It's time for the, um, uh, stuff to hit the fan.

Those of you who wanted a fight, you're gettin' it!

Now who's first?  Uh, hello there, you're mighty big and
large.  And wow, I didn't know that muscles could bulge
like that, ehehehehhehe.

Okay, down to business.   Here's one more installment of Terrible Things,
and I ain't stoppin' anytime soon, so too bad.

Time for some warnings:

*Violence, blood, and death in this one, need to make up for all
that boring build up in the first few parts.
(PG-13 for you sensitive types.)

*Dubbed names used with the awareness that Erica seems alittle
awkward.

*I haven't read anything by Tom Clancy, so if this sucks, you know why.

Comment&Critiques is good, and non-Comments&Critiques is bad.
Are you going to do something good?

This dedication goes to Paul Arezina for his quick physics lesson,
so if matter waves confuse you, I abstain all responsiblity.

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

Terrible Things To Waste

Part 5:  Conformity to Reality

        Within a small bedroom of a young priestess, five girls and two
women lounged comfortably.  They all listened to Raye, Serena,
and Mina recounting the attack at the homeless shelter the night
before.  Each of them was intrigued by the story, but they all
displayed it differently.

        Erica lounged next to her partner, Michelle, on the bed.  Both
seemed to be dividing their attention between the conversation,
their foster child Victoria, and themselves.

        Reenie and Victoria sat on the floor listening eyes wide with
fascination, wishing they had been there.

        Lita regretted not having joined the girls, and gritted her
teeth.  Yet, once she remembered the soft smile of Ken after
their date, her frustration drained away.

        Amy listened intently, eager to learn what she could get on
their enemy from this encounter.

        The blonde Traveller, Cindy, kept her expression blank and
factual while listening to the predictable outcome.

        Pluto wasn't pleased at all.

        "And this big, um, "  Serena paused, pondering her words,
"robot appeared and attacked us."

        Raye shook her head.  "No, no, no.  It wasn't a robot.  It was
more like a cyborg."

        Mina waved her hands dismissfully.  "Nah, it was more like one
of those strange boomer machine things in that one show, uhh,
you know."

        "Sure, Mina."  Raye rolled her eyes, "But the point is, we
finally know what we're dealing with.  Do you know which one we
fought, Cindy?"

        The blond Traveller rested her chin on her hand, "I believe you
are talking about Malance.  He's nothing compared to Halebit,
though."

        Lita punched her fist into her palm.  "I can't wait to
personally welcome them both."

        "Please do not underestimate them."  Cindy strained a calm
whisper.

        Hardly anyone heard.

        Serena glanced at her watch.  "Oh darn.  I hate to leave before
the meeting's over, but I've got a dinner date tonight with a
lucky man."

        "Serena!!"  Raye fumed.  "What is going through your pea-sized
brain right now?  Aren't you worried about the problem at hand?"

        "Yes I am, Raye." Serena narrowed her eyes, "But Darien
insisted on taking me to dinner tonight."

        Raye's face contorted with anger, and, Cindy thought, a tinge
of jealousy.

        Cindy jumped between the girls, "Raye's right, are you sure
that's wise?  I mean, what if Malance is following you?  Maybe
one of the scouts should tag along or something."

        "I believe that would be wise,"  Amy stood up.

        "No."  Serena put her hand up, stopping the conversation, "I
had promised Darien we would have some privacy."

        Serena looked directly into Cindy's eyes and noticed for the
first time how they matched her own in hue.  Within Cindy's eyes
she could see the genuine concern for her safety, a concern that
touched her deeply.

        Serena smiled at Cindy, hoping to comfort her, "Oh come on,
Cindy.  I was Sailor Moon at the time, and not even my own
family could make the connection."

        "And besides, I'm Sailor Moon."  Serena whispered under her
breath.

        'That's exactly why I'm worried.'  Cindy mustered a smile.

        Serena turned to her friends, "I'll call on the communicator if
I run into that robo-Timelord creep."

        Serena waved the small rectangular communicator, displaying she
had it in possession.

        Before Serena could go out the door, Amy caught her by the arm,
"Okay, since you don't want us to follow, we'll stay here
tonight, just in case.  Once you call us we'll transport to your
location as quickly as possible.  Do you understand?"

        Serena smiled again and giggled, "Yes I do, one question
though."

        Amy nodded.

        "Do I have a curfew or do you want me to call if I'm going to
be late?"

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

        Dusk approached. The sky glowed with beautiful mixes of oranges
and reds as the darkening clouds rolled across the horizon.

        Ignoring the waning hours of sunlight, an old man sat on the
cold smooth floor of the elevated platform, eyes closed and
breathing evenly.  His clothing, a durable gray uniform, seemed
military in fashion.  His still and concentrated face, lined
with wrinkles that carved across his hard visage, marked him as
a true general.

        This general shifted slightly as the sensations welled up
inside, his meditations were not working.

        'You can't hold your emotions back forever, Halebit,' came a
voice within the general's mind, 'You can't hold me back.'

        This voice, at first, had occurred every so often during his
meditations as an afterthought.  Yet, as time progressed the
voice gained volume and became a separate independent entity.
It became so independent that Halebit finally gave the voice a
name, Nihil or 'Nothing.'

        'Only the crystals can stop me and your addiction.'  The voice
continued, 'And you need the Silver Crystal to get them.'

        A drop of sweat flowed down the side of Halebit's face.

        'But first you must extract it from the princess, and you know
that's suicide.' the voice taunted.

        He tried to ignore the voice as he heard the metallic footsteps
of his loyal servant, Malance.

        The tall mechanized suit cautiously walked towards the old man.
 Malance felt uncomfortable as he anticipated the wrath of the
General at his bad news, but tried his best to disguise it.

        Halebit kept his eyes closed and expression cold.  "Report."

        Malance spoke carefully, "The attack went as planned.  The
domestic authorities of the city did not spot me."

        'Excellent.'  Halebit felt pleasure wash over him.

        "But, unfortunately, I was confronted with the Scouts and had
to withdraw earlier than desired."

        His eye's flashed open, and noticed an angry face being
reflected off the uneven viscous surface of Malance's armor
causing the general to panic momentarily.

        'It can't be,' the general reasoned.  His addiction took hold
in the form of paranoia.

        Malance continued unaware, "I learned that they are more
powerful than I had anticipated.  Fortunately, I gathered
valuable information from them, enough to use later in my
defenses."

        Halebit felt pleased with this news, and noticed his distorted
reflection smiling.

        'I must have control,'  he became desperate.

        He looked up to the mirrored visor of his soldier, seeing his
own cold, emotionless expression.

        'I have control.'  His paranoia deepened his disillusionment.

        Now his mind raced with the possibilities and problems.  Had
his emotions been showing the whole time?

        Malance finished his report and waited patiently for further
orders from his general.  Halebit noticed his soldier had become
silent and out of the chaos of his thoughts, Nihil ruled:

        'He knows you are weak.'

        The General spoke, "Go follow the princess. . ."

        'He knows all your weaknesses.'

        "Look out for the timelord, he should be nearby. . ."

        'His loyalty is only a ruse.'

        "Dispose of him. . ."

        'It won't be long before he destroys you.'

        "And bring me back the Silver Crystal."

        "Any particular way, General?" Malance inquired.

        'So send him to his death.'

        "By force."  The unnatural red light from sign out front
accentuated the cracks on the General's hard face.

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

        Serena gazed at her dark haired love tenderly from across the
table.  She hardly believe Darien could afford to take her to
such a nice restaurant.  She studied the interior decor, noting
the high vaulted ceiling with the large pieces of red cloth
flowering out from its center to each of the opposing walls.
On top of that, the tables had a large amount of room between
them letting each couple have their moment of privacy.  Serena
knew to use this much space so extravagantly, it must have cost
Darien an arm and leg just to reserve a table.  She suddenly
felt a mixture of gratification and guilt at what Darien must
have sacrificed.

        "You look so beautiful in that dress, Serena."  Darien's voice
returned Serena's eyes back to her love.

        Serena blushed, "I got it especially for you."

        "You know, you look quite angelic in white."  Darien leaned
close to his blonde goddess.

        Serena's blush deepened as she glanced out the window filled
with the darkness of night.  She gasped at the sudden flashes of
light cutting through the night.

        Darien tried to calm the startled Serena, "Don't worry it's
only lightning.  It's not going to hurt us.  Remember this is
our night."

        Serena calmed down and smiled at Darien.  As Darien looked down
at his menu, she made a fleeting glance back at the window.  A
flash of light filled the darkness, revealing a large floating
armor suit spying upon her.   She gasped once more, as she
recognized the metal monstrosity from the attack the day before.

        "Darien. . "  Serena spoke slowly as she reached for the young
man's hand keeping her eyes on the darkened window.

        Darien chuckled to himself, "Serena, it's only lightning."

        Serena kept her face stern, "No Darien, I just saw that robot
suit we fought yesterday.  It was staring right at me."

        Darien turned towards the window, "Are you sure?"

        Another flash occurred, and this time no floating oddity
appeared.  Darien turned back around to face Serena, confounded.

        "I swear.  I know what I saw,"  Serena urged, as she pulled her
communicator card out of her purse, "Cindy was right, it was
following me.  I'm going to call the others."

        "Serena, wait.  I mean you saw this thing in a split second."
Darien protested.

        Serena narrowed her eyes at Darien, making the young man
cautiously lean back, "We can't afford to take any risks."

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

        "Yesterday was really nice."  Lita wrapped the phone cord
around her finger as she lounged on a couch in Raye's living
room.

        "How about doing something tonight?"  The male voice on the
phone asked.

        Lita sat straight up on the couch. "Umm, I can't.  I'm at a
sleep-over at Raye's house.  I'm sorry, Ken."

        The voice on the other end sighed.  "You mean that priestess I
met a few days ago at the temple."

        Lita sighed as well, "Yeah."

        "You mind if I come over?"  Ken asked cautiously.

        Lita shifted nervously as Raye entered the room mouthing to her
silently, "You're still on the phone?"

        "Uh, well, I guess you could, for a little while,"  Lita's eyes
glanced at Raye, "But remember its a girl only party."

        "Oh, that's fine.  See you there." Ken excitedly hung up the
phone.

        Lita placed the phone on the receiver as Raye raised an eye
brow at her, "You mean you invited him here?"

        Lita choked nervously, "Uh, yeah, I mean it's only for a little
while.  He won't see Cindy or Pluto."

        "Man, you are head over heels for that guy,"  Raye shrugged as
she mumbled to herself, "But at least I don't have to hear about
that old boyfriend."

        Raye sighed inwardly, 'Lita looks so content though.'

        She envied the open, romantic relationships Lita and Serena
carried on.    Ever since Darien had broken his relationship to
follow his true destiny with Serena, she had great difficulty
openly showing any feelings toward anyone she liked.  An
unfortunate development for Chad, she felt guilty for making him
suffer for her pride, her bitterness.

        "Hey guys!!!"  Amy's voice caused Raye and Lita to rush over to
the bedroom.

        They found Amy putting away her communicator card in her
pocket, making sure everyone was attentive.  "Serena just
called to tell that Malance had followed her."

        'He's going after the crystal.' Cindy thought to herself.

        Raye noticed that Cindy had an expression of dread cross her
face.

        Pluto frowned visibly at the news.

        Amy continued, "I believe the fastest way to get there is
through teleportation."

        "I will transport you all there,"  Pluto stated flatly, "It's
the fastest way."

        The Time Guardian whisked around the round and pointed at Mina,
"You will stay here with the Traveller and Small Lady."

        Pluto noticed the pouting pink haired child, "I'm sorry Small
Lady, but I can't guarantee your safety."

        It frustrated the Time Guardian that she could not anticipate
the future as she normally did.  As long as the Travellers
stayed in this dimension, no one could foretell the future.  She
had to resort to challenge her opponents on their level.  In
other words, she had the capability to make mistakes when she
couldn't afford to make any.  She needed to eradicate these
Timelords now to usher the Traveller out of this time stream.

        Pluto's face became stern as she turned to the blonde
Traveller, extending her hand, "As for you, Traveller, please
hand over any weapons you may have on your person."

        Cindy toyed with her ruby bracelet as she looked down and took
out a small, black object from a holster on her hip.  The gun
shaped object had a smooth edge all around with no visible
chamber, just a thin, red strip running across the tip.  Only
the handle and trigger resembled any likeness to a gun.

        Pluto studied the object, "An interesting design for a laser
gun, hmpf.  Okay Traveller, you will stay here with the two
guardian cats, Sailor Venus, and Small Lady.

        Leaning close, the Time Guardian whispered, "And hope that no
one gets harmed."

        Pluto stood up and addressed all the girls, "Alright, I am
going to drop you off in two groups a few seconds apart-"

        "To fool the enemy about how many of us are showing up."  Amy
realized.

        "Yes, Sailor Mercury, that is the plan,"  Pluto motioned all
the girls to stand, "Now I suggest that you all transform and we
will depart."

         All the girls nodded and flashes of light filled the room as
each girl transformed into the Sailor Scout of their respective
planets.  Now, seven girls in white bodice with an array of
colorful bows and skirts stood around the Time Guardian as she
concentrated her energy to teleport the group.

        As Lita readied herself to be transported, something kept
nagging her.  Was she forgetting something?  She shook her head.
 Whatever it was, she didn't need in a fight.  The feeling
didn't subside.  Why did she need to worry?  It wasn't like she
had any appointmen. . . .

        Oh, no.

        "Ken!!"  She shouted while she and the others disappeared.

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



        Next door to the restaurant, high upon the end of a rooftop,
stood a soldier.  His long strands of hair and loose trench coat
flapped freely in the strong gushes of wind.  A flash of
lightning revealed the detail facial features of the figure,
from his long vertical scar to his narrowed brow.

        He was a Timelord.

        The very thought, hmpf.

        He didn't feel much like one anymore.  He had sacrificed his
life, his body, and his trust to become one of the Counsule's
elite, only to be betrayed on all accounts.

        He felt more like a fool.

        Tracer gazed out across the city, the lights of small, plain
faced buildings lining the streets reflected the pools of water
on the smooth pavement below.  A low, deep rumble from the
heavens above followed the rain.  Tracer calmly squatted down,
letting the torrential down pour pummel him.  Shifting a little,
Tracer felt the handle of his sword poke his side, as if to
remind him of its presence.

        He removed the sword from its sheath on his hip, holding it
before his eyes.  He stared at his reflection in the translucent
crystal blade.  The blade had a metallic quality from its color,
almost silvery.  Then Tracer ran his fingers along its wooden
handle, feeling its intricate design and rubbing his fingers
across the slippery surface of the three red gems imbedded
within the strange wood.  Once more the words of Briar, the man
who gave him the sword, echoed in his mind;

        "Tracer take care of that sword, it's your heritage."

        "What do you know of my heritage?" Tracer asked his sword,
"What do you know of my  father?"

        To Tracer, the sword represented his only link to his origins.
Origins he never had before.  A link to a father he never knew,
who had left him alone in the world before he could tell him his
name.  Tracer felt more drops roll down his back and dripping
from his long locks of black hair.

        It also represented his desire for revenge against the one man
who treated him like a son, Halebit.  He remembered the times in
the wheat fields when the traitor trained him, teaching him,
giving his life meaning.  Only later to find out that he meant
nothing to Halebit, control and the red crystals were all that
mattered.

        He idly tossed his sword from one hand to another.  What was he
going to do after he got his revenge on Halebit?  He knew he
didn't want to go back to face the Counsule, knowing they were
feeding lies to the people of the Community.  He could find a
Nomadic group outside the Community and search aimlessly for a
home.  Then again, he also wanted to find his father, he somehow
felt he was still alive out there. . . waiting for him.

        The strong radiance of light caused Tracer to return his
attention to his glowing sword.

        "You're making me feel this way, aren't you?"

        The blade gained greater intensity.

        Tracer sighed once more, feeling the anger that built up within
him drain as the glowing intensified some more.  He then reached
into a pocket of his trenchcoat and pulled out a photo.  Tracer
stared at the face upon the worn photo, a face he couldn't help
but cherish.  Oh, how he loved the color blue because of her.
He sometimes cursed her because the hue reminded him of how he
truly felt for her.  Damn her.  He stuffed the photo back into
his pocket and tried to concentrate on more important things.

        Tracer's ears perked.  In-between the noise of the raindrops
pelting him, Tracer could hear a distinct roar emanating from
behind.

        Like a roar of an engine.

        Tracer dove over the edge just as it was blown away.
Instinctively, Tracer flexed his right hand activating the
silver liquid.  Once the liquid solidified into a claw, he
grabbed onto the first approaching window ledge.  Tracer snapped
his head upward to see the oncoming rubble descending towards
him.  Using all his strength, Tracer propelled himself through
the fragile glass of the window, narrowly missing the falling
debris.

        Malance frowned to himself, 'I need to get stealth engines.'

        The large suit started to follow his adversary down the side of
the building, but hesitated when Tracer dove through the window.
 He instead landed on in the center of the roof as he
anticipated the Timelord waiting for him.

        He aimed the large cannon on his arm at the center of the roof
as he mumbled, "You can't get away that easy."

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

        Jumping to his feet, Tracer made a quick study of the room.  He
noticed the lack of human presence, and the abundance of white
sheets and dust in the room.   The walls glowed of white in the
night, bared and broken in some areas.  All around, an
assortment of tools laid, probably without care for
organization.  Tracer sheath his sword and took out his guns,
waiting for Malance to appear at the window.

        'That's what I like about him, he's consistent.'  Tracer
smirked.

        His smirk disappeared once the blast shook the building.  The
ceiling and a few other ceilings above them crumbled causing
large pieces of concrete, metal, and plaster to fall.  Tracer
stumbled out of the way through the blinding cloud of dust, his
fingers itching upon the trigger.  From out of the cloud a
clawed fist sent him flying through one of the breaks.  Spitting
the taste of dust and blood from his mouth, he ignored the sting
on his cheek from the blow and gripped his guns tighter.  He
could hear the low chuckling of Malance rumble with the
thundering clouds outside.  Grabbing his guns, Tracer flipped
over and opened fire upon Malance.  Unfortunately, the bullets
from Tracer's gun stopped short of their target, deflected by an
energy shield.

        Malance stepped closer, "Heh, heh.  It's no use, my shield is
calibrated to the wavelength of your bullets."

        Instinctively, Tracer rolled to suitable cover.   Tracer sat up
and found himself looking at a large object.  The object had a
flat, dense metal head and long, thin wooden handle, a hammer.
Tracer smirked once more as he realized how difficult it was to
re-calibrate those shields.  Picking up the hammer, Tracer made
his way toward Malance.

        Malance crept closer to the break Tracer had rolled through.
Only the lightning lit the room, making Malance much more
precautious.  Timelords were most dangerous when cornered.  To
elevate any danger, Malance decided to launch a few volleys from
his cannon to flush him out.  Nodding his head in approval of
the idea, Malance jumped in front of the break. . .

        Once Tracer saw Malance emerge in the break, he charged at his
adversary with his hammer held high.   Tracer brought down the
hammer, cracking Malance's visor and caused Malance to stumble
backwards.  Re-establishing his balance, Tracer swung the hammer
into Malance's side.  Finally, Tracer lowered his shoulder and
rammed Malance through another wall while uppercutting him with
the hammer.

        Malance shook his head trying to regain composure as he
thought, 'He mustn't have the upper hand!'

        Tracer dropped the broken hammer handle and ran for the hole in
the ceiling as Malance began to fire at him.  Streams of water
welcomed Tracer as he climbed through the hole and jumped for
the next blasted ceiling.  He impatiently clawed for the rough
and crumbled ledge of the top floor, barely beating another
blast from Malance's cannon.  Running across the roof, Tracer
jumped down to the roof of the neighboring restaurant. . . .

        To be welcomed by a rose, imbedding itself into the concrete at
his feet.  Tracer snapped his head towards two figures.

        The rain had stopped, but his problems were just beginning.

        He automatically recognized the pony tails of the blonde girl
he had been following, and he didn't doubt they recognized him,
judging by their reaction.  He noticed the girl wore a similar
outfit to the one he'd seen in the paper; tiara, white body
suit, bow, and skirt.  Yet, her male partner seemed unfamiliar,
dressed up in a tuxedo and top hat.

        "Okay, Timelord, your reign of terror over this city and this
dimension is at an end,"  Serena pointed a finger at Tracer,
"For I am Sailor Moon, and I protect those who are innocent and
punish evil, and that means you!!"

        Tracer growled and shouted at the girl, "Now, wait a minute!  I
don't know what that lying, Society bastard has told you, but. .
"

        A great flash of light appeared, temporarily blinding everyone.
 In response, Tracer grabbed his guns, not knowing if Malance
had attacked.  Unfortunately, the very act made the girls
emerging from the light to respond in return.

        Lita immediately leaped at the black haired stranger with her
leg extended.  Tracer rolled under the flying girl and faced the
rest of the group.

        "CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!!"  Great disks of fire flew from the
aura around Raye.

        Getting to his feet quickly, Tracer dove out of the path of the
disks of fire, extinguished immediately by the standing water.

        "ICE STORM BLAST!!"  A blast of frost came from the palms of
Amy's extended hands.

        Tracer ripped off his trench coat and threw it.  The frozen
piece of clothing quickly landed upon the roof.

        The exasperated Tracer stopped in front of the doors to the
stairs, waiting for the next move.  Another bright light blinded
Tracer, as he realized the rest of the cavalry had arrived.
Tracer could see four female figures each wearing uniforms
similar to the rest of the girls.  He  quickly noticed the
figure holding a key shaped staff and the small figure holding a
glaive.  Once the light dissipated, Pluto collapsed upon the
small child, exhausted after expending so much energy.  The
other two didn't hesitate.

        "DEEP SUBMERGE!!"  A ball of compressed water formed at
Michelle's command.

        "WORLD SHAKING!!!"  The sandy blond summoned a ball of energy,
and directed it at the Timelord.

        Tracer slid out of the way of the ball as it exploded upon
impact with the door to the stairs, flooding the roof.
Unfortunately, Tracer slid into the path of the yellow ball of
illuminating energy that plowed its way towards him.

        The impact tossed Tracer through the door and metal railing.
He desperately grasped the severed rail to keep from falling
down the middle of the cavernous hole of the stairs.  The
railing creaked and moaned from the strain of Tracer's weight as
it loosely clung to the severely cracked concrete.

        "Damn my luck."  Tracer whispered.



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

        Pluto opened her eyes to see glowing hands of Victoria over her
chest, replenishing her energy.  Pluto patted the child's head
and smiled.

        "Thank you, Saturn,"  she whispered gently.

        The two then turned to the sudden crash of the Traveller's body
through the door.

        Pluto picked up her staff and returned Victoria's glaive as
they joined the Scouts convening toward the stairs.   A loud
metallic thud caused everyone to whirl around to see the large,
metal power suit of Malance standing upon the roof, ready to
attack.

        Without any provocation, Raye shouted, "CELESTIAL FIRE
SURROUND!!"

        Malance stood firm as the disks of fire came at him.  The girls
waited in anticipation and gasped as the attack harmlessly
flowed around an invisible shield that encircled Malance.

        "I have calibrated my energy shield to your attacks.  You are
now at my mercy."  Malance strained a smile underneath his
visor.  Yes, they were at his mercy, as long as his energy
reserves held.

        Malance smiled quickly faded as the force of Saturn's glaive
cut into the armor on his back.  Malance knocked the glaive out
of the young girls hands and raised his claw hand to strike.

        "NO!!"  Erica clasped both hands to her chest.

        At her summoning, her mystical scimitar, the Space Sword,
materialized

        With her sharp weapon extended, Erica sliced into the metallic
monster's side.  Malance wailed in pain as he nailed Erica with
the back of his clawed hand.  He then turned to the fallen Scout.

        Michelle's eyes widened in horror as the weapon upon the arm of
mechanical menace aimed itself at her beloved.

        She wasn't about to let that happen.

        "DEEP SUBMERGE!"

        The force of the condensed water ball sent Malance flying to
the ledge of the roof.  His shield was deactivated, and now they
knew it.

        "Time to watch the sparks fly," Lita flashed a wicked grin as
she readied herself for her electrical attack.

        Alarms went off in Amy's mind, as she quickly noted the
abundance of water they were standing in, "Lita don't. . ."

        Lita was too ready to care, "THUNDER. . ."

        "Stop. . ."  Serena urged.

        "CLAP. . ."

        "WE'RE STANDING IN WATER!!!"  Erica shouted.

        "ZAP!!"

         Large bolts of electrical energy sprang forth from Lita and
came crashing upon Malance.  The electrical charge traveled
through the metallic armor and the water upon the roof.
Electricity painfully coursed through their bodies, causing each
girl to loose consciousness.

        Malance, on the other hand, checked all the vital functions
within the warped armor of the suit, to made sure the insulation
held.

        Serena shook her head and noticed the other scouts laid still
on the roof, still feeling the effects of the electric shock.
Serena snapped her head towards the metal oddity coming her way.


        Serena now stood alone as Malance approached.

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

        The rain had stopped, and the grounds of the Cherry Hill Temple
glistened with the lights of the city.  Small beads of water
droplets formed on the frail cherry trees that dotted the
grounds.  Ken ran towards the steps of the temple, each step
becoming more urgent.  His heart fluttered at the thought of
seeing Lita again, not noticing the heavy drops of water from
the trees landing upon him.  He carelessly hopped up the
slippery steps and gingerly knocked upon the large wooden doors.
 He waited for what seemed like an eternity when a young man
with long tangled brown hair answered the door.

        "Hello, " the young man wiped his sweaty forehead as he greeted
his blond peer, "You must be Lita's boyfriend. . . Ken, right?"

        "Yeah,"  Ken breathed, ignoring the pungent odor of the young
man, "And you're, um, Raye's boyfriend. . . Chad, right?"

        The young man blushed slightly, or at least by what Ken could
see through the hair covering his face, "Uhh, well, I guess you
could say that. . . But don't tell her, okay?"

        Slightly confused, Ken nodded in compliance anyway, impatient
to meet his angel, "So where's Lita?"

        "Oh, she's in Raye's room with the rest of her friends."

        "Chad, who was at the door?"  Came an older voice from a few
rooms away, "I still have a few more moves to teach you."

        Chad shouted back, closing the door behind Ken, "Okay Grandpa,
I'm just talking to Lita's boyfriend."

        Instantly, a short, bald man appeared, intrigue showing upon
his face, "Ah, hello there.  It's nice to meet a man who has
captured the heart of a young lady.  She probably asked you to
come here, right?"

        Ken resisted the urge to bolt towards the direction Lita was
residing, "Uh, yeah."

        "So tell me how you did it,"  the old man inquired.

        Ken's face went blank from surprise.  Yet, before he could
respond, a loud pounding came from the door.

        The old man began to approach it, pondering aloud, "I wonder
who else those girls invited over?"



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

        Tension filled the air as the Traveller, Cindy, and the
princess of Crystal Tokyo, Reenie, squared off in the middle of
Raye's room.  Mina and both cats sat upon Raye's bed watching
anxiously for Reenie to make her move.

        Reenie stared over the top of her cards, pondering her move.
Finally her eyes lit up and she shouted, "Do you have any
threes?"

        Cindy searched her the cards in her hand, and, after a thorough
search, she smiled wickedly, "Go fish."

        The pink haired youth grudgingly picked up another card from
the pile, making her collection of cards significantly larger
than Cindy's.

        "I wish Puu would have let me come with them,"  the young girl
sighed.

        Cindy smiled, covering the anxiety in her voice, "Don't worry.
She is only looking after you.  Anyway, I like the company."

        Reenie smiled and they had just resumed their game when an
explosion rocked the temple.

        "What was that!?"  Luna exclaimed, as Mina jumped to her feet
and rushed to the door.

        "Something bad." Mina retrieved her transformation pen.

        "Something really bad usually."  Artemis replied wearily.

        A sudden expression of paralyzing panic crossed the Traveller's
face as she whispered, "It can't be."

        "Everyone prepare themselves for an attack!"  Luna pranced
toward the bedroom door.

        Reenie jumped to her feet and readied herself to change into
her Scout alter ego when Mina stopped her.

        "Let me handle this."  Mina raised her transformation pen over
her head.

        "VENUS CRY-"  From out of nowhere a body plunged through the
frail bedroom door and collided with Mina, sending both of them
into the opposing wall.

        Luna recognized the body, "Chad!"

        "Mina!"  Artemis cried as he ran over to her limp body.

        Luna raced over to the young man and placed a paw on the young
man's throat, "He's alive."

        Artemis followed suit as he calmly tried to check Mina's pulse,
"She's okay."

        Luna breathed with relief as the young man came to fleeting
consciousness, "Hmm, talkin' kitties. . "

        Then he lost consciousness.

        "Your general grows impatient, Cindy,"  came an icy voice from
the busted doorway.

        Everyone beheld the white haired General.  His fist glowed of
crimson in front of the face of the levitating Ken, who
desperately clawed at his neck.  Ken's face contorted with
terror as he gulped for air.

        "Halebit."  Cindy uttered as she clutched the child.

        Luna and Artemis tried to leap at the old man, but an invisible
force held them firm.

        Halebit smiled as he greedily eyed the one who would help him
get his Silver Crystal, "It's time to fulfill your duty as a
loyal member of my Society, Cindy."

-End of part 5-

Author Notes:

Like the last few times, Counsule is spelt correctly, but you won't
fit it in any of Webster's books.  I just think it looks narly.

Thanks to Matt Johnston, David Johnston, Erin Ellis,
Lord Talon, Arilyn, Paul Arezina, Helen Szeto, and Elisa Bibat
for pre-reading, commenting, or being devoted fans.

And finally to you, my faithful readers.  I get a warm feeling from knowing
your eyes are reading this.  Or is that heartburn?
Either way, I want to thank you for getting this far.  Now I shall release
you from my hypnotic grip.

All original characters are owned and copyrighted by Bastion (c)1999.
And Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and in America by DIC.

Thanks for reading, and please come again.

Bastion
bastion@ix.netcom.com