(Steve Stachowicz)
gerrek@hotmail.com
(Matthew Frey)
mafrey@charter.net
Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/shores/2307
Swords of Destiny
By
Eric Thorsen and Stacko
LEGAL STUFF:
** The characters and concepts used here are the property of those people
and companies holding the copyrights to the respective storylines, series,
and movies. The only exceptions are those created by the demented minds of
authors of this story. The use of this material should be seen as the sign
of respect that it is. Besides, suing either of us would be a waste of time
since we don't have any money to begin with.
Umm ... umm ... oh yeah ...
********************************************
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Dark Quickening Part III
********************************************
Makoto relaxed a little when she saw Kevin's black Hummer pull up
outside Scott's cabin, and she went into the kitchen and started dishing
up the meal she'd made to pass the two hour wait until he arrived. Ami
came in to help, carrying the old photo album she had found.
"What smells so good?" Kevin said as he came into the room when he
saw the meal laid out on the table, he smiled mischievously and clasped
his hands in front of himself. "Oh honey, you shouldn't have." He said
in a sickeningly sweet tone. When Makoto hit him in the face with a
dishcloth, he just laughed and sat down across from her.
"Do you know how long it will take us to get to France?" Ami asked
as they ate.
"About an hour." Kevin replied after complimenting Makoto on the
food. "They were refueling Mariah when I left, so as soon as you're ready
to go, we can head back there."
Ami nodded in acceptance and they finished their meal in a companionable
silence. They had cleaned up and were getting ready to leave, when they heard
a knock at the door. Kevin went to answer it. A girl in her mid-twenties was
at the door in a waitress outfit that he recognized from 'Indian Echoes'.
"Hello Cara." Kevin said in silence. "How are you?"
"I'm doing well, Ziggy." Cara replied obviously not expecting him to
be there. "Is Devon here?"
"Actually he just left earlier this afternoon." Kevin replied non-
chalantly. "One of his friends just died unexpectedly."
"Oh, how shocking." Cara said, shocked. "I hope he's all right."
"He's actually been fighting off a virus for the past couple of days."
Ami said, coming to the door. "Have you noticed any strange behavior?"
"Yes actually." Cara said, blushing as she remembered what he'd said
to her the night before. "Would this virus affect his mind?"
"Absolutely." Kevin said sounding relieved. "But if it was, that
means he was almost over the worst of it."
"Oh, that's good." Cara said, completely confused. "Tell him I hope
he feels better soon."
"Okay, I will." Kevin said with a smile. "Was there anything I could
help you with?"
"No, that's okay Ziggy." Cara said with a shrug. "I have to get going
if I'm going to make it for my shift at 'Echoes'."
"Okay then, I guess I'll see you around sometime." Kevin replied. "Take
care of yourself Cara."
"Don't worry Ziggy, I always do." Cara said with a laugh as she walked
back to her car and drove off.
"Who was that Kevin?" Makoto asked a little too quietly.
"Her name is Cara Jones." Kevin said calmly, watching her car disappear.
"She's had a crush on Scott, or I should say 'Devon Knight' since she was in high
school. As far as I know, nothing has ever happened, though Scott does know about
it."
"Oh." Makoto said, blinking a little in shock.
"Anyway, shall we get going?" Kevin said shaking his head to clear
the memories he had of the cabin. "The longer we wait, the harder it will
be to find Scott again."
The girls agreed and after packing their overnight bags, while Kevin
called to check on the fueling, they were soon on their way. They were all
deep in thought during the trip back to the airport, but once they were in
the air on their way, Ami and Makoto asked to see the sword Kevin had brought.
In response, Kevin went back to one of the bedrooms and brought back a case
that matched his earlier description, then pulled a strange looking key out
of his pocket and set it on the table next to the case.
"I decided to bring the case itself since we might need something besides
his sword." Kevin explained.
"So what else is inside besides his sword?" Makoto asked with interest.
Kevin blushed a little as he picked up the key and started to play with
it in embarrassment. "I actually don't really know." He said uncomfortably.
"I was in such a rush that I just threw it on the plane and hurried back."
"Are you sure that was the only reason?" Ami asked, noticing an odd
expression on Kevin's face, as if he was struggling to forget something.
"What happened Kevin? You normally would have checked the case to make sure
it had what we were looking for in it."
"Umm, well ..." Kevin said, then sighed. "I know this is going to sound
strange to you, but bear with me okay?" The girls nodded, their interest obvious.
# # # # #
Kevin parked the DB7 in an alley near the Nashimoto shrine and
walked through the shrine entrance, expecting the massive Torii to fall
on him. When it didn't, he sighed relieved, and continued to the
caretaker's cottage.
"Mr. O'Connell?" The caretaker, Taiichi Aoba, asked in surprise
as he came to answer Kevin's knock. "The chieftain said you and he
would not be returning until Saturday. I hope nothing is wrong."
"Nothing that we can't handle." Kevin said with a reassuring
smile. "How are Mutsumi and the children?"
"Very well." Taiichi replied proudly, and then smiled. "But
you did not return from your vacation early to ask about my family.
What may I do for you?"
"Scott told me to came and get a case he put in storage here."
Kevin explained. "It's made of an odd black wood with silver ornaments."
"I know exactly the piece you describe." The caretaker said in
recognition, and then frowned. "It is odd that he would send you to
fetch it however."
"Why is that?" Kevin asked in surprise.
"Because he put it in the heart of the Nashimoto Family Crypt."
Taiichi said with a smile for Kevin's involuntary shiver. "While the
Ancestor's might forgive Lord Scott for entering their domain, you
might not fair so well. Especially with your unfortunate connection
to the Nakijima Clan."
"Not fair so well?" Kevin grumbled, imagining Scott's reaction
if he saw the signs of superstition he was showing. "More like might
not get out alive at any rate. Problem is I'm the only one who can go
after it, since Scott is stuck trying to find other parts of the
solution to his problem. So I guess I'll have to chance it."
"Good luck then, sir." Taiichi said with a sympathetic smile.
"We will watch for your return."
"Thanks." Kevin muttered in response as he walked toward the
entrance to the Family Crypt.
As he followed the winding passages as they spiraled down toward
the chamber he was seeking, he could hear odd noises, and things that
sounded like whispers, but he did his best to ignore them, and finally
came to the heart of the crypt. As he looked around at the various
treasures, he found the case and what would be the Nashimoto Clan sword
sitting on a low table against the far wall. He lifted the case to his
shoulder and turned to leave, that was when he finally understood what
the whispers and other sounds had been.
"So, a Nakijima dares to invade these precincts." The glowing
apparition said angrily, to be seconded by angry mutters from the others
behind it. "I would not have thought even one of their kind could be so
foolish. Did you think we would not know what manner of person was
walking our halls?" As he said this, several more glowing forms can
into the chamber.
"Umm ... actually ... ahh ... I was kind of hoping you wouldn't
notice me." Kevin said nervously as more glowing figures came into the
room. By this time, there were many forms scattered throughout the
chamber. "You see I need this box and ..."
"Silence!" A booming voice called over the chattering voices of
the ancestral spirits of the Nashimoto Clan. A path was opened and the
towering figure of Tetsuo Nashimoto, the only Nashimoto to become a Daimyo,
came into the circle of figures. The spirit looked at Kevin then turned
to the other spirits. "This man is not our enemy." He growled at the
crowd. He then waited for their reply.
"He is the last of the hated Nakijima." Onizuka Nashimoto hissed
in denial. "He must pay for the crimes of his clan." Several other
spirits cheered in agreement while others remained silent. When the
cheering died down, another spirit spoke.
"I would like to hear what he has to say for himself." Mitsumi
Nashimoto, Tetsuo's wife, said quietly. "Perhaps there's sufficient
reason for this intrusion. I doubt even a ninja of the Nakijima Clan
is foolhardy enough to attempt invasion of the Nashimoto crypt for
something as simple as that box, which the Chosen One placed here, while
there are more valuable treasure here to take." Many more spirits
shouted in agreement until the hall was filled with shouts for an
explanation.
"You may explain yourself, but do not attempt to lie." Tetsuo said
evenly. "But be warned, if your cause is not just, you will not depart
this place alive."
"Okay." Kevin said, realizing he really didn't have any choice,
so he set the case on the ground. "So what is it you wish to know?"
"First, why you, one of the Chosen, chose to ally yourself with
the Nakijima Clan?" Mitsumi said, settling herself nest to her husband
on a pile of treasures.
"To begin with, it was more of a forced alliance than anything else."
Kevin replied with a sigh. "When Scott and I went our separate ways six
hundred years ago, I traveled these islands aimlessly for several months.
In about the fourth month, I stumbled onto a plot to assassinate the Daimyo
of the Okayama district."
"More likely you helped to orchestrate it." Onizuka growled
maliciously, only to be silence by a glare from Tetsuo.
"Pray continue." Mitsumi said once the commotion had settled.
"You have thus far spoken truth."
"After attempting to stop the assassination of someone I thought
to be a good man, I discovered that his son and heir was a vicious
coward who had hired the Nakijima to eliminate his own father." Kevin
stopped when a roar of disapproval for this act came from the spirits
in the chamber. When Mitsumi nodded to him, he continued. "He pretended
to honor me for preserving himself and his family, and hired Kiroyoshi
Nakijima to kill me. It was after his forth failure that I caught him
in a trap I had set for him. Since he knew I had died at his hand only
hours before, he was very fearful, thinking I was some kind of God or
Demon or something. That's why he told me everything when I demanded
to know why he had been trying to kill me."
"I confronted the new Daimyo with his crimes, he of course denied
everything, and the captain of his bodyguard demanded that I produce
evidence." Kevin sighed as he remembered what had happened next. "That
was when I made my main tactical error. You see, while I had learned
enough of the culture of your people to avoid insult in most cases, I
was unaware of protocols or rather the lack of them relating to ninja.
When Kiroyoshi was brought into the chamber, the Daimyo accused me of
trying to assassinate him and his bodyguards rushed us. In the resulting
battle, the Daimyo and his bodyguards were killed. After that, I saw no
choice except to join the Nakijima clan for protection from the soldiers
the Shogun sent after us."
"I find no evil in this." Tetsuo declared. "Only youthful
foolishness." The other spirits agreed loudly and Mitsumi nodded with
a smile to indicate that she was satisfied.
"Now to something more to the point." Onizuka said with a grim
smile. "For what reason do you enter our domain and attempt to remove
one of the treasures of our family?"
"To cure Scott Schwartzstern of a disease unique to the Chosen
Ones." Kevin replied, and was immediately met by a roar of shock and
surprise.
"He lies." Onizuka charged angrily. "All know that the Chosen
Ones are immune to every illness of the body."
"Very true, Honored one." Kevin said, receiving an approving nod
from Mitsumi. "We are, as you say, immune to all disease of the body.
However, what afflicts the sole surviving member of your clan is not of
the body, but of the spirit." The chamber was brought in an uproar at
this and it took several minutes for order to be restored.
"What Demon has such power?" Tetsuo demanded, fear coloring his
tone slightly. "Is no one safe from them?"
"Honored One, we don't know what causes a Dark Quickening, as it
is called." Kevin said with an uncomfortable shrug. "As far as we can
tell, only the Chosen Ones are affected by it, but we don't know for
sure. What we do know is that a Dark Quickening can, and does, change
a person's behavior patterns. In effect, an evil person becomes worse
and a good person becomes selfish, if not completely evil."
"But what can this box do to cure him?" Lady Mitsumi asked in
confusion. "It is only a wooden box."
"Not exactly, my love." Tetsuo said with a smile. "When Akuji
brought it here, I attempted to view it's contents. There is a barrier
preventing anything or anyone from viewing its contents, even spirits."
"That's odd." Kevin said to himself. "Who would put that kind
of barrier on a wood box?"
"I know not." Tetsuo replied, smiling when Kevin jumped. "However,
the magic is old and has an evil taint."
"Beryl." Kevin muttered. "But why ... Never mind. My Lord, the
reason I need this box is that it contains artifacts of Scott's life
before he became one of the Chosen. They only cure for a Dark Quickening
that my friends and I have been able to discover, requires something to
remind him of who he is, and this box is supposed to contain what is probably
the only relics from that part of his life."
"Then open it and let us see what is inside." Onizuka said eagerly.
"If it contains as you say, relics from Akuji's past, then it is our right
to view them." When Kevin looked to Tetsuo, the ghost only nodded in
agreement.
"Okay, sure, why not?" Kevin said finally with a shrug. "If I
may?" He said to Tetsuo who nodded again. So Kevin walked over to the
case and tried to open it. He realized that he couldn't open it and it
appeared that he needed a key to open it. "I need a key to open this box."
"Here." Came a soft female voice before any of the other spirits
could say anything. Kevin and the spirits saw Miyuki walk up and over
to Kevin. "I think this is what you are looking for."
She held out her hand and sitting there was an intricate looking
key. Kevin reached out and took the key for her and watched as she
walked back into the crowd of spirits and then lost sight of her. He
looked down at the key and then looked down at the box. He inserted
the key into the lock and on a hunch; he turned the key to the right
and the lid of the box popped open. With a sigh of relief, he lifted
the lid, revealing a strange collection of weapons and armor in a fitted
liner.
Each item was isolated in its own compartment and they all
gleamed as if they were new. Some of what the collection included
two metal bracers for the right arm, a dagger and two swords. The
swords were what drew his attention. As he reached for one, it was
as if his hand had a mind of it's own and he ended up pulling the
other one out of the case. As he did, there was a burst of green
light from the gem set in the hilt and a symbol Kevin recognized
appeared on the hilt.
"What does this mean?" Tetsuo asked Kevin. "As you removed
the sword, a trident appeared here." He touched the middle of his
own forehead.
"I do not know, my Lord." Kevin said, testing the sword for
balance as he did so, it changed in a bright flash of light, taking
shape as a Ninja-to. This occurrence was greeted by hisses of
surprise.
"It knows the nature of he who holds it." Onizuka jeered.
"More likely it merely knows the bearer's weapon of choice."
Tetsuo said with no trace of censure in his smiling gaze. "A worthy
blade, even if its shape is dishonorable. Is this the item you are
looking for?"
"No, in fact, I intended to pull the other sword out." Kevin
said with a rueful smile. "Something made me take this one instead."
He reached into the case with his left hand and pulled the other sword
out of the case. There were none of the effects that had occurred
before and it felt different from the one he held in his right hand.
"It seems that each sword only recognizes one owner." Tetsuo
said approvingly. "This means that you are the rightful owner of the
first, but the other belongs to Akuji. I charge you with the task of
conveying it to him. Further, I charge you to command him to present
himself here to me, that I may learn of his own experience. Now, go
forth and carry out your tasks." Without even thinking about it,
Kevin replaced the swords inside the case and closed it, then left
the chamber and followed the passage out of the crypt.
# # # # #
"When I came out, Taiichi was pretty surprised that I had come
back." Kevin laughed. "He wanted me to tell him what happened, but
I didn't want to wait too long. So I went back to the airport and took
off as soon as the refueling was done."
"You really talked to the ancestral spirits of Scott's Clan?"
Ami asked in surprise. "But I thought they were just a myth."
"That's the same thing we said about Dark Quickenings." Makoto
said seriously. "I'm coming to think that some of these myths everyone
in society says they don't believe are actually reality."
"I wouldn't be surprised if you're right." Kevin said, then came
to his feet and unlocked the case. "This is the sword Tetsuo said
belongs to Scott."
The sword gleamed in the lights of the cabin as Makoto and Ami
looked at it. It was Ami who noticed the symbol on the hilt under a
bright blue sapphire that seemed to glow with a sullen light.
"Why would his sword have a capital H with a line down the center
on it?" She asked. "Is that the symbol for Minerva?"
"Why are you asking me?" Kevin replied with a shrug. "You could
probably find out faster by asking your computer to display the symbol
for Minerva. If that works, maybe you can tell me what a trident stands
for."
"Neptune of course." Makoto said, swatting him on the head. "It's
where you come from after all. Honestly, you've been calling Michiru your
sister for five months now, and you haven't figured out that you're a
prince of Neptune?"
"Oh, I knew that." Kevin laughed self-consciously. "I just
didn't remember what the royal symbol of Neptune was."
"Well here it is." Ami said, turning her computer to face him.
On the screen was a sword that looked like his had before it had changed.
"From the data it had, these swords are keyed to genetic patterns present
in each families DNA. It's some kind of interface gene. I wouldn't be
surprised to find that same kind of key involved with our Senshi powers."
"But your Senshi powers need that kind of protection." Kevin said
in confusion. "Why would our swords need it?"
Ami was about to respond when Mariah's voice came over the intercom.
"Kevin, would you please come to the cockpit? There's something I need to
show you."
"On my way." Kevin said getting out of his chair quickly and
walking to the cockpit. As he approached the hatch, it slid out of
the way. "What's going on Mariah?" He asked, sliding into the pilot's
chair.
"There's a storm that just moved in over the English channel."
Mariah replied. "The winds in Paris just hit 75 knots and London isn't
much better."
"Alternate landing sites?" Kevin said activating the navigation
terminal. "What about Edinburgh?"
"Over crowded with traffic directed away from the two effected
airports." Mariah replied, her image shrugging apologetically. "The
reason I called you up here was that I need your approval for my landing
site. None of the airfields capable of handling us in a normal landing
have any space right now for us because of the storm, so I need approval
to perform a vertical landing at a medium size airfield near Aberdeen."
The navigation terminal shifted to a map showing the airport she meant.
"Have you warned them that we're coming and that the landing might
damage their runway?" Kevin asked, checking the airport's facilities.
"Yes I did." Mariah said with a smile. "They didn't believe meant
first, but I think they do now that we're on their radar. I don't think
we'll do much damage to their runways though. I've been practicing since
the last time we tried this."
"I would hope so." Kevin chuckled, making Mariah blush. "Last time
you melted the runway and part of the dirt under it. They had to tear that
entire section out and start over from the beginning."
"I know." Mariah sighed. "Our estimated time of arrival is in fifteen
minutes, so you'd better warn the others." Her image was pointedly ignoring
him, so Kevin left the cockpit to tell the others what was going to happen.
"What did Mariah want?" Makoto asked as he came into the entertainment
room where she was practicing the game Minako had been beating her on, while
Ami sat in one of the chairs and read a book.
"She needed permission to use an alternate landing field." Kevin said
as she turned the game off. "If you ladies will come with me, Mariah will be
doing a vertical landing, and I think you will enjoy watching this from the
cockpit. The view from there will be spectacular."
"Mariah can do that?" Ami asked in surprise. "I thought a plane this
big with VTOL capabilities was impossible, or at least that the fuel consumption
would be too high to make it practical."
"My engineers told me the same thing when I told them I wanted her to be
able to do it." Kevin chuckled as they walked toward the cockpit. "What I told
them was that I didn't understand why it shouldn't be possible, then I challenged
them to find a way to do it. It only took them two months to do it. It's actually
the reason Mariah has eight engines in the first place. The original design only
called for four."
"Vectoring system is online and fully operational, Kevin." Mariah
said as they came into the cockpit. "The flight control tower has directed
us to a cleared area away from the hangers and other buildings, so we won't
have to worry about scorching any people as we come in. We've been cleared
for landing."
"You are authorized to land in vector mode." Kevin said, repeating
the phrase in Afrikaans and Old Gaelic.
"Acknowledged." Mariah said and made a sweeping right turn. Her
speed dropped abruptly and an eerie blue glow lit the field around them as
they came to a stop above the tarmac, and then slowly lowered, landing with
a slight bump. "Vector landing complete, all flight systems at standby. We
did it Kevin!" Her excitement was so obvious, everyone in the cockpit
chuckled.
"That's right Mariah, we did it." Kevin said with a smile. "Would
you check the ground temperature for me, under the vector jets? I want to
see how this idea of yours worked."
"Ground temperature readings are at 46 Celsius and falling Kevin."
Mariah said with a giggle. "No blast damage visible. Peak temperature
immediately after landing was 100 Celsius."
"Very good Mariah." Kevin congratulated her. "That was much better
than the test. How long does this storm look to last?"
"It looks like the rest of the night." Mariah said apologetically.
"After it took this radical shift in direction, it seems to have stalled,
but at the rate it's going, it should wear itself out by tomorrow morning."
"Okay, take the engines through their cool down cycles, then shut them
down for the night." Kevin said with a sigh. "I'll go talk to the Head
Controller, then I guess we'll be staying here for the night. Makoto, would
you please make us some dinner? I would, but I have to go talk to the
Controller."
"Okay." Makoto replied, heading off to the galley with Ami.
Kevin went to explain about the landing, then came back just in time
for dinner. They were all watching a movie when Mariah interrupted
them again.
"Kevin, there is a woman outside the hatch who says she needs
to talk to the three of you." Mariah said, pausing the movie, and
replacing the image with a view from one of her cameras. Ami
immediately recognized who it was.
"Why is Setsuna here?" She asked, worried.
"I guess we're about to find out." Kevin said while Makoto
laid a reassuring hand on Ami's shoulder. "Let her in Mariah, she's
a friend of ours."
"Okay Kevin." Mariah replied. "I'll let her know where to find
you." Setsuna came into the room shortly, and politely declined their
offer of food.
"What can we do for you Setsuna?" Kevin asked with a questioning
look. "I highly doubt that this is a social call."
"You're quite right." Setsuna replied with a slight smile. "The
reason I came was to talk to you about the weapons you recovered
yesterday. May I see them?"
"Sure." Kevin said with a baffled shrug. He went to the conference
room and returned shortly with the case, which he set in front of her and
opened it. Setsuna gasped at what she saw and sank into a chair.
"I hardly dared hope that they had all survived." She said in relief.
"Thank you Kevin, you have relieved my mind immensely. But I mustn't keep
you ay longer."
"Setsuna, what is so special about all of this stuff?" Makoto
asked as the older woman stood up to leave.
"These are the power keys of the Planetary Knights, or at least
all that remain." Setsuna replied. "They are used in much the same
way as our Henshin rods." With that she left the room and three very
confused people.
"Mariah, seal the hatch." Kevin barked. "Give me the location
of the person who just left this room."
"She's ... she's gone Kevin." Mariah said, sounding confused.
"I don't know how, but she didn't go out the hatch and she's no where
on board."
"It's okay Mariah." Kevin said with a sigh. "She does that
sometimes. What's the status on the storm?"
"It's moved back out to sea." Mariah replied, sounding even
more confused. "Both Paris and London are clear and accepting traffic."
"Notify the control tower that we will be performing a short
runway take off." Kevin said immediately. "Begin main engine warm
ups and bring us to the end of this fields longest runway as soon as
we have clearance." Mariah acknowledged the order, and Kevin went to
the cockpit while Makoto and Ami buckled themselves in. Half an hour
later, they landed in Paris and were met by Al.
"Strange weather we're having, isn't it?" Al said with a smile
as he got into the Hummer. "The locals say they've never seen anything
like it."
"Doesn't surprise me in the slightest." Kevin said with a yawn.
"Anything new?"
"Actually I got a message for Ami about half an hour ago." Al
replied, handing a note to Ami. "Does it make any sense to you?"
"Who's Darius?" Ami asked. "And where is his grave?"
"Darius?" Kevin asked in surprise. "He's an old friend of
Scott's who lives here, or I should say 'lived' since we're talking
about his grave. I can probably find it though. Why do you ask?"
"It says to meet at Darius' grave marker at eleven." Ami said
in confusion. "There's no name or signature, just the instructions."
"Well, I'd better get working on that grave site then." Kevin
sighed, glancing at his watch. "We've only got an hour and a half
until the meeting."
Kevin went to his room and came back with his laptop and plugged
it into the wall jack after they had checked into their hotel. He
found the gravesite rather quickly and smiled when Al looked at him in
shock.
"How did you do that?" Al asked. "I wouldn't have known where
to begin."
"Elementary my dear Alan." Kevin chuckled. "I simply hacked the
police departments database and had it show me all of their unsolved
homicide cases. After I eliminated all of the shootings, stabbings, and
drowning's, that only left Darius and a few other files. Darius' burial
site is part of his file."
"Shall we go?" Makoto asked.
"Sure." Kevin said, disconnecting his computer and grabbed his jacket
and the silk wrapped bundle that held Scott's sword.
Kevin placed his own in his subspace pocket after they'd landed.
Kevin drove them through the dark Paris streets, cursing every so often
when he had to take a longer route because the streets were too narrow
for the Hummer. At five to eleven, they pulled up outside the cemetery,
and Kevin handed Al an MP5K from the storage case in the back of the
Hummer before taking his own.
"What are those for?" Ami asked in surprise.
"We don't know who we're meeting here." Kevin replied, checking
his gun and loaded it. "If it's this Adam guy, that's fine, but if it's
Scott, we take him down fast and question him after he recovers." Al
nodded and loaded his gun as well. Ami looked uncomfortable about it,
but she didn't say anything when Makoto looked at her questioningly.
"We're ready." Al said finally, and Ami nodded, leading the way
into the cemetery. They followed the road until they came to a more
recent section of graves, and then started walking along the rows of
markers, checking for the name. Ami saw the man looking at one marker
first, and then saw him look up at the same instant that Kevin and Makoto
froze. They continued toward him at a slower pace, relaxing when they saw
that it wasn't Scott.
"Hello Princess, so glad you could make it." The man said to Ami.
"I'm glad that you brought along your bodyguards, but I assure you it
wasn't necessary."
"Who are you?" Ami demanded. "How do you know who I am?"
"Oh, how forgetful of me." He said with a rueful smile. "I'm Adam
Pierson. As to how I know who you are, Gerrek and I talk to each other a
lot. He was a little confused when he found out you had been reborn, so
he asked for some advice."
"You said you know a cure for a Dark Quickening." Kevin said
pointedly. "What is it?"
"Impatient, but I suppose with good reason." Adam sighed. "I
want to tell you a little story first. You see a good friend of mine,
Duncan MacLeod, was affected with a Dark Quickening a short time ago
when he was forced to fight another of his friends who had just been
affected. He almost killed a friend, who he was training and his Watcher,
the man who helped you contact me. The Dark Quickening changed him in
such a way that, while he was not completely evil, he was certainly not
good."
"That pretty well describes how Scott's been acting." Ami said
nodding, being surprised that the man Adam was talking about was the same
person she met at Joe's. "It's as if his conscience is gone, and he doesn't
care what happens to anyone else."
"As I would expect." Adam said, nodding. "MacLeod was exactly the
same way. The only thing that got to him out of that 'don't care' phase,
was an appeal from someone he knew was his friend and wasn't a threat.
Unfortunately that puts Ami here in the very unenviable position of
trying to convince Scott to take that little bundle Mr. O'Connell is
carrying into an underground cavern. You see, the cure is from the
healing power of the spring in a specific cavern I know."
"How exactly does the cure work?" Makoto asked curiously.
"I wouldn't know." Adam said with an apologetic smile. "All I
know for certain is that Duncan went in as someone I wouldn't want to
be anywhere near if I could help it, and he came out his normal cheerful
self."
"Now the only problem is finding Scott in a city of millions."
Kevin sighed. "You wouldn't happen to have a handy list of his Paris
hangouts, would you Al?"
"Sorry Kevin, he hasn't been here for 80 years as far as I know."
Al replied. "I doubt any of his old hangouts are still around."
"Actually one still is." Adam said quietly. "The Monastery where
Darius used to live is still standing, and even though Darius is gone,
Scott may still feel at peace there. From what Duncan said, an overwhelming
desire for peace was the main drive behind a Dark Quickening. The fascinating
thing was that the force of that desire made attaining it impossible."
"Okay, let's try it." Ami said with a sigh. "I'll go to the church
alone with the sword and convince Scott to go to this grotto. So where is
it?"
"This map shows the way to the cavern entrance." Adam said, giving
her a folded sheet of paper. "He must enter the cavern alone, and once he
has gone in, you can only wait for him to come out."
"I'm not very comfortable with the idea of you going into that chapel
alone Ami." Kevin said nervously. "What will you do if Scott decides to
attack you?"
"Die." Ami said simply. "If Scott is so far gone that he attacks
me without provocation, I might as well be dead, because he will have
become a rabid animal, fit only to be killed for the public good." Makoto
saw the pain in Ami's eyes as she said this and laid a restraining hand on
Kevin's shoulder.
"Let her go Kevin." Makoto sighed. "It's something she has to do."
Kevin nodded shortly, still not happy with the idea.
"We'd better get going." Ami said, turning and walking back to the
Hummer. They drove silently to the part of Paris, where the Monastery was,
and five minutes walk from the chapel, Ami asked to be dropped off. Kevin
told her they would be waiting for her call, and drove off.
With a nervous sigh, Ami started toward the chapel, keeping her
eye on her surroundings and clutching the silk wrapped sword. "It
would be really stupid to get mugged right now." She muttered to
herself.
She walked a little faster because of that thought, and made it
safely to the chapel. The lights in the chapel momentarily dazzled Ami
as she entered, so she sank to the back pew. Once her eyes had adjusted,
she looked around, then stood and walked toward the front. She was almost
to the last pew when she saw Scott laying on one of the benches asleep.
She smiled at how peaceful he looked, and then jumped when he spoke.
"Why don't you take a picture?" He growled without opening his eyes,
then sat up and smiled maliciously when he saw Ami. "Well well, if it isn't
Princess Meriel, where is Ziggy? Are you here all by yourself?"
"I told Kevin and Makoto we needed some time alone to talk." Ami
said quietly, sitting down next to him. "I miss you Scott."
"I'm touched." He said sarcastically. "Or rather you must be touched
in the head if you think I believe even for an instant that Kevin let you
come here alone and unprotected."
"You can believe what you want Scott." Ami sighed. "I came here
alone, over Kevin's protests, because I believe there is still some good
left alive in you."
"You should have listened to Kevin." Scott growled, turning away
from her. "There is nothing good left."
"I don't believe that for a minute." Ami replied, laying her hand
on his shoulder. "I know there is something good in you and I can prove
it?"
"How?" Scott demanded hoarsely.
"I know where a small cavern is near here." Ami replied calmly.
"I have it on good authority that no truly evil thing can enter it."
"So you want me to go and enter this cavern to prove I'm not totally
evil?" Scott asked in disbelief. "Sure, why not, I don't have anything
better to do tonight."
He surged to his feet, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out of the
church and over to a car parked nearby. He roared off, demanding
directions from a very nervous Ami. After fifteen minutes, they pulled
up in a forest in the middle of nowhere, and Scott dragged Ami along until
they came to the cavern entrance.
"You need to take this with you." She said giving him the bundle
she'd been desperately clinging to.
"What's this?" Scott asked in confusion, roughly unrolling the
sword from the silk. "Why Honey, you shouldn't have. What a lovely
gift."
"I thought it would help." Ami said with a small smile. His
vicious grin drove the smile from her face.
"After I'm done with this nonsense, I'll show you something
really fun we can do with it." He said with a suggestive leer.
Shouldering the sword, he strode to the cavern entrance and climbed
down the rope into the cavern, without giving Ami a glance.
"Oh Scott, please let this work." Ami said shivering in the
night air as she took out the cell phone Kevin had made her carry.
After she dialed the number, she waited for three rings before it
picked up. "We're here and Scott's in the cave. Now we have to
wait." She gave Kevin directions and then wrapped herself in the
silk to keep warm.
* * * * *
Scott walked into the cavern with the sword on his shoulder, but
he took it off and held it in the ready position as he came to an ancient
archway. When he looked at the writing above the entrance, he found that
he could read it. "'Cleansing Pools of Verthandi, Goddess of Purity and
the Present'." He read in disbelief. "They have got to be kidding."
He passed through the entrance and continued on into the chamber.
Suddenly the light that had been filling the chamber vanished, plunging
Scott into darkness. Unable to stop immediately, Scott stepped into open
air, and fell ten feet into the pool below. Surfacing with a splutter, he
cursed as he made his way to the shoreline of the now well-lit cavern;
still holding the sword Ami had given him.
As he searched the chamber for an exit, he heard the hiss of a sword
being drawn at the same time he felt an Immortal approaching. Whirling
around with his sword at the ready, he gaped at what he saw.
"Surprised to see me?" Scott asked himself as he approached with his
Katana in high guard. "Believe me, your not as surprised as you will be
when I take your head. Just call me Wraak Afmakr."
"What is going on here?" Scott demanded as he and Wraak began circling
each other. "You can't possibly be me."
"Oh, but I can." Wraak responded with a grin. "You see, in this place,
the battle between your good side and your evil side is very real. To restore
yourself to normal, you have to defeat me. But if you lose, Scott Schwartzstern
ends here and only Wraak Afmakr will remain." Wraak lashed out with several
rapid thrusts, driving Scott backward in his parries. Just as he was about
to be forced back into the pool, Scott jumped over Wraak and glared at him.
"So Kevin and the others were right." He growled. "I have been
acting strange."
"Oh Bravo!" Wraak laughed. "You know the answer when someone
gives it to you. But that won't help you now, I'm going to kill you
off once and for all, then go and have a little fun with the darling
Meriel. By the time I'm done, she'll be begging me to kill her, and
after some thought, I suppose I will."
"Over my dead body." Scott growled, lashing out with a blizzard
of thrusts and slashes, but they met a solid wall of defense.
"That's the idea, old man." Wraak laughed as they maneuvered again.
"Once you're dead, I don't have to worry about your goody-goody motives ever
again." With a jump, he began a pattern attack, which Scott countered, by
beginning one of his own. It was risky, but it paid off when Wraak had to
execute a dive roll to get away. Wraak came up swearing, and Scott grinned.
"So you're not perfect after all." Scott laughed mockingly. "Sad
to think that all of those plans of yours will never come true, but then
I doubt they ever would have, Wraak old bean. You see I have something
you don't have." He lashed out with a pattern attack, shifting mid-pattern
several times and finally scoring with a slash to Wraak's leg.
"What's that?" Wraak growled, launching his own pattern attack,
which Scott barely escaped, not before getting a cut on the thigh. "A
total lack of fashion sense?" It was obvious to Scott as he moved around
that his wound was slowing him down dangerously, and as he barely parried
Wraak's attack for the second time, he new he had to finish this soon.
"What's the matter Gerrek?" Wraak goaded. "Going to let something
little like that scratch defeat you?"
He launched another vicious series of blows that ended with Scott
stumbling backward and dropping his sword. Swearing darkly, Scott backed
away from his opponent, who didn't let Scott get too close to his sword.
After several failed attempts to get past Wraak, Scott realized he had to
think of something fast, or his opponent would get him easily. Thinking
quickly, he recognized the main flaw in his prior thinking. Instantly he
came to a decision and put it into action.
He charged Wraak in what appeared like a suicidal attempt to get
past him to his sword, but as Wraak sword passed through the point where
Scott's neck should have been, it only cut air. Wraak followed through
on the slash and came around in time to see Scott come back to his feet
with his sword in his hand.
"I was wondering when those hours of baseball practices would pay
off." Scott laughed, dusting himself off a little. "Now where were we?
Oh yes, you were saying that I don't have any fashion sense. Now what
kind of stupid insult is that to use in a fight? If I were Krystal or
even Ruri, it might have distracted me a little, but seriously, don't
you think that was kind of pointless?"
"True." Wraak said with s shrug. "I must remember that when I
kill them."
"Don't you think you've forgotten something?" Scott laughed as
they tested each other again. After another flurry of blows, Wraak
looked at Scott questioningly.
"What's that?" He asked as Scott began a new pattern. Wraak was
driven all over the chamber as each pattern blurred into a new one.
Suddenly, Scott's sword wasn't where it should have been and Wraak realized
too late that he'd fallen for a classic deep feint. He brought his sword
around to block the thrust Scott actually intended, but as he turned, he
felt the blade of Scott's sword bite into his side, and he gasped as pain
seared his mind.
"You have to get past me first." Scott ground out, pulling his sword
free. Wraak fell to his knees, gasping in pain. "I was you once, Wraak,
but now ... There can be only one."
With a blinding slash, Scott removed Wraak's head and the figure
vanished. Weakened by loss of blood, Scott stumbled backward in his follow
through and fell into the pool. As the water closed over his head, he felt
a warm, comforting presence surround him.
Scott's vision went black for an instant, then in a bright flash,
he saw the Senshi standing in a circle, with a massive amount of power
surrounding them, then something knocked them all to the ground. This
vision faded and in another brilliant flash, he saw four figures in armor
of Planetary Knights surrounding a female figure with red hair, but he
couldn't make out anything else before the vision was replaced with another.
A girl in a Sailor Senshi uniform was standing on a sea cliff staring
out to sea. As he watched her, he noticed that her hair was the same shade
of red as the girl in the other vision. Then he noticed the accent colors
of her fuku were electric blue and black. As he struggled with the idea of
a new Sailor Minerva, she began to turn toward him. All he saw of her face
before the vision faded was her vivid green eyes. Then darkness claimed
him again.
* * * * *
"What is taking so long?" Ami demanded as she paced in front of the
cave entrance, filled with worry. "Shouldn't he be coming out by now? It's
been an hour!"
"Adam, or whoever he was never said how long it would take Ami." Kevin
said, sympathetically squeezing her shoulder. "All he said was that once he
was inside, all we can do is wait. I know it's rough Ami, but sometimes
waiting is the only thing we can do."
"I know, I know." Ami sighed in frustration. "It doesn't help any.
I keep thinking I should be doing something, but I have no idea what."
"I don't know either." Makoto said with a sigh. "But..."
"It looks like the waiting over." Al said pointing to a figure that
was climbing out of the cave. "The only question is who is it? The old
Scott or Mr. Hyde?"
"Best not to take any chances." Kevin said resolutely, taking his
MP5 off safe. Al did the same, and they spread out, giving each other
open firing lanes.
"Scott, are ... are you ... are you all right?" Ami asked as Scott
came closer. Makoto tried to restrain her, but she ran up to him and looked
in his eyes. With a cry of joy, she hugged him when he smiled his normal
quirky smile. "You're back to normal, oh thank god, you're back to normal."
She said as he hugged her back.
"Yeah, I guess I am." Scott said with a haunted look in his eyes as
he took her arms from around his neck. "You shouldn't have done this Ami,
it was to dangerous. What if I had hurt you?"
"You wouldn't have." Ami said confidently, as Al and Kevin shouldered
their guns. "Even in a killing rage, something stopped you. I'm just glad
your back."
"So am I." Scott said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and
turning to the others. "Who was it that suggested Ami aught to come after
me?"
"Some guy calling himself Adam Pierson." Kevin replied, noticing the
anger in Scott's eyes. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she is as bad as
you are. If you ask me, the two of you should get married so you can be
stubborn together. It's the only thing that makes any sense."
"Shut up Kevin." Scott growled, then sighed when Ami whimpered in
fear. Hugging her softly, he looked around. "I'll pound you for it later,
let's get to the hotel and get some sleep."
"A very good idea." Makoto said with a huge yawn. The group walked
toward the Hummer in silence, their expression and movement showing how tired
they were. They had reached the rise above the place where the cars were
parked when the three Immortals became tense and drew their swords in the
same instant.
Applause came from the nearby trees and Adam Pierson stepped
out with a grin.
"Glad to see you've come to your senses, Gerrek." He laughed
as they all relaxed a little. "Why is it you seem to be more trouble
than you are worth, most of the time?"
"You're one to talk you ancient fraud." Scott laughed, surprising
everyone. "If I remember correctly, you had to be rescued several hundred
times in the first fifty years I knew you."
"True, but you seem to attract supernatural enemies." Adam said
piously. "I may get into difficulties with the local authorities from
time to time, but I don't end up fighting Gods, Goddesses, and Demons
on a regular basis. You on the other hand seem to revel in it."
"Don't remind me." Scott sighed with a shiver. "I still don't
know how I got involved in that Baal Cult, or how that demon got on my
trail."
"I think it had something to do with a little party you attended
in about 500 AD, in that little forest clearing you told me about in
Kanchatka." Adam replied. "I can't be sure, but I still think the
description of that girl was very familiar, I just don't know where
I've seen her before."
"Sorry to interrupt the reunion." Kevin put in impatiently.
"But would someone mind explaining what is going on?"
"Oh, sorry." Scott said, laughing in embarrassment. "I forgot
what was going on for a second. What don't you understand Ziggy?"
"First of all, who the hell is this guy?" Kevin replied in
confusion. "I mean, from what the two of you have been talking about
your past, you've known each other for millennia. So why have I never
heard of this guy before?"
"Mainly because I'm a very private person these days." Adam
replied with a shrug. "I haven't really gotten around much in the
last thousand years. Besides, when you're over five thousand years
old, you don't usually want any recognition of that. People tend to
make your life miserable, always wanting to fight."
"Five thousand years old?" Al gasped in shock. "But then that
would mean that you're ... no, it can't be."
"Sorry Al, but I'm afraid he is." Scott said, patting his Watcher
on the shoulder. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce the oldest known
Immortal, the man who taught me the rules of the game, the one, the
only ... Methos."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you very much." Methos said in a
fairly good Elvis imitation that made Ami and Makoto giggle. "I liked
that introduction Gerrek, it was fun. Don't do it again."
"Sorry." Scott laughed. "Anyway, it's freezing out here and if
I know Ziggy, he already has the penthouse of the best hotel here in
Paris booked and waiting. So how about we get out of this night air.
We all have some catching up to do, and I want to get comfortable."
"No argument from me." Kevin laughed, while Ami and Makoto nodded
vigorously, shivering a little in the cold.
Everyone walked down to the clearing where the cars were parked.
Methos pulled his Jaguar out of the thicket that had hidden it from
everyone's view and Ami got into Scott's rental car without saying a
word. Kevin looked at Scott questioningly, and Scott just shrugged.
Kevin smiled and drove out of the clearing while Scott and Methos
followed him to his hotel. After parking in the underground garage
and turning their keys over to the valet, they went up to the penthouse
and Kevin ordered some snacks.
"This is much better." Methos said, enjoying his surroundings.
"So now that we're comfortable Gerrek, why don't you introduce me to
your friends? I know Al, and I've met Princess Meriel, but who are
the others?"
"Okay, but for reasons too numerous to mention, what I'm about
to say goes no further than those of us in this room." Scott replied,
waiting for everyone to agree to that, then continued. "On with the
introductions then. Everyone this is Methos, as you all know from
before. Methos, the clown over on your left is Prince Siegmund Anthony
Drakkar IV of Neptune, also known as Kevin O'Connell. The lovely lady
next to him, or I should say on top of him, is her Highness, the Princess
Natasha Aden Damek, also known to the world as Makoto Kino, and on your
right is the lovely Princess Meriel Callista MacDougall, known more
commonly as Ami Mizuno."
"My, my, I'm in the presence of royalty." Methos said in mock
amazement. "You said Mr. O'Connell there was from Neptune. Where,
if I may ask are the ladies from?"
"Makoto is from Jupiter." Kevin explained. "Ami is from Mercury."
"Let me get this straight." Al said in confusion. "You're all
from outer space? Is that where Immortals actually come from? Other
planets?"
"No Al." Scott sighed. "Most Immortals are born of Earth. In
fact in Makoto and Kevin's cases, both were born on Earth. Kevin seven
hundred and twenty years ago, Makoto seventeen years ago. They are
special cases though. I don't know where I was born, but I was raised
in Minerva and spent most of my life before I became Immortal among the
other worlds."
"What do you mean they are special cases?" Al asked, baffled.
"And what or where is Minerva? The earliest histories of your life
say you grew up in a village somewhere in Mongolia."
"I wrote those histories back in the 7th century." Scott said,
chuckling at Al's shocked expression. "The record before that said
that I had simply appeared suddenly. I decided to write something that
wouldn't stir up quite as much curiosity as that. Since I was assigned
as my own Watcher at the time, I simply replaced the older record with
my own version. Now Kevin and Makoto are special cases because they've
both actually lived twice. They were born and grew up in the Silver
Millennium, over two thousand years ago, then they died and were reborn
later on and only then became Immortal."
"And Minerva?" Al said, having trouble digesting all of this.
"Minerva was a loose confederation of asteroids ruled by the queen
of the largest, which was also called Minerva." Scott said, a sad note
entering his voice. "Two thousand years ago, that asteroid broke up and
the others became unable to support life. That was about the same time
I became Immortal."
"Enough about the past." Methos said in a grumpy tone. "I want
to know what happened in there. Two of my friends have gone into that
cave with the most evil personality I have ever seen, and come out with
everything back to normal."
"I want to know as well." Al said. "How am I supposed to write
about this if no one but you saw it?"
"Well, once I was in the pool, the cave took over." Scott said,
struggling to describe what happened. "It produced it's own version of
me based on my dark side, and that part of me attacked everything else.
It was only by defeating that part that I was cured. As it was, he
almost beat me."
"That would explain why the spring can cure good people affected
by a Dark Quickening, but it doesn't work for evil people. Their dark
side is already in control, so it's easy for it to defeat the other
side." Kevin said.
"Makes sense to me." Scott said with a shrug, and then yawned.
"I don't know about you people, but I'm tired. See you tomorrow." The
others agreed and the party broke up. Kevin offered Methos a room, but
he politely declined and left.
* * * * *
Scott got out of bed as soon as he heard all of the noise on the
penthouse settle into a sleeping pattern. As he left his own room, he
made sure he was as quiet as possible on his way to the balcony and
slipped outside. He sighed as the cool breeze washed over him and he
let the peace of the night soak into him. He had been out of the balcony
for almost ten minutes when he heard the door open and close again. As
his teacher had shown him, he stretched his senses toward the newcomer.
"Quit trying to use your non-existent mental power's to try to figure
out who's here Scott." Kevin grumbled as Scott recognized him. "We need
to talk and this provides us with the best opportunity. What are you going
to do about Ami?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about Kevin." Scott said angrily.
"Bull." Kevin retorted. "You and I both know that staying away from
her is killing you. So what are you going to do about it?"
"There's nothing I can do." Scott sighed in defeat. "It's too dangerous
for her to be anywhere near me. If it's not someone threatening her, I almost
killed her. There is no way we can be together now."
"And that's it then?" Kevin demanded in disbelief. "Does Ami know
about this? If not, I'd be very careful about telling her. This entire
time she's only been thinking of you. What do you think it will do to her
to find out you don't even want her around?"
"Damn it, do you think it's that easy?" Scott lashed out in
pain. "I'm dying of need for her, but it's too dangerous for her
to be around me."
"Don't you think she should have something to say about that?"
Kevin asked in frustration. "Listen Scott, how you make yourself
miserable is your own problem. But be careful of hurting Ami. She
may seem strong and self reliant, but you weren't there when I brought
up the possibility that you might purposely hurt her. I honestly think
that would kill her."
"So what do you want me to do?" Scott demanded. "The longer I'm
close to her, the more likely she is to get hurt."
"All I'm saying is that before you decide that you should leave
her alone, you should talk to her about the danger." Kevin said
pleadingly. "If she agrees with your solution, I won't say another
word about it. But if she doesn't, don't be too surprised. From
what I saw over the last few days, you're more important than food to
that girl."
"Okay fine." Scott said, looking out at the lights of the city.
"I'll talk to her about it once we're back in Hawaii. From what I
remember, we've got two or three days left before we have to get back."
"Fair enough." Kevin agreed. "Now I guess I'll leave you to your
view. I have to fly us back to Hawaii tomorrow morning."
"What do you mean?" Scott laughed. "You're just the co-pilot.
Mariah does all the real work."
"How rude." Kevin said in mock offense, and then laughed along.
He suddenly enfolded his friend in a hug. "It's good to have you back
Scott."
"Thanks, It's good to be back." Scott replied, returning the hug.
"I'll let you get some sleep, but I'm going to stay up for a little longer."
"Okay." Kevin said and walked back into the penthouse and went to
sleep. Neither of them saw the misshapen form of Myhrdrahl slid down the
side of the building.
* * * * *
Hawks was dragged into the throne room in chains by a troop of six
Youma who bore the marks of his fierce resistance. Damian gloated as he
observed the huddled figure before him.
"What do you have to say for yourself Hawks?" Damian demanded
finally with a vicious smile. "O'Connell and his friends still live, and
Schwartzstern has been cured of his Dark Quickening. Your entire plan is
an utter failure."
"Not completely, my Lord." Jarosite said coming into the room.
"Hawks plan has shown us that the Senshi will not leave Japan to stop our
Youma attacks. Since we began our attacks outside their territory, our
energy reserves have built to the point that will allow us to send as many
as twenty or thirty Youma in to attack at once. Even if Schwartzstern has
been cured, he will require time to recover from his injuries. Now is the
time to launch an attack to destroy the Senshi. By the time O'Connell's party
returns to Japan, there will be no one left to help them."
"Hmm ... perhaps." Damian said, considering the idea. "However,
before we commit that many forces, I want certain assurances of success."
"What assurances do you require my lord?" Jarosite asked, bowing
low.
"We must ensure that our Youma assault force is capable of eliminating
all of the Senshi at once." Damian said in a considering tone. "They must
be immune to as many attacks as possible. With that in mind, we shall begin
attacks on unimportant targets in Tokyo. We shall send in a single Youma
for each attack."
"Relax Jarosite." Hawks said with a chuckle as he struggled to his
feet. "I think I know what Damian has in mind."
"And what is that?" Damian said with a malicious smile, waving the
Youma away from him.
"You intend to have someone there to collect dust samples from each
defeated Youma." Hawks said. "Then you will treat each of the Youma in
your assault force with that dust, rendering them immune to the Senshi's
attacks. When you finally do send them against the Senshi, those little
girls won't stand a chance."
"My lord, while this plan is commendable, it will take time."
Jarosite cautioned. "Schwartzstern and O'Connell, not to mention their
Senshi companions may return before the desired end is accomplished."
"In that event, the final attack will have to be delayed until the
Youma can be made immune to those attacks as well." Damian replied calmly.
"The number of Youma will also have to be increased to ensure that O'Connell
and Schwartzstern combat skills will be a factor. How long will it take to
build up reserves sufficient to send fifty Youma across?"
"At least two months." Jarosite said evenly. "Controlled attacks
to gain the necessary dust samples will require at least one and half months
if we are not to arouse suspicion."
"Why so long?" Damian complained in annoyance.
"He already told you Damian." Hawks sighed. "If we aren't going to
arouse suspicions, we can't just concentrate on energy collecting and dust
gathering. We have to give the Senshi something to keep them busy, or they
will figure out what we're doing before we are ready for them."
"My time frame allows for the energy required to launch two attacks
per day with normal Youma in addition to the sporadic attacks needed to
collect the needed dust samples. If we step up our operation outside
Japan, we might be able to complete the necessary energy collection
within the same time frame as the dust gathering, but it also increases
the risk of discovery."
"Raise the rate." Damian said shortly. "I want O'Connell and his
friends out of the way as soon as possible. Once that's over with, no
one will be able to stop us from conquering Earth." Jarosite bowed and
ordered the Youma to release Hawks. When they hesitated, he turned to
Damian.
"My Lord, with your permission, I would like to give Hawks the
task of collecting the necessary dust." Jarosite explained. "His
stealth abilities make him singularly well suited to the task." Damian
nodded his agreement, and the Youma released their captive. Jarosite
and Hawks left the throne room as Damian sat on his throne gloating.
"Savior your victory, Kevin O'Connell." He chuckled to himself.
"You may win the battles, but in the end I, not you, shall win this war."
Damian cackled insanely, imagining his victory over his hated enemy.
* * * * *
To Be Continued...