Chapter 203

"Gentlemen I give you the greatest development in anti-negaenergy deterrence weaponry in twelve years," Doctor Tomoe said with a grin.

"Doctor.. negaenergy wasn't around twelve years ago," General Nagumo said.

"Sure it was, you just didn't know it," Tomoe said.

The army staff in attendance all sighed.

D.V. Patterson found it was one of those rare occasions he couldn't contain his laughter.

"Ah..I see..one of you knows what I'm talking about.." Tomoe said. "Anyway...this missile which we unveiled just a few weeks ago, is capable of delivering a blast of a specialized energy reaction which counteracts negaenergy itself."

"Are you sure about this?" Nagumo asked. "Doctor, I'm trying not to be skeptical...but that seems like a tall order."

"You forget," Doctor Richter said emerging from behind the weapon. "Doctor Tomoe and I have quite a lot of experience with negaenergy."

"We can't forget," Air Force General Akita muttered.

"But Doctors, there are different types of negaenergy aren't there?" General Patterson asked.

"True, and granted this missile won't work against all of them, but it's a start," Tomoe said.

"Of course a second problem is that it takes a large amount of energy just to make one missile, however, if we were in a pinch," Richter said.

"You did see what it did at the last battle," Tomoe said.

"It was impressive," Nagumo said.

"Yes, and we'll continue to develop these new weapons, to give us a fighting chance if anything happened to the scouts," Tomoe said.

"It's our top priority," Richter said.

"Well then carry on gentlemen," Nagumo said and he and his entourage left.

"Is it wise Nagumo to keep these guys as retainers, no matter how good they are at what they do?" Akita asked. "I mean...they've been taken over by evil before.."

"We've been taken over by evil before," Nagumo said.

"Yeah..but these guys were the masterminds," Akita said. "And the same goes for those other guys you hired."

"You mean the former negaverse commanders?"

"Yes. Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"These are dangerous times, I limit their access to information."

"Yeah..and do you think they will be limited by you?"

"No..but Akita look at this way..here we can keep an eye on them. If they were to turn evil again, or gain back their power somehow, they could get to us anyway. Might as well keep them close."

"I guess so," Akita said.

"I've got some equations to figure out Tomoe, I'll be in the lab," Richter said and headed out. Tomoe noticed the two Patterson's staring at the missile.

"Impressed?" he asked.

The two nodded.

"I figured as much, you two have a history of favoring as well as being underdogs."

"History?" the two asked.

"Yes,"Tomoe said. "Word travels around here quickly, I pick it up as much as anyone else. General Patterson, you're career has been filled with innovations bordering on insane to develop the upper hand. And you D.V., well even under the control of evil I was well aware of your exploits, now I know even more."

"I see.." D.V. said.

"In fact I was hoping I could speak with you," Doctor Tomoe said.

"If you wish," D.V. said.

"I'm headed home for the day myself, would you like a ride?" Tomoe asked.

"Go ahead, D.V. I've got some stuff here," General Patterson said.

Patterson shrugged.

And sitting amidst the darkness of an unknown place, Queen Nehelenia sat on a throne leaning against of the arms of her chair.

"Who's next?" she muttered. A darkly dressed figure walked into the room and bowed.

"And what are you?" she said.

"I am the goddess of pain," she said.

"Couldn't tell," Nehelenia said.

"Queen Nehelenia, I should remind you that it was us who broke you out of your prison, and that you should be more respectful of us goddesses."

"Fine...but you asked me to run your operation here, so far their has been two failures. I do not understand you're strategy."

"I wouldn't expect you to," the goddess said. "There are over thirty of us goddesses here. And you would think that the best way for us to deal with the Sailor Scouts is just to attack outright. However, that is not the way we work. We are part of a collective, drawing our energy from one source. We cannot send out more then one of us at a time unless we collect more energy. Instead we feel the scouts out, trying to destroy them one at a time, but even if we failed, our collective consciousness is gaining valuable knowledge. And even when you think one of us has died, we have merely been absorbed back into the consciousness."

"This consciousness must be very strong," Nehelenia said. "What's it's purpose?"

"Where you wish the destruction of the Sailor Scouts for revenge, we merely seek their removal so we may take over this planet. When we freed you it was not to act as our actual commander, but instead to act as a figurehead. The tactical minds of the scouts at this moment will be trying to understand your plans. Not ours. That gives us room to work with. In exchange you get your revenge."

"Hmm..I don't like the sound of that..figurehead..however...if it will allow me to destroy the scouts...so be it," Nehelenia said.

"I must go...my targets await," the goddess of pain said and walked out.

"The outsider huh?" Tomoe asked as they drove through the streets. "You must feel odd."

"Always.." D.V. replied.

"Yes..being the one who thinks differently or does different things always have it rougher, I know, before..all this..I had my own problems," Tomoe said. "Still..there were some good times. You have to hold onto those."

"I try to," Patterson said.

"My daughter has mentioned you on occasion."

Patterson was curious but said nothing.

"Yes, you were one of the scouts who didn't believe you should give her a chance to live.."

"I'm..sorry..I didn't..." Patterson said.

"Don't apologize, back then things were very tough, you were facing the annihilation of the world and deep down I know you were fighting the instinct to agree."

"If I had had to kill her...I probably wouldn't have come out of it well."

"She knows that."

"Oh?"

"Yes...to be honest I was hoping she could speak with you."

"Uh..why?"

"Because right now.she's an outsider trying to reassimilate herself into society again. You faced the same challenge as I understand it."

"Uh..yes..but I'm no motivational speaker..."

"Doesn't matter."

"Uh..well..yes..but I'm no good around girls.."

"The entire SDF knows that."

"They do?"

"Sure," Tomoe said with a grin.

"Oh.."

"Listen, I'm asking, if you don't.."

"You don't give me much choice," Patterson said.

"That's your belief, not mine," Tomoe said.

"Guess so," Patterson said.

"You look like your sister you know.."

"I hadn't really noticed before."

"I bet you do now."

"The similarities are a bit more obvious."

Tomoe let out a laugh.

"Bet that was surprise huh?"

"Well..I don't like surprises," Patterson said.

"Me neither," Tomoe said. "Nothing but trouble."

"I can tell you're nervous," Tomoe said as they entered his house. "You fear the unknown?"

"No..respect, not fear," Patterson said.

"Right..you're afraid of nothing?"

"I try to be."

"Good luck," Tomoe said. "Say you were the one who grabbed your pure heart and put it back inside you weren't you?"

"Well.."

"Just how did you do that?"

Patterson shrugged.

"No one's supposed to be able to do that," Tomoe said.

"I did it," Patterson said bluntly.

"So you did," Tomoe said.

Hotaru emerged from a nearby room.

"Hotaru, I brought a guest," Doctor Tomoe said.

"Yes..I see," Hotaru said.

"Well I've gotta get to work," Doctor Tomoe said and headed into his study.

Patterson said nothing.

"Silence...as expected," Hotaru said and sat down across from him. "You have nothing to fear from me. Of course one wonders..do I have something to fear from you?"

"Probably not," Patterson said

"Wise choice of words, nothing is certain in this world, or this universe."

"True enough."

"But wouldn't that statement also not certainly be true?"

"No..that starts a paradox."

"Isn't it possible for it to be both true and false at the same time if nothing is certain?"

"Depends on how you define it."

"Yes.." Hotaru said. "You are what I expected. Come with me."

"Uh..where?" Patterson asked.

"I need your assistance."

Patterson wasn't in a position to say no.

Hotaru moved to the door and walked out. Patterson reluctantly followed.

"I'm not allowed out without an escort," Hotaru said. "Even though I have disobeyed this order from time to time. My father is busy and Setsuna is gone for now. You will suffice in this role you have no objections."

"Uh..sure.." Patterson said. He had nothing else to do.

Several minutes later the two were sitting in the restaurant.

"You are of course very curious. Why have I chosen you? Why are you even here? What is my interest?"

Patterson nodded.

"Haruka and Michiru are what one might call friends, however, they have other concerns, and even though they have had their share of suffering, they have used each other to get through it. The scouts you are most associated with also rely on this strategy. You however...do not use either..and that is why you are here. You understand?"

"Surely..Setsuna.."

"Setsuna..is an interesting concept."

"Concept?"

"Of course, Setsuna is the guardian of space of time, but she exists in several places. Therefore there exists the distinct possibility, that that the Setsuna you see,is not the same Setsuna you saw just the day before."

"I've suspected as much."

"As you should. Any Setsuna from a future time would have enough knowledge to be the matriarch she intends to be. Your next question, whether you chose to speak it or not, is why she does not use her knowledge of the future to better coordinate operations, and the answer is along the same lines, if she uses her knowledge she alters the future in doing so. It may seem hard for her to be able to control her own actions in accordance, but she is different..I don't even understand her existence."

"Needless to say, she uses her abilities only in the direst of times," Patterson said.

"Yes...the movement of Neo-Queen Serenity's future into another dimension required great effort on the part of Sailor Pluto, many of them. It is all complex," Hotaru said. "I think you understand how chaotic it is."

Patterson nodded.

"That will suffice, anyway...I was speaking of why you are here. This is because you have had to carry pain and suffering within you, and with only one outlet, Anger."

"You could say that."

"I have. And that is why I wish to speak with you. Because you understand what this pain means. You will listen to what I have to say won't you?"

"Of course," Patterson said.

"Good." Hotaru said.

"You see...even before the evil forces took over my father and myself, there was pain. My mother was gone, and my father was consumed by his work. He was very caring, but very busy, providing for me on a scientists salary was not easy. And that's all he could do, provide me with the means to live. My growth was stunted, I was not advancing as I should. But there was no anger..only suffering. You were fortunate in a way. You could get angry."

"But I was mentally unstable.." Patterson said.

"We all are, just some of us are so in harmful ways," Hotaru said. "It is much worse to have the pain held up inside of you, I assure of that."

"I know," Patterson said.

"You still bear some, I can tell."

"I bear a lot."

"You bear pain and fear, fear of others, fear of the unknown."

"I wouldn't call it fear."

"Then you are lying to yourself," Hotaru said. "But that is your concern, I will let you decide how to deal with it. As I was saying, the pain was intense, and I became what you see me as today, the evil forces that took me over, and the realization of my true form, was nothing worse then I had already experienced."

"I'm sorry.." Patterson said.

Hotaru's eyes widened.

"You're what?" She asked in surprise.

"I...uh...said I'm sorry...it's uh..terrible..." Patterson stammered thinking he had done something wrong.

"You actually...fell sorrow for me?"

"Yes...I don't wish that on anyone..I..know that it must have been agony..and..I'm sorry there's nothing I could have done to stop it."

"It wasn't you responsibility," Hotaru said. "Why do you feel guilty?"

"I just wish it had been my responsibility, I might have been able to change things," Patterson said.

Hotaru paused.

"But you have had your own pain," she said. "Hasn't anyone told you that they wish they could have prevented your tragedy."

"My uncle..or former uncle..or whatever.Amy and Greg once or twice,." Patterson said.

"But you take responsibility," Hotaru said.

"For avenging my parents, yes, not for what happened, there was nothing I could do."

"That hurts you."

"No."

"I see..yes..I understand, you can accept that you were unable to help, because it was beyond your means, your answer has been to make it your means to prevent such a thing from happening again."

"Yes."

"But for who? You?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I. Do you want to know what my goal is?"

Patterson nodded.

"I have none. I fight evil because it possible to do so, I have no desire to do so, and conversely no desire not to do so," Hotaru said. "But you fight evil because you desire to."

"Yes..."

"But you don't fight every battle, you let others do it."

"I try and gain valuable information for the others, so we have a better idea of what to do."

"You don't like to do that do you? Hold back."

"Not particularly, but I'm good at that kind of work."

"Still when you are in battle, you show a spirit that is unmatched by any of the scouts except when they are in the direst of situations, you defeated Sailor Uranus even though she possessed more power and experience then you had."

"I had something to prove then."

"We always have something to prove, whether we know it or not."

"Oh.."

"I wish to understand you," Hotaru said.

"Uh..okay?" Patterson said nervously.

"I wish to know why despite the pain you still feel inside, you are able to survive, and sometimes even thrive, because I must reach that level myself before I can return to society myself."

"Uh..sure..I will provide any help I can," Patterson said.

"I know," Hotaru said. "Because you are afraid of saying no."

"No..it's not that.."

"It's part of it."

"I..uh...yes, but Hotaru..I try and help anyone who asks me to."

"That is true. And I am asking you."

"Then I will help."

"I thank you for that...but we have other problems.."

"You mean the goddess that has been watching us from nearby?" Patterson asked.

"Yes.." Hotaru said. "You noticed her."

"Uh huh," Patterson said.

"I believe she is waiting for the right moment."

"Maybe she's waiting for the two of us to separate."

"A possibility," Hotaru said. "Would a good strategy be to do just that?"

"Yes," Patterson said.

"Very well..then we will do just that." Hotaru said. She headed one way. Patterson the other. Patterson meanwhile was glancing in his watch. The goddess was heading towards Hotaru. Patterson ducked into an alley and pulled out his power stick. He pulled out his communicator and hit the emergency button.

"Maverick..Power.." he muttered and transformed.

Hotaru meanwhile found the goddess standing at the other end of the alley she had turned into.

"You know who I am I assume," Hotaru said.

"Of course I do," the goddess said. "I am the goddess of pain, and you've got enough of it."

"So I do," Hotaru said. "Saturn Planet Power," she said.

The transformation was instantaneous but in the millisecond it took to do, the goddess unleashed an attack which flew down the alley and hit Saturn as she finished her transformation She crumpled to the ground as the goddess continued to blast her.

"Pain!" The goddess shouted.

"Hardly creative," Saturn said grimacing. "Instead of using the internal pain to destroy me you create your own."

"So I do..what's it to you?" the goddess.

"Well..the problem you have is that now I can use my own pain as a weapon!" Saturn shouted and stood up against all the pain shooting through her.

"SATURN MIST WAVE!" she shouted.

The energy was blasted off of her. The goddess jumped out of the way. The attack exploded out of the alley.

Saturn held her scythe at the ready, but was gasping, the attack had taken a lot out of her.

Maverick dropped to the ground.

"You assistance is appreciated," Saturn said. "But hit her quickly."

Maverick drew his two swords and fired as the goddess appeared around the corner. The goddess dodged them, and Maverick jumped forward swinging his two swords with his techniques, he cut at the goddess, but she blasted him away with a quick burst of energy.

"Saturn Mist Wave!" Saturn shouted unleashing the attack down the alley. The goddess whirled and was hit, she staggered back but sent another attack flying at Saturn. Saturn moved to avoid it but was hit anyway. She screeched.

Maverick stood up and fired again and hit the goddess, she whirled away from the weakened Saturn.

"I will teach you all about your pain.." the goddess shouted.

Seconds later a blast flew from her hands, even as Maverick fired again. She took the hit, but the street was filled with snakes.

Maverick's eyes widened.

"Oh..no..." he said expressing genuine fear.

"I figured as much," the goddess said.

The snakes all surrounded Maverick, there were hundreds of them.

"No!" Maverick shouted and leapt on top of a car. He leapt at her. She blasted him back into the street of snakes. Maverick let out a shout and jumped up, a Snake bit at his boot. He jumped up to the roof of a building trembling.

Saturn leapt out of the alley and swung her scythe at the goddess. The goddess ducked out of the way receiving a cut to the cheek.

The snakes all turned on Saturn who was blasted by the goddess. She lay trying to stand up despite the pain. As the snakes went towards her.

"They're poisonous," the goddesses said. "And even Sailor Saturn won't survive if she's bit several times."

Maverick's teeth clenched.

"I have no choice," he said and fired a barrage at the goddess, he leapt down to the ground. Running his sword around the ground zapping any Snakes he could. He stood facing the snakes as they approached. He blasted each one he could.

The goddess fired a blast at him. He ducked and continued firing at the snakes with great speed, he dropped a smoke bomb.

The goddess blasted the smoke away, but Maverick and Saturn were gone.

"How did he..." the goddess said before drawing the energy of the snakes back into her.

"I need that energy.." she said and strode forward down the alley.

She expected the scouts to be waiting on the others side, but she couldn't be sure. Still she advanced slowly, the energy building in her hands.

Seconds later she felt sharp pains in her back as Sailor Saturn and Maverick had dropped from the roof above and dug their weapons in. She let out a massive cry and shot energy at them. The two took the blasts. Maverick fired his swords. Saturn strained. The attack blew the goddess apart. The two scouts collapsed to the ground and reverted back to their original form.

"Pain.." Hotaru muttered.

Patterson sighed amidst the bruises he had and pulled off the heel of his boot. In it was a small syringe he placed against his skin.

"What is that?" Hotaru asked.

"Snake venom antidote," Patterson said. "I only got hit once, but just in case.."

"You should see a doctor,"

"Yeah.. I know," Patterson muttered.

"Thank you," Hotaru said.

"Sure.." Patterson said. "But we couldn't have won without.."

"Both of us," Hotaru said.

"Guess so," Patterson said.

"You keep snake venom antidote in your boot?"

"Yes...pretty obsessive isn't it?" Patterson muttered solemnly.