not sure if I felt something.  I may
be imagining it."

	"I felt nothing," Umino said.  "Maybe something changed history?
And you all felt it because of...umm, something.  Maybe not."  Umino
frowned, scratching out an equation.

	Cassandra cocked her head and sniffed the air.  "I do not think
history has been changed by time travel, but it is possible something
momentous just happened."

	"Well, evil isn't rushing over the world in a great tidal wave,"
Steven said.

	"Maybe it means you will all fuse together to form Voltron," Umino
said.

	They stared at him.

	"A joke," he said.  "Man, it's getting dark outside.  I guess we'd
better order some takeout."

	"Pizza," Steven suggested.

	"I want ramen," Umino said.

	"Anything as long as it has some fish in it," Himeko said.

	"We're going to argue for an hour, then decide on pepperoni and
anchovy pizza," Ryo said.

	"That works," Himeko said.

	"I guess I could handle that," Umino said.

	"Fine by me," Clark said.

	"Excellent," Steven said.  "I have coupons somewhere."

	"Can we add hamburger?" Naru asked.

	"Sure," Steven said, and went and placed the order.

	"That didn't take an hour," Umino said to Ryo.

	"You thought I had a vision about what kind of pizza we would
order?" Ryo asked, laughing.

	"You...."  Umino was mad, then started to laugh.  "How often do
you do that?"

	"Not every often," Ryo said.  "Or it wouldn't work."

	Steven went and placed the order, then came back.  "I hope we're
not here all night."

	"I expect it'll be done one way or another soon," Umino said.
"Unless maybe the Dark Kingdom has weird time flows and it's only been
seconds there."

	Luna frowned.  "Well, they beat Beryl herself faster than this."

	"But if Jadeite had beaten them, I expect he would be sending
forces to finish us off, using the Silver Crystal," Artemis said.  "So we
shouldn't get too down."

	"I think we're in far more danger from the Zodiac than of them
losing," Go said.  "After all, they beat the Dark Kingdom before, when
they were much weaker and only five of them.  Nine Senshi, plus Endymion,
went this time, all much stronger.  I'm sure they're just fine."

	Isis stalked over to Ryo.  "No visions?" she asked.

	"Nothing useful," he said.  "Just worries about my homework and
Ami."

	"Maybe I can help," she said.

	"Are you any good at chemistry?" he asked.

	"That is a form of alchemy, is it not?" she asked.

	"Sort of."

	"I have some knowledge of that field."

	"I can help," Clark said, perking up a little.  "I am a science
teacher, mostly."

	"And me," Umino said.  "I'm just smart."

	Ryo laughed a little.  "Alright, let's see what we can figure out
together."

**********

	Tethys walked down the tunnel, trying to decide what to do.  She
felt guilty about leading the Senshi into a trap.  Which was entirely
stupid, given that she owed them nothing AND she hadn't even known there
was one.  She also felt irritated that the extent of Jadeite's reaction to
her return had been a brief hello and assigning her to serve under
Magnetite.  Playing flunky to a withered old man.  Again.  Not that
Magnetite was a horrible boss, but he was basically a glorified butler.

	His first order to her had been for her to go rest and report to
him in the morning.  But she couldn't sleep.  Not with that disgusting
Aurora snuggling up to Jadeite.  How could he prefer a brainwashed
teenager over her?  It was pathetic.  Unless, maybe, he was the one being
brainwashed and this was all some Senshi trick...  She dismissed the
thought.  The Senshi were sure this had been a kidnapping, and she doubted
they could act well enough to fool her.

	Well, maybe if I play Civilization and burn a few cities, I'll
feel better, she told herself.  "Horus, can you..."  She paused.  Dammit,
no Horus, no computers, no snack food, and no entertainment.  She'd
forgotten how utterly boring the Dark Kingdom was, until now.  About all
there was for entertainment was tormenting each other or the occasional
monster attack.

	Then she heard soft crying and mumbling up ahead, around a corner.
Cautiously, she crept up, feeling like being petty.  She saw the temple
boy, Rei's grandfather's flunky, sitting cross-legged and weeping.  There
was an Imp on his shoulder, draining his sorrow energy.  Imps were
annoying as hell, and Tethys hated them.  They would nudge your emotions,
and then once you broke down, they'd drain your energy.

	She squeezed off a shot with what energy Magnesite had given her,
and the Imp caught fire and died.  She then strode up to the boy,
examining him.  He looked strong, but stupid.  The sort of person who made
a perfect pawn.  Hmm, yes, this might have potential.

	She assumed a human appearance, and approached him as he was
coming out of his Imp-induced haze.  "Hello, there, are you alright?" she
asked.

	He looked up at her in confusion.  "You don't look like a
monster."

	Appearances can be deceiving, she thought.  "My name is Theresa,"
she said.  I can cover up my lack of knowledge about his homeland by being
a foreigner, she thought.  "I was visiting Japan and these horrible
monsters kidnapped me.  I managed to escape, and I've been on the run ever
since."

	"They have Rei," he said hollowly.  "And I don't know what to do
about it."

	"Who is Rei?" Tethys asked, giving him a hand up.

	"She's..."  He struggled for words.  "I am one of her
grandfather's disciples.  She was kidnapped by the Dark Kingdom as well,
and I came to try to rescue her with some people, but somehow, I got
separated from her."

	"Well, I know my way around the places the Youma often don't go,"
Tethys said.  "Just follow me."

	He nodded, and Tethys headed off down the tunnel, trying to decide
what to do with her new pawn.

**********

	Polly strode across the grounds of Tsunami.  Time to go find out
what is going on, she thought.  She'd been staying away from Steven, much
as she didn't want to, because she'd been afraid of blowing her secret
identity to Minako.  But now...she had a very bad feeling, and she had to
know what was going on.

	And then there was a tap on her shoulder.  She spun, only to find
Leo, Virgo, Capricorn, Cancer, and Leo's Istarii, Sayuri, all together.
"Gemini-P, we have need of you," Leo said.

	"I'm busy," she said.

	"It's about Libra's death."

	Polly winced.  "Alright, alright, let's go."

********

	"Still no word?" Daichi asked Himeko over the phone.

	"No.  We're starting to worry, but Augur keeps saying that the
lack of good news is not conclusive proof of bad news, so we're trying to
not panic," Himeko said, her voice tense.  "And I can't see anything bad
or good in the near future.  I suppose maybe I should go consult the Time
Pool."

	"Yeah.  I've called a meeting of the TDDC tonight.  Do you think
you can make it?"

	"Probably not," she said.  "But I'll try.  What time?"

	"Eight."

	"I'll see what I can do," she said.  "You be careful, okay?"

	"Yeah, I will be," he said.  "You too."

	"I'm always careful."

	"Liar."

	She frowned.  "I am!"

	He laughed to hide his tension.  "Let me know if anything
happens."

	"I will," she said firmly.  "You be careful too."

	"You're repeating yourself," he said.

	"I am not!" she snapped, then tried to calm down.  "Just...I don't
want to see you get hurt."

	"Me neither," he said.  "I expect you're in more danger than me."

	"Well, if anyone was going to attack, I expect they would have
attacked by now," Himeko said.  "I'm sure we're safe."

***********

	"We should strike now," Aries urged, striding back and forth.

	Scorpio turned from her equipment and leaned against her
workbench.  "Not yet.  The past disasters of the Zodiac against the Senshi
have come from piecemeal, poorly planned assaults.  While it is possible
the Sailors have all rushed off to die at the hands of the Dark Kingdom,
it is also possible that the Senshi are setting a trap for us.  While
Sailor Moon is not very smart, some of the others are.  We may miss an
opportunity, but I am going to wait to strike until I am sure the Senshi
have been eliminated."  She looked thoughtful.  "However, I can think of
another possible threat we can probably eliminate now.  It should draw the
Senshi out...yes."

	"What are you thinking?" he asked.

	"Gather a group of our Star Guard and get Taurus and Pisces to
help you.  I want to see the Trans-Dimensional Defense Club eliminated.
And I especially want to see Ichiwara Yuki captured.  And Hibino Hikaru.
They seem to know a lot about the Senshi.  Information which may be useful
for planning our master stroke."

	Aries nodded.  "Yes, Ascendent One.  We will go at once."

	"Don't be too hasty.  They are just children, but they have good
weaponry and the Senshi may be watching."

	"I'll be careful," he said.

	She didn't need her Zodiac powers to know he wouldn't.  She
resolved to call Pisces and ask Pisces to keep a rein on him.

********

	What a trusting sucker, Tethys thought as she led Yuuichiro into a
small cave where she had decided to stash him for now.  He doesn't suspect
me at all.  "Alright.  You can rest here, and I'll see about scavenging us
some food."

	"I don't want to rest," he said stubbornly.

	"You got drained by an imp," she said.  "You're in no condition to
fight.  There are dangerous things in these tunnels."  She hoped none of
the really dangerous things was feeling bold enough to come this close to
the occupied tunnels.

	He sighed.  "I'm so useless."

	"You are not useless.  Just tired," she said.  "Once you've rested
and I've found us some energy, we can look for Rei, okay?"

	"Alright," he said, sighing.

	She watched him fall asleep, then went off to find him some energy
and try to decide what to do with him.

********

	Naru paced like a caged leopard.  She'd finished all her homework
and eaten dinner, and now she had nothing to do but fret.  Umino watched
her walk for a minute, then said, "Well, since we don't have anything to
do...maybe we could play a game or something?"

	"Did you bring anything?" Naru asked.

	"Umm...not really.  I have some cards, though."

	"I know a tarot card game," Augur suggested.

	"I'm going to go consult the Time Pool," Himeko announced.  "I'll
be back soon."

	"Maybe someone should go with you," Clark suggested.  "Best we not
split up more than we have to."

	Cassandra said, "I'll go with you."

	"Me too," Pokota insisted.

	Hermes concentrated and assumed his humanoid form, a sturdy,
dark-haired dwarf.  "And I," he said.  "It'll get me away from all these
cats."

	Go raised his head from his nap and simply glared at Hermes, who
did his best to ignore him.  Isis simply head-butted his leg.  "Good
luck," she said.

	"Thank you," he said, surprised.  "Let's go."

	Himeko transformed and summoned the gate of Time, stepping into a
space beyond space, where Pluto's pool sat and surveyed the future.

	The Younger Pluto concentrated and struck the pool with her staff.
The waters rippled, and images began to flow and flux within the water.
Cassandra said, "You have to calm your mind."

	Hermes waved a small crystal lens over the pool.  Pokota asked,
"What are you doing?"

	"Recording it all," he said.

	Himeko cleared her mind, and focused on the image of Crystal
Tokyo.  Nothing happened.  She frowned and concentrated again, this time
thinking of the date instead of the place.

	She couldn't see anything at all, just darkness and the ripple of
water.  "It isn't working."

	Cassandra stared intently, then waved her paws over the water.
She frowned, then closed her eyes.  Her body flowed and changed, growing
taller and bipedal, until finally, she was human, short and thin with long
purple hair.  She began to wave her arms over the water, fingers flying
freely.  Finally, she said, "It would appear..."  She hesitated.

	"What?" the Younger Pluto asked.

	"It probably means that it is currently sufficiently unlikely for
you to be alive at that time, that you can no longer see it.  Since your
powers only work on the time stream in your lifetime," Hermes said.

	The Younger Pluto twitched.  "Water!  Show me my most likely
death!"

	The waters rippled, and now she gazed upon the burning wreckage of
Tsunami High School.  The Trans-Dimensional Defense Club lay scattered
through the wreckage, dead, as monsters rampaged across the school.  She
could see herself and Hikaru, back to back, trying to guard Daichi's
unconscious body from on-rushing hordes of monsters.

	Then Jadeite strode through the horde, with Hematite to his left
and Rei, clad in black armor and her sigil gleaming blackly from her brow,
to his right.  The Younger Pluto watched her vision-self gesture at Hikaru
and Daichi, who glowed and vanished.  And then Rei slammed her hammer into
the ground.  It cracked open and half-swallowed up the Vision-Pluto, who
retaliated with a Dead Scream.  Rei battered it away with her hammer, and
then Jadeite threw a glowing green bolt at Vision-Pluto's chest.

	The blast staggered Vision-Pluto, who began to wave her staff over
her head, with the end glowing brighter and brighter, purple energies
building around the amethyst set into a golden circle at the end.  Rei and
Hematite rushed forward, and Vision-Pluto hurled the glowing purple
energies at Rei, who prepared to parry it.  But at the last second, they
turned and immolated Hematite, who screamed and collapsed.

	Seconds later, the Hammer of Mars crushed Vision-Pluto's skull.
And the waters glowed brightly, then faded to reflect only the sky.

	The Younger Pluto shivered.  "No!  It can't happen like that!"

	"The future is not set in stone; it can still be changed,"
Cassandra said, shuddering.  "Though if Rei has gone over to Jadeite..."

	"If she hurts Daichi, I'll beat her to death with her own hammer,"
Himeko said angrily.  "I will KILL her."

	Pokota said, "Hime-chan, I'm sure Daichi will be alright."  He
hugged her as much as a three inch tall lion doll can hug anyone.

	Cassandra put a hand on her shoulder.  "It is only what may be.
Do not let it cloud your judgement, or you will be unable to prevent it
coming to pass."

	"Can you get this thing to show you the Sailors?"  Hermes asked.

	"My powers only extend to seeing the future," the Younger Pluto
said agitatedly.  "Like Umino.  And Steven only sees the present."

	"If there was someone who could see the past, who could tell us
what happened..." Hermes mused.

	"If there is, I don't know who it could be," the Younger Pluto
said.  "But maybe the others will know. Let's go."

***********

	"You think she was murdered?" Polly asked in horror.

	"The Ascended One does not drop dead of natural causes while
ascended," Leo said.  His voice vibrated with power and an undercurrent of
fear.  "Either the Dark Kingdom did it, or else, one of our own is a
traitor."

	Polly hugged herself nervously.  "Surely none of us would..."

	"If the Dark Kingdom can murder the Ascended One without being
caught, we are doomed," Leo said.  "But surely they would rub it in our
faces.  And I find it hard to believe they could pierce our fortress and
leave no trace at all.  It must be treason, and I think Scorpio did it."

	Everyone stiffened.  "But...why bother to murder Libra when her
own ascendance was the very next day anyway?" Polly asked.

	"I think Libra knew too much," Leo said.  "But I don't have proof.
I just know that I don't trust Scorpio and someone has to be responsible."
He frowned.  "But all I have is suspicions.  However, if we can get the
Orb of Stars, then we will be in a position of strength."

	Saggitarius, who had joined them after they picked up Polly,
shifted nervously, his hooves clattering.  He was the eldest of the
current Zodiac, strangely ageless, and the only one who wasn't human.  He
was a centaur, and if his stories and the records were true, he had seen
thousands of years go by.  No one was sure why he was still alive, though
he claimed his father had been a god.  "If we get the Orb, Zodiac law
requires we turn it over to the Ascended One."

	"Yes, it does," Leo said.  "Unfortunately, I think we will have no
choice but to bend the rules."

	"If we start doing that, what makes us any better than those we're
opposing?" Sayuri asked.

	"Rules cannot cover every potential situation," Leo said.  "This
may come down to civil war, where the rules have no meaning.  If Scorpio
is innocent, we can turn over the Orb when we are sure of that.  But if
she is not, we need to be ready for her."

	"We should get my brother," Polly said.  "He needs to hear this."

	"Are you sure we can trust him?" Leo asked.  "I do not like the
look in his eyes."

	Polly glared at Leo.  "He is my BROTHER.  He would never betray
me, and even though he can be a butt sometimes, he's not a bad guy.
And..."  She frowned.  "Without him, I can't turn into Gemini-P to
actually be of any use."

	Cancer sighed.  "Alright.  If we must, we must.  Let us go and see
him, and then we must prepare for our strike."

***********

	"See the past?" Naru asked.  "I can't..."  Then she paused,
remembering Yumeni's painting.  It had been a painting of the Star
Kingdom, she suddenly realized.  Of it's fall.  And that other painting...

	Naru said, "Do any of you know Yumeno Yumeni?"

	"She was one of the Seven Shadows," Ryo said.

	"She's that artist, right?" Umino asked.

	"I've heard of her," Clark said.

	Steven said, "Not really."

	Naru said, "I think she may have some ability to see past
events...a lot of her paintings show past events. But they were all really
extremely in the past, so if she has a power, it may not work for recent
events.  Or things in other dimensions.  Also, I'm thinking we should see
if Professor Tomoe can spy into the Dark Kingdom with his lattice-thing."

	"I don't know if it can actually pierce dimensional barriers,"
Umino said.  "Can't hurt to try, though."

	"Alright," Himeko said.  "Give Yumeni and Tomoe-sensei a call.  I
have to go see Daichi."

	"Call him," Naru said.  "We may be all that's left, and we can't
afford to split up."

	"I _have_ to go see him," Himeko said.  "The Dark Kingdom may be
about to attack!"

	"You didn't see any of us dead there, did you?" Steven asked.

	Himeko blinked.  "No, just people from the TDDC."

	"Which could mean that what you saw is the result of you going off
by yourself to see him," Steven continued.

	Himeko stared at him in horror.  "But...that could mean he's in
danger!"

	"I'll go," Clark said.  "I need to go pick up the papers that were
due today, anyway.  They may need your time powers to help Yumeni."

	Himeko fumed, then nodded.  "Go.  Quickly.  We meet in the
audiovisual room in the Science Building."

	Clark nodded.  "Right.  I'll be back as soon as I can."

********

	"Perhaps we should stay here," Chester said to the others.  "So
that if you die, we will be able to notify your Istarii.  Polly and I are
close to Nadir, and I don't know if we would be of much use."

	"We need all the manpower we can get, but I see your point," Leo
said.  "Sayuri, you will be staying here.  If we fall, someone will need
to inform the others of the presence of the Star Orb in the Dark Kingdom."

	She frowned.  "I want to go with you!"

	"Gemini may be an inch from Nadir, but at least they are trained,"
Leo said.  "Your training has just begun.  You will stay, ready to pass on
the information, should it become necessary."

	She frowned and nodded.  "Alright."

	"Alright," Leo said.  "Capricorn, we will need one of your
dimensional shift devices."

	He nodded.  "Follow me."

*********

	Professor Tomoe sighed.  "It's not designed for looking into other
dimensions.  So if they're in the Dark Kingdom, I won't be able to find
them.  But I will see what I can find."

	"Isn't there some way to reattune it?" Himeko asked.

	"Not without having the right data so I don't have to try to
search every possible dimension," Tomoe said.  "And everyone who might be
able to give me the information I need is gone."

	Himeko frowned, though Tomoe couldn't see it over the phone.
"Well, try and scan our dimension for them, let us know what you find."

	"I will," he said, his voice tense.  "Let me know if anything else
happens."

	"I will," she said.  "I will."

*********

	Yumeni walked nervously into the room.  "Hi, Naru-chan.  What
exactly is going on?"

	Naru took a deep breath, then started trying to explain
everything.

**********


	Tethys still wasn't quite sure what to do with her new pawn.  It
might be possible to empower him enough to enable him to survive against
low-grade youma, but he wouldn't be strong enough to take down Rei.  Not
with Vulcan's Hammer.

	She frowned.  There had to be something.  Perhaps they had enough
of a bond for him to manage to break the conditioning on Rei.  Or he could
help her grab Rei as she slept, and they could get her to a conditioning
cabinet...

	Everything she thought of seemed very risky.

	A vornskir scampered across her path.  She idly grabbed it and
drained its life force.  Is it just me, she asked herself, or has the
amount of vermin gone up?  Jadeite must be bringing in enough energy that
some of it is spilling over and supporting more creatures.

	She felt a tinge of pride for a moment, then decided to go see if
she could wiggle any information about what exactly was up with Rei out of
Magnetite.

**********


	"Isis, it's not easy for me to drive when you try to climb onto my
shoulders."  Clark said for what felt like the hundredth time.

	"But your backseat is full of junk,"  Isis protested.

	"It's *not* `junk,'  he corrected her, an impatient edge in his
voice, "A couple of pieces of scientific equipment and a few books doesn't
make a junkyard."

	"It's still cluttered, and it takes up most of your backseat."
She insisted.

	Raiden intervened, having assumed his human form.  Other than
having green hair, he looked like a college student who might've been a
bit of a party animal.  Besides, the tension he was getting off of Clark
suggested that any further irritation on Isis's part might end up with her
flying out the window.

	"You can sit in my lap,"  Raiden suggested.

	"I think not,"  she replied, then hopped back into the backseat.
With a resigned sigh, she tried to find a place to curl up.

	Raiden looked worriedly at Clark.  "You okay?"  he asked the
teacher.

	"No,"  Clark replied tensely, "but there's nothing that can be
done about it.  Not a blasted thing."  he whispered the last part.

	"Don't worry.  I'm sure that Jupiter's all right,"  Raiden said.
"Even if she's dead, it's not like it hasn't happened before."

	The car swerved briefly as Clark's arms spasmed.  Raiden could see
that his grip on the steering wheel was so tight, the knuckles were white.

	"We can't count on that,"  Clark said, worry lines etched in his
face.

	"You trust her, don't you?"  Raiden asked.

	He wanted to scream yes, to shout to the world that he trusted
Makoto more than anyone else...but uncertainty crept in from the corners
of his mind.

	It made what was once so clear as vague and fuzzy as a foggy
night.  He'd been feeling unbalanced lately, and his...indiscretion had
been the culmination of shaky judgment.

	 [It would have happened sooner or later.]  A voice spoke from
within.

	Clark blinked, and realized that Raiden was waiting for a reply.

	"I *want* to,"  he said.  But I'm afraid, he thought.  "I'm just
not sure whether or not my opinion will change anything."

	 [Ah, self-pity *and* a feeling of futility.  We really *must*
talk sometime when things quiet down somewhat.]  Parias's voice commented.
Clark had a sudden feeling of dread.

 	"We have to keep our hope up," Raiden said, totally unaware of the
internal dialogue.  "Best to assume the best, until we know the worst."

 	"I think that if they were dead, the Dark Kingdom would already be
striking at us,"  Isis pointed out.  "They'd be here to finish up the job
and clear away their enemies."

 	"Maybe,"  Clark allowed.  "But if they're alive, why aren't they
back yet?"

 	"I expect that the fighting is still going on,"  Raiden replied.
"It's not like they were able to go straight to Rei to save her, most
likely.  The Dark Kingdom is pretty big."

 	"True,"  Clark agreed, somewhat less shakily.  He prayed that
Makoto was still alive.

 	[On that, we both agree.]  Parias said.

*********

	"Aries, I think blowing up the entire school would be overdoing
it," Pisces said.

	"It also wouldn't take the useful captives alive," Taurus said.
"Best to just wait until they all go to bed, then strike.  Minimal
opposition, and we know from the records where they all will be sleeping."

	"If we wait too long, they will all go to ground," Aries said.
"We need to strike now before they realize the Sailors are not coming
back."  He looked at Pisces.  "Are you SURE they aren't?"

	"The spirits indicate they no longer exist.  And my spirits are
rarely wrong."

	"This could be a trap," Aries said.  "Aquarius, what do you
think?"

	Aquarius frowned.  "I am not sure.  Strategy has never been my
strength.  But I think it best to seize this window of opportunity while
we can."

	Aries nodded.  "Exactly."  He rose.  "Let's move out, then.  Agent
S indicates that the TDDC is having a club meeting; I believe we will find
both of our main targets there.  Aquarius, you are our strongest fighter
right now.  You will have to keep an eye out for their Idol Angel and
neutralize her before she can start singing.  Taurus, you will command the
Star Guard.  Pisces, your job is to keep an eye out for anyone else
showing up or any spirits trying to carry messages away.  I will take out
their leaders and try to capture Ichiwara and Hibino if possible.  Any
questions?"

	"What is the plan if the Senshi show up?" Aquarius asked.

	"We get the hell out with the Star Guard. Withdraw to the central
plaza, and then we circle out."  Aries said.  "Taurus is at Nadir, and the
rest of us aren't much above it except for you.  We can't afford a major
fight."

	Aquarius nodded.  "Let's assemble the troops then."

*********


	Aurora dismissed her armor; it would return when she needed it,
but she would be safe with Jadeite, she was sure.  She sat down on the
bed.  "I think Hematite wants your position," she said to Jadeite.

	He stretched, then began taking off his uniform.  "I'm sure he
does.  But as they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

	"I don't trust Amazonite either," Aurora said, laying back on the
bed and stretching.

	"You are mistaken," Jadeite said.  "I would not rely on her for
too much good sense, but so far as being worthy of trust, you can trust
her as far as any Youma.  She can be relied on to obey and to do things as
best she can."

	Aurora sat up and frowned.  "And I think that fool Tethys wants
you for herself."

	Having finished taking off his uniform, Jadeite came over and sat
down beside her, taking her hand.  "I have eyes for none but you, my love.
She is not half so lovely as you, nor half so magnificent."  He kissed her
gently.  "I have redeemed you out of the slavery of the Senshi; I did not
do this to cast you away again."

	Aurora blushed slightly. "You're such a flatterer.  And yes, I
know, I am grateful.  I just...I worry."

	"Be patient with her.  She is largely a loser and a weakling, no
threat to you.  You are the one I love.  But she has done us a great
service by delivering the Senshi into our hands, so please do not cast
your anger towards her.  She will give up once she realizes she is wasting
her time."  He leaned closer to her, putting his arms around her.

	"It has been so long," she whispered.

	"Too long.  But the long wait is over."

	"Show me your love," she whispered.

	Much later, after they had finished their demonstration of love,
there was a knock at the door.  "Sir, I am sorry to interrupt, but the
review of the troops you ordered is about to start," Magnetite said
through the door.

	"Thank you, Magnetite," Jadeite said.  "Have them wait for us."

	"Of course, sir," Magnetite said.  "Would you like me to set up
the sauna for you for later?"

	"We have a sauna?" Jadeite asked in surprise.

	"These old bones need the warmth," Magnetite said.  "But I expect
you'll enjoy it just as much."

	"But where does the energy for it come from?" Jadeite asked.

	"I've been confiscating coal from the mortals, sir.  Sapphire
finds it quite useful also.  Fascinating stuff.  Apparently, the humans
make it by highly compacting dead animals and plants into little black
chunks which resemble rock.  Then they burn it to get energy.
Unfortunately, the energy is no longer suitable for sustaining life, but
it is very useful for producing heat."

	"There's all sorts of resources which haven't been exploited here
yet," Aurora said as she hastily got dressed.  Jadeite was doing likewise.
"If we weren't about to conquer the Earth and leave, I'd be starting a lot
of projects."

	  "I suppose moving the sauna will be difficult," Magnetite said,
frowning.  "Well, I'll send Tethys to set it up.  She should have had a
nice nap by now."

	"Make sure she does it right," Aurora said.

	"Oh, Tethys, she's a good girl.  She'll do a good job," Magnetite
said.

	"You always think everyone will do a good job, Magnetite," Jadeite
said.

	"You have to look on the bright side, or go mad, my lord,"
Magnetite said.

	"True," Jadeite said, finishing getting dressed as Aurora summoned
her armor.  "Let's go."

***********

	Daichi paced back and forth nervously.  He looked up at the clock.
Eight o'clock.  Time to get started.  "I've called everyone together,
because we have to go onto alert.  There is a very strong chance of youma
assault over the next forty eight hours.  We're talking something on the
level of the Gibberling assault several months ago."

	"Shouldn't we tell the government about this?" Eiko Kusanagi
asked.

	"The government has been informed," Sensei Udaigaku said.
"Unfortunately, we can't count on them to keep Tsunami safe.  The JSDF and
the police are too small and Tokyo is too big.  And they may not take us
seriously until too late."

	"Yuu, have you finished drawing up the duty roster?" Daichi asked.
He prayed Yuu hadn't gotten distracted working on making more music videos
or subtitling episodes of Family Guy again.

	Yuu got up, handed half the stack to Hikaru, and they began
passing out copies of it.

	"We'll have five-teams patrolling around the clock.  Sensei will
arrange 'sick leave' for those who have to skip class," Daichi said.
"Ideally, nothing will happen, but we'll be ready if it does."

	"Where is Hime-chan?" Manami asked.

	"She's conducting an investigation," Daichi said.  "Alright, this
is what we have to do..."

********

	Magnetite made his way along, following his natural instincts; he
could find anything he'd ever touched, and he made sure to touch everyone
who worked for him.  It looked like Tethys had decided to go wandering
around instead of resting like he told her.

	Perhaps I should just set it up myself, and let her have her
privacy, he thought.  She's probably visiting old friends and so on.  And,
this way, I can relax in it for a little while.

	He nodded to himself.  Yes, some nice warmth would be very good
right now.

********

	"Well, I can't really control it," Yumeni said.  "I just have
these dreams."  She looked at Augur, then petted him.  "What a nice cat."

	Augur purred happily and climbed into her lap.

	"Like Ryo," Steven said.  "I seem to be the only one of us with
any control."

	"Well, the present is always present," Umino said.  "You don't
have to reach for it, so to speak."

	Naru frowned.  "I wish I had the Star Orb.  It could probably help
us find out what happened."

	"Maybe the Sacred Fire will show Grandfather Hino something if we
ask him to try," Umino said.

	Go woke up from his nap.  "Still arguing?"

	"Yes, no thanks to you," Benten snapped.

	Yumeni stared at them; all of this was a shock to her, though it
matched up with so many things she'd dreamed.

	"Perhaps Go can use his amazing powers of sleeping all the time to
help Yumeni fall asleep and have a vision of what happened," Futsu-Nushi
no Kami said harshly.

	"Hmm, not an entirely bad idea," Cassandra said.

	"What are you thinking?" Naru asked.

	"We possess a time staff, a Pluto, the Star Princess, and three
people with powers over time," Cassandra said.  "Surely we can figure out
a way to pool your powers and enable you all to find out what happened to
the Sailors, what is happening now, and what will happen in the future as
a result."

	"How?" Augur asked.  "I'm not aware of any such rite."

	"I don't know," Cassandra said.  "But the Senshi can share their
strength just by joining hands.  If Augur and I assume human form, and
join a circle of the five of you, together, we may be able to pool our
strength enough to find out what we want to know."

	"Six," Umino said.  "I've got some of the Star Power in me now
too."

	"Maybe we should all join hands," Artemis said.

	"Some of us need to stay on watch," Augur said.  "So that we
aren't all gazing into hell dimensions of nothingness or whatever if
something nasty shows up."

	"Or the phone rings," Go said.

	"Or the phone rings," Cassandra said.

	"Right," Futsu-Nushi no Kami said, leaping onto the windowsill.
"I will watch the window and the yard.  Go and Benten, guard the door.
Luna, monitor the ritual.  Artemis, keep your senses alert for anyone
starting to teleport in.  Hermes, go get us some snacks.  Pokota, try to
not get stepped on."

	Pokota snorted.  Hermes grumbled and left.  The cats went into
position while Naru, Himeko, Umino, Ryo, Steven, Yumeni, Cassandra, and
Augur formed a circle, holding hands.  They closed their eyes, and
Cassandra said, "Now, reach inside yourself and find your power."

	Yumeni closed her eyes and tried to reach down inside herself.
There was something...a light.  She could feel it pulse faintly, so she
plunged deeper, trying to find the heart of it.  And as she did so, she
saw things...

********

	"It's too risky," Vulcan said.  "They may not be hostile to
humanity actively, but they are often not very friendly, either."

	"We must take the risk," Astra said, then paused for a sip of her
wine.  "I have seen it.  They will be needed.  The Time Tunnel will need
them.  This will not be half as dangerous as some things we've done."

	"For some values of dangerous," Vulcan protested.  "Metallia, you
must talk some sense into them."

	Metallia brushed her red hair out of her eyes.  "We will need
them.  Without them, the Time Tunnel will not be possible.  And Astra has
shown us why we need that."

	"I agree with Astra," Serenity said, gazing up at the night sky.
They sat in the gardens of Endymion's new palace, and the moon and the
stars were shining down brightly on them.  "If we approach them peaceably,
I'm sure they will be reasonable."

	"Let us make the attempt," Endymion said.  "The Shield, the
Tunnel, and no doubt other projects will need someone to watch over them.
And I trust Astra's judgement."

	Astra smiled.  "Thank you, Endymion."

	"Alright then," Vulcan said. "Let us see what can be attempted."

***********

	The cavern was vast, its ceiling arching up out of sight, with
what looked like stars far overhead.  But surely they couldn't be, Vulcan
thought.  Not this deep underground.  They had spent three days descending
into the bowels of the Earth, in search of its Tree of Life, said to be
tended by the Fates.

	Yggsdrasil was certainly impressive in size, an oak tree the size
of a mountain. Four rivers flowed from springs between its roots, flowing
off across the cavern.  The roots were big enough to build a small house
on them, in some cases.

	And by one of the springs, three women sat around a great pot.
One of them was old, with long flowing white hair, clad in green robes.
One of them was middling in age, an ashen blonde, clad in yellow. And the
third was young, a girl on the cusp of adulthood, clad in purple.  "So,
you would ask us to grant our powers to mere mortals, would you?" the old
woman asked.

	"He is afraid of the results," the middling woman said, pointing
at Vulcan.

	"Do not fear," the purple-clad child said.  "They will serve Astra
and the Five Kingdoms well."

	The old woman glared at the child.  "You're doing that annoying
thing where you foresee what we're going to decide and act like we already
have again."

	"You would argue with the rest of us until the stars went out if I
didn't."

	"Now, now," the yellow-clad woman said.  "Let's not fight.  We are
sisters."

	"Alright, we'll do it," the old woman said.

	"Thank you," Astra said.

	"Don't thank us so quickly," the old woman said.  "They won't just
be your flunkies.  They will work to lead the world to its destiny.  Some
of which you may not like."

	"What must be, will be," the middle woman said.  "They will guide
your dynasty, Astra, and guard the time tunnel and the shield, until all
three things pass away."

	"They will endure unaging through the ages, but will have to be
linked to a mortal at all times," the youngest said.  "And that being will
possess a portion of their power, as his reward for the burden of being
their anchor."  She joined hands with her sisters.  "Are you ready?" she
asked.

	"Are you sure this is what we must do?" the eldest asked the
youngest.

	"Can't you feel it?" the middling one asked.

	"No, for I see what was, not what is or what may be," the eldest
replied.

	"It must be done," the youngest said.  "Let us begin."

**********

	There was a feeling of the passage of much time, and Yumeni then
saw a vision of a great dark chamber.  A whirling portal opened, and the
Senshi poured out of it, surrounded by Youma.

	"Welcome, Senshi!" Jadeite cackled.  "How nice of you to drop in."

 	The Senshi instinctively took up a circle around Sailor Moon and
Tuxedo Kamen.  The youma and droids didn't seem eager to close with them,
but none of them, save Pluto, could ever remember seeing so many in one
place.
They came in all shapes, sizes and colors.  Most of them
appeared human, and not all of them were in good shape, but there were
enough to give even Uranus and Jupiter pause.

 	"Where's Sailor Mars, Jadeite?" Sailor Moon asked.

 	"Why, she's right here," Jadeite said, extending a hand to the
shadows behind him.

 	Rei stepped out of the shadows, and the Senshi all gasped on
seeing her.  The Armor of Mars covered her, but it had changed in shape
and color into a form-fitting pitch black collection of scales and
leather.  Shadows seeped out of every joint and surrounded her in a nimbus
of darkness.  No tiara graced her head, but instead the sigil of Mars
glowed there with a black flame.  In her hands she held the Hammer of
Vulcan, which also had darkened ominously.

 	"May I present my Queen, Aurora," Jadeite said.

 	"Rei-chan!" Sailor Moon screamed.

 	Aurora smirked and raised the hammer high.  "Goodbye, Sailor
Moon," she said.

 	And brought the hammer down.

	There was a huge crackling vortex of energy, which swallowed the
Senshi.  And then they were gone.

*********

	For just a moment, Steven could feel his senses expanding, rushing
outwards, to encompass the entire solar system.  Information, an endless
tide of data, rushed into his mind.

	He could not handle it for long, and he felt his senses
desperately shutting down to defend him.  But in all that, he was sure of
one thing.

	The Senshi no longer existed in the Present.  Or if they did,
they'd gone beyond the boundaries of his perceptions.  They were not in
this world.

*********

	It filled his sight, an endless city under a dark sky, a crushing
oppressive metropolis, ruled from a great black castle at its heart.  Ryo
stared into the face of the future.

	Among the gray and black bleakness of what was to come, he could
make out, as he gazed down from above, tiny pinpricks of color.  The
Senshi, banished to the future that now would come to pass.

	Humanity were slaves and food now, chained to serve the Youma all
their days.  Ryo shivered at the thought.  This couldn't be the future.
He didn't want it to be.

	He closed his eyes, but he could still see it.  He didn't want to
see it.  Nothing had ever been able to change one of his visions, but he
wanted to, desperately.

	There has to be something, he thought.  There has to be some HOPE!

	For a moment, his vision zoomed in on the Sailors.  They were
alive, not dead, and might yet return.  They were the hope that this
future would not come to pass.

	But what about us?, he asked the universe.

	His vision shifted, and now he saw the Zodiac, gathering for some
great rite in their hall.

	The vision was brief, but he understood.  The Sailors would have
to get back under their own power.  The Zodiac was left for them to deal
with, for now.

	At least they don't have the Star Orb, he thought.

**********

	Jadeite stood on a balcony with an arm around Aurora, gazing down
at the troops trying to form into formations for a parade.  Amazonite was
running around, yelling at those who were sloppy.  "You did well, my
love," he said to Aurora.

	She smiled at him.  "Together, our power is..."

	And then a runner came up.  "Sir, we have a message from
Marcasite."

	"What is it?" Jadeite asked the orange-skinned lad.

	"Sir, we have a message from the Zodiac that renegades among their
ranks are launching an attack on the Dark Kingdom, some time..."

	There was a distant explosion.

	"Today," he finished.

	Jadeite snarled.  "I expect they think they can crush us now that
the Senshi are gone.  Go to Marcasite.  Tell him to gather his forces.  We
will take their precious Star Princess once we butcher those who are
attacking us now.  Without her, they cannot come into their full power."

	The youma saluted.  "Yes, sir!"  He ran off.

	"Come with me, my love," Jadeite said.  "We have work to do."

**********

	Hudson frowned.  He definitely didn't like what they were about to
do.  They were just a bunch of kids who meant well.  The Zodiac seemed to
be spending all its energy on being stupid lately, and this was just the
capstone of that.

	I wish the Star Princess had stayed lost, he thought.  He glanced
over at Izuko and Thomas and Wang.  None of them looked too happy about
this either.  But what choice did they have?  Once you joined the Star
Guard, you were in it for life.  Your fate was set.

	"Alright, people," Taurus said.  "Squads A and B, you're going
with me down into the weapons lockers and to knock out their AI.  Squad C
and D, you'll be backing up the other Zodiac members; Pisces will give you
your orders.  They're just a bunch of stupid kids, so set your weapons to
stun.  We're out to capture these ones."  He passed a set of pictures
around.  "Five hundred thousand yen bonus to whoever captures any of
them."

	"Sweet!" Andrew proclaimed.  That was his favorite phrase; the
others were sick of him responding to everything with it.

	Taurus said, "Alright, form into squads.  We're going to circle
right to our targets.  Be ready."

	The men formed into squads, each forming up on one of the Zodiac
wheels on the floor of the huge chamber they were in.  Pisces, Aquarius,
and Aries moved to stand on the circles with squads C and D.  Taurus
joined squad A.

	Then he waved his arm and chanted and the circles flared to life.
Energy rose up around them in a cylinder, and when it cleared, squads C
and D were in a large audiovisual classroom with a large number of
teenagers studying photocopied handouts.

	"Fire!" Pisces commanded.  Dozens of stunrays swept across the
room.

	Aries gestured and flames roared up around Daichi, Hikaru, and
Yuu, trapping them by the chalkboard.  Aquarius swept the room with her
gaze, watching for the Idol Angel, and hoped the Idol Angel wasn't down
guarding the armory or something.  She did spy Yuki, however.  "There she
is, Aries!  It's the Ichiwara girl!"

	 "Grandfather, go!" a blue-haired girl shouted, and then she leapt
at Aries, kicking him in the face and sending him tumbling.  She then
turned to leap at Aquarius, who barely ducked under her assault.

	Aquarius followed up with a blast of water at the girl, who
grabbed an unfortunate Star Guard to use as a shield.  Aquarius began
chasing the girl, wondering who she was; she hadn't been in any of the
intel reports.

	The old man ran out the door, shouting, "Horus!  We need any help
you can give us!"

	The club officers started to escape, but Aries managed to get back
up and trap them again.  "Pisces, can your spirits tell us where the Idol
Angel is?"

	Pisces began to chant.  Students were being mowed down by stunrays
in droves, while others fled.  Hudson gritted his teeth and tried to tell
himself this was necessary.  Aries glanced over at Aquarius, who was still
trying to get the blue haired girl.  He got out his communicator and
called Taurus.  "Taurus, have you secured the armory?"

	"We're about to blow through a wall to bypass some of the
defenses.  The lab's got some good ones," Taurus said.

	"Alright.  I guess..."

	And then a man in armor with a sword came in the door, followed by
a green-haired man and a black cat with a white patch like a ringed planet
on her forehead.  "Zodiac!  Begone!  This school is under our protection!"
the man announced.

	It wasn't the White Knight; none of the Zodiac were sure who this
guy was, just that he had recently been seen with the Senshi.  Aries
shouted, "Guardsmen!  Mow them down!"

	A barrage of stun beams from their Capricorn-manufactured stun
guns homed in on the trio.  The white-armored man moved to cover the other
man, and swept his sword about.  Many of the bolts reflected back at the
Star Guard, and most of the rest struck his armor harmlessly.  Hudson took
a shot in the chest and fell down; Izuko managed to dodge her own
reflected shot.  The cat, on the other hand, got sniped by a lucky shot
and passed out.  The green-haired man picked the cat up angrily, then ran
out of the room.

	Aries assessed the situation.  Most of the club was out of action,
either fled out the doors and windows or else unconscious.  The Idol Angel
had yet to appear.  "Taurus, are you in?"

	"We're in," he said.

	"Alright.  Pisces, have you spotted the Idol Angel?"

	"She's outside, and approaching," Pisces said.  "Likely someone
who escaped out a window turned into her."

	The man in the armor turned and slashed at the flames around the
club officers.  They parted before him, and he grabbed the closest one,
Hikaru.  "Kobayashi, Koishikawa, come over here."

	"Teleport!  NOW!" Aries shouted.

	The Star Guard and Zodiac faded out, taking Daichi and Yuu and
most of the club with them, right as Idol Angel Mami ran in.  They soon
found themselves back at their base.

	Taurus showed up with his forces shortly thereafter.  "I'd have to
say this was a grand success."

	"A fair success," Aries said.  "The main force of the club is now
crippled, but some of our targets got away.  Still, we have half their
leadership, and the suspiciously knowledgeable Ichiwara Yuki.  Alright,
men.  Good job.  Let's move our prisoners to the brig, and then you can
all stand down."

	Kidnapping kids, Hudson thought as he helped pick up one boy.
What have we come to?

*********

	Sagittarius snapped off another arrow shot, which plunged deep
into a fanged Youma's throat.  It collapsed, spurting a blue ichor.  He
trampled two more, then said to Cancer, who was mounted on his back,
"Which way?"

	"This way," Cancer said after waving a wand in the air to check.
They rushed out of the room and down another tunnel.  She wished
Capricorn's device had been able to sense the Orb's location more
accurately.

	They came to a great door, which had been magically sealed.  Virgo
studied it, then pointed to one spot.  "Shoot there, Sagittarius."  He did
so, and the door frame cracked.  He then reared back and kicked it in with
his hooves.

	Beyond was a huge throne room, stuffed full of Youma.  A staff
tipped with a glowing orb floated in front of the throne, Beryl's staff,
left behind when she died fighting Sailor Moon two years ago.  That orb
was their goal.

	"Capricorn, give us a street sweeper," Leo commanded, then pointed
at the Youma.  "FLEE!" he ordered them.  The weak minded fled, but many
remained.  Capricorn opened up with a flamethrower, driving back the front
ranks of the Youma.  The rest opened fire on the Zodiac, who formed a
wedge and headed for the staff.

	Then another door opened, and Jadeite charged in, along with
Aurora, Amazonite, Anthracite, and Hematite.  "Intruders from Earth,"
Jadeite said.  "You will pay the price for invading our territory."

	"Fall back!" Leo shouted, then whispered to Gemini-C and Gemini-P,
"Once we draw them off, teleport to the staff, and take it."

	They nodded, and the group began to backpedal.

	Aurora asked, "Shall I..."

	"No, I want to keep them.  Anthracite, Hematite, Amazonite, lead
your men forward.  Aurora and I will remain in reserve to see if the rest
of their little friends are coming," Jadeite said.

	Anthracite moved to engage Leo, while Hematite took cover and
began to snipe at Sagittarius with bursts of black lightning.  Amazonite
charged Capricorn, hoping he would give her a good fight.  And a wave of
misshapen youma and droids moved with them.

	The Zodiac slowly fell back before the onslaught.  Capricorn, who
was more inventor than warrior fell back before Amazonite's swift,
accurate spear thrusts and strikes.  He was getting battered heavily,
unable to bring his own weaponry to bear.

	Leo battled sword-to-sword against Anthracite.  He could feel
Anthracite trying to fill him with terror, but he fought back with his own
aura of majesty.  They proved fairly evenly matched in that regard.
Unfortunately, while Leo was stronger, Anthracite was the more skillful
swordsman, and he soon found himself starting to get slashed up.

	Hematite, on the other hand, soon found himself hiding behind
Beryl's throne, much to his embarrassment. Sagittarius was viciously
accurate, shooting an arrow into Hematite's knee with the first shot and
nearly crippling his other knee with a second.  Youma rushed at Cancer,
trying to aid their master, but ran away screaming when she glared at
them.

	Virgo fought several Youma with her staff, striking at pressure
points on their bodies, but as those went down, more rushed forward to
fill the gap.  She could see Aurora watching her, and she wondered why.
That looks like Mars, Virgo thought.  But surely she wouldn't...

	And then she remembered how Princess Aurora had been engaged to
Jadeite.  Damnation, Virgo thought.  Rid of one crazed Mars only to be
saddled with another.

	And then Marcasite charged them from their rear, lunging in and
giving Virgo a nasty arm wound.  "There is no way out," he announced,
smiling.

	There was a flash, and the Gemini appeared next to Beryl's staff.
They grabbed it even as Jadeite and Aurora turned.  Before they could
teleport, Aurora shouted, "FLAME TYPHOON!" and unleashed a huge whirlwind
of fire at them.  Gemini-P and C swung the staff around, and it flared to
life.  The staff burned away, leaving only the orb, whose light sent
Droids fleeing and Youma reeling.  The light blocked most of the Flame
Typhoon, although they both still got burnt a little.

	Hematite yelped and dove away from Beryl's throne, which broke
apart into pieces as the flame typhoon hit it.  He took a shot from
Sagittarius through his left hand, disabling it, then rolled clear.

	Gemini-C shouted, "STAR ORB!  TAKE US TO THE ASCENDED ONE!!!"

	"NO!" Aurora shouted, holding up her hammer.

	Unfortunately for her, she wasn't fast enough, and the Zodiac
teleported away.

	They appeared in the Great Hall of the Zodiac, where the rest of
the Zodiac had gathered.  Leo cursed deep inside and prepared himself for
a fight.  We shouldn't have listened to Polly, he thought.  But if we
hadn't...

	Gemini-C handed the Star Orb to Scorpio.  "Ascended One, our raid
was a success.  All we require is the Star Princess, and then, finally,
the Zodiac can achieve its full potential."

	"You have all done well," Scorpio said solemnly.  "We will strike,
and strike NOW.  The Senshi are gone, but we cannot assume they will stay
gone.  The Transdimensional Defense Club has been eliminated as well."
She shook her head, smirking.  "Some of them may make good Star Guard, one
day, once properly re-educated."

	Leo waited tensely.  Gemini-C had clearly sold them out.  Why
wasn't Scorpio doing anything?  Did she think they would somehow not
realize this?  But what could he do if she had the Star Orb?

	"What about the prisoners?" Taurus asked.  "Shouldn't we see what
they might tell us?"

	"We know enough without them," Scorpio said.  "We will secure the
Princess.  We can interrogate them at our leisure afterwards.  Should the
Senshi return from the Dark Kingdom, then we can use that information
against them.  But for now...we strike!"

	Leo watched Scorpio carefully.  She was in a hurry for some
reason.  But why?  Why was she suddenly being so hasty?  What did she know
that he did not?

*********

	The sound of explosions woke Yuuichiro.  Something was going
on...maybe the Senshi were fighting nearby.  The Senshi.  They could help
him find Rei.  He had his energy back.  He could fight.  He had to.  He
had to do something.

	I can't believe I've just been sitting around, he thought.  Rei
needs me, and I've been sitting on my ass.  He looked around and wondered
where Theresa was.  If I go, she won't find me, he thought.  But Rei...

	He had to go.  Theresa seemed to be able to take care of herself,
though he owed her a favor now, but Rei...She needed him.  He could feel
it.  Feel her now.  Not very well, but something...He could feel
something, tugging at him.  It had to be Rei.  What else could it be?

	He headed for the sound of the fighting, but the fighting died
away before he reached it.  But the tugging persisted, so he followed its
lead, hoping he would be strong enough for Rei when he found her.

*********

	"The Three," Cassandra said.  "Not much was known of them by us,
the Venusian cats.  Did you remember anything of them, Naru?"

	"I saw them talking to Mother once," Naru said.  "And I remember
studying about them a little.  No one was sure exactly what they were,
just that they watched over the Great Shield with Metallia, and the Time
Tunnel with Pluto.  And had time related powers."  She frowned.  "Which
they don't seem to have used much to help us avoid being destroyed."

	"I expect they had the whole Setsuna 'I can't do anything, because
X, Y, and Z has to happen to produce some future event which won't help us
right now thing' going on," Himeko said.  "I hope I don't end up like
that."

	"Sometimes," Augur said, "Sacrifices have to be made in the short
term for a long term good.  Some may suffer for the good of the greater
number."  His voice was somewhat sad.

	Cassandra nodded.  "Some choices are very hard, especially when
you can know the consequences more surely."

	Umino said, "Well, we have a problem.  We don't have enough forces
to beat the Zodiac without the Star Orb.  We don't have enough forces to
get it from the Dark Kingdom, as it seems likely they defeated the Senshi,
who outnumber us and were better trained.  Unless Ryo and Steven and
Yumeni can turn into super-powered warriors now, anyway."

	Steven said, "No, but I do have the Hackmaster sword, at least.
And Ryo has his armor, and Yumeni can just go home, as I expect they don't
know she's a friend of ours."

	Ryo said, "Hey, there's a thought.  Although I suppose Naru and
Umino and Himeko probably can't muster enough strength to teleport us
all..."

	"Couldn't we just get home the normal way?" Steven asked.

	"Your home," Ryo said.  "We go to say, England. Or the USA.  They
won't know to look for us there, and we can lay low until the Senshi make
it back."  He frowned and shook a little.  "Or it becomes clear they
won't, in which case maybe we can get help from the Venusian cats or Dia
or something."

	"Dia!  I'm sure she'd take us in.  And try to have sex with all of
us, but..." Steven said.  And Gwen, he thought.  She'll help.  "Himeko,
you'd have to teleport there and ask her."

	Himeko said, "Alright.  I'll go as soon as we hear from
Maguson-sensei."

	"We can't wait," Ryo said.  "And I'm sure Daichi is going to be
fine."

	"How can you be sure?" she asked urgently.

	"The Zodiac has no reason to care about him," Ryo said.  "I
promise we won't leave Tokyo without finding out if he's okay."

	"Alright," Himeko said.  "Cassandra, Pokota, come with me."

	They both ran over to her as she transformed.  The Younger Pluto
picked them up.  "I will be back as fast as possible."

	Ryo had a sudden flash, and for a moment, his feeling of gloom
subsided.  "Something good is going to happen," he said.  "I just saw you
teleporting in, looking very happy."

	"Great," she said hopefully.  "See you all soon."  And then she
vanished.

	"Luna, we need to get Maguson-sensei a communicator," Naru said.

	"I thought I gave him one," Luna said.  "He may have forgotten it,
though."

	"Let me try calling him, then," Naru said.  "If I can figure out
where mine is, anyway..."

*********

	Dammit, he's lost himself again, Tethys thought.  After all this
effort I made to find an energy crystal that even he could use, and this
analysis lens so I could study him and everything.

	She studied the cave, then found his footprints and began
following them.  It was then that she got a very bad feeling, just for a
moment.

	Warily, she spun in a circle, but she was alone.  Frowning, she
opened her senses, trying to feel any intruders, but nothing was there.
Something had gone wrong.  But what?

	The feeling faded and she dismissed her worries.  Let's see, he
must have gone this way, she thought, and began following the trail again.

*********

	"Poor Horus," Noriko said, staring at the wreckage of the
machines.

	"He will be quite cranky when I restore him from backups,"
Udaigaku-sensei said, sighing.  "Once I build something able to hold him
properly."

	"I should have been faster," Idol Angel Mami said.

	"Damn Zodiac," Hikaru said.  "They're going to PAY."

	"We need to get you somewhere safe, in case they come back,"
Parias said.  "Why don't you come and stay with Tomoe-sensei a while?  I'm
sure he'd be glad to put you up."

	"I don't suppose you have a secret arsenal of really horrible
weapons, do you?" Hikaru asked.  "I have to wreak bloody vengeance."

	"I'm sure Daichi will be alright, 'karu-chan," Noriko said.  "They
weren't shooting to kill."

	"We got our asses kicked!" Hikaru said.  "And where were the
Senshi during all this?"

	"Off trying to rescue Sailor Mars from the Dark Kingdom," Parias
said sharply. "They would have come if they could."

	"And Himeko!  Not even here to protect her boyfriend!  What use is
being one of the Senshi if you can't even protect your boyfriend?"

	Parias winced.  "She would have come, if she could."

	"Hmph."

	"Well, weapons...I have a small concealed cache left," Sensei
said.  "Most of them are now gone, unfortunately."

	"Did you ever finish developing the ninja suit?" Noriko asked.

	"Well, it hasn't been properly tested," Udaigaku-sensei said.
"Except for the grenades and the goggles.  And it's a 'scouting' suit, not
a ninja suit."

	"I'll take it," Hikaru said.  "And anything else you can give me."

	"Hibino-san, it might be wise if you..."

	"All I have left of the club which Daichi put in my charge is
myself, a magical idol singer, Noriko, and Sensei.  Noriko seems to have
gotten super-powers somewhere.  Mami has powers too.  Sensei is a
super-genius.  Whereas, all I can contribute is money, a camera, and the
willingness to do whatever I have to in order to save Daichi.  None of
which will stop monsters.  So I'll take any chances I have to.  Get me the
suit, Sensei.  This is what it was made for."

	Sensei nodded.  "I'll go and..."

	Parias began to buzz.  He fumbled around, and eventually found a
small metal box, which he flipped open.  It was Naru.  "Parias!  What's
going on at the school?" she asked.

	"The Zodiac attacked.  I'm with the Udaigakus and Hibino and Idol
Angel Mami.  They're all that's left."

	"They caught us by surprise," Hikaru said, leaning over his
shoulder and talking to the face on the screen in the lid of his
communicator.  "But I'm going to rescue them.  Or die trying."

	"Not with just them, you aren't," Naru said.  "It would be
suicide.  Come and join us; we're going to fall back to a safe base, until
the rest of the Senshi get back from the future."

	"I can't go hide while Daichi and the rest of the club is in
danger!  Where's Himeko?  She ought to be here!"

	Naru said, "She's off recruiting more help.  Hibino-san, please,
come and join us.  Together, we'll be stronger than apart."  She sighed.
"We hoped you'd all be safe, but it looks like nowhere is safe.  But at
least together, we'll be stronger than apart."

	Hikaru frowned, looked around at her group, then nodded.
"Alright.  We have to finish raiding the weapons cache, and then we'll be
there."

	"Alright.  See you soon."

**********

	"We should transform," Naru said.

	"Save your strength," Augur said.  "If we're going to teleport
everyone to Venus, it's likely to be exhausting."

	"Are we sure the Zodiac can't drop in on us?" Naru asked.
"Catching us by surprise?"

	"They would have to know we're here and vulnerable," Umino said.
"Maybe I should transform, just in case."

	"I'll put on the stupid battlesuit," Ryo said, getting up.  "I'll
be ready to malfunction as soon as the enemy arrives."

	"We will cover you while you transform," Futsu-Nushi no Kami said.
"Should the need arise."

	Ryo headed out of the room.  Naru paced tensely.

	Long moments which seemed like hours passed.  And then they heard
Ryo shout, "The Zodiac!  They're coming!  They're coming!"

	Umino concentrated, and the power washed over him; he transformed
into the White Knight.  It felt wonderful.  Finally, he had enough power
to protect Naru-chan when she most needed him.

	Naru's hand went instinctively to her brooch.  "Odysseus
Planet..."  And then Augur leaped at her, knocking her brooch away.
"Augur, what are you doing?"

	"The Star Kingdom fell, damning the five kingdoms and all the
others, because the royal family had become lazy weaklings, who partied
their way to disaster," Augur said.  "The Senshi have failed.  Only the
Zodiac can defend the Solar System now, and they can't do their jobs while
you stand in the way."

	"Fool," Futsu-Nushi no Kami said.  "You think you can beat us
all?"

	"I don't have to," Augur said.

	And then there was a pulse of power.  Naru and the White Knight
staggered.  And the Zodiac appeared, with Scorpio holding the Star Orb
high.  "Die," Scorpio said, and a wave of purple energy washed over
everything in the room.  The cats screamed and began to convulse as part
of their blood turned to poison. Steven screamed and collapsed as well.
Naru felt her temperature rise and staggered, feeling her heart pound.
The White Knight felt sick, but now drew his sword and charged.

	The powers of the Zodiac rained down on him, all empowered by the
Star Orb, fire and water, arrows and rays of energy.  Leo commanded him to
halt and Cancer filled him with fear.  But he struggled onwards.  He had
to save Naru.  He had to.

	And then there was a sudden roar, and Ryo crashed into the ranks
of the Zodiac in his armored suit.  Taurus went down, followed by Aries
and both of the Gemini, knocked about by the sheer impact.  He crashed
through their numbers, hit a wall, and tried to come around for another
pass.  But then Capricorn simply pointed at him and his suit went dead and
he fell to the ground.

	Meanwhile, Scorpio held the White Knight at bay, pouring more and
more of her power into blasting him with poisonous energies.  But slowly,
ever so slowly, he drew closer.

	Naru tried to pull herself together, but then she got hit by one
of Sagittarius' arrows and got a faceful of sleeping gas when the bulb on
the end shattered on her forehead.  She staggered and collapsed.
"Augur...I thought...you were my friend."

	And then she was unconscious.  Augur winced as he looked at her,
then trotted over to Leo and handed him her broach.

	Hermes staggered to his feet, then tried to charge at Scorpio,
only to be swatted aside by Aquarius with a water blast.  He thought about
irony as he laid and tried to gather his strength.

	Only one chance, and it's not much of one, Steven thought.  I have
to play dead, and hope I can try to do something once they relax.

	The White Knight finally collapsed, unable to resist the combined
power of the Zodiac and the Star Orb.  He cried with frustration, as he
felt the darkness take him.  I failed again, he thought.  I wasn't able to
protect Naru-chan.

	"Do you want us to take the cats?" Virgo asked Scorpio.  "And the
boys?"

	"No," Scorpio said.  "Queen Hecate would likely cause us trouble
if we slaughtered her subjects.  And the boys can do nothing if..."

	"They are manifestations of the Three," Augur said.  "They might
be valuable.  But I agree, best you leave the cats."

	Futsu-Nushi no Kami tried to growl at Augur, but couldn't muster
the strength.

	"Sagittarius.  Ensure the cats will live, but be too weak to annoy
us.  We will take the..."

	And then there was a flash of light, and forty elves in armor
appeared with the Younger Pluto.  One of the elves, a blue-haired woman
stepped in front of the white haired female leader of the elves as she was
about to speak.  "You are not taking them ANYWHERE," she said vehemently.
"You are not taking anyone!  I'm the last surviving member of the Solar
Patrol, and I'm putting you ALL UNDER ARREST!"  She flashed a badge.

	The white haired woman sighed.  "Gwynnaefael, I suspect they no
longer acknowledge the Patrol's jurisdiction if they even remember it."

	Scorpio decided the boys were not worth a fight, especially since
the Three might take it poorly.  The last conflict between the Zodiac and
the Three had gone poorly for that Ascended One.  Perhaps the Orb could
defeat them, but best to save that confrontation for later.  "Arrest
this."  She raised the Orb and the Zodiac, Augur, Naru, and the White
Knight vanished.

	"Steven!  Steven!  See, I remembered your new name!" Gwynnaefael
said as she kneeled by him.  "You look awful!"

	"Gwen.  You have to save the cats.  They're all dying from
Scorpio's poisons."  Steven tried to point, but he could hardly move his
arm.

	Dia said, "We'll save them."  She looked about sadly.  "I tried to
warn Athena that trouble was coming."

	"We had to face it," Ryo mumbled.  "Even if we couldn't prevent
it."

	Hermes sat up.  "I hate poison."  He stretched, getting to his
feet.  "At least this one didn't make me throw up."

	The elves fanned out and began picking up the cats.

	The Younger Pluto went over and picked up Ryo.  "Dammit.  I didn't
foresee this until it was too late.  Dammit!"

	Gwen pulled out a bottle and began to pour it down Steven's
throat.  "Drink."

	"What's left of the TDDC and Parias will be here soon," Ryo said.
"We're going to need a hell of a plan to win this one."

	"The ruling council is still debating what to do about Amazonite
stirring up all that trouble.  They should get around to making a decision
in a few years."  Dia sighed.  "Time flows faster on my estates.  You will
all have time to rest and recover before we launch a counter-stroke.  And
we will need to find wherever Derith is hiding.  He will want to be part
of this."

	Steven could feel himself getting better even as the cool fluid,
which tasted of strawberries, flowed down his throat.  "His dragon buddy
could be really handy."

	"Yes, he could.  Can you stand, Steven of Grant?"

	With Gwynnaefael's help, he stood up.  "More or less."

	"Good.  We will wait for your friends, and then we go back to
Avalon, and prepare for your triumphant return."

	Just call me King Arthur, Steven thought.  I've got the magic
sword, for what good it did me, anyway.

************

	Tethys rounded a corner just in time to see Yuuichiro face to face
with two youma.  One was tall and bulky, with long orange hair and yellow
skin; the other was middling in build and height, but similar in
coloration.  "A human," the taller one said.  "We are in luck to find such
a handy snack, Chrysolite."

	"What's a human doing running around loose?" the shorter one said.
"This could be a trap, Agate."

	"Take me to Rei!" Yuuichiro commanded.  "Or I will destroy you!"

	Agate began to laugh.  She idly extended and retracted her claws.
"With a wooden sword?"

	Tethys decided to watch for now.  If the boy couldn't handle these
two idiots, he would likely be of no use to her.  Instead, she simply put
on her Examining Lens, and studied the three of them.  Agate had fire
powers, while Chrysolite commanded water.  Not too physically tough;
low-grade youmas at best.

	Yuuichiro began to chant and flung two prayer strips, which stuck
to their foreheads.  They both jumped as if they'd gotten a mild shock.
Tethys studied the flow of energy.  Interesting, she thought.  His body is
naturally well suited for the flow of powerful energies, but his soul
doesn't seem strong enough to produce them.

	Agate peeled the strip off her forehead and ate it.  "Not entirely
useless," she said.  "You'll make a better snack than I feared."  She
raised her hands.  "Let's see you stop this."  She fired a burst of flame.

	He jumped to one side, and the fire blasted the wall behind him.
Agate turned, fire sweeping from her hands, as he continued to jump and
dodge; he was more nimble than Tethys had realized.

	Good physical conditioning, Tethys thought.  And he knows how to
fight.  As compared to Agate, who is an idiot.  If he just had some power,
he might actually be a very strong warrior.

	"Take me to Rei!" Yuuichiro demanded again.  Then he charged at
Agate as she paused for breath.

	Chrysolite shrieked and dived to one side, firing a wild spray of
water at Yuuichiro which missed him.  He leaped over a fire blast from
Agate and landed on her feet-first, then once she was down, he began to
slap her face around with his sword.

	Chrysolite got up, gathered her courage and jumped at him.  He
spun, slamming her in the side with his sword and redirecting her into a
wall while he stomped on Agate's face.

	His power levels were building, Tethys realized.  His soul was not
normally very strong, but when he got going on the subject of Rei...  It
was no wonder he was pulverizing them.  Still not strong enough to take on
a youma leader, but against fools like these...

	Chrysolite turned and began to run.  Yuuichiro stomped Agate
again, and leaped at her from behind, bashing her down with his wooden
sword.  Tethys got a respectable power reading from it.  Chrysolite
shrieked and collapsed.

	I need to find him a source of power, Tethys thought.  Combined
with his passion for Rei, yes, he could prove very useful.  But where to
get the energy...  Well the energy she'd collected from vermin hunting
would do for a start.

	She emerged from hiding.  "Yuuichiro!  There you are!" she said.
"Are you alright?"

	"I thought...I'm sorry," he said.  "I've spent too much time
feeling sorry for myself.  I want to help Rei, and I can't just sit around
and wait."

	She nodded.  "I know.  We're going to have to find something which
will give us enough power to fight for her, though.  Jadeite and his
generals are much stronger than those fools you just fought. Or even a
fairly normal youma is."

	"But what?" he asked, frustrated.  "I've been trying for years to
get more power to protect her, to make her and Hino-sama proud of me, but
nothing ever seems to work well."

	For a moment, she wished she had Sensei handy.  He would know
where to find energy suitable for humans.  And having Noriko wouldn't hurt
either.  They could use a Golem.  But they weren't here, and useful as
they would be, she would have to get by without them.  And then she
smelled an odd smell in the air.  "Is that...smoke?" she asked.

	"Yeah," he said.  "Must be from the battle."

	As a general rule, nothing was flammable in the Dark Kingdom.
Crystal and rock didn't burn.  But if things were burning...that meant
energy.  Energy which could be used possibly to empower her pawn.  And
herself.

	Yes, this had potential.

************

	"Despite this recent setback," Jadeite said, "Everything is going
as planned.  It's not as if we had an actual use for the Orb.  This simply
means we must strike before they are ready to use it against us.  My
generals, are you ready?"

	"Ready as we'll ever be," Amazonite said.

	"We will have to hurry," Hematite said.  "The Zodiac are planning
to take the Star Princess' power."

	"Hmm.  Your atonement for your failure earlier, will be to ensure
they are kept too busy to succeed in that, Hematite," Jadeite said.  "As
for the rest of you...to your stations.  The conquest of Earth begins
NOW."

***********

	One by one, the Zodiac shuffled into their positions in the Great
Hall of the Zodiac.  The long awaited Rite of Ascension was at hand.  Some
of them awaited it with anticipation.  Others feared what might come of
it.  But all knew it was the end of one era, and the beginning of another.
Nothing could be the same again, for them, one way or another.

**************
Sailor Moon Says:

[We see an empty stage.  For a long time, nothing happens, then Jadeite
appears with Aurora.]

Jadeite:  Looks like there won't be any Sailor Moon says, because THERE IS
NO SAILOR MOON.

Aurora:  And good riddance.  [glomps onto Jadeite]  I've got my evil
little muffin to rule the universe with now.

Jadeite:  I hereby proclaim this series to be named Jadeite Z.  And I'll
get rid of the Z once I squash the Zodiac.

Aurora:  I think calling it Aurora and Jadeite Z would be much better.

Jadeite:  It lacks balance.

Aurora:  [menacingly]  Excuse me, but which one of us has an Icon and
which one of us spent two years as a hunk of jewelry?  [sweetly]  It'll
show our love, like Will and Grace.

Jadeite:  He's gay and she's a moron.

Aurora:  Like Tristan and Iseult.

Jadeite:  Murdered and suicided, respectively.

Aurora:  [fervently]  Stop being so picky and tell the audience this
week's moral!

Jadeite:  Crime _does_ pay.

Aurora:    I thought we decided our moral was 'Aurora is very sexy'.

Jadeite:  [thinking]  Maybe I should have brainwashed someone less bossy.

Aurora:  And less psychic.

[She begins to mallet him with Vulcan's hammer as we fade to the closing
credits...]

************

Closing Credits:

     "My road leads me far away."

     We see Nephrite telling Juno that he must go soon for a great
conflict is about to begin.

     "Though my heart tells me to stay,"

     We see Princess Serenity clinging to a worried looking Endymion.

     "When my duty calls, I must go"

     We see Pluto appearing in the midst of the ballroom at the Diamond
Gala.

     "'Twixt worlds of fire and worlds of snow."

We cut to a shot of the solar system, with the nine planets and the moon
lined up from the Sun at the left to Pluto at the right, with the Senshi
and Prince Endymion standing on their planets as shadowy figures.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see the White Knight galloping down a Tokyo street on horseback.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see Tuxedo Mask tossing a red rose into the barrel of a gun, which
backfires and explodes.

     "But this message will I send,"

     We see Rei picking up a blue crystal, which starts to play back a
message.

"Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see Naru waiting for someone outside a restaurant.

     "Do not forget the love we share"

     We see Princess Serenity and Endymion tearfully bidding each other
farewell.

     "Though I must leave, my heart will stay."

     We see Naru crying as Nephrite dissolves away in her arms.

     "Do not think I ceased to care"

     We see Beryl implanting crystals in the foreheads of the four
Guardians and cackling maniacally.

"When my duty took me away."

     We see Steven waiting at a restaurant, then sighing as he checks his
watch.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see the Sailors using the Sailor Teleport to travel to the ruins
of the Moon Kingdom.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see Umino trying to fight a monster in "Tuxedo Umino Kamen" mode.

     "But this message will I send,"

We see Luna trying to use a dial only phone.

     "Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see Umino leap to his feet as Naru comes running up the sidewalk
to him with Usagi and company.

     "I have only my heart to give"

     We see Haruka and Michiru sharing a quiet moment.

     "For my life is not my own."

     We see the baby Saturn in a crib.

     "It is for others that I must live"

We see Pluto having a frustrating time trying to counsel a young girl.

     "But it is for you that I come home."

     We see Mamoru following a trail of smoke to Usagi in his kitchen.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see Capricorn vanishing through a portal.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see a chamber with stars for a ceiling and a horoscope on the
floor.  A man stands in grey robes in the center and stares down at the
horoscope.

     "But this message will I send,"

We see Usagi listening to a message on the phone, her eyes getting big.

     "Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see a closing tableux of the Sailors, Umino, Naru, Steven, Tuxedo
Mask, and twelve shadowy figures standing on a Zodiac wheel.




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