| Chapter 17: A Team Again Darien’s car screeched to a halt outside an apartment building. “I’ll be right back,” Jacey said, jumping out of the car. She dashed up three flights of stairs and let herself into one of the apartments. “Hey!” she shouted in a tone of emergency. “What’s wrong?” Trista asked, emerging from the kitchen drying a plate. Hotaru followed. “I’ve just found out some heavy information, so Darien and I called a meeting with the other Scouts. The four of you have to get down to Raye’s temple with us, everything’s beginning to come together.” She began to crane her neck looking for where Amara and Michelle were. Then they emerged from their bedroom. “We can’t,” Amara said. “You knew from the beginning that we can’t work with them. It’s completely impossible.” Michelle bowed her head in sorrow and near shame. “I’m sorry, but you knew that,” she said, saddened by the fact that couldn’t decide which road to take. Jacey’s face flushed with anger. “Fine,” she steamed. “The fate of the world rests on the Sailor Scouts becoming a team again and you four have issues. I completely understand, you can’t swallow your pride. Well, if you try, I hope you choke on it. And if everyone dies, I hope you’ll be happy then.” Jacey spun around angrily and stormed out loudly, slamming the door behind her. Hotaru looked up at her stubborn roommates. “The time draws closer and closer,” she said prophetically. “You’ve trained her to be ready, but are you?” “Hotaru, Honey,” Trista said. “We work on our own, you know that.” Hotaru gazed coldly upon Trista as she said that. “Jacey and I seem to “know” an awful lot don’t we? Tell me, Trista, what do you know? Or you Amara? Michelle?” Amara grumbled as she grabbed her coat. “Get in the car.” *** “What was that all about?” Darien asked when Jacey got back in the car, still fuming. She shot him a look that clearly conveyed “just drive.” Eventually, she began to calm down. “Sorry,” she said. “But their apathy really bothers me sometimes. They just don’t seem to care about anything anymore.” “Who?” he asked. Jacey froze. “Um, the family I’m living with,” she said, unsteadily. Technically it wasn’t a lie, but Darien still looked at her quizzically. He decided not to pry. Darien brought the car to a stop outside of Raye’s temple. As they hopped out, Darien grabbed her arm. “Wouldn’t it be funny if you went in as Sailor Earth?” he asked smiling. She grinned back and thrust her hand in the air. “Eternal Earth Scout Power!” The Weather Staff materialized, floating above her hand. She pointed the sun down at her feet and circled up her body and as she threw the staff up, feathers created her uniform and she posed, feet slightly apart and the staff landed in her right hand, held horizontally high above her head. Just then, Sailor Earth and Darien heard a rustle in the bushes. “What was that?” Darien said, dropping his voice. An ear-piercing laugh came from a bush and Zoicite leapt out at Sailor Earth. A shield of energy came from the staff and guarded her surprise attack. Zoicite stood back. “No matter,” she cackled. “Now that we know Princess Jacey is back, we can kill you anytime we’d like.” She leaned closer to Sailor Earth and whispered, “I saw you transform, Miss Chiba.” Sailor Earth’s heart jumped into her throat as she held out her staff and shouted “Molten Lava Flow!” Zoicite jumped back and disappeared into a swarm of flower petals. “Watch your back, Sailor Earth,” she cackled. “God damn!” she said, grabbing Darien and running into the temple. As she walked in, all of the girls looked up and Sailor Earth touched the Earth symbol on her forehead. “Jacey?” Serena said, standing up. “This is a huge surprise!” Jacey half smiled as Apollo and Athena came up to her. “What’s wrong?” Athena asked sternly. “Did something happen? Tell me!” “Zoicite,” Jacey said through clenched teeth, trying not to pound something into the floor. “She saw me transform and I didn’t kill her, she left before I could get the hang of my new powers.” “So it wasn’t a vision?” Apollo asked. Jacey shook her head. Raye walked up to Jacey. “You get visions too?” Jacey nodded. “Have you seen the one with the new warrior of some sort that looks like Eternal Sailor Moon, but she’s ten times stronger?” All of the occupants of the room looked at the two girls. “Raye, you never told us about this vision!” Amy said, getting out her mini-computer. “Jacey,” Raye said, looking deeply into the mysterious girl’s eyes. Jacey half smiled. “Eternal Sailor Earth, at your service. I was reborn to fight, Serena was reborn to rule, and one day things will all fall back into place, but right now. . .” “Nothing is quite right,” Raye finished. “You’re the one.” “What about Zoicite?” Luna interrupted. “Jacey, what do you think will happen next with her?” Jacey walked over to the table where the other girls were sitting and took a seat next to Serena. “Whoever Zoicite is working for now knows that Sailor Earth isn’t in New York. I guarantee a full-fledged attack in America, very soon. It is their new focal point.” “Don’t you have a clone there?” Artemis asked. “Yes, she does,” Athena answered. “But it serves no purpose if an entire army attacks. Unless, of course, she uses the most powerful attack in the Earth Kingdom, Self-Destruct. But I don’t think only half of Sailor Earth would be strong enough to pull it off. Besides, it would kill both halves.” “Kill her?” Darien choked out. Apollo lowered his head. “Yes. But my sister is forgetting one important detail in that attack.” “The Rock of Magma. . .” Jacey trailed off. Everybody looked at her. “Mother said we could win our old lives back with it. This has to be the answer, this Self-Destruct thing!” Mina threw her hands down on the table. “You can’t be serious! You’ll die if you do that!” Jacey paused for a minute. “I understand it all now. We won’t die, I promise you. I was told that if you were killed in the form of a Scout, on the spirit of the Scout inside you will die, but you won’t have the memories of what happened to you when you were a Scout.” Everyone just looked at her. “Come on! That’s what happened with Griffin and when you guys fought Beryl. The Luna Mind Meld is only a homing beacon for the spirit. And, oh, Sailor Saturn’s rebirth is similar also!” “How did you know about Beryl and the Luna Mind Meld and Sailor Saturn? You were never here for that?” Lita said, staring at her. “Well, she’s been living with Saturn for a few months and she has that whole psychic thing going on, so that pretty much explains it,” said a voice from the door. Serena and Jacey whipped around. “Amara!” Serena shrieked in amazement. “You came!” Jacey yelled, sweeping Hotaru up in her arms. “How’d you get them to do it?” she whispered to Hotaru. The girl just giggled. “We’re sorry, Jacey. We were acting foolish and you were right, we all need to work together,” Michelle said. Jacey put Hotaru down and laid an understanding hand on Michelle shoulder. She turned back to the group and put on a serious face. “We need to get down to business now. Luna, Artemis, Apollo, Athena. Have you found anything that is going to be of any use?” “Well, lets go over some of the recent facts in this bizarre case, shall we?” Athena said. They all thought hard for a minute. “Zoicite’s back for one thing,” Amy said. “Could that maybe mean that Beryl is too?” “I doubt that,” Mina said. “We really did her in. She has to be dead.” “These new monsters are sucking energy as well,” Trista said. She took a seat with the other Scouts. “We’ve only dealt with Heart Snatchers, Dream Stealers, and Star Seed Thiefs recently. I haven’t seen energy stealers since Alan and Ann came to town.” Luna jumped up on the table that the girls were sitting around. “And what’s much worse,” she said. “Is that we can’t find Alan or Ann. We’ve been keeping a close watch over them since their rehabilitation, and they just disappeared about a month ago.” “What we’re up against, here,” Apollo said. “Is the ruler of the Negaverse. The supreme being that controlled Queen Beryl herself.” A flowchart popped up on the computer screen. “Only an aura, with no physical body.” “Queen Metalia,” Jacey said. “She was what supercharged Beryl in the fight between Princess Serena and herself, wasn’t she?” Apollo nodded. Serena held up her hand. “But when we dusted Beryl, shouldn’t Metalia have gone with her?” Artemis nodded. “She should have. But when the five Scouts rallied against her, she knew it was over, so she abandoned Beryl right then.” “Metalia was also the one who corrupted the children of the tree and eventually took over the Doom Tree itself,” Athena said. “And when Sailor Moon cleansed the Doom Tree, Metalia left once again.” Raye began biting her nails. “Sounds powerful,” she said nervously. “You don’t even know the beginning of it. She was the one who released Chaos’s power into Galaxia’s body. It would have remained dormant inside her otherwise,” Luna said. Everyone’s stomachs began to flip-flop. “This is going to be the fight of a lifetime and Scout Spirit or no Scout Spirit, if she blows you away, that’s the end. She can turn you to dust without even trying.” Jacey’s eyes grew wide. “No,” she whispered. “What’s wrong?” Michelle asked, putting a hand on Jacey’s shoulder. “Everyone I love is in immediate danger. Metalia doesn’t give a damn about innocents. I have to save my family, now!” Jacey cried. “Will you all help me?” Mina wrapped her arms around Jacey. “Of course we will! You’re our friend and teammate. We’ll all protect New York and the rest of the world, together.” “We’re a team, Jacey. We always have been and always will be, no matter what’s gone on or what will,” Hotaru said. “And that’s a promise.” “Now we need a plan,” Athena said. “Use your communicator to get in touch with Jacey 2 and tell her what’s going on.” “Mmmm hmmmm,” Jacey said. She threw her watch in the air. “Sailor Communicator!” she said and the watched turned into a communicator and landed on her wrist. “Jacey 2, Jacey 2. Are you there, Jacey 2?” “I hear you, Jacey 1,” Jacey 2 answered. “How’s life treating you over there?” Jacey smiled. “Well, I found all of the other Scouts, and my brother!” She looked at Darien and became very serious. “This isn’t a social call, though. We’ve been able to pinpoint a new evil.” “Really?” Jacey 2 mused. “I’ve noticed some new energy sucking monsters recently, but its mostly been slow.” “Well, prepare for a big jump in activity,” Jacey sighed. “Zoicite is back, she knows who I am, and that I’m not in New York. The Negaverse will most likely start attacking New York, and our family.” “You’re joking right?” Jacey 2 panicked. “I can’t handle an entire army of energy sucking fiends! What do you think I’m capable of?” “Don’t worry,” Jacey said, trying to pacify her. “I’m coming home as soon as I can get a flight. And I’m bringing all nine of the Scouts and Darien with me. Plus, Mother gave me the Rock of Magma. So we have a huge advantage over them right now. But what I want you to do is protect Aunt Jen and Griffin’s family, and Liz. They’re my main concern right now, you got that?” “I’ve been keeping an eye on them since you left and I’ll give my life for them if necessary. You just hurry home. The negativity will begin to increase soon, and when it does, there’s no stopping it unless we wage an all out war. I don’t want to destroy what we’re trying to defend.” “I’ll hurry. This is Jacey 1 signing out,” she said and her communicator turned back into a watch. Serena hugged Darien tightly. “So what’s going on?” she asked. “Are we going to America?” Jacey turned to her and smirked lightly. “As soon as we’re able. Trista, will you get us a flight?” “Of course,” Trista said, standing up. “Raye, may I use your phone?” Raye stood up and showed Trista the phone in the living room. Raye returned quickly and reclaimed her seat. “We need a solid plan of action,” Amy said, taking out a pen and notebook. “The Rock of Magma is a last resort.” Moments later, the girls heard a voice outside. “Help! Help!” “That’s Catsie!” Raye said, jumping to her feet. Everyone ran outside and saw Catsie, crying hysterically in front of the temple. “Catsie! What’s wrong?” Catsie tried to wipe her eyes to no avail. “Girls, you have to help me!” she cried. “I’m so scared! Birdie, Avery, Prisma and I were having diner and I got up to get a drink. Then I turned around and they were trapped in a huge bubble and they disappeared through the floor! And I saw another one coming for me and I didn’t know what to do, so I ran here.” Serena went up to her and gave her a hug. “We’ll get them back and protect you.” “This has gone far enough,” Jacey said angrily. Trista walked outside. “Our flight leaves at four in the afternoon tomorrow.” “Good,” Jacey said. “I want to end this once and for all. She has no right to do this to anyone.” Catsie looked around. “You’re leaving? Where are you going?” “To New York,” Serena said. “Where your sisters and the people who kidnaped them are. You can stay here with Grandpa and Chad. You’ll be safe and sound.” Catsie nodded. “Well, I think we should all rest up,” Jacey said. “This is going to be a big trip, and let me just say, jet lag: not so great for fighting.” “Meet tomorrow at two, here,” Amara said. “Let’s go.” With that, she, Michelle, Trista, Hotaru, and Jacey disappeared down the stairs. “Do you think we’ll all survive, Darien?” Serena asked. He looked into her eyes. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.” |