Terri Hawke: voice of Sailor Moon, actress
Katie Griffin: voice of Sailor Mars
Susan Roman: voice of Sailor Jupiter
Stephanie Morganstern: voice of Sailor Venus
Near-absolute absence of light made Toby think he had gone blind for a few moments. Then he noticed the dim permeation of a dull aura in the walls of the room he was in, and their reflection off of two sharp-looking eyes some distance away from him.
He groaned and rolled over where he lay. One hand touched the other, and he was shocked at the completely different feel the rough hands gave him. *This isn't my body...*
"You're awake," a female voice said, and Toby could vaguely see, through the red mist of his headache, a figure arising and walking toward him. Her features were indiscernible in the rum light, but her gait was purposeful and quick.
"I've been chosen to give you some details on your situation," she said evenly. Toby stared at her, unbelieving. "Listen closely, human. Through no fault of your own, you've been summoned to the Negaverse. You've been elected to be Prince Darien's double. Obviously you understand what I'm telling you, because you have some link with Darien, which is why Malachite was able to switch your bodies."
"Malachite. You're not serious," Darien begged her desperately. He had still not roused himself from his prone position.
"I am always serious," the woman informed him. "Malachite switched your minds. Now you live in Prince Darien's body, and he lives in yours."
Prince Darien in my body? Toby tried to think of what kind of horrible catastrophes might happen in such a case, and gave up for fear of driving himself insane.
The woman pressed on. "Malachite needs you alive, so you have no fear of being harmed physically. However, I strongly suggest you cooperate with Malachite's wishes. He has many ways of making people suffer without a single bruise."
Toby shuddered and closed his eyes. After a few awkward moments during which he forced himself not to think, the footsteps began receding away from him. When they were only a soft echo in the walls, Toby bent his head and began to weep.
"So it's decided then. I'll handle our little Ingathering of the Exiles in the pink world; you'll handle the blue one."
"All right, Partentus, but you know I'd rather the roles were switched - "
"I don't want your protegee to have a cow because you're there. I want no commotion here."
"All right. In one hour?"
"One hour."
Dark glasses always helped to hide her face, and loose clothing disguised her hourglass body. Going out in public hadn't been too much of a problem for her, but her face was easily recognizable, and there are some crazy hosers out there.
Toronto isn't much for crime, and it isn't much for fanatic fans, either. But Terri Hawke decided not to take any chances.
Her life was busy as usual, taking about four or five different projects into account during her madcap travels. She was glad she had a bit of a respite for now and had made some time to go back home in L.A.
She slung her large shoulder bag a little higher up, gripped her carry-on a little more firmly, and picked up the pace. No way she wanted to be late for a flight. It had only happened once, and the memory of the three-hour wait was more than enough motivation to come an extra half-hour early for just such times as these when the highway was blocked up with an accident.
She blinked when someone tapped her on the shoulder, and swiveled around. "Yes?" she prompted hurriedly.
A middle-aged woman stood before her, also wearing sunglasses, a kerchief tied around her hair, Vienna-style. "Ms. Hawke?" the woman inquired.
"Yes, is something wrong?" she inquired, trying to surreptitiously look at her watch.
"I think you'd better come with me. I'll explain on the way."
"Hold it-" Terri burst out. "I sort of have a plane to catch. Can you make it quick?"
The woman fixed her gaze on Terri's face, and even through both of the tinted lenses, she felt a burning. "Some things only come to those who wait," the woman intoned. "Come with me."
With one of the creepiest feelings she had ever had, Terri lowered her eyes and meekly followed the stranger.
Less than an hour had passed, and the rain had abated somewhat. The girls were all tired, and more than ready to call it a night. Lita was the first to pick herself up with a groan and say her goodbyes, but before she had fully got on her raincoat, the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?" Mina wondered as she went to get it.
A very odd-looking old man barred the doorway when she opened it. He was tall, which was odd enough, and he was smirking, which was a look she hadn't seen on many seniors, but his eyes were piercing and completely belied his age. She took a step back.
"May I come in, Mina?" he asked, and without waiting for an answer he took a few steps forward and hastily shut the door behind him. "I'm not used to being rained on," he explained.
"Who are you?" the hapless girl spluttered. "And how do you know my name?"
"Hmmm," the old man said by way of reply. He had procrastinated in order to be fashionably late, of course, and the hour would be up in ten minutes. Poor Rhea, she had to travel all over the blue world looking for the counterparts. Well...
Partentus walked into the large living room where the girls were clustered and unenlightened, gave a small half-bow, and announced, "Hello, girls. I have something to tell you which I think would be of importance to you all."
Five human stares, and one feline, met him. Artemis had fallen asleep.
Four bewildered faces looked ashamedly at each other, then at the strange woman who had brought them together on the side of some deserted highway in the middle of nowhere, Ontario. The woman wasted no time in beginning to speak.
"I've caused you all a good deal of discomfort," she opened, "and I apologize, but it was completely necessary. You are all uniquely suited for an important task which must be accomplished."
"Task?" Katie Griffin interposed. She had been brought last and was still in the throes of shock as compared to the bewilderment of the other three. "You want to hire us?"
"This doesn't have anything to do with the government, does it?" Susan Roman, the oldest of the four women, asked suspociously.
The stranger raised her hands defensively. "No, no, it's nothing like that. Let me explain." She sighed, and took off her dark glasses. The girls started at the sight of her eyes, which were jet-black.
"Firstly, you do realize that I've collected only the ones who have worked on the show Sailor Moon?" she asked by way of introduction.
"Yeah, and only the Scouts," Terri remarked. "Except for Karen Bernstein."
"I didn't have enough time," the woman replied, looking at her watch. Ten minutes to go. "I'll make it as short as possible. The world of Sailor Moon is real."
Katie sucked her breath in. Susan and Stephanie Morganstern, who hadn't spoken yet, gave her a crazy look. Terri just stared. "You're either kidding or you're wacko."
Here comes the hard part. "I don't have time to explain in detail. But you'll just have to believe me in this respect. It's an alternate world. It managed to find a toehold here, as a television series, through juxtaposition - one person who is halfway between the two worlds."
"So you're saying that all the stuff in Sailor Moon... really happened?" Katie asked. Her eyes flitted sideways. "That's kinda romantic, actually..."
Rhea gave a dismissive sweep with her arms. "Let's not get into details. You're familiar with Malachite?"
Stephanie stuck out her tongue in an involuntary expression of distaste. "The idiot."
"Yes," Rhea agreed with a faint smile. "The real Malachite has disturbed the peace between the worlds by exchanging the minds of two people. Their bodies are the same, but inside their heads are individuals from completely different universes."
"He can do that?" Susan asked, even her calm mien shaken.
"He has kidnapped someone you all know. His name is Toby Proctor."
It was Katie's turn to stare. "And he exchanged his mind for Darien's?"
Rhea noded briskly, deigning to go further, but she was interrupted. "This is crazy," Stephanie spat out. "Even if Malachite does exist, he's dead. The story killed him off years ago."
The guardian shook her head. "Time doesn't work the same way between the worlds. If you remember when Prince Darien was captured by Queen Beryl and Malachite? That is the point in time at that world."
"Why did he do it?" Terri asked for lack of something better to say.
"Queen Beryl had forbidden him from touching Prince Darien's body, even though he hated him," Rhea answered readily. "So he banished his mind, which gravitated towards this world because of its unique link."
"Then why did Toby's mind follow?" Terri shot back.
"'For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,'" Rhea quoted. She didn't have much time left. "When Darien's soul displaced the timespace in this universe, another soul had to be sent back to compensate. And now to the task. I want you four to follow Toby into Sailor Moon's world and rescue him."
Terri had had a sinking feeling that she had been about to say that, and so did Susan, but the other two were still in shock and didn't quite accept what was happening. Rhea proceeded to elaborate. "You will switch bodies with your counterparts in the Silver MIllenium world. Ahem - the Sailor Moon world. I assure you it will be painless."
"Why do we have to do that?" Katie breathed.
"Because Prince Darien is now walking around freely in this world. And regular humans don't have a chance against him. Sailor Moon and her friends, who know him, can chase after him and protect this world from him. But in order to do that, they need hosts in this world..."
There was a longish pause. "What if we say no?" Stephanie asked cautiously.
"You can't," Rhea replied evenly. "You have no choice. And in fact, you've got one minute to prepare for the journey."
"Prepare how?" Susan burst out, her voice louder than intended. Sudden panic had pervaded the scene.
"Emotionally?" Rhea suggested, and waited thirty seconds as the girls conferred among themselves. She realized with a start that she still hadn't told Partentus that Karen Bernstein wasn't there. She quickly contacted him and informed him of the situation. He wasn't happy, but he signed off in ready spirits.
Ten seconds left. Stephanie and Susan were obviously unhappy with the situation, but Terri and Katie had a sort of determined expression on their faces. Terri was the one who turned to Rhea and nodded for her to do it. She half-closed one eye; Katie's were fully closed, Susan was standing normally, and Stephanie had her arms crossed. Rhea shrugged and closed the connection...
Dan Orner
omegaonyx@oocities.com