Miss me?  What?  You don't remember me?  Geez, am I still that
unknown?  

Anyway, here's the next installment folks.  For those of you who
missed the previous parts, well, you're in luck.  Please
check out my brand new stinking webpage.  It's located at:

http://pweb.netcom.com/~bastion/index1.htm

What are you waitin' for?!  Go! Look! Be merry!

What's that you say?  You want a story, well then, let's get it in gear.

But for those naive folks, a few warnings:

#NA names.  Most are made up and others are borrowed, but all good.

#Original characters.  What?  Originality scares you?

#This is rated PG-13.  For reasons that are rather obvious to those who
created this rating system.

#All comments welcome.  Anything you have to say is important to me,
from support to abuse, I'll take what I can.

And I'd like to dedicate this to Setsu-P, for helping me edit this part
and creating all those neat graphics on my webpage.

I've stalled enough, eh?

*******************************************************************

Terrible Things To Waste

Part 8: Out There Somewhere - I



	The crashing waves shook Amy from her slumber.  A breeze
rustled through her short blue hair, depositing more sand in the
tangled strands.  Sluggishly, she sat up, letting the coarse
sand sticking to her palms rub painfully against her skin.  Dark
blue undulations of the lake's surface jumped and played before
her view.  She knew of no ocean with such a deep, almost black
hue.  

	Smacking her dried lips, a sour taste in the air immediately
hit her tongue.  "How surreal."  

	Her eyes followed the cliff face that crowded the shore
threatening to scratch the sky's unblemished glass ceiling.  She
followed the cliff's edge all the way back down to the beach to
where Michelle sat, staring absently at the sun's rippling
reflection.  

	"You're finally awake, Mercury."  Michelle's voice drifted away
with the wind.  "I had no idea you were such a sound sleeper."

	"Er, yes, well."  A rosy color enveloped Amy's cheeks.  "How
long have you been waiting there?"

	"Long enough."

	"I'm sorry abou-"

	"Don't be."  A smile gently crested on Michelle's mouth, but
her emerald eyes remained distant.  "We have a long day ahead of
us."

	Nodding, Amy proceeded to activate the computer.  "Right.  I'll
figure out where exactly we are and then I'll see if I can track
down everyone else.  That's if that vortex in didn't warp my
computer."

	Michelle narrowed her eyes momentarily at Amy; the blue-haired
youth anxiously anticipated for everything to check out okay.  

	*Ding*  

	Amy smiled nervously and waved.  "See, no problems."

	Michelle sighed and returned to her distant gaze across the
lake.  The roar of the waves provided an interlude while Amy
worked.  A stiff gust blew hard against Michelle's face and she
closed her eyes.  The wind reminded her so much of those nights
on the beach with -  

	She wasn't going to think about what happened to her.  She knew
Erica could take care of herself and would want her to be
strong.  Still, she missed Erica sorely and hated to contemplate
life without her.  

	Michelle sighed once more and tried to distract herself from
her present thoughts.  "You can track us with that little
thing?"  

	"Yep."  Amy replied as she tried to make sense of the data
streaming across her visor.  "Each scout gives off a specific
aura of power that acts like a beacon.  I have all our auras
entered ... "  She trailed off.  "Except for Pluto's,"  She
added silently.  

	Amy pulled up her visor and turned toward her green-haired
companion.  Michelle would know what it was like since she
interacted with Pluto more often times than her.  Yet, Michelle
and the other Outer Scouts had built this impenetrable front
cemented with enigmatic answers and masked expressions to
isolate themselves from the rest of the Scouts.  It didn't make
any sense to her.      

	"Shouldn't you be figuring out where we are?"  

	"Oh."  Amy blinked. "Er, let me see."  She quickly pulled down
her visor and read over her findings.  "This is odd."

	"What?"

	"According to this, we're still on Earth.  But the geography of
our present location doesn't match."

	Michelle's interest was finally piqued.  "How so?"

	"That,"  Amy pointed to the middle of the lake, "should be
downtown Tokyo."

	"It figures."  Michelle's nonchalant reply ambushed any of
Amy's expectations.  

	"You aren't the least bit disturbed?"  Amy tilted her up toward
her approaching ally.  "On top of that there's some strange sour
taste to the air, and the water is the wrong color."

	Michelle stood over Amy, leaving the younger scout drowning in
her shadow.  "Yes, Mercury, the scenery is unique for Earth, but
shouldn't we be concerned about the others?"

	A gust of wind flared Michelle's green pleated skirt of her
scout uniform, making Amy immediately conscious of the
constricting bodice of her own uniform wrapped around her
abdomen.  Staring up into Michelle's narrowing emerald eyes, Amy
couldn't comprehend what was causing her to be so callous all of
the sudden.

	'Maybe she misses Erica.'  She mused.  'Which is
understandable.  Perhaps what she needs is some condolence in
the thought that she is near.  Then she'll calm down.' 

	"Yes.  Of course."  The visor snapped down while her voice
quietly carried her sympathies to her fellow scout.

	The information flashed in immediately, and, to Amy's dismay,
only one purple plip showed on her visor.  Crawling down her
face, small beads of sweat did little to hide her apprehension,
and Michelle's towering stance did little to boost her
confidence.  

	With one easing breath, Amy detached herself of all tension and
relayed the news with medical precision.  "My scanner can only
find Sailor Saturn's signature in this place."

	Springing down to a kneeling position, Michelle eagerly
inquired further.  "Where is she?"

	"Twenty miles to the northeast."	

	Michelle stared at the tall rocky ledge standing between her
and her child.  Could Victoria be strong enough not to crack
under the strain of her fears alone, she wondered.  Neptune
couldn't fathom the devastation a scared Sailor Saturn could
inflict upon this world.  

	"We shouldn't waste any more time."  Springing back to her
feet, Michelle started down the beach and motioned to her
stationary companion.  "Let's go."

	Amy sat, still staring at her visor.  "Um, Neptune.  I'm
picking up another signal."

	"Is it one of ours?"

	"It's similar to the signals I scanned from Cindy and that
Timelord person."  Amy swallowed her twining ball of
nervousness.  "But it doesn't match either of them."

	The stiff wind held back Michelle's wavy green curls but her
exposed face remained still.  "Then we have to expect anything
when we get to it.  Come on."



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



	Never in her old age had she seen such an unusual attire such
as this child's.   The outfit was very cute in its own unique
style, but it hardly ... protected her.   She didn't recognize
the clothing from any of the surrounding kingdoms.  She must
have come from a far away, so it was no wonder she discovered
the child completely unconscious at the outskirts of the
village.  

	Pulling off one of her gloves she reached down and removed a
few strands of the girl's black hair and admired her unblemished
skin.  She was a beautiful child, but it amazed her that this
frail child could make it here without a single scratch for
going so many miles through the Sea of Corruption that
surrounded the valley.  In fact, she didn't know how the child
survived the miasma without a mask to guard her lungs against
the fatal spores.    

	She then turned to the child's bladed staff relaxing against
her father's tarnished armor.  Staring into its wide edge, her
worn face and long grey hair reflected brightly in the setting
sun.   No blade made of an Ohmu's shell could match the quality
and sharpness of this weapon.  She wondered what a small child
would be doing with a staff of this fashion in an abandoned
village.

	"Uncle Eric?"  The child mumbled, waking from her slumber.  "I
had this weird dream,"  she rubbed her eyes sleepily, "that
Reenie was captured by this crazy old man and he stole the
Silver Crystal and created this black hole-"

	And then she opened them and her limbs stiffened, paralyzed at
the sight of this old stranger seated above her.  "Eeep!"      

	The stranger smiled, trying to calm the child.  'Please don't
be scared.'

	"Huh?"  The child could distinctly hear it, but the old woman's
lips didn't move.  "How-"

	'Please.  I can't understand what you're saying.'  The woman
nodded, encouraging the girl to cooperate.

	Wrinkling her face in concentration, the child continued her
questions.  'How are you doing this?'

	Laughing softly, the elder woman's reply reverberated in
Victoria's head.  'I suppose it's a gift I have.'

	'Where am I?'  Glancing out the window, Victoria had an
unobstructed view of the entire valley as the sun fell below the
water at the horizon.

	The warmth of the woman's thoughts soothed down Victoria's
chilled spine.  'I see this place still has some of it old
beauty.  Heh.'  Victoria turned toward the leathery smile of her
companion.  'Welcome to the Valley of the Wind.'

	

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



	A bristly ball floated past the General's head as he stumbled
through this spore-ridden forest.  A large insect ocean squirmed
down worn trails around the thick trunks of parasitic trees.  

	Halebit wandered further through the forest while the pain in
his body tested his resolve with each step.  His throat
constricted tightly for every breath he took, forcing the old
man to inhale more of the dust clogged air.   

	The violent fit of coughing overwhelmed the General, as if his
lungs wanted to escape his rotting body.  As he fell to his
knees, a thick substance forced its way out of his mouth.  It
pooled beneath him, black as pitch and thick as tar.  He needed
that Crystal now.

	With sickening horror, the old man lurched to his feet, letting
the black ooze hang from his lower lip.  He didn't dare stop and
rest a minute more; he needed to find the Crystal.  He needed
its healing light to counteract the effect this poisonous world
had on him.  Ah, the power he had held in his hands.  What he
wouldn't do just to get it back and hear its melody once more.  

	"It's the spores, you know."  An all too familiar voice
declared, its echoes emanating through the forest.

	The General spun around, disorientation seizing him.  Through
the last remnants of his dry cough, he croaked,  "Echoes?

	"Nihil.  What is your game this time?"  Halebit didn't know
what to expect while he turned about face -- Nihil was nothing
more than a voice -- but he didn't expect this.

	Before him stood a youthful soldier who Halebit had tried all
his life to forget.  The soldier's wrinkle-free uniform
prominently displayed his stripes across his upper arm,
signifying his status of general, and many glittering war medals
showcased his valor.  His short black hair and stout posture
matched his uniform in flawlessness.  Halebit couldn't look into
the soldier's face with his usual calmness; anger seethed in him
and he clenched his fist.

	"How dare you, Nihil.  To chose *his* image."  Halebit hissed. 
"What do you think you're accomplishing by doing that?"

	Nihil smiled the soldier's perfect smile and leaned toward the
old man.  "I thought you'd take me seriously if I took the form
of someone from your past, your peer in the Great War.  Trekker."

	Halebit avoided Nihil's stare.  "That disreputable pariah. 
Heh. I'd hardly call him a peer."

	The soldier's face took a curious gaze.  "You'd go so far as to
deny yourself the truth?  Hmph.  Your jealousy astounds me,
Halebit."

	"I was not jealous of that intolerable heathen!"  Halebit
snarled at his dementia's creation.  "The only reason I
befriended him was to find out his secret-"  

	Halebit's mouth hung on that last word as Nihil's perfect smile
grew wider. 	"You wanted to know his secret?  You wanted to know
why he was better than you?"  

	Halebit once more diverted his eyes from Nihil and clenched his
fist.  'I can't let him defeat me.  I'm the one who has control.'

	"He was never better than me.  He depended on that wretched
sword to get him out of the predicaments he would recklessly
wander into."  Halebit swallowed down some of the black mucus
that crept up his throat.  "He had no control.  Just like his-"

	Nihil raised a conspicuous eyebrow and leaned forward once
more, making eye contact unavoidable.  "His son?  The one you
trained when the hero of the Community disappeared?"

	Instantly, in front of Halebit, materialized a small child
holding one of the bamboo sticks he used in training Timelords
back before he had taken over the floundering Society.  Halebit
was amused by the child's disheveled appearance; a tangled mass
of black hair, dirt smudged cheeks, and soiled clothing.  Hardly
befitting a protege of Halebit's stature.  

	The child offered up the stick to the old man and spoke with
gentle conviction.  "I wanna be a great soljer like my daddy."	

	"And right then you took your vengeance on Trekker by
denouncing him to his son."  Halebit could of sworn that he felt
Nihil breath down his neck.  "Do you see how your petty jealousy
controls you Halebit?"

	A grunt escaped Halebit's lips as he stared intently into
Nihil's perfect black eyes.  "I merely told the child the truth.
 His father left him behind.  He left behind all responsibility
to follow some new spiritual scent he always was following like
some animal.  His son was no different.  As wild and untamed as-"

	"You?"  Nihil arched one of his eyebrows quizzically and
smirked.  A new avenue had just opened.  "If I remember
correctly, you were just as wild and untamed at his age. 
Probably more so."

	Fingernails bore into Halebit's palms, his voice approaching a
low growl.  "I was very different then.  I've learned to
administer control over myself.  Unlike that untamed child,
Tracer, I learned to quell my urges."

	"True, but you could never could vanquish them."  Nihil walked
over to the child and knelt next to him.  "You left it to boil
deep within yourself, and now they are ready to explode. 
Eventually, they will be released."

	Both the child and Nihil gazed at Halebit with their piercing
black pupils.  "You can't hold me back forever."



			*		*		*



	Falling further and further into nothingness, she could feel
them slip away from her.  It took all her strength but she
didn't have enough to hold them both.  She wasn't going to let
go and lose one of them to the darkness.  Something familiar
came close and offered its hand, wanting to save them. 
Reluctantly, she let go of one and held tightly to the other. 
She had her worries.  Yet, she knew she left her daughter in
good hands, and with that knowledge comforting her, she
continued to fall.  

	"Hey, wake up sleepyhead."  

	"Huh?"  Slowly, Serena's eyes fluttered open.  "Mina?"

	Mina grinned down at her friend, some of her long blonde hair
tickling Serena's nose as it swung in the arid breeze.  "Geez,
me and Darien thought you'd never wake up."

	"Darien!"  Without warning, Serena's upper body catapulted
forward, and Mina sprang back, narrowly avoiding a stray ball of
hair.  Looking one way and another, Serena's eyes shot around
the immediate vicinity.  "Where's-?"

	"Whoa, Serena."  Mina rested her hand on her friend's shoulders
and glanced at Serena's two balls of hair.  "You could kill
someone with those things."  That illicited a smile from Serena.
 "Darien's over there, keeping an eye on that creepy Timelord
guy."

	Following Mina's gaze, she saw Darien, still dressed in his
tuxedo, looking down at the gruff Traveller laid out on the
sand, both situated in the shadow of large white wall.   

	The wall itself towered over all of them and it looked to
extend to forever and back on either side.  Serena couldn't see
any lines of concrete or any rough texture on its surface and
she had to crane her neck to see where it curved out of sight. 
In complete awe, Serena eased herself to her feet, oblivious of
Mina dusting some unsightly sand that collected on the posterior
of her dress.  

	"This is so weird."  The words escaped Serena's lips as she
brushed her fingertips on the wall's smooth face.  

	"Yeah, that's the same thing I said."  Mina's voice jolted
Serena's awareness that Darien was looking at her.	   

	His placid facade blossomed into a smile when he saw Serena's
bright blue eyes.  He noticed she still wore the white dress
from their dinner together.  He had nearly forgot about that in
light of things that happened afterward.  Home seemed so far
away from where they were right now.  Right now, there were out
there somewhere stranded in this wasteland.  Damn that Tracer. 
"I see Mina finally woke you up."

	Serena smiled at this before tearing her eyes away from her
dark-haired lover and gazing out across the great expanse of
desert the wall didn't enclose.  Except for the occasional
breeze, nothing seemed to disturb it's flat, barren geography.  

	Turning to the brilliant wall, Serena pondered aloud.  "Is
there any way in?"

	 "I couldn't find any sort of entrance within a mile either
way."  Serena's head snapped toward the gruff voice.  There
Erica stood at attention, her short blonde hair and blue skirt
wavering in the breeze, confident of her assertion.  

	"I told you that."  Mina loudly added earning herself an
indignant sniff from the Scout of Uranus.

	With her eyes downcast, so she wouldn't have to see the Moon
Princess suppress a smile, Erica continued.  "We need to move,
or else you will die of dehydration in a few days."

	Concern grew across Serena's face.  "What about the rest of
you?"

	Erica crossed her arms and pursed her lips.  "We'll probably
last longer since Venus, Tuxedo Mask, and I are all transformed.
 But, we must move or else none of us will have a chance of
surviving."

	The sleeping figure of the Timelord flashed to Serena's mind. 
"What about him?"  

	Darien spoke, sharing his animosity.  "He can stay there for
all I care."

  	Serena's body became rigid and then softened.  Then, with the
grace of an angel, Serena spun around to face her lover.  "Why?"

	Darien kept his back turned, his black cape shielding him from
the crumbled expression of shock on Serena's countenance.  "He
called you a whore.  That's why.  He's shown he won't cooperate,
so why help him?  All he's going to do is hurt you, Serena.  I
... I don't want that."

	Serena rested her head on Darien's shoulder, joining him in his
vigil over the unconscious soldier.  "I know you care, but
please understand ..."  Serena gazed at Tracer, his face still
and serene, "That there's something inside him that I feel is
... I'm not sure, but I know it's there.  Something pure and
good."

	Pondering to herself, she noticed the gruff young man looked so
child-like with innocence as he slept.  The things she sensed
from him frustrated her, like riddles that come and go as they
please, leaving her with vague impressions before she can find
the solution.  If only she could just grasp ...

	Erica's raspy voice sent Serena's fragile chandelier of thought
crashing down.  "I hardly think that will work Venus."

	Mina raised her voice to better propagate her idea.  "Of course
it will work, I mean we all can jump great distances, and we can
use Darien's cane and your sword.  Think of it as a funny day of
mountain climbing."

	"I don't think so."  Uranus' crossed arms wouldn't budge.

	Mina crinkled her nose and tapped her upper lip thoughtfully. 
"We can always knock."

	"Do you want me to say open-sesame or do you?"   

	Without warning, the stoic wall wailed and rattled.  From
underneath the sand, two lines carved up the wall's face and
converged to an apex.  The enclosed area then jolted from its
confines and slid into obscurity behind the simplistic sheet of
white.  Both Mina and Erica stepped away, preparing themselves
for the possibility of a hostile welcome.  

	As the rattle died away, three cloaked figures emerged from the
newly created archway.  The first emerged into view, his
darkened mask darting one way to another.  With military
efficiency the masked individual studied each of the intruders,
halting when its view passed the goddess in the white, then to
the familiar black mop of hair mingling in the sand.  

	"It can't be." The masked individual straightened with alarm
and turned to the his two comrades clearing the archway's
threshold.  "The Temporal Net was correct.  It's the Timelord."

	One of the two paused, pondering why his commander was going
against procedure.  "You think you can handle him alone?"

	"He's unconscious.  I can carry him in to the Counsule
Building."

	His third partner's voice resonated strongly within her mask,
peeking around her commander's shoulders.  "He's a Level 4,
Nahtan.  You are required to have me and Guod *at least* to
escort him in, in case he wakes up."

	The leader of the trio stood in unyielding silence as his third
officer noticed the two blonde girls just beyond the archway.

	"What about them?"

	"Nothing, I will tend with them as well.  Alone."

	"There's something familiar about them."  Mental strings were
being tugged teasingly in Guod's mind.

	"What are you hiding Nahtan?"  The lower officer stood on her
tip-toes, her voice taking a threatening edge.

	"Short skirts-"  The strings began to slack.

	The commander grunted. "Are you questioning my authority, Nire?"

	"Tiaras-"

	Nire ripped her mask off, revealing her loose strands of amber
hair framing her glowering face.  "Why are you so eager to usher
us out?"

	The knot finally unraveled.  "By the Lord, it's the Senshi!"   
   

	In his excitement, Guod shoved his slightly-built commander out
of his path, making his way to Mina.  "I can't believe this."

	Nire's eyes followed her fellow soldier as he scampered over to
the two girls and then they fixed on her commander.  "So... "

	Nahtan only grunted in frustration.

	Meanwhile, Mina tried to gather her wits with her newly
acquired, and totally unanticipated fan.  "Excuse me?"

	The large soldier gently grasped the porcelain hand of Venus. 
"You must forgive, Goddess of Love, Sailor Venus, for being
impolite.  I did not mean to call you by your other name."

	Mina's nose twitched and Erica smirk with amusement.  "You mean
Sailor V?"         

	Guod held his head low in shame.  "Please forgive me!"

	"Um, don't get me wrong, but," The blonde rubbed the back of
her head to relieve herself of her pressing embarrassment, "How
do you know-"

	Suddenly, the wind that drove Guod's sails of attention changed
direction and lead him directly to Goddess in white.  

	Serena stepped back as the soldier knelt at her bare feet, much
like, as Serena noted, Cindy did when she first met her.  The
soldier's actions caught the attention of his comrades.

	Nire's eyes lit up with disbelief.  "By the Lord and Serenity's
good will, it is her."

	"Uh, please get up."  Serena pleaded unsuccessfully to the
soldier as the other approached.  "I'm no one special, trust me,
just please get up."

	Guod held firm and refused to even lift his head.  "I cannot,
my Queen, for I have taken an oath in your honor."

	"But, I-"  Serena watched in utter amazement as the female
soldier knelt down beside her comrade.

	"Serenity.  It is a pleasure to finally meet you my Goddess."

	"But, uh,"  Serena's eyes pleaded for help from Darien, but he
could offer nothing at the surprising turn of events. Finally,
Serena gave up looking for something to say.  "Who are you?"

	"I am your humble servant, Nire."  The female soldier nodded
over to her larger counterpart.  "Guod is a practicing deacon in
your church."

	"What!?"  Each Sailor Scout announced in chorus.

	"No they aren't."  Finally, the third and commanding officer
spoke as he escaped the darkness of the archway.  "They are
Timelords and we are here to collect the Timelord Tracer for
questioning and not to honor any fictitious gods."

	Serena moved her gaze from the heads of the two people kneeling
before her.  "You're Timelords?"

	Guod remained silent while Nire spoke with the reluctance of a
square wheel.  "Yes."

	Nahtan frowned under the protection of his mask as he went over
to the unconscious Timelord and hefted the black-haired soldier
up, draping him across his shoulder.  "These people are
foreigners, Nire, and they have no right to be in the Community.
 Counsule law."

	Nire shot to her feet and glared at her commanding Timelord. 
"How dare you speak of the great and mighty Serenity that way! 
A foreigner indeed!  You are fortunate she is kind and
forgiving, or else she would have disintegrated you to dust."

	"Now wait-"  Serena tried to get in a word, but to no avail.

	"We will escort the Queen, Endymion, and her royal court." 
Nire announced, brushing aside her auburn hair to keep her hard
gaze fixed on Nahtan.  "Right Guod?"

	The large soldier paused and reverently stood, answering with
confidence.  "Yes."

	Nahtan didn't move, or even breathe.  He knew he was lost the
instant they saw the Senshi, there was no use in arguing any
further when he was out-numbered.  "Fine."

	A small smile danced across Nire's dainty little cheeks as she
address her queen.  "This way Serenity.  We shall escort you in."

	Serena glanced over at her friends and followed the two
Timelords through archway with Nahtan herding them along.  

	As Serena looked to either side, she noticed how smooth and
flowing, like dark chocolate, the interior of the archway's
walls were.  Hardly a fitting image for a gear grinding sound it
emitted earlier.  Just ahead, bright, unadulterated sunlight
beckoned Serena's gaze, its illumination entrancing her.  Her
curiosity strained to keep her eyes open while the light
intensified.  

	Finally, the strain proved to be too much when reached the end
of the archway's corridor.  For an instant, her eyes fluttered
closed and upon opening them, pure, wholesome white welcomed
her.  

	Lines upon lines of rigid, white buildings with smooth white
faces similar to wall that protected them crowded the white
street.  Further down the road a large white dome loomed over
all with four cone pillars that rivaled the Tokyo Tower in
height and magnificence. 

	"This is so wicked cool."  Serena murmured as her other friends
tried in vain to find words to express their awe.

	At first, people they passed would look and stare dumbfounded,
while others ran off to locations unknown.  As they progressed
further, a crowd gathered around them, but the Timelords, Nire
and Guod them at bay.  One gentleman in black and green robes
tried to approach the blonde girl, but only met the stern face
of Guod.

	"Make room for the Messiah Serenity."  The Timelord boomed to
the smaller individual.

	"I must meet with Serenity."  The lanky gentleman insisted.  "I
am Carlyle, the head priest of the Church of Pluto.  There is
something very important I must ask her!"

	Serena's eyes lit up.  'Church of Pluto?'

	"Not now."  With one good shove the lanky gentleman, Carlyle,
found himself on the sandy street.

	"I must know why the life forces surrounding Pluto are
unbalanced!"  His shouts were drowned out by the chattering of
the ever growing crowd.

	Serena glanced around.  The bigger the crowd became the more
her awe turned to apprehension.  The crowd consisted of people
in ragged clothing or that of people in colorful robes in
sequence of blue, gold, red, yellow, orange, or black.  Some had
their young children hoisted on their shoulders cheering and
smiling, and others cried, begging for a blessing of good
fortune.

	'Am I a god to these people?'  She reached over for Darien's
strong hand and grasped it, insuring she wouldn't plummet any
further into this insanity.

	Serena glanced over at Mina, who was smiling and waving at the
crowd, soaking in their praise and cheers.  Beside her, Erica
stood on guard, her gaze darting from side to side, making sure
no one got past their escorts.  In the back, Serena could barely
make out Nahtan in the crowd as he carried Tracer, his slumped
posture indicating his foul mood.   

	Finally, the procession reached the center of the city, at the
base of the white dome, where the crowd spilled forth from the
narrow streets and filled the surrounding square.  Serena waited
anxiously, clutching Darien's hand.  

	"I'm worried, Darien."

	He squeezed and held her close.

	A silence rushed over the immense crowd.  An outline of a door
appeared on the surface of the dome and disappeared without a
sound.  Slowly and reverently, five elders walked out into the
light saturated city.  The head elder led the way with the
others follow behind him, each donning white robes.  A lump
formed in Serena's throat at the same agonizing speed which the
elders approached.  Once the head elder was a few feet away, the
others spread out to either side of him and stopped.   The head
elder peered at Serena in her white dress, pondered a moment,
and, moved forward.

	Beneath his thick grey beard, the head elder smiled.  "I,
Nairb, Head Elder of the Counsule, humbly welcome all of you to
our home, the Community."

	Serena took a step back, aghast.  'Is this the same Counsule
that killed Cindy's family?!'



		*			*			*               

	  

	Cindy watched as the sun slowly crept into view over the tall,
cramped structures of the strange city that loomed over her.  

	Over those structures the palace towered.  It's grandiose
design reminded Cindy of the palaces from the shogun era in
Japan, but she knew inherently that this couldn't be Japan.  For
one thing, some of the buildings in the city were too tall to be
adequately supported by wood alone.  Then there were those
strange mannequins in the shops...    

	As she continued to wrap the cloth strips around her chest in
tighter concentric loops, Cindy looked out towards the distant
mountains once more.  When they first arrived, Cindy could see
lightning strikes beyond them, and feared that rain couldn't be
far behind.  In desperation, with the child in her arms, she
found shelter in this covered alleyway and waited.  Yet, as the
hours passed, any moisture had yet to descend upon them.  

	Once she felt confident it wouldn't rain, she wondered around
and found as many loose items she could grab from the shops
before the fleeting rays of sunrise colored the dark sky and
expose her crime.  

	More rays began to creep into the dark crevices of the
alleyway.  Reenie stirred when the beams of sunlight danced
across her eyes.  

	"Cindy?"  The child groaned, removing some of the loose strands
of bright pink hair from her jostled pig tails.  

	Stopping with her wrapping, Cindy smiled at the young girl. 
"Good morning, Reenie."  

	Removing the heavy cloth draped across her body, and eyeing it
with a tinge of curiosity, Reenie surveyed the alleyway and the
outlying streets of the city.  "Where are we?"

	Already in mid-wrap, Cindy winced.  "I'm not sure.  This looks
like feudal Japan, but I doubt that's the case."

	Reenie watched, fascinated, as Cindy continued to wrap the
cloth around her chest.  "Where are Darien, Serena, Puu, and the
others?"

	Cindy's wrapping came to an abrupt halt and unraveled to her
waist.  "I don't know Reenie.  I'm not sure where they went.  If
that vortex spit us out here randomly, there's no telling where
the others could be."

	 A flood of guilt swept over Cindy when Reenie titled her head
down and her eyes glazed over.  "I'm sorry, Reenie.  I know that
they'll make it back.  The Time Guardian won't allow them to be
stranded in the middle of nowhere.  They're out there,
somewhere, waiting for you." 

	Those words of encouragement sprang Reenie from her prison of
despair.  "Yeah."

	Cindy smiled and started anew on her painful venture, while
Reenie watched until her curiosity pushed her to inquiry.  "Hey,
Cindy."

	The blonde Traveller gritted her teeth.  "Yes?"

	"Why are you wrapping that cloth around your, uh, around you?"  

	The child's prudence brought a tinge of a smile with the pain
as she finished one more loop.  "It's a general rule for me
whenever I end up in an unknown dimension to hide all evidence
of femininity before wandering in public."

	Reenie's nose wrinkled.  "Why?"

	Another wince, another turn.  "Because, more often times than
not, females are not the choice sex to be."

	"Oh."  

	"Which means, I hate to say, the pigtails must go."

	Reenie sighed and once again Cindy felt the weight of guilt
resting on her shoulders.  

	"Hey Reenie." The child looked up to see the blonde Traveller
finishing her last wrap and wearing a grin that could have eaten
a canary.  "How about some breakfast!  What do ya say?"  

	Saliva welled in anticipation and stomachs growled in
preparation.  "Can we have pancakes?" 	

	Cindy giggled.  "If they have them."

	Tugging at her pigtails, Reenie looked down at her own
clothing.  "What are we going to do about my outfit?"

	Different variations of male clothing slid in and out of
Cindy's mind as she eyed the child.

	"Without ruining my favorite dress."  Reenie amended quickly.

	Tapping her chin, Cindy pondered for a moment.  "Where did you
put that burlap cloak?"

	"You mean this thing?"  Reenie picked up the heavy material,
still radiating her warmth, from the dirt road of the alleyway.

	"Yep."  Taking the cloth, Cindy draped it over the shoulders of
the pink-haired youth and tied the girl's hair in a less
feminine manner.  "That should do it.  Let's go."

	With Reenie in tow, the Society soldier led them out into the
early morning bustle of the strange city.  Vivacious colors of
clothing glowed in the morning sun, the elegance of the robes
these people wore seemed fitting of archaic Japan.  Cindy
couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious in comparison. 
She hoped they didn't stick out too much.  

	Very cheerful people they were and seemed friendly enough to
them, at least from what Cindy could tell.  They smiled as
Reenie skipped about the road, narrowly missing manually pulled
food carts and taxis.  Cindy had lost count of the number of
apologies she had said on the child's behalf.  She thanked the
Lord that she knew something about Japanese customs and they
seemed to understand.  All smiles.  

	Yet, something didn't feel right.  The more they walked, the
more Cindy became acutely aware of a lack of a female presence. 
Moving her head this way and that, Cindy searched, with the hope
that they weren't the only women in this entire city.

	'Because I would not want to be the lone women in a city full
of men.'  The Traveller cringed at the stories she heard of the
unfortunates that ended up in such dimensions.  

	Finally, a flash of a kimono fluttered into her view, and at
once, Cindy zeroed in it, to slow the tempo of the drumming in
her heart.  Unfortunately, the tempo accelerated when Cindy
found one of the placid female mannequins wearing the kimono
while obediently following her male owner.  

	"No.  This can't be."  The blonde whispered hoarsely.  "This
can't be Terra 2.  Not a whole planet..."

	A tug at her sleeve disentangled Cindy from her shock. 

	"Where did you get this from?"  Reenie asked as she displayed
the thick cloth currently draping her form.  "I didn't remember
seeing this before we, um, got here." 

	"While you were asleep I..."  Cindy trailed off as another
pale-faced mannequin walked by and returned to the child,
"browsed around in the shops."

	A dubious expression crossed the child's face.  "Browse?"

	"Well, the ones with the locks I could pick the quickest." 
Cindy's expression resembled that of a fox caught eating in a
cannery.

	"YOU STOL-"  The slender hand of the Traveller kept the pair
from attracting anymore attention.

	"Shhh, Reenie."  Cindy growled between her teeth.  "Last thing
we want is to become criminals in a foreign legal system."

	The pink-haired youth struggled free and continued; her hushed
voice resonating with irritation.  "You stole this?!"

	The pair continued to move through the crowd in silence; the
Traveller steeled herself and tried to steady her quivering
stomach.  "Sometimes it's necessary to do such things in order
to survive."

	Cindy's hunger was lost to nausea.  "Even if it's wrong."

	By the Lords, she hated herself.  She wasn't willing to do such
horrible, terrible things before her family died; the stealing,
the lying, the bribing, the faking, the killing-      

	'Tracer...'  The grotesque image of the bloody faced Timelord
as he fell limp blazed up from her memories.  She remembered her
hands painted with his silver-laced blood and the look of horror
on Serena's face.  'What have I become?' 

	Suddenly, Reenie's soft voice stopped Cindy from falling
further into her well of self-pity.  "Hey Cindy."

	Cindy found herself stopped in the middle of the street,
staring intently at her clench fists.  Regaining her composure,
the blonde laughed to herself and craned her neck towards the
child.

	Reenie smiled and pulled Cindy's hand.  "Why don't we get some
pancakes?"



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



	From her perch in the steeple, she watched the residents of
this strange world walk to and fro.  She had never see such a
seamless blend of the past, present, and future of Japan before;
from the bamboo walls to the tall steel sky scrapers that over
shadowed them.  Occasionally cars zoomed past, leaving dirt
clouds in its wave as they make their way toward  the palace in
the distance.  

	It had been a long time since she had seen such a structure
before.  She tried to recall from her endless abyss of
knowledge.  The shogun days of Japan?  Yes.  That brought back
some fond memories, it was one of the less stressful trips she
had to make.  

	Dutifully, she regripped her staff and continued her
observation.  Another unusual thing she found, at least in this
place, was that all the females.  They didn't walk with the
grace that most women possess.  Yet, Pluto couldn't help but
notice how the sunlight ignited the fairness of their smooth,
pale skin.  

	This definitely wasn't Earth, a little astrology told her that
much, but familiar energies tingled her senses.  They had to be
nearby. 

	"Do you know where we are, Pluto?"  A hesitant voice rung out
behind the Time Guardian.

	"We're not on Earth."  Lifting herself from one knee, Pluto
stood in the open window of the steeple, the wind playingfully
tugging at wisps of her dark green hair and the ends of her
deathly black skirt.  "That much I am certain, Jupiter."

	The tall brunette poked her head around the Time Guardian's
towering figure to get a better view of the happenings below. 
"What a weird place."

	"My sentiments exactly."  Raye added from the shadows of the
steeple, her midnight black hair framing the indignation on her
porcelain face.  "When are you going to call that Time Gate and
zap us out of here?"   

	The Time Guardian hardly flinched from the numbness ebbing away
in her legs when she faced the annoyed Scout.  "Not yet Mars."

	"What!?"  The soft wooden floor muffled the laden clicks of
Raye's high heels.  "We have to get back home."

	The stern red eyes of Pluto stopped Raye's march.  "Home can
wait."     	  

	Both girls began to shy away from the green-haired woman,
seeking protection from the severity of Pluto's voice.  Only
Lita found the courage to weather the storm. "W-why?" 

	Sensing their apprehension, the Time Guardian settled herself. 
It wouldn't do her any good to bully them.  "Sorry, but Small
Lady is here.  I can feel her energy in this city."  

	"Oh."  Realization promptly whacked Raye in the back of the
head.  "I'm sorry Pluto.  It's just that I want to know if
Grandpa is alright."

	A small, gentle curve developed on the Time Guardian's lips. 
"I had called the authorities before we left, they all will be
okay."

	Raye took a quick glance at her taller friend and arched her
brow quizzically.  Lita seemed awfully calm about their current
situation when none of them knew if the man of her dreams, Ken,
was still alive after that attack by that old, kooky general. 
Halibut, was it?

	The continuing conversation hooked Raye out of the pond of her
thoughts.  "Finding Reenie seems easy enough, just follow you to
her and then we're out of here, right?"   

	"Not necessarily true, Jupiter.  I can only feel her presence. 
I can't find her.  Her energy is too spread out to pinpoint." 
Gazing back out into the cityscape of the unusual world, Pluto
continued.  "It's not only that; the Silver Crystal is out
there, and it's masking her position as well."

	"So Serena's here as well?"              

	"I don't think so.  The energy I feel from the Silver Crystal
is cold, I suppose would be the appropriate description."  Pluto
faced the two Scouts, both pondering in proud silence what she
meant.  She sighed.  "But our most pressing concern is one of
the Travellers that's here as well."

	Instantly, both Scouts stood at attention as Pluto's expression
darkened and her tone resolved.  "And we must rescue Small Lady
and secure the Crystal before it falls in the wrong hands."

	

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



	He had to hurry, the show beckoned, and his musical angel
wasn't ready to spread her wings.  Using his brush, he painted
his masterpiece on the palette of his angel's circuitry.  For
some reason the circuit was acting up again, disturbing the
behavior algorithm.  He didn't like it when his angel was sick.

	"Matt."  

	Furiously, the artist worked.

	"Maatttt."

	Now where did he put his wielder?

	"MATT!"  The artist pointed his handheld wielder at the golden
haired man fuming in the doorway.

	Slightly flushed, the artist lowered his psuedo-weapon and
sighed.  "Oh hiya, Bro."

	The golden-haired man ushered himself into the stuffed
workshop, avoiding the tools and clothing strewn around on
hangers, and looked over the prone humanoid figure.  "Is our
little marionette ready to put on another great show?"

	Matt grinned sheepishly, ruffling his matching golden hair in
attempt to block his brother's view of the open chest of the
machine resting on his bench.  "Uh, yeah.  She'll be ready. 
She'll knock em dead in fact!"

	His brother snickered and gave Matt a hearty slap on the back. 
"Come on Matt, I've been dying to know her secret.  I mean, she
is making us a pretty penny.  It was ingenues of you to suggest
going to Japoness."

	Standing tall, Matt expanded his lungs, and coughed out.  "And,
ahem, you thought that Marie wouldn't make it out of the saloons
of New Texas.  Besides, I would have learned Japanese and gone
out here without you."

	Dusting off the comment off the cuff of his pale suit, the
older brother replied.  "Sure, Matt, just in the same amount of
time it took you to learn Russian?"

	With his slumped shoulders, the technical artist made no move
to dismiss the rain cloud that developed overhead.  "Thanks,
Davy."

	"Don't call me that."

	 A smirk sufficed for an adequate reply.

	 "Are you going to tell me or what?"  Arms crossed, the man in
the clean, neatly pressed suit regarded his oil smudged,
worn-clothed brother.  "Or will I have to bribe you?"

	Matt raised an eyebrow, intriqued.  "Oh, my brother, David.  Do
you think I actually have a price?"

	Looking at his brother, Matt wondered if David's expression was
ever this incredulous before.  "Okay, what is it?"

	Digging into one of his coat pockets, David revealed a small,
spherical crystal.  "I thought you're marionette might like this
addition to her accessories."

	Matt snatched the crystal from his brother's well manicured
hands.  After giving the translucent stone a sweep with his ever
incriminating eye, he smirked once more.  "Let me guess, you
found it on the street."	 	      

	"Yep.  As far as I can tell it's just your run of the mill
stone."  David glanced around randomly at the disorganization of
the workshop.  "So are you going to tell me or am I going to die
in anticipation?"

	Spinning the crystal in his hand and watched the mirad of
colors refract from every little crevice in its surface. 
Satisfied, he nodded.  

	"Okay. Here is the secret to Marie, the magically dancing
marionette."  With a grand wave of his hand, Matt displayed the
circuit to their success.

	David studied the circuitry of the marionette, hoping he could
understand the complexity of wires and plugs snaking around a
large lens.  Most unusual thing he ever saw in the marionettes
he observed his brother tinkering with.  The lens resembled that
of an eye, complete with its own iris.

	"Is this,"  David pointed at the lens that was at the heart of
the mess of wires.  "why Marie is so interactive with the
audience?"

	The grin on Matt's face made his brother grimace.  "Yep.  This
marvelous invention can make any marionette have a personality
of its own."

	David took a step back.  "She isn't alive.  Is she?"

	Letting a snicker escape his lips, Matt relieved his brother's
fears.  "No, I figured out a way to dumb down her intelligence
so that it does everything I program her to do, even vague
commands."   	  

	"Huh."  David re-examined the circuit.  "It must have cost you
a pretty penny, Matt."

	That grin painfully widened.  "Nope.  I won it in a poker game
with some drunk guy from St. Petersburg."

	David's face lost all muscular ability and fell.  "You what?"

	"Oh yeah.  A real bragger he was.  Hell, he even told me how it
worked and what it was and where he got it from."

	"Then what is it?"

	Matt lower his voice as though he were revealing a plot to take
over the world.  "You see, it's something called a maiden
circuit.  It lets marionettes act more like humans.  Apparently,
both the original Ieyasu and Faust had created a few back when
they crashed here."

	"Why would they do that?"

	"I don't know.  Lonely, I suppose.  Anyway, this guy bragged
that he had stolen it from Faust's compound."

	"You're telling me this is hot!?"

	"No, I mean the guy was telling me the Mesopotamia was still
orbiting the planet, when we all know that it blew up with the
rest of the transport ships from Earth."  

	David crossed his arms, unamused.  "Uh-huh.  You act like it
isn't refutable."

	"That and he bragged he had the largest-"

	David raised his hand in front of his brother's face, stopping
the sentence before it could be completed.  "All right, all
right.  So he probably was lying about that, but just in case,
let's be careful.  This is Gartland we're talking about.  That's
the last place we'd want to be, especially as criminals."

	David draped his arm over his brother's shoulders and directed
him to the door.  "So let's pretend I didn't hear this and get
some sake."

	In haste, Matt dropped the crystal on the palm of his
mechanical angel's hand as he walked out the door.  "You're
paying."

	"Fine.  I'll pay."

	Once their laughs died away into the streets, a faint glimmer
sprouted within the crystal and faded away.  After a time, the
glimmer returned, but slightly stronger.  And again, and again,
intensifying with each beat.  Finally, the iris within the lens
of the circuit exploded with green and contracted in rhythm with
the crystal.  Components sparked and lights flashed on,
furiously booting the system to life.  

	Gently, each slender finger wrapped around the crystal and
squeezed shut.


-End of Part 8-


Author's Note:

Geez, that was long.  If any of you noticed that I did something
different with my writing style.  I hope I didn't confuse most
of you guys in the process.

And if you can figure out which world the girls are stuck in, 
let me know.  I'll tell you if you're right or not.  <wink>

BTW, Counsule is spelt correctly, in the world of this story.  This
ain't reality we're dealing with here.

It's been awhile.  Thanks to my prereaders Erin Ellis, Lord Talon,
Matt Johnston and his three-fourths brother David, Doug Whiddon, 
and Nathan Baxter.  I really hope to hear from them again some day.
*sigh*  

Big thanks to Setsu-P for all her help on webpage.  And if you skipped
all the way down here and missed it earlier, it's:
http://pweb.netcom.com/~bastion/index1.htm

Also thanks to Dark Master Jewelle for her commentary from alt.fan.sailor-moon
NG.

And finally thanks to Ms. Hui, for this tremendous archive through which 
I get all my publicity.  Thanks much nice lady.

And finally, dear readers, how could I ever forget you?  Send me a line,
I don't bite, I've been spaded.  

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