Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Time's Wheel ❯ Ch. 8: Sailor Scouts Part A ( Chapter 8 )

Dragon Lady

Time's Wheel

Ch.8: Sailor Scouts Part A

Disclaimer: * Author sits in darkness, scratching the eye ridges of very happy Demos * Unfortunately, I don't own anything. Kudos to those who do though, nice stories.

Author: * glances around a deserted room. * Where is everybody? This just isn't right, I can't even find Rena, and I'm sure I could hear her a mile away…Ah, blissful silence.

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Tokyo, Japan: G-Boys apartment

Heero rummages through a chest of cloths, searching in between folds for his guns. Once finding what he is looking for, he places one his belt and the other, smaller one, in his boot. A few more seconds of constant rummaging turns up a knife and almost as an afterthought, he places it with his gun in his boot.

He glances over his shoulder at the blinking numbers of the digital clock. Three o'clock. I told Wufei I'd meet him at the Starlight Towers three thirty. I'd better hurry if I want to make it.

Heero walks over to the computer on his desk and places up a block on the information on it out of habit before shutting it down. He looks regretfully at the disk setting by the keyboard. I will find out whom that computer belongs to. I can't afford to let whoever owns it find out about us.

Letting loose a small sigh, Heero leaves the room and shuts the door behind him. After picking up his set of keys from the counter, he locks the front door and walks down the hallway toward the elevator.

After he disappears around the corner, Lita leans out from behind her cracked door across the hall. She pulls out her communicator from her jean pocket and flips open the top, punching a series of buttons.

"Hey Serena, it's Lita. Heero just left."

The crackling of a voice is heard from the other end and Lita nods. "Yes, I'll be there in a moment."

Lita closes her communicator and puts it back, leaving her room and following Heero down the hallway.

Quatre stares at the setting sun from the roof of the school, streaks of sunlight running over his hair, making it appear paler, almost white. He leans up against the chain-linked fence, his head resting against its cool surface. Looks like it's back to war again. When we came here, I thought maybe it was over. I thought that maybe we could live in peace, even just for a little while. Quatre glances up as the door to the roof opens with a creak. But even here it finds me.

"Quatre! Quatre are you up here?"

Quatre can't keep a smile from crossing his face at the sound of her voice. "Yes, I'm over here Mina."

Mina's blond head appears from behind the door. After spotting him, she steps through and makes her way slowly across the roof to come stand beside him. For a moment she says nothing, just stares out across the wide expanse of the city.

"Quatre, are you okay?" she asks hesitantly.

Quatre's face lights up in surprise. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason, it's just that you seem so bummed lately. You seem to be walking in shadows."

Quatre smiles. She reminds me a lot of Duo, always so sunny and bright, yet knowing exactly what to say when it's time to say it. His face falls at the thought of his old friend. I still miss him.

"I'm okay Mina, I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"I see…"

Quatre turns and begins walking toward the door. "I have to go Mina, there's someplace I need to be."

Just as he is about to walk through the door, something makes him turn back. Mina is standing by the gate, the sunset behind her. A gentle wind plays with her long blond hair, lifting it to kiss the sun. Her blue eyes glisten, as if reflecting the light of a billion stars.

She takes a small step forward and lifts her hand slightly. "Quatre…"

"Mina?"

For a moment more, she stands quietly by the fence. "Be careful Quatre," she chokes out.

Quatre nods once and turns closing the door behind him, not bothering to question the strange statement. He knew he should have, every rational part of his mind told him too, but his heart could not.

Mina watches Quatre's retreating back as he walks through the door. Why did I agree to this? She asks herself for what seems to be the hundredth time today. The beeping of her communicator interrupts her thoughts and she pulls it out.

"Yes Serena, he's gone."

Ami's eyes close in satisfaction as the cool water slides over her body. After weeks of work, she has finally found time to do one of things she loves most. The past few weeks had been murder, between studying, scout meetings, and a few lessons in self-defense from Trowa; she had had time for little else.

The water eases the ache in her muscles as she glides swiftly through it near the bottom of the pool. Although she is decent at other sports, Ami has always found herself to be in her element in the water.

At last, her head breaks the surface, her lungs drawing in a breath of icy air. With long, strong strokes, Ami pulls herself toward the wall, reaching for her towel.

The sound of footsteps draw near the edge of the pool and Ami's towel is placed in front of her face. Ami takes it and wipes her face, clearing her eyes so that she may see. A pair of emerald eyes meets hers when she moves the towel away.

Trowa smiles down at her and offers his hand. Ami grasps it tightly and allows Trowa to pull her from the water. Looking up at him, Ami returns his smile and wraps the towel around her waist.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Trowa replies, placing his hands in his pockets.

Ami stares at him for a moment, a look of puzzlement on her face. "How in the world did you find me? I didn't think that anyone besides the other girls had any idea that I came here."

Trowa shrugs and takes a seat in an empty lawn chair on deck. "I asked Rei."

"Oh…" Ami pauses, hesitant to ask next question, debating upon whether or not she wanted to know the answer. Finally, taking a deep breath, she asks, "Why?"

Trowa stares at her for a moment, his face expressionless, but Ami isn't staring at his face. Instead, she looks him in the eye, meeting his gaze head on. You may try to hide your emotions Trowa Barton, but your eyes mirror everything. You're hiding something Trowa and it's something important. Ami's face drops at the last thought and she blinks, purposely loosing contact. But then again, so am I.

"I just wanted to see you. I wanted to say that you have done well in the past few weeks and that you no longer need me. You should be able to hold your own against those who try to push you around now."

"Oh."

Trowa's mouth opens, as he if he is about to say something else, but he bites down on his lower lip instead, what he was about to say cut off. A small alarm goes off and Trowa looks at his watch.

"I've got to go Ami, take care of yourself." Trowa stands and without another word walks out the door.

Ami sighs and walks over to her duffel bag, which she had so carelessly tossed into the corner earlier. Yanking out her communicator, she jabs the button with the symbol of a crescent moon on it.

"Yes Serena, he's gone."

A voice crackles over the communicator and Ami nods. "Yes, I'll see you at the outers mansion in about ten minutes."

Ami snaps the top shut and stands there for a moment, staring at the door where Trowa disappeared. Who are you Trowa Barton?

Rei stares at Wufei's retreating back, watching as he moves down the temple steps. It had not been hard to keep track of him the past two days, for he always came to the temple to meditate or train.

At first, she had thought he was only a chauvinistic male with a very bad attitude. She still thought he was a chauvinistic male with a bad attitude, but she was beginning to see a little bit more.

Wufei beware, I will find out what you are hiding. The sacred fire has told me that something terrible will happen, and that it will involve more than just the Sailor Scouts, and more than just earth too. There will be a battle of the likes no living creature has seen before. Who are you Wufei and where do you come from? I will find out, you can count on it!

A gentle wind caresses her face and she stares at the wall of dark clouds that is descending over the city. A roll of thunder rumbles through the air, making it shake with its fury. Her two ravens land nearby, squawking and cawing after the boy as he turns the corner.

"Yes, I know, I'll be wary of him." Rei turns and heads back towards her temple before the rain can start. Once inside, she removes her temple robes and gets into her street cloths, preparing to meet the others at the outer's mansion.

Wufei scowls through the window of the car at the driving rain that is pouring across the windshield. Not bothering to hide his frustration, he flips the lever for the windshield wipers all the way down. When that doesn't help, he leans closer to the steering wheel, trying to make out what is left of the dirt road in front of him. A branch from a low hanging tree snaps across the windshield.

"Damn it! I can't see three feet in front of me! I've never seen a storm this bad before! What the hell is going on? Where exactly am I supposed to be going?"

"Calm down Wufei, that's what I'm trying to figure out," Quatre says, his fingers dancing quickly across the keyboard of Heero's laptop. "As amazing as it may seem, we are actually still right on course. The place we are looking for is located on the shores of Tokyo Bay a few miles outside of Tokyo city limits. The whole area is surrounded by thick forests and seems to be an old military base."

Heero opens his eyes and leans over across the back seat. "Once again, you all realize this is a trap we are so calmly walking into don't you?"

Quatre nods again, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Yes, but we really don't have much of a choice, if we don't go after them now, there's no telling when we'll be able to find them again. It's now or never."

Finally, he closes the lid to the small computer and sighs. "If anyone wants out, speak up now."

Silence follows.

"Okay, it seems as if we are all determined to go," Trowa says, speaking up for the first time, "but how are we getting in?"

Quatre nods, seeming to have been expecting this question. "Well, there are several possibilities from the looks of it. Firs of all, there appears to be a helicopter pad on the roof of the facility, but since the chances of us finding a helicopter are quite moot, I think we can just rule that out from the get go. Another option is by sea, which really isn't that bad of an option except for the fact that that entrance would be very hard to get at."

"How so," Heero asks.

"Well, there is a dock on the surface, but that is heavily guarded and there is no cover there. There is also a large network of underwater caverns that lead into it, but they are quite a ways under and the rocks in that area create some very strong rapids.

The other option is the network of caves beneath the base. This facility goes about ten stories underground, and there are several different caves that connect to various areas. I figured this would be our best bet because there are so many entrances that they wouldn't know where to look for us even if they did know we were coming."

Trowa leans back against his seat, staring out the back window, "Makes sense, but are you sure those are the only ways?"

"Well, other than the front door."

"That'll do," Heero replies.

Wufei stares at the fork in their path with frustration. Taking the paths through the caverns wasn't looking like such a great idea now. He couldn't help glancing at his watch, which confirmed how long they had been in the stone maze.

"I really don't like this, it's far too easy. We haven't run into any opposition yet and these caves seem to be doing nothing but leading us in circles." He leans against a nearby wall, crossing his arms. "Now we come up against a fork in the road. They are trying to split us up."

Quatre sighs and nods his head in agreement. "We already know that we're walking directly into a trap Wufei and I don't like it any more than you do, but we have no choice in this. Amarad holds all the cards here and we have to play by his rules."

Wufei grunts in response. "So I take it that we are splitting up into two groups." A statement, not a question.

"Unfortunately, it appears so. Trowa, you come with me, we'll take the right fork. Heero and Wufei, that leaves you with the left."

"Right," Wufei says, shaking his head, starting off toward the left fork.

"Hn."

Wufei walks down the dark corridor, his footsteps echoing through the empty void. He places his gun in his boot where it can be easily reached and then reaches over to slide his deadly katana out of its sheath. Even though he had used a gun more often than not, he still preferred the more silent sword to the modern weapon. He heard the click of a safety going off behind him and smiled, knowing Heero was ready for anything as well.

The beam of light from his flashlight hits a wall and bounces around a corner, meeting another light on the other side. Wufei clicks off the flashlight and puts it in his back jean pocket.

Behind him, Heero shifts his weight, getting ready for a fight. "Either we have reached the surface or we have company."

"So it appears. Let's go see what they're doing shall we?"

A small smirk appears on Heero's face and he slides past Wufei, taking the lead around the corner. Wufei follows, letting Heero go first so that his gun can take out any enemies that might stand at a distance first. He would be ready for any of the fools that by pure luck would make it passed his trigger-happy friend.

The light gets brighter as they make there way closer, and as they near, Wufei notices that the light has a bluish tint to it, making it near black itself and very hard to see. What is that light coming from?

Suddenly, the world around him shifts and ripples, throwing off his senses and sending him to his knees. Wufei grabs his head in a vain attempt to slow the dizzying world around him.

And then it stops.

Wufei opens his eyes and climbs slowly to his feet, trying not to make the pounding in his head any worse. "What the hell was that?!"

Beside him, Heero is doing likewise. "I have no idea, but it looks like we aren't even in the same place."

"You're not," says a voice behind them in the dark. The tall figure of man steps out of the shadows. His piercing blue eyes sweep the room and lock onto his captors. With an easy grace, he runs his hand through his short blond hair, appearing to be very bored.

"Who are you?" Wufei cries out, getting ready to face this strange opponent.

"It doesn't really matter who I am." He snaps his fingers and Wufei quickly shuts his eyes as bright lights fill the cavern. Looking around the newly lit area, he sees that he is in what appears to be an old coliseum made of stone. Other paths lead into the round room, but all are closed off by iron bars, sealing in its occupants.

"Congratulations!" the man says an idiotic smile on his thin face. "You get to be the entertainment for the evening."

"Entertainment?" Heero says, speaking up for the first time.

"Ah yes. It's quite fun really, and you'll find your opponents to be quite entertaining as well. There really aren't any rules, you may use any weapons or magic you like, as long as you defeat them."

Wufei takes a step back, surprised. "Magic?"

The man's eyebrows lift and his face suddenly lights up as if something had just occurred to him. "Oh that's right, humans. Oh well, it should be fun none the less."

He looks up and his smile grows broader. "And here comes your other friends. Well, the more the merrier. Maybe with more you'll last longer."

Wufei stares in shock as a black hole opens up a few meters above the ground. Quatre and Trowa fall to the ground in a heap. Quatre grabs his head, undoubtedly feeling the same effects Wufei had felt only moments earlier. Trowa simply rises, not seeming to have been effected by the fall in the least.

Quatre opens his eyes and looks at his surroundings. "What?"

"Time's up. Let the games begin." The man snaps his fingers and to the shock of all standing around him, he vanishes. An echo of his voice is carried throughout the room. "Enjoy!"

Wufei whirls around and watches as the metal bars to one of the other corridors behind him opens. A pair of menacing red eyes stare out, filled with fire and rage.

He raises his katana, not entirely sure of how much help it will be. He feels Trowa and Heero step in beside him.

Quatre stands behind him. "This doesn't look good."

Wufei only scowls, preparing to meet whatever it is behind those bars.

"Are you sure that they came this way Ami?" Lita asks, leaning on the hood of Amara's car, staring at the entrance to the cave. "Why would they come this way?"

Ami has her eyes glued to her data computer, her fingers typing wildly, her face frowning. "Yes they definitely came this way, although I don't see…wait a second, these caverns lead directly into the old military base."

"Ah, so they went that way because they didn't wish to be noticed," Michelle says.

"That is what I assume."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Mina cries impatiently. "Let's go in after them!"

"Mina! We can't just rush in there without a plan!" Rei cries in response.

Ami closes the lid to her computer and sighs. "Unfortunately Rei, Mina's right, we have no choice. I have no idea what we're up against here, my computer isn't showing me anything."

It had taken over an hour to get them all down here, all four of the inners crammed into the back seat with Amara and Michelle up front. Using Ami's computer, they had followed the boys into a deep forest of twisting roads and pouring rain.

The group stays silent for a moment, considering what Ami had said. They would be going in blind, with no way of knowing what lay ahead. The dark hole in the side of the pile of rocks stand gaping, looking even more foreboding than it did before.

"Are you sure you all want to go in? We could just go back to Tokyo and join Serena and Darien," Ami asks.

Rei stands beside the entrance, peering into the darkness. "We have no choice guys. Beryl is back and we may never be this close again. Delaying this could cost many lives."

One by one, the others nod in agreement. Ami, not wanting her computer to get smashed in whatever they were about to face, sends her computer into the strange vortex that they all used for storage (I don't know what else to call that thing) for later use. Lita, taking a deep breath steps up and walks in, the others following close behind.

The sound of something unlocking causes the girls to turn around. Iron bars bar the entrance to the cave and a deep, malevolent laugh fills the air. Lita and Amara both get into fighting positions, ready to grab their transformation pens when the enemy showed himself.

"Welcome scouts. To be completely honest with you, I didn't expect you to make it here. I didn't think you would leave your precious city unprotected."

The air seemed to shimmer and then materialize, leaving a familiar figure standing before them. Rei and Ami take a startled step back and the figure smiles, his blue eyes filled with an evil light.

"Well, it is good to see you two again. Do you remember me Mercury and Mars, because I shall never forget you."

"How can it be?" Rei stutters. "You're dead."

"I was never dead!" the man cries in anger. "Beryl only imprisoned me for a short moment in time before she needed me again."

Lita frowns, obviously not impressed. "Who is this clown?"

Ami frowns. "It's Jedite, the first of Beryl's generals."

Jedite makes a graceful bow and his smile broadens. "Well, it's nice to see you again Mercury. And to the rest of you, I wish I could say that it is a pleasure to meet you, but that would be telling a lie."

All the humor leaves his face, his expression returning to that of ice. "Well, Amarad did say that you may show up. Unfortunately, I wasn't expecting you for a while yet. So therefore…" Jedite snaps his fingers and a black light suddenly fills the area. "I'd like to see you find your way out of this one sailor scouts."

Jedite is now standing alone in the corridor, smiling. "Ah, now that that little problem is taken care of, I'm going to go and enjoy the festivities."

Lita places a hand to her head, attempting to stop the wild spinning that was keeping her from getting up. She leans back against the cool stone surface beneath her cheek, comforted by the solid presence. Slowly she opens her eyes and is surprised that she isn't in total darkness. The gentle flicker of torches that line the wall lights the corridor she stands in.

Scowling she manages to get up. "Is this someone's idea of a sick joke," she mutters under her breath. "How did I get here?" She glances around and notices that the place she is standing in is not forked in anyway, giving her only two directions to go in. Torches light one; the other is still shrouded in darkness.

I should probably transform now. I don't know what is in here.

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

Her powerstick glows in a familiar green light and then dies. Lita lowers it and frowns, studying it. Shrugging, she tries one more time, with the same result.

What is going on?

"I'm afraid I can't let you girls use your powers quite yet," says Jedite's voice, coming out of nowhere. "This part of the caves is covered in an antimagical field which you won't be able to break unless you destroy a certain crystal, which I highly doubt you are capable of retrieving in your pathetic human forms."

Lita slams her fist into a nearby wall, taking out her frustration on the inanimate object. She ignores the pain her knuckles and the blood that is oozing from the new cuts and bruises there. "Jedite, you coward, show yourself right now so that I can kick your ass!"

Lita waits a moment, but no reply comes. With no other choice, she follows the path that the torches light.

Suddenly, the corridor ends and opens up. The sound of battle can be heard from the other side, gunfire echoing off the walls. Lita, not stopping to think, rushes to the scene.

She soon finds herself in a coliseum like area, a huge viper in the middle of it, striking a group of people who are trying desperately to subdue it.

Lita's eyes widen, recognizing the five boys that had led them here. All four had guns in their hands, trying to get good shot at it, but failing miserably. A long, deadly looking katana is wedged into the reptile's skin near the base of the skull, purplish blood flowing from the wound.

Lita runs into the mists of the battle, doubting very mush that she would be of any help, but knowing that she had to at least try.

Quatre's eyes catch hers and widen in surprise. "Miss Lita, what are you doing here? You must leave immediately!"

The viper makes a slash at Wufei, forcing the boy to jump back, landing near Lita. "You stupid onna! What do you think you are doing?"

Lita is about to make a nasty reply, but is distracted by a sudden green dot on the forehead of the giant snake. She stares at the emerald jewel, which glittered from the light from above them.

Could that be the crystal that Jedite was talking about?

She looks around desperately and spots Trowa nearby. Running toward him, she yanks his gun aside and stands beside him on tiptoe. "Trowa, can you hit that green jewel on it's forehead?" she whispers desperately.

Trowa stares at her, his eyes narrowed and questioning. Lita groans in frustration.

"Just do it!"

Trowa hesitates for a moment longer but finally nods and Lita steps away. Taking careful aim, Trowa fires a shot.

The viper reels back in pain as the crystal on its forehead shatters. A green light bursts forth and then fades.

Lita stumbles, clutching her head, surprised at the sudden pain, but the pain soon fades and she stands, feeling that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She stares at the viper and smiles, knowing now that she can win.

"Okay, that's it! I don't know what you are doing Jedite, but this is going to end here!"

Wufei turns around again, anger rising. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Stay back!"

Lita allows a smirk to come to her lips as she reaches for her transformation pen and pulls it out. Wufei and Trowa have both plowed back into the battle, but Heero and Quatre stay by her, apparently trying to offer her some protection.

Both boys look at the green stick in her hands, Quatre with curiosity and Heero, as always, with at look that can't be identified. Lita shoves past them both before Quatre can utter a word of protest. I can't worry about them, I have to transform or we're all going to be snake food.

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

This time, Lita feels the familiar feeling of warmth surround her as electricity encircles her body, the power of Jupiter coming forth to its princess's aid. Her scout uniform covers her body, and she feels her body filling with the magic of her planet. Finally, she completes her transformation and stares up the looming reptile, ignoring the shocked faces of the four guys around her.

Jupiter doesn't wait another moment, figuring that explanations can be left for later. Summoning her power, she feels lightening crackle around her.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

Jupiter's attack hits the viper in the chest, sending it flying back toward a wall. Not wanting to give the enemy a chance to try and counter, Jupiter summons up another wave of thunder.

"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" She shapes her lightening attack into the form of a deadly dragon. Under her command, the dragon races toward the viper and quickly engulfs it, turning it into dust. Just as the monster hits the ground, one of the iron gates creeks open, allowing its occupants to exit.

Seeing her enemy destroyed, Jupiter immediately collapses, her hands resting on her knees panting for breath. A drop of sweat trickles down her forehead and she quickly wipes it away with the back of her hand. After a few moments, she gets back to her feet and turns to face the four boys.

"I expected that to be a little harder. It's strange, from what I've been told, Jedite was weak, even though he seemed strong at the time, but that was almost too easy."

The four boys only stare at her. Heero has his gun cocked and ready to fire its barrel aimed strait at Jupiter's head. Wufei, getting over his initial shock, now looks like he is about ready to tear Jupiter to pieces with his bare hands. Trowa is standing behind the rest, his face expressionless, but his gun is once again concealed.

Quatre approaches Jupiter cautiously, never taking his eyes from hers. "Miss Lita, that is you, isn't it?"

Jupiter smiles reassuringly. "Yes Quatre, it's me. I'd really like to explain, but I'm afraid that that would take more time than we have available right now."

Quatre nods, accepting the facts as they came, one at a time.

Wufei, however, is not so easily persuaded. "Are we really going to trust this despicable onna? How do we know who's side she's on? The only people we know with that kind of power is the enemy!"

"No Wufei, I think we can trust Lita. If she wanted to be rid of us, why did she bother saving us? She could have just let the snake finish us off!" Quatre says.

"Just because she hasn't tried yet doesn't mean that she hasn't planned to do it!"

Quatre is almost ready to counter that remark when Trowa comes forward. Hands in his pockets and head lowered, he walks past the other three boys without so much as a glance. When he reaches Jupiter, he stops and stares down at her for a moment. After what seems like and eternity he offers her a small reassuring smile and then begins to walk toward t he newly opened gate.

"I think we can trust her," he says, just loudly enough for those in the room to hear. "And we should probably get out of here while we still have the chance."

Quatre gives his friend a smile of thanks and begins to follow him out of the room.

While the others had been listening to Trowa, Wufei had retrieved his katana from the ashes of the viper. With inhuman speed, the blade is suddenly against Jupiter's throat, close enough that it would cut into flesh if she moves so mush as an inch.

"I still don't trust some weak onna like you," Wufei whispers.

Jupiter tenses as she feels the cool steel press into her skin. He's actually serious about this. I suppose I could just blast him, but…

Suddenly, the pressure from her neck is removed and she hears a strangled cry behind her.

Heero is holding Wufei's arm behind his back, twisting it at what appears to be an odd, painful angle. Heero leans down and whispers something in Wufei's ear. Wufei nods and immediately drops his katana.

Heero releases him and begins to follow his comrades. Jupiter, not wanting to question what had happened, follows him silently. Wufei mutters a curse under his breath and picks up his katana, running to catch up to the others.

Ami stares at her data computer, frustrated at the information it is giving her. Jedite's right. This place has a heavy antimagical energy field around it. There's no way that I can us my powers without breaking the seal.

After a few more keystrokes, she has managed to find the location of her seal, as well as that of her comrades. Ami smiles as she stares at the location where Jupiter's had once been. Looks like Lita wasted no time. Then her smile broadens slightly at another discovery. Well Jedite, here's one thing that you didn't count on, the outers. There is a seal for every single inner scout, but there are none for Neptune and Uranus. Well, at least three of us can transform if we need to.

Ami manages to pull up a map of the whole area and allows it to trace a path to where her seal lies.

I hope the others are all right. I have no idea as to what Jedite plans to do with us and I don't think Trowa and the others can handle what Jedite's going to throw at them. Speaking of those four, I wonder where they are.

Ami stops walking as she feels moisture creeping up inside her shoes. She looks down at her feet to see that she is standing in the middle of a natural underground lake. She glances at the blinking light on her computer screen and studies the map.

"That's strange," she mutters under her breath, "I should be right on top of it."

The air trembles and the water beneath her ripples at the disturbance. Ami grasps a nearby rock, trying to steady herself.

Something's coming.

A voice whispers, floating through the air, as if carried by a gentle, distant wind. "Mercury."

Something wraps around her ankle, lifting her rapidly off her feet. Her data computer falls from her nerveless fingers into the water below. She feels herself being raised up to look into a pair of reptilian eyes. A smile revealing many rows of very sharp teeth near her body and a scaly tail wraps itself around her ribs, cutting off the air to her body. Ami looks up weakly at a glittering object above her. A cry of utter helplessness escapes her lips as she stares up at her crystal seal, resting upon the head of the serpent that holds her in his grasp.

Trowa lifts his head when the familiar scream reaches his ears. For a moment he stops, his heart seeming to freeze in his chest. A feeling of total loss overcomes him and he wheels around to face Jupiter who is standing behind him.

"You brought Ami here?" he says with anguish. Just the thought of Ami trying to fight something of this magnitude frightened him out of his wits.

Jupiter scowls, about to say something in defense of her friend, but clamps her mouth shut and runs in the direction of the scream, not wanting to answer or just too concerned about her friend to care.

Trowa runs blindly after her. What is Ami doing here? She can barely stand up to schoolyard bullies much less a monster the size of my Gundam!

He stops suddenly, nearly running into Jupiter. He stares at the giant serpent, its green scales gleaming from a light in the rocks above. In its grasp, Ami's struggles are becoming weaker.

"Ami!" Jupiter shouts. "Hang on! I'll try to get him to let you go."

Ami's eyes flutter open and focus on her friend on the ground. "Jupiter, it's forehead!"

Jupiter looks up and sees the glittering jewel upon the reptile's head and smiles. "I get ya Ami, hand on a moment."

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"

The creature reels in pain as the jolt of lightly courses through its body, the water on its scales only increasing the force of the shock. Its grip on Ami loosens and she slides from its grasp.

Trowa moves quickly beneath her and catches her before she can hit the water. He holds her close, trying to protect her as best he knew how. He looks down at her face as her eyes focus on him. Why is it that I feel so attached to you little one?

Ami's eyes focus on his and she smiles. "Thanks Trowa."

Trowa nods and gently sets her on his feet so that he can fight if the need arose. He glances toward Jupiter, who is starting to look a little winded. She can't take much more of this. That first battle really took a lot out of her. I don't know of how much help we'll be, but we have to do something. It's times like this when I miss Heavy Arms!"

Trowa steps in front of Ami, trying to shield his pupil from the crossfire that is sure to occur, but Ami moves him aside gently.

"I can handle this Trowa."

What?

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

Trowa watches in amazement as ribbons of ice cover Ami's body. A fog settles over her, covering her form. When it lifts, it is not Ami who stands, before him, but Sailor Mercury, the ice princess herself.

An icy wind blows through the cave as Sailor Mercury comes over to stand next to her fellow scout.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody"

Waves of frozen water engulf the serpent. The icy blast leaves the beast frozen, like an insect caught in amber. Mercury holds out a hand to Jupiter who gladly accepts her friends help in getting her to her feet. After making sure her friend is okay, Mercury wades through the water to the spot where her data computer had been dropped into the pool earlier.

Quatre places his fingers on his temple, rubbing out some of the tension he feels in his body. "This is going to be a long night," he mutters under his breath.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~

Author: * Looks around the deserted room * Okay, where are they? Now it's just plain eerie. * Walks off, perplexed *.