Chapter 163
A few days later, the hastily formed teams of scouts had used magical energy
to transport themselves to the various places Nehelenia was expected to attack
next.
"Pitiful country isn't it?" Neo-Uranus muttered climbing over a rocky hill.
"Well..Europe wasn't exactly a country a thousand years ago more like a continent," Mars said.
"So true...anyway...so here we are," Neo-Uranus said. The three were looking out from the top of a hill at a small village.
"That's it?" Uranus said.
"Of course it is.." Neo-Uranus said. "Our contacts aren't going to meet us anywhere obvious are they?"
"I guess not," Mars said.
"But here?" Uranus asked.
"This is a different time, and a different place, what may seem logical to you could be dreadfully wrong," Neo-Uranus said. "Come on, let's go meet these idiots."
"Why do you have such a low opinion of them?" Mars asked.
"It's well deserved," Neo-Uranus said.
"Why?"
"Sorry..can't say.."
"Why not?"
"Mars...the more I let you know about the future the greater the chance of starting one of those time distortion things..." Neo-Uranus said. "Which I'm all for, but I believe it's for the best that you learn as little as possible about the events leading to the future."
"But you don't seem to like it, wouldn't you have a vested interest in fixing the problems?"
"I would, but this is time, here, you don't mess with time unless you absolutely have to."
"Okay.key question..when do I turn into you?" Uranus muttered. "I would never sound that...I don't...know..wise manish."
"Trust me, the change is not enjoyable...nor welcome..." Neo-Uranus said. They descended down the hill.
"Hmm..it's a trap," Neo-Uranus said standing outside the hut.
"How do you know that?" Mars said.
"Because..I smell beef.." Neo-Uranus said. "Fried beef."
"So?" Uranus asked.
"It's a long story," Neo-Uranus said. "Okay! Whoever you are! Come on out and we'll have a fight! Because I'm not coming in!"
He turned to the other two.
"Haven't you two figured out that it would be better to split up?" Neo-Uranus said.
"Oh.." Mars said.
"You go right, he should go left," Neo-Uranus said. The two circled.
"Somebody come out or I'm going to start burning things," Neo-Uranus shouted.
"Very well..."Neo-Uranus said and aimed his sword. A cone of flame shot out from it and set fire to the first hut. A creature scrambled out of it.
"Should I shoot it?" Uranus asked.
Neo-Uranus shot it.
"No need," he said.
"Oh.." Uranus said.
"But if they're are anymore, feel free," Neo-Uranus said.
The rest of the huts exploded revealing a large number of creatures standing there.
"Well..here we are," Neo-Uranus said.
Uranus blasted one. Neo-Uranus blasted another.
"Mars Fire Ignite!" The blast leveled two more.
The creatures looked at each other and raced off.
"Do we let them go?" Mars asked.
"For now.." Neo-Uranus said. "So far they're only good at ambushes."
"But how do you know?" Mars asked.
"How do I know?" Neo-Uranus asked. "Neo-Maverick has a massive intelligence network. They've been encountered elsewhere."
"So what does this mean about our meeting?" Uranus asked.
"It means that Nehelenia isn't as smart as she thinks she is," Neo-Uranus said.
"What do you mean?" Mars asked.
"She actually thought we were going to meet out here," Neo-Uranus said.
"SO DID WE!" Mars shouted.
"Which made sense considering how little you know about Europe. I'm not insulting you, but it's a key factor. Now...let's keep moving," Neo-Uranus said.
The three kept walking.
"You see...Europe has yet to be attacked, Nehelenia's been pushing west through China and the rest of Asia, what's left of it. We found her forces by the Ural mountains in what was the former Soviet Union," Neo-Uranus said.
"They still call it that?" Uranus asked.
"Well..uh..yeah...because and I shouldn't tell you this..the Soviet Union comes back."
"Oh...happy thought," Uranus said.
"But regardless of that, we're going to stop her from advancing, but first we needed to find out whether she had figured out our plans," Neo-Uranus said.
"Why would you suspect she had?" Mars asked.
"Because..she's powerful that's why..she could have very good surveillance. Now we know that somewhere along the line we were figured out, fortunately that was the plan all along," Neo-Uranus said.
"And how did you let the Europeans know that was the plan?" Uranus asked.
"We didn't, we just made Nehelenia think we were talking to them," Neo-Uranus said.
"How?" Mars shouted in frustration.
"It's hard to explain, but now that we've figured this out we can proceed to the capital."
"But could Nehelenia be watching right now?" Mars asked.
"Sure," Neo-Uranus said. "Which is why I've only told you what she could have figured out on her own."
"But aren't you worried?" Mars asked.
"Not really," Neo-Uranus said. "That could change, but at the moment, no.."
"Oh.." Mars said. "You are really annoying you know that."
"How do you think I feel?" Uranus said.
"Enough of that. We've can't be late for our meeting with that idiot President of Europe."
"But they don't know we're coming," Mars said.
"No, but they know someone is," Neo-Uranus said.
"I thought you were depressed, you shouldn't be getting such a high over doing this to us," Mars said.
"That's true," Neo-Uranus said. "But for some reason I am," he said managing
a slight smile.
Later they arrived at another rise.
"If this is another village.." Mars said.
"It's hardly a village," Neo-Uranus said standing at the top. Mars and Uranus walked up to see a massive city filled with ancient looking buildings mixed with some more futuristic looking ones.
"Wow.." Mars said. "It's amazing..but where are we?"
"No where you'd recognize.." Neo-Uranus whispered "Now...we're about to be surrounded by a bunch of troops, do not panic."
"What?" Mars asked.
There was a large whirring noise and suddenly all sorts of floating objects were hovering around them. On each one of them a soldier was standing.
"Identify yourselves," one of them said.
"Come now..you don't recognize us..Guardian Uranus at your service, and this here..dressed like me is my brother..and...here..is Sailor Mars."
"I see...forgive me for being skeptical, but we don't exactly trust your word considering the circumstances..." the soldier said.
"That's fully understandable..I will sit down right here...and you can tell you're commander that Sailor Uranus has arrived. And in the meantime, you can just keep these two as prisoners...you know collateral."
"WHAT?" Mars shouted.
"Silence," the soldier said. "That proposition is not exactly without it's flaws, but...we shall accept it..."
"Wait just a second.." Mars said.
The other soldiers pulled out some sort of weapons and fired at the Mars and Uranus. Some coils of a some sort of wire wrapped around them pinning their arms to their sides, while others wrapped around their ankles.
"Hey!" Mars shouted "Neo-Uranus, I'm so going to kick your butt for this."
"She's trouble, you might want to gag her," Neo-Uranus muttered. That was done seconds later.
"Uh..Neo-Uranus..this is a little weird," Uranus said.
"Don't worry...once they clear it up you'll be released," Neo-Uranus said. A few of the soldiers flew off with Uranus and the very angry Mars. The rest stood watching Neo-Uranus. He laid his sword on the ground and sat there. While another soldier flew off to tell their commander.
"Do you have any good fish places here?" Neo-Uranus asked casually.
"So...this is unexpected.." Uranus said as they sat in a cell still bound like they were. Mars made angry noises into the gag over her mouth.
"Uh..I'm sure this is part of some plan or something," Uranus said.
Mars growled.
"Uh...well..uh...you know..ever since I got caught up in this I haven't been able to be as cool, that annoys me.."
Mars growled again.
"Yeah, yeah..sorry..but...you know..it's like..I used to be slick in control, now I just look as foolish as everyone else. That's pretty annoying."
Mars spat out her gag finally.
"I'll tell you what's annoying!" Mars shouted.
"Uh oh.." Uranus said. "Guard! She spat out the gag!"
"You jerk!" Mars said and tried to attack him. The guard walked in and saw the situation.
"Oh...now..we can't have this.." the Guard said and replaced the gag tightly. Mars growled again.
"Thank you kindly," Uranus said. "Say..any chance we're getting out of here?"
"No idea," the Guard said and walked out.
Mars scowled at Uranus.
"Sorry.." Uranus said.
"Hello there..." came a voice seconds later. The cell door opened and a man dressed in black walked in.
"We're not being executed are we?" Uranus asked.
"No, no, I'm just a jailer, wanna a magazine?"
"Uh..we kinda can't read it..." Uranus said.
"Oh..but these are virtual now.."
"What?"
"Sure...try this," the jailer said and placed a crystal on Uranus forehead. He did the same to Mars.
They both we're standing in a field.
"Jeez..this is new.." Uranus said. "Kinda futuristic."
"Uranus..." Mars said and turned towards him.
"Uh..what?"
"Yahhhhh!" Mars said and charged at him.
"Yikes," Uranus shouted and dived out of the way of her attack.
"I'll teach you to tell them to gag me!"
"Well..uh..you know...it's for your own good."
"What?"
"Okay, my own good."
"Ehh!" Mars said and leapt at him again.
"What kind of magazine is this anyway?" Uranus muttered.
"It's not a real magazine," came a voice. They both stopped and turned. Sailor Saturn stood there.
"Though real magazines are virtual this is merely a way to allow communications...you see.this is all an act," Saturn said.
"It is?" Mars asked.
"Yes," Saturn said. "I apologize for the somewhat rough handling of it, but
we're are trying to keep Nehelenia guessing."
"You've got us guessing," Mars said.
"Well..at least some one is confused," Saturn said. "Anyway..Neo-Uranus is meeting with the leaders of Europe right now...there's really no point to you being there since you are so unfamiliar with this time period."
"So instead we're going to spend the time tied up in a cell!" Mars shouted.
"No..you will be released very soon...Neo-Uranus will rejoin you," Saturn said.
"Just whose idea was this for this plan?" Mars asked.
"That is irrelevant," Saturn said.
"Couldn't you come up with some better idea then this?" Mars asked.
"In the limited time period we had, this seemed to be the best idea," Saturn said.
"So..Saturn..did the Europeans know we were coming?" Uranus asked.
"Yes, we have been working to make sure Nehelenia does not learn our plans beforehand, this has required an intense amount of misdirection and secrecy.." Saturn said. "It will continue too. Neo-Uranus knows what he's doing, you have to trust him."
"He isn't exactly someone that inspires trust you know," Mars said.
"Please, you will have to learn to trust him, as he has tried to trust you," Saturn said. "I'm afraid I have little time to spare...Nehelenia has renewed her attack on the city..good luck."
The magazine ended and they were back in the cell.
"Well..you may be released soon...in the meantime..I'll just leave with you with another magazine you can share..." the guy said.
"Well..you don't have too.." Uranus said.
"Oh..well..it'll pass the time," the guy said and placed two other devices on their foreheads.
Mars shot a glance at Uranus.
The virtual reality began again.
"HAH!" Mars said and started walking towards Uranus.
"Uh..listen Mars...really..there's no need to get so..angry.." Uranus said.
"But I like being angry," Mars said.
"You do?"
"I do now.." Mars said letting a grin fall across her face.
"Oh..."
The magazine ended.
Mars started shouting even with the gag in her mouth.
Neo-Uranus stood there.
"Is there a problem? I thought you'd want to be let go," he said as he and a few guards untied them. Mars ripped the gag off her mouth.
"Neo-Uranus.."
"Uh..yeah.."
Mars slapped him right in the face.
"And one for you!" she said and elbowed Uranus.
She then headed out of the cell.
"We deserved that," the two Uranus incarnations muttered.
"Are you two coming!" she shouted.
"I can understand why I might be depressed by now.." Uranus said.
"Oh..really? Well..you're moving right along then," Neo-Uranus said
sarcastically.
Soon the three were flying across the ground in a variation of the skimmers the soldiers had used before.
"Where are we going?" Mars asked.
"Where Nehelenia's forces are..." Neo-Uranus said.
"And what will we do when we get there?" Mars asked.
"Fight them off course," Neo-Uranus said.
"I mean..what's the plan?"
"Plan? There is no plan as yet."
"Oh.." Mars said. "Shouldn't there be a plan?"
"Well..sometimes it's good to have one, other times..ehh.." Neo-Uranus said.
"You're not depressed you're just apathetic," Mars said.
"They can go one in the same," Neo-Uranus said.
"I just don't get it though, the other Guardians are so out of it..you seem to have become sarcastic, but still be somewhat normal," Mars said.
"Somewhat normal...well..I've been called worse things," Neo-Uranus said.
"Stop doing that!" Mars said.
"What?"
"Becoming Neptune!"
"Oh...guess that can be a nasty habit.."
"You're doing it again!"
"So!"
"Well..it's annoying!"
"Oh...well..I can't help it!"
"Uh..maybe you two should calm down.." Uranus said.
"Fine," Mars said.
"Yeah, fine," Neo-Uranus said. "Do you ever break into Neptune, Uranus?"
"No, never," Uranus said.
"Well this is what you have to look forward too," Neo-Uranus said.
"You're enjoying this! I know it!" Mars said. "You pompous..."
"Mars..please," Uranus said. "Don't rub it in. I mean this is me in a few...uh..hundred years."
"That it is," Neo-Uranus said. "Boo."
"Ehh.." Mars said.
Minutes later they had landed at the line where a bunch of Europeans with various flags were standing waiting. Across the field stood a group of Nehelenia's forces.
"That doesn't look like enough to take Europe?" Uranus said.
"Oh it isn't..she'll need more..to win. That's why she's not going to attack yet. It's also why we're going to attack her..." Neo-Uranus said.
"I thought you said you didn't have a plan," Mars said.
"Well...Nehelenia could have been listening..remember?" Neo-Uranus said.
"Oh..that's right..sorry.." Mars said.
"Geez..you forgot that quickly!"
"Hey I'm not big on the covert stuff!"
"It doesn't matter...attack!" Neo-Uranus shouted. The European commanders barked commands to attack. The group let out a roar and charged forward.
"That was quick," Uranus said.
"Oh you bet it was," Neo-Uranus said. "You two stay here."
"Why?" Mars said.
"You're the reserve," Neo-Uranus said.
"Jeez.." Mars said. "This is so annoying."
"Well.it could be worse," Uranus said.
"I know it could, but I've come this far, I want to fight," Mars said.
"Say Mars..does that large lumbering creature over there look dangerous to you?" Uranus asked.
"Oh..that.." She said looking at a seven foot tall very large creature moving across the ground.
"Well it looks dangerous yeah," Mars said. " But where'd it come from?"
"I think we should find out."
"Good idea."
The two leapt to a few feet in front of the creature..
"Hey! Who are you!" Uranus shouted.
"Me.I'm the king what's it to ya?" The creature said.
"The what?" Uranus asked.
"The king," Mars said.
"The king of what?" Uranus asked.
"Well Bricks.." the King said.
"Wha.." Mars said.
Uranus looked around.
"Jump!" he said and pulled Mars out of the way of a hail of falling bricks. He spun around and opened fire with his sword. They hit the creature and bounced off.
"Oh..that's nice," Mars said. " Look out!" she said. They dived out of the way of another group of bricks.
"Mars Fire Ignite!" she shouted. The attack flew out. The king of bricks stood there looking at it before sliding out of the way very quickly
"What?" Mars shouted.
More bricks fell down at them. They dived out of the way.
"I'm trouble aren't I?" the King of Bricks said.
"So you're with Nehelenia?" Uranus asked.
"Most assuredly," the King said. The two dodged another attack.
"Well that explains something," Uranus said.
"Uranus! Attack him," Mars said.
"What?"
"Charge him!"
"But.."
"Do it!"
"Okay," Uranus said and leapt forward swinging his sword. The King sidestepped and brought one of his fists flying at him. Uranus dodged it barely.
"Mars Fire Ignite!"
The fire flew out and the King slid away from it. Uranus spun around and tired to stab the king in the leg. The king kicked him.
"Mars..Celestial Fireball Surround!"
The new attack clipped the King as he tried to slide out of the way. He grunted a little and then dropped another load of bricks at her and she jumped out of the way of it.
"Uranus Fire Spikes Attack!"
Another attack flew through the air and hit the king in the head.
Neo Uranus jumped forward and spun kicked the king, continuing to jab at him.
"Mars...Fire Soul!"
Neo-Uranus dived out of the way. The attack smashed into the king who was tripped by Uranus. The attack hit him and he blew apart.
"Tough huh?" Neo-Uranus said.
"Just where did he come from?" Mars asked.
"He was living inside one of the soldiers here..." Neo-Uranus said.
"How did you know that?" Mars asked.
"We didn't, but we suspected it was the case," Neo-Uranus said. "Nehelenia knew she didn't have enough troops to attack us, but she had to try and hold up the European troops from aiding anyone. Now if we all went and attacked her troops, and meanwhile this sucker broke through and caused some damage...well..you know it wouldn't have been pretty..and she would have gained a foothold, but you two did okay..not great..but okay."
"He can drop bricks from the sky for crying out loud,," Mars said.
"You noticed that.." Neo-Uranus muttered. "Come on we've got to clean up the mess over there," he said pointing to the battle still raging.
The two nodded and the three leapt off towards the fighting.
CHAPTER 161 CHAPTER 162 CHAPTER 163 CHAPTER 164
CHAPTER 165 CHAPTER 166 CHAPTER 167 CHAPTER 168
CHAPTER 169 CHAPTER 170 CHAPTER 171 CHAPTER 172
CHAPTER 173 CHAPTER 174 CHAPTER 175 CHAPTER 176
CHAPTER 177 CHAPTER 178 CHAPTER 179 CHAPTER 180