Author's Note: I've recently become interested in Sailor Moon and find it to be great fun, featuring a great cast of characters I've grown very fond of (Just for fun, I've given Lita and Mina Americanized last names). This multi-part story, my very first fanfic of any kind promises to be far more intense than anything you'll ever see on the Cartoon Network. The overall theme of my story, as you can probably guess from the title below is that ordinary human beings can be just as evil as Queen Beryl and her minions, if not moreso, and that monsters can come from right around the corner instead of the Negaverse, as Serena and her friends will soon learn, much to their horror. My hope is that I've both treated the characters properly (Please let me know if I failed to do so) and presented a taut and gripping story for everyone to enjoy. If you wish to comment on what I've done, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. So please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.

The Frankenstein Syndrome
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Part One: Tooth and Claw
Rating: PG-13

The dark haired man shuffled aimlessly down the quiet city street at midday, his eyes glassy, nearly oblivious to everything except a nagging, terrible hunger in his belly, a hunger so great, it actually hurt. However, it was a hunger he fought with all his strength to control.

It had been a long time, a very long time since he had eaten. But the food he had been given in the small, cramped places he spent the last two years in wasn't nearly good enough for him. He needed that something special to satisfy his cravings, yet he had to suppress that hunger, for that was what got him into such trouble in the first place. A sharp and sudden pain in his belly almost made him double over as he crossed an intersection. He allowed himself a chuckle as he safely made it to the other side. It wouldn't do, he thought, to get plastered by a truck on an empty stomach, yearning for something he didn't dare indulge in.

He barely remembered being taken from the small space he had been locked away in after the last time he let his terrible appetite run wild, then being whisked away to an even stranger place filled with equally strange looking machines where he had poked and prodded for days, if not weeks on end by two odd looking people in white, why, he had no idea. He felt more like a lab rat than a human being, a lowly, insignificant creature to be experimented on, something that made him feel less than human, even less than he already felt. The worst part of it all were the injections, and the light, the blinding, painful light that pierced his body, the bright greenish light that seared his flesh raw and made him scream from unimaginable agony.

Without any sort of direction, the man continued to walk, not knowing where he was going, understanding his surroundings or, for that matter, where he was. The quiet, suburban landscape was totally alien to him. More times than he could count, he had to look to his right instead of his left before crossing a street, totally unlike where he used to live but could no longer fully remember. As far as he was concerned, he might just as well be on another planet. After what seemed like an eternity, he stopped and stared. From across the street, he could see people, happy people, adults and children file through a large ornate entrance. Suddenly, the man could actually smell the flesh of the people who filed into the place, and the smell to him was incredibly sweet, overpowering and intoxicating. Especially the delicious aroma of females, far and away the sweetest smell of all.

The smells all but drove him insane, reminding him of the hunger he didn't want to given in to but, at the same time, ached to surrender to. He decided he could wait no longer. Something inside his body suddenly turned on like a light switch and he felt power, power like he had never known before coming to this strange place flood his nervous system, doing things to him he came to both love and hate. Despite monstrous pain from expanding joints (the part he hated), he felt himself grow, becoming stronger and stronger (the part he loved) by the second. An instant later, the hunger overwhelmed him and whatever guilt he had vanished. He had to eat, and now he didn't care what sort of trouble he got into. He smiled and licked his lips. All that mattered to him was that it was lunchtime.

"Oh, wow! This is way cool! Look at the polar bear! He's so cute!" Serena Tsukino squealed delightedly, her huge, bright blue eyes sparkling as she watched a polar bear frolic in a below ground pool styled like an Antarctic landscape with a beach ball.

Standing beside Serena, Lita Monroe chuckled. "Serena, only you could call a polar bear cute! I wouldn't want something like that for a pet." At that moment, a young, redhaired groundskeeper, walking by with a rake in his hand and whistling a happy tune caught Lita's eye. Staring wistfully at him, she broke out in a wide smile.

Mina Spencer, watching Lita grinned. She had seen that hopelessly lovesick look on the face of her tall, auburn haired friend plenty of times before. "Let me guess. He reminds you of your old boyfriend?"

"Well, yeah! He does!" Lita replied, her cheeks red from a blush.

"C'mon, guys! I want to see the lions!" said an excited Raye Hino. "The new Serengetti exhibit is supposed to be awesome!"

"It ought to be. The Zoo spent over four million to construct it," said Amy Anderson. Always studying, even in her free time, Amy was leafing through a book on the African plains. She was curious to see if the exhibit matched photos of the real thing she was looking at.

Serena frowned at her. "For Pete's sake, Amy! It's Saturday! Can't you get your nose out of a book for one day? C'mon, girlfriend, let your hair down and enjoy yourself!"

Amy looked up at Serena and gave her a puzzled expression. "But, Serena, I am enjoying myself."

Raye, Lita and Mina broke out laughing while Serena rolled her eyes from exasperation.

"Never mind!" she muttered.

Serena and her friends, looking for something fun to do on a sunny August afternoon came to the Zoo to spend the day. With no threats from the Negaverse over the last week, the girls decided to take advantage of the unexpected lull and enjoy themselves. No Sailor Scout business, no risking their lives fighting monsters, cardians or other assorted aliens, just the rare and welcome opportunity to be normal teenage girls doing normal things girls do.

"Hey, Serena! Where's Darien?" kidded Lita, a mischievous grin on her lips. "I haven't seen him around for the last few days. Have you got him locked up in your basement so Raye doesn't sink her claws into him?"

"Darien's out of town on some silly macho lark," grumbled Serena who tripped on a loose shoelace but was saved from a tumble by Mina. "He and some of his college buddies are rock climbing out in the country! I mean, really! How dumb is that? Goofing off on some icky mountainside when he could be with me instead!"

"And what makes you think I still have any interest in him?" Raye snapped, her short temper flaring. At one time, Raye was infatuated with Darien, though she could never bring herself to tell him that. But when it was revealed during the climatic final battle against Queen Beryl and her minions that Serena and Darien were, in reality, the reincarnated Princess Serenity and Prince Darien of the Moon Kingdom, Raye backed off from pursuing Darien for Serena's sake, albeit reluctantly.

"Perhaps it's that rosy blush on your face!" said a grinning Mina.

Raye, her cheeks warm more from embarrassment than anger shook her raven maned head and chuckled. For once, it was hard for her to really get mad at her friends. "Ohhhh! You guys are awful!"

While that lively exchange was going on, Luna and Artemis dutifully and silently followed the girls from a couple of feet behind, their expressions drawn and sour. Even though they were familiars from the Moon Kingdom and guardians to Serena and Mina respectively, they were still cats, members of the animal kingdom, and it annoyed them no end to be in a zoo and watch other animals penned up like criminals to perform for and entertain humans. To even be in such a place made the familiars feel dirty. Suddenly screams erupted from just ahead, shattering the pleasant stillness. Then, people, looks of utter terror on their faces came tearing past the girls, running for their very lives.

"What's going on?" Serena wondered.

"Let's find out! C'mon!" Luna commanded.

Fearing the worst, the girls ran in the direction of the screams. Rounding a corner, they saw the source of the chaos. What the girls saw were the Zoo's weaponless security guards trying in vain to fight a large wolf-like monster who laughed at them and swatted them aside while broken and bleeding people lay motionless at its feet.

"Oh, great! Just great! Another slimeball from the Negaverse!" Raye growled. "So much for our vacation from those scumbags!"

"Everyone! Transform!" ordered Artemis.

"MERCURY POWER!" Amy's body flowed and shimmered like water and, an instant later stood Sailor Mercury.

"MARS POWER!" Red hot flames erupted and lovingly embraced Raye, changing her into the fiery Sailor Mars.

"JUPITER POWER!" A bolt of lightning and a loud crack of thunder accompanied Lita's dramatic transformation to Sailor Jupiter.

"VENUS POWER!" The brilliant, sparkling light of the stars themselves heralded the arrival of Sailor Venus.

"MOON PRISM POWER!" Serena's body glowed with the silvery brightness of the moon itself, magically altering her clothes into the uniform of the Sailor Scout leader, Sailor Moon. Her eyes blazed with anger, mainly because her day of fun as Serena had been cruelly interrupted. "I don't know what that thing is, and I don't care! Let's put hairy Harry back in its kennel!"

"RIGHT! SCOUT POWER!" the girls shouted as one.

"Heh, heh, heh! This is fun!" growled the wolf-creature, an unconscious, middle aged woman clasped in one paw. It's eyed burned from a terrible hunger it was about to satiate. "Time to eat, sweet thing!"

"HOLD IT!" a booming voice ordered. "LET HER GO!"

The creature spun around and scowled at seeing the Sailor Scouts standing some ten feet away.

"Who are you?" the beast asked.

"I am Sailor Moon and we are the Sailor Scouts! The champions of justice!" shouted Moon, taking up a defensive stance as did the others. "We right wrongs and triumph over evil! In the name of the Moon---and anyone who hates have a day off ruined---we will punish you!"

"Is that a fact?" The beast stared at the Scouts, young, fresh and vibrant and sensed they would taste far better than the aged morsel in its paw. Dropping the woman, it sprang at the Scouts with the speed of a bullet.

"Scatter!" yelled Moon, and the girls jumped away from the beast as it attacked, covering prodigious distances with their otherwordly agility. "That was too close! Mercury! We need cover!"

"Coming right up! Mercury Bubbles....BLAST!" yelled the blue suited Scout, summoning an incredibly thick and chilling fog which instantly descended over the area.

"Good work! That should keep it in the dark!" said Moon.

"That's what you think! C'mere, sister! I'm hungry!" snarled the creature as it sprang at Moon out of the fog with a frightening speed that shocked her.

With a squealing yelp of fear, Moon dived out of the monster's way, it's claws raking the air where the Sailor Scout leader had been standing just an instant before. If it weren't for her superhumanly fast reflexes, the slavering beast would've ripped her wide open.

"Oh, jeez! Oh, jeez! Oh, jeez! I don't like this at all!" a now frightened Moon whined. "Mercury! Your fog didn't slow him down! What happened?"

Standing several feet away, Mercury scowled. She never had this happen before. "The creature must be using it's other senses! It's honed in on us by smell and sound!"

"Yeah! And I hear you, sweetie! Come to poppa!" The wolf creature leaped at her next. Just like her partner, Mercury quickly dove out of the way, but not before a claw tore her skirt and scored her left thigh. Tumbling to the ground, Mercury grimaced from pain as blood trickled down her leg. Mercury gasped from shock. This too was an unpleasant first.

"Sailor Mars! Quick! Blast it!" Luna ordered.

Standing on the rooftop of the nearby reptile house, Mars pointed her index fingers at the beast, her brows deeply furrowed as she concentrated on her power.

"Mars Fire...IGNITE!"

At Mars' command, a huge bolt of searing flame shot out from her fingertips, scorching the air as it sped on a direct course with the beast, certain to fry it to a crisp when it hit. Just one problem, the fireball never hit it's target as the creature leaped out of the way with an almost disturbing ease, laughing as it did.

"Missed! Better try again!" Mars growled. But she didn't get that second chance as she became the next target. The beast leaped straight up at her like it was jet propelled. Mars shrieked, then dove off the roof, but her panicked leap for safety was badly executed and she landed awkwardly. The spiked heel of her right shoe snapped on impact, twisting her ankle which exploded in pain.

OWWWWWW! Dammit! That's what I get for wearing heels with this costume, thought an angry Mars, struggling to get to her feet, but her injured ankle made that simple task nearly impossible.

"Mars! Behind you!" Venus shouted.

Mars whirled around and found herself staring up the beast, standing no more than a couple of feet away. From a distance, the creature didn't seem all that menacing, but, up close, it was a living, breathing nightmare. Standing well over seven feet tall, it's fur was a thick, dark brown, its claws were wickedly long while the beast's snout was huge and filled with equally long, razor sharp teeth. The monster's breath was fetid and rank like rotted meat while its eyes, locked on her were large and red and filled with a monstrous, insatiable hunger.

"Oh...my...God," Mars whispered, rooted to the spot from blind terror, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Heh, heh, heh! Mmmm, you look tasty, little girl. You should go down real good!" Growling, the beast lifted a paw in preparation to strike.

"Like hell she will! Back off!" roared Jupiter, slamming into the monster like a runaway train with a devastating flying kick that sent it crashing into a brick wall with a loud, bone rattling thud. With the creature too close to Mars to risk a lightning strike that would've fried them both, Jupiter, with her incredible strength attacked the beast the old fashioned way. "Listen up, furball! Sailor Mars may be an arrogant, hot tempered pain in the ass, but she's a friend! And nobody shreds my friends while I'm around!"

The beast slowly got to its haunches, but it looked dazed and shaky after hitting the wall at speeds from the force of Jupiter's kick which should have shattered every bone in its body and killed it instantly. "Friendship. Ain't that sweet. I'll make sure to put that on your tombstone after I carve you up for dinner!"

"I don't think so. Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!" yelled Venus, her hands surrounded by twin crescents of golden light. Venus then pointed at the beast, and her energy beam struck it in the back just before it leaped at Jupiter. It screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground. For the first time since the Scouts engaged the beast, it was on the ropes. Jupiter, seeing a much needed opening grinned savagely.

"Carve this, hairy! Jupiter Thunder....CRASH!" At Jupiter's command, an antenna on her tiara popped up and ozone permeated the air as she summoned a huge bolt of lightning from above. The lightning danced around her body for a millisecond before she hurled it at the beast, accompanied by an ear piercing clap of thunder. Once again the beast screamed in mortal agony as the lightning struck it dead center, its cries almost drowning out the thunderclap as it collapsed.

All was quiet. The air was thick with the smell of scorched fur and burned flesh as the Scouts (Mars hobbling along with help from Jupiter) warily approached the beast which was on its back and smouldering, what's left of it's fur black and smoking while it's exposed skin was also blackened and lanced with horrible wounds that oozed dark, reddish blood. The stench made their faces wrinkle from disgust.

"Looks like you've aced it, Jupe," said Moon. While the monstrous stench made her want to throw up, she was pleased that the beast was down. But the Scout leader spoke too soon as the beast growled low in its throat, then slowly got to its knees. It's eyes ablaze with a combination of pain from its injuries and bottomless rage. Then, before their eyes, the beast's wounds began to close and its fur grew back with astonishing speed. The Scouts, slack jawed and stunned backed away.

"Nice....try....thunder girl....but I'm not....done yet," it said in a hoarse, rasping voice.

Somewhere else....

A moment ago, the balding, lemon faced man, garbed in a starched white lab coat was transfixed on a monitor screen, watching a series of erratic lines dance across the screen. Adjusting the glasses on his face, he was pleased with what he saw. Suddenly, the lines went haywire and electricity sparked from the monitor, making him cry out from surprise.

"Doctor! What is it?" asked the man's companion, a thin, aristocratic looking woman who walked up to him, a look of concern on her face. Wearing a similar lab coat over her dress, her high heels clicked in rapid cadence on the spotless tile floor.

"I'm not sure, Doctor. I was monitoring the subject's progress when a massive surge of electrical energy spiked his entire nervous system," the man explained nervously. "I've never seen anything like that before."

The woman frowned. "Interesting. Could the subject have produced such a discharge?"

"No. It was a definitely an external source." The man checked a machine next to his monitor and his eyes widened at what he saw. "According to these readings, the voltage that struck the subject could have powered our equipment here for a week! If our facility weren't properly shielded, we would have suffered massive damage. Incredible!"

"What could have caused this event?"

The man adjusted his glasses before he spoke. The expression on his face was hard and emotionless. "I do not know, Doctor. But this certainly bears investigating. As soon as the subject deals with whatever its up against."

"No way!" said an astonished Jupiter. "No freaking way!"

The beast, despite its wounds chuckled. Now on its feet, it was already looking stronger, not to mention meaner than it did just a moment ago. "Yes way. I don't die that easily, chickie. Let's see if you can say the same."

"Sailor Moon! Your tiara!" Artemis cried. "Hurry!"

Moon, just as petrified as the others snapped out of her stupor at the sound of Artemis' panicked voice. Out of nowhere, she wondered where Tuxedo Mask was and why he hadn't arrived to lend a hand in the battle. He always came to the Scouts' aid in their most desperate moments to help them battle the forces from the Dark Kingdom. Then she remembered that Tuxedo Mask....Darien was out of town, so her ebon suited hero, the man she loved with all her heart wouldn't be coming to the rescue today. Still frightened, but realizing it was now all in her hands, Moon removed her tiara and, focusing all her concentration on it willed it into her powerful energy disk.

"Time you were neutered, you Negaverse creep! Moon Tiara....MAGIC!"

The beast paused and arched an eyebrow in curiosity. "Negaverse? What are you talking about...."

The beast never got to finish his question as the Sailor Scout leader hurled the energy disc at the beast with all her strength. The beast didn't even have time to scream as the disc struck it squarely in the throat, neatly and cleanly severing its head which bounced on the ground a couple of times and rolled away while its body dropped onto it's stomach like a felled tree. It's limbs twitched for a few seconds, then was still.

"It....it didn't disintegrate!" said a shocked Venus as Luna and Artemis approached. "It should be moondust right now!"

Then, the true nightmare came to pass for the Scouts and the familiars as the headless body began to change. The beast's fur slowly receded, leaving behind pink flesh as the body shrank to more normal proportions, the deadly claws on its paws turned into regular looking hands and feet. In a matter of seconds, the headless body of the wolf-beast was now that of a headless, naked man.

"Sweet Jesus!" whispered Jupiter.

Moon, wide eyed, silent and shaking as if freezing stared at the headless man for a few seconds, her mind helplessly reeling from unimaginable horrors greater than a fourteen year old girl should have to deal with. Then, as the even greater horror of what she had done drove itself home with a vengeance, Moon, tears streaming down her face, turned away from the body, staggered a few paces, fell to her knees and vomited. In the distance, sirens could be heard.

"No! This isn't possible!" said Mars in a hoarse rasp, trying to ignore the sounds of Moon's violent retching, if but for no other reason than not to lose control and throw up herself, or just plain lose her mind. But it wasn't easy. It wasn't every day she got to see the hideous sight of a headless body, and it was making her stomach spin like a centrifuge. "Mercury, what gives? Please tell us this was just another Negaverse monster, and this is some sort of illusion, isn't it?"

Mercury, numb from what she saw didn't try to speak. Acting on reflex, she touched the stud in her right earlobe with a trembling index finger and her VR visor materialized on her face while she opened her mini-computer. She scanned the corpse with the visor, all the while biting her lower lip from nervousness. After a few moments, the readings appeared on the screen of the computer, Mercury read them, and what she saw made her heart sink like a rock.

"No....it's not an illusion. It's physiology is....was....human," she said, her voice filled with sorrow. "Guys, I'm afraid we just killed a man."

Next: Scouts on the Run

GO TO CHAPTER TWO