===================The Shadow Pt. 1====================
Author:  Greg

        Mina awoke with a start.  She was sitting up in her bed, Artemis
dumped unceremoniously on the floor.  She was sweating, and it took her
a moment to realize that she must have been dreaming about that last
battle with Queen Beryl again.  It took her a moment to catch her breath
and collect her wits.  Just enough time to look at her alarm clock and
realize...
        "I'm LATE!"
        Mina leapt out of bed and stepped on Artemis' tail.  Artemis
yowled in protest, but Mina was too busy throwing on her clothes to
listen.  She yelled a quick thank-you to her mother for leaving a piece
of toast out for her, and ran out the door.  Artemis followed, though in
a grumpily, reluctant way.
        Mina thought Artemis had been acting rather strangely as of late.
 He seemed to be awfully grumpy and anxious in the extreme. Even now
Artemis was grumbling about something.  Mina knew he had a right to be
angry after the way she had treated him this morning, but this was
happening every day. Finally Mina had it.  She stopped running, turned
to face Artemis, crouched own, and spoke.
        "Artemis, I know something's up and you must be concerned about
it-" Mina changed her voice to a growl, "but if you don't stop
grumbling, I may get really angry!"
        Mina stood up again and started running, leaving Artemis behind.
        "And she has Rei's temper, too," mumbled Artemis as he walked off
in a different direction.

----------------

        Mina was thankful that the incident with Anne and Alan had turned
out all right.  It had been extremely moving, how Serena and Darien managed to stand up to Anne and Alan, and the ending was even better.  They
had never guessed that what had happened would happen.  Unfortunately,
it hadn't changed Serena in any noticeable form.  Sure she was openly
dating Darien now, but her personality was as unchanged as ever.  She
was still habitually late.  Even now, there she was, just a block ahead of Mina and slowing down so Mina could catch up to her.
        "Hi, Mina!" puffed Serena, "Why are you late?"
        "Alarm clock didn't go off.  Last time I met you like this it was
the same reason, and I still haven't tried to get it fixed.  Hey, where's
Luna?"
        "I'm not sure where she is.  She was running beside me, as usual,
when all of a sudden she turned down a side road.  I don't know where she
could have gone, though she was heading in the direction of that big
abandoned complex.  Where's Artemis?"
        "Hmm, yes, I know where you're talking about.  Artemis was
grumbling, and we had a nice productive chat.  He stayed behind,  though
I don't know where he went after I left him.  You don't suppose he went
to see Luna, do you?"
        "I bet he did!  Those apartments aren't too far out of our way. 
Want to go have a look?  We're already so late, it won't matter very
much."
        "Sounds good, let's go!"
        Serena and Mina took off running in almost the same direction
that they had run originally, the only difference being their goal.

---------------

        Artemis arrived after Luna and was greeted by...
        "You're late, Artemis!  I hope you have a good reason, we can't
afford the lack of punctuality that Serena indulges in!"
        "A bad morning, eh, Luna?"
        "You have no idea.  Serena's habitual laziness is really getting
on my nerves.  Especially since that flash we caught on the scanner.  I
don't know what it was, but it can't be anything good."
        "You're reading too much into this Luna, it could mean nothing."
        "That may be, but I have a bad feeling about it..."

---------------

        "...I just hope that something happens soon to prove my feelings
right or otherwise," Luna's voice sounded tinny over the speakers, though
the hologram of her and Artemis displayed them in perfect
three-dimensional clarity.
        "You'll get your sign, kitty, you'll soon know."  A dry, rasping
chuckle sounded through the cabin.

---------------

        Serena and Mina didn't like to think of eavesdropping on their mentors as such. They thought of it more in the terms of resting quietly around the corner from a tiring run.  Serena slowly inched up to the corner
so she could hear better.
        "Well, Luna, I hope we find something out soon.  I'm having
trouble with the tension as it is.  I nearly chewed Mina out this
morning, you know that that's not like me.  I haven't got any new
information since that first flash either, what if we-"
        Serena stepped out of her concealment, enraged that the cats hadn't told her or the Scouts about this possible threat.  She was so taken
with her righteous anger, that she completely neglected to mention the
presence of Mina.

---------------

        "What's this?" mumbled the shadow in a bemused, gravely tone.
        "This must be one of those `Sailor Scouts' I've heard those
felines mention.  I won't get another chance like this.  Now is the time
for action.  They are not ready.  The kitty will get her sign sooner than
either of us thought."
        The shadow giggled as a small shaft of darkness reached forward and pressed a button.  A whine grew throughout the cabin as powerful
generators built for a single powerful burst of negative transference
energy.

---------------

        Mina was listening to Serena and Luna quarrel when her hair
started trying to stand on end. The feeling of electricity in the air
was overwhelming. As she reached up to settle her hair, she suddenly
realized that there was silence. Her hair settled back down to its
original position, though a bit disheveled, and she risked a peek around
the corner.  She slowly stepped out into the open and just barely managed
to stop herself from gasping in astonishment. They were gone, all three
of them.  Serena, Luna, and Artemis had just disappeared!  Mina stood
dumbfounded for a moment, then stumbled back away from the violated
rendezvous.
        Mina turned around and ran back into the populated city.  She was
not normally given to flight, but she had little choice in this case. 
Chaos reigned in the city.  Power had failed all over, and Mina seemed just another figure in the retrace. Finally Mina couldn't run anymore. 
She collapsed on a bench to collect herself and try to work out a plan. 
As rational thought prevailed over her more instinctual urges of flight,
she could only realize how helpless she felt.

-------------

        "Hmm.  I seem to have missed one," the sandpapered voice seemed
to be almost amused.
        "Perhaps this will be more interesting than I had originally
thought.  Yes, this is good.  Not only will I crush them, but I shall
crush their spirit of resistance.  A little sport never hurt anyone. 
That Beryl fool had no fun, but I know.  One must play with one's prey, making the taste that much sweeter."
        A Cheshiric smile seemed to permeate the darkness.

-------------

        Lita and Amy walked out of school together.  The topics of their
conversation centering around the day's unusual occurrences.
        "Amy, do you know why they let us out of school so early?"
        "No, I'm afraid I don't know for sure.  My best guess is that it
has something to do with the power failure.  That might not be it
though, look around.  The power's already being restored throughout the
city."
        "Hmm.  You're right.  So where do you want to go?"
        "I'm not sure, how about you?"
        "Well, I didn't see Mina or Serena in school today, want to go
find the skippers?"
        "How do you know that they're skipping?  They may have a
perfectly legitimate reason to be absent."
        Lita looked at Amy.  Amy sighed.
        "All right, let's go find them.  Where do you want to look
first?"
        "Let's check downtown and the arcades.  If Serena didn't manage to drag Mina in to play video games, then Mina dragged Serena downtown to
the glamour of the big city."
        Fate is a finicky thing, but sometimes it is so deliberate that
no one can call it coincidence.  Lita and Amy walked purposefully through the streets for a few minutes.  Order was being restored in the city as
the traffic lights came on one by one. Utilities were starting back up
again with no apparent explanation for the loss of electricity.
        A few minutes after having checked the arcade, Amy caught a
familiar flash of long, blond hair by the sidewalk on a bench.
        "Lita, isn't that Mina?"
        "Where?"
        "Over there, on that bench.  She doesn't look too good."
        "I see her.  You're right.  She looks pale.  And where's Serena? 
I'd have thought that they'd play hookie together.  Maybe something
happened, Mina doesn't pale easily."
        "Mm-hm," Amy nodded,
        "That's right.  Maybe we should go ask her what's wrong."
        The twosome was so concerned about Mina, that they didn't even notice Rei until they walked into her.
        "Oof!" grunted Lita, as she walked straight into Rei.
        "Hey!  Watch where you're- Oh!  Hi, guys!" greeted Rei.
        "Why, Hello, Rei," responded Amy.
        "Hmph," grunted Lita.
        "What are you doing here?"
        "Our school let us out early.  I'm not sure why, but it seems that some sort of electrical problem knocked out power, and where there's no
power, there's no school."
        "The same thing happened to me too.  Look around, the entire city
was without power for a while there."
        "Mm-Hm."
        Lita decided to join in on the conversation, "So what are you doing out here?"
        "I don't know.  I just thought I should come out here.  Then I
saw Mina on that bench over there.  Thought I'd find out what's wrong, because she really doesn't look very good.  How about you?"
        "Pretty much the same.  Neither of us had seen Serena or Mina in
school today, so we thought we'd go see where they were playing hookie. 
While we were walking down her, Amy saw Mina sitting over there. Seeing
as how she looks terrible, we thought we'd find out why."
        "And what made you so sure they were both playing hookie?"
       Amy and Lita both looked at Rei.
        "Oh, yeah, right.  Well, let's go then."
        The threesome walked over to Mina and asked her what was wrong. 
Mina told them what had transpired in the morning while walking them to the location of the incident.
        "Here we are," Mina shuddered.
        "Hmm," pondered Amy, "You said that there was a vast amount of negaenergy here, right?  That kind of burst of energy would leave traces of
itself."
        Amy took out her computer and started scanning the area.
        "I think the city-wide power outage is more than enough to
convince me," muttered Lita to Rei.
       "This is just a way to make sure, Lita," Rei responded.
        Amy walked over to the other three girls with her results.
        "There was definitely a vast amount of negaenergy here, as Mina
claimed.  This was different, however, than the negaenergy we've seen up
until now.  The best conjecture my computer can come up with is that this
was some sort of transference energy."
        "Meaning?" inquired Mina.
        "Serena, Artemis, and Luna weren't hurt by the beam, they were
transported to a distant location.  The only side-effect that they will experience is some disorientation due to the fact that they are such
concentrations of positive energy being transported by negative energy."
        "So they're all right?"
        "They should be.  Unless they were attacked when they arrived
wherever they were brought.  Mina, are you sure you're okay?  That shock
may have had some effect on you, too.  Do you feel at all odd or
disoriented?"
        "I'll be fine, Amy.  Right now we have more important things to do."
        "That's the spirit!" smiled Rei as the four Sailor Scouts walked
away.

------------

        "Serena!" came a whisper from the darkness, "Serena!"
        "Five more minu..."
        "Serena!" the whisper was closer now, "Wake up, Serena!"
        "Huh? Wha-?"
        Luna stepped up to the recently sleeping Serena, Artemis standing
behind her.
        "Serena, sit up.  We need to talk."
        "Who? What are you?  What do you want?" Serena's voice gradually
building up to a yell as she backed away from her cat.
        "Serena?  Are you all right?"
        "Serena?  Who's tha- Stay away from me!"
        Luna and Artemis backed away from Serena to converse amongst
themselves.
        "What do you suppose is wrong with her, Luna?"
        "The negaenergy in the transfer beam must have been too much for
her.  I'm not sure how or why, but Serena has amnesia."
        Luna and Artemis both turned their heads and looked at her. 
Serena had curled up into a fetal position some distance away,
whimpering and crying to herself.
        "Wh-Who am I?"


        "Wh-Who am I?"
        "Luna, isn't there anything we can do?"
        "I think so, stand back.  I'm going to try the mind-meld."
        Luna walked up to the quietly sobbing Serena.  Serena was
sitting, curled in an upright fetal position.
        "Serena, look at me."
        Serena raised her head slightly, just enough to see over her
knees.  The stains on her cheeks were proof of the tears that had been flowing down her face only moments before.  She remained silent as she watched Luna.
        Luna looked Serena in the eyes, though her own eyes took on a
glazed look.  Her forced concentration appeared obviously on her face.  The crescent moon on Luna's forehead began to glow, dimly at first, yet
slowly glowing brighter.  A similar glow began to emanate from Serena's
forehead.  Suddenly, a black light seemed to surround the yellow beam. 
The black collapsed in on the glow, and extinguished it.  All grew dark
once again.  The recoil of the dark had no effect on Serena, but Luna collapsed to the floor.  Serena hid her head and started to softly sob once
again as Artemis raced up to Luna.
        "Luna!  Luna!!"

----------

        As Mina, Lita, Rei, and Amy walked, they conversed.
        Lita, addressing everyone, asked, "So what do we do now?  We
haven't any real leads."
        "We can keep our eyes and ears open for any signs of Serena,
Luna, Artemis, or the Negaverse.  Other than that, I don't think that
there's much we can do," answered Amy.
        "What?  So that's it?  You're just going to let them rot wherever
they are?  I don't know about you, but I want to do something!" exclaimed
a (rather outraged) Rei.
        "That's not what she said, Rei.  And anyways, we all want to do
something.  But think realistically, what can we do?"
        "Come to the temple tonight.  I'll consult the fire."
        "And you're sure that'll work?"
        "Do you have a better idea?"
        "Hey, guys!  Stop fighting!" implored Amy. "Rei, we'll all be at
your temple tonight, OK?  And after I get home, I'll ignore my advanced calculus homework and see what I can analyze from the readings I took on
that energy.  Perhaps I can find some information about where the
energy's focal points were."
        "Listen to Amy, you two," added Mina, "We all want to do
something, but until we get more information concerning the
disappearance, there's nothing more we can do."
        Rei sighed, "You're right.  I'm sorry, Lita.  I guess I'm on a short fuse. I'm a bit stressed out about this whole mess."
        "Yeah, me too.  I'm sorry, Rei.  It was way out of line for me to
criticize your fire-reading abilities.  It's helped us so many times in
the past that I don't know where we'd be without it."  Lita extended her
hand.
        Rei grasped Lita's hand and gave it a good shake, "Apology
accepted, how 'bout seven o'clock?"
        "Sounds good!"
        "I'll be there!"
        "Until tonight, Rei."
        Mina, Lita, and Amy ran off in different directions.
        "Bye, guys."

----------

        Darien had been let out of work early due to the fluctuations in
the the city's power grid.  As he drove home, he noticed a lot of
teenagers seemed to be out.
        "Hmm, must have closed the schools too.  I wonder if Serena's
waiting for me?"
        As Darien pulled into his parking space, he carefully looked
around.  He loved Serena with all his heart, but someday she would give
him a heart attack the way she always jumped him.  He cautiously stepped
out of the car, ready for the ambush-that didn't come.  He slowly
advanced up the walk, nearly jumping at every movement in the bushes. 
He entered the building and advanced up the stairs without incident. 
Finally, the moment of truth came.  He walked up to his door and slowly
opened it.  The only sounds in his apartment were a clock ticking and
the door's creaking.
        Darien shrugged.  Serena wasn't here!  It went against what he
knew of her, but he didn't worry.  They were rediscovering aspects of
each other that they had last known in the Moon Kingdom.  He wasn't
surprised that there were still some pieces of her personality that he
didn't remember.
        Time passed, however, and she didn't call; Darien grew genuinely
worried.  He decided to call her home and see if she came home.  There
was no answer at her house.  A foreboding sense of evil came over Darien
as the sun fell below the horizon.  He decided to head over to Rei's
temple.  Maybe she would have some idea where Serena was.
       It was quarter to seven when he left.

----------

        Rei greeted each of her friends as they arrived at her temple. 
They walked inside together making small talk in an attempt to ward off
the weight that had settled on their shoulders.  Amy reported the
results of her re-analysis of the energy that night.  One piece of new
information she reported was that the beam may have also been aimed at the Negaverse.  Not only that, but the beam had seemed to have a "stale
feel" to it.  This was the best way Amy could describe, though words
obviously failed her.  When asked what this meant, she explained that
the creature that had used power had not used it for a long while.  Its
use of its energy was inefficient, but only that time.  From here on
out, it would be undetectable.  She compared it to athletics.  An
athlete needs to warm up before starting a marathon. This is exactly what had happened.  All four girls found this tidbit of information disturbing. It meant that things were only going to heat up from here on out.
        Finally they decided to get down to business.
        Rei knelt in front of the fire, the other three arrayed behind
her in a supportive pattern.  Rei lowered her head in concentration. 
Thefire seemed to leap about as she meditated...

----------

        The Shadow laughed.  The foolish young Scout, Mina he thought her
name was, had led him right to her friends.  Now he knew them all, and
they hadn't even transformed yet!  There was always the small chance
that he mistook their identity, but he hadn't, and knew it all too well.
        Now this young, black-haired girl was trying to inquire of a
fire.
        "What a fool. The fire can tell her nothing she doesn't  already
know in her heart.  It is merely a means of concentration.  She seems to
have instilled it with power, though.  She's a strong one.  I'll remember
that.  Maybe I can use it to my advantage later on."
        The silence that followed its monologue did not indicate any lack
in self-confidence, simply a concentration of epic proportions.

----------

        During Rei's meditation, the other girls watched the fire.  They
were all disturbed as what seemed to be a face appeared in the fire. 
The face in the fire was followed by a neck, torso, and limbs.  All three gasped in unison as a fire-creature stepped out of the flames and into
the temple.
        The gasp caught Rei's attention and broke her concentration.  She
was jerking her head up and back over her shoulder to berate her friends for preventing her fire-reading before it had even started, when she
caught sight of the creature.  Rei leapt to her feet and quickly
retreated into a defensive stance.  The creature laughed, but it held up
its hand in a gesture of peace.
        "Stand-down, fire-reader.  I will not harm you."
        "How do I know that?"
        "Why, because you were preparing to ask me for help!"
        Amy, Lita, and Mina rose to their feet as Rei slowly relaxed her stance.
        "Who are you?  How did I summon you?"
        "Arrogant, aren't we?  You did not summon me.  I came of my own free will.  You were preparing to ask for my help, so I decided to give it
in person.  As for what to call me, Trailblaze will do for now."
        "What are you doing here?  Why did you come?"
        "Are these the questions you were going to ask me through the fire?"
        "What's that got to do with it?"
        The creature seemed to glow more brightly as it answered, "You've
a very inflated view of yourself, young lady.  What were you going to ask
me?"
        Rei decided that angering Trailblaze further would only make things more difficult, "Alright, I was going to ask where Serena, Luna, and
Artemis are.  Also, is there any way we can get them back?  And how?"
        The fire-creature discarded the brightness that betrayed his
anger and smiled in a friendly manner, "Oh, what concern for friends! 
That pleases me, Sailor Scouts!"
        The silence that followed this statement was deafening.  Finally,
Lita spoke up.
        "Who are the Sailor Scouts?"
        "Ah!  So these others do have tongues!  Rest easy, girls, I know
who you
are.  How couldn't I?  The number of times you've inquired of me for
Sailor business are too often to count.  Just because all you see is
flame, doesn't mean I'm not sentient.  It's as though you think the
phone is talking and not the person on the other end!  Now, let me
tackle your questions.  Where are your friends?  A new negabeing has
abducted them, I'm sure you know that much.  What you don't know is that
they've been taken to the Negaverse by this creature.  The only way for
you to get them back is to go after them and rescue them.  As for the
'How?', that's what I'm here for."

 ----------

        Darien walked into the temple quietly, for he heard conversation
in the fire room.  He crept up to the door and cracked it open, hoping
to catch a glimpse of who was talking.  He was stunned by the fire
creature, and even more so by what it said.

----------

        "Am I correct in assuming you girls really don't know how to get
to the Negaverse?"
        Blank stares coupled with silence proved to be his answer.
        "That's what I thought.  Come.  Follow me.  We go."
        Trailblaze motioned toward the fire that had given him birth him
and, with an intricate gesture, opened what seemed to be a black
portalthrough the fire.
        The stares were no longer blank.
        Amy's hand twitched toward her computer, obviously itching to take readings on this new phenomenon.  Rei's muscles tightened slightly, as
though she were preparing to take her defensive stance once again.  Lita
looked from the creature to the portal and back, trying to assess its trustworthiness.  Mina simply stared into the creature's eyes, waiting for a
reaction.
        "Not surprising, you haven't survived this long due to trusting
everyone who looks good.  How can I convince you I'm for real?  This is
a portal into the Negaverse.  It is the first step you must take toward
rescuing your friends from the evil that holds them.  This is your
first, and probably last, opportunity to help them.  Don't stare a gift-horse in the mouth.  Perhaps you wish to converse amongst yourselves before you reject me, my time in this universe is limited."
        The four girls gathered into a group.
        "So, what do you guys think?" asked Rei.
        "I'm not sure, Rei, but I think that when it says this may be our
last chance, it may be right."
        "Amy, do you have any ideas?"
        "Hmm, Wha?  Oh, sorry.  I was just wondering what would happen if
I could get readings on that portal.  I might be able to re-create it
later."
        "Mina?"
        "I'm not sure why, but I trust it.  I think it's for real."
        "Well, I can't say that I trust it overly much, but that's no
reason to sit back and do nothing.  Everyone, I think that this is our
chance.  Who's with me?"
        Lita and Mina voiced their agreement, and Amy did too after Rei
nudged her back to reality.
        "So be it.  Let's go!"
        "Wait!  Should we go like this?  It IS the Negaverse!"
        "Good point, Lita.  Mars Power!"
        "Jupiter Power!"
        "Venus Power!"
        "Oof!  Stop elbowing me!  Mercury Power!"
        Trailblaze smiled mysteriously as the girls transformed into
Sailor Scouts.  When they finished, he lead them into the blackness...

----------

        Darien stood frozen in place as he watched the story in the fire room unfold.  How could they fall for that guy?  He was totally
untrustworthy!  Then again, Darien realized that he hadn't been there the whole time and may have missed something important in the beginning.
        Another thing that troubled Darien was the Scout's transformation
in front of that creature.  Did they trust that creature so completely?
Why were they going to the Negaverse?  That was insane!  Then again, the
being had mentioned "your friends", is that what happened to Serena?
Darien had so many questions and so few answers.  He decided to follow
the Scouts, discreetly.  He quietly walked through the door and entered
the already fading portal after the others.

----------

        Luna slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at Artemis' face, which
hovered inches above her own.  The worry shone clearly in his eyes.
        "Wha- What happened?" it was a struggle for Luna to form the 
words.
        "Luna!  Not you too!  Do you remember who I am?"
        Luna tried to struggle to her feet, "Oof!  Of course I do,
Artemis! I'm not that frail!"
        Artemis breathed an audible sigh of relief.
        "Thank goodness!  For a second, I thought I'd have two amnesiacs on my hands!"
        "Stop being melodramatic and tell me what happened!"
        "You attempted the Mind-Meld, but something stopped it.  It was
as if the darkness in this place just collapsed in on the light!  Are you
OK?"
        "Do I look okay?"  Luna stretched and winced with pain, "Ouch! 
How long was I out?"
        "I can't tell the time of day, but I'd guess all afternoon. 
Maybe, nine hours?"
        "That long?!"
        "I wasn't sure that you'd ever wake up again!  You took quite a
hit, Luna!"
        "Well I'm back.  Where's Serena?"
        "She's over there," Artemis motioned in a direction.
        Luna walked over and saw Serena sleeping.
        "How are we ever going to get out of here, Artemis?  If Serena
can't remember, then she can't transform.  If Serena can't transform, we're as good as dead."
        "Not dead, Luna, prisoners.  Are you hungry?"
        "No."
        "Me neither, I don't think food counts for much here.  Come on, let's wake Serena."
        "Why?  There's nothing we can do."
        "'Why?', what do you mean 'Why?'?  Luna, have you turned into a
pessimist since I last talked to you?"
        "I'm sorry, Artemis.  You're right, of course.  Maybe we can get
an intelligent conversation going with her."
        "Exactly, if that happens, we'll be in good shape."
        Artemis walked over to Serena and softly pawed at the side of her
head.
        "Aww, Luna!  Come on, school doesn't start for another ten
minutes!"
        Serena's response caused the cats to freeze.
        "Is she remembering?"
        "Can't be, can it?  Maybe her unconscious memory remained intact!
If we can find some way to bring it to the surface, we might be able to
bring Serena back!  Artemis, we have just acquired something new to
think about."
        "Yess..."

----------

        The Shadow smirked at his own intelligence.  The Scouts had not
only revealed their true selves, but they were also foolish enough to
think they could take him on in his home turf.  Things were going
swimmingly! He monitored the portal Trailblaze had made, and let a laugh
escape with every spike of power that denoted a traveler through it.  He
was so taken with his mirth that he counted five as four, thus letting Darien remain undetected- for the time being...

Part 2