Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Saber Marionette Fan Fiction ❯ Terrible Things to Waste ❯ Arc II - Out There Somewhere ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Bastion

..:: Commence Arc II � Faust�s Sword::..

The Sailor Scouts awaken and find themselves scattered among strange worlds. But before they can find each other, trouble finds them.

Rev 04/08 - Setsu Edit

Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Saber Marionette Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.10.2008 | Updated On: 04.19.2008 | Pages: 18 | Words: 17.0K | Visits: 467 | Status: Completed

Okay, time for cliff hangers is over (for now). Time to stir the pot!

PROTIP: Reviews make my fingers type faster.

Dedication goes out to Orion Shadow because even though the guy isn't a SM fan, he still likes this story. So Orion this one is kinda for you. Kinda. ;)

..:: Commence Arc II - Faust's Sword::..

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Terrible Things to Waste

Part 9: Out There Somewhere

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Her fingers felt coarse. There was something granular under her fingertips and it dug into every crevice from her hands down to the exposed parts of her legs and neck. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. A loud roar and gargling rumbled in her ears and roused her other senses further. Opening her eyes, she observed a nearly clear blue sky with the occasional cirrus uncinus drifting by. A breeze blew across her face, carrying with it small grainy particles. A few landed in her eyes and she blinked them away, eyes watering, noting that they stung like lemon juice.

With her senses nearly fully awakened, she sluggishly sat up. Her joints ached as if she had been unconscious for at least a few hours. Immediately, she could see an ocean or a lake spread out before her crashing upon the sand a few meters from where she lay.

She studied the shifting dark blue surface as it undulated in the stiff wind. The waves moved more lazily and the liquid appeared more syrupy than what she'd expect for an ocean.

She examined her surroundings further. A cliff face crowded the shore and stretched out so high it threatened to scratch the sky. She followed the cliff's edge all the way back down to the beach, to where Michelle sat, staring at the sun's rippling reflection and appearing perturbed.

Amy smacked her dry lips, a sour taste in the air immediately hitting her tongue. "How surreal."

"You're finally awake, Mercury." Amy snapped her head toward Michelle, who greeted her with a small, tight smile. Then the smile faded, replaced temporarily by a troubled look, before the woman went back to staring at the sea as a warm gush of wind rustled her green curls. "I had no idea you were such a sound sleeper."

"Er, yes, well." Amy colored. She hated to admit she was a deep sleeper. It made her feel a little vulnerable and less like a Scout. "How long have you been waiting there?"

"Long enough."

"I'm sorry abou-"

"Don't be." Another tight smile gently crested on Michelle's mouth, but her emerald eyes remained fixed and distant. "We have a long day ahead of us."

Nodding, Amy felt for and then pushed her ear stud, thankful it was still there. Instantly, a blue visor materialized across her eyes. "Right. I'll figure out where exactly we are, and then I'll see if I can track down everyone else. That's if that vortex we were in didn't warp my computer."

She watched anxiously as the small machine booted up, her palms beginning to sweat within her gloves. If her computer didn't work, what use would she be in this strange world? And even if it did, would she be able to retrieve the archives from the Silver Millennium? Amy cast a nervous glance towards Michelle and noted her stoic expressionless face, the hard emerald eyes boring into her.

*Ding* “Hello Mercury.” The message scrolled across her visor and the blue-haired youth exhaled in relief.

She smiled tentatively and waved. "See, no problems."

Michelle, though, just sighed and returned her troubled gaze to the lake. Despite the unenthusiastic response, Amy decided to just allow the roar of the waves serenade her while she worked. It appeared that the computer still had some of the lunar archive saved in its memory, but a decent portion of some of the older files, prior to the rule of old Queen Serenity (or, as she liked to call her, Serenity I), were missing. She knew those were on the servers at Headquarters. That meant that they were not in a time or place where the Headquarters existed, which meant they were in a different time or alternate dimension, in which the Silver Millennium didn't exist or had yet to exist. Amy rubbed the bridge of her nose. She definitely needed to do more analysis before she could figure out just where or when or which plane of existence they were in.

“We're not on Earth.”

The statement interrupted Amy's line of thinking. “Huh? What evidence do you have to know that for certain? We don't know where or when we are.”

“The sea is not calling to me. This is not Earth.” Michelle answered simply.

“So, based on one piece of information, you've concluded that we aren't on Earth?” The blue-haired girl couldn't help but sound a little incredulous. Erroneous assumptions always irked her.

“Yes.” Michelle kept her hard gaze on the lake as her cold, even tone broadcasted loudly that the issue was closed to debate. "Can you really track us with your computer?"

“Uh, yes, I can.” Perking up, Amy decided to let the issue drop for the sake of peace. Plus, she didn't get very many opportunities to discuss the workings of her computer. She'd tried on several occasions with the others, but they just never seemed interested. “Each scout gives off a specific aura of power that acts like beacon. I have all of our auras calibrated on my computer.”

Amy noticed that Michelle was now watching her from the corner of her eye. It took Amy a minute or two before she figured out what she needed to do next.

“Ah! Here, let me see if I can find any of them!” Amy tapped a button on her visor.

The information flashed in immediately, but to Amy's dismay, only one purple blip showed on her visor.

She sighed. She hated being the bearer of bad news. So in her best professional voice, Amy relayed her findings. "My scanner can only find Sailor Saturn's signature in this place."

In a flash, Michelle stood over Amy, her shadow looming over the younger Scout like a gathering storm. "Where is she?"

A gust of wind flared the green pleated skirt of Michelle's scout uniform, making Amy immediately conscious of the constricting bodice of her own uniform wrapped around her abdomen. Staring up into Michelle's narrowing emerald eyes, Amy's stomach folded and refolded upon itself. It reminded her of the time when her mother interrogated her, when she'd returned home late one night after one of her study sessions with Greg.

"Twenty miles to the northeast." Amy said, indicating a ledge just behind them.

Michelle stared at the tall rocky ledge, her stoic face contorted with a mixture of concern and apprehension. It was then that it occurred to Amy that Victoria was alone in what appeared to be a hostile environment. Could Victoria be strong enough not to crack under the strain of her fears alone, she wondered? Now Amy could understand Michelle's concern, as well as her apprehension. If a scared Victoria was forced to defend herself as Sailor Saturn, Amy couldn't fathom the devastation she could inflict upon this world.

"We shouldn't waste any more time." Stepping away from Amy, Michelle pulled the blue-haired girl to her feet. Starting down the beach, Michelle turned and motioned to her stationary companion. "Let's go."

As Amy moved to catch up, something else on her visor caught her attention. "Um, Neptune, I'm picking up another signal."

"I thought Saturn was the only one here?" There was an edge to Michelle's voice.

Her stomach now felt as though it was wringing itself like a wet towel. "It's similar to the signals I scanned from Cindy and that Timelord." Amy swallowed. "But it doesn't match either of them."

Michelle and Amy looked at each other. Amy knew she didn't need to say it; there was only one other Traveller present when they got sucked into that temporal void, and the prospect of having to deal with him again wasn't a pleasant one. At least it wasn't to Amy.

The stiff wind blew hard at that moment, holding back Michelle's wavy green curls and exposing her face. The expression on it was hard to read. "Then we have to expect anything when the time comes to confront whatever it is. Come on."

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Never in her old age had she seen such unusual attire such as this child's. The outfit was very cute in its own unique style, but it hardly ... protected her. She didn't recognize the clothing as coming from any of the surrounding kingdoms. She must have come from one very far away from the look of it, and done so on foot, which amazed her. Little wonder the child was unconscious when she discovered her at the outskirts of the village.

Pulling off one of her coarse leather gloves, she reached down and removed a few strands of the girl's black hair, admiring her unblemished skin. She was a beautiful child, but there were so many questions. How was this frail child able to make it through so many miles of the Sea of Corruption without a single scratch?

The poisonous forest surrounded the valley, and it would have been impossible for her to get here without walking through a good portion of it. The trek was perilous, considering the giant insects and poisonous miasma, and this child was able to do it *without* a mask or armor.

Turning to the bladed staff relaxing against her father's aged and tarnished armor, the old woman regarded the weapon more closely. Staring into its wide edge, her worn face and long grey hair reflected brightly in the setting sun. No blade made of an Ohmu's shell could match the quality and sharpness of this weapon. She wondered if that was how the child was able to navigate the Sea of Corruption, but how did she keep from breathing in the fatal spores?

A rustling of the thick blankets drew her attention. The child rubbed her eyes, mumbling something she couldn't decipher. When the child's eyes opened and fixed on the old woman, her limbs stiffened, paralyzed. The girl squeaked, regaining her mobility, and retreated back underneath the covers.

She tried greeting the girl in several dialects she knew, but the child didn't respond, choosing to remain underneath the blanket. She spoke as softly as she could and tried to sound reassuring, but the child was still terrified. With no other options available to her, she reluctantly reached out with her mind.

'Please don't be scared.'

The blanket ceased its shivering and a pair of violet eyes peeked over the edge. Eventually, the girl's entire head emerged, surprise and awe evident on her small face. She said something that sounded like a question, but the older woman still couldn't understand her. This wouldn't do at all if she wanted to communicate with the child. The woman's heart squeezed; this child looked so lost and confused.

'Please. I can't understand what you're saying.' The woman nodded, encouraging the girl to cooperate.

Wrinkling her face in concentration, the child's voice could be clearly heard in her mind. 'How are you doing this?'

Laughing softly, the elder woman replied. 'I suppose it's a gift I have.'

'Where am I?' Glancing out the window, the girl had an unobstructed view of the entire valley as the sun fell below the surface of the lake on the horizon.

`This is the village I grew up in.'

The wonder on the girl's face pleased the old woman and warmed her heart. Ah, the innocence of youth. It had been a shame that she never had children of her own, but in the end she had taken care of her people and protected their future. That was enough for her.

But that was neither here nor there; the poor child was still scared. It was obvious she needed some comfort. 'I see this place has retained some of its old beauty.'

The child's large violet eyes grew big and then narrowed slightly, suspicious. The old woman wondered for a moment if perhaps she'd underestimated this girl's potential as a threat. `Who are you?'

Despite her wariness, she smiled, hoping to make the child realize she wasn't dangerous. `My name is Nausicaa, and this is the Valley of the Wind.'

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A bristly ball floated past his head as he stumbled through this spore-ridden forest. An ocean of insects squirmed down worn trails around the thick trunks of parasitic trees.

Halebit wandered further through the forest, the pain in his body testing his resolve with each step. His throat constricted tightly around every breath he took, forcing the old man to inhale more of the dust-clogged air.

A violent fit of coughing overwhelmed the General, as if his lungs wanted to escape his rotting body. As he fell to his knees, a thick substance bubbled its way out of his mouth. It pooled beneath him, black as pitch and thick as tar. He needed that Crystal now.

Sickened and horrified, the old man lurched to his feet, letting the black ooze hang from his lower lip. He didn't dare stop and rest a minute more; he needed to find the Silver Crystal. He needed its healing light to counteract the effect this poisonous world had on him. Ah, the power he had held in his hands. What he wouldn't do just to get it back and hear its melody once more.

"It's the spores, you know." An all too familiar voice declared, its echoes emanating through the forest.

`Echoes?' The General spun around, disorientation seizing him.

Through the last remnants of his dry cough, he croaked, "Nihil! What is your game this time?" Halebit didn't know what to expect while he turned about face -- Nihil was nothing more than a voice -- but he didn't expect this.

Before him stood a youthful soldier who Halebit had tried all his life to forget. The soldier's wrinkle-free uniform prominently displayed the stripes across his upper arm, signifying his status of general, and many glittering war medals that showcased his valor. His short black hair and stout posture matched his uniform in flawlessness. Halebit couldn't look into the soldier's face with his usual calmness; anger seethed in him and he clenched his fist.

"How dare you, Nihil, to choose his image." Halebit hissed. "What do you think you're accomplishing by doing that?"

Nihil smiled the soldier's perfect smile and leaned toward the old man using a flat, smooth, authoritative tone. Halebit hated that voice. "I thought you'd take me seriously if I took the form of someone you respected."

Halebit avoided Nihil's stare. "That disreputable pariah? Ha. He was hardly anyone I would respect."

The soldier gazed at him curious. "You'd go so far as to deny yourself the truth? Hmph. Your jealousy astounds me, Halebit."

"I was not jealous of that intolerable heathen!" Halebit snarled at his dementia's creation. "The only reason I befriended him was to find out his secret-"

Halebit's mouth hung on that last word as Nihil's perfect smile grew wider.

"You wanted to know his secret? You wanted to know why he was better than you. Didn't you?"

Halebit once more averted his eyes from Nihil. 'I can't let him defeat me. I'm the one who has control.'

"He was never better than me. He depended on that wretched sword to get him out of the predicaments he would recklessly wander into." Halebit swallowed down some of the black mucus that crept up his throat. "He had no control. Just like his-"

Nihil raised a conspicuous eyebrow and leaned forward once more, making eye contact unavoidable. "His son? Please Hally, Trekker was nothing like Tracer. Trekker was calculating, calm, and above all devastating in battle. He hardly ever used Faust's Sword until he had to fight Aste. If you remember correctly, you couldn't even lay a finger on him in hand to hand combat. At least until you started taking those red-"

“Shut your mouth!” Halebit screamed, and then coughed furiously. “I AM BETTER THAN HIM! HE'S NOTHING MORE THAN A GHOST NOW!”

Nihil smirked, the expression seeming out of place on Trekker's face. “Unfortunately, that ghost has come back to haunt you, Hally.”

Instantly, a child materialized in front of Halebit, holding one of the bamboo sticks he'd used in training the Timelords back before he had taken over the floundering Society. It was obvious the child was trying to appear older, standing with his chest outthrust and chin held high, breathing heavily as though he had run a great distance. Halebit was amused by his disheveled appearance; a tangled mass of black hair, red-rimmed eyes, dirt smudged cheeks, and soiled clothing. These hardly befit a protégé of Halebit's stature. Such a haughty child of privilege; he wondered why they allowed him to run about like a pig.

The child offered up the stick to the old man and tried to speak to him firmly, but his voice faltered. "I wanna train under you… to be a great soldier… like Father."

"And do you remember the first thing you told him? You told him he was never going to amount to anything, like his father." Halebit could have sworn that he felt Nihil breathing down his neck. "Thus you fought to break his spirit throughout the rest of his training in order to claim your final victory over Trekker, allowing him to become wild and undisciplined. He was the only mark against you on an otherwise spotless record. Do you see how your petty jealousy controls you, Halebit?"

A grunt escaped Halebit's lips as he stared intently into Nihil's black eyes. "I merely told the child the truth. Anyway, Tracer is nothing more than a beast. There was hardly anything I could have done to turn him into a soldier up to my standards. He's as wild and untamed as-"

"You?" Nihil arched one of his eyebrows quizzically and smirked. Having Trekker's visage arrogantly regarding him made Halebit's ire rise. "You were just as wild and untamed at his age. Probably more so."

Fingernails bore into Halebit's palms, his voice approaching a low growl. "I was very different then. I've learned to administer control over myself. Unlike that untamed child, Tracer, I learned to quell my urges."

"True, but you never could vanquish them." Nihil walked over to the child and knelt next to him. "You left them to boil deep within yourself, and now they are ready to explode. Eventually, they will be released."

Both the child and Nihil gazed at Halebit with their piercing black eyes. "You can't hold me back forever."

* * *

Falling further and further into nothingness, she held on tight to Darien. It took all her strength, but she was able to hold on. They continued falling until the darkness overwhelmed her.

"Hey, wake up, sleepyhead."

"Huh?" Slowly, Serena's eyes fluttered open. "Mina?"

Mina grinned down at her friend, some of her long blonde hair tickling Serena's nose as it swung in an arid breeze. "Geez, me and Darien thought you'd never wake up."

"Darien!" Without warning, Serena's upper body catapulted forward, and Mina sprang back, narrowly avoiding a stray ball of hair. Looking one way and another, Serena's eyes shot around the immediate vicinity. "Where's-?"

"Whoa, Serena." Mina rested her hand on her friend's shoulders and glanced at Serena's two balls of hair. "You could kill someone with those things." That comment had elicited a smile. "Darien's over there, keeping an eye on that creepy Timelord guy."

Following Mina's gaze, she saw Darien, still dressed in his tuxedo, looking down at the gruff Traveller laid out on the sand, both situated in the shadow of large white wall.

The wall itself towered over all of them, and appeared to extend to forever and back on either side. Serena couldn't see any joins or rough texture on its surface, and she had to crane her neck to see where it curved out of sight. In complete awe, Serena eased herself to her feet, oblivious of Mina dusting away some unsightly sand that had collected on the seat of her dress.

"This is so weird." The words escaped Serena's lips as she brushed her fingertips on the wall's smooth face.

"Yeah, that's the same thing I said." Mina agreed.

When Serena returned her eyes to Darien, he was staring at her, and his face blossomed into a smile when he noticed her watching.

Relieved, Serena smiled back before tearing her eyes away from her dark-haired lover and gazing out across the great expanse of desert the wall didn't enclose. Except for the occasional breeze, nothing seemed to disturb its flat, barren geography.

Turning back to the brilliant wall, Serena pondered aloud. "Is there any way in?"

"I couldn't find any sort of entrance within a mile either way." Serena's head snapped toward the gruff voice. There Erica stood confident, her short blonde hair and blue skirt wavering in the breeze.

"I told you that." Mina added loudly, earning herself an indignant sniff from the tomboy.

“Anyway.” Serena unsuccessfully suppressed a chuckle and Erica frowned slightly, a tinge of blush blossoming on her cheeks as she continued. "We need to move and find some water, or else you will die of dehydration in a few days."

Serena grew concerned. "What about the rest of you?"

Erica crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "We'll probably last longer since Venus, Tuxedo Mask, and I are all transformed. But we must move, or else none of us will have a chance of surviving."

Suddenly Serena became conscious that she was wearing the white dress she'd had on the night before. That's right, she wasn't Sailor Moon anymore. She had given it to the old man in exchange for Reenie. She hoped that the others were safe, wherever they were.

Then Serena glanced towards the slumbering Timelord. "What about him?"

"He can stay there, for all I care." Darien spat.

Serena stiffened at the exclamation and then relaxed. There needed to be peace between everyone if they were ever going to get back home. So, with the grace of an angel, Serena spun around to face her lover. "Why?"

Darien kept his back turned, his black cape acting like a wall. Serena held in a sigh - she hated it when he acted like this. "He called you things. Horrible, hurtful things. That's why. We know he's not going to help us, so why help him? All he's going to do is hurt you more, Serena. I ... I don't want that."

Serena rested her head on Darien's shoulder, joining him in his vigil over the unconscious man. "I know you care, but please understand,” Serena gazed at Tracer, his face still and serene, "we don't have a choice. We're probably far away from home, and he might be our only chance of getting back there. Maybe if we kill him with kindness?"

Darien swiveled his head, and Serena could see his hardened expression.

“I can think of more efficient ways to kill him.” He said, humorlessly.

“Darien.” She admonished. “That isn't who we are. We aren't ruthless killers. We fight for love and justice, and leaving him to die in the desert isn't our way.”

Abruptly, Darien rose to his feet, causing Serena to stumble. He looked down at her, finally coming face to face. “You're kidding, right?”

Serena captured his blue eyes with hers and tried to appear as serious and mature as she ever had in her entire life. “No, I'm not.”

She could see Darien was struggling, but finally he relaxed and his expression softened just a tad. “Okay, Serena. We'll help him, but we need to be careful.”

“Oh God, yes.” Serena agreed, giving the Timelord another glance. He looked deceptively peaceful in sleep, but they all knew what he was capable of. “I said we should be nice to him, not entrust him with our firstborn.”

Darien smiled in reply, and Serena's heart fluttered. God, she loved it when he smiled like that.

Fighting the impulsive urge to kiss him, Serena asked him a question. “So where are we? Are we dead?”

Quirking an eyebrow, the dark-haired man shrugged, looking out at the expanse of sand. “Can't really say. If it is, the afterlife is an odd place indeed.”

Serena became thoughtful. “It might not be that far-fetched, ya know. There was this one manga I was reading not that long ago about-”

It was then that Erica's raspy voice sent Serena's fragile chandelier of thought crashing down. "I hardly think that will work, Venus."

"Of course it will work,” Mina said. “I mean, we all can jump great distances, and we can use Darien's cane and your sword. Think of it as a fun day of mountain climbing."

"I don't think so." Erica crossed her arms.

Mina crinkled her nose and tapped her upper lip thoughtfully. "We can always knock."

"Do you want me to say open-sesame, or do you?"

Without warning, the large wall wailed and rattled. From underneath the sand, two lines carved up its face and converged to a point. The enclosed area then jolted from its confines and slid into obscurity behind the simplistic sheet of white. Both Mina and Erica stepped away, tensed and prepared to defend against whoever - or whatever - was on the other side of that wall.

As the rattle died away, a cloaked figure emerged from the newly created archway. Its darkened mask darted first one way, then another. Efficiently, the masked mystery person studied each of them, halting when its view passed over Serena, making her nervous. Then the masked individual spent just as long looking at the Timelord lying in the sand.

"It can't be." Serena could hear the masked person, unmistakably male, say. He then turned towards the entrance, yelling back at someone unseen. "The Temporal Net was correct! It's him!"

From around the corner, Serena could see two more masked strangers come into view.

"You think you can handle him alone?" One of the other masked members, another male, asked.

"He's unconscious. I can carry him in to the Counsule Building."

"He's a Level 4, Nahtan. You are required to have me and Guod *at least* to escort him in, in case he wakes up." The third, female this time, chimed in, and appeared to be trying to peek above the shoulder of the first masked individual, whom Serena assumed was their leader.

At the moment, the leader appeared to be trying to block the view of the other two, but had failed miserably because the taller and bulker masked stranger nodded toward her and Darien.

"What about them?"

"Nothing, I will tend to them as well. Alone."

"There's something familiar about them." The bulky stranger rubbed his masked chin.

"What are you hiding, Nahtan?" The shorter female stood on her tip-toes, her voice taking a threatening edge.

"Short skirts-” The bulky man murmured.

The leader grunted. "Are you questioning my authority, Nire?"

"Tiaras-"

To Serena's surprise the woman ripped her mask off, revealing loose strands of amber hair framing her glowering face. "Why are you so eager to usher us out?"

Without warning the bulky man shouted. "By Serenity's ghost! It's Sailor V and the Senshi!"

In his excitement, the bulky man shoved his rather lanky leader out of the way, making his way to Mina. "I can't believe this."

Nire's eyes followed her fellow soldier as he scampered over to Erica and Mina, and then they fixed on her leader. "So... "

Their leader only grunted in frustration as he picked himself up.

Serena stole a quick anxious look at Darien, who moved closer to her, placing her slightly behind himself.

Meanwhile, Mina tried to gather her wits, faced with this newly acquired and totally unanticipated fan. "Excuse me?"

The large soldier gently grasped her hand. "You must forgive me, Goddess of Love, Sailor Venus, for being impolite. I did not mean to call you by your other name."

Mina's nose twitched and Erica smirked with amusement. "You mean Sailor V?"

The bulky man held his head low in shame. "Please forgive me!"

"Um, don't get me wrong, but," the blonde rubbed the back of her head, "how do you know-"

Mina trailed off as the bulky man's mask began to turn away from her and zeroed in on Serena. Suddenly, the man jumped to his feet and made a beeline for her. Serena gulped, and Darien further blocked the man's path.

Anxiety filled Serena as she watched the man pull off his mask and kneel before them. His actions were not unlike Cindy's, when she'd first met the Traveller on her doorstep.

“I am here to serve you, my Lady Serenity.” The bulky man's curly light brown hair waved in the sandy wind. “I am one of your children, Guod.”

Serena could hear the disbelief in Nire's voice. "I can't believe it. It is her. She's come back like the Tomes predicted!"

"Uh, no, I'm not who you think I am. Nope." Serena denied and chuckled dryly. It worried her how some of these Travellers held her in such reverence, as if they worshipped her or something. "I'm no one special, trust me; just a plain ol' school girl who sucks at math. Nothing worth kneeling over. Please just get up."

Guod held firm and refused to even lift his head. "I cannot, my Lady, for I have taken an oath in your honor."

"But, I-” Serena watched in utter amazement as the woman knelt down beside her comrade.

"Lady Serenity. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am one of your daughters, Nire."

"But, uh,” Serena's eyes pleaded for help from Darien, but he still had yet to close his hanging jaw. Finally, Serena gave up on looking for something to say. "Who are you?"

"We are servants in your church." Nire's face crinkled, avoiding Serena's eyes. Guod only kept his head lowered. "We are a part of the order called the Children of Serenity."

"What!?" The Sailor Scouts chorused.

“Yes, yes, they are members of a wacko cult who seem to forget they are also Timelords." Finally, their leader raised his voice, sounding very annoyed, as he escaped the darkness of the archway. "But if you'll excuse us, we are here to bring this criminal in for questioning, and not to honor any fictitious gods or goddesses or whatever the hell she is."

Serena had reeled from the earlier revelation and was still trying to catch up. "You're Timelords?"

Guod remained silent while Nire reluctantly replied. "Yes."

The leader approached Tracer's limp body and kicked it cautiously. Satisfied that he wasn't getting up any time soon, he addressed the others. "These people are foreigners, Nire, and they have no right to be in the Community. Counsule law."

Nire shot to her feet and glared at her leader. "How dare you speak of the great and mighty Serenity that way! A foreigner indeed! You are fortunate she is kind and forgiving, or else she would have disintegrated you to dust."

"Now wait-” Serena squeaked.

"Nahtan, we will escort the Queen, Endymion, and her royal court." Nire announced, brushing aside her auburn hair to keep her hard gaze fixed on the leader. "Right, Guod?"

The large soldier paused and reverently stood, answering with confidence. "Yes."

Their leader, Nahtan, didn't move or even breathe. Serena couldn't tell what was going through his head since his mask covered his face. After a few moments, he sighed. "Fine."

A small smile danced across Nire's dainty little cheeks as she gently grabbed Serena's elbow. Serena panicked and noticed Darien and the other Scouts tense before the woman announced cheerfully. "This way, Serenity. We shall escort you in."

As the two Timelords gathered them together, Serena noticed that Nahtan placed a black pole on Tracer's chest and pressed a button. The device hummed, and several glowing rings burned to life, appearing around Tracer's body. The glowing rings tightened, digging him out of the loose sand. Nahtan pushed another button on the sleek black spine, and the device hummed louder. Slowly, Tracer's unconscious form lifted off the sand and hovered next to him.

Serena glanced over at her friends, who were wearing neutral expressions, but were following Nire and Guod through the archway. She wasn't sure what to make out of all this just yet, her head was still spinning. These Timelords that Cindy so despised were members of a church devoted to Serenity! How could such violent creatures be followers of her ideals? How did they even know what her ideals were? Why would they want to follow her ideals? Just where were they?

As she passed through the archway, she noticed that the interior was smooth and flowing, like dark chocolate. Hardly a fitting image for the gear-grinding sounds it had emitted earlier. Just ahead, bright, unadulterated sunlight beckoned Serena, its illumination enticing her to discover what was on the other side of this wall. Her curiosity strained to keep her eyes open while the light intensified.

Finally, the strain proved to be too much when they reached the end of the archway's corridor. For an instant, her eyes fluttered closed, and upon opening them, pure, wholesome white welcomed her.

Lines upon lines of rigid, white buildings with smooth white faces similar to the wall that protected them crowded the white dusty street. Further down the road a large white dome loomed over all, with four conical pillars that rivaled the Tokyo Tower in height and magnificence.

"This is so wicked cool." Serena murmured as her other friends gasped at the sight.

At first, people they passed would look and stare, dumbfounded, while others ran off to locations unknown. As they progressed further, a crowd gathered around them, but Nire and Guod kept them at bay. One older gentleman in black and green robes tried to approach them, but only met the stern face of Guod.

"Make room for Lady Serenity!" The Timelord boomed, but the older man didn't appear to even flinch.

"I must speak with Serenity." The old gentleman insisted.

"Not now." With one good shove, the older gentleman was brushed aside, but his eyes bored into Serena. That intense look bothered her greatly, but she didn't have long to linger on it, as they were swept through the ever-growing crowd.

Serena glanced around. The bigger the crowd became, the more her awe turned to apprehension. The crowd ranged from people in ragged clothing to individuals in colorful robes in hues of blue, gold, red, yellow, orange, or black. Some had young children hoisted on their shoulders, cheering and smiling, and others cried, begging for a blessing of good fortune.

'Am I a god to these people?' She reached over for Darien's strong hand and grasped it, ensuring she wouldn't plummet any further into this insanity. She almost missed the dark void. She felt like leaping into it at the moment anyway.

Serena glanced over at Mina, who was smiling and waving at the crowd, basking in their praise and cheers. Beside her, Erica stood on guard, her gaze darting from side to side, making sure no one got past their escorts. In the back, Serena could barely make out Nahtan in the crowd as he pulled Tracer along with that odd device, his slumped posture indicating his foul mood.

Finally, the procession reached the center of the city, at the base of the white dome, where the crowd spilled forth from the narrow streets and filled the surrounding square. Serena waited anxiously, clutching Darien's hand.

"I'm worried, Darien."

He squeezed her hand and held her close.

A silence rushed over the immense crowd. The outline of a door appeared on the surface of the dome and disappeared without a sound, revealing a dark crevasse. Slowly and reverently, five elders walked out into the light saturated city. The head elder led the way with the others following behind him, all wearing white robes. A lump formed in Serena's throat at the agonizingly slow speed which the elders approached. Once the head elder was a few feet away, the others spread out to either side of him and stopped. The head elder peered at Serena in her white dress, pondered a moment, and moved forward.

Beneath his thick grey beard, the head elder smiled. "I, Nairb, Head Elder of the Counsule, humbly welcome all of you to our home, the Community."

`The Counsule!' Serena took a step back, aghast. `Are these the people who killed Cindy's family!? What's going on here?'

* * *

Cindy watched as the sun slowly crept into view over the tall, cramped buildings of the strange city that loomed over them.

Over those structures a palace towered. She had seen its silhouette the night before, but now, with the sun bringing out the vibrant colors, it took her breath away. Its grandiose design reminded Cindy of the palaces from Feudal Japan, but she knew instinctively that this couldn't be from that age. For one thing, some of the buildings in the city were too tall to be adequately supported by wood alone. Then there were those strange mannequins in the shops...

As she continued to wrap cloth strips around her chest in tight, concentric loops, Cindy looked out towards the distant mountains once more. When they first arrived, Cindy had seen lightning strikes beyond them, and feared that rain wouldn't be far behind. In desperation, with the sleeping child in her arms, she found shelter in this covered alleyway and waited. Yet, as the hours passed, no moisture had descended upon them.

Once she felt confident it wouldn't rain, she wandered around and collected as many loose items as she could grab from the shops, before the fleeting rays of sunrise colored the dark sky and exposed her crime.

More light began to creep into the dark crevices of the alleyway. Reenie stirred when the beams of sunlight danced across her eyelids.

"Cindy?" The child groaned, removing some of the loose strands of bright pink hair from her jostled pig tails.

Pausing in her wrapping, Cindy smiled at the young girl. "Good morning, Reenie."

Removing the heavy cloth draped across her body, and eyeing it with a tinge of curiosity, Reenie surveyed the alleyway and the outlying streets of the city. "Where are we?"

Already in mid-wrap, Cindy winced. "I'm not sure. This looks like feudal Japan, but I doubt that's the case."

Reenie watched, fascinated, as Cindy continued to wrap the cloth around her chest. "Where are Darien, Serena, Puu, and the others?"

Cindy's wrapping came to an abrupt halt and the cloth, loosened, unraveled to her waist. "I don't know, Reenie. I'm not sure where they went. If that vortex spit us out here randomly, there's no telling where the others could be."

A flood of guilt swept over Cindy when Reenie tilted her head down and her eyes glazed over. "I'm sorry, Reenie. I know that they'll make it back. The Time Guardian won't allow them to be stranded in the middle of nowhere. They're out there, somewhere, waiting for you."

Reenie perked up at Cindy's words of encouragement, and the guilt abated some. “Yeah."

Cindy smiled and started anew on her painful venture, while Reenie watched until her curiosity got the best of her. "Hey, Cindy."

The blonde Traveller gritted her teeth. "Yes?"

"Why are you wrapping that cloth around your, uh, around you?"

Reenie's prudence brought a tinge of a smile with the pain as she finished one more loop. "It's a general rule for me whenever I end up in an unknown dimension to hide my… femininity before wandering in public."

Reenie's nose wrinkled. "Why?"

Another wince, another turn. "Because, more often than not, female is not the choice sex to be."

"Oh."

"Which means, I hate to say, the pigtails must go."

Reenie sighed, and once again Cindy felt the weight of guilt resting on her shoulders.

"Hey, Reenie." The child looked up to see the blonde Traveller finishing her last wrap and wearing a grin that could have eaten a canary. She seriously could eat one right now, she was so hungry. "How about some breakfast!? What do ya say?"

Reenie practically salivated at the suggestion, and her stomach growled loudly. "Can we have pancakes?"

Cindy giggled. "If they have them."

Tugging at her pigtails, Reenie looked down at her own clothing. "What are we going to do about my outfit?"

Different variations of male clothing slid in and out of Cindy's mind as she eyed the child.

"Without ruining my favorite dress." Reenie amended quickly.

Tapping her chin, Cindy pondered for a moment. "Where did you put that burlap cloak?"

"You mean this thing?" Reenie picked up the heavy material from the dirt floor of the alleyway.

"Yep." Taking the cloth, Cindy draped it over the shoulders of the pink-haired youth, and tied the girl's hair in a way that made her look more like a boy. "That should do it. Let's go."

With Reenie in tow, the blonde Traveller led them out into the early morning bustle of the strange city. Vivacious colors of clothing glowed in the morning sun; the elegance of the robes these people wore seemed more appropriate to archaic Japan. Cindy couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious in comparison. She hoped they didn't stick out too much.

Very cheerful people they were, and seemed friendly enough to the travelers, at least from what Cindy could tell. They smiled as Reenie skipped about the road, narrowly missing manually pulled food carts and a few hovering taxis that zipped by. Cindy had lost count of the number of apologies she had offered on the child's behalf. She thanked Serenity that she knew something about Japanese customs, and they seemed to understand. All smiles.

Yet, something didn't feel right. The more they walked, the more Cindy became acutely aware of a lack of a female presence. Moving her head this way and that, Cindy searched, with the hope that they weren't the only women in this entire city.

'Because the prospect of being the lone women in a city full of men isn't a pleasant one.' The Traveller cringed at the horror stories she'd heard of other female Travellers that ended up in such dimensions.

Finally, a flash of a kimono fluttered into her view, and at once, Cindy followed it, to slow the tempo of the drumming in her heart. Unfortunately, the tempo accelerated when Cindy found one of the placid female mannequins wearing the kimono while obediently following her male owner.

"No. This can't be." The blonde whispered hoarsely. "This can't be Terra 2. Not a whole planet..."

A tug at her sleeve pulled Cindy from her shock.

"Where did you get this from?" Reenie asked as she displayed the thick cloth currently draping her form. "I didn't remember seeing this before we, um, got here."

"While you were asleep, I...” Cindy trailed off as she watched another pale-faced mannequin walking by, and then returned her attention to the child, "browsed around in the shops."

A dubious expression crossed the child's face. "Browse?"

"Well, the ones with the locks I could pick the quickest." Cindy smiled nervously.

"YOU STOL-" Cindy's slender hand shot out and silenced the girl.

"Shhh, Reenie." Cindy growled between her teeth. "Last thing we want is to become criminals in a strange land."

The pink-haired youth struggled free and continued; her hushed voice resonating with irritation. "You stole this?!"

The pair continued to move through the crowd in silence; the Traveller steeled herself and tried to steady her quivering stomach. "Sometimes it's necessary to do such things in order to survive." Cindy's hunger was lost to nausea. "Even if it's wrong."

How did it come to this? What did she do to deserve this life? She loathed what she was becoming. She wasn't willing to do such horrible, terrible things before her family died; the stealing, the lying, the bribing, the faking, the killing-

'Tracer...' The grotesque image of the bloody-faced Timelord blazed up from her memories. She remembered her hands painted with his silver-laced blood, and the look of horror on Serena's face. Peering at her hands, she could still see traces of that blood, ground into her skin. It seemed like no matter how many times she washed them she was never going to get out those damn spots. She now had her vengeance, but she still felt empty.

"Hey, Cindy."

Cindy found herself stopped in the middle of the street, staring intently at her clenched fists. A few teardrops were wetting her fingers. They were warm on her skin, but she didn't find them very soothing. Regaining her composure, the blonde laughed to herself and wiped her moist eyes. Peering down, she gave Reenie her undivided attention.

Reenie smiled and pulled Cindy's hand. "Why don't we get some pancakes?"

As Reenie pulled her away, Cindy felt a little lighter.

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

From her perch in the steeple, she watched the residents of this strange world walk to and fro. It was such a seamless blend of the past, present, and future of Japan before her, from the bamboo walls to the tall steel skyscrapers that overshadowed them. Cars without wheels zoomed past, gliding on air, leaving dust clouds in their wake as they made their way toward the palace in the distance.

It had been a long time since she had seen such a structure. Some of these buildings were consistent with the Warring States Era of Japan. Others were obviously inspired by more modern designs. The mish-mash of technologies and styles didn't make any sense. She had criss-crossed the timeline, and never had she seen a conglomeration like this. She leaned on her deep well of knowledge, since that was all she could rely on at the moment. God, she really felt out of her element now, she realized.

Dutifully, she gripped her staff, continuing her observation and determined not to allow her mind to get sidetracked. Another unusual thing she spied, at least in this place, was all the women. They walked much too mechanically, their vacant eyes making them look more like trained servants. Pluto shivered, hoping they hadn't ended up somewhere that enslaved women.

Whatever this place was, it definitely wasn't Earth, a little astrology told her that much, but familiar energies tingled her senses. Small Lady had to be nearby.

"Do you know where we are, Pluto?" She heard Mars ask, her voice small. Pluto didn't turn around. The scene below held some fascination, as well as providing her with some vital clues.

"We're not on Earth." Lifting from one knee, Pluto stood in the open window of the steeple, the wind playfully tugging at wisps of her dark green hair and the ends of her black skirt. "Of that much I am certain."

A tall brunette poked her head around the Time Guardian to get a better view of the happenings below. "What a weird place."

"My sentiments exactly." Pluto frowned slightly at the bite in Mars' tone. Apparently she had already recovered from her melancholy. She supposed this was a good thing. "When are you going to call that Time Gate and zap us out of here?"

The Time Guardian spun around, facing the annoyed Scout. "Not yet, Mars."

"What!?" The soft wooden floor muffled the leaden clicks of Mars' high heels. "We have to get back home."

Pluto's temper flared, and she had a hard time quelling it. Though she served her Queen loyally, she would not be ordered around like someone's time traveling chauffeur. There was more to her than just activating the Time Gate. Her entire life didn't revolve around it. "Home can wait."

Both girls began to shy away at the severity of her statement.

Jupiter cleared her throat, though the Time Guardian could easily see the tension in her body. "What do you mean, Pluto?"

The Time Guardian settled herself. Picking a fight with Jupiter would be clearly unwise. "I apologize, but Small Lady is here. I can feel her energy in this city, and we are not leaving without her."

Appearing slightly calmer, Mars once more approached her. "Easy enough, then. We just follow you to Reenie, and then we're out of here, right?"

"Not necessarily true, Mars. I can only feel her presence; I can't find her. Her energy is too spread out to pinpoint." Gazing back out into the cityscape of the unusual world, Pluto continued. "It's not only that; the Silver Crystal is out there, and it's masking her position as well."

"So Serena's here as well?" The expression across Mars' face was hard to read.

Suddenly Pluto felt an urge to find out what Mars was thinking. The girl was obviously in turmoil, but over what, exactly? She wondered if she could sympathize with the raven-haired priestess, and instantly felt guilty for her outburst earlier. The poor child just lost someone who she cared deeply for, and now was trapped in this foreign land with little hope of returning. Pluto felt some trepidation and looked at Mars and Jupiter, who were watching her expectantly. She'd tell them about the Time Gate later. First, they had to find Small Lady.

"I don't think so. The energy I feel from the Silver Crystal is…cold… would be the appropriate description, I suppose." Pluto faced the two Scouts, both pondering in proud silence what she'd said. She sighed. "But our most pressing concern is to make sure Small Lady isn't in any danger. She's probably out there by herself, and we have no idea what's lurking out there."

At this, both Scouts nodded, and once again Pluto gained some control. She relaxed, feeling a sense of normalcy returning, albeit briefly. It would leave the moment she left this place, but they had a mission to accomplish. "And after we retrieve Small Lady, we must secure the Silver Crystal before it falls in the wrong hands."

Yes, she'd worry about the Time Gate later.

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

He had to hurry, the show beckoned, and his musical angel wasn't ready to spread her wings. Using his brush, he painted his masterpiece on the palette of his angel's circuitry. For some reason the circuit was acting up again, disturbing the behavior algorithm. He didn't like it when his angel was sick.

"Matt."

Furiously, the artist worked.

"Maatttt."

Now where had he put his welder?

"MATT!"

Matt jumped, pointing his handheld welder at the golden-haired man fuming in the doorway.

Slightly flushed, he lowered his pseudo-weapon and sighed. "Oh, hiya, Bro."

His brother ushered himself into the stuffed workshop, flinging aside some of his long golden locks, careful to keep his white suit away from the greasy tools and smudged clothing strewn around on hangers.

He looked over the prone humanoid figure resting on the bench. "Is our little marionette ready to put on another great show?"

Matt grinned sheepishly, ruffling his own golden hair in an attempt to block his brother's view of the machine's open chest. "Uh, yeah. She'll be ready. She'll knock em' dead, in fact!"

His brother snickered and gave Matt a hearty slap on the back. "Come on, Matt, I've been dying to know her secret. I mean, she is making us a pretty penny. It was ingenious of you to suggest coming to Japoness."

Standing tall, Matt expanded his lungs, and coughed out. "And, ahem, you thought that Hikari wouldn't make it out of the saloons of New Texas. Besides, I would have learned Japanese and come out here without you."

Brushing off the comment and the cuff of his pale suit, his older brother replied. "Sure, Matt, just in the same amount of time it took you to learn Russian?"

Shoulders slumped; the technician made no move to dismiss the rain cloud that he imagined had developed overhead. "Thanks, Davy."

"Don't call me that."

Matt felt his smirk sufficed for an adequate reply.

"Are you going to tell me, or what?" Arms crossed, Matt took notice of how his brother's clean, neatly pressed suit was the antithesis of his own oil-smudged, worn clothing. The dichotomy was fascinating. "Or will I have to bribe you?"

Matt raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, my brother, David. Do you think I actually have a price?"

As David studied him with his dark green eyes, Matt wondered if David's expression was ever this incredulous before.

"Okay, David, what is it?"

Digging into one of his coat pockets, David revealed a small, spherical crystal. "I thought your marionette might like this addition to her accessories."

Matt snatched the crystal from his brother's well manicured hands. After giving the translucent stone a sweep with his ever exacting eye, he smirked once more. "Let me guess, you found it on the street."

"Yep. As far as I can tell, it's just your run of the mill stone." David glanced quickly around Matt's workshop before finally looking at the artist in earnest. "So, are you going to tell me, or am I going to die of anticipation?"

Spinning the crystal in his hand, hr watched the myriad of colors refract from every little crevice in its surface. It was a strange stone; the reflection of light made it look like there was a tiny fire blazing inside despite it dull grey luster. Though he probably wouldn't get a great price for it, Matt found it aesthetically pleasing. Satisfied, he nodded.

"Okay. Here is the secret to Hikari, the magically dancing marionette." With a grand wave of his hand, Matt displayed the secret to their success.

Matt watched, eager to see David's awe as he viewed the sophisticated circuitry of the marionette. Instead, Matt felt a pang of disappointment when his brother swept over the complexity of wires and plugs lazily, not at all impressed by its beauty. To his credit, David did stare at the large, colorful lens at the epicenter of the mass of wires.

“This,” David pointed at the lens, “looks like an eye.”

Ah, his brother actually asked a question! At least he was somewhat intrigued. “Actually, no it's not. This wonderful thing,” Matt tapped the glass lens, “is a Maiden Circuit! It's what gives Hikari life!”

David took a step back, aghast. "She's alive!?"

Matt snickered. He never could understand his brother's fear of females. "No, silly. I've dumbed down her intelligence so that it does everything I program her to do, even vague commands."

"Huh." David eyed the circuit warily. "It must have cost you a pretty penny, Matt."

Even though it hurt his jaw muscles, Matt's grin grew wider. "Nope. I won it in a poker game with some drunken guy from St. Petersburg."

David's face lost all muscular ability and fell. "You what?"

"Oh yeah. A real braggart, he was. Hell, he even told me how it worked and what it was and where he got it from."

"How does it work?"

Matt lowered his voice as though he were revealing a plot to take over the world. In some ways, he'd like to think he was. "You see, the Maiden Circuit lets marionettes act more like humans. Apparently, both the original Ieyasu and Faust had created a few back when they crashed here."

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. Lonely, I suppose. Anyway, this guy bragged that he had stolen it from Faust's compound."

"You're telling me this is hot!?"

"No, I mean this guy was making all sorts of wild claims the entire night, and the more he drank, the wilder they got. At one point he was telling me the Mesopotamia was still orbiting the planet, when we all know that it blew up with the rest of the colony ships from Earth. Why would the original crew abandon a space ship and resort to cloning themselves if it was still operational and orbiting the planet?"

David frowned. "Uh-huh. You act like it isn't refutable."

Matt shrugged. "That and he bragged he had the largest-"

David raised his hand, stopping the sentence before it could be completed. "All right, all right! So he probably was lying about that, but just in case, let's be careful. This is Gartland we're talking about. That's the last place we'd want to be, especially on trial. If they grant us one."

David draped his arm over his brother's shoulders and directed him to the door. "So let's pretend I didn't hear this and get some sake. I hear it's pretty good here."

“You're paying."

"Fine. I'll pay."

As David ushered him further out the door, Matt noticed the stone in his hand. “Oh wait a sec!”

Running back to the marionette, Matt dropped the crystal into the open palm of his mechanical angel's hand. Briefly, he thought the refracting light flared for a moment, but quickly dismissed it. David was right. He'd spent too much time in the shop today.

As went out the door, Matt glanced back, admiring his perfect creation, and sighed.

“Come on, Matt! Hurry up!”

Matt shook his head and pulled the door closed. As he walked away with his brother, laughing merrily, he wondered idly if he had closed Hikari's hand or not. Oh well, must have been his imagination.

-End of Part 9-

Author's Notes:

The die has been cast. Everyone's has been split up and surprising twists have been revealed and we've only just started this arc! As the anime series begin piling up what will be the fate of our lovely soldiers?

I take it you guys also noticed I changed the tags, right? Hehehehe. And we've still got a long way to go.

Anyway, I'd like to point out that the characters Matt and David are based on long time FFML contributors Matt and David Johnston (no relation) and I got their permission to include them in this story a loooong time ago. I'm hoping they still don't mind. Heck I hope they're still alive. If you guys are still alive let me know if this is still okay.

Plus big thanks to Henry Cobb on the FFML for his comments and edits. For those of you who don't know who he is go read his stories and be in awe of his awesomeness. Second big thanks to Setsu-P once again for herding in the commas on this chapter and edits. Get that girl a ranch!

Thanks for reading folks!

Soundtrack:

Various scenes inspired by music.

Waking Lake Side - Voyager by Daft Punk

Halebit and the Insect Ocean - Outhouse by Jimmie's Chicken Shack

Serena Entering the Community - Way Out by Orbital

Morning in Japoness - Pearl's Girl by Underworld

Pluto on the Steeple - Sweet Feather from Macross Plus Soundtrack

Matt Theme - Supra Genius by Soul Coughing

Disclaimer:

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi

Saber Marionette J is owned by Satoru Akahori

Nausicaa is owned by Hayao Miyazaki

Bastion

Rev 04/08