Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Lasarius Chronicles ❯ Chapter Three..Er, Four? Iie! Dark Angels and Lost Friends! Hope Dwindles! ( Chapter 3 )

It's amazing how many different people will ask the same exact question. I was seriously close to just blowing up and shrieking, "YES! I'm fine! Leave me 'lone!"

If you hadn't noticed, I was very cranky. Sleepless night. But I was still willing to go on the rescue mission. I had to go on the rescue mission. My friends needed to be safe.

We were in the meeting room again. The leaders from each team there. Triple holographic diagrams of the center of the labor camp above us, a huge building, rotated (one faceing each third of the room) as people sat in their seats. Sailor Mercury was at the controls of the hologram, Jennifer stood below it with a microphone.

As soon as the last were seated, the holograms stopped rotating simontaneously. "Now then.." Jen began, even as the diagrams changed views to a skyward view of the building, "Here's the plan. Teams have already been chosen, mixed up from all the teams within our army, and seperated into groups of twelve. We've pinpointed the group of rooms where some of our friends are, the rest in the labor fields. One group will rescue the ones in the fields, one will go with the first group to take out guards and such. A third group will head into the building itself," Here, the diagrams showed a small map of the area where the rooms were, "And try to locate our friends that are being held there. A fourth group will go with the third to take out guards and soldiers. A fifth and sixth group will be sent as well for backup, and to possibly take out the Ex-Eleven's. We leave as soon as the sun sets."

The diagrams changed again, to a list of all the names of the groups, and who was seperated to each one. The various leaders looked grim about the whole mission, even the youngest, some as young as ten years of age. I was not surprised to find my name as leader of the third group.

Looking over the group I was ment to lead, I frowned slightly. Three of the Destined children, as well as four of their partners. I would have to watch those seven.

As the meeting ended, and the leaders scurried to inform their teammates who was going to be where, I couldn't help but smile wryly. Who would ever have thought we would be working together? So many, from so many different places. It really gave me hope for the future, even with those who wish to do us harm.

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Nightcrawler and Saint Tail reappeard at my side with a *bamf*, ending a return teleport with the light scent of brimstone covering the area. With a small nod, Saint Tail acknowlaged that we had, indeed, broke into the facility.

We smashed open a window and jumped into the third floor, where we believed our friends were being held, with no fear of any alarms. Of course, there were still guards. Quite alot of them, actually, which at first surprised us. Our backup group took care of those guards, though, even as my group seperated to search the rooms for our friends.

Going from room to room, occasionally breaking down the doors to locked rooms, with only Gundam Pilot 01, Heero Yuy, at my side, I noticed that even here in the building I could hear the battle cries and attacks from outside. Explosions shook the building every few moments.

The audio-only THC clipped to my belt suddenly beeped, indicating a transmission from within my group. I grabbed mine quickly, almost yelling into it, "Who and where?!" No one answered at first, but then I heard Jenrya Lee's voice almost whispering the room number where he was at.

I ran out of there like a bat out of hell. Heero calmly followed at walking pace.

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I hadn't even gotten within ten feet to the door of the obvious lab (what other rooms had metal doors?) when I spotted both of the Gargomon and a Wendimon trying to rouse an unconscious Jenrya. Wallace stood a foot or so away, looking to be in shock. "What the hell happened here?!"

The Gargomon both seemed to be busy, so Wendimon answered, "Perhaps it's best that you go in there and see for yourself." I blinked with confusion, but opened the steel door.

All blood drained from my face, my flesh turning a sick shade of pale, as my mind tried to take in the sight before me.

Well, we did find one of our friends. He hung suspended midair, cheast, stomach and pelvic region restrained by the very brace keeping him aloft, metal slabs retracted from the back of the brace, shackles binding the poor soul's wrists and ankles down. What I could only describe as a breathing mask parallel to those used in hospitals for patients who can't breath on their own covered his muzzle and nose, making speech all but impossible. Tubes, wires, what looked like IV's, were stuck in every place possible, even through the brace itself, going from the still living body to machines and liquid-filled bags around the room. Monitors that kept track of life, pulse, breathing, mind, beeped with their own rythyms into the silence. It was obvious that he could not move at all, save for his hands above the wrists, feet below the ankles, his long ears, eyes, and the very muscles themselves.

I was in too much shock to faint, or to even fall on my knees. I did take one step forward though, resulting in my friend's eyes snapping open as the sound of my shoes hitting metal echoed around the laboratory. Horror, so much pain, and a deep setted fear were more than obvious within the twin black orbs, looking around the room with frenzy. Open-palmed hands and lax feet seemed to clench at the possibility of someone entering the room..

..And then his eyes fell upon me. The horror and fear quickly fled, though as the pain remained, replaced by joy and clear hope. He probably would have smiled had he been able to.

I gasped out the rabbit's name, barely noticing as Heero stepped to my side, but hearing the disturbed sound that the pilot made at the sight of such torture. "Heero.." I whispered, horror-struck, "Try to check what they did to him.."

I never found out if Heero nodded or what, my eyes still locked to Hare, strung out in a mockery of a crucifixion, his voice letting out strange sounds, as if trying to talk through a gag. Oh my god.. Was all I could think at the time, my own voice not working at the moment.

Heero walked over a minute or two later, holding a clipboard I assumed he took from somewhere within the lab. He called my name, getting my attention, as he explained just what had happened to the bunny.

Heart. Both lungs. Liver. A kidney. All taken from the still living body, and I somehow knew, with a horrible clenching deep within my stomach, that Hare knew what was going on. He knew what was being done to him.

I looked back to Hare, and sobbed with realization. We couldn't get him out. We couldn't get him out! WE COULDN'T GET HIM OUT!! "We can't get you out.."

Hare's eyes widened for a moment, then shut again, probably in pain. I wasn't sure if his mind was too far gone from all the torture he's been through, I wasn't sure if he understood. But that thought quickly left my mind, as I noticed his cheekfur seemed to be wet.

I sobbed, realising that he was crying as well. I fell to my knees then, unable to stand any longer. My eyes still had not left Hare's face, and I saw his eyes open again.

I gasped, noticing the new emotion within his eyes. The pain had always been there, and the horror and fear had returned, but his eyes pleaded with me. He wanted me to kill him.

Ohmygod, Ohmygod, Ohmygod.. I couldn't do that. No way. But..But I couldn't leave him here like..like this, either! I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to Heero's face, his expression as stony as ever. "We should leave."

A gagged cry got my attention once again, and I looked back to Hare, tears streaming along streamlined fur, dripping to the steel foor, creating a small puddle. He obviously didn't want us to leave him, and I couldn't blame him. But I knew I couldn't stay there, I couldn't get him out with as much as he lost, and killing him was defenitally not an option. "O-okay.."

We heard him scream and cry even as Heero half-dragged me out.

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When we came back to Knothole2, within twenty minutes after entering the relative safety of the underground city, I found myself within our self-built 'church'. I wasn't a Christian, or even very religious at all, really. The place was more of a general 'house of worship', where all the creatures and beings within Selenity's army could freely pray to whatever god they believed in. Even the Destrons and Predacons come here often.

This time, however, I wasn't here to pray. I was crying, sobbing hardly, releasing all my pent up horror, shock, and sadness. I was alone, and glad to be alone, glad that no one was there to see my emotional breakdown.

I really have no idea how long I kneeled there, on the ground, sobbing untill the stone beneath me became wet. It could have been anywhere from half an hour to five hours, the time all blended in together. I wasn't too aware of the passage of time. All I knew was that it was quite some time before the heavy door opened, marking that I was no longer alone.

Metal-upon-stone footfalls heralded the arrival of a Transformer. "None of this is yer fault, ya know." I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Leave me alone, Quickstrike." I managed to say rather flatly, sounding exhausted. My crying had died down to silent tears a short time before.

"Nuh-uh." I heard his head shake. "Can't leave ya here like this, Missy Donna. Ain't right." It was relatively silent for a few long minutes. "Besides, ah was sorta' sent to tell ya that those 'Dark Angel' fellas are here. And them 'ring-bearer protectors', too, or whatever they're called."

I turned to look at him slowly, blinking once at the Predacon, "The guardians of the ring bearer?"

He seemed to smile, "Uh, yeah. So, are ya gonna come out, then?" I was silently touched that he would care about me. I was amazed about who actually did care. I shook my head at him, letting out a soft sob, fat tears rolling down my face, making me appear younger than I actually am.

"N-no. I can't. Quickstrike, they're all as good as gone. I couldn't kill them! I can't free them! They're doomed to suffer, and it's all my fault!"

I broke down into sobbing again, nearly falling onto the floor but instead taking a seat, wiping at my tears hastilly with my sleeves.

Quickstrike stood there, in mute shock, for a moment before walking over. Four clanks, and he was right in front of me. The top pincers of his beast-leg arm touched my shoulder in a form of consolation, "Missy Donna, none of us blame ya. Slag, ya'll probably saved us all. None of us coulda gotten this far alive if it wasn't fer you and Missy Jen."

I looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, wet droplets continuing to cascade over my cheeks, "But how many of the others think like that?!"

Quickstrike had a sad smile-like expression on his face. It's rather hard to tell for someone with no mouth. "We all think like that, Missy Donna. Slag, even Boss Bot respects ya." He paused for a moment. "..Well, as much as Boss Bot can respect a fleshy anyway."

I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "Yeah, Megatron isn't one for respect, is he?" He let out a slight laugh as well. I knew he was only trying to cheer me up.

You know, it's strange. Before all of this happened, I never would have thought that Quickstrike had a soft spot, or that he could be sympathetic. Alot of the people i've met are different than how I imagined them to be. These thoughts stuck with me as Quickstrike escorted me out of the 'church', talking idly about a few things that I wasn't very much paying attention to. I was just happy that there was someone to cheer me up.

It gave me hope. Perhaps we can still win this war. And after that, even live in peace.

..Hey, if Megatron can respect a 'fleshy', anything is possible.

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Half an hour after being escorted from the 'Church' by a robot cobra-scorpian Transformer (It sounds so weird when I say it like that..), I was summoned to the meeting room. The leaders from all the other teams, including the entire 'Dark Angel' and 'Fellowship' teams. Both teams, newly asked for assitance and had only arrived a couple hours before (or as Quickstrike told me, anyway), were being filled in on everything recent that's been happening, and on the war in general.

I took my usual seat and glanced around. Quite a number of upset leaders. Not unusual, considering what had happened just this morning. As soon as the last of the team leaders showed up, Selenity took the podium. She then went on into a long speech on keeping up the teams' moral, half of which I don't remember, before talking about our current situation. It was probably just to fill in the two newly arrived teams. After a couple of hours of the speech (looooong speech), she began the real discussion. "Who has been rescued this morning?"

"Most of the people that were captured yesterday were rescued, Selenity-jo'o-sama. Only four remain, and we all know of their current state." Lina Inverse herself said first.

"Four?" I looked over to Taichi Yagami at the question. "I was told that five were victimized."

I saw Knuckles Echidna raise a hand at that, "One of mine were..victimized. We managed to get him out. He's in the hospital now."

Jennifer frowned from her seat next to mine. "Who were the ones who were hurt like this?" I winced at the tone of her voice. Lots of anger.

Knuckles frowned at the question, as well. "Mighty, the armadillo, from my team."

Genki Sakura let out a sob, "Hare.." ..Aw geeze, the kid was crying.

I was surprised when Lina piped up again, "Filia." Shit. That one isn't good. ..Well, not that any of them were good in this state, but Filia is--was--raising a baby. "..And Zelgadiss."

Demitri Maximoff was last to speak, "Kitty." Now, that one put quite alot of people in an uproar. There are several fighters in our army that go by the name 'Kitty', but only one within the 'Darkstalkers' team.

"Kitty Talbain?! But she's eight years old!!" I heard someone, I think Daisuke Motomiya, yell out. Demitri only shook his head, a tone of sadness on the vampire's face, "She was still taken."

"What was she doing on the mission? I thought she was banned on all missions that don't take place on a full moon night." Daisuke asked again. Hey, he's been paying attention to alot of things lately, I see.

"The evening following the mission was a full moon night." Demitri patiently explained. Ah. That figures. I looked to Knuckles, who was nearly directly accross from me, "Knuckles-san, how did you get Mighty out?"

There was relative quiet within the meeting room at this question. Knuckles sweated at the sudden attention. "They had..taken..a kidney. We figured he could live with one kidney for the moment, and we didn't want to leave him there, so.." He trailed off, suddenly a bit shy from all the attention on him.

"This is nuts!" I blinked, startled along with everyone else, at the sudden outburst. Max Geuvara, 'leader' of the 'Dark Angel' team, stood up and looked around at everyone. "Why didn't you just mercifully kill them?!"

Quite a few glares from around, and I could tell that everyone wanted to say something harsh. I came up with the best retort, though, "Max, AKA Ex-Five-Four-Five-Two, you didn't kill Ben when the same thing happened to him."

She paled at my response, but sat back down. I noticed several surprised expressions around as they realised who this woman was.

Arguments continued on several fronts, even as I glanced towards the 'Fellowship' team. Yes, the same Fellowship of the Ring from the 'Lord of the Rings' books/movies. Only seven were there, however. Boromir and Gandalf were not amongst them. Odd.

Oh, and, yes, Legolas really is hot.

What do you want from me? I'm a teenage girl. I can have these thoughts.

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It was a few hours after the meeting.

I was in the cafeteria, this time, sitting at a table, at about five in the afternoon this time. Alot of people around, but it didn't seem like anyone was actually eating anything (Except for Jen and Duo Maxwell. Figured.). Everyone was mourning for someone, I guess. Alot of people did loose their lives, in a sense.

I really don't know why I wasn't mourning. In shock, I guess. Or it was a sense of duty. Jen and I held everyone up, sort of.

I headed over to the table that Jen, Duo, and quite a few others were seated at. Huh. Even Lina Inverse wasn't eating. Dear god.

I stared at Jen, standing behind her, sweatdropping, as she munched furiously upon what I think was chicken fingers, hamburgers, and chugging Fresca all at once. That girl is going to get a heart attack by thirty, I can just tell. Duo was busy stuffing his face on hotdogs.

I sighed at my best friend, "I wish I had your spirit."

She swallowed hard on a mouthfull of burgers, and wiped her face quickly with a napkin, "It's no biggy. Just gotta cheer up!"

"I can't think of anything good about this at all, Jen-san!" Amelia said with a frown, sitting at the same table.

Duo chugged down some cola, grinning the same weird grin as Jen, almost at the same time. "When everyone else is down, what else can we do? Someone's gotta keep the high spirits!"

"Honastly, Maxwell. You and Onna-kun just don't know when to quit." I sweatdropped over at Wufei as he walked over. Onna-kun. Huh. A nickname for Jen, I suppose. "Besides the point, leaving those four alive mean that they still have doners. You should have put them out of their misery."

Amelia stared at Wufei in disbelief, "Wufei-san! That's so cold!"

Jen sighed and rubbed at her forhead, "There ya go again, Wuwu, trying to be tough. It's not that easy..."

"Enlighten me." Was his response.

Jen chewed on some chicken, "Well, I'm not normally the one who gives insight, but since I'm patient with ya, Wuwu, here goes. It's like you. You don't wanna fight or kill women and children, anyone who you deem is weaker than you, am I right? They were just so... helpless... I honestly couldn't do that. I know I should have, but my choices were One: to do the right thing, or Two: to do the thing I want to think is right. Killing them should have been right, but to kill any of them, especially in that state, was impossible morally."

"In other words, you were too weak-minded to do it." Wufei muttered.

I frowned, and was about ready to yell at him, but noticed Jen shrugging before I got the chance.

"Yeah, to put it that way I guess so. But, I think you would have done the same thing if you were there. You weren't, so you wouldn't really have the first-hand experience. Anyway, enough of sounding so smart! Duo-kuuuun! Let's finish!" They went back to digging in, which got a groan out of many other people, including me.

"Ano." Someone called, and we all looked towards the speaker. Duo and Jen looked rather silly with food sticking out of their mouths. Jen immediently grew a look of admiration, swallowing noisilly before squeeling, "Rikki-samaaaa! Konnichiwaaa!"

The merman sweatdropped. "Uh... hi."

I chuckled, "Don't mind her too much, Rik; she just gets a little obsessive over favorites. She cut it out in about a minute."

Rikuo sighed, "That's comforting."

Jen started to bounce in her seat, "C'mon and sit down! Want anything? Water? Shrimp? Fries? Air?"

"No thanks." Rikuo said, not quite as happily as he sat down.

Jen calmed down a bit as Amelia then spoke up, "How is Felicia-san doing, Rikuo-san?"

"Not any better. I don't blame her or Jon at all; if it were Alba, I'd be in the exact same state." Rikuo replied, crossing his arms. "Just wish we could figure out a way to get them back without killing them... This is worse than death for them, I'm sure."

"I say we ought to have a mission to put them out of their misery." Wufei suggested, narrowing his eyes. "To let them suffer is the worst fate imaginable, even if they are being kept alive but it's only for their body parts."

"It's not that easy." Rikuo hissed at the Chinese man. "Not at all. The last thing I want to do is to let them die, especially Kitty!"

"Second to last you mean. If you leave them like this, they're slowly dying anyway." Wufei argued the point.

The two stood up, glareing at each other before Jen got up and popped up between them. "Time out!" She shouted, Duo blowing a whistle (a little plastic one. What, was he carrying it around?) to pantomine her 'coach line'. She glanced at them both.

"You're both right, but we basically have to leave the planning to Selenity right now. Our feelings are mixed up, so let's NOT fight each other. Oh, crap. There I go with insight again. Now look at what you made me do! I'm getting salsa!"

My eyes widened in horror. "No! Jen-chan! Waaait!" I ran after her, trying to catch her as she headed for the fridge.

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I remembered at midnight.

Well, sort of. I woke up at midnight for a snack, of course thinking about everything that's been going on, before I remembered something from before the war. When I used to watch Dark Angel on television, when it was still fantasy.

We faught Ex-Eleven's. Ex-Eleven's were never created. Manticore's genetics lab was destroyed after the Ex-Ten's were born, or so I figured, since the Ex-Nine's were about nine to ten years old.

On this line of thought, I came accross something that happened a few days before Manticore's destruction. The woman in charge of Manticore at the time (can't remember her name. Eh, she's dead anyway.), after the destruction of the genetics lab (they couldn't clone the children anymore, after that), had ordered that the Ex-Five's be paired up for breeding. And even when the genetics lab was around, a surrogate carried the child.

What did this mean to me, exactly? Well, considering that there probably were a heck of a lot of captured females, not only from Selenity's army but from the different planets as well, and the Ex-Eleven's came from seemingly nowhere AFTER the destruction of Manticore..

I droped a teacup once that thought kicked in. Hey, I like midnight tea. It didn't seem like I was going to be having any tonight, though.

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We found Zelgadiss the following morning.

Okay, well, Amelia found Zelgadiss in the morning. In the forest, about twenty miles from the enemy concentration camp above us. Seems that he was being held there.

He was hurt. That goes without saying. Arm broken. Small injury, really, considering how others captured were fareing. And after getting him to the hospital wing, where just about half of our army crowded either inside or out, it was found that he had some scalpel marks on his lower abdomen.

From what I found out, considering Doctor Mizuno wouldn't let anyone in the rooms where Zelgadiss was being checked out, it seems that his stony chimera hide got in the way of Lasarius's doctors removing his organs. His curse saved his life.

After a few hours, Jen and I were called in to see him. Not Lina or any of his other friends; Just us. It startled us all, and I think I saw hurt expressions on Amelia's and Lina's faces. We went in, anyway, after leaving a few kind words to everyone else.

"Hey, Zelgadiss-san. How are you feeling?" That's what I started with, in as kind a tone as I could muster. Jen didn't say a word at first, which scared the hell out of me, though I didn't show it.

Zelgadiss was lying down on a standard hospital bed, white blanket covering him till mid-cheast, one arm underneath the blanket, the broken one in a cast and atop. Dr. Mizuno was at the side of the bed, checking some medical machinery that showed the rate of who-knows-what. All I know was that it beeped quite annoyingly, and it didn't look like a heart monitor.

Zelgadiss frowned at us, and I couldn't help but noticing the troubled expression in his eyes. The same expression that a child would have after seeing war at it's worst. But Zelgadiss wasn't an innocent child, the furthest from it, in fact.

"Genereux..That bitch.." Was what broke the silence about five minutes later, nearly unheard, mumbled by Zelgadiss.

Jen blinked once, "Who?"

I gaped in oncememory, but didn't comment. It was probably a coincidence. "Who's Genereux?" The name was pronounced 'Jen-e-roo'. French name, I think.

Zelgadiss shook his head, and I think I saw tears forming in his eyes. He didn't cry, though. "One of Lasarius's scientists. Bitch of a woman. From what I saw, she was in charge of myself.." He paused for a moment, taking a shaky breath, "And Filia."

Jen's eyes widened in a bit of understanding, accompaning it with an 'Oooh'. I could tell that she wasn't going to press it further.

I did, however. "What happened to Filia, Zel?"

He looked streight at us, right in my eyes. Or both of our eyes. Jen seemed just as freaked out. He looked rather sorrowfull, very strange for the usually broody-angry cursed youth. "Her womb is not even hers to control, anymore."

There was a few seconds of dead silence. Dr. Mizuno left the room after hearing that.

Jen paled, "They even took out her womb!?"

Zelgadiss shook his head. "No."

Jen blinked, "But you just said.."

I cut her off, "Aw, FUCK!" Both pairs of eyes looked at me. It's horribly rare for me to curse. "This is exactly what i've been afraid of.." I then explained all I knew, and what occured to me the other day.

Jen looked horribly shocked. Can't blame her. Zelgadiss seemed to have already known it.

Jen growled, "That bitch of a scientist! What did you say her name was, again, Zel? Jenarow?"

I frowned, "Genereux.." I looked at Zelgadiss, "What did she look like?"

Both Zelgadiss and Jen looked confused at my question. Jen answered with a question, "Who cares?! She's a bitch!"

Zelgadiss had a confused-but-trying-to-understand expression, "Cacausian, blonde hair, blue eyes, round face.."

I sighed, "Split personality?"

He blinked twice, "How the.." He paused, then sighed. "Let me guess. Another enemy of yours."

Jen stared at me. "Split personality?" She then gaped, remembering as well, "You're kidding me, right? The same woman with Lady Une syndrome?"

I chuckled wryly, nodding. "Yup. Funny, I thought I wouldn't have to deal with her after high school."

Zelgadiss stared at me, "She was your teacher?!"

I nodded, "Travel and tourism teacher. Weird woman, she was. I knew she also taught science, but this is just weird."

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