Name: 'The truth about Ami', chapter 10 Author: Cony E-mail adress: rubi@riemann.mat.puc.cl Rated: PG-13 (for some swearing and violence) Stuff at bottom. They were at the door of that misterious girl that had entered the hospital hours ago. Weirds seem to call each other, was what one of them thought. The other nurse, a brunnette that somehow remembered them of a younger Makoto, only had one thought on her mind: . The girls were speechless. How in the name of the Moon were there going to explain Mercury's prescense in there?. It was easy to bring up an excuse for them, but what about a Senshi?. She suddenly felt ill and went to a hospital?. Not even the foolest of the human beings would believe *that*, looking at the energy and power Mercury seemed to be surrounded in. Pain and sickness were two words that just didn't go with her at that time. Besides, she should've gone to the main hall, and not into one of the farther away corridors of the building. But, the problem was being taken care of. As they tried to think of something to say, a deep, low voice echoed through their ears. "Sleep. Sleep. You won't remember anything when you wake up. Close your eyes, and sleep". The nurses were dozing off, their eyes closing by the moment. They finally surrendered to the spell, and fell to the floor, completely aslept. Everyone was gasping. Six heads turned back, and looked at Hiroshi. The voica had being a man's one, and *certainly* not Mamoru's, so that only left him on the list. And actually, it *was* him the one who had done that. His eyes were half closed, and almost black, so dark was the green on them. The voice had been low and deep, not his usual sing-song one. His hair was floating by an unknown power and was just returning to rest again on his forehead, the loose bangs slowly descending to their original position. He seemed to awaken from a dream, as his eyes fluttered completely open. Reiko touched his shoulder. "Ok, honey?". "Fine Reiko. Just harder than I thought". Mamoru blinked several times, looking at the sleeping nurses and then at Hiroshi. "What did you just do?". "I just put them to sleep. We don't need police after us, now do we?. Makoto brushed her eyes, not believing what had just happened. "Hiroshi-san, you're gonna have to do a lot of explaining about your powers", was what she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He shrugged and said: "Sure. But let's first go somewhere else". They walked to the window, and opened it. They changed into the Sailor Senshi and their protector, Tuxedo Kamen, to then jump into the morning sky. Sailor Moon jumped gracefully from roof to roof, everytime hearing Tuxedo Kamen's fluttering cape, Mars' high heels tip-top on the hard roof tops, the dry click of Jupiter's short boots and the similar to the fire one's yet different tick-tack of Venus' heels too. Suddenly, a strong wind lifted, as if a bullet train had just passed by her side. She saw nothing, the wind appeared to be coming from nowhere. She saw her pigtails flying in front of her, and felt her skirt going up and up. A few muffled cries were heard behind her, and she knew the others had felt it too. "What was that?", she asked, never stopping her jumping, and barely turning her head sidewards. "Serenity knows" came the light angered reply, which she indentified as Mars'. "Hey, Mercury, think you can find out?". Silence. No answer came. "Merucry?". Moon turned her heard backwards, and saw a red blur, a green one, a black one and a yellow one. And that was it. No blue, no other thing that would indicate wheer Hiroshi or Mercury were. There was no one else behind them, but the Senshi she had already seen. Reiko and Hiroshi were missing. "Where are they?", she asked, trying to make her friends hear her. "They were just behind me!", said Venus, who was the last one and closed the march. They hadn't stoped nor slowed down, but were truly beginning to worry. Moon was about to order eveyone to stop, and search for the couple when a low and barely heareable voice made her stop thinking: "Hey . . . hurry up!". She searched the horizon behind Venus, as did everyone, but not a single leaf was moving. The voice had been from Hiroshi, but the source of it was missing. "Where are you?", asked Moon, feeling a little silly for talking into thin air. She was just relaying on her legs not to fall, since her head was completely turned backwards. "Here!. Turn around!", This time, it was Mercury. She turned her head to it's correct position, and what she saw made her gasp in amazement. In front of her *and* all of them, more than a hundred meters away, standing over a pair of antennas that only God knows how handled their weights, because they were thinner that Usagi's arm, were the missing pair. She heard four gasps behind her, and knew the other Senshi had seen them too. "How . . . how did you do that?". "Do what?", was the faraway reply. "That. How did you move so fast?". "Fast?. We were just moving at normal speed. You're the ones moving slow", said Mercury. "Hey girl, you know perfectly well how fast we can go, and you know we were moving very quickly. Then how could you get in front of us?". Hiroshi grinned, and said: "Watch". He then looked at Reiko. A bare eye-blink passed throught hem, and although it didn't mean anything to the surprised group, it mean quite a lot for the couple. They seemed to crouch over the antennas, as if preparing for a high jump . . . and then dissapeared. Just like that. A second before they were standing over there, and thent he only sign that it hadn't been an illusion was the quivering of the electric poles. Usagi looked and searched for them, until something blocked her view. At first, she though it was a lef, but leaves don't have eyes, now do they?. Less blue ones . . . blue ones sparkling with wicked amusement. She took a step bacwards, and saw that what she had thought was true. Reiko was just in front of her, a devilish smile curving her lips. She tumbled bacwards, unsure of what to do. Unluckily for her, there was a loose piece of stone, and her foot caught just into it. She fell, a shriek escaping her lips. But, her cry was cut short, when someone grabbed her arms and made her stand up. She looked behind her, ready to thank whom she knew was responsible for her savior, when she noticed that Mamoru's eyes had turned green?. She might have had a balance loss, but she would never misplace her Mamo-chan's eyes!. She focused her gaze better, and gasped as she realised it was Hiroshi the one who was holding her. "How . . . how did you . . . how could you . . .?". He grinned, and told her: "We had to ran fast remember?. We didn't want to be caught because of our slowness. And now that we both have superpowers, our speed has increased a thousand fold. Everyoen felt us. Felt that wind that surprised you so much?. It was us. We passed right by your side". He helped her up, and Usagi brushed her skirt, with just a bare touch of her hand making every wrinkle dissapear. Jupiter asked: "But . . . Mercury . . . you didn't have that speed a few months ago. I remember you always ran by my side, and you never seemed to be stopping yourself". The adressed Senshi smiled, and shrugged: "I couldn't let you know about that, now did I?. I was just pretending". "But . . . AHHH!. All these is too confusing. Reiko, you and I need to sit down, relax, and talk about all this mess!!" said Rei, her arms grabbing her forehead and rubbing it while she closed her eyes. "Let's go then", answered Mercury. "As a matter of fact, *where* are we going?", asked Mamoru, one of the less surprised. He had seen so many strange thins during his life, that he was less amazeable than the rest. But, Mercury and Hiroshi had proven to be quite a handful of surprises by now, so his mind was open to weird and unnatural things. Mercury answered him: "Well, I thought my house would be fine". Everyone nodded, and resumed their jumping, this time the Senshi of Ice and the former secret spy stayed with them all the way. Though sometimes they went wild and speeded up, they kept more or less by the rest. Reiko's house was near, and they arrived there in no time. Getting inside through the front door, they sat on the living room, and the talking started. "So, now that we're here, Reiko-chan, please tell us what happened after the accident". She sighed, and closed her eyes. She let herself fall to the couch, and relaxed into the soft fabric. No one talked, waiting patiently for her to start. The first thing she did though, was to lightly press the brooch on the center of her chest-ribbon, and her Mercury fuku dissapeared. But, not as everyone had expected, she wasn't wearing the hospital robe, but a pair of light-blue jeans, and a short and loose white T-shirt. For everyone, it was quite difficult to asimilate how she looked wearing those clothes. They had never seen her in anything that wasn't a skirt, long or short. But, as they had just discovered, pants seemed to fit her perfectly. The rest de-transformed too, and the silence continued. Then, she broke it. "Do I really have to?". Hiroshi understood how painful it would be for her to reveal and re-live those events again, but he also knew it was necessary. He put an arm on her shoulders, giving her the comfor she needed. "Yes. I need to know what happened, to see if what I believe is true". She sighed again, deeper this time, as if she was putting together the energy she needed to unlock those painful memories and share them with the group. "Funny you know. I had always longed for this to happen. To be able to tell you all about my past, to uncover the truth for you . . . and now that that moment has finally arrived, I can't seem to find words to explain how I feel . . .". Minako gave her a friendly pat on her shoulder, and said: "Hey, worry not Reiko-chan. You have all the time you need. Just take your time. Remember, good things came to those who pay!". Reiko got a huge sweatdrop on her head, and the others looked to the ground, wondering if their blonde friend was ever going to understand. "Mina-chan, that saying goes 'good things come to those who wait'". Minako got thoughtful with that, and then just shrugged it off. "The same, the same. You got what I meant". "I was actually wondering what did that saying had to do on this case". The blonde stood up, and sat again. "Uhh . . . well . . . I dunno . . just start already Reiko!". The blue haired girl nodded, that jocking moment breaking the tension inside her. "Sure. You'll have to excuse me if I get a little to slow or if I stop talking suddenly. You've got some very sad and stressing story coming. After Hiroshi here left me aslept on the floor, and stupidly jumped into danger, the worst part of my life started . . ." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I wonder if every girl feels this way at some time in her life. I would like to know that I'm not the only one who feels like this. I believe that in some time in history, some girl has truly wanted to kill and kiss her love, all at the same time. But, it can't be done. At least on my case. I can't do any of those things, because I don't even know where I am. I feel sedated, tired, confused, and above all, angry. Yes. Angry. Angry at him, for being so stupid. Angry for me never realising what he was doing, and to let that silly sedative take over me. I feel useless . . . I feel dizzy. . I feel . . . something cold pressed against my arm. What can it be?. It's cold and hard, as if it was a piece of metal. Although I'm feeling quite happy where ever I am now, I force myself to leave unconsciousness. A thundering order of my brain makes my mind come back to life, and I hear a groan near. I am surprised when I realise it's me. I'm the one who's groaning. I make myself stop. Someone or something is moving around me. I feel steps, runs and voices. The, for some reason I can't understand, I'm left alone again. No sound is heard, except for a continuos beeping and my own breathing. All I want to do is submerge myself on the endless horizon of uncosciousness again, but I know that's not an option. I need to know where I am. And for that, the first thing I need to do is open my eyes. I move my eye lids slowly, trying not to strain anymore my already abused of eyes. I feel weak . . . but I fight it back. I must recover. Inmediatly. Right away. NOW!. I open my eyes suddenly, my senses right and clear, although still a bit dazed. I quickly scan the room, looking for any danger that might be there, but there's nothing. Just a window, a sofa, a night table, and a door. I feel as if I had slept for about a day or two. I wonder what in the name of God did Hiroshi gave me?. Never anything that I had drank, eaten, smelled or have been inyected with had caused me to sleep more than five hours. Yes, I?ve had a training on that too. I need to have the ability to resist high poisons and sedatives, so that our enemies couldn?t kill me or get me down so easily. But then, I notice something strange on my head. I can?t see through one eye. As a matter of fact, I can?t even open it. I raise my hand, and carefully slid it down my face. On the right side, just soft skin, but on the left one, a mass of muslin and bandages that cover half of my head. I also see that my right hand is bandaged too. What happened?. Where am I?. Why am I so injured?. Many questions pop in my head, but no one is there to answer me. I look around, and see I?m connected to several machines. A respirator is on my mouth, which I jank off quickly. I take a few deep breaths, savoring the taste of real air. On my free arm, a plumb is pasted with a bit of sticky-tape. I feel the low beep-beep of a machine nearby, which I know is monitoring my heart. A bag of serum is hanging over me, and connected to my arm too. I don?t like this. It feels as if I was tied up. So, the first thing I do, is take my left hand and start pulling all those layers of cloth out of it. It?s hard. They are very glued and pasted together, and I have no more help than my left hand (which I now thank Hiroshi for teaching me to use it as well as the right one) and my teeth. After a lot of swearing, pulling and ripping, I?ve finally freed my it. As far as I can see, there?s nothing wrong with it. I slowly try to move my fingers, and each and everyone of them work just fine. I now move my wrist, expecting to feel some sort of pain, but nothing happens. It?s just a bit sore, and that gives me the clue that I?ve been on this hospital for more than just "a day or two". It takes at least four or five days for a part of your body to get sore. Before that, it works normally. Now that my arms are free, I need to pull off these plumbs. I know how to do it and avoid bleeding to death. Hiroshi taught me. I jank off quickly the serum and the plastic circles pasted on my chest. The beep stops inmediatly. But, that?s not what worries me now. What I?m concerned about is the bleeding on my arm. I grab the sheets, and with my fingernails, ripp off a piece. Then, I put it over the injury, press it first and then tie it firmly, not caring about the red stain that appears on it. When I?m satisfied about the knot, I put my arm up in a 180 degree angle with my shoulder. That way, the blood will go down, and the bleeding will soon stop. It does, and now I can worry about other stuff, such as my head. This thing on my head isn?t very comfortable either. Using my now both free hands, I pull off the fastener, and start taking the bandage off too. It goes all around my head, several times. I?m beggining to freak as I try to think of the less damage that I could have on my head that it was necessary so much amount of cloth on it. When the bandage finally comes out completely, I take a deep breath before slowly raising my hands and start touching. I had expected to discover my hair had been cut, but no, it?s still there, and even the same length!. What a weird hospital this is to keep a patient with long hair. It?s one the first things they do when taken to a medical center. If your hair is as long as mine, they cut it up to your shoulders, so it won?t interfere with the surgery, plumbs, bandages, etc. My trembling hands now reach for my forehead. Nothing. Soft, plain skin as usual. Then, my eye. As soon as the cloth fell, I could open it, and I could see clearly, not even a bit blurred. My cheek-bone. It?s there. My cheek. Nothing wrong with it. I am so surprised at this, that before I know what I?m doing, I bring my hand back, and lightly brush it against the side of my neck. God, what a mistake that was!. Inmediatly, a burning pain spreads through all of my body, making me stiffen and bite my lips hard for not screaming. It?s as if a million of needles were being pushed into my body, on every single part of it. But then, the sensation fades, to be replaced with another type of pain. Now, it?s as if I was being burned alive. I can see the burning ashes over my skin, slowly burning me into death. I then realise they?re not ashes, but little red dots I have on my gaze. They are the result of what I?m feeling. Finally, I can?t stand it anymore. Tears come out of my eyes, and I open my mouth to scream when . . it ends. As if I had pressed the right button. It just stopped. I could?ve believed it was an ilusion, but my tears were there, and that was enough proof to me. What did I have on my neck?. Nothing, not even the worst of injures could give so much pain with just a bare touch. My hands remain on my lap, not daring to even go up my chest. I?m gasping, my body aches all over, as if it was a small repetition of what I had just gone through. I?m senseless now though, I can?t feel anything. The sensation was so much it overloaded every nerve on my structure, and now I?m as sensible as a rock. I could receive a speeding bullet right into my heart and I wouldn?t even know it. Air. I need air. I am breathing openly mouthed now, trying to get as much air into my lungs as I can. It?s the only way of recovering after *that*. Sweat rans down my forehead, mixing with my tears. My hands clutched together on my chest, so tight my knuckles are white. My head bends down, and I look at the whiteness of the sheets, really not seen them. Red spots still dance in front of me, and I blink trying to make them go away. Soon, I?m feeling better. My nerves seem to awaken, and I feel as my muscles start aching. That?s a good sign. It means I recovered my sensitivity. When the pain has subsided completely, I calm down. I realise that whatever happened just now, is something that could happen again if I just brushed my neck again. I thank now that the hospital robe I?m wearing is collar-less. I look in front of me, and see the medical report hanging from the bed. I crawl up until I can reach it, and pick it up. My eyes look at it, not believing what I read: Name: Unknown Age: Unknown Gender: Female. Parents or family: Unknown Status: Third degree burns on head and arms. In coma for over three weeks now. Vital signs: weak. Hope of surviving: NONE. To be continued . . . . Author notes: Hmmm!. Where is she?. What happened?. Will she get out?. Find out next, on chapter 11!. Things get rolling from now on, this was just a set for what's to come. Action-packed chapters ahead!. (Well, as much action as I can write!). E-mail me what you think . . . I'sure you've got pretty interesting things to tell me, don't you?. DON'T YOU?. The adress is above!. Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and other big companies, and CERTAINLY not to me. It doesn't matter how much I want!. Bye! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: 'The truth about Ami', chapter 11 Author: Cony E-mail adress: rubi@riemann.mat.puc.cl Rated: PG-13 8for some violence and swearing) Stuff at bottom. I look at my arm, and into the mirror over the wall. I see not a single scar on my face, less any hints that it was sometime burnt enough to kill me. My arm doesn?t even look tanned. In the mirror, the same face I remember looks back at me. I pass my hand through my cheeks, fearing about my neck. Nothing. As soft as I remember it to be. Then, what happened?. If I had third degree burns, was in coma for a week . . . where did all the normal sypmtoms go?. I should feel dizzy, which I?m not. I should be kinda groggy, but I?m perfectly well. I should have a scar of the surgery, which I don?t. Even the dumbest doctor in the world wouldn?t mistake *that* kind of symptoms . . . then what happened? I forget about all these questions when I see what I think caused that horrible pain. As I look at myself on the mirror, I see something on my neck. It?s a red spot, no bigger than a yen, but it?s there. I move carefully, lifting my hair so I can see better. It?s on the middle of the neck. It?s as if I had been implanted with something . . . but there are no strange swelling on any near part. Only then do I realise that I?m in great danger. Any nurse could come in here and see me, and I don?t even wanna think about what would happen. My injures healed by miracle, I being out of coma . . . questions that even *I* can?t answer. I bet I would be called the Medical Miracle. And publicity is something I don?t want now. Oh, God!. I hear steps coming. I have nowhere to hide, there?s no time . . . the door opens, and a young nurse enters. She doesn?t see me at first. Then, when she looks at the bed and sees it empty, she looks around and her eyes land on me. What a show I must be. Bare-footed, wearing the hospital robe, with my hair uncombed, with no plumbs or bandages, a piece of cloth tied around my arms, as red as a ripped tomato, and most of all, awake. She says nothing, just stares at me with a bewildered look. "How . . . you?re . . . impossible . . .", is what she tries to say. My mind works fast trying to find an excuse, when I see the perfect way of escaping unnoticed. I can?t just leave wearing this robe. It?s greenish color is unmistakeable. But, she?s about the same size I am . . . and she?s alone . . . and scared . . . I grin openly, trying to make her feel better. "Don?t worry. It?ll be Ok", I say. And then, I jump forward, and before she can react, I hit her. She inmediatly falls unconscious, and lands heavily on the floor I close the door, and pull her near the bed. I strip her off her clothes, and put them on. They fit me quite well, and the little hat she was wearing serves to hide the mess of my hair. I wash my face, and breath deeply before I go out the door. No one is on the corridor. I ran quickly to the other side, and I?m abut to reach for the stairs when a female voice reaches my ears: "Haruno-san, where are you going?". I stop, but don?t turn around. "You know it isn?t lunch time yet, so come on, get back in here". I remain quiet. "Hey girl, are you Ok?". I don?t move, thinking of what to do. "Haruno-san, since when did you dye your hair?. Haru . . . you?re not Haruno!. Security!". Damm. There goes my nice and quiet escapade. I forget all about silence, and ran through the stairs, leaving the building with the police cries behind me. I loose them quickly. Seems I haven?t lost all my abilities after all. I hide behind a corner, smiling at myself. It?s very early in the morning, about seven or seven and a half, and not many people are on the streets. That?s weird. I wonder what day of the weeks it is. And then, I see a newspaper on the floor. Someone must have dropped it. It?s brand new, because it isn?t wrinkled or dirty. I pick it up, and the first thing I do is read the date. May, 13, 199X. May 13??. I was in coma more than three weeks!. About a month more or less!!. Then where was I those two or three days?. Everything is so strange . . . the headlines catch my attention, as I see a familiar picture on it. It's a picture of me!. I seem to be fainted, and laying on the floor. "MISTERIOUS GIRL FOUND UNCONCIOUS STILL IN COMA". I start reading, and I gasp as I see that yes, it was what I had feared. They?re talking about me. I read carefully, drinking in every detail: "The misterious girl that was found in dowtown Tokyo is still on the hospital. Doctors say her possibilities of survival are none, because of the injures she received and the deep coma she is in. It seems she could be a witness of the Kimiko factory's fire and consecuent destruction, which until now, the police is unable explain the origin of. Her injures were the result of her being too close to some type of fire, but the coma that affects her is something that can?t be explained. The girl has no indentity, known adress or relatives. She?s a mistery to everyone. Some firemen that arrived at the scene of the destruction of the Kimiko Inc. factory claim to have seen here laying there, but there are no proofs of that. They say an ambulance came and took her away. But, where was she all that time?. Please remember that the fire on the Kimiko factory ocurred more than three weeks ago, and the girl appeared two days later. Where was she those days?. Why didn?t she appear earlier?. Where did she go?. Those are questions we can?t answer now, but we will soon discover". I was so surprised. I had been walking around, with no memory for two days?. That didn?t seem possible. Someone must have taken me someplace, and then left me so that the police would find me and take me a hospital. That was so bizarre. But not impossible. Yes, it could?ve happened . . . . specially if it involves me . . . the agency . . . but . . . I've seen so many strange things done by them, that I grin as I try to imagine what could they have used me for . . . . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reiko finished talking. Her eyes closed, and she leaned backwards, relaxing on the couch. Hiroshi?s arm was over her shoulder, and she cuddled against him like a little girl. He hugged her, trying to make those ugly memories go away. "So, what I had discovered was true", was all he said, breaking the silence that had set on the room. Reiko opened her eyes, and looking up at him, said: "Discovered?. what are you talking about?". "Well, you see, since I recovered, I have been looking for you. I searched every hospital, every police office, every place I thought you could be in . . . but I found nothing. No girl of your age had entered any of those . . . and now I know why". Makoto looked at him questioningly. "You know?. Then please, tell us what happened, ?cause I don?t get anything!". Hiroshi smiled, and answered: "After I healed, I returned to the agency, and managed to enter without anyone noticing me. I went into the secret files, trying to see if they had found out anything about you (and I knew they had. They alway knew everything there was to know about everything). While checking through some files, I came into one called. 'Project Reiko'. Unsual name, specially having your name on it, sweetie. So, I took it, and left. I had a feeling that whatever had happened to both of us at the factory wasn't a casualty, that they had planned everything. And it was. It had been a set-up. When I read that file, I knew my feeling was true. So, as soon as I arrived home, I made sure no one had followed me, and opened it. I was so surprised by what I saw that I inmdediatly tried to contact you, Reiko. But I had taught you well, and you had dissapeared from sight . . . even the agency couldn?t find you . . . and that was something no one else had ever done before". Reiko loked at him. "What did that folder say about me?". Hiroshi sighed, and answered: "It?s very painful to remember. What I am about to say will make you see clearly in what we were really working. Project Reiko was a project that the agency had developed to make the perfect warrior. One that would obey orders without thinking; one that had no emotions, one that could be controlled by them like a puppet. One that could stand helling heat, freezing cold, speeding bullets and physical attacks. But, it also had to have beauty, to charm and enchant the enemies; intelligence so it wouldn't be just another robot, and human reflexes. And why, do you ask, it had your name?. Because you were the guinea pig they used. Yes, they were doing an experiment on you, and neither of us realised it. Even since you were brought to that room underground, where we first met; when you accepted entering the agency, when your training started . . . at that time they had been looking for the perfect subject to try their experiments on. And when you arrived, they saw you were perfect. They started what they called the process of insemination. That means that ever since you started your training, they started introducing small quantities of a new substance in your food. That substance was suppose to put you under their control. But, it seems you were tougher than they had thought. You never experienced the symptoms, and so they finally decided to do it the hard way. They sent us in that kamikaze mission, on where the spinsters had permission to shoot and kill me, but not to hurt you. If we had both gone into that factory, I would?ve surely died, and you would?ve survived. But, we seemed to have altered their plans when I took you down. They managed to get you anyhow, and took you to their lab. The sedative I had given you wasn?t strong, but in there they gave you something that took you to the brink of death. You literally were in the doors of the next life. To perform their experiment, they needed you to be almost dead, so that your inmunological system wouldn?t react on what they were going to do. They had constructed the tiniest mind-controller that had ever been built, and they had done so in the shape of a black crystal, no bigger that my little finger. What they did was open your skin, by your neck, and implant you that little thing. It had never been tested, it was the first time it was tried on a human being, but they had great expectatives on you. The process lasted a day, but they kept you two more under their scientists obervations, so they could see what effects did the controller had on you. When they literally returned you to life, the devise seemed to have caused a complete breakdown, because you never woke up. You had entered a coma, and the scientists couldn?t make any tests if you weren?t conscious. They weren?t the best doctors, because while implating you that thing, they made a mistake, and they burnt your head and arm. They decided to leave you like that for two reasons: One, it explained that you had been in some sort of accident. That way, they could return you to society with an easy explanation of where had you been. And two, because if you were as desfigurated as you would end, you would be controlled easier. They thought your self steem will dive down to the floor, and that's the moment on which they would start commanding you. So, they left you on the door of the Tokyo Central hospital, where you were taken to surgery inmediatly, and the doctors tried their best to save you. But, the burns were too deep, and finally they quitted. They put you in a bed, and left you there, waiting for any relatives of yours to appear, or for you to wake up. But, none of that things happened, and you coma went on and on. Three weeks passed and you continued unconscious. They had decided that if you didn?t wake up or some relative showed up by the fourth week they would disconnect you. Luckily for you, you *did* wake up. Your injures were healed by your Mercury powers, which were always latent on you, eventhough you never knew until long after. That was one of the major fails on the agency's plan . . . not that they could've expected it anyhow. So, that red mark you had on your neck was the scar of the mind controller you had on you, and you never felt it. You escaped the hospital, and the agency lost all track of you. They didn?t quit looking for you, they needed you to fullfill their experiment. But you had just vanished from Earth. The last note on the folder said that until you appeared or were found, the project was closed". Rei had a thoughful expression, and asked: "So that was what you did at the cliffs. You extracted the devise from her, didn?t you?". "Yes. I knew how to do it by reading that file". Mamoru was awed. "You mean they actually controlled her from distance?". Hiroshi smiled, and pride was evident on that grin. "No. They couldn?t. They tried several times to make her return to them by controlling her, but it never worked. Why?. The only explanation I can think of is that her Mercury form and her great will power were interrupting the signal and somehow cut short the order. So, the device went crazy, and started sending her weird thoughts. It made depression take over her, and that, added to the continous sadness she felt, made her mind go suicidal. And that was why she decided to kill herself. And why she hurt you so badly and treated you so harshly. She just wasn?t being herself". Reiko spoke for the first time since Hiroshi had told them what had happened. "You mean that I actually had a metal thing inside me, and that was what caused me to try to jump?". "Yep". Reiko slowly carresed ner neck, not believing that she had been controlled by a thing . . . it was out of this world. That spot she had had there had slowly dissapered with time, and the pain only returned once, when she accidenty brushed her shirt collar into it. But, that was soon forgotten too . . . now that she thought of it, there were sometimes on which she did things she didn't want to, as if something was making her do so . . . and now she understood why. Everything seemed so clear now . . . those head aches she sometimes got, that appeared to have no explainable cause . . . the crick her neck always got when moved it unexpectedly . . . the blurred vision she got when she turned her neck too much . . . everything was being explained as she realised her life wouldn't be the same from now on . . . and not just because she no longer had that mind controller on her, but because of everything that had happened that day. "Man, this was a day full of surprises", she said, looking around. "Aha", was the general comment. They all fell silent, not quite knowing what to say. Since there was no noise inside the room, they started listening to the outside noises. Some birds were singing, announcing the day's beginning. A low rustle on the entrance's bushes indicated them that a cat was walking nearby. At least, that was what everyone thought, except for Reiko and Hiroshi. Their heads bolted up inmediatly, a panicked look on their eyes. "It can't be . . ." was what Hiroshi said, his vocie showing (if that was possible), more fear than his eyes. Reiko was squeezing his hand tighly, her body trembling in horror. "Please . . . no . . .". her whisper chilled everyone; they didn't know what was going on, but if both of them really felt the fear they were showing, they were in deep trouble. "What's happening?", asked Rei, looking around to try and identify the cause of the fuss. But, nothing appeared to be wrong; not even the wind was blowing. "They are here . . ." was the only thing Reiko could say before all hell broke loose. To be continued . . . . Author notes: Finished!!. Chapter 11 is finished!!. Wow!, I never thought this story would get so long!. Originally, it should've had 5 or 6 chapters!. I knew I said on chapter 10 there would be action, but hey!, I had some explaining to do!. And it got longer, and longer, and longer, until I had to cut it into a separate chapter!. But I promise, chapter 12 will be full of action . . . hey!, just look at the end phrase of this one!. E-mail me with your C&C, they'll be more than welcome!. The adress is above, but in case you didn't see it, here it is again: rubi@riemann.mat.puc.cl I've got this loong list of people I've got to say 'thank you' to, but if I did, it'd be boring, so I'll just mention some of them. First of all, my biggest thanks goes to Schuckman, who wrote to me such a wonderful mail it made me blush!!. I've never been so flattered in my whole life . . . the only problem is, that letter got my ego up to the clouds!!. But hey, what's wrong with that?. Thanks a lot for writing, you sure made my day!!. Then, also my thanks to Joshua, Rwwells and Ophe, who just keep telling me what a wonderful story this is, and trust me on this, they're making me believe it!!. Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, I'm just using them for a while.