4/9/00
When
the sky darkened, it didn’t take any brainpower for the Scouts to know
what was coming. From a perch over the bow of the Starlight Asylum,
Amy watched as the lights of the buildings that had power flickered out.
Even the decklamps blinked and then faded. The world became very dark.
As she burst into a run down below decks, she could hear Rei screaming in terrible pain as the evil closed upon them.
“Fight
it off.?Amy cheered her Japanese friend under her breath, “fight it.?She reached the empty bay where the Scouts often congregated. “The sky
just went totally black. What little power that was left in the city is
out. Even the deck lights are gone. This is way serious!?#060;/font>
“You’re
telling me!?Serena thrust her locket in the air. “Moon Crystal Power!?White light, pink energy ribbons and angels wings began working their magic.
Sailor Moon’s uniform exploded onto her. When the cycle was complete, she
noticed everyone else had transformed. “Let’s go!?she said.
“Right,?Sailor Jupiter agreed, “Whoever killed Sailor Venus is gonna pay!?#060;/font>
A noise
rose from the crowd as they began chatting amongst themselves, debating.
“That
was not a question!?Jekter glared at them, “It was an order. The Negaverse
is your master now!?#060;/font>
“Not
if I have anything to say about it!?A female voice cried out. Jekter turned
to look, and smiled when he saw the four Scouts and Prince Darien standing
in the street, ready for battle.
“What
is this??he laughed.
“Oh,
you didn’t know??Sailor Moon glared right back at him.
“Guess
you haven’t heard...?Sailor Mars began.
?..haven’t
read...?Mercury added.
?..haven’t
seen...?Jupiter continued.
?..and
you’ll soon be dead!?Sailor Moon finished, “I am Sailor Moon, champion
of love and justice, princess of the moon, and your worst nightmare.?she
pointed her white-gloved finger at him, “And believe me, that’s some kind
of nightmare. In the name of the moon I will right wrongs and triumph over
all evil. And you are the worst kind of evil.?#060;/font>
Jekter
drew the sword from it’s scabbard and pointed it at Darien. “You, Prince
Darien. I challenge you in a battle to the death. If you win, you live.?#060;/font>
“What
if you win??Darien drew his blade, “Me keeping my life isn’t much of a
prize.?#060;/font>
“If
I win, you die. It’s simple. We fight for our lives.?#060;/font>
“Then
let’s dance pretty boy.?Both Jekter and Darien leapt at the same time,
crossing swords in midair. When they landed, they charged each other, hacking
and blocking and grappling. Jekter thrusted and Darien spun away, bringing
his sword down with a clang against Jekter’s. Jekter blocked the other
man’s cross-slash and then went low to perry another away before kicking
Darien in the chest.
The
Earth prince fell back into the street, but rolled away as Jekter’s heavy
blade crashed into the asphalt. Darien was up again, and made a hard cut
at Jekter’s back. The Negaverse warrior had his sword back up in time,
however and lashed the attack away. Darien spun around once again, slicing
his sword around to cross Jekter’s once more. Jekter shoved, sending Darien
back a few steps. The Negaverse soldier then came in with a high chop,
which was blocked, followed by a low cut to the knees.
Darien
perried it, then twisted his sword in such a way as to send Jekter’s flying
back. The Prince of Earth made a thrust, but Jekter hacked it away and
made a strike of his own. Darien rotated away, along Jekter’s arm, brought
his sword around, and slashed deep just underneath Jekter’s armpit.
“All
right, Darien!?Sailor Moon cheered.
Jekter
cried out and placed a hand over the wound. He glared at Darien a moment
before faking a hard thrust, then bashing Darien’s sword out of the way,
spinning, and landing a kick hard on Darien’s head.
Darien
reeled but came up swinging. Jekter stepped back a little before allowing
Darien’s sword to clatter against his and hold. This time, it was Darien
who kicked. Jekter’s left leg went out from under him and he held his sword
up to block the next blow that was sure to come. When it clanked off his
blade, he spun while falling, catching the unprotected area just below
Darien’s chestplate. He ripped a deep gash between the ribs from right
to left. Blood glowing red with energy spewed out of the wound and Darien
spun to the ground. Jekter stood over him in victory.
“No!?Sailor Moon shrieked, “Darien!?She raced to his side and knelt down.
Above
her, lightning ripped across the sky and a great gash opened. The Scouts
looked up to see hundreds of reptilian warriors standing behind a blue-skinned
man holding a wand-like device.
“Ohmigod!?Sailor Mercury exclaimed, “That’s the temporal corridor!?She tapped her
earring and the visor slid over her face. She flipped open her minicomp
and immediately began analyzing. The visor homed in on the wand the man
carried and began making readings. It then pointed out the black crystal
imbedded in the silver stick and labeled it. “The power readings are off
the scale.?she said.
The
crowd that had been watching the fight now scattered in every direction.
The army of gruesome soldiers began to move forward.
“Darien,?Sailor Moon held him close, “hold on. I’ll heal you.?She held up the Imperium
Silver Crystal, ready to do her work.
“No,?Darien’s glowing blue eyes locked onto hers, “You must defeat them and
seal that rift.?#060;/font>
“But...?she began to complain.
“No
buts, my love.?Darien shook his head, “You must protect the planet above
all things. Know that you are in my heart.?#060;/font>
“And
you will always be in mine.?They repeated the vows they had made a thousand
years before. “I love you, Darien.?#060;/font>
“I
love you, too, Serena.?He managed a small smile, then shut his eyes. A
moment later, he stopped breathing.
Sailor
Moon glanced up at the approaching army. They were growing closer and she
could see that there were thousands of warriors. There was no way the Scouts
could defeat them.
But
the Moon Princess could delay the invasion. She held out the Imperium Silver
Crystal. “Cosmic Moon Power!?she shouted, her last word echoing. The Silver
Crystal began to glow with bright white energy. A moment later, a blinding
white flash went out from the crystal, throwing the invaders back. As the
army tried to fight off the power, the sky exploded into a brilliant blue.
For
a moment, the Scouts were totally blinded by the change of light. Then,
as their eyes adjusted, they realized it was day again. The army was gone.
Marveling
at her achievement, Sailor Moon suddenly collapsed to her knees, drained
of her energy. She hadn’t the power to stand, or to lift her head, or even
to weep.
They
had held the line. But was the cost worth it?
“Attention,
humans,?Jekter stood atop a pile of rubble and spoke to the gathering
crowd below, “This city, this world, and everything in it, on it, around
it, or in orbit of it now belongs to the Negaverse. It would behoove you
to accept your new masters. Do as we say and you shall prosper. Rise up,
and you shall perish!?#060;/font>