Lets try this again.
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-- File: SMT7.txt
Chapter 7
"If Meiou is watching this, I'm gonna kill her."
Three figures ran across the highway, leaping cars and dodging
trucks. Considering they were running about sixty miles an hour, this was
very impressive. They were Sailor Senshi, fighters for Honor, Justice, and
the Lunar/Crystal Tokyo Way.
With the Sailor Senshi was a fourth figure. This figure was not
able to run at speeds of moving traffic. As a result, he was being carried.
Piggy back style in fact.
"What did you say?" Jupiter asked as she ran. Her magically
enhanced strength made him seem very light and besides, she always liked
having good looking men in close contact.
"Nothing. Just keep running." He abruptly had a mental picture of
himself, standing on Sailor Moon's back, holding her pig tails like reigns
and screaming 'Mush, Mush, you doggies!' He shook his head. 'I need
more sleep.'
One other figure played a part in this five person race. He was
driving a car and in hot pursuit. In addition, he was firing at them with an
assault rifle. He bore a striking resemblance to Arnold Schwartzenegger.
Cyanide was returning fire. He was also swearing like crazy.
"Could you please stop that?" Mercury really didn't like that kind
of language.
"No. Look, drop me of by the side of the road, you three go ahead.
I'll meet you at the Tokyo Tower in half an hour. Bring the others. We'll
take care of this menace there." Cyanide squeezed off one more round
before holstering his weapon. It wasn't doing any good anyway.
"How are you going to get a car?" Moon asked.
"I have a special credit card. IMI Eagle Express. No credit limit."
Mars and Venus were both waiting at the Tower when the other
three showed up. They were standing on the roof of the tourist center.
Luna and Artemis were also in attendance. They quickly formed a circle
and began to plan.
"Look, we need to take this thing out now. It came after us at our
school and seemed to have no problem piercing the magic which keeps
our identities secret. If we don't eliminate it now, who knows who could
be hurt next time?" Moon spoke very intently.
"Yeah, but how? From what I've seen, our attacks are meaningless.
I managed to burn it last time but it must have been able to regenerate
from that." Mars seemed very frustrated by her lack of success against it.
"That's because we have not actually attacked it yet, only its outer
shell." Ami replied. She had opened up her computer and was typing fast
and furious. "When Cyanide saved my life, I say him put a bullet right
between it's eyes. It dinged and ricocheted off."
"So normal weapons won't hurt it either? How are we supposed to
win?" Moon whined.
"I think I figured out its signature though. Its a cyborg." Mercury
stated, not looking up from her computer.
"Good work, Sailor Mercury!" Luna and Artemis said in tandem.
"What's that?" Mars asked.
"It's like the final boss in the Sailor V game. A robot with fake skin
and hair on the outside. Most likely under the skin is heavy armor and
protection which explains why our attacks don't really hurt it," Venus said.
"Exactly." The Senshi of Mercury nodded. "We need to get rid of
its skin so we can attack the insides."
There was a short pause. Then all seven said something as one.
"Ewww."
"Cyanide is going to be here in a few minutes. We need a plan by
then," Moon said.
"If we could ambush it, maybe our combined attacks would burn
its armor of." Mars really didn't want to think about burning its skin of, for
all that it wasn't really alive. A look around showed the others had similar
thoughts.
"Actually, there's one more slight problem." Mercury spoke
hesitantly, almost reluctantly.
"What's that?" Artemis asked.
"Well, some of our attacks are going to be almost pointless. It's a
machine, but it's not magic or evil. As a result, the Moon Princess
Halation, Moon Tiara action, and others which attack evil aren't going to
so any good at all. Also, since all of our magic is aimed at defeating evil,
nothing's going to be very effective." Mercury hated to be the bearer of
bad news, but this needed to be said.
"Oh," seemed to be the general response.
"But it's evil! It tried to kill us all!" Jupiter declared.
"Who is the evil one, the rock that hits you in the head or the rock
thrower? That machine is just a complex rock. Once you set the
programming, it moves towards its goal, just like a rock. Once the rock is
thrown, it moves towards its goal," Mercury explained calmly.
There was silence for a moment as the others digested this piece of
news.
"You see, Milord! It can't fail!" Sodium, it appeared, took that
particular revelation much better than the Senshi did.
"Hmm."
"It still hasn't won. And there is Cyanide, don't forget. He could tip
the balance into their favor." Onyx spoke one the other side of Diamond,
standing as he was at his liege lord's right hand.
"Hmm."
"That won't matter! The Agent will be victorious! Think of how
easily it took out all the Senshi before Cyanide showed up. Cyanide will
not be able to tip the balance," Sodium declared.
"Hmm."
"Would you stop humming in my ear!" Diamond screamed at the
odds-setter behind him. There was an answering shriek of fear and the
offender ran. "Anyway, we will see how this turns out. Now everybody be
silent and watch the 'Glass."
And again there was silence in the Hall of the Great Scrying Glass.
"Anybody want a peanut? I'm selling them cheap?"
"I'll take one."
"Me too."
"Gimme a pack."
"SILENCE!"
And then there was silence in the Hall of the Great Scrying Glass.
Expect for munching noises of course but you can't have everything, now
can you?
After some time, a voice was heard from the back. "Milord, I have
a suggestion."
Everyone turned, eager to see the violence that seemed immanent.
Diamond turned, ready to dish out violence and grief. All were surprised
when they saw a tall, fair skinned man stride confidently forward.
"What do you want, Argentium?" Diamond said. Argentium, while
one of those who inhabited the castle with insignificant magical power,
possessed a knack for making things entertaining.
"I have an idea, milord. And in order to prove my conviction that
you'll like it, should it fail, I will eviscerate myself, right here."
Diamond paused. Such confidence made him cautious. "I accept.
What is your idea?"
"Milord, why not send several other monsters back to assist the
agent in the destruction of the Senshi? After all, what do we have to loose?
The agent succeeded in killing them once, before the chronomancy of
Pluto gave them another chance at life. you have a whole timeline of these
Terminators. Should this one fail, send back five. Should they fail, send
fifty. Then five hundred. You see where I'm going with this?" Argentium
smiled viscously as he spoke. He was sure this would grant him power and
in great quantities.
Diamond thought about this for a second then his eyes widened as
he realized the ramifications of this piece of news. Images of small armies
of Terminators danced through his mind.
"Wait! I gotta question!" It was Hunk-O-Dirt. Everyone paused,
waiting for him to speak. He had enough magical power to beat almost
everyone there should he choose to do so, most of them at the same time.
"What if the five hundred Terminator thingies fail? What you gonna do
then? Huh?"
Argentium paused, looking at him. "Then we send back five
thousand."
"And if those fail?"
"Then we send back ten thousand."
"But if those fail?"
"Then we cry."
"Oh." Hunk-O-Dirt receded into silence, thinking of this latest
development.
"Argentium, that's brilliant. You're my new military advisor."
Diamond favored his new lieutenant with a smile.
"Hey! I'm your military advisor!" Came a cry of distress from the right.
ZAP!
"Like I was saying, Argentium, you're my new military advisor."
Diamond blew on his fingers.
A toady raised his hand, about to protest that he was next in line
for that position. Then he paused, had a brilliant idea, and put his hand
down.
"Milord, we could have a race. Ten people obtain these agents and
they all send them back at once. Each Senshi could be worth a point and
the victor at the end would receive a reward. It could be something of a
game." Argentium continued. He strode forward and looked at his liege
with undisguised evil. His liege returned the look and the two of them
returned their attention to the glass, smiling diabolically.
"So how are we going to destroy it?" Venus asked.
"I don't know. Anybody have any ideas?" Moon asked.
Any answers were prevented by the squeal of tires and the sound
of gunfire. Everyone rushed to the side of the building to look down.
Cyanide was emerging from an overturned car. Across the street, another
car had crashed into a cement wall and no movement could be seen from
within.
Cyanide shook himself to clear his head then began to look around,
dazed. Jupiter waved and he staggered over.
"I'm going to go tell all the people to evacuate!" Mars declared.
Moon agreed and she jumped of the building and was gone. Venus went
with her.
When Cyanide joined them, he sat in down heavily. He was
coming out of his haze but his mental processes were not all functioning
yet.
Mercury began a briefing, telling him quickly of everything she
had deduced or discovered. He nodded briefly, then shook himself again.
"Are you alright?" Moon asked.
"Gimme a sec. I need something to clear my mind." And with that,
Cyanide lit up. <Marlboro Reds, a 100 for those of you who are curious>
"You smoke!?" Came an exclamation from all three of the Senshi
present.
"Brilliant deductive skills. I'm amazed."
"But that'll kill you!" Moon informed him.
"No. That damn Terminator could kill me. These'll just clear my
head."
"Could you please not use those words?" Mercury asked.
"You shouldn't smoke! That could give you lung cancer," Jupiter
said. Though she admitted to herself, it did make him look quite dashing.
"With that thing running around, shooting at me all the time, I have
more important things to worry about. Now, do you have a plan to kill that
thing?" Cyanide ignored the protests and took another deep drag.
"Well, not yet. Might it not have been destroyed in the car
accident?" Jupiter asked, hopefully.
"Not bloody likely. Take a look." Cyanide continued to suck deep
breaths on his cigarette.
Jupiter did so. She quickly ducked down as several bullets flew
threw the air where her head had been.
"I'm guessing that's a no?" Cyanide asked. 'Damn children, I hope
they can do something useful.'
"Yeah." Jupiter said ruefully.
"Well, shit. This just keeps getting better and better." Mercury
opened her mouth and he ignored her, rolling on verbally. "Listen up. We
need to take it out now. This is what we're going to do and this is how we
do it. You little girls may have done all right against stupid monsters but
this is the big leagues. We're going to take him out my way."
"Why should we do it you're way? We managed to take care of
Beryl our way, as well as Ail and Ann. Why should be listen to you?"
Jupiter retorted. Good looking or no, he was beginning to really irritate
her.
"Because your methods won't work. Trust me, little girl, you'll just
end up dead."
Moon herself began to get irate now. "So you say! We'll do just
fine on our own! We're the Sailor Senshi! We fight for love and justice
and-"
Cyanide cut her off. "Listen, ya moron. You are way over your
pathetic little head. I'm gonna-"
Now Mercury interrupted. Usually polite, she was moved to angry
words by some rude stranger insulting her friends. "No, you listen. What
gives you the right to-"
"Because you're all dead! Don't you get it, you flighty brained
fools, you're all dead!" There was dead silence at this comment. "What
makes you think Pluto would take someone like me, an outlaw, and send
me back after you? You all died! Before I came, you fought the damn
machine. It killed you all! Then your friends! Crystal Tokyo, the Age of
Peace, everything's gone."
"What? Whaaa?" Mars and Venus stared him in open mouthed
shock. They had just caught the end of that and were now in shocked,
disbelief.
Cyanide took their arrival in a very peculiar manner. He looked at
Mars for a moment, then everything went red. He moved like a blur and a
heartbeat later, stood before her, both guns drawn, aimed straight at her
face.
Mars snapped out of her shock and snapped right back in. As she
looked down the two black barrels, she began to sweat. Her suit was
magic, but she doubted she could survive being shot in the eyes at that
range.
Cyanide was trembling. He was literally shivering. Both of his
guns were aimed at her.
"You. you, you you-" He repeated under his breath, growling,
almost incoherent.
Behind them, Moon and Jupiter, after the moment of shock wore
off, belatedly started to rush forward, intent on saving Mars. Mercury
stopped them.
"Don't. If you startle him, he could fire. And then, Mars would,
well," Mercury left it hanging.
Cyanide continued to tremble in rage, hate, and something else. He
didn't realize it but tears began to drip from his eyes. His arms were
trembling ever harder, his knuckles white as he clenched the triggers as
tight as he could yet he fired not. He began to pant and then cry in earnest.
"Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN! You, you...why did you...damnit,
why did you-"
Mars just stared, completely shocked. What? Why? She looked at
him, scared and her mind full of questions. But she needed to know why,
what did he hate her for?
Cyanide's thoughts were a chaotic jumble. Images flashed through
his mind, all mixed together and refusing to clarify themselves. Mars, Rei
Hino, Serenity, Pluto, Meiou Setsunna, and others. Men in dark rooms,
nights spent alone, bright, open, inviting evenings of laughter and fun that
he turned his back on, all flashed together and more. Nights, oh the
endless nights, wild chaotic and free and scared and alone and with so
many people and quiet and noise and so many things and the flashing and
was it worth it? and it had to be but it wasn't, it couldn't be and he knew he
couldn't go back, but he wanted to and he never would go back, no matter
what, and flashing. The images flickered faster and faster until even he, to
whom everything meant something, could not longer separate them.
Mars just stared in shock as the man before her twisted his face in
pain and grief, hate and despite and maybe, just maybe something more.
He was locked in a steam of memories which flowed, chaotically,
unstopping, together, in a procession of chronological events which
brought him forward and moved him until they suddenly stopped. And he
looked at her face and only one thing could he do.
"Damnit, I LOVED YOU!"
Then he turned and ran. He leapt straight from the roof and landed
on the grass around the tower. He fled off, unmindful of the tears which
covered his face and the sobs which racked him. He passed around the
corner of a pile and was gone to sight.
"What did I do?" Was all Mars said, the words conveying the
confusion she felt. Yet, for some reason, she wasn't mad, she held no
grudge for the man who just nearly killed her. Instead, it hurt, it bit at her
heart in a way she didn't understand. She wanted to cry herself, as for
some reason, his words, spoken in heat, and more importantly, the love
which she couldn't hear, echoed again and again in her head.
The other Senshi circled around her as quiet tears steamed down
her face, lending support and love. They couldn't do anything else. And
Mars looked after him, and knew that for some reason, him hating her was
a fate far worse then death at the hands of the monster that chased them.
And below, unmindful of the scene above, the monster walked
through the store. It had death on it's mind and nothing would stop it.