Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Mercury 2.0 ❯ DOWNLOAD ( Chapter 5 )

Dues Ex Machina.

Literally meaning ‘God from the Machine’

For philosophers it meant the time before a great change. For the elite of the underground computer culture it was the ideal of an ultimate hacker. Some have even turned it into a sign of fear that we are becoming too mechanized as a society.

For Ami Mizuno the literal translation was the only one that applied to her at the moment.

Power surged, almost uncontrollably, through her body as she fought to maintain her new transformation. On the surface she was calm, but in her mind she was mentally ticking off the moments she could hold it together before giving in to the unbelievable rush of her new form.

The digital realm around her was alive in her eyes, and all she had to do was reach out with her power and change it as she willed. She could think a thought, and life in the form of new codes would spring fourth. Or on a whim she could destroy the entire internet.

She felt the burning in her skull and wondered if this was how Sailor Moon, her Princess, felt when she tapped into the awesome cosmic powers of the Silver Crystal.

And if she didn’t want to wind up dead she would have to exercise the same restraint as her friend and leader.

Too bad she was really pissed of at that Sark character.


Mercury 2.0
A TRON/Sailor Moon story
By Seth
Part 5: DOWNLOAD

Note: Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and licensed by DiC in the U.S. while TRON is owned by the Disney Corporation. I claim ownership of neither, but use them in this humble tale for the enjoyment of the readers and fans. All hail the Mighty Sea Bass.


Streams of energized water shot from Sailor Mercury’s fingertips, lancing into the guards around the program Mercury as the startled blue woman realized that once more the tide had turned to favor her and her friend. Quickly she drew her Rod weapons and spun to face off against the other troops around her while she had the initiative.

A short distance away, Sark snarled as he used his disk to block another jet of liquid energy from this strange User he had been sent to capture. His skills were being pushed to the limit as he watched one after another of his troops fall to the combined might of other worldly power and video warrior.

He needed to rethink his strategy if there was going to be any hope of salvaging this situation.

“Fall back,” he called out to his remaining guards. “Transfer back to the home server!”

The programs moved to obey, but Sark was blocked from his retreat as Sailor Mercury shot out of the harbor on a column of water and landed in front of him, her hands dripping with sparking liquid as she spun on the attack. He jumped back a short distance and threw his disk. As it sailed towards Sailor Mercury he charged in after it, and when the blue haired girl dodged to avoid being beheaded he struck out with a savage punch.

Sailor Mercury stumbled back at the impact, but her mystic armor absorbed the damage. She recovered quickly and threw her arm out, sending a wave of power after Sark. But the red warrior dove out of the way in time to catch his disk and avoid the attack.

Rolling after his catch, Sark righted himself and sent his disk out once more. This time Mercury moved in front of her smaller counterpart and used her Rods to deflect the attack, knocking the disk away as Sailor Mercury jumped over her and returned fire with another torrent.

The older red program took a grazing hit, but remained strong as he turned, letting his disk once more fly into his hand. He glanced briefly back and saw that his troops had fallen back to the sector’s transport platform and nodded to the senior most program, who started the activation for transport out.

Turning away from the two blue warriors, he put his all into running the last of the distance, and he felt the back of his neck bristle as he dove onto the platform as its white light washed over him.

Sailor Mercury watched with a frown as her last attack passed through the space were Sark had been less then a heartbeat ago. She suddenly shook and fought dizziness as the power she was using began to unravel, and she allowed her transformation to reverse itself. Crystal blue and white armor faded away and Ami Mizuno stood once more.

Then she fell to her knees gasping for air.

“What a rush,” she managed to get out between breaths.

Mercury ran up to her and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Ami answered as she got back on her feet. “It was just too much power all at once. I should have been more careful.”

“But you were so strong. You could have easily wiped out Sark and his forces.”

“I know,” Ami said as she looked her friend in the eye, “but I wasn’t meant to have that much power. No one is. I don’t know how Usagi handles it.”

Mercury looked at her quizzically, but before she could inquire further Ami turned to look at the transport platform.

“We should get out of here before Sark comes back.”

Mercury nodded, “I don’t think he needs to. He already knows where we are going, the ENCOM mobile medical server. It was your point of entry, and it’s your way out. We simply have to get there before him.”

With that the two of them strode onto the disk like platform and Mercury took the controls, setting their destination. In a flash of white light, Ami once more found herself in the canyons of ENCOM’s main memory. Several red troopers stood around them, disks at the ready, but with a gesture from their massive leader the warriors stood down.

“It figures that you would be involved with this fiasco, Mercury.”

“And hello to you as well Kernel.”

Something resembling a grin appeared on the mask like face of the security program as he allowed Mercury and Ami to descend from the platform. Once they were off the disk, Kernel extended his hand as if expecting something.

Mercury took this in and asked sharply, “What?”

“The algorithm please,” the bulky warrior answered. “I can’t have secure information like that in the hands of an independent. You simply do not have the permissions to carry it.”

“We are in a hurry, Kernel,” Mercury said as she glared at him, “and a program calling himself Sark is only a few nanosecond behind us. Now let me do my job and get Ami One and the data to the Core…please.”

“Sark?” Kernel let out a loud laugh and moved his arm back to reach for his disk, “I think you’ve gone buggy, Mercury. And I, for one, am glad to be the one to put you and your little beta test down.”

Ami spoke up, “It’s true. Sark is leading the force that intruded on this system. They are operating on FCon orders. And they ARE on their way here. Please, let us put this data back where it belongs, and let me go home.”

Kernel looked at the smaller blue female with disgust and reared back his hand to throw at her, but one of his own troopers suddenly moved between them, his disk out and held in a block.

“Wait sir,” the young program called out, “we should listen to what she has to say. We can trust her.”

“Stand down or be deleted, trooper.”

“No sir.”

Ami put her hand on the red trooper’s shoulder and moved around him, looking up into his eyes.

“I remember you,” she said softly, “I helped you before. Please don’t do this. It would be a shame for you to have wasted my work.”

The warrior lowered his disk, and his eyes, as he knelt before her, “I’m sorry. I thought I could repay you for binging me back.”

Ami smiled, “I didn’t do it for compensation. I did it because it was the right thing to do.”

Kernel growled, “What are you glitches talking about?”

“Isn’t it obvious,” Mercury said with a smirk. “Ami One is a User.”

“Impossible.”

A grizzled warrior with a shield came forward, “No sir. I saw it with my own eyes. He took a direct hit and was de-rezzing when she grabbed hold of him. There was a flash of light, and he was back, strong as ever. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever scanned.”

Kernel looked around at his men in disbelief. He only half believed in the power of a User, and he would rather trust in himself then some other worldly power. But now he was face to face with this slip of a User, and his troops looked like they were ready to give their runtimes up for her.

Even Mercury, a hardened mercenary, had a soft smile on her face as this Ami talked with the security troops and told them to prepare for the coming battle. Over the last few cycles Ami had grown on her with her wide eyed wonder, her caring nature, and her tales of far off mystic worlds.

But now their time was limited, and she turned to the Kernel.

“I know that you and I have never really seen eye to eye, but you have to see that if she remains here it could harm us all. FCon is after her because her powers in this world are unlike anything we’ve seen before. And if Sark gets his hands on her no system will be safe. Please let me finish my mission and let her go home, back to her own kind.”

Kernel looked like he was about to start arguing again, but the faint glow from the transport disk began to increase as an incoming signal was received.

“Form up! Form up!” Kernel moved back among his soldiers and looked down at Ami, “I don’t know what you are, and frankly I don’t care, but the data you carry must not fall back into the hands of the enemy. I’d send some of my men with you, but I need them all here. Now get moving.”

“Thank you,” Ami said gratefully and bowed to the towering warrior.

She turned to leave, but his gruff voice continued, “If you do try and steal that data, I will hunt you down no matter where you go.”

Ami sighed, but nodded as she came up to Mercury, and the two lithe blue women broke into a jog deeper into the memory core. Behind them, the transport platform finished its cycle, and ten purple warriors appeared. The Kernel signaled his warriors to attack, but before disks could be thrown a barrage of Prankster Bits lanced out from the invaders.

Ten vortices of crackling energy tore into the ranks of guards as the enemy moved off the receiver, weapons aimed for a second volley. Ten more purple warriors appeared brandishing Mesh rifles and joined the fray.

The Kernel and his troops counter attacked in the split second lull. Red disks flashed out, and several intruders fell, but the second volley of Prankster Bits forced the guards to seek cover as a third wave of intruders arrived.

Kernel looked out from his cover, throwing his disk with accuracy honed in long service, and surveyed the situation. His troops were already outnumbered, but holding their own for the moment. His assessment changed when a fourth group teleported in, this time with a large construct in their midst.

“A Logic Bomb,” he whispered to himself. He bellowed to his troops, “Don’t let them set that thing up, it could destroy half the system!”

The red warriors rallied to their leader’s cry and pressed hard against the larger invading force. While they were outnumbered, the heavy weapons of their enemy took large amounts of energy, and the front lines of purple warriors were soon unable to continue their sustained assault. Troops broke rank and sought cover of their own as guard disks flashed again.

There was little the defenders could do against the defended bomb, however. The troops that had arrived with it stood their ground, blocking shot after shot as one of their number worked on activating the device.

Seeing that his time was limited, Kernel stood and threw his disk as hard as he could, slicing clean through one attacker and charging in after it. By his side, the trooper that had stood between him and Ami charged as well, determination flashing in his eyes.

Kernel shouted, “For the free systems!”

The trooper added his own cry of, “For the Users!”

And so the battle grew.

Deeper in the canyons of the memory area Ami heard the sounds of the digital war being waged behind her and found herself torn. Part of her wanted to turn back, to help those that fought for her return to the real world. A smaller part of her urged her to forge ahead and escape this nightmare. She slowed and was about to turn when Mercury grabbed her shoulder.

“Do not cheapen what they do,” the taller blue warrior said. “Trust the Kernel. He has skill enough to do what needs to be done. Besides, we’ve come all this way. Now we can complete this task.”

“That is doubtful.”

Mercury and Ami looked ahead as Sark turned a corner and stood before them. Reacting quickly, Mercury pushed Ami away and jumped aside as the red warrior threw his disk at them, letting it sail between them and spending its deadly attack on one of the canyon walls.

Mercury rolled to her feet and glared, “How did you get ahead of us?”

“The systems may be newer,” their enemy chuckled, “but they are still organized the same. While my troops distract your pitiful defenders and prepare to destroy this place, I entered it through an old data stream once used by the MCP. But now, if you would kindly hand over the User, and the data, we can be done with this.”

Ami stood and asked, “What do you want me for?”

“Simple,” answered Sark, “my User has given me information that you are a known entity in that world. Or rather what you change into is. Once you are returned to the real world, and in his hands, he will be able to discover who you are, who your allies are, and how your powers work. Once he has torn that code from you, he will be a god out there as well as in here. A Wraith God.”

Mercury stiffened at this. Sark spoke of a malevolent User, with the power of Ami’s transformed state, and the ability to come and go into the digital realm as he saw fit. In her eyes she saw the beginning of a new dark age inside the machine.

Ami could only frown. Pulling out her transformation pen, the blue haired, displaced schoolgirl let her features settle into determination as she began drawing on the same strings of power that Sark sought so fiercely.

In a hard voice she challenged Sark, “The power is not granted to seekers or takers. It is part of a legacy that spanned more worlds then you can understand. The power is the birthright of a blessed few, and I will not let you cheapen it. Nor will I allow you to harm this beautiful world any further.”

“Mercury Crystal Power…Make Up!”

The magic welled up inside Ami, but before the transformation could complete itself, Sark launched his attack. His disk flashed out again, and through the haze of blue surrounding her, Ami saw that the red streak was headed right for her neck.

“Pretty words,” Sark bellowed, “but meaningless!”

Mercury slid like her namesake in line with the coming attack, twin rods twirling to deflect the deadly projectile. With a distorted clang Sark’s disk was reflected back, and the blue warrior charged, the tips of her weapons sparking with energy. Fast as light the nimble gamebot attacked, her rods spinning like electronic fighting sticks, but the attack was brutally brought to an end as Sark deflected the first strike with his own weapon and backhanded the female, his massive strength sending her flying into a canyon wall.

But Mercury smiled as she attempted to regain her footing.

Ami had finished her transformation.

“Shine Aqua Illusion!”

Sailor Mercury spun in place, her hands shooting out to form a jet of digital water that slammed into the red warrior. Ami wanted to smile at the direct hit, but Sark braced himself, pushing his disk forward and planting his feet. Red energy pulsed along the circuitry in his arms and he dug his heels in against the torrent.

When the spell had spent its energy Sark was still standing. He quickly countered, his disk lashing out again, but Sailor Mercury was just as fast, her disk off her back and in both hands to intercept the strike. As the Red disk flew back towards Sark, Sailor Mercury threw her own attack, but the red warrior caught his disk and spun in place, letting his weapon flash out again.

The disks collided in mid air, a loud clash resonating through the canyon as both warriors retrieved their weapons. Turning, Ami saw that Mercury was once more up and changing her Rods into their shotgun like Diffusion form and getting ready to blast Sark from the side, but their enemy was experienced in combat and had anticipated the attack.

Sark blocked Sailor Mercury’s next disk attack and knocked the blue weapon away, making it take longer to return to the young User, and threw his weapon at Mercury who was kneeling to make her shot.

Mercury managed to get her weapon in front of her before the disk hit and the construct to the brunt of the attack, but she was once more knocked back. Her weapon sparked and shattered from the disk’s discharge, and the blue warrior was left defenseless.

Sark smirked as he caught his weapon and turned to face Sailor Mercury, “It always amazes me. Programs like her, slaves really, fight so hard for nothing. And Users like you are too weak to truly change the system. Once your routines are mine I can reformat this system to perfection. All the chaos gone, leaving only perfect order. My order. Then even your world will not be beyond my grasp. It is within my destiny to do what not even the MCP could.”

Ami spoke softly to distract him while her brilliant mind worked overtime, “There is something stronger then order in the universe, and not even you can stand up to it. I was ignorant of this world, like so many others in my world, but I’ve seen its wonder and the heart of its people. They are on the verge of the future, and it is programs like Mercury that will lead the way. She’s already discovered that even programs can feel the emotions of Users, and someday we will be able to stand side by side. Not as Users and programs, but as sisters and brothers. All you can do is slow the inevitable.”

In anger at her words, Sark bellowed, “Silence, slave!”

He put all his anger, at the Users that had created him and brought him back to once more be a pawn, at the MCP for letting him die and using his body as a puppet, at a warrior called Tron for killing him, and at the young girl in a magic fuku style armor before him that spoke of destiny, and burned it into the core of his disk as he threw, aiming for the blue haired girl’s neck.

It was what Ami had been waiting for.

Her own disk flashed out on an intercept course, but she continued to twist her body after the throw, calling back to her earliest days as a defender of love and justice. She had sometimes combined her powers with Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars in those hectic days, using Moon’s attack as a guide and adding her own power to give it speed while Mars’ magic increased its power.

“Shabon Spray!”

The mist and bubbles from the very first spell she had learned jetted out and surrounded her outbound disk, coating it in shining blue energy as it continued on course towards Sark’s disk.

Again, there was a electronic clang as the disks collided, but this time the magic wrapped around Ami’s digital weapon seemed to flow as the red disk skipped off of it, ricocheting off into the sky as the blue disk continued on, straight and true.

Sark crossed his arms, attempting to block the attack, but the magically enhanced weapon slammed into him like a freight train, sending him flying back. As he skidded to a rest he could feel that he was only anchored to this world by the slimmest of threads. The anger welled up in him again as he slowly, painfully, pushed himself upright.

Ami caught her returning disk, returning it to its mount on her back, and turned to run over and check on her comrade. Mercury was still resting against the wall, smiling at the safety of her User friend, but still saddened that her weapon, a longtime companion, had been destroyed.

Ami asked her, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, Sailor Mercury,” the digital warrior answered. “Now that that’s over we can…”

Suddenly her eyes widened as a red form rose up from behind Ami and struck a hard blow against the smaller girl. Sark continued his assault, forgoing weapons in favor of using his fists to hammer the off guard User. Ami was slammed into the wall hard as Mercury was backhanded out of the way. Then Sark drove fist after fist into Sailor Mercury’s back, aiming low and for the spine.

Ami tried to spin out of the way, but caught a fist in the stomach and across the face as she turned and slumped to the ground. Mercury tried to tackle the large, angry red warrior off her friend, but received an elbow to the jaw for her effort that fell her to her knees beside Sailor Mercury.

“Never again,” Sark whispered. “Never again will I be humiliated by weaklings like you. This system and everything in it belong to me. And as such, I’ve decided that you no longer have a place in it.” He took out his disk and brought it up, getting ready not to throw, but to simply drive into Sailor Mercury’s neck.

Ami could barely move, or focus as the beating she had just taken left her dazed, but she could feel the sickening lethal intent washing off of Sark and boring into her. She reached out to one side, hoping to find something, anything to stop he demise.

Her hand came into contact with another, and she sensed that it was Mercury reaching out to her.

Ami gathered her magic, opened her heart, and pushed.

Just like Copy and Paste, she thought to herself as the blurred image of Sark started his final blow.

Instantly, Mercury felt a burning flow run through her body. Raw power sizzled through every line of her code, and she could see patterns forming in her minds eye. The power sought release, it wanted to be used. She flung her arm up, palm open only inches away from Sark’s chest as he was plunging his disk down at Ami.

The words that came from her would forever be etched into her digital soul.

“Mercury Aqua Mirage!”

The machine gun like blast of dozens of glowing blue spheres shot out from her palm and instantly hit Sark, sending him flying back as more continued to impact into him. Explosions rippled across the sky, tracing his path as the magic continued to pour from Sailor Mercury, into Mercury and out into the black electronic sky.

A strangled scream and a massive explosion signaled the end of the attack, and of a mighty warrior that had terrorized the system twice over.

Mercury lowered her arm, turning her hand to stare in wonder at her still smoking palm as Sailor Mercury let her magic flow back inside, returning Ami to the forefront and sighing in relief.

“That was amazing,” Mercury whispered. She turned to look into Ami’s eyes, and saw the depth and emotion there.

Ami slowly stood, holding her stomach lightly and told the still stunned warrior what she had learned in her years of service to her princess.

“It’s just another day in the life of a magical girl.”

Slowly the two of them moved off once more, making their way to the deepest areas of the system. They soon came to the transfer point Ami had used to come to the memory banks and stepped into its light.

When they had finished the transfer Ami once more found herself in the area she had arrived to the computer world in. She led Mercury down the short hall into the main building, where Byte was still floating, waiting for her return.

“I see that you were successful,” the construct said in its monotone voice. “All has been prepared.” He floated off to a control panel that glowed as he touched it. To one side of the large receiving area a small panel in the wall opened.

Byte floated over to it and spoke, “Please input the algorithm, and we can get underway.”

Ami took out the small node of data from her belt and walked over, placing it in the slot exposed in the wall. Once the glowing data was in place, the panel slid shut again, and a loud humming began. Light coalesced over the center of the room, and a beam of light slowly crept up form the large transport platform, up through the aperture in the ceiling, and reaching into the sky.

Ami watched the beam climb to the heavens, or the real world in this case. She then turned to Mercury and saw that the program was giving her a sad smile.

“This is the second time I’ve had to say goodbye to a User,” the warrior said, “and the second time that I’ve had to say goodbye to a friend.”

Ami nodded, her own said smile forming, “I have so few friends of my own. I know how painful it is to see one of them leave. But I know something now. Whenever I hold my computer I’ll know that it’s not just a tool, but a connection to one of my very dear friends.”

Ami then grabbed the taller blue woman in a sisterly hug that startled Mercury. But the program found it comforting and returned the gesture. After a moment, Ami let go and spoke softly.

“Neither of us are the same now.” At Mercury’s confused look Ami explained, “I’ve found out that your world exists, and have to come to grips with the knowledge that what I do out there affects you in here. And you have been touched by magic. Once that happens, your life will never be the same.”

Ami stepped away and started towards the path home. Before she entered the light, she turned back for a moment and asked, “Is there anything you want me to pass on to the other Users?”

Mercury thought for a moment, and finally said, “Tell Jet One…tell him I…miss him.”

Ami nodded, and gave a wide smile, and then stepped into the light.

///Meanwhile in the Real World///

“All right people,” Jet said as his fingers flew across the keyboard, “here we go.”

Behind him, both Usagi and Makoto crossed their fingers as massive amounts of information began scrolling across the computer screen. Behind them the medical laser once more hummed to life and tracked to the middle of the open area in the center of the closed exhibit. The two disguised defenders of love and justice held their breath as the process began.

Ma3a’s digital voice was once more heard over the speakers, “Laser activity in ten seconds. Please stand away from the laser.”

Jet’s trained eyes continued to scan the monitor as the countdown continued. He had failed to keep the girl in this world; he would not fail to bring her back safely. He nodded as the last element fell into place and turned to see how the return process worked on this side.

As the countdown ended, the prismatic laser shot out again, and a gird of light formed in mid air. As it was finished rapid pulses streaked out, quickly reforming into solid matter. In seconds, the process was complete, and a startled looking Ami Mizuno slumped to the floor.

Usagi and Makoto were almost instantly at her side, latching on to the girl with massive hugs. For a moment it looked like all three girls would break into tears of joy, and Jet wouldn’t have blamed them one bit.

Back inside the system, Mercury walked away from the chamber she had just watched her friend leave in. Now she had to go back and see how Kernel had fared against the other intruders. Since the system was still here, and knowing the massive warrior’s skill, she figured that victory was what she would find.

As she walked, Ami’s words came back to her.

You have been touched by magic. Once that happens, your life will never be the same.

Ami could not have been more correct. Mercury looked down at her wrist once more to make sure that what she had found there was still there. A simple silver band on her armored gauntlet with a glowing blue crystal that had Sailor Mercury’s symbol etched in its heart.

It was time for Mercury to help defend the system, for love and justice.

Elsewhere in the real world, Ed Dillinger sat back in his chair, scowling at the monitor before him. It had taken a great deal of time to covertly put programs back into the system he had helped build, and it had all fallen apart when yet again, another User had foiled his plans.

First Kevin Flynn had stopped the MCP from taking control of the world. The Jet Bradley had stopped his Datawraith project. Now an unknown User had defeated him and stolen back the vital code needed for him to complete his goals.

But in the end, it hadn’t been a total waste. He now knew that other things existed in this world. Beings of power that could manipulate the elements themselves. And power was what he needed.

Yes, FCon would have to look into these so called Sailor Senshi.

///END OF LINE///