Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor X ❯ SX8: Order or Chaos ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Sailor X #8 Order or Chaos

By: John Brengman

Edited by: Thomas Schell

"Order versus Chaos ...choose one."

* Marcus (Shadow)

Babylon 5

Baltic Sea Near Latvia 3:24 AM

A UN helicopter skimmed over the surface of the ocean, its rotors
whipping the sea into a seething froth as it passed. The three people
aboard the chopper had to restrain their excitement. After weeks of
training and exercises, they were on a true mission. The mission might
be a simple rescue or recovery of a downed pilot, but it was a mission
nonetheless.

Composite radar screens were activated, showing the land mass of
Europe to the south and east, blips of ships as they went about their
business in the transit lanes, along with their own location. The
radar pinged loudly as the small scanning dish atop the chopper made a
revolution.

A new object entered the extreme range of the radar, and it was tagged
with an ID number and a location.

"Sir," the co-pilot said. "New transient object, ID number 436,
bearing zero-one-six, angle down thirty-five."

"Any movement from the transient?" The pilot asked.

"No," the co-pilot replied. "Range, seven miles and closing....picking
up tight-beam UN distress signal..."

A third man was sitting in the back compartment of the chopper. At a
signal from the pilot, this man would open the chopper's side door and
drop a grab line to the downed person. He busied himself by readying
the gear now.

As the distance closed, the co-pilot counted down their ETA, until
finally, "We're coming up on the signal now. It's about thirty yards
forward and starboard."

"Switching search light," the pilot replied. A bright light lanced out
from the chopper into the darkness and stabbed at the roiling surface
of the ocean. The co-pilot steered the search light using his radar
fix as a guide, until the light centered on a wind-whipped figure
surrounded in the bright orange of a life-preserver.

"Got it!" The co-pilot yelled. "Locking the beam."

"Okay," the pilot said. He then nosed the chopper forward until the
search light pointed straight down at the water-logged figure.

Turning his head to one side, the pilot looked at the third man, who
was already opening the side door.

"Roll out the red carpet."

The figure was quickly brought aboard the chopper and placed on a cot
behind the pilot's seat. The

co-pilot did a cursory medical exam. "A mild case of hypothermia," he
reported, "but nothing modern medicine can't fix."

After a spasm of coughs, the drenched pilot awoke and took a quick
look around. She wiped her hair back from her face and fixed both
soldiers with a glare.

"I am Tenoh Haruka, commander of the Second Air Wing, currently based
at Havel Air Base, in the Czech Republic."

The co-pilot took this opportunity to return to his seat. He looked
over at the pilot as he did so. "Radio to base. We've found her."

When the remaining soldier did not answer immediately, Haruka asked,
"Who are you?"

"The man responsible for ordering your mission," Air Marshall Irwin
replied.

"May I ask why you took such an interest in my recovery?"

Irwin ignored the slight neglect of military protocol. The truth was,
the military did not quite know where to place the Moon Kingdom in its
hierarchy, since the Kingdom and the Luna Foundation wished their
existence to remain a guarded secret.

"This mission was important to the security of the United Nations, and
the maintenance of law and order," Irwin replied. Haruka could tell
that the man was not sure he believed his own words. "As such,"

he continued. "It was important that no "loose ends" be left, and that
included the pilot who flew the mission."

Irwin paused for a second, then: "May I ask you a question?"

When Haruka nodded, he went on, "Why did you order your squadron to
stay on the base?"

"What?" Haruka asked.

"Why did you fly this mission alone?" Irwin asked. "If the entire
squadron had flown, you would have completed the mission without
having to ditch a specially-built plane that cost more than a few
million dollars to build..."

"Well damn," Haruka growled. "You can bill me."

"Now wait a minute," a flustered Irwin started to say, but Haruka cut
him off.

"If you are going to do more of these missions, then that is how they
are going to be done," Haruka stated. "These missions have one
purpose...to kill people. Those kind of missions are something I don't
want the rest of the squadron caught up in. So, if there are going to
be more of these missions, or any UN missions in the future involving
my squadron, you are going to have to take them up with me."

"Are you saying that you won't be doing any more UN missions?" Irwin
asked.

"I am saying that as the commander of this particular air wing, my
superiors will probably not approve of missions which involve the
killing of innocents. You will be very lucky if the only thing they
ask for is our reassignment to another base."

"We'll see." Irwin said. The remainder of the trip to Havel Air Base
was largely a silent one.

==> SM <==

The Medical Center at

The Luna Foundation

Amy took a cloth and wiped the sweat from her forehead. The overhead
lights that had been brought into this portion of the base's hospital
illuminated the bed she was working at, and the body of the woman who
lay upon it.

Queen Serenity's body lay covered with a green sheet. Her face was
masked by oxygen breathing gear that sat beside the bed.

An incision had been made in Serenity's abdomen, and Amy had spent the
last six hours repairing damage that had been caused when the roof of
the throne room had collapsed upon the queen.

There was damage that she could not repair however, and she tried to
face that fact as she started to close the incision.

Almost before the first stitch was sewn, Amy's nurse inquired, "What
about the spinal damage?"

"There's nothing I can do," Amy said quietly, although inside she
screamed, "It's not supposed to happen like this!"

After a brief pause, the nurse tried again. "What about the bones?"

Amy fixed the nurse with a quick stare. "I'm a doctor, Jim...not a
miracle worker. I won't be needing any other assistance here. Attend
to your other duties."

A frown crossed the man's face. Amy was sure he was thinking of how
the queen would spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair.
It was so unfair.

The nurse left, and Amy finished the stitches, pausing every so often
to wipe the tears from her eyes.

==> SM <==

"You're trying to force us to decide which of you is right.....but
what if

the right choice...is not to choose at all?"

* Captain John Sheridan

Babylon 5

Bethany Dell's House 11:04 PM

South Side of Tokyo

"I don't believe this," Bethany said as she and some of the others
watched the riots on the television.

On the screen, rioters were throwing stones at police in front of the
Macross Building, which was nearly totally engulfed in flames.

"What's not to believe?" Cass said. "This is live TV"

Sandra stood at the window and looked to the north. Through the
overcast sky and the light rain, she could see several fires to the
north. "It's unbelievable alright," she said.

"See! Sandra agrees with me!" Cass yelled triumphantly. Vanessa shrunk
back in her chair at this outburst.

"Please contain the insanity," Bethany said as she and Brandy entered
the room carrying milk and cookies. Brandy set the munchies down on
the coffee table in front of the plush couch and looked around. "Now,
what was all the celebrating about?"

"Sandra agrees with me!" Cass yelled again.

"A true accomplishment," Vanessa quipped. She got a glare from Cass
for that remark.

Sandra looked over at Cass. "I wasn't talking about the TV."

"Oh..." An almost visibly diminished Cass sat back on the couch.

"I assume there was a point to the remark though," Vanessa said.
Sandra stopped herself from admonishing Vanessa about respect for the
leader of the Sailors...it would be nearly pointless...Vanessa didn't
respect anyone she didn't feel was as smart as she was. What mattered
to Sandra was that Vanessa would follow orders when asked.

"Can anyone tell me the causes of this rioting?" Sandra asked. Dead
silence answered the question.

"Exactly," she said.

"This isn't like the Food Riots or the other protests against the UN?"
Brandy asked.

"The Food Riots occurred because of the lack of food in Tokyo
following the earthquake of April, 2012."

Vanessa said. "The Outreach Protests were caused by the passage of the
UN Outreach Code of 2010. People thought that the passage of the code
signaled the beginnings of a world unity dominated by the UN." All of
them knew that much about what was still relatively recent history.

Vanessa continued. "Although the Food Riots came close, neither they,
nor the Outreach Protests were as large as this latest outbreak of
unrest is."

"The Outreach Protests are still going on," Cass reminded the group.

"Yes," Vanessa said. "But they are treated like protests in front of
the White House in the US are. They are mostly for show, and not a lot
of attention is paid to them."

"I went to that protest a couple of times," Bethany offered. When the
others gave her funny looks, she quickly went on the defensive. "Hey,
it was our way of rebelling against our parents!" She said, referring
to her and her twin brother. Bethany's parents worked for some time
with the UN.

"And so begins the Secret Lives of Sailor Scouts," Vanessa remarked.

"She points out something though," Sandra said, defending another
friend. "These protests are about a subject that was being protested a
lot more peacefully only a few days before now. This whole thing
doesn't make sense."

"And then there was the attacks at the palace," Cass added.

"What are you suggesting?" Vanessa asked.

"This whole thing is wrong," Sandra said. "Plus, I am getting an
impression of singularity, of unity."

"From where?" Brandy asked.

"From out there," Sandra replied as she pointed out the window. "There
is so much hatred out there that my telepathy is picking it up...But
it feels like only one or two people are involved."

"Could you be wrong?" Bethany asked.

"Of course," Sandra murmured as she concentrated on her mental powers.
"But the more I concentrate on it, the more sure I am. It is two
sources causing all of this."

"It could be the Negaverse," Brandy said. "Jedite used to pull mind
tricks all the time."

"But what is their target?" Cass asked.

"If this is the Negaverse," Sandra replied, "they have already hit
their target." Silence filled the room as they remembered the fire at
the palace.

"So what do we do about it?" Cass asked.

Sandra stepped to the center of the room. "Let's go shake them down,"
she said grimly.

==> SM <==

The Medical Center at 1:47 AM

The Luna Foundation

A shadowy figure passed through the door into the Medical Center and
allowed it to silently close. It paused to look around the darkened
room. Control boards beeped and whirred and blinked to no one in
particular, and monitoring devices lent their audible and visual cues
to the mix that permeated the background.

The shadow figure noticed all of this. It noticed the remaining
patients who were recovering from burns or other injuries suffered
during the fire. It also noticed that Amy lay in one of the beds...she
had promised not to leave the Medical Center until the queen was able
to do so.

The queen and her doctor were both exhausted.

The shadow form turned to the left and entered the isolation ward
where the queen rested. The monitors above her head and at her wrist
gently illuminated her body in pale flickering. The shadow form
studied the diagnostics....and noted the queen's prognosis.

"This can't be allowed," the figure thought as she laid her right hand
gently on the queen's shoulder. The shadow figure and the queen began
to glow with a dull blue glow. After a few minutes, the glow faded,
and the figure studied the diagnostics.

Satisfied with the results, the shadow turned and left the Medical
Center.

==> SM <==

"They will not follow you if you are dead."

* Shadows

Babylon 5

The Top of the Animanga Building 11:53 PM

The Animanga Corporation was formed in 1999 after large numbers of
complaints surfaced regarding the quality of foreign language dubs
that were produced from Japanese-made original anime and manga. The
company had grown with the underground growth of the anime market, and
it was now one of the main producers of anime in Japan...with
subsidiary offices in Los Angeles and London.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Sailor Mars asked as she landed the
shuttle on the roof.

"Yes," Sailor Moon replied softly. "We are very close to one of the
sources." She opened the side hatchway of the shuttle and jumped out,
followed by the others. They spread out and started to search the top
of the building for any clues to the identity of their prey. The area
was full of vents, ductwork, crawlways, and corners. Any of these
could hide someone...or something.

The search ended about five minutes after it began, when Sailor Moon
saw a dark-clothed figure standing near the edge of the building. A
thick red fog drifted around his feet. Tapping her wrist communicator
twice to signal the other Sailors, Sailor Moon approached the figure.

"Nice view," Sailor Moon stated matter-of-factly.

"I like it," the villain said.

"Do you come here often?" Sailor Moon asked, "or do you only visit
during the really exciting riots?"

"You don't understand," the villain replied. "I am Malik, and I am not
simply an observer of these riots...I am their master."

"Yeah, right!" Sailor Jupiter goaded from her perch atop the
building's penthouse. "You're responsible for this?" She laughed at
that thought.

"Yeah," Sailor Venus quipped as she rounded a nearby corner. "You
forgot to sign in with us!"

Malik seemed to ignore the insults. "Really," he said. "It's quite
simple. I borrow the hatred that ordinary people have, in this case
toward the UN, I amplify it, and I give it back."

"So you are the cause of this," Sailor Moon replied.

"Yes," Malik said, "and now that you know my secret, you will have to
die."

The fog around Malik's feet swirled upward and surrounded the Sailors.
It seemed to penetrate their skin. Venus stumbled as if she were
drunk.

"Good," Malik said. "And now I will demonstrate that I am, in fact,
the cause of the riots....." He paused to approach Sailor Moon. "I
sense that you do not know your team-mates very well. They are
suspicious of each other, and you. Suspicion breeds hate...." Now his
voice echoed. "Feel the hate, my friends. Bask in it. Let it flow from
you!"

The Sailors drank in the fog that Malik exuded. When he was certain
they were under his control, the fog faded away. "Now, how do you
feel?"

He was answered with "MARS FIRE...IGNITE!" The primal fire slammed
into Malik and he was driven backward against the railing. The fire
scoured the villain for a few moments, then vanished.

After Malik recovered, he struggled forward. "Why? Why didn't it
work?"

Suddenly Sailor Moon stepped forward and grabbed him by what passed
for his collar. "You are a fool!"
She growled. "Sure we are just getting to know each other, but I would
put my life in their hands, and they would do the same!"

Shaking Malik, Sailor Moon grinned a wicked smile. "If there's someone
we hate or distrust, it's you!" With the other Sailors looking on
dispassionately, Sailor Moon pronounced judgement. "You have inflamed
the passions of the people beyond what they really are. You have made
them kill dozens of innocent people! You have attacked me, my family,
and my friends!"

Malik tried to struggle out of Sailor Moon's grip, but it was no use.

"In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" With that, Sailor Moon
threw Malik off the building. His death scream seemed to echo up at
her and the others as they watched his body plummet to the concrete
sidewalk. He landed on his neck twenty-six stories later and his skull
was crushed. In all of the rush from the nearby riots, he was then
trampled by ruffians who were fleeing the scene from newly-arrived
police reinforcements...

==> SM <==

The Medical Center of 8:05 AM

The Luna Foundation

Amy awoke from her sleep and got herself something to eat from the
food dispenser in the Medical Center. As she sat down to eat, her
nurse walked by and entered the queen's isolation ward.

A few seconds later, Amy was startled when she heard a clipboard drop
to the floor and a shout of excitement. "Doc! Get in here! You won't
believe this!"

Amy stood flabbergasted at the sight in front of her. On the bed sat
an awake, fully-aware Neo-Queen Serenity who was quite confused at all
the attention she was getting. She then noticed that she was not quite
dressed, and she glanced at Amy. "Does he have to be here?" She asked,
pointing at the nurse.
Jim looked over at Amy, who nodded her permission to leave the room.

After the nurse left, Serenity rose to her feet and snatched a robe
from the next bed.

When she leaned to grab the robe, Amy noticed that the incision had
not only completely healed...but there was no scar...

==> SM <==

United Nations HQ - New York 9:02 AM

The general had just put the phone receiver back on its hook and
turned to consult with Air Marshall Irwin when three shapes shimmered
into view in front of both of them. Irwin recognized Haruka as one of
them. While he did not recognize the others, all three wore the same
form-fitting, short uniforms.

"These must be the `superiors' she was talking about," Irwin thought
as the general rose from his chair to protest.

"How dare you simply pop in here without an invitation!" He yelled,
forgetting that he did not know how these intruders had managed such a
feat.

Sailor Moon stepped forward. "I'm sure you have met Sailor Uranus,"
she said, gesturing to her comrade to her left. "My other friend is
Sailor Mars. I am Sailor Moon."

"Glad to meet you," the general said wryly. "Now, what can I do for
you?"

"There are two things I need," Sailor Moon replied. "The first is that
the air wing attached to the Crystal Palace will be relocated
off-planet

"That is in violation of the agreement between the Luna Foundation and
the United Nations!" The general stammered.

Sailor Moon stepped forward and nearly came nose to nose with the
general. "I am altering that agreement, you murderous son-of-a-bitch!
You will give the order relocating the air wing, or I will give the

order releasing everything we know about this operation and the attack
on St. Petersburg, and by the end of the week there won't be enough
left of the UN to scoop up with a spatula!"

"You can't threaten us!" Irwin protested.

Sailor Moon turned to him. "Oh really?" She quipped sharply. "I can do
a lot when I put my mind to it."

"I wouldn't tick her off," Mars advised. "She's had a really bad day."

Sailor Moon stood back and tapped her wrist comm. "Get ready to pull
us out, Sailor Jupiter." The three women backed up toward the back of
the office.

"Remember what I said," Sailor Moon warned.

Irwin tried again. "We don't follow orders from you, or the Luna
Foundation," he said.

Sailor Mars pulled a video cassette from a carry-all she was carrying
and tossed it to the general.

"By the way,' Sailor Moon said. "My second request is on that video
tape, followed by the report we will release if you don't comply." She
paused, then added, "Consider these your first orders from the Moon
Kingdom. You would do well to obey them."

With that, the three Sailors vanished.

==> SM <==

"In our top story, United Nations spokesmen said today that the
near-destruction of St. Petersburg was

caused by a rogue air pilot who sided with the anti-UN faction," the
newscaster said.. "UN naval forces are

searching the waters off Latvia for any remains of the pilot or plane.
Although the anti-UN faction in St. Petersburg denies involvement in
the bombing of the city, there is no information at this time to
determine who was behind the attack.

"In other news, national defense forces have been called in to assist
local police in subduing the riots which have disrupted the center of
Tokyo for the past three days. Officials in Tokyo say that they are
rapidly gaining the upper hand on the situation, and that the riots
should be over by this time tomorrow... On world stock markets, the
Dow reacted to the police announcement with a sharp gain....."

Fanfic ©1999 - John Brengman and Artemis Publishing

Sailor X series inspired by Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon,

© 1992 by Toei Animation Co Ltd. and based on Kodansha's

manga production of "Sailor Moon", written by Naoko Takeuchi

This fanfic is freely distributed. Release date: January 11, 1999

Release: 3^rd Edition: Released on January 22, 2001