Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Ascension Trilogy, Book 1: The Coming Ice Age ❯ The Fallen Angel ( Chapter 9 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

THE COMING ICE AGE,
Chapter 9: "The Fallen Angel"

By Bill K.

Usagi was dimly aware of the oxygen mask being strapped to her
face. She was dizzy, barely conscious, with a tremendous feeling that
if she could only vomit one more time, everything would be all right.
But she was too weak to vomit and she didn't think she had anything
left.

Her eyes scanned the crowd of people around her, looking for a
familiar face. Everyone was dressed like a medical professional in
hospital scrubs. She didn't recognize them; they weren't the particular
medical professional she wanted. Then her eyes locked on Mamoru.
Summoning all her strength, she reached out a hand toward him. He took
it and it seemed to revitalize her just a little.

"You're going to be all right, Usako," he said. Usagi smiled
wanly and vowed to make it so, for his sake as much as her own.

She just couldn't stand the idea of being in heaven, looking down
on him and seeing him alone again.

Since he was a doctor, Mamoru was permitted to watch from the side
as the emergency room personnel worked on Usagi. He could see it was
touch and go. They were working to get her stabilized until the blood
work could come back. Only then could they discover if indeed she'd
been poisoned as Mamoru and the ER doctor feared, and by what. Only
then could they cure her, if it wasn't too late.

Mamoru sagged back against the wall. All evening she'd sworn she
was fine. "Just tired," she'd said. Maybe she hadn't known the
severity of her condition. Most likely she'd been concealing it so as
not to worry him. One of these days he was going to have to break her
of that habit - - not that he wasn't just as guilty of it over the
years. Well, things would be different, he vowed.

"Just get well, Usako," he whispered.

Ami, Rei and Minako arrived at the emergency room to find Makoto
tangling with three hospital security guards. The guards had her
restrained, but just barely. Makoto had already inflicted several
bruises on them and herself and was making them pay dearly for
restraining her.

"Hey, let go of her!" barked Minako, running up to them. One
guard broke away to intercept her. That let Makoto pull an arm free and
she lunged for the door. The struggle erupted again. Makoto shouted
angry curses while Minako and the guard sparred, looking for advantage.

"EVERYBODY STOP!" they all heard someone shriek. When they looked
around, they found it had been Ami. "This is a hospital!" she roared,
to her friends as much as the others. "There are sick people here!
Please have some respect for them!"

Makoto instantly stopped struggling. She and the others looked at
Ami in amazement. Ami went up to Makoto.

"They won't let me in!" Makoto said desperately. "I have to be
there! You didn't see her! She's really sick!"

"They can't let you in," Ami said gently. "You're not a doctor.
You'd only get in the way." Makoto grimaced. "I'll go in. I'll make
sure she gets the best care. All right?"

Makoto nodded in defeat. Rei and Minako led her to a sofa. Ami
turned to the admitting desk.

"I'm Dr. Ami Fujihara," she said. "I'm a resident here. Which
room is Usagi Chiba in?"

"Um," the admitting clerk replied, quite stunned by everything,
"they took her into Exam #1." Ami entered the room.

She found Usagi being worked on by a doctor and a nurse. A look
at her vital signs told Ami she was stable, but just barely. Mamoru
watched from the side. She went to him.

"What is it?" Ami asked.

"She's been poisoned," Mamoru replied. "The blood work confirmed
it."

"What kind?"

"They can't identify it. It acts like an irritant type, but it
doesn't conform to any known type of irritant toxin."

"Was there anything she came in contact with?"

"I don't know. It wasn't dinner. I ate the same thing she had.
Unless it was when she was at home drawing, I don't have a clue. She's
been kind of tired and pale all day." Mamoru clenched his fists. "I
sensed something was wrong. I saw all the warning signs and I let her
talk me out of checking her!"

Ami put her hand on his shoulder. "You know how hard she is to
argue with sometimes. Don't blame yourself." Ami glanced at the vital
signs monitor again. "We've got to identify that toxin. I'm not sure
how much longer she has."

Ami's henshin stick was out in a second. The two ER staffers
heard her transformation phrase and looked up. Standing in the room was
Sailor Mercury.

"Uh," the stunned nurse began, "you can't come . . ."

"It's all right," Mamoru said with authority and she backed down.

Mercury had her computer out and was scanning Usagi. She frowned
at the readouts it gave her. Mamoru peered over her shoulder, trying to
make sense of it.

"It's not of this world," Mercury announced. "One of the chemical
components does not exist on Earth. It's an unknown isotope of mercury.
The compounds are encased in microscopic manganese pellets that dose the
victim a little at a time." She turned to Mamoru. "This has been
building in her system for two or three days!"

"Then it was deliberate. Is there an antidote?" Mamoru asked.
"British anti-lewisite, maybe?"

"Um," Mercury hesitated, punching out a formula on her computer.
"Yes, BAL should work, but it's going to have to be modified to work on
the mercury isotope." She thought for a moment, making calculations in
her head, then began pecking at her computer again. "If I can have
access to a radiology lab, I think I can modify a dose of BAL to help
her. Is there a lab I can use?"

The nurse and Mamoru looked to the attending doctor. He froze for
a moment, unsure how to respond, then nodded.

"Come with me," the nurse said, heading for the door. "I'll get
you one of the labs in radiology."

"Just call ahead," Mercury said, hurrying out the door. "I know
the way."

Rei and Minako would alternately glance at Makoto and at each
other. They were worried. Makoto, however, was on the verge of
hysteria.

"Come on, Makoto," Rei said, grasping the woman's knee. "Keep it
together. We're all worried, but . . ."

"I wish I knew what happened," Makoto whispered fearfully.
"Nobody'll tell me anything. If this happened from something she ate at
my place . . .!"

"Don't talk stupid," Minako told her forcefully.

"Minako, you didn't see her heaving her guts up in the street! If
it turns out to be my fault . . .!"

"It-it's got to be something else," Minako replied.

"Minako's right," Rei said. "Food poisoning couldn't make her
have as violent a reaction as what you describe - - could it?" She
glanced at Minako for support.

"I don't know," Minako shrugged. "Ami's the doctor."

"Could someone have targeted her?" Rei asked. "With all the stuff
going on recently, it's something to think about. Maybe we've got an
enemy that wanted her out of the way. Maybe they found out she was
Sailor Moon."

"Yeah, and maybe that someone's our little guest at the shrine,"
Minako said, eyes narrowing.

"Guest?" Makoto asked.

"Another visitor from Knorr," Minako told her. "A real charmer,
too. Tried to give me an all-over sunburn."

"If I find out she did this to Usagi," Makoto glared, her lips
thin.

"Yeah, well if she did, you'll have to get in line," Rei told her.

"I wish they'd tell us what's happening," Minako murmured. "The
waiting's always the hardest part." The blonde brightened for a moment.
"Hey, I could use that in a song!"

"It's been done," Rei and Makoto said in unison.

"Figures," grumbled Minako, sinking back into her seat.
* * * *
Candes sat on the futon, glaring at Sailor Uranus with as much
contempt as she could muster. Uranus glared back. Her posture was
relaxed and unconcerned, but Candes got the impression that any sudden
move on her part would bring an attack.

The woman's gold eyes shifted to Sailor Neptune. She had a hand
mirror out and seemed to be staring intently at her own reflection,
though Candes couldn't be sure. It struck the woman as odd behavior,
but these two were odd. The one with yellow hair was a woman, yet she
acted like a man.

"Aren't you cold running around like that?" Uranus asked.

Candes looked at her inquiringly. Uranus nodded to the
outworlder's bare breasts. Neptune could be heard struggling not to
laugh in the background. Candes glared at Uranus and her eyes narrowed.

"Think you that this is cold?" Candes replied venomously. "It
shall get a lot colder."

"And just how would you know about that?" Uranus said gruffly.
"Just what do you know about the temperature going down? And about that
temporal portal over the lake?"

"I know of no such things," Candes replied sullenly.

"And I know a liar when I see one," challenged Uranus. She saw
the captive's eyes flare, but the woman did nothing to Uranus. "What's
going on? You know something."

Her reply was an icy stare.

Frustrated, Uranus turned to Neptune. She inquired silently and
Neptune replied with a shake of her head. The Deep Aqua Mirror was
revealing nothing about the prisoner that they could use.

"So what's the deal between you and Janus?" Uranus asked Candes.
"Are you ex-lovers or something?"

"I would sooner mate with the great serpent!" spat Candes.

"Not your type? Hey, I can relate. So what is it?" Candes
refused to answer. Uranus persisted. "Hey, we're not exactly fans of
him, either. Is there something about him we should know?"

"We're just looking for the truth," Neptune added. Candes noted
her piercing gaze, a gaze that again seemed to dissect her.

"You wish the truth?" snapped Candes, her flowing black hair
framing her face so that her blazing eyes seemed to glow. "Your world
is doomed to Ragnarok! And it is your own doing!"

Noticing with a sixth sense born of intimacy that Neptune's mood
had changed, Uranus glanced at her. She saw her lover staring down at
nothing in particular, almost in shock. She started to inquire about
what troubled her so much.

Then a movement out of the corner of her eye caught the attention
of Sailor Uranus. Candes was forming a fireball in her hand. The
heated winds from the fireball seemed to billow her long black mane out
behind her.

"Deep Submerge!" bellowed Sailor Neptune.

At once, Candes was engulfed in a smothering wave of water. When
the wave passed, the woman was on the floor, sopping wet and battered
unconscious.

"I warned her," Neptune sighed in frustration.

"What's got you bugged?" Uranus asked.

"What she said. 'Our world is doomed to Ragnarok?' And that it's
our own doing?"

"So what's Ragnarok?" Uranus asked.

"It sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it," Neptune said,
searching her memory. "Unfortunately we won't be getting anything out
of her for a while. I guess we'll just have to research this on our
own. Maybe I can ask Setsuna, assuming she's still speaking to me."

"I wish we could find out about what happened to Usagi," Uranus
said. "You suppose all this is related? It's too much of a coincidence
not to be."

"There's nothing concrete to link all this up yet," Neptune said,
opening her cell phone to dial Setsuna's number. "But it wouldn't
surprise me one bit."

Setsuna answered the phone on the third ring. When she heard
Neptune on the other end, she tensed involuntarily.

"How may I help you?" Setsuna asked neutrally.

Neptune began to tell her about Candes, but instantly began
mentally editing.

"Setsuna," Neptune began cautiously, "Do you recall anything about
a name: Ragnarok? It sounds familiar to me, but I can't place it."

"Ragnarok is an infamous event in Norse and Scandinavian
Mythology," Setsuna began. "According to the mythology, the realm of
the gods will be attacked by giants and demons. The sun will be
darkened. The stars will vanish. The Earth will either sink into the
sea or be consumed by," and Setsuna paused, "by ice. And the gods of
Norse Mythology will all die heroic deaths."

"That's right," whispered Neptune.

"Just as my vision foretold," Setsuna said absently. "Where did
you learn of this?"

Neptune hesitated.

"Or do you not wish to tell me, for fear that I will tell Janus?"
Setsuna asked.

"I'm just being careful," Neptune told her. "I'm sorry if that
offends you, but there's too much at stake here. You'll - - just have
to be offended."

"We all must make decisions we think are best," Setsuna replied.
"And we must all live with the consequences of those decisions."

"I'm willing to do that," Neptune replied. "By the way, Setsuna,
the inners went tearing out of here a little bit ago. Something may be
wrong with Usagi."

Setsuna gasped over the phone.

"I don't know what," Neptune continued, "and I don't have any way
to find out at the moment. I knew you'd want to know, though. If you
can find anything out, and if you choose, I'd appreciate it if you'd
fill me in."

"I," Setsuna stumbled, stunned, "I shall certainly make every
effort."

Setsuna put down the phone without realizing it. Her entire being
was in a state of shock. Something happen to Usagi - - the thought was
too horrible to contemplate. Numbly she walked into the next room and
right into the arms of Janus.

"Setsuna?" he inquired, holding her, giving her strength to live
another minute. His demeanor grew serious. "What troubles you?"

"The P. . . Usagi . . . my friend," she stammered, her tongue
suddenly thick as a board. "Something has happened to her."

"What?"

"I-I do not know." Suddenly Setsuna found her body squeezed to
his.

"She will be all right," Janus told her reassuringly. "She is
very strong, that one."

Setsuna took his words and his embrace like a dying person would
take water. She drew desperately on his strength and stability,
wondering for a moment how she ever got by without it.

"You wish to go to her? Go then," and he smiled warmly at her,
trying to reassure her. It was as if her heartache was suddenly his.
"Do not concern yourself over me. I am fully grown now and can survive
without your tender care - - for a little while."

A smile sprang up amid Setsuna's consternation. She leaned in and
kissed him on the chest, then turned and hurried off to the phone to
begin trying to track her missing Princess.
* * * *
Mercury furiously tapped another equation into her computer. The
senshi computer was linked into the computer system at the radiology
lab, using them as a server network to manipulate the various systems
needed to analyze the mercury isotope and reproduce it. To her
consummate frustration, it was proving a difficult problem to solve.

"No!" she hissed in frustration. "Why won't the proton mix remain
stable? What am I forgetting?"

Undaunted, Mercury retried her calculations, modifying them ever
so slightly in order to conquer the problem facing her. She didn't
glance at the clock. She knew time was short. There wasn't any purpose
in reminding herself of that fact. It would only make her hasty and
cause her to overlook some aspect of the problem.

"How's it coming?" she heard Mamoru ask.

She looked up and found him in the doorway to the lab. He was on
the brink of collapse, far more than she was, because he loved Usagi
even more than she did and would feel her loss even more. Yet, still he
held on and remained brave for her. For a moment it reminded Ami of
those days twenty years ago when she was a teenage girl and secretly
infatuated with him. She still held a place for him in her heart. That
was another reason why she didn't dare disappoint him.

"It's not," she said, her tone remonstrating herself. "I can't
get the proton mix to stabilize! The isotope unravels before I can use
it!"

"You want some help?" he asked. "I don't know that much about
nuclear medicine, but I'll do what I can. I'm certainly not doing her
any good downstairs."

Mercury hesitated for a moment. "All right," she said, overcoming
her pride. "I suppose two heads are better than one." Mamoru joined
her by her side. "And I think you underestimate how much good your
presence does her. You two have a bond, and the closer both of you are,
the stronger it is."

"Maybe you're right," Mamoru replied, close-lipped. "Maybe I just
couldn't stand seeing her like that for one second more. Maybe I'm too
much of a coward to stand there and watch her - - slip away."

"I don't think any of us have that kind of courage," Mercury told
him.

Mamoru leaned over and studied her calculations. Mercury looked
at them as well, hoping to see a mistake somewhere that would unlock
everything when corrected.
* * * *
Three friends continued to nervously wait for news. The tension
in the air was broken by the electronic peal of a cell phone. Minako
reached into her bag.

"This better not be my agent," she grumbled. "Hello? Oh, hi.
Yeah, I'm at the hospital. Yeah, she made it, too. Sure." Minako
handed the phone over to Makoto. "It's Sanjuro."

Makoto snatched up the phone and desperately pressed it to her
ear.

"San-San?" she asked, the last vestiges of her control crumbling.
Tears began streaming down her face. "They won't tell me anything! I
don't know how she is! I don't know if she's alive or dead or anything!
San-San, I feel so useless! If she dies, I don't know what I'm going to
do!"

Makoto listened as her husband seemed to find that core of
strength Makoto had misplaced and gently massage it to the surface with
his words.

"If you say so," she whispered, temporarily mollified. "No, I'm
staying here - - as long as it takes. No, don't even open the
restaurant if you have to, I don't care." She paused for a moment to
listen. "Tell them - - tell them I'm on senshi business. No, I don't
want the kids here. Not until I know Usagi's out of danger." She
paused again. "I'll try. I love you, San-San. Bye."

Handing the phone back to Minako, Makoto noticed the looks of
sympathy on her friends. She smiled sheepishly.

"Sounds like he got you straightened out," Rei said gently.

"Yeah. I don't know what I'd do without that man," Makoto
replied.

Minako's phone went off again. Scowling she opened it.

"Hello?" Minako said, then showed surprise. "Setsuna? Yeah,
we're at the hospital with her now. Uh, we don't know. Ami's inside
with her. We're out here in the waiting room. Sure, come on down. You
can help us wear holes in the carpet with our pacing. Uh, has there
been any trouble at your end? Anything strange? Just wondering. I'll
fill you in later." She closed the phone.

"What were those questions about?" Rei asked. "Do you suspect
something?"

"I'm just looking for answers," Minako replied. Her worried gaze
turned to the door to the examination rooms.

Continued in Chapter 10