(Steve Stachowicz)
gerrek@hotmail.com
(Matthew Frey)
MAFREY@charter.net


Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/shores/2307
	   


                           HARD QUESTIONS

				 By

		       Eric Thorsen and Stacko


LEGAL STUFF:

**  All Highlander characters, the concepts and constraints of Immortality 
and all other Highlander stuff belongs to Rysher Entertainment.

**   All Sailor Moon characters, their attacks and abilities, as well as all 
other Sailor Moon stuff belongs to Naoko Takeuchi.

**   All Oh, my Goddess characters, their powers and traits, and all other Oh, 
my Goddess stuff belongs to AIC inc.

**   All Tenchi Muyo characters, concepts, and other assorted stuff pertaining 
to Tenchi Muyo belongs to P-anime and Hiroki Hayashi and Masaki Kajishima.

**   The rest of this stuff is either a product of our own demented minds, and 
so belongs to us, or belongs to someone else, and we just forgot who it was.  
Sorry Guys!!

NOW ON WITH THE SHOW!



				            PART TWO

                                           "Say What?"

					*	*	*	*	*

	"I can't really tell."  Skuld said, licking her lips nervously.

	"Come on Skuld, I'm counting on you."  Urd said pleadingly.

	"Well, what is it?"  Kevin said impatiently, sitting with his elbows propped 
on the table.  "Come on, I haven't got all day."

	"Quit pushing her, Kevin."  Ami said in exasperation.  "It's only a silly bet."

	"There is nothing silly about a bet."  Urd growled.  "Especially this one."

	"I think it's Ghirradelli's Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut."  Skuld said finally, 
taking another bite of Ice cream.  Urd squealed happily and collected her five thousand 
yen from Kevin.

	"How did you get that one?"  Scott asked in surprise.  "I only found out it existed 
when Kevin showed it to me at the ice cream specialty shop yesterday."

	"I tried it once in San Francisco."  Skuld replied, savoring her treat.  "It's one 
of the better flavor's."  She smiled down at the huge bowl in front of her.

	"Is there any flavor you haven't tried?"  Kevin asked in disbelief, as Belldandy 
served some to everyone.

	"None that I can think of, though there are some I wish I hadn't.  Like Roast Beef."  
Skuld said, sticking out her tongue in distaste.

	"That I can believe."  Keichi said between bites.  "Who would create a flavor like that?"

	"Probably the same people who invented Sashimi ice cream."  Scott said in disgust.

	"Hey, I like Sashimi ice cream,"  Ami said, then laughed when everyone looked at her 
like she was crazy.  "It's great for driving off unwanted guests."  The laughter in the room 
was deafening in response.

	"Is there any news on Makoto?"  Ami asked as she finished her ice cream.  "Has she 
remembered anything yet?"

	"Not really."  Kevin said sadly.  "She knows her present name and that she's been reborn, 
but she refuses any suggestion of Immortality or our marriage.  It's as if those two things were 
completely erased from her mind."

	"It's possible they were."  Urd replied.  "I don't really know what the effect would be of 
going through Skuld's Medium while going through a nervous breakdown."

	"Probably the same as going through any of ours."  A man said from the doorway.  "Which is 
why Yggdrasil blocks our transport mediums when we're under a lot of emotional stress."

	"Zelph, what are you doing here?"  Urd demanded angrily.  "No one invited you."

	"Actually, I did."  Belldandy said.  "I thought he could help Makoto.  Also I think the 
Immortals need to be investigated, since we haven't identified who it is that's corrupting 
their files."

	"I can't believe you invited the God of Snitches to come here."  Urd said angrily.  "He'll 
probably find enough to put me on probation for another eight hundred years."

	"Actually, Kami-sama told me to give you this,"  Zelph said, handing Urd a box.  "He said 
you've improved a lot hanging around Mortals."

	Urd opened the box cautiously as if expecting something to jump out at her.  when she saw 
what was in it, she gasped looking at Zelph in shock.  He only nodded and motioned for her to 
open the box completely.  When she did, everyone in the room gasped at the pair of earrings it 
revealed.  Belldandy's reaction was a little different.

	"I'm so proud of you, Urd."  she said, beaming at her sister.  "Father is really starting 
to trust you."

	"What do you mean, Belldandy?"  Ami asked in confusion, looking at the earrings.  "How 
does Kami-sama giving Urd a new pair of earrings show that he trusts her more?"

	"It's because they're not just earrings,"  Urd said, starring into the box with tears in 
her eyes.  "These are the limiters for a Goddess First Class."

	"What?"  Skuld said from the other side of the table.  "He's making YOU a Goddess 
First Class?  That's not fair."

	"Now Skuld, we should be happy for Urd."  Belldandy said, hugging her younger sister.  
"She's waited a long time for this."

	"Well, alright,"  Skuld replied, still sulking.  "Congratulations Urd."  Urd smiled 
and nodded, understanding Skuld's feelings.

	"Just remember,"  Zelph told Urd gravely.  "You still have a limited license, so don't 
go blasting any mountains yet."  Urd nodded still smiling, then went to put her new limiters 
on.  "So where's the patient?"  Zelph asked Belldandy, who led him to the room where Makoto 
was taking her afternoon nap.  Kevin followed them in.

	Zelph pulled out a box that closely resembled a tricorder out of his trench coat pocket 
and waved it over Makoto's sleeping form.  After he checked the readout, he whistled in shock.

	"Man, am I glad you told me about this, Belldandy."  He exclaimed, shivering.  "A little 
bit longer and she would have lost her memory for good."

	"So can you help her?"  Kevin asked, worried.

	"Sure I can."  Zelph said, smiling at Kevin.  "I just have to take one blood sample to 
make sure I give her the right dosage.  Otherwise it might kill her."

	"I doubt that,"  Kevin replied.  "There's not much that can kill her."

	"An overdose of highly charged positrons would."  Zelph said, then laughed at Kevin's 
surprised expression.  "It would cause her to be annihilated physically."  As Kevin digested 
that news, Zelph used one of his gadgets to draw a blood sample, then put the sample into his 
analyzer.  "You're right though, not much else would kill her."  He finished, as he read the 
analysis.

	"So now what?"  Kevin asked.

	"Now I do some magic."  Zelph said, smiling.  He whisked the comforter off the bed.  Then 
started chanting.  Makoto started floating off the bed, surrounded by a soft blue light.  When 
she was a meter off the bed, Zelph's chanting changed and the glow changed to red.  She stayed 
that way for five minutes.  Then his chant changed again and she was surrounded by blue light 
again.  She slowly settled back to the bed and the glow faded away.

	"Wow, that kind of thing can really take it out of you,"  Zelph gasped, leaning against 
the wall.  Belldandy helped him back to the living room and handed him a canister of Almond Rola.  
He smiled his thanks and started eating.  He had finished half of them when he finally slowed 
down and smiled at everyone nervously.

	"Ok, now that I'm charged back up, what was it you wanted me to investigate?"  He asked 
Belldandy.

	"First, we need to show you some files."  Skuld said after Belldandy indicated she should 
go first.  "That will give you an idea of what we found."  She said as they walked to her 
computer.  After going through an impossibly long security code, she brought up the three files.

	"These are people we're looking at?"  Zelph asked in shock.  "I mean mortals?  What are 
these parameters doing like that?"

	"That was why we wanted you to come and see this for yourself."  Belldandy replied.  "These 
records have been altered rather heavily.  Some of the changes are irreversible, but these can be 
fixed once we know how the changes were input."  She pointed at several parameters on one file.

	"Do you have any observational information on these people?"  Zelph asked, getting out his 
data pad.  "Like what effect the shifts had on their lives?"

	"Why don't you ask them yourself,"  Urd said as she came into the room, wearing her new 
limiters.  "Two of them are in the living room, and the other is your patient."

	"They are?"  Zelph said in surprise.

	"Sure, we got everything ready for you before we called,"  Skuld said.  "We didn't want 
to waste anytime."

	"Well, lets get too work."  He replied, more interested in the situation.  "I want to see 
what this kind of heavy handed manipulation would produce."

	"I think I should perform the introductions first."  Belldandy said, smiling to the others 
in the room.  "Scott, Kevin, and Ami, this is Zelph, God of dimensions and special agent of the 
Almighty.  Zelph, these are Scott Schwartzstern, Ami Schwartzstern, and Kevin O'Connell.  The 
girl you just finished treating is Kevin's wife, Makoto."

	"His wife?"  Zelph asked in surprise.  "Aren't you a little young to get married?"  He 
looked around in confusion when everyone else in the room laughed.

	"I'm sorry,"  Kevin said, shrugging.  "It's just that I don't know how many times I've 
heard that since Makoto and I got married.  Urd thinks I'm too old for Makoto."

	"How could that be?"  Zelph asked Urd.  "They look to be about the same age."

	"That's part of the reason Belldandy called you."  Urd replied.  "Because of the manipulations 
she showed you he looks seventeen.  In actuality, He's over seven hundred.  Makoto is almost 
nineteen."

	"Remarkably well preserved for seven hundred."  Zelph said looking at Kevin.  "I gather 
that Mr. Schwartzstern is the other example of the manipulation?"  Urd's mouth dropped open 
causing Zelph to chuckle.

	"How did you guess that?"  Ami asked in surprise.  "Based on observations I would have 
guessed that I was the third one."

	"It's really quite simple."  Zelph said.  "I could say that I noticed you didn't have 
the same ancient look in your eyes that Mr. O'Connell has, but it was actually the fact that 
when Skuld showed me the records, I noticed that one was female and the other two were male.  
Knowing that the female was Mr. O'Connell's wife, which only left himself and your husband.  
Now how old are you Mr. Schwartzstern?  You look to be in your early twenties."

	"Well that's basically right if you count centuries."  Scott replied, chuckling at 
Zelph's expression.  "I'll be two thousand and twenty-two soon."

	"And how old is your wife?"  At Ami's blush, Zelph apologized.  "Nevermind.  That's 
none of my business."

	"So Zelph, any idea's yet?"  Urd needled from her chair.

	"Well, the manipulation produces an extremely long lifespan with no apparent aging,"  
He began.  "This indicates several worrying things about whoever performed the manipulation.  
First, they are very patient since Mr. Schwartzstern has been around that long and they haven't 
made a move."

	"Actually, I'm not the oldest Immortal, as we call ourselves,"  Scott said.  "I know of 
others that are over five thousand, with others that were before them."

	"Ok, make that extremely patient,"  Zelph amended.  "Now you say you call yourselves 
'Immortals'.  Is that because you can't die unless extremely unlikely events occur?"

	"Well I don't know how unlikely they are," Kevin said "One of the things that is common 
among us is a constant battle to survive. Not all of us are the most peaceful people around. 
In fact some of us are downright psychotic. This results in a constant hazard."

	"So what is this hazard?" Zelph asked with interest.

	"Head hunters," Ami replied , causing Scott and Kevin to laugh at how strange it sounded 
put that way. After they regained control of themselves Scott agreed.

	"Though it sounds colorful, head hunters, as Ami put it, are the only hazards that present 
themselves in our lives,"  Kevin continued.  "Our only weakness is that we die when we're beheaded, 
so we are all practicing constantly so that we can defend ourselves."

	"Barbaric lifestyle,"  Zelph said, shaking his head in amazement.  "Thousands of people in a 
constant state of warfare for their own survival.  Are there any strange phenonomena associated 
with these deaths by beheading?"

	"Actually, yes."  Scott replied, Starting to feel a little respect for Zelph.  "Each death is 
accompanied by a massive energy surge and some kind of mist that travels to the victor and produces 
a powerful feeling of euphoria.  That feeling is probably what causes some of us to become Hunters."

	"I wouldn't doubt it."  Zelph said, taking more notes.  "Is there anything else you can think 
of that's possibly caused by these manipulations?"

	"Three actually,"  Kevin replied.  "First, we can sense the presence of someone like us within 
about 100 meters.  That helps a lot when they're chasing you.  Second, as far as we have been able 
to find out, Immortals can't have children.  Women keep menstruating, but they never get pregnant.  
The last has to do with what we call the Quickening."

	"And what is this 'Quickening'?"  Zelph asked, rapidly taking notes.

	"Scott told you about what happens when one of us is beheaded, remember?"  At Zelph's nod, he 
continued.  "Well, that is what we call a Quickening.  Now recently we discovered that, depending 
on how good or evil a person is, some of that goodness or evil attaches itself to the portion of 
the Quickening we receive.  If too much evil accumulates, it produces what is called a Dark Quickening.  
After that, the evil takes over."

	"Are you sure about that?"  Zelph asked in shock.  "That would make your life even more 
hazardous."

	"Positive."  Scott replied heavily, while Ami laid her hand on his shoulder in reassurance.  
"Believe me, it happens."

	Zelph nodded, marking it in his notes, and adding that Scott had probably been affected by 
it at one time.

	"Anything else?"  Zelph asked, then put his data pad away when they shook their heads.  He 
was about to leave when Kevin sat bolt upright, then ran to Makoto's room without an explanation.  
Zelph's expression showed that he now had a lot of new questions.

				*	*	*	*	*

	"How are you feeling?"  Kevin asked Makoto as he sat next to her on the bed.

	"Like someone's trying to drive an ice pick through my brain,"  Makoto replied softly.  As 
she looked at Kevin's worried expression, a wave of shame and guilt washed over her and she tried 
to move away from him, but he held her tightly as he sent waves of love and reassurance over their 
link.  She broke into heart-rending sobs as she returned his embrace.

	"It's alright Makoto."  Kevin said soothingly as he rubbed her back.  "Everything's alright."

	"No it isn't."  She sobbed, the emotions she had let build up over the last three months 
finally breaking free.  "I'm worthless.  I'm a failure as a wife.  I can't even get pregnant if I 
try to."

	"Shhhh, it's alright Makoto,"  Kevin said, still sending his feelings across their link.  
"But I want to ask you something, if you feel up to answering a couple of questions."

	"I ... I'll try."  She said, responding to the waves of reassurance coming across their bond.

	"First of all, what gave you the idea that you were a failure as a wife?"  He asked softly, 
massaging her shoulders to relieve some of her tension.  "Did I seem angry or disappointed in you 
whenever you did something?"

	"N ... No,"  She replied.  "But that only made it worse.  No matter how badly I did, you 
didn't say anything, and everything I felt over our bond showed that you didn't care how I felt 
about anything."

	"Makoto, I didn't know how you were feeling,"  Kevin said sadly.  "Somehow our bond was 
blocked, making it impossible for me to tell how you felt."

	But I could feel how you felt."  Makoto said in confusion.  Then Kevin felt another wave of 
self-disgust wash over Makoto.  "It's my fault, isn't it?  I was blocking you out so you couldn't 
tell how I was feeling."

	"It wasn't anyone's fault, Makoto."  Kevin replied, sending another shaft of love over their 
bond.  "It just happened.  I guess I was just counting on the link telling me if anything was wrong, 
so I wasn't using my other senses.  If anyone's at fault here, it was me."

	"But ..."  Makoto gasped in shock as she was hit with a wave of misery from Kevin.

	"I've been around for seven hundred years, and I still didn't notice that the person more 
important to me than my life, is miserable."  Kevin said, groaning softly.  Makoto's instant reaction 
was a shaft of pure love that slammed into Kevin across their link as she cuddled into his shoulder.

	"It doesn't matter anymore, Kevin."  Makoto said softly into his shoulder, yawning tiredly.  
"Now that we know, we can fix it.  Don't leave me, okay?"

	"No problem, Mako-chan."  Kevin said with a sigh.  "Beryl herself couldn't drag me away."  
He lay there for several minutes until he also fell asleep.

				*	*	*	*	*

	"What was that all about?"  Zelph asked in surprise as Kevin ran from the room.  "I know it 
wasn't something I said."

	Belldandy quietly stepped to the door and listened for a few moments, then silently closed 
the door.  "Your patient has woken up Zelph, but I think some necessary healing is taking place 
now.  It would be best if they were left alone for a little while."

	Zelph nodded and sat back down, then noticed the significant glance between Scott and Ami.  
"Mind telling me what that was all about?"  He asked again.  "Like how he knew she was awake?  I'm 
closer to the room than he was, and I didn't hear a sound."

	"It has to do with something that happened a long time ago."  Scott replied.

	"Do you remember the System Reset that happened two thousand years ago?"  Belldandy asked.

	"Not very well,"  Zelph replied.  "I was pretty busy investigating a number of unauthorized 
dimensional portals at the time."

	"The people who created those portals were probably the same ones who freed up the energy to 
cause your system reset."  Scott replied, then heard Belldandy gasp in shock.

	"But that would mean ..."  Belldandy stopped, too horrified to continue.

	"That most of the population of the system died because of them,"  Urd finished.  "Who would 
do such a thing!  It's insane."

	"Beryl was ever known for her stable temperament."  Scott chuckled.  "But in this case, 
she had a little help from someone or something called Metallia."

	"So that was who opened all those portals,"  Zelph said, as if he'd been thinking about 
it constantly.  "Sorry, I've just been trying to figure that out for as long as I can remember."

	"Mind telling us who this Metallia is?"  Scott asked pointedly.

	"More of a was actually."  Zelph said distractedly.  "Metallia was the Demon-Goddess of 
a place that used to be called Ishtaar. After she managed to destroy or drive out all the 
other deities, she changed the name to Nega-something.  One of my first jobs when I got my 
license was sealing all of the portals to her dimension."

	"Unfortunately, you seemed to have missed a couple."  Scott replied.  "With Metallia's 
help, Beryl of Assyria destroyed all of the inhabitants of nine planets, and sent this world 
into the Dark Ages."

	"But how could she open that many gates?"  Zelph asked, ignoring Scott's statement.  
Then he perked up.  "You say someone named Beryl did the actual work?"

	"That's how it looked."  Ami said, doubtfully.  "But at the end, Beryl seemed shocked 
at what she had done, as if she hadn't been around when it happened."

	"Of course, that would explain everything."  Zelph muttered to himself in astonishment.  
"Tell me, was this Beryl jealous or scorned by someone important to her?"

	"Absolutely."  Scott replied.  "She fell in love with someone who got engaged to someone 
else.  I think it drove her nuts."

	"No, probably not."  Zelph said, shaking his head.  "But if Metallia turned her into an 
Avatar, it would have seemed that way.  But going back to why your friend ran off."

	"Oh yeah, well, all of us died in the battle where she opened all of the gates,"  Scott 
said, then smiled at Zelph's disbelieving expression.  "Sounds impossible, I know, but 
according to Skuld, we had just entered on the Valhalla roles when the Reset occurred.  After 
the Reset, we were on the rolls of those not yet born.  So most of us were born again."

	"You say 'Most' of you,"  Zelph noted, thinking about the story.  "Who wasn't or I 
should say, hasn't yet?"

	"Me,"  Scott replied.  "I became an Immortal at that time.  So I was never actually 
reborn.  But for some reason, my file is just as corrupted as Kevin's.  But the reason I 
brought this up was something that happened to all of us back then.  Some of us like Kevin 
and Makoto, or Ami and myself, were engaged back then.  Because Ami and Makoto were each 
going to end up ruling their home worlds, it was decided we would be bonded so that emotional 
problems wouldn't become so large that they would interfere with that rule.  Somehow, those 
bonds survived, and that was how Kevin knew."

	"Not surprising then,"  Zelph said, nodding in acceptance.  "What you just described to 
me though sounds like a Soul Bond.  If that's the case, once your bonds go active, I wouldn't 
be too surprised if Ami's file was affected by the corruption in yours."

	"Meaning?"  Scott asked, glancing at Ami in concern.

	"Meaning, that if she dies before she turns twenty-six and her current file corruption 
takes over, her file will become just as corrupted as Makoto's and she'll become another 
Chosen One."  Urd said, glaring at Zelph.  "What Mr. Snitch there didn't tell you is that 
it's possible she could end up that way even if she doesn't die first."

	"Then we definitely have to stop whoever is changing people's files."  Scott said angrily.  
"I wouldn't wish this life on my worst enemy, and your telling me my wife may end up in it 
because of something neither of us can control?  Not while I can stop it."

				*	*	*	*	*

25,000 YEARS AGO

	"D3, I am disturbed."  Tokimi said evenly.

	"What has disturbed you, My Lady."  The disembodied head that served as her second in 
command said.

	"My sisters have not returned from their search for our daughters,"  Tokimi replied.  
"Find where our daughters have gone and create probes to find how they are doing."

	"As you wish, My Lady."  D3 replied, thinking of how he could turn this to his advantage.

				*	*	*	*	*	

NOW

	"D3, I am disturbed."  Tokimi said, evenly.

	"What disturbs you, My Lady?"  D3 replied in the same tone.

	"Some of my probes have ceased functioning without reporting on the collected data."  
Tokimi replied, sounding worried for the first time.

	"What would you have me do, My Lady?"  D3 asked.

	"Summon Orion, then leave us."  Tokimi said firmly.

	"But, My Lady ..."  D3 began in shock.

	"Do as commanded."  Tokimi said, interrupting him.

	"Yes, Lady Tokimi,"  D3 replied.  As Orion appeared, D3 left seething with anger and 
jealousy.

	"You summoned me, Lady Tokimi?"  Orion said, kneeling before Tokimi.

	"Rise, Orion."  Tokimi said pleasantly.  "I have work for you."

	"My Lady has only to command."  Orion replied.

	"Go to the world where my sister's reside in HIS universe and learn for me why some of 
my probes have failed to report to me."

	"As my Lady commands."  Orion said, then stopped.  "Have you any special instruction for 
me in this hunt My Lady Tokimi?  This quest seems overly simple."

	"Find for me the reason for this failure, Orion."  She replied.  "But do not let my sisters 
or HIM detect you in your hunt.  Also, do not interfere with my other probes."

	"As you command, Lady Tokimi."  With a flare of light, Orion was gone, leaving Tokimi alone 
with her thoughts.

	"What are you like, my daughter?"  She asked.  "What have you become?  What has your existence 
taught you?"

				*	*	*	*	*

	"Well, I'd better get going."  Zelph said, after dinner, a week later.  "Belldandy, your food 
was superb as ever."

	"Thank you, Zelph,"  Belldandy said blushing.  "But Makoto cooked for us tonight."  Zelph 
glanced over at Makoto in shock.

	"My dear girl, it is a great pleasure for me to tell you how absolutely divine your food 
has been."  He said, bowing to the floor.  "I grovel at your feet in Homage."

	"Just get up and go use your flattery on someone who needs it."  Makoto replied, laughing 
as she blushed from the compliment.  "I have enough homage from this clown."  She punched Kevin 
in the shoulder, as he started bowing to her.  Everyone else at the table laughed as Zelph eyed 
Kevin, then nodded in acceptance.

	"I shall depart satisfied."  He said theatrically, then opened a portal and stepped through 
it.

	"Always with the flashy exit."  Urd said in disgust.

	"What is it with you?"  Skuld asked in annoyance.  "Ever since he came here, you've never 
had a nice thing to say, even when he gave you your new limiters.  It's as if the idea of a friendship 
with him is totally impossible for you."

	"That's because it is!"  Urd replied hotly, then stormed out.

	"Hmmm, must have hit a nerve."  Kevin said as he got to his feet.  "Well, it looks 
like it's pumpkin time for us."

	"Aren't you forgetting something Kevin?"  Makoto said meaningfully, glaring at him.

	"Oh yeah, we'll be back tomorrow around four for Keichi's next kendo lesson."  Kevin 
said, patting Keichi on the shoulder.  "Better get ready to work."

	"Just don't use the same method you taught me with,"  Makoto said, warningly.  "I doubt 
Belldandy or Keichi would like you stabbing him in the stomach."  Keichi shook his head 
vigorously, which made Kevin laugh.

	"Um, Makoto, could I ask you something?"  Skuld said, glancing worriedly at Belldandy, 
then nerving herself up.  "When Kevin comes to give Keichi his lesson, would you teach me how 
to cook?"

	"I'd love to Skuld, but wouldn't you rather learn from Belldandy?"  Makoto said in 
surprise.  Skuld blushed and whispered in Makoto's ear for several moments, then looked 
pleadingly at Makoto.  "All right Skuld, since you put it that way, as long as it's all right 
with Belldandy, I'll help you learn how to cook."  Belldandy gave her permission and Kevin 
and Makoto left.

	Belldandy and Keichi smiled as they saw their guests out, then cleaned up the table.  
After washing the dishes by hand, a pastime Skuld regarded as a waste of effort, Belldandy 
started knitting Kevin a sweater, while Keichi studied for an upcoming exam.

				*	*	*	*	*

	"Why is it, every time I take a vacation, there is ten times more work piled up than 
there should be?"  Zelph asked, looking at his desk in consternation.

	"Probably because you solve a lot of the problems before they happen, Zelph."  A red 
haired goddess said coming into his office.

	"Oh, hi, Ishtaar, How's the security business?"  Zelph said smiling at his friend.

	"Busy, as usual."  She replied, sitting in the only free guest chair.  "The major Demon 
lords could careless about Earth, but Maarler and the other demon 1st classes keep sending out 
Imps and Gremlins to reek a little havoc every so often, just to remind us they're there."

	"I'm glad I got out of that racket."  Zelph said, shivering in sympathy.  "Now I just 
have to deal with a major upheaval every five or six millennia, and the rest of the time I 
can work on special projects, like the one the Norns just handed me."

	"Oh?"  Ishtaar said curiously.  "What's that?  They haven't been around for a while."

	"Belldandy is on detached duty for the foreseeable future,"  At Ishtaar's raised eyebrow, 
he laughed.  "She finally hooked up with that mortal she's been gaa-gaa over for the last thirteen 
years.  And you know as well as I do, where you find one Norn, the other two aren't far behind."

	"That's the truth."  Ishtaar laughed, shaking her head.  "But what does that have to do with 
the project, Oh King of Tangents."

	"Well, nothing really,"  Zelph said, laughing guiltily.  "Just that Belldandy called me to 
investigate a massive case of external tampering, and while I was there, I found out that they 
had finally found the Lost Ones, and discovered who took Metallia out."

	"What is it with those three?"  Ishtaar asked in amazement.  "Even on Earth, they're 
better at trouble shooting that the data processing detachment.  I'm amazed Kami-sama let 
them leave."

	"Urd and Skuld loved the job, but Belldandy got bored with it."  He reminded her.  
"That was why she took Wish bringer duty, and it's impossible to get out of that."

	"Too right."  Ishtaar said shivering.  "No one in their right mind joins that department 
for fear they'll get stuck on detached duty like half of their personnel.  Someone needs to 
fix the wish granting protocols."

	"Well, don't look at me,"  Zelph laughed.  "I couldn't program my way out of a wet paper 
bag.  Besides, Belldandy wrote the entire last system update herself, so she can't blame anyone 
else."

	"As if she would."  Ishtaar said, shaking her head sadly.  "That girl is way too happy.  
If I didn't know better, I'd swear someone was slipping anti-depressants into her morning tea.  
But enough of your tangents Zelph, what do those three things have to do with this special 
project they gave you?"

	"Everything."  Zelph replied, laughing at her disbelieving expression.  "The Lost ones 
are the people who took out Metallia, and three of their files have been tampered with."

	"Wow, the boss is not going to be happy with that."  Ishtaar said, shivering.

	"Tell me about it,"  Zelph said seriously.  "Combine that with the fact that they're 
also security's reinforcements and you start to see the problem."

	"Ouch,"  Ishtaar gasped in sympathy.  "Still, it's about time we got some help.  We've 
been swamped since Metallia killed the Senshi."

	"Funny you should mention them,"  Zelph said as he logged into Yggdrasil and brought up 
their records.  "Haven't been doing any unauthorized hacking, have you?"

	"Not for over six hundred years,"  Ishtaar replied piously.  "But how are Zig-Zag and 
Nat doing?  I can't believe they're back."

	"If you mean Siegmund Drakkar and Natasha Damek,"  He said, telling Yggdrasil to filter 
out all of the system and evolution changes in Kevin's record.  "They're fine.  Based on what 
I saw while I was there, Siegmund is more dangerous with weapons than before.  But their files, 
along with Gerrek's were the ones tampered with."

	"Then I'll leave you to your work,"  She said smiling as she got to her feet.  "Let me 
know if you need any help squeezing information out of people.  I don't like it when people 
mess with my friends."

	"I'll keep that in mind."  Zelph replied, chuckling at her menacing tone.

	"Who took Metallia out finally, anyway?"  Ishtaar asked, stopping at the door.  "I was 
thinking of giving them a thank you gift."

	"I think it was Princess Serenity, with some help from Meriel, Krystal, Natasha, 
and Ruri."  Zelph said absently.  "Though according to what they told me, Serenity was 
the only one who actually survived.  The other four were resurrected afterwards."

	"Cool, thanks Zelph."  Ishtaar left the room, and Zelph shook his head ruefully.  

	After about ten minutes, his work backlog was cleared and he told Yggdrasil to 
search for matching patterns of unauthorized operator changes.  He stopped it when it 
went over ten million and decided to just look for living examples first.  The system 
told him it would be four hours, so he did all of his paperwork, ate dinner, then went 
for a walk.  After an hour on the practice range, he came back to find the search 
completed.  He looked at some of the files, then eliminated all of the sex linked 
traits and came up with forty thousand files that showed signs of tampering.  Swearing 
in anger, he copied those files to his secure storage, and told Yggdrasil to search all 
of the files.  The system responded that the search would take eighteen hours, so he 
decided to call it a night.

				*	*	*	*	*

	"My Lady, I regret to report one of HIS operatives has identified all of your 
active probes."  D3 said evenly.

	"How is this possible D3?"  She demanded in annoyance.  "I specifically instructed 
that they were to be undetectable."

	"The search was performed using a pattern, My Lady."  D3 replied.  "The changes 
are undetectable by Yggdrasil's system monitors.  But the pattern used was unique to 
those files.  They could not fail to find them in this case."

	"Is there any evidence of an informer."  She asked angrily, her tone promising 
pain for whoever it was.

	"No, My Lady."  D3 replied.  "No transmissions were made from our dimension.  
However, Orion is there at your order ..."

	"Silence, D3."  Tokimi snapped, cutting him off.  "Orion's loyalty is not in 
question, unlike your own.  Alter the files so that the chances cannot be tracked to 
us.  We must not lose the gates."

	"At once My Lady."  D3 replied, seething over the veiled insult.  He did as 
commanded, then smiled viciously as he executed some petty revenge.

				*	*	*	*	*

	"Hi, Urd, How's Earth life?"  Ishtaar said as she appeared in a puff of wind.  
"You're looking pretty good."

	"Oh, hi, Ishi."  Urd said distractedly, as she watched her latest potion.  
"Life's been pretty quiet here.  How's security detail?"

	"Same old, same old."  Ishtaar sighed, sitting on Urd's bed.  "Maarler sent 
fifteen gremlin's to Microsoft's development facility in Washington, and we didn't 
find out about it for three days.  Funny thing was, they actually improved the 
programs.  I guess they've been listening to much to their hype."

	"So what brings you here?"  Urd said, chuckling as she finished sealing the last 
bottle.  "Normally, you wouldn't be caught dead down here."

	"True."  Ishtaar replied, shrugging.  "I guess I've finally decided to give Earth 
another try."

	"I see."  Urd said consideringly.  "Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do 
with the fact that Metallia is gone for good, and the last gate to your old dimension 
collapsed?  Just checking to see if you're being honest with yourself.  By the way, 
how goes the pursuit of your heart's desire?"  Urd chuckled when Ishtaar blushed hotly.

	"He still thinks of me as just 'One of the guys'."  Ishtaar said in discouragement.  
"Sometimes I wish we had never met."

	"Not a good sign."  Urd replied, shaking her head.  "You know, I'd be able to help 
a lot more if you'd tell me who it is."

	"Not a chance Urd."  Ishtaar laughed. "I saw what happened when you tried to help with 
Belldandy's love life.  You almost cost her Keichi forever with that love potion.  I'm not 
going to have you doing the same thing to me.  You might succeed this time."

	"You can't hold me responsible for that accident."  Urd protested.  "How was I supposed 
to know that girl would show up before Bell got back?"

	"Thanks, but no thanks, Urd."  Ishtaar replied, shaking her head.  "I'll stick with my 
own methods, even if they aren't currently working."

	"Fine."  Urd said smugly.  "Just don't come crying to me if he never sees you as 
anything but a friend."

	"No problem Urd,"  Ishtaar agreed, trying to hide her relief.  "I hear you have Zelph 
working on a special project."

	"Belldandy called him in."  Urd replied in annoyance.  "Why are you interested in the 
Lord of the Snitch anyway?  I thought you hated him."

	"Only curious really.  He said it had to do with the Lost Ones,"  Ishtaar said 
innocently.  "I heard that the Sailor Senshi were involved?"

	"Considering they are the Lost Ones, I guess you could say they're involved,"  Urd 
said, shrugging.

	"So what is this tampering you've got him looking into?"  Ishtaar asked curiously.  
"I thought those files were locked down under five passwords and three forms of encryption. 
How could someone alter them?"

	"That's why Bell called Zelph in."  Urd said as she finished putting the bottles back 
in her case.  "She wants to know how someone broke five one hundred digit access codes and 
three different two thousand bit encryption schemes."

	"So what does the tampering do to them?"  Ishtaar said, pressing for information.  
"Any obvious effects?"

	"Nothing really obvious over the short term."  Urd said considering as she flopped 
into the chair opposite where Ishtaar was.  "Over the long term, it becomes pretty blatant.  
They don't die unless you behead them or totally annihilate them.  That combined with the 
fact that they can't have children and don't age, and they start to stick out like a sore 
thumb."

	"So how old are the three Lost ones that were effected?"  Ishtaar asked, letting 
her interest show.

	"Well, one of them, a guy by the name of Gerrek, is over two thousand years old."  
Urd replied, shrugging.  "The other guy, Siegmund, is a little over seven hundred.  The 
one I feel sorry for is the girl, Natasha.  she's only nineteen and she's been thrown 
into a world where psycho's are constantly hunting her."

	"Man, that must be rough on all of them,"  Ishtaar muttered to herself.  "So is 
Zig-Zag and Nat still an item?"  She clapped her hands over her mouth as she realized 
what she'd said.

	"How do you know those nicknames?"  Urd demanded in suspicion.  "Their personal 
data was only unlocked a week ago when we verified that all of the Lost Ones had been 
born."

	"I, um, didn't need to see the files."  Ishtaar said, blushing guiltily.  "I knew 
them in their previous life."

	"How did that come about?"  Urd asked, still suspicious.  "You were involved in 
a project so secret, you couldn't even visit or take a vacation."

	"You're right, Project Fenrus."  Ishtaar replied, shrugging.  "The reason it was 
so secret was the fact that we were trying to develop an elite mortal anti-demon team 
to help reinforce the security forces.  We had almost completed the project when 
Metallia attacked earlier than expected and killed the entire team in one shot."

	"So what did that have to do with the Royal families of the system?"  Urd said 
in confusion.

	"The concept of the Divine right of Kings had some basis in fact."  Ishtaar laughed.  
"As part of genetic design phase of the project we helped the eleven royal families take 
control of their home worlds.  That was control the bloodlines.  I don't know too much 
about that part of the project.  I wasn't part of Freya's genetic control team."

	"The Almighty put that bubblehead in charge?"  Urd laughed in disbelief.  "It's 
amazing she didn't have her team in jealous fits on the first day.  Besides, she didn't 
have two brain cells to rub together."

	"I've heard a lot of people say that about her,"  Ishtaar said, shrugging.  "But 
she's a lot smarter than anyone give her credit for.  It's just that she has no self-
preservation instincts or common sense when it comes to males.  But you and I both know 
that males are abysmally stupid about relationships anyway, so it's not surprising that 
the genetics team were all female.  So Freya isn't having many problems."

	"Hmm, maybe I've been misjudging her."  Urd shrugged, thinking.  "But if your job 
wasn't on the genetics team, what was it?"

	"Can't you guess?"  Ishtaar said in disbelief.  "I was part of the training team.  
Genetics could only go so far toward out goal, then we stepped in and started training 
them in anti-demon techniques.  The thing was, I was the only female on the training 
team, and believe me, Zelph was not happy about that."

	"What did 'His Snitchiness' have to do with that?"  Urd asked in confusion.  "I 
would have thought he was to busy blowing the whistle on wayward Gods."

	"I don't know where that rumor started,"  Ishtaar replied in anger.  "But I know 
it's not true.  Zelph is the special agent for external affairs.  No where in his job 
description does it say he should monitor activity by residents, meaning us, so once 
he verifies that there is no external tampering involved, he erases his records of 
the incident."

	"Then why did he warn me about the one time I put an unauthorized change in 
someone's file?"  Urd demanded.  "It was only a temporary change to show Bell how 
vulnerable the files were."

	"Did it ever occur to you that maybe he was worried about you?"  Ishtaar said 
defensively.  "He's been trying to help you ever since you qualified.  He even stood 
up to half of the promotion counsel when Heimdall tried to have your named barred from 
consideration."

	"I thought Kami-sama approved these?"  Urd said, uncomfortably fingering her new 
limiters.

	"Of course he did."  Ishtaar reassured her.  "But Heimall and his friends tried 
to revoke that order.  Because of Zelph's speech, only a quarter of the council sided 
with that group.  Zelph has a lot of weight behind him since he was the training team 
leader and assistant project director with Freya."

	"Why did he have such a problem with a female being on the training team if he's 
such a great guy?"  Urd asked.

	"He'd heard about my problems when I first arrived."  Ishtaar replied, blushing. 
"That, combined with what happened just before the project was proposed, didn't look 
good on the record of someone who would be training mortals to fight demons."

	"What, the thirty year bender and three day orgy?"  Urd laughed.  "So what did 
he do?"

	"He named me the assistant team leader, which put me at the end of the training 
roster, where he thought I'd do the least damage."  Ishtaar sighed.  "He was completely 
fair about everything and even recommended me for promotion."

	"Then how did you meet Siegmund and Natasha?"  Urd asked in confusion.

	"I was assigned as Zig-Zag's trainer, and to help him through Planetary Guard 
training."  Ishtaar said, smiling.  "Of course I learned more than he did.  Natasha 
would come to visit every so often, which was allowed since they were basically engaged. 
So we all became friends."

	"Where did you meet Gerrek?"  Urd asked.  "From what I read, he's from Minerva."

	"Zig-Zag and I met him at the system martial championships,"  The blank look on Urd's 
face made Ishtaar giggle.  "They were part of Freya's program.  Siegmund had won every 
championship since he was fifteen, so we went to watch him compete in the sword duels.  
That year he won every round easily, except for the final.  Gerrek, who was about sixteen 
years old, had stormed through his qualifiers just as easily as Ziggy had, so everyone was 
waiting to see who would win."

	"So what happened?"  Urd asked impatiently.

	"Ziggy won as I expected, but Gerrek made him work for it."  Ishtaar replied.  
"Ziggy and I talked to him for about eight hours while we waited for the gate traffic 
to slow down.  The next year, Gerrek won the final.  It alternated for the next four 
years.  At least that was what happened until the last championship before Metallia's 
attack.  The flight lasted over an hour, and would have gone on longer if circumstances 
hadn't intervened.  They had just completed a rather spectacular exchanged when everyone 
heard a strange sound as their swords hit each other for the last time.  A time out was 
called, but nothing visible was wrong with the swords, so they continued the fight.  
That was at the forty-five minute mark.  They continued for fifteen minutes more violently 
than before the break, when in the middle of the most vicious exchanges of blows I have 
ever seen, both swords exploded into fragments.  It looked like they were in a cloud of 
metal dust."

	"Wow."  Urd exclaimed, impressed.

	"You're telling me?"  Ishtaar laughed.  "The judges met for over two hours and 
finally declared the match a draw.  After that, they both announced their retirement 
from competition.  I think Ziggy was twenty-three at that point."

	"So what was all that about Siegmund and Natasha?"  Urd asked curiously.

	"Oh, Ziggy and Natasha were an item since before I met them"  Ishtaar laughed.  
"In fact, it was a pretty common joke when we were training that most men wait their 
entire live and never meet the love of their life, but Ziggy only had to wait six years."

	"What does that mean?"  Urd said, confused.

	"It had to do with their first meeting."  Ishtaar replied.  "About eight months 
after Natasha was born, the Royal family of Neptune paid a state visit to Jupiter.  Meri, 
his younger sister, was almost two and being a normal six year old, he bored easily.  On 
their third day there, he decided to go exploring.  He made his own way though a massive 
palace and all the way to the Royal families apartments without being detected.  That was 
when fate took a hand, or rather Freya.  He heard a noise and, thinking it was a guard who 
would get him in trouble, he ducked into the nearest room.  That just happened to be 
Natasha's nursery, and she set up a terrific racket, because he woke her up from a nap.  
More curious than worried, he went to find out what was making that much noise in the crib.  
When he looked over the edge, the noise stopped and their eyes met for the first time.  He 
stood their looking at her for ten minutes before her nurse came in and found him there.  
That same nurse told me that Natasha was smiling for the first time when she came in, and 
that to make her smile and stop crying, all they had to do was show her Ziggy's picture."

	"Ahhh, how sweet."  Urd said, then glanced at the clock.  "Oops, almost time for them 
to be here.  I guess I had better warn you, everyone but Gerrek was reborn.  So all of them 
have different names now.  Come to think of it, so does Gerrek.  Anyway, Ziggy is now Kevin, 
and Natasha is Makoto.  I'll tell you the other's names as they come up, and by the way, 
Kevin and Makoto are married."  Urd left Ishtaar with her mouth open as she took her potion 
case to her room.

	"About time Ziggy."  Ishtaar finally muttered as she walked into the kitchen to talk 
to Belldandy.

	"Ishtaar, it's good to see you!"  Belldandy said, smiling at her friend.  "We saw 
Zelph just yesterday."

	"I know Bell, that's part of way I came today,"  She replied, smiling back.  "Any 
progress in getting Keichi to let you down from your pedestal?  And don't give me any of 
that 'I'm too old for him" stuff either.  We both know that doesn't really matter to you."

	Belldandy blushed hotly, then shut the panel to the kitchen.  "You're right Ishtaar, 
it doesn't matter to me."  She said softly.  "But we both know what would happen if Urd 
found out that the only thing keeping me from jumping Keichi one night is concern for his 
feelings."

	"Tell me about it."  Ishtaar said, laughing ruefully.  "I'm having a hard enough time 
keeping her from trying to 'help' me with my love life.  And I'm not even her little sister.  
So neither of us has any ideas, huh?  What sorry excuses for love goddess we would make.  
Neither one of us has any idea how to help ourselves, let alone other people."

	"Oh well, I guess it's a good thing Freya's got that job then,"  Belldandy laughed.  
"So what was the other part of the reason you're here?"

	"I received an E-mail last night after HE cleared your report."  Ishtaar replied.  
"I'm supposed to do a feasibility study on whether we should restart Project Fenrus or not 
with the Lost Ones."

	"Oh, that means you'll need a place to stay,"  Belldandy said in worry.  "And we 
just gave Keichi's sister, Megumi, the guest room since she got kicked out of the dorms 
when her last project exploded."

	"Sounds like Skuld,"  Ishtaar laughed.  "Don't worry about me Bell, I'm perfectly 
capable of finding my own place."  Before Belldandy could answer, they both heard the bell 
at the gate ring, and Urd shout that she would answer it.  Ishtaar winked and changed her 
clothes to a black military uniform with sea green and gold trim.

	"Let's see if 'Kevin' remembers me, shall we?"  Ishtaar giggled, sliding the panel 
open and walking into the living room where Kevin and Makoto were talking to Urd and Skuld.  
Urd raised her eyebrow at Ishtaar's clothing change, but didn't say anything.  Kevin didn't 
even look up from his conversation with Skuld.

	"How's it going, Zig-Zag?"  Ishtaar said.  "Long time no see."

	"Hi, Ishi, I'll be with you in a minute,"  Kevin said, then went back to Skuld.  "I 
don't see how you can say that Hasek never had ... Ishtaar what are you doing here?"

	"Obviously he does remember."  Belldandy chuckled as Kevin just stared at Ishtaar.

	"Obviously,"  Ishtaar agreed.  "What's up Ziggy, no hello hug for your old friend?  
I'm surprised at you."  She walked up and hugged him.

	"Not as surprised as I am to see you."  Kevin replied, still a little dazed.  "I 
thought you died with everyone else at the end of the Silver Millennium."

	"My boss recalled me just before your father activated, or rather, deactivated 
Neptune's Trident."  When all she got was blank looks from everyone but Kevin, who 
looked shocked.  Ishtaar decided to explain.  "Neptune's trident was the name of the 
system that made the planet livable.  Shutting it down, collapsed the force dome that 
kept Neptune's atmosphere out, Instantly smothering every living thing on the planet 
in liquid hydrogen and helium."

	"What do you mean, your boss recalled you?"  Kevin asked after he recovered enough 
to speak again.  "You were my father's personal bodyguard."

	"Zig ... I mean Kevin, I was on special assignment when you met me,"  Ishtaar said, 
trying to explain.  "When my boss ordered me out.  My job was over, your parents had made 
the decision to shut down the Trident, and there was nothing left for me to do."

	"Special Assignment?"  Kevin asked in confusion.  "Who did you work for?  Not ..."  
He looked at Ishtaar pleadingly, hoping she hadn't been doing what had just occurred to 
him.

	"Never!"  Ishtaar said forcefully.  "I had more reason to hate Metallia, and by 
relation Beryl, than you did.  I have the same boss as Belldandy and Urd do.  I just 
work in a different department."

	"You're a goddess?"  Makoto asked, then gasped as Ishtaar changed from her Planetary 
Guard uniform to her formal uniform.

	"I am the Goddess Ishtaar, goddess of the hunt,"  She said formally.  "And right now, 
I'm here to visit my friends."  Kevin nodded in acceptance, then excused himself and walked 
out to the dojo.  When Ishtaar made to follow him, Makoto stopped her.

	"Don't you think you've done enough?"  Makoto asked angrily.

	"Listen Princess, nothing you or Kevin can say, will make me regret what I did."  Ishtaar 
replied.  "I was following orders from Kami-sama Himself.  That doesn't change the fact that 
Kevin is my friend, and when something hurts him, it hurts me as well."  Makoto released her 
arm in surprise, and she continued after Kevin.

	When she arrived at the dojo, Kevin was immersed in one of his most difficult katas.  
Ishtaar simply knelt and waited.  When he finished the kata, he was also kneeling facing 
her.  He stayed that way for several minutes, but Ishtaar patiently stayed where she was.  
Finally he opened his eyes and smiled.

	"I thought you'd follow me."  Kevin laughed.  "Neither of us ever could leave an 
argument unsettled."

	"Nope,"  Ishtaar replied, laughing as well.  "I think it was part of our training 
in 'Guards'.  Something Gunny Mordecal said about it coming back to bite you."

	"Never leave an argument unfinished, or it will bite you in the butt every time."  
Kevin mimicked in a gravelly voice with a bit of a strange accent, making Ishtaar roll 
with laughter.

	"You still do that perfectly."  She gasped, trying to regain control.  "I can see 
him stomping around with that cane of his.  He would use that thing to point at you when 
he asked a question, remember?"

	"And slam it on your desk if you weren't paying attention."  Kevin added ruefully.

	"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the Project, Zig-Zag."  Ishtaar said seriously.  
"But I was under orders not to let anyone know why I was really there."

	"So why were you really there?"  Kevin asked.  "I assume of course that after two 
thousand years, that order has been rescinded."

	"It was, but only last night."  Ishtaar replied.  "I got an E-mail from Kami-sama 
ordering me to come down here and talk to you and the Senshi, as well as checking the 
feasibility of continuing Project Fenrus with your help.  Part of my orders included 
the provision that if you were unwilling to participate, I was to start working on 
alternative plans."

	"So what is Project Fenrus?"  Kevin asked curiously.

	"Project Fenrus is, or rather was, the project I was working on back then."  
Ishtaar replied.  "An attempted to produce an elite Anti-Demon task force to assist 
the Krygsmag in minimizing the effects of Demonic Incursions as the original project 
outline said.  It was to consist of an assault squad of ten members who were to double 
as a reserve force, and a combat team of ten to twelve members."

	"You expect the Senshi to fight Demons?"  Kevin said in shock.  "Who's crazy 
idea was that?"

	"Kami-sama's."  Ishtaar answered innocently, then laughed at Kevin's stunned 
expression.  "Well, you asked.  But Kami-sama told me to remind you that the Inner 
Senshi defeated a Demon-Goddess before they'd had their powers more than a year.  
Even though most of them had to be resurrected after that, they accomplished something.  
The Krygsmag would lose more than half it's members attacking a Demon-Goddess in her 
home dimension, and we're all Gods and Goddess who have been training to fight Demons 
for thousands of years."

	"Okay, I guess you've convinced me."  Kevin said uncomfortably.  "You still 
haven't told me what your part of this project Fenrus was though."

	"Oh, I would have thought you'd have guessed that by now."  She laughed self-
consciously.  "I was supposed to monitor and assist in the training of Prince 
Siegmund Drakkar of Neptune as part of the assault squad.  I ended up learning 
more about combat from you than the other way around, but Kami-sama has always 
said that you learn more as the teacher than the student, so I guess that's how 
it was supposed to happen."  Kevin laughed in response, then stood up and helped 
her to her feet.

	"So, student, care for another lesson?"  He asked, smiling when she nodded 
in response.  "Alright, but I won't go easy on you.  Even goddess need to work 
on their skills."  He tossed her a practice blade, and smiled as she instantly 
assumed the high guard.  Then they began.

	Kevin lashed out with a feint to the mid-section, but she saw through it 
and parried his higher attack easily.  Then she forced him backward with several 
attacks that he parried easily.  He reversed his motion suddenly, and almost 
caught her with her guard down, but she managed to parry in time.  The both 
laughed and continued, driving each other around the room.  Finally, both of 
them sensing someone was in the room, they started trading flashier attacks 
until Ishtaar suddenly found herself without a sword, facing Kevin along the 
length of his blade.  "I yield."  she said, then heard the applause from 
behind her.  She turned to find herself facing a short young man she immediately 
decided must be Keichi.

	"On time as usual, Keichi."  Kevin said, confirming Ishtaar's suspicion.  
"Now that Ishtaar's warmed up, let's see how you do sparing against each other."  
Keichi just stared at Kevin in shock, while Ishtaar went to get her sword.  When 
she returned, Kevin handed Keichi his practice sword, let him warm up, and then 
had them spar.  As they fought, he had them stop periodically, so he could correct 
their stances, or show them why a certain attack had failed.  The afternoon passed 
quickly until Makoto cam to tell Kevin it was time for them to go.

	"I'll talk to the others, and let you know when and where the meeting will be, 
Ishi."  Kevin said after they had finished their cool down exercises.  "Where will 
you be staying, so I can contact you?"

	"Umm, I don't really know, Kevin."  Ishtaar replied blushing.  "I had originally 
planned to stay here, but Belldandy told me that there isn't any rooms free."

	"That's easy to fix."  Makoto said.  "She can stay with us at the castle in the 
east wing."

	"Are you sure Mako-chan?"  Kevin asked in surprise.

	"Absolutely."  Makoto replied.  "I want to get to know my old friend Ishtaar 
again.  Besides we need to have a woman to woman talk and this is perfect."

	"Okay."  Kevin said in confusion.  "Do you have any luggage?"  At Ishtaar's 
negative response, he shrugged and showed her the way to the car.  After she had 
gotten into the back seat, Makoto looked at her questioningly.

	"Did Kevin always drive like a maniac?"  She asked curiously.

	"Yep, but even so his driving was better than his flying."  Ishtaar replied 
with a shiver.  "If he ever invites you to come along on one of his practice 
flights, politely decline and walked away.  otherwise you might regret it."  Makoto 
laughingly agreed, then smiled up at Kevin innocently as he got in the driver's seat.

	"So how did Skuld's cooking lesson go?"  Kevin asked as they pulled away 
from the shrine.

	"You're teaching Skuld to cook?"  Ishtaar asked in surprise.  "That's a switch.  
Belldandy's been trying to get her interested in cooking for eight hundred years, but 
she was to busy inventing something or other."

	"I don't know why she asked me,"  Makoto replied.  "But she sure wants to learn 
now."

	"So what happened after I left?"  Kevin asked.  "I know Ishtaar followed me out, 
but that's it."

	"Well,"  Makoto began nervously, glancing over at Ishtaar.

				*	*	*	*	*	

EARLIER, JUST AFTER ISHTAAR LEFT TO FOLLOW KEVIN

	"Just who is this Ishtaar?"  Makoto demanded, turning to Belldandy.  "And what 
does she mean she was following orders?"

	"Ishtaar is a Goddess who was forced out of her home dimension by the Demon-
Goddess Metallia four thousand years ago."  Belldandy replied.  "She was part of a 
triumvirate ruling council that included Ishtaar, her older brother and her younger 
sister.  Of the three, Ishtaar was the only one who escaped when Metallia's demon 
defeated all of the protections that Ishtaar and her family had set up and conquered 
their dimension."

	"What about these orders she was talking about?"  Makoto asked in confusion.  
"What was she talking about?"

	"Almost three thousand years ago, Metallia's demons were caught trying to 
establish a treaty with Loki."  Belldandy said, continuing the story.  "When Ishtaar 
found out, she went nuts for three days, it was all we could do to keep her from 
running again.  When she had recovered, she spent a week locked in her room, typing 
up a proposal.  The result of that proposal was project Fenrus.  That was the first 
new idea anyone had suggested to deal with the demons in thirty thousand years.  
Because it was her idea, Kami-sama put Ishtaar on the project, overriding the 
objections of the director and both team leaders.  Part of the orders she was issued 
at the private briefing they gave her were extremely restrictive, but every member 
of the project Fenrus team was under orders to keep the project a secret from everyone 
else not on the project team."

	"What was Project Fenrus?"  Makoto asked in confusion.  "And what does it 
have to do with Kevin?"  Belldandy blushed, but Urd smiled at her sister reassuringly.

	"Project Fenrus was an attempt to produce a mortal fighting force to help 
the security department fight demons."  Urd said, shrugging.  "What it has to do 
with Kevin is the same thing it has to do with you and all of your friends.  You 
are all the end result of two thousand years of genetic control and specialized 
training.  In fact, from what she said at the time, if you had about ten more 
years, Metallia would have been destroyed then and there."

	"What do you mean?"  Makoto asked, even more confused.  "How can that be?"

	"Think about it."  Urd said impatiently.  "According to your files, at age 
eighteen, you had the same amount of power as your parents sis, just a little 
less training in its use.  You still had that amount of power when you awakened 
to your identities.  Every power increase since that was in excess of what your 
parents had.  From what I can tell, in the next five years, you will experience 
an even higher rate of power increase until you reach your full potential at 
about age twenty-four.  Or rather those who are still aging will.  That's part 
of the reason we want to get rid of this file damage that won't allow the three 
of you to continue aging."  Makoto nodded in understanding, then remembered 
something.

	"But Kevin was twenty-four when the Silver Millennium ended, and his power 
isn't any different from Scott's."  She said.  "How is that possible?"

	"First of all, I said about twenty-four, not at twenty-four."  Urd replied.  
"The last power increase is supposed to come anywhere from three months before to 
up to one year after that time.  Scott's power is actually a little lower than 
Kevin's, but because they have the same amount of training, the only way you can 
really tell is that for any given attack, Kevin is stronger afterwards than Scott.  
If things had progressed normally, the final stage wouldn't have been reached until
age twenty-eight anyway.  So neither of them is anywhere near Maximum power yet."  
Makoto gulped convulsively for a few seconds, then calmed down.

	"Okay, but how does she know Kevin?"  Makoto asked, a little jealously.  "I 
don't remember anyone named Ishtaar from back then that looked like she does."

	"That's probably because she was going by a nickname I gave her just after 
we met."  Skuld replied, giggling.  "Do you remember someone called Ishi?"  Makoto 
gasped as she remembered a cute girl with short red hair in an exact copy of the 
uniform Ishtaar had been wearing.  Imagining the girl standing next to Ishtaar, 
she realized that it was Ishtaar.  With that realization came a flood of memories.

	"Oh, Ishi, I'm so sorry."  Makoto whispered as her friend's near constant 
sadness and the nightmares she would have sometimes, finally made sense.  Deciding 
to speak to Ishtaar later about what had happened.  She smiled at Skuld and 
straightened her shoulders.  "I believe you asked me to teach you to cook, not 
interrogate you about your friends.  Shall we get started?"  Skuld nodded happily 
and they spent the next couple of hours on the basics of cooking.  They made a 
beef curry, chocolate cake, and finished up with a lesson on how to make sticky 
rice perfectly.  Belldandy acted as the judge and agreed that the rice was indeed 
perfect.

				*	*	*	*	*

	"It's okay, Makoto,"  Ishtaar said as Makoto apologized for the fifth time.  
"You didn't remember me, and reacted the way I would have in a similar situation."

	"So what was the meeting you and Kevin were talking about back there?"  Makoto 
asked curiously.  "Why do you want to talk to the others?"

	"Kami-sama would like to know if you are willing to finish Project Fenrus."  
Ishtaar replied, then laughed when Makoto blushed and started stuttering.  "Not the 
genetic part, silly.  He wants to know if you are all willing to under go the final 
training you would have gotten if you hadn't been stopped by Metallia's interference."

	"I know I am.  But I gather you need all of us, not just one or two."  Makoto 
said, seriously.  "I can't really speak for the others."

	"Count me in."  Kevin said as he turned into the driveway of Castle Drakkensheim.  
"I've been getting a little rusty lately.  Need a bit more of a challenge I think."

	"Oh, it'll be that."  Ishtaar laughed.  "Especially since Freya and Zelph get to 
train the four sword specialists if you accept.  They've both been learning sword 
techniques for over 12,000 years."

	"Who's going to teach the others?"  Makoto asked curiously.  

	"Well, those of you who use magic based attacks, which is probably all of you, 
you will train with Urd and Belldandy, since they are our best magic teachers.  Prince 
Ivar will be practicing with Thor for combat techniques, while prince Marcus will be 
with Heimdall, though that may be switched.  Anyone who hasn't trained in weapons training 
will be training in unarmed combat with the leaders of the Valkyrie."  Ishtaar giggled as 
Makoto just stared at her.  "Of course all of that might change if it needs to."

	"Okay, this is it."  Kevin said as they topped the last rise to the castle.  "My
 castle home."  Ishtaar whistled as she saw the massive stone structure.

	"Impressive."  She said, still taking it all in.  "It might take an army of 
servants to clean this place."

	"Sure does."  Makoto said, getting out of the car.  "But good old Kevin spares 
no expense to make me comfortable.  He even paid to have my room redecorated twice 
when I hated how it looked."  The first time Makoto shivered in revulsion at the 
memory.

	"Was it that bad?"  Ishtaar asked in surprise.  "I always thought Zig-Zag had 
excellent taste."

	"He does."  Makoto replied.  "Unfortunately, the decorator he hired to redecorate 
my room didn't believe him when he said the room should be similar to his.  She made 
it the typical frilly feminine room with pastel colors.  I took one look at it after 
the wedding and almost went into diabetic shock.  When he saw what she'd done, he 
fired her and had one of his friends come in to fix it.  Unfortunately he had accepted 
the room sight unseen and paid the decorator, so he had to pay for the second 
redecoration too.  Though he still won't tell me what it cost him."

	"And I never will,"  Kevin added.  "Though I really shouldn't be held responsible 
for approving that monstrosity.  The crazy woman called me in the middle of our honeymoon 
and someone was distracting me with a very naughty floor show while I was talking to 
her."  Makoto blushed bright red as he turned to look at her pointedly at the top of 
the front steps.  He laughed then rang the bell.

	"Hello Master Kevin, Mistress Makoto I hope your afternoon went well."  Jervis 
said as he ushered them inside.  "And the Young Lady?"

	"Oh yes, Jervis, this is Ishtaar, the friend I called about earlier who will be 
staying with us in the east wing."  Kevin said smiling at the balding retainer.  
"Ishtaar, this is my butler Jervis.  If you need anything at all, just ask him.  If 
he doesn't already have it, he'll get it for you."

	"A pleasure Miss."  Jervis said, kissing her hand. "I'll have Myria take you 
to your room.  Where have you left your luggage?"

	"It will arrive shortly, Jervis."  Ishtaar said, smiling at the old man.  
"I'll see you two at dinner."  She followed the young maid who led her to the 
three-room suite that had been prepared.  Kevin and Makoto went to the master 
suite to change for dinner as well.

				*	*	*	*	*

	Zelph yawned as he stepped into his office, stretching.  He logged onto his 
computer, checked his E-mail, and then checked the search results.  He swore at 
the numbers it showed.  Over the past twenty-five thousand years, five hundred 
million files had been altered in his way without it being discovered until now.  
When he checked for common factors he found that it ran in specific bloodlines and 
that only those bloodline files could be altered.  Why three of the people who 
resulted from project Fenrus had altered files stumped him until he crossed checked 
the bloodline against Freya's gene pool for the project.  What he saw there made 
him swear so much his secretary looked into his office in worry.  Of the fifteen 
final Senshi, four of them had connections to the effected families, and Scott 
Schwartzstern was the only one with all six of them in his genetic make up.  Then 
came his wife with four of them.  Kevin and Makoto only had two of the required 
connections.  As he was thinking about this, he saw another pattern and ran a search.  
He gasped when he read the results and ran to data processing.

	"I need a status report on file 32-6549701-493C and file 24-6342563-001A, now."  
He told the technician at the secure terminal, showing her his ID.  She gasped when 
she read it and brought the files up on her terminal.  "Now do a power level scan 
with the full rank spectrum, not just the mortal bands."

	"It says they read as Avatars, level 001, sir."  She said, typing another 
command in, then she gulped.  "At full inception, both will be class A goddess 
with full powers and prerogatives."

	"Are you sure?"  Zelph asked, fear coloring his tone.  The technician just 
nodded, awestruck.  "I need their locations now.  This could get nasty."

	"I'm sorry sir."  She said after she asked the system for the data.  "It only 
gives the location as Earth, Japan.  There's too much interference from their power 
to get any closer."  Zelph nodded and left data processing, thinking fast.

	"Why would two class A goddess become Avatars and go to Earth?"  He asked 
himself, walking through his private garden.  "What is in Japan that they want?  
I guess the only way to find out is to find them and ask.  Now how am I going to 
do that?"  Zelph walked back to his office and started thinking about how to filter 
out the interference from a power level nearly equal to Kami-sama's.  Without really 
expecting an answer, he typed in a query to find out who would be able to construct 
such a filter either as a group or separately.  He laughed when the computer said 
there were two people currently on Earth who could accomplish the task together.

	"It had better not be Bill Gates."  He muttered as he requested the names and 
locations of the two people, then he started rolling on the floor when he saw who it 
was.  He was laughing so hard, he didn't hear his secretary come in, or her worried 
question.

	"Sir, are you all right?"  She finally asked, then giggled when she saw him 
laughing on the floor.  "What's so funny sir?"

	"Life and the twists of fate,"  He said cryptically.  "Either that or this is 
the best cosmic joke of all time."  His secretary left in confusion and Zelph started 
trying to figure out how to convince Skuld and Ami Schwartzstern to help him find 
these two Avatars.

				*	*	*	*	*

	"The reason I called this meeting is in connection with what we found out 
two weeks ago."  Kevin began, talking to the other Senshi who were scattered around 
the table.  "A friend of mine from a long time ago has some information for us.  
Then she has a proposition to make us."

	"Is she a goddess?"  Haruka asked.  "If she isn't, you might as well forget 
it.  I'm not revealing my identity to anyone."

	"As a matter of fact, she is a goddess,"  Kevin replied, feeling insulted.  
"I wouldn't have called you here otherwise.  But without any other questions or 
comments?"  Receiving none, he asked Ishtaar to join them.

	She came into the room, dressed in her Neptune Planetary Guard Uniform.  Her 
hair was cut short again, revealing her past appearance.  Michiru and Scott gasped 
as Memories flooded back in, reminding them of the last time they had seen her.

	"Colonel Ishi?"  Michiru asked in amazement.  "But how?  You were on Neptune 
when the Trident failed."

	"I'll explain later about that."  Ishtaar said, reverting to her formal uniform.  
"What I'm here to do is give you some information, maybe answer a few questions, then 
make a request.  So since you are all here, grab some snacks and we'll get started."  
Everyone grabbed some of the food Kevin and Makoto had brought in.

	"So what is the information about?"  Ami asked once everyone was back in their 
seats around the table.

	"What it's about is who you are, and why you have the powers that you do."  
Ishtaar replied.  "Now before you ask, I already know that you are the Sailor Senshi, 
and that you were originally born as Princes and Princesses two thousand years ago.  
What I'm here to talk to you about is Project Fenrus, one of Kami-sama's special 
projects, and what it means in your lives."  As Ishtaar explained about how Project 
Fenrus came to be, and what it actually was, the Senshi became absorbed in the story.  
Ishtaar ended the story by telling them Metallia had probably wanted to take over 
Usagi's body, not kill her.

	"So what was your part in this project."  Haruka asked.  "It's obvious that 
you were from the Silver Millennium, from the amount you know about it.  I just 
want to know why Michiru knows you, if most of your work had to be kept hidden."

	"At the end of the Silver Millennium, I was assigned to help train Prince 
Siegmund Drakkar of Neptune."  Ishtaar said smiling at Kevin.  "Prior to that, I 
was the assistant to the training director.  But the reason Michiru knows me, is 
that as part of my assignment, I was a member of the Neptune Planetary guard.  
Add to that the fact that I was also Prince Siegmund's friend, and later her father's 
body guard.  It's understandable that she knows me."

	"So you were Colonel Ishi?"  Michiru asked.  "But how did you escape?  You 
were on Neptune when the Trident crashed."

	"I was recalled just before your father shut it down."  Ishtaar replied sadly, 
then nodded when Michiru threw her a questioning look.  "Yes, he shut it off 
voluntarily.  The invasion force had just breached the defenses and was on their 
way to the permanent gate to the moon.  So with the approval of your mother, he 
shut the trident down, instantly killing everything on Neptune.  I wouldn't be 
at all surprised if that's what happened on all of the gas giants.  The people 
in the outer worlds were fiercely independent."

	"What is your request?"  Usagi asked curiously.  "What can we do that you 
can't do better?"

	"Yeah, your a goddess."  Wesley added.  "What could we possibly even do 
to help you?"

	"Kami-sama would like to know if you are all willing to be tested.  Then 
given training based on your abilities."  Ishtaar replied seriously.

	"What would be involved in this testing."  Minako asked nervously. "Not 
physical examinations or anything sick like that, I hope."

	"No physicals at all,"  Ishtaar reassured them.  "The testing is to 
determine your magical and combat abilities, so that we can prepare you to 
fight demons."

	"But I don't want to fight demons!"  Usagi wailed, bring everyone's 
attention to her.  "Isn't there some way to just tell them to go away?"

	"Princess Serenity, do you actually think someone like Metallia would 
listen if you just told them to go away."  Ishtaar said in disbelief.  When 
Usagi shook her head, Ishtaar sighed in relief.  "I agree Metallia would have 
laughed in your face.  Loki is worse than Metallia ever was.  He just has less 
gullible opponents.  From the latest reports of demon activity, we feel that 
they're being too quiet.  They're planning something big, and we need to be 
as ready as we can."

	"How can we train fast enough to be any use to you.  If they're already 
preparing something?"  James asked quietly.  "Just how long do we have to get 
ready?"

	"Based on our latest projections, we have six months, which is more than 
enough time if what Belldandy reported was accurate."  Ishtaar assured them.  
"But we need to get started as soon as possible to prepare you as well as we'd 
like.  Their is also the difficult of your lower numbers than was originally 
planned.  I have to work on that once you agree to be tested."

	"Well, I don't know about you guy's,"  Makoto said, getting to her feet.  
"But if this Loki is as bad as Ishtaar is saying, I don't think we have any choice.  
We can't let him do to Earth what Metallia did to the Moon Kingdom."

	"You're right, Makoto."  Haruka said nodding.  "We can't let anything happen 
to Earth or it's people.  I'm in."  The other Senshi and Planetary Knight's agreed, 
with Usagi and Scott reluctantly agreeing last.

	"Excellent, I'll make the arrangements for the testing immediately."  Ishtaar 
said happily.  "Please be here at six o'clock tomorrow morning.  We haven't a moment 
to lose."  She vanished in a burst of wind as the others got to their feet.

	"Well, if I had any doubts about her claim to being a goddess before, that got 
rid of them."  Haruka said, as everyone else who'd had any doubts, nodded in agreement.

				*	*	*	*	*

	Zelph opened a portal to the Nekomi Shrine and stepped through it, hoping 
his plan would work.  He went looking for Skuld, and found her where he had 
expected, in her room working on one of her inventions.

	"Hello Skuld, what is that you're working on?"  He asked after he knocked 
on the door to get her attention.

	"It's a portal scan filter."  She replied absently.  "It can be used to 
determine differences between people."

	"Could it be used to detect Avatars?"  Zelph asked, amazed at how easy 
it seemed to be going.

	"Sure, but you'd need a visual scanning system and something to compare 
them to."  Skuld replied.  "It would also depend on their power level.  Up to 
009, you could differentiate them by comparing them to normal humans, but the 
higher power levels, especially 002 or 001, are harder to locate because their 
power hides them more.  You'd have to compare them to at least a Third class to 
get an accurate reading.  Even then I'd have to recalibrate it."

	"So how long would it take to come up with the necessary equipment?"  Zelph 
asked worried.  

	"Well, the recalibration will take about four hours,"  Skuld replied.  "The 
problem is the visual scanning system.  It will take at least a week to come up 
with the plans, then if I can get all of the parts, another two weeks at least to 
get the sensitivity high enough to do you any good."

	"Three weeks is way too much time."  Zelph said, panic stricken.  "I have to 
find them in less than a week."

	"What's the hurry."  Skuld asked.  "It's not as if we don't know where all 
the Avatars are.  They all have to be cleared by Kami-sama himself."

	"That's just it."  Zelph replied in concern.  "I located two unauthorized 
level 001 Avatars in Japan on Earth.  Because of their power levels, I couldn't 
narrow it down anymore than that."

	"But a level 001 Avatar would mean a class A deity."  Skuld said in confusion.  
"Why would one of them form an Avatar bond.  It would make them extremely vulnerable."

	"I know."  Zelph said, nodding in shared confusion.  "The only reason any of 
us forms an Avatar bond is if we are heavily injured and can't recover otherwise.  
I'd hate to see what could hurt a class A that bad, but what other reason would 
they have for forming an Avatar bond."

	"What if what they wanted was the undetectability of a class 001 Avatar?"  
Skuld asked, suddenly thinking of something.  "I doubt even Kami-sama would be 
able to find one that didn't want to be found if he didn't know their energy 
pattern."

	"So we have two class A goddesses who don't want to be found, wandering 
this dimension?"  Zelph asked in horror.  "That's worse than the idea of something 
could injure a class A deity.  Why don't they want to be found?"

	"You'd have to ask them about it."  Skuld replied, then gasped in realization.  
"Which is why you need the scan filter.  But where can we find the visual scanning 
system?"

	"Maybe Makoto's friend Ami knows."  Zelph said, remembering what his search 
had turned up.  "Yggdrasil said that the two of you working together could locate 
them."

	"Maybe I can narrow the search area a little."  Skuld said logging onto 
Yggdrasil though her secure downlink.  "Hmm.  Not sensitive enough to locate a 
001.  Okay, let's try this."  She typed into her terminal rapidly, changing 
some of the search settings.

	"Just what are you doing?"  Zelph asked in shock.  "Some of those 
parameters would disqualify an ant from being located.  How could you possibly 
find an Avatar with those settings?"

	"The same way sonar operators find ballistic missile submarines."  Skuld 
replied, laughing at his confused look.  "By looking for holes in the background 
noise.  Level 001 Avatars are very difficult to find, unless they are in a very 
life filled environment.  Then the intensive dampening field they project to hide 
themselves blocks out some of the natural background signal around them."  She 
started the search and sat back in her chair.

	"So you're going to look for two dead zones in Japan?"  Zelph asked 
incredulously.  "How do we know it not just a mountain or something?"

	"Because even mountains and deserts would register higher than I've set 
these parameters."  Skuld said patiently, then chilled as Yggdrasil gave her 
the location.  "It says they are about 100km from Okayama, near the Misaki 
shrine.  They don't seem to be moving much, which is understandable, considering 
it's 4 am right now.  If you don't mind, I'm going to bed now.  You can sleep 
on the living room couch if you like, then you can go and talk to Mrs. Schwartzstern 
about the visual scanner."  Skuld pushed him out of her room, yawned, and closed 
the door.  Zelph laid down on the couch and was promptly asleep.

				*	*	*	*	*

END OF PART II

	Author's Notes:  Well that's part II.  We hope you're enjoying this as 
much as we are.  It's strange how stories seem to right themselves.  In part 
III, we get to see what goddess training is like, and what a God first class 
does when he's confronted with conflicting orders.  We also get to see who 
Orion hangs out with in his off time.  So until next time.  See-ja in part 
three "Why not?"

	Eric Thorsen				Stacko

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