Awakenings

Rax stood at the small window of his room, watching the evening fade into night. It had been two days since he'd planted the sentinels around the harbor, and Saphrina still hadn't set things into motion yet. He was getting impatient. Dain, of course, was still no where to be found. Not that it bothered him, really. In fact, the longer Dain was gone, the more confident Rax felt about his position with Saphrina. She was finally starting to talk to him with a speck of respect - something he hadn't ever experienced while Dain was near. Rax allowed himself a smile. It was all quickly becoming his own territory... including Saphrina.
«««««
"Cynthia, are you ever going to come back?" Erika looked down at the old ice-skate box. Cynthia had been missing for almost four days now, and Erika was starting to wonder if she'd left for good. Despite Cynthia's warning, she'd tried to contact her using her necklace and earrings, but the small feline hadn't replied to her pleas.
Neither had Karin. Erika had tried to call her and apologize, but her mother had either taken a message or else the phone wasn't answered. Erika had also tried to call Trina, but for whatever reason, the girl was never home. The small purple stone around Erika's neck felt heavy, and she hadn't dared try to use the communicator to catch Trina since she had no idea where the girl might be... and she doubted Karin would answer.
"Well, it's a good thing nothing serious has happened," Erika mumbled to herself. She gazed around the small room that had been hers for as long as she could remember. But instead of being a comfort, it felt cramped. "I've gotta get out of here," she sighed, picking up a light sweater on the way out.
«««««
Darkness. Cold. Awareness. The slightest flicker of movement. And an insatiable need...
«««««
Dain leaned his shoulder against the glass of "his" room. The colors outside didn't appear to have shifted in their pattern, but they were still breathtaking. His thoughts weren't on the spectacle before him, though. Claire had been persistent in asking him what his earliest memory was, and he had finally retreated to his quarters to escape her constant questioning. She was virtually unwilling to tell him anything about herself and about the building he was in. But even in solitude, he couldn't escape the haunting question about his earliest memory, and he found himself reaching back as far as he could to the black wall blocking out anything before the Black Moon.
The Black Moon memories were not his favorite. There was a reason he'd pushed them back so far and forgotten them. He still bore the scars on his back from the "initiation," but by now, they were almost completely gone. It had been so many years since the horror of that experience...
Dain jumped slightly as he pulled himself from his terrible reverie. He must have had a damn good reason to join the Black Moon and stick with it through all of the tortures they had inflicted. He remembered clearly that with each blow and mocking stare, his resolve had become hardened and impenetrable, but the self-pity, sorrow and reasons had been beaten out of him. Before a year had passed, he was not able to remember anything about his past, nor did he want to. The eternal quest for power and dominance had become all that he cared about.
He shook himself and turned from the window, facing the soft black wall that cut the grand circle of windows in half. Soft light from small globes above illuminated the room slightly, but the brilliance of the nebula outside provided more than enough light. Slowly, Dain walked toward the wall with his arms folded across his chest. A small panel of dim colored lights sat against the far end of the wall, attracting his attention, and he desperately needed something to take his mind off of the terrible memories he had conjured up. As he touched the small blue light at the top, a brighter light illuminated the space he was standing in. He touched the next one down, and a piece of the wall in front of him slid open silently, revealing a neat closet. Dain pressed the third light, and another light illuminated the closet. Along the back, he could see several shelves were filled with books, and along the walls, rich clothes hung neatly. But everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. It had obviously been a long time since anyone had been in here.
He moved carefully between the clothes toward the back of the closet. The books seemed like a logical relief to his awful memories, and maybe he would actually find something that would be slightly entertaining. Reaching up, he randomly pulled one from the shelf and walked out of the closet. If this didn't help, he didn't know if anything would.
«««««
Karin slammed the literature book shut and rested her head on the foot of her bed. Her knees were starting to go numb from kneeling, and she felt cramped in her tiny room. Her mother had been answering all the phone calls, and Karin hadn't bothered to wear her communicator since she and Erika had "talked." But all of this solitude was beginning to smother her. She needed to get out. Carefully, Karin stood up and stretched, her fingertips brushing the low ceiling in her room. The night outside looked cool and refreshing, and the thought of the breeze around her body convinced Karin that it was a good time for a jog. She opened her closet and pulled out her running shoes, then turned to find a pair of sweats.
A few minutes later, Karin finished wrapping an elastic around her hair and made her way down to the kitchen. She was just about to head out the door when her mother's voice came from the small front room.
"Karin? Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I'm going jogging. I'll be back in a little while," Karin answered.
A rustle of movement came from the room, and her mother appeared in the doorway. "I thought you went running this morning," the older, slightly shorter version of Karin stared at her daughter questioningly. "Is everything okay?"
Karin nodded and wondered if she should smile. But she quickly decided that her mother would know everything was not okay if she did that. "Yeah," she sighed. "I just need to get out and get some air. I've been studying too hard."
"Okay," her mother nodded. "Just don't be too long."
"I won't," Karin promised as she ducked out the door.
Her mother watched as Karin walked briskly down the street, wondering what could have happened to make her daughter change so dramatically in the last week or so. She had noticed that Karin carried her head a little higher, but that her eyes were a little sadder. And now her daughter had drawn herself into solitude. "Oh, my sweet daughter, I know you'll find the strength to persevere. Just hang in there..."
«««««
The need for light. For light to enter the darkness and be consumed. To crush and destroy. A sharp crashing sound, an artificial light, and a strange sensation. This was not what was desired. The need must be fulfilled elsewhere...
«««««
Saphrina flashed her most convincing smile as she swallowed the last drop of liquor in her glass. Herr Becker stood across from her, pen in hand, and swallowed his brandy triumphantly.
"Well, Frau Schattenstein, I'm convinced that this will be the best move this corporation has ever made. The port is sorely in need of a system that will bring all of it's shipping activities into one complete database. Your plan is the best I've ever seen. I know we will enjoy doing business together."
Saphrina stood and shook the hand he offered her. "Congratulations, Herr Becker. I know you will be swept away by the system my colleagues and I have designed for you. We can start working on the main servers in the morning."
"Fantastic," Herr Becker beamed. "And I sincerely appreciate you staying this late in the evening so that we could work out details." He turned to gesture to the two other men in the room. "Gentlemen, let's escort our new partner to her car. I'm sure we can celebrate this even more tomorrow." He faced Saphrina again. "Would a corporate lunch tomorrow afternoon be appropriate?"
"Absolutely," Saphrina beamed. "I appreciate your respect, Herr Becker. I have some family business that I need to attend to tonight. I would be glad to join you tomorrow."
«««««
"Cynthia! Cynthia!" Trina's harsh whisper filled the dark void under her bed, but there was no movement and no response. "Crap," Trina sighed to herself. She'd been looking for Cynthia for the last hour - to no avail. The small cat had either found an excellent hiding place or else had decided to go back home.
"A-CHOO!!" a high-pitched squeak came from the hallway, followed by a sniffle. "Oh, my poor head." The complaint immediately preceded Trina's sister as she dramatically stumbled into the room. Trina seated herself on her bed and watched as the girl settled herself and pulled a blanket over her head.
"Did you find out what's wrong?" Trina asked the miserable afghan-covered lump.
Sniff. "No. The doctor's stupid."
"What did she say?"
"She said that I'm having an allergic reaction."
Trina felt her eyebrows shoot up. Oh no. "An allergic reaction to what?"
"To cat hair."
Trina forced herself not to groan. "Cat hair? But we don't have a cat," she lied.
"I know. That's why the doctor's stupid. Mom tried to explain that to her, but she insisted that there must be a cat nearby for me to be sneezing so much. But I stay away from the cats that wander around here, and our neighbors don't have any..." the stuffy-sounding voice dissolved into self-pitying sobs. "Will you hand me some tissue, please?"
Trina grabbed the box that was sitting on their shared nightstand, and tossed it onto her sister's covered form. She had to find Cynthia, and fast! This whole thing with her not speaking to Erika had to end tonight, otherwise, she'd be in a heap of trouble.
"Thanks," her sister sniffed, just before Trina closed the door behind her.
«««««
Dain found himself standing in absolute darkness. Voices, both near and distant, echoed around him, and he knew he wasn't alone. A damp coolness filled the air, and a slow heavy breeze blew against his face. All of this felt horribly familiar. Composing himself quickly, Dain took a few steps forward, and found himself coming into ugly white artificial light. Standing only a few meters in front of him, a small circle of beings. They were surrounding something, and laughing evilly. They offered whatever was in the middle challenges of strength, magic and wit. The threw light pebbles meant to cut the flesh and inflict pain into the circle. And they mocked the answers of whoever or whatever they were surrounding.
The Black Moon. Dain knew it was so because of the nature of the darkness. It was complete until it was forced back by the brightest globes that could be constructed on the dark barren world, and even then, it lurked on the immediate edges of the light. There was no other place that he knew of where the darkness acted this way. And it was all due to the curse of Neo-Serenity. He felt his spirit sour at that thought. And the desire to destroy began to once again consume him.
CRACK!! "AAAAUUGGGHH!!!"
Dain jumped at the sound of the whip crack, but the scream that followed it had, for some reason, pierced his soul. He moved closer to the circle. The figures standing there jeered and laughed, some taunting, others throwing in more pebbles as they issued more challenges. A small space between two of the torturers allowed Dain to move in and stand right behind the crowd. He peered inside.
A young man stood there, looking defiantly at his nemeses. His hands were bound in front of him, and his shirt and boots had been stripped from him, leaving him barefoot and bare-chested. A crimson line of blood gushed down the middle of his back, obviously inflicted by the whip. But his eyes were hard and shone fire, and his face didn't change expression when the small stones hit him. Then the whip cracked again.
Clenching his teeth, the young man fell to his knees, this time expecting the hell-flash of pain along his back. He kept the defiant expression on his face, and gathered his strength. He pushed himself off of his knees, back into a standing position, and then turned slowly to face each person in the circle.
"I will defeat each and every one of you," he hissed. "My powers go beyond what any of you could ever imagine, and you will all be destroyed. You are capable of beating me to the point of death, but you will never destroy my desire. You may have destroyed my life and everyone in it, but you will never destroy me. Never."
On the last word, the young man's eyes came into direct contact with Dain's. Their gaze locked, and immediately, Dain saw the pain and the determination that penetrated the young man to the core. And he could almost feel his physical pain.
A bright flash suddenly blinded Dain, and as his eyes re-adjusted, he found himself standing face-to-face with the young man that had been in the circle. The man's chest was covered with bright crimson lashes, his face and shoulders manifested the sharpness of the stones, and his body shook with rage. His eyes burned hatred into Dain's own, and he drew a shaky breath.
"How dare you," he accused. Dain was shocked. "How dare you do this to me. You left me to die while you went after your power, your darkness, your evil throne, and you never gave me a second thought."
Dain found that he was nervous standing before this man, but he couldn't figure out why. "Who are you?" he asked in return, his own voice sounding so much like the person in front of him.
"HA!" the man laughed, causing the heaviest drops of blood to move. "As if you didn't know," he growled. But when Dain didn't answer, he continued. "I am what you discarded, what you left behind after your father and his kingdom was destroyed. I am all that remains of the royal legacy that once was... but you abandoned me. You broke your oath to everyone around you, and abandoned the one thing that would link you to the past. Me."
Dain felt dizziness begin to overcome him as images began to flash through his mind. Images and memories... He pushed them aside and focused on the beaten man in front of him. "Who ARE you!?" he demanded. "A brother!? A friend!? Tell me!!"
The man stepped closer, so that he was nose-to-nose with Dain. He never blinked. "You sorry fool. You gave up everything in the name of power, and you can't even remember who you are." He glared fiercely into Dain't eyes. "I... AM... YOU..."
Dain sat up in shock, sending the book that he'd been reading flying to the floor. His breath came in short quick gasps, like he'd been running for his life, and his whole being was covered in a cold sweat. Quickly, he wiped the salty drops from his eyes and realized that his hands were trembling violently. Whatever the last part of the dream had been, he was certain he'd just witnessed his own initiation into the Black Moon. And then the images and memories that had been threatening to overcome him in the dream suddenly came flooding back at full force. Everything. The death, the pain, the battles, everything...
In that terrible moment, Dain found himself completely overwhelmed by emotion, and he did the only thing that he could do...
Claire walked silently down the large marble corridor, completely absorbed in her own thoughts. Absently, she toyed with the opal ring on her right middle finger while she walked, semi-conscious of the smooth texture of the stone and the intricate runes decorating the band. But her reverie was violently interrupted by a massive surge of energy. Startled, Claire gasped for breath as she reached out with her mind to find out what had caused such a huge emotional surge, and found the last thing she'd expected to find...
"Dain!! Are you alright!? What's the matter!?" Claire rushed toward the trembling sob-wracked body that was curled into a fetal position on the cot. "What happened!?" She reached out to calm the distraught person before her, and found his body unnaturally cold. The roots of his hair had turned bright white. Shocked at the cold of his body and the sudden white sprouting from his scalp, Claire fell to her knees beside the cot.
"It--can't--be," Dain managed to stutter.
"What can't be?" Claire pressed. She had to know what had happened before she could help him. Otherwise...
"I--didn't--... I--couldn't--" his words broke off as another round of violent sobs overcame him.
"Dain, what happened?" Claire felt herself coming close to panic - something that hadn't happened in a very long time.
"A dream--terrible dream."
The white at the roots of his hair was slightly longer. Whatever had happened in the dream had been enough to terrify him past the point of reason.
Claire gently rested her left hand on his forehead and her right hand on his shoulder. Forcing calm and concentration around her own panic, she sent Dain's tortured mind into a deep dreamless sleep. But when she opened her eyes, his body was still trembling, cold and unable to relax. She had to do something fast...
«««««
Rax slumped comfortably on the worn-out mattress, listening to the quiet buzz of the radio. Since he didn't have access to a television in this apartment, he had to make do with the ancient box he'd found stashed in a forgotten corner. He had been waiting most of the day for Saphrina to get back, and the two of them would be going out that night to check on the sentinels, making sure everything was ready. He smiled to himself with grim satisfaction. As long as he acted like he was playing into her hands, she was playing into his. And as soon as everything was set with the port computer systems, Saphrina would no longer have to be burdened with such menial tasks... or anything at all for that matter. "Treatment" for mental instabilities on the Black Moon was not something that people returned from, and Saphrina was beginning to show symptoms of instability. Rax glanced at the clock. Of course, who didn't meet at least one or two requirements at some point or another? The trick would be in exploiting those "symptoms" and making her into a real case. But not before he had his way with a few things first.
Rax's reverie was rudely interrupted by a sharp break in the music on the radio. The announcer's voice came on with a very urgent tone. Something was terrorizing a neighborhood near the port area, and officials had been called in to stop it. But so far, it had done several thousands of marks worth of damage.
Rax sprang from his dusty retreat and ran to the mirrors lined up in the main room of the ancient home. One of the mirrors glowed a sickly red, and with a word from Rax, the image of a sentinel was projected to him. The sentinel was smashing windows and glass, reaching for lights and searching for... something. And with each light it found, it would bellow in rage and take off again. Swearing elegantly, Rax dashed down the narrow staircase and out the front door, hoping that he might be able to stop the sentinel before Saphrina found out. Otherwise, this would be a major setback to his just-budding plan.
«««««
Trina pulled her light jacket a little closer around her as she ran toward the lake near her home. Cynthia had been doing a lot of tree climbing during her "visit" over the last few days, and Trina wondered if maybe she'd gotten stuck somehow. Small branches grabbed at her as she made her way down the small path to the moonlit beach, but something told her that Cynthia wasn't going to be found there. Feeling a faint glimmer of hopelessness, Trina reached up and touched her right earring - something she hadn't done for a few days now.
"Cynthia," she whispered loudly. "Can you hear me? Cynthia!"
A faint static sound was the answer Trina received, and she stopped dead in her tracks on the beach. "Cynthia, is that you?"
"Trina, come quickly. There's a problem," Cynthia's voice was very quiet and very calm. Immediately Trina knew that there was more than a "problem."
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Please, keep your voice low," Cynthia replied. "There's some kind of... creature - it doesn't look human - breaking windows and screaming at people. It seems to be looking for something."
"Where are you?" Trina hardly dared to breathe.
"Junggesellenstrasse." (pronounced: YOONG-geh-zellen-shtrass-eh)
Trina paused. "But that's way over by--"
"The harbor, yes, I know," Cynthia interrupted her. "Just get over here as fast as you can!"
"Should I call the others?" But the communication had been cut off. Trina felt herself grow pale at the thought of facing... whatever it might be, alone.
"Erika, Karin... can you hear me?" Trina waited for an answer, her finger hovering close to her earring. "Erika, Karin... hello?"
"Trina! This is Erika. What's going on?"
"Oh thank God," Trina breathed. "Erika you have to get over here now. Cynthia's in trouble."
"Where is she?" Erika's voice came, filled with alarm.
"She's over by the harbor, on a small road called Junggesellenstrasse."
"What's she doing way over there!?"
"I don't know!" Trina cried, beginning to panic. "But I can't do this alone!"
"Okay, okay! You get over there as fast as you can! I'm on my way!"
Throwing all caution to the wind, Trina stood in the middle of the narrow beach and punched her right hand out in front of her.
"NEUTRON STAR POWER!!"
"QUASAR LIGHT POWER!!"
Erika felt the fast warmth of the white light bend and curl around her body, filling her with resolve. An instant later, she was sprinting as hard as she could toward the opposite end of town.
"Oh, that I could fly," she murmured to herself as she raced through the city streets. But she knew that without one of the other girls, the Starlight Teleport wouldn't work. Willing her legs to pump even faster, she charged through the sleepy twilight city, hoping that she'd make it before it was too late...
«««««
Saphrina watched as the three men drove away from the building, each going their own way. She had waited outside until she was sure they were leaving. There was no reason for her to go back to her "home." Rax was most likely asleep anyway, and she wanted to make sure that all was going well with the sentinels by herself. Perhaps one could call it "fine-tuning." She smiled to herself as the last pair of red taillights turned out onto the main road. So far, everything was going exactly as she planned it. No interference - how could there be? These men trusted her. No unexpected surprises, not a single glitch--
The harsh sound of police sirens suddenly pierced the dark silence around her, and Saphrina watched with interest as the two cars sped down a nearby street. Lucky them, she smirked to herself. At least they'll have an interesting night. The distant sound of shattering glass floated to her over the slight evening breeze, and a gunshot echoed through the close buildings. A strong curiosity then settled itself in Saphrina's thoughts, and almost unknowingly, she found herself walking in the direction of the noise. What could it hurt? She had the whole night ahead of her anyway...
«««««
The warm water lapped quietly inside the large cocoon-like bag. Claire adjusted the temperature to a cooler, more comfortable level, and glanced up at Dain's head poking out of the top. His hair was now dry, but the white had managed to crawl half-way up, giving him a strangely softer appearance. Luckily, the infirmary supplies had been stored in a closet not far from the room Dain was staying in, and Claire had been able to pull the necessary supplies without leaving him for a long period of time.
The prone figure stirred lightly as Claire propped his head with a thick pillow. She had finally been able to stop his trembling, and now she waited for him to wake up. There were two questions burning in her mind even more than the one about his past. And that was the question of the book he'd been reading. Where had he found it, and why that particular one?
"What...?"
Dain's sleepy voice broke Claire's thoughts. She looked up to see the man gazing with extreme confusion at his "blanket."
"How do you feel?" she asked, glancing at the temperature gauge.
Dain looked up at her with his unusual eyes. "Fine," he replied, after a brief pause. "What is this?"
Claire smiled. "It's a water cocoon... sort of. The warm water helps to restore your body's core temperature," she explained.
"Was I cold?" Dain raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you remember? You were going on and on about some dream you'd had. You were shaking pretty hard, and your body was ice cold-- you don't remember, do you?"
Dain rested his head against the pillow again as he thought back over the last few hours. And then it all came flooding back to him. But this time, he was slightly more prepared. He drew a deep breath.
"Claire, where are we? And please... tell me the truth."
"What does this have to do with-?"
"NO! Please," Dain interrupted. "I think I've finally found my earliest memory. And it's not something I'm proud of. Please. Tell me."
Claire stepped backward, and glanced around the room. The chair that she had been using a few days before rested next to the door. Patiently, she walked over, picked up the chair, and brought it back to the bed. Dain's eyes followed her every movement.
She sat down, and found herself locking gazes with the violet eyes in front of her. Violet eyes that, for some reason, no longer felt cold and dark. The small silver ring in his now-white left eyebrow sparkled dimly. Claire drew a deep breath...
«««««
A new crash of glass led Rax around the nearest corner, and filling him with dread. The sight before him was something he'd vowed wouldn't happen, and now it was happening. The sentinel was standing at the window of a jewelry store, glass all around, holding a broken light bulb in it's hands. It's arms and hands were covered with thick black blood. For whatever reason, the being had awakened too early, and now it was on the quest it had been programmed for - find and destroy every source of light until it found the eternal light... and destroyed that too. Rax groaned.
"Sentinel, RETREAT!!" he called into the narrow street. Residents of the neighborhood were poking their heads out of windows and doors, watching the action, and the police had surrounded the monster. All eyes turned to him when they heard his command. The dark being howled in rage, clutching the broken glass in it's hands even tighter. If it sensed any kind of pain, then it wasn't showing it. But Rax had been careful to not let emotions play a significant part of the youma's programming. "SENTINEL!!" Rax called, summoning a force of power to his hands. "RETREAT!!" He released the black energy toward the creature, fully expecting it to either disappear or be reduced to dust. But neither happened. Instead, the creature bellowed again, and Rax could swear that it was larger than it had been.
"You fool," a female voice hissed behind him. Rax felt his body grow numb with shock. "You of all people should know that these sentinels destroy light and feed on darkness. Did you honestly think that would hurt it?" Saphrina stepped boldly in front of Rax, her blue-gray eyes on fire, and her business suit replaced by a tight, rather small, leather outfit.
Rax immediately fell to one knee, hoping that some show of humility might lessen her wrath. His plan was the last thing on his mind at the moment, because he knew his own survival was hanging in the balance. That, and those high heels on her boots... "Forgive me, mistress. I had no--"
His plea was interrupted by the toe of Saphrina's boot coming in contact with his jaw. "Imbecile!!" she shouted, yanking Rax's green ponytail, and head, off the ground. "This IS your fault!! You created these beings, and now one has failed!! What are you going to do about it!?"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!!" A masculine voice called behind her. Saphrina turned to find several of the police surrounding her, guns drawn. The sentinel was all but forgotten for the moment.
A low, sinister laugh began, and Saphrina turned to face the force with an evil grin. "Good evening, gentlemen," she sneered. "Is something wrong?"
"Are you the cause of this... this... thing?" one of the officers asked. "What a silly question," Saphrina flipped a piece of hair back, and placed a hand on one of her hips, posing lightly. She knew the men in the group would look.
"What's that supposed to mean?" a female officer snapped.
Saphrina relished the attention. She had so many people in her power... "It means that I am not responsible for that creature."
"And why should we trust you?"
Rax pulled himself to a sitting position, gingerly touching the cut along his jawbone. He knew he was forgotten for the moment. Slowly, in the shadows behind Saphrina, he pulled himself to a standing position, and began to draw energy from the onlookers. It was energy that he would need to help himself get out of there.
"Because I could do so much better than that," Saphrina bragged, running a leather clad hand through her dark hair. "Would you like to see?"
Her question was answered with several clicks of guns being cocked. She laughed again.
The tense silence of the scene was abruptly broken by the screeching of tires on the cobblestone road nearby. Doors slamming, the sound of several people running, and voices quickly flooded into the small street. And before anyone could react, bright lights were flooded everywhere, camera lenses were pointing at the group of police officers, and news reporters were introducing the hot breaking story.
Saphrina laughed loudly, cherishing the spotlight.
The sentinel went nuts.
«««««
Erika spared only the barest second to glance at her surroundings. To her right, one of the small streams from the lake flowed beneath a bridge she was about to cross, and just ahead of her, she could see the lights of the harbor beginning to glow above the buildings of the city. She was almost there. She pushed herself even harder.
«««««
Trina stood back around the corner, just across from where the news crews had rushed in. Thankfully, they hadn't spotted her. Cynthia stood at her feet, peeking around the corner with her back arched. Trina was still breathing hard from running.
"What are we going to do Cynthia?" Trina whispered harshly.
"You have to go out there and fight," Cynthia replied, looking deadly serious.
Trina stepped back. "But- what about- what about Erika? She's on her way."
"There's no time!!" Cynthia hissed. "That monster is going to start hurting people if something isn't done. And it doesn't look like it's owners are about to stop it!"
"By myself!?" Trina felt herself coming close to tears.
"Sailor Neutron!! Get out there now!!" Cynthia reared up on her hind legs, looking anything but threatening, with the exception of her bared claws. She took a good swipe at Trina's bare knee.
"Okay okay!" Trina protested, dodging the claws.
Gathering what little courage she felt she had, she walked boldly out into the lights of the frightened news crews, who were trying to film the creature while dodging it at the same time.
"STOP!!!" she cried, pointing at the creature. "I am Sailor Neutron, protector of the legendary Myantea (my-ANN-tee-uh)! As long as my past home remains a myth, I will fight for the safety of the Earth! With the power of the neutron star, I'll defeat you!!" The silence following Trina's speech was filled with the sound of TV camera's rolling, and all directed right at her. The sentinel was slightly confused, trying to decide which light to go after next, but not paying any attention to her. "Oh, sheisst," Trina swore quietly. In the background, she heard the lady in leather snicker.
"Did she just give a speech?" one of the reporters asked. But before anyone could answer, the sentinel lunged toward one of the larger camera's, grabbing for the light and knocking the cameraman over. The camera fell to the ground and broke into a thousand pieces, and the monster howled as it was deprived of it's prize.
Trina felt her body freeze, but knew that she was the only one who might stop it. Forcing herself to concentrate, she clasped her hands together. "Neutron Matter," she started, pulling her hands apart to reveal the small gray ball of matter. "SMASH!!" With all her strength, she hurled the small object at the creature. It impacted with the lower half of the creature's back, tearing through it and leaving a gaping hole.
Black blood pooled around the sentinel's feet as is crumpled to the ground, screaming in confusion, not knowing what was happening to it or why. "SMASH!!" Another ball of matter struck the sentinel's neck, decapitating it and spilling even more black blood onto the cobblestone.
The news reporters were all jabbering excitedly as they watched the terror die a gruesome death at the hands of this young girl in front of them.
But all Trina felt was sick.
«««««
Karin walked into her house, feeling quite refreshed now that she'd been able to run. Her mind felt clear, and her body felt pure. It was a very good time to get back to studying.
"Karin, come here," her mother called from the small front room. "You have to see this."
Karin walked in to find her mother captivated by the television. The picture on the screen showed a group of police officers, a large group of news reporters, and...
"TRINA!" Karin shouted, before she realized it.
"Who?" her mother asked. "Is that girl someone you know?"
Karin let her eyes linger on the scene, afraid of looking her mother in the face. She waited a few seconds, and then shook her head as another view of Sailor Neutron came on. "No. Strange, though. She looks a lot like Trina." She shrugged, trying to downplay her outburst even more.
"She gave an impressive speech," her mother grinned.
"Huh?" Karin glanced at her parent.
"She called herself Sailor something-or-other, and said something about defending a myth and the Earth. Seems like a pretty determined girl, if you ask me."
"She said that?" Karin felt her eyes bug out.
"Yeah. Come sit down," her mother patted the couch cushion next to her. "This is really fascinating."
The picture panned down to reveal a gruesome sight - black blood, a headless body, and a lot of broken glass. Karin wrinkled her nose.
"Um, I think I'm going to finish studying," she stated, turning away in disgust.
Her mom twisted her face in disgust too. "Yeah, that's pretty bad. I don't blame you."
Karin smiled and left, heading as fast as she could (without looking suspicious) to her room. It was time to pull out the communicator again.
"Cynthia! Cynthia! Come in! Can you hear me?" Karin held the jewel of her necklace close to her mouth, hoping that the cat could hear her above whatever commotion was going on nearby.
"Karin! Is that you?" Cynthia answered. "You have to get over here right away!!"
Karin dropped the necklace jewel and let it dangle around her neck. She then picked up the ring that had been sitting on her nightstand for the last few days. "I'm on my way, Cynthia. Do you think I'll make it in time, though?"
"That depends. How fast can you run?"
Karin paused for a split second, gathering her resolve. "I'm coming!!" She opened her bedroom window and looked to the street below. Although her room was on the second story, the street behind her house rose up in a sharp incline just below her window. She jumped.
"PULSAR FLASH POWER!!"

 

 

To be continued...

Some Facts For Ya

«"Junggesellenstrasse" is a street name. "Stasse" or "Straße" means street. I have no idea what the rest means. (I got it off of an old German assignment.) O_o
«"Nemeses" (NEHM-eh-sees - in Dain's dream) is NOT a mistake. It's the correct plural form of "nemesis" (and sounds SO much better than "nemisisses" [ACK!!])

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