PHALANX - The series
Episode twenty: The Final Secrets
Revealed, part one.
For exploration of the different dimensional threads, we have developed
this, the Explorer-class ship. It is 1 kilometer in length, is armed to the
teeth with the very latest in technology the ESMF has to offer, as well as the
very latest in sensory and scanning technology available. It is a dimensional
exploration vessel, and has teeth, for just in case it ever runs into something
hostile," Dean Adrian, head-researcher of Alpha labs ended his
presentation. A huge party had been held, and Dean Adrian had insisted on
talking with Frederic, Jennifer, and Daphnix. Stranger still was the fact that
he refused to address them by their names, even after the three had told him
that the ESMF had been put back to non-active status. That was, until the three
found out that
"How long would it take to build SpaCECoB?" Frederic asked.
"And first of all, how many of the ESMF's people
are willing to remain on active duty?"
"It would take about 1 month to replicate the separate modules, sir.
After all, we now have 15 battlecarriers that can
help in replicating the smaller modules, and with three shipyards for the
largest parts, SpaCECoB would be online within a month and a half to two months
after construction has commenced. As to people, there is nothing to worry
about. The entire ESMF has agreed to stay on, giving us more than enough
people. The Colonization department will expand F²'s interdimensional presence
significantly, as well as provide the ESMF with new recruits to man the other
ships, sir."
Frederic looked at plans for the proposed space center. The idea itself was
simple, really. But getting it to work would require lots of power, resources,
men, and materiel. SpaCECoB was a gigantic disc, 100 kilometers in diameter,
with, both on top and on the bottom, the actual base, tapered to a point where
two command centers would be housed. The wheel itself was 10 kilometers
in height, making it twice as high as the entire Ortega was long. From tip to
tip, the station was 170 kilometers long. The disc center itself was the bay
for ships, housing four decks of each 2.5 kilometers in height, each high
enough to house two battlecarriers one on top of the
other, and have enough room to have them move simultaneously. There was a lot
of space in the station, even after all the quarters, replication bays, and
other necessities had been deducted. It was equipped with the very latest in
weapons, shields, generators, and nanoprobes. Most of the technology in
SpaCECoB was so advanced it hadn't been available to the ESMF during the last
War. The entire base was able to travel at speeds up to 50,000 times the speed
of light, and it had the same modified dimensional drive system BorgFred had
introduced. All ESMF ships were now equipped with it.
But, the crème de la crème was, without a doubt, the second-generation
quantum pusher. Where the first generation just shielded the ship from being
scanned, the second generation actually pushed the entire thing out of the
continuum, both cloaking it, and making it invulnerable. A special
reversed-phased pusher had been installed on the sensors, allowing them to scan
through the barrier the base would erect around itself. The only drawback was
the fact that it couldn't use its weapons while in that mode. The
reversed-phased pusher just couldn't handle the massive energies of weapons,
either mass or energy-based.
"And what will we do about dimensional twins? We already ran into a lot
of problems with this during the last months of the war," Jennifer said.
"People get confused when they see two people who look exactly
alike."
"We came up with this modification to the ESMF uniform, sir," Dean
Adrian responded. The black uniform with gold crest appeared. "On the
shoulder, we etch the number of the universe that person is from. Also, in the
personnel records, the dimension will be clearly labeled, as well as the
specific quantum variance of that universe. Linda and Borlan
will be told to scan the quantum variance to make sure that the correct person
has been identified."
"Looks good to me," Jennifer said. Frederic nodded.
"It's a fine idea, Dean. Are you sure we can do it without drawing
attention?" Frederic asked.
"We already selected an uninhabited universe to build SpaCECoB, sir.
Everything is taken care of."
Here comes the hard part. How do I tell him that I just want everything
to be as it used to be? How can it when the ESMF is
doing exploration… and how do I tell him that the ESMF will have to stand
on its own legs? I don't want to hold a desk job for the rest of my life…
"Has the ESMF central command been notified that it will resume its
duties?" Frederic asked.
"Everything has been taken care of, sir," Dean Adrian assured him.
"Including the fact that you'd probably want to explore
the new universes yourself, and continue to live on the Ortega by yourself,
like you did when the ESMF was inactive last time. Therefore, you'll be
the one to get all the data from the new universes that are found, so you'll
have first pick. The ESMF will explore the rest of the threads."
"Why do the exploration?" Daphnix suddenly asked. "The Phalanxial probes did those jobs just fine."
"Yes, sir, and therefore, we won't explore every thread we encounter.
When The Ortega gets something interesting, you'll decide if you want to
research it yourself, or if you want the ESMF to take care of it, which will be
the only difference from before. Before, you'd have to either research it, or
not. Now, you'll either research it, or tell the ESMF to take care of it, "
"And it will be good to have Alpha continue the research,"
Frederic said. "This time, we'll be able to expand our technology during
the time of no-crisis, so we won't be surprised like last time. Oh, one more
thing, has my Borg counterpart decided what he will do?"
"Yes, sir. Your counterpart has decided to
stay at SpaCECoB, to work at Alpha labs with his research team. We are honored
to have such elite scientists joining our team."
Frederic nodded. "And the Punisher?"
"It will remain at SpaCECoB, just like the Battlecarriers,
and the fighters, sir. The
"There. I have given you all I've learned in 250 years," Frederic
told his students, Jennifer and Daphnix. They had been busy with all sorts of
things, and so it had taken until now, 2 days after Sorcerer's defeat, before
Frederic could finally begin the training. David and Jessica had refused,
saying that they were scientists, not warriors. They had made a decision, and
Frederic and Jennifer wholeheartedly supported it. The offer hadn't been
extended to Vicky and Sarah, as the three warriors still didn't know what to do
with the two girls. Full control had been transferred to the ESMF central
command. They would run the entire ESMF, with Fred just asking to have
something done now and then. He would only resume full command under wartime
conditions.
"So, now we're just as strong as you are?" Daphnix asked.
Frederic shook his head. "You aren't. And you never will. I have 250
years of experience on you. Even though you'll progress faster at the start,
you won't catch up with me. You'll start improving at the same rate I do, but
these 250 years will always be there. Besides, I first have to teach you as my
masters taught me. Only when you have felt the raw power of my techniques will
you be able to use them well. Prepare yourself!" Frederic got in the
Divine Speed attack pose.
Daphnix and Jennifer drew their swords, not expecting Frederic's outburst.
"This is the Divine Speed technique," Frederic said. He blurred,
and his blur almost disappeared. Daphnix and Jennifer drew upon their new
skills, but it wasn't enough. Both were soon on the ground, healing.
"You have felt my first technique," Frederic said. "Prepare
for the second one, the Supreme Divine Speed."
"Give us a minute," Daphnix croaked.
"I am your master now, D. I am supposed to be driving you to the very
edge of your abilities. But, we can do it the easy way," Frederic
answered, walking to the door of the holodeck.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Jennifer asked.
Frederic's head turned, and he peered over his shoulder. "Unless you're
willing to go deeper than you've ever gone before, there is very little I can
do for you," he said.
Jennifer got to her feet, her body still healing. Daphnix got up as well.
Frederic turned around, a pleased smile on his face.
"Good. That's what I want! That's how I did it! Ignore blood, guts, and
pain, and go on! Now, prepare for Supreme Divine Speed!"
Frederic blurred, and completely disappeared. The next moment, both Daphnix
and Jennifer were on the ground again. Their wounds started to close, and they
struggled to their feet.
"You're not holding back, are you?" Daphnix grunted as his arm set
itself.
"If I wasn't, you'd be chopped meat," Frederic said. "Don't
forget I can do these techniques under 900 gravities. My sword weighs over a
ton under such gravity."
"Fuck," Daphnix grunted.
"Next technique is the air," Frederic said. "You've met the
Speed techniques on the floor. Now, meet them in the air." Frederic's body
blurred, disappeared, and the two students heard the air whoosh all around
them.
"Fuck," Daphnix said again.
Jennifer just concentrated. With a cry of anger, her sword lashed out. To
her satisfaction, she heard, and felt, it connect. The next moment, she felt a
slash on her stomach, and a few other nicks here and there. Down she went.
"Never be satisfied because you blocked the first attack, Love. If you
do, the second, third, and fourth will get you before you know what
happened," Frederic told her, waiting for her to get up.
The training went on for hours. Attack after attack was demonstrated, and
attack after attack strengthened the two students. By the end of the day, they
both had mastered about half of Frederic's new techniques. But most
importantly, they had mastered his speed. Well, his 'normal' speed,
at least. When he wanted to be fast, he outclassed them big time. He wasn't in
the league above them; he was in one several leagues above them.
"Linda, anything on Sorcerer?" Frederic
asked as he sat down in the command chair. He briefly thought of the fact that,
from his point of view, it had been 250 years since he had last sat here.
Granted, they were 250 years as Shadow, but Shadow's memories were his now. For
all intents and purposes, he had lived those 250 years.
Nothing. Sorry.
"No problem," Frederic got back up. Deciding he could use some
training of his own, he set out. At Ultimate Divine Speed he raced to the
holodeck, only pausing to use the Supreme Divine Speed air-techniques while
waiting for the turbolift cart, and while waiting for it to transport him to
the correct deck. As soon as it arrived on its destination, Frederic blasted to
the holodeck once more at Ultimate Divine Speed.
"Linda, 800 gravities. Simulate altitude: 8000
meters."
Simulation ready. Linda's voice betrayed
that she didn't like this one bit.
Frederic took a few deep breaths. The enormous gravity weighed down on him,
and he felt as if he had come home. He drew his sword, now weighing more than
800 kilos, and started out with some simple exercises. For him, this enormous
gravity was as normal to move in as normal gravity was for his friends.
"Linda, create an opponent, unaffected by the
great gravity, and give him the highest speed our hologrid can manage. Make him
extremely intelligent, and give him all the abilities currently programmed into
the database."
The holographic opponent appeared. Frederic charged. The opponent blocked.
Frederic and the opponent went blow-for-blow for a while. Frederic charged. Full speed. The hologram disappeared as Frederic cut it to
pieces.
"Linda, remove holographic opponent, increase gravity to 900, set the
timer for 60 minutes, and engage the moment the gravity engages," Frederic
said.
Timer started. Fifty-nine minutes and 55 seconds.
Frederic cried out, charged his ki, and blasted around the holodeck. He
bounced off walls, his sword doing complicated maneuvers. He was thoroughly
enjoying himself. He could feel Shadow, deep within him, stirring in unison
with the emotions that coursed through Frederic's body. What he was feeling was
the same exhilaration for battle that had driven Shadow for all those years.
Thirty minutes.
Frederic thanked Linda, and got in a squatting position. He cried out, and
green flames of ki leapt up from around him. He kept screaming as he
supercharged his ki. Deep inside, he knew that he had an immortal body now, but
he was still afraid of what had been instilled into him over 250 years: too
much supercharging and your body will burn up from the inside out.
His body rose from the floor as it was now held in a green sphere of flaming
ki energies. Frederic drew in energy from the surrounding universe, using the
external Force to replenish his inner Force, his ki. Higher and higher rose Frederic's ki level, until he felt a familiar sensation,
something he hadn't felt in 250 years: the glorious feeling of the tremendous
ki of the universe where Shadow had met King Kai, and the others.
Frederic felt his ki reach the same level it had naturally there. He cried
out in joy, his ki rising higher still. He was now walking the thin border
between his present form and the super-form, in which he would change into
Shadow. Frederic thought about the fact that he had been lucky to get the
poly-morphing suit from the dead Phalanxes. One of them was a multi-form, and
the morphing suit had been an invention from his race.
Frederic briefly thought about it. One measly percent, and he would morph.
Should he? Should he bring out Shadow just for the sheer feeling of tremendous
energy of the super form? Frederic powered down, and his feet touched the
floor.
Five seconds…Four…Three…Two…One…Time
elapsed.
"Linda, give me another ten minutes, at 1000
gravities this time, but make sure you deactivate as soon as the ten minutes
have elapsed." Frederic knew he was cutting it close. Too long, and he
would be crushed like a bug by the huge gravity. Unless…he
brought out Shadow. For some reason, Shadow's form was more resilient
against enormous gravities.
Nine minutes, 55 seconds.
"Thank you," Frederic said, and powered up again. Again, he
powered to the brink of turning super. He was really thinking about it now.
Deciding to let nature take its course, he powered further. He felt himself
cross the threshold. He felt the change wash over him.
Shadow looked around. She and Frederic were one, and his memories were her
memories. His knowledge was her knowledge. She knew what he had felt, and what
he was doing. Deciding not to be the one to break a very good partnership, she
powered further in the humongous gravity. She turned super level 2, and cried
out as she powered even higher.
"Shadow has returned," David remarked.
"It appears that she is Daddy's super-form," Jessie said.
"It appears so," Jennifer said. "And I definitely don’t
want to be the one to get on their wrong side."
Vicky and Sarah looked on in utter astonishment. Neither of them had ever
thought that something like this were ever possible. They had seen someone
train in hundreds of gravities, which should have crushed him to a bloody pulp,
they had seen that person lift from the floor surrounded in angry green ki
flames, and now they had sent hat person change into a woman. And the woman had
gone even higher, and transformed a second time.
This was what Shadow lived for: to go to the very edge of human tolerance,
and cross that line, just to see what would happen. She had survived every
time, and it had made her stronger every time. Finally, she could feel that it
was just because of her immortality that her body still survived, and Shadow
powered down.
At the precise moment she was to touch own, the timer elapsed. Linda shut
down the gravity. Shadow, used to 1000 gravities, suddenly felt them fall away.
She shot upwards. It took her five decks to stop.
"Damn!" She muttered, before her power level dropped enough for
Frederic to take over once more.
"Fuck," Frederic added. "Linda, normally, one deactivates the
gravity gently. One doesn't just shut if off."
Sorry…
"Just something to know for the next time," Frederic said,
grinning. "But at least I know the limits of my endurance."
Frederic looked around, orienting himself on his new deck, and jogged to the
turbolift. The nanoprobes were already repairing the holes his flight straight
up had made.
When Frederic appeared on the bridge, everyone stared at him.
"Care to tell us what that display was?" Daphnix asked.
"Ki training," Frederic said. "One supercharges as far as one
can. Only, in my case, supercharging also brings out Shadow when I cross a
certain point."
"Right," Jennifer grunted. "And that gave you the right to
trash the Ortega," she added with a grin.
Frederic shrugged, grinning as well. "Linda's fault.
I was touching down at 1000 gravities, and she just switched them off. So, all
gravity dropped, and I flew straight up."
"We felt the shock up on the bridge," Daphnix told him.
"At least now I know I can survive multiple impacts with solid duranium
walls," Frederic said, laughing.
Sorry to interrupt… but I've found the quantum variance of Sorcerer
and Jennifer. It's on one of the last worlds we discovered before the war broke
out, and we had to abandon exploration. Therefore, it hasn't been researched
yet. Universe 576.
"Set a course," Frederic said, after trading a look with his
friends. The new drive got them there in mere seconds.
"Anything special?" Frederic asked, as
Jennifer started looking at the science station.
"We've got nothing major, but there seem to be plenty of little
disturbances in the
"What does the probe say?"
"Minimal demonic activity, barely enough to register
on the scale. Vampire activity: non-existent. But, the demonic activity
is located to
"We might have to work together," Frederic said. "This
protector would surely know the area better than we do."
"Right," Jennifer said.
"Alright, let's go," Frederic said, getting up from his seat, and
leaving the bridge. Daphnix and Jennifer followed suit.
After the three warriors had equipped themselves with all their weaponry,
and they had seated themselves in the APV, Frederic contacted David.
"David, we're going ahead and scout around. Can we count on you if we
need a couple of extra brains?"
Sure, Dad. We'll be here when you need us. Right now, Jessie and I are in
the holodeck, so don't be alarmed if we don't answer immediately.
"Right. See you later, Honey," Frederic
said.
"Later, Dad," David answered before the connection was cut.
"Linda, beam-down to
Affirmative.
The three warriors drove around, scanning the area more intensely to get a
precise location on Sorcerer, when an alarm sounded.
Demonic activity found! Displaying location!
Frederic floored the APV, and in less than five minutes, the three warriors
pulled up to a strange demon shooting some strange black beam at people.
"No, no, no!" it muttered. "Where are the talismans?" it
asked out louder.
Frederic and his two companions hadn't decided to engage for more than a
couple of seconds, before five girls appeared. Frederic raised his hand, and
stopped his assault.
"These girls seem to be this planet's defenders," he muttered.
"They're pretty too. But don't they get cold dressed like that?"
Daphnix asked, referring to the five's short skirts.
"And they should be getting a lesson in fashion-sense," Frederic
said. "Those outfits are not designed for comfort during battle. Look at
those high heels, and those sailor outfits offer no protection at all."
Daphnix just snickered. Jennifer snorted. Frederic remained stoic.
"So, Tomoe, this is a so-called daemon," Sorcerer asked the man.
"Yes," the man answered. "And those girls are the Sailor
Senshi."
"Those brats should be in school instead of fighting evil,"
Sorcerer commented. "But I won't interfere as long as we're winning. But,
if your daemon loses, I won't hesitate to raise a real fighter, Tomoe. And you
know the price. I want this sacred cup you told me about."
Professor Tomoe grunted, and asked himself what he had done to deserve
someone like Sorcerer on his case.
"Stealing these people's heart crystals is unacceptable!" One of
the girls shouted. She was dressed in a blue skirt, and her outfit had a red
bow on the front. "In the name of the moon! We'll
punish you!"
Frederic looked at his companions. "Did I just hear this girl tell this
demon she'll punish him?"
"Sounds like it," Daphnix grunted. "We're dealing with
fucking amateurs. No pro would tell a demon something like that."
"Burning Mandela!" the girl dressed in red shouted. A number of
fire rings shot out from her fingers to the daemon. When it was knocked to the
ground, the first girl materialized a scepter out of then air, started waving
it, while shouting, "Moon spiral heart attack!"
The scepter let out a blast of energy, which took the appearance of a huge,
pink heart. The energy heart hit the daemon, effectively crushing it.
"Original attack," Frederic said. "And that stupid dance is
probably done to throw the enemy off guard."
"Original, and effective," Daphnix said. "That demon never
knew what hit it."
"You're right, Sailor Mercury!" the second girl, the black-haired
one in the red dress, said. "What is that thing?"
"I do not know, Sailor Mars! That creature's power is off our
scales!"
The first girl, the one in the multi-color outfit, started getting teary
eyed, and looked frightened to death at the golem, which was now eyeing the
girls strangely.
Mars shot another Burning Mandela at the golem, which it simply absorbed.
"Sparkling Wide pressure!" she shouted. Streams of lighting
crashed at the clay golem, which simply laughed, and slammed the girl into the
ground.
"Sailor Jupiter!" the blonde in the multi-colored outfit yelled.
"Maybe she's sick," Frederic commented.
"She's scared, guys. Get over yourselves.
These girls don't know what they're dealing with. When are we going to help
them?" Jennifer asked.
"Sailors Mercury and Earth have yet to make a move," Frederic
said. "And Earth seems to have some pretty potent things up her
sleeve."
"Hey, maybe it's not Earth. Remember her first attack? Moon spiral
heart attack?" Jennifer asked.
"Moon?" Frederic asked, dubiously.
"Then where is Earth? And what did the other planets do that was so wrong
as to not be included in this little get-together?"
"Right," Sailor Moon said, readying her scepter. Again, she
started her dance. The golem, not impressed by the least, jumped towards the
girl at a frightening speed, grabbed the scepter right out of her hand, and
looked at it.
"Pretty," it grunted. "Me eat."
It raised the rod to its mouth, with every intention of gulping it down. Then,
a red rose embedded itself into the golem's chest. The rose didn't hurt it, but
the sheer absurdity of the attack caused it to lower the rod, and look at the
red flower.
"More pretty," the golem grunted. The rose disappeared into its
mouth.
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Sailor Moon shouted.
"You came!"
"Me angry. Why you throw pretty flower at
me?" the golem asked.
"You are evil, demon, and we will punish you for the crimes you
committed!" the man shouted. The golem looked around.
"Me stop three girls. Stopped
pretty rod from pretty girl with stupid dance. You not
in good position."
"World Shaking!" sounded over the battlefield. It was followed
immediately after by a second voice, shouting, "Deep Submerge!"
The first attack was a blob of energy racing towards the golem, which was
blasted backwards by the force of it. The second attack was a water-based
attack, the only substance with effect on the clay golem.
"Uranus!
"You killed my predecessor," it said. "Now, I will exact
revenge!"
The golem charged toward Sailor Moon. It halted halfway there, as a burning
hole appeared directly in front of its feet.
"Halt!" Frederic shouted, clad in the Phalanx armor. He didn't
like to use it, since it limited his hand-to-hand fighting capabilities. This
time he made an exception, trying to keep his identity a secret. The armor just
wasn’t as agile as he was. Everyone stared at him as he gently floated
down in front of the girls. The golem towered at least a meter above him.
"You do not belong to this world. Therefore, it is unfair for you to fight
someone who has no idea what they're facing."
"Ganging up on me won't help!" Frederic shouted. "I have
fought monsters which outnumbered you both in strength and numbers."
The girls looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Hey, Mister! Are you sure about this?"
Sailor Mars yelled.
"Yes," Frederic responded. "Stay back. There's nothing more
you can do now. This is my fight." His hands started waving in strange
patterns, leaving green trails of ki behind. The first golem, the strongest
one, charged. Frederic screamed. His arms blurred, and a crashing noise was
audible as the armor was ripped from them. The first golem fell into pieces.
"I thought it couldn't keep up anymore," Frederic muttered. He
deactivated the armor. It was never designed for my level. It's great when
I'm on the defense, but when on the attack…No. That's probably why I have
always preferred not to use it.
The five remaining golems looked at him, hesitating.
"What do you think you're doing?" Uranus asked, attempting to push
Frederic aside. Unfortunately for her, Frederic was used to dealing with
hundreds of gravities. He didn’t move unless he wanted to. All Uranus got
for he trouble was falling to the ground when she pushed right through
Frederic.
"I'm saving your lives, Uranus. Now, get back, before I'm forced to
hurt you. Sorcerer! Withdraw your golems, or I'll destroy them all!"
The floating image of Sorcerer appeared as Uranus fumed. Frederic ignored
her, and focused on the image of Sorcerer.
"Do what you want, you goody two-shoes. But I want the sacred cup, and
I'm not going to stop unless I have it!"
"Sacred cup, huh? You're a warlord, a tyrant and a destroyer of an
entire universe, and now you're a thief as well? You're very, very lucky I
haven't had time to lock onto your ki the last time we met, or I'd have
teleported to your location already!"
Sorcerer just laughed. "Golems, weaken him.
I'll get rid of him after that."
"You're mistaken, Sorcerer. No golem has the strength to weaken
me," Frederic said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The girls
stared dubiously at him, the golems didn't know what to do, and Sorcerer was
smiling, as usual.
"You're bluffing. Go on, show me what you can
do."
Frederic shot him a crooked grin. "Fine. Hang
on a sec." He disappeared. He reappeared on the same location barely three
seconds later. One by one, the golems fell to pieces. Sorcerer stared at
Frederic. So did the girls. Sorcerer's smirk had been wiped form his face, and
a look of pure fear had replaced it.
"You…destroyed five golems…without breaking a
sweat…" he whispered. His image disappeared.
"He'll be back," Frederic said. "And next time, it won't be
some golems. Guys, drop cloak. We need to
confer."
Daphnix and Jennifer dropped their cloak, and walked calmly towards
Frederic.
"Are you ok?" Jennifer asked.
"Fine," Frederic responded. "But I don't like this sacred cup
thing. Who knows what it is? And what it can do?"
"Those are worries for later," Daphnix said, looking over
Frederic's shoulder to the girls and the masked guy in black tux. Sailor
Mercury was still looking at her computer, her visor, and was shaking her head
in the process.
"I will not register on your sensors, Sailor Mercury," Frederic
told the girl in blue. "All my power is shrouded to keep the enemy from
scanning me. But, if it makes you feel better, you can scan my two
companions."
Mercury looked dubiously at him, and did as he told her. Slowly, very
slowly, she looked up, and removed her visor. Frederic and his two companions
smiled. She got up, and walked slowly towards them.
"Be careful, Sailor Mercury!" Sailor Moon shouted.
"Do not worry, Sailor Moon," the blue-haired girl said. She halted
not far from Frederic's position. The three warrior's attention was focused on
the girl.
"If my readings are correct, you posses power that is impossible to
attain. How was this achieved?"
<<What do you think?>> Frederic asked
his companions.
<<Probe has identified their visual records. The Sailor Senshi,
protectors of this world. Their identities are unknown.>>
Jennifer said, after consulting her mental amplifier.
<<Well, if they keep secrets like that, maybe they'll keep ours as
well. But I don't know about this. These are schoolgirls. They're amateurs.>> Daphnix sent.
<<Yes, but so is everyone else. There are not a lot of people who are
capable of going after demons and vampires all the time. But I do
feel…something. It's so strange, some feeling of belonging. It's from the
Moon girl's brooch.>>
<<It's a magic object. Quite powerful too, but I don't know why it
would affect you.>> Jennifer said, letting her
abilities go over the girl's heart-shaped broche.
<<I feel that we can trust them.>>
Frederic sent. <<Do I have your consent?>>
<<You haven't been wrong up until now.>>
Daphnix said.
<<Go ahead.>> Jennifer said.
"Maybe it were best if we discussed this in
private," Frederic said. "A public street is not the ideal place to
discuss matters like this."
Mercury slowly nodded. "Sailor Mars?" she asked.
"Right. We can talk at the temple. Follow
me," she said.
Frederic put two fingers in his mouth, and whistled. The APV pulled up to
them. "Transporter," Frederic told the shining black car. It
transformed, startling the seven girls and the masked man in tux.
Uranus and Neptune positively refused to get in the car, and just walked
off. Since none of the girls, or the man, seemed to care,
Frederic decided not to let it concern him either. He did look strangely
when two cats, a white one and a black one, jumped in the car as well. With
Mars' directions, he pulled up to a temple soon after.
Soon after, the five girls, two cats, the tux-guy, and the three warriors
were seated at a table. For some reason, those two cats seemed out of the
ordinary to Frederic and his two friends, but they decided not to comment on
their presence.
"Very well," Frederic said. "For some reason I feel I can
trust you. My feelings are usually correct, so I will tell you whatever you
want to know."
"How come you're so fast?" Moon shot in between.
"Impatient one, are you?" Frederic asked,
shooting her a smile as the girl looked at the floor, blushing ferociously.
"I am Frederic, this is my wife, Jennifer, and this is my best friend,
Daphnix. As you no doubt figured out from my conversation earlier, we are not
from your world. Nor is the darkness that threatens your world."
"Excuse me, sir, but we've faced aliens before," Sailor Mercury
said.
"I said we're not from your world. When I say that, I mean we're not
from your dimension. You see, let me tell you the full story. But, when I do
so, I must ask of you not to disclose this to anyone."
"Huh?" Moon asked.
"He doesn't want you to yap!" Mars shouted to the pig-tailed
blonde Sailor Moon, who looked like she was going to cry. Frederic looked at
his companions, and sighed. What had they gotten themselves into?
"Please, go on," Mercury urged them.
"Very well," Frederic said. "When I was 15, I was in a plane
crash…"
He told them the full story, not leaving anything out. He told them about
the Phalanx, the Gods, crossing dimensions, the ESMF, the vampires, Master
Slayers, demons, and finally, his death at the hands of Sorcerer, Shadow's
voyage, and Sorcerer's escape.
The five girls and the man gaped at the three warriors.
"We are not stupid," Mars commented. "You're probably just
trying to figure out who we are!"
Frederic slowly got up. His eyes stood dark, and a cold aura radiated from
his entire body.
"Shadow has taught me many things. One of the things she taught me was
her aversion for liars. Are you calling me a liar, Sailor Mars?"
The people looked all at Mars, who was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Yes!" she said. "I don’t believe a word you told
us!"
Frederic's body covered itself in green ki. Jennifer jumped up.
"Love, no…" when she looked into his eyes, his pupils had
just turned green. And was his hair darkening? "Shadow," she
muttered. "Shadow, don't! You know Fred would never do this!" slowly,
the eyelids closed. When they opened again, the blue eyes were back, and
Frederic's normal hair-color returned.
"Thank you, Love," Frederic said. "I guess Shadow's more part
of me than I thought. I apologize for my outburst. As you can see, the
relationship between Shadow and me is… less than stable. But, since you
choose not to believe me, we'll be going. We're here to catch Sorcerer after
all."
As Daphnix got up to leave as well, the others looked at one another. The
three warriors opened the door, and walked outside. They were halfway down the
temple's stairway when they halted upon urgent calling.
"Wait!" It was Mercury and Venus.
"Yes?" Frederic asked, curious.
"We believe you," Venus said. When Moon and
Jupiter came running as well, the three warriors were even more at a loss as to
what to do. First, they asked themselves if they were tearing this team
apart, but the second question was a lot more urgent. What now?
"Uhm… that's good to know,"
Frederic said. "What triggered the change?"
"You shouldn't pay so much attention to Mars," Jupiter interjects.
"She distrusts her own shadow at times."
"And where is Tuxedo Kamen?" Daphnix asked, suddenly curious.
"He's gone home. To think," Mercury said.
Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix, and the four girls stared at one another, none
of them knowing quite what to say. When Sailor Moon burst out laughing, the
tension broke.
"This is silly," she said, laughing. Then, she deactivated her
costume. "I am Tsukino Usagi," she said.
The other girls stared at her.
(Author's note: Sailor Moon character's names written Japanese style, family
names first.)
"Right," Mercury said. "I am Mizuno Ami," she said,
after which she deactivated her powers.
"I am Kino Makoto," Jupiter said, after deactivating her powers.
"And I am Aino Minako," Venus said,
deactivating her powers as well.
"And Mars is…" Usagi began. Frederic lifted his hand to stop
her.
"It is her own choice whether she tells us or not," Frederic said.
"No one should tell us unless they're absolutely sure."
When the seven started climbing the stairs, to reach the temple once again,
Usagi tripped while looking over Frederic and Daphnix. She grabbed the first
person in reach, which happened to be Minako. Minako, not expecting to have to
bear the weight of Usagi, stumbled, fell and grabbed onto Makoto, who grabbed
Ami in turn. As Ami started falling, Daphnix, who was closest to her, grabbed
her hand. Not knowing quite what to do, Daphnix stared at the girls, while the
girls stared back at him.
"Is everyone alright?" he finally asked. This seemed to break
everyone's trance, and the girls got back on their feet. Frederic exchanged a
look with his two companions. Usagi's such a klutz… and she's the
leader of this gang? When they finally reached the top of the stairs, they
found an angry Mars waiting for them.
"You idiot!" she shouted at Usagi. "You told them? And what
if they're from the Death Busters?"
"I can assure you, we have nothing to do with whoever is plaguing this
planet. All we're here to do is capture and dispose of Sorcerer," Frederic
told the angry girl.
"And I am not an idiot!" Usagi shouted at Mars.
"Yeah, right," Mars snorted. As Usagi and Mars continued to fight
verbally, Frederic couldn't help but sigh, and look someplace else.
<<D, Jenny, tell me I'm not seeing things. Are those two cats shooting
angry glances at the girls?>>
<<They are. Something weird is happening here.>>
Daphnix answered.
<<I have to agree>> Jennifer said as well. <<This is
mighty strange.>>
To everyone's surprise, Frederic knelt down in front of the black cat.
"You're no ordinary cat, are you?" he asked. "Don't be shy. Puar
can fly, so you don’t have to hide your abilities from us."
He got what he had desired.
"Who's…" the cat snapped her mouth shut.
"I knew it!" he said, getting up again. "Another
talking cat." He looked at the white cat. "And let me guess.
You talk as well?" No answer.
"Doesn't matter. Puar could never keep her
mouth shut either. But at least she behaved better than that talking pig,
Oolong. Boy, how I hated that pig," Frederic said.
"First of all, who is Puar, and who is Oolong?" Daphnix asked.
"Puar's a talking and flying cat I met while I was training with Goku
and the others," Frederic said. "And Oolong was a talking pig. He
couldn't fly, but he did walk on two legs, and wear clothes. He and that friend
of his, master Roshi, kept trying to sneak peaks at
me while I was in female form."
Daphnix couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You got your own fan
club," he said, laughing. "And? Did they see
anything good?"
"Nope," Frederic grinned. "Shadow's very… protective.
After she caught them one time when she was about to take a shower, she beat
the stuffing out of the both of them. They never bothered her again."
"I'd like to have seen that," Jennifer muttered. "A pig and a dirty old man sneaking peaks at Shadow."
"As I said, they never saw anything," Frederic said. The four
girls who had chosen to reveal their identities were laughing as well, while
Mars had no idea what to make of it. The two cats were looking at Frederic.
"Excuse me, but if you are this strong, why don't you just take this
Sorcerer out?" the black cat asked.
"What's her name?" he whispered in Usagi's ear.
"She's Luna. He's Artemis," she said, pointing to the white cat.
"Well, Luna, we are strong. But we are not Gods, invincible,
unstoppable, or anything of the sort. We are not omnipotent or omniscient
either. Sorcerer is my dimensional twin, possessing the same intelligence I do.
By now, he's masked his quantum variance, and his ki, from all senses and
sensors. He is still here because we haven't detected a dimensional crossing,
but for all we know, he could be in
"I see," the black cat responded. Usagi and Mars had evolved by
now. Instead of fighting, they were just sticking their tongues out at one
another. Frederic put his hand in front of his eyes, and sighed. Deep. This is ridiculous. What in earth possessed me to
tell these girls everything? Oh, yeah… that feeling from that brooch.
"Are they always like that?" Daphnix asked Ami.
"Oh, yes. But don't worry, it usually doesn't last long. They're the
best of friends, they just don't realize it," the blue-haired girl
responded.
"They could just try to get along with each other," he commented,
getting a nod from Frederic and Jennifer.
"It's a good thing we don't fight like that," Frederic said.
"We have nothing to fight about," Daphnix answered back.
"And we're usually burning off all our anger when getting rid of
vampires."
"Or demons," Jennifer said. The trio moved to one side, letting
the girls deal with their own problems.
"Demons are the best kind," Frederic said, smiling. Daphnix nodded
enthusiastically.
"Or black mages," he said. "You know, I can never get over it
how stupid those guys are. Have they never heard of the phrase 'good triumphs
over evil'?"
Frederic shook his head. "They usually have been alive for hundreds of
years. What do they care? Hello… can, you two feel that?"
"Yeah," Daphnix said, looking at the same direction Frederic was
looking at.
David and Jessica are on the surface. Linda informed them.
"Thanks," Frederic said.
They've brought Vicky and Sarah.
"Why?" Jennifer asked.
Vicky and Sarah wanted to burn the planet. Destroying Sorcerer was worth
a planet in their opinions.
"Fuck," Frederic said. "Are our children alright?"
They're just fine.
Suddenly, the quartet appeared directly next to the trio of warriors. Vicky
and Sarah had been handcuffed, and were clearly unconscious. Makoto, seeing the
appearance, gave a startled yelp. Everyone stared at them.
The trio knelt down.
"What happened, Honey?" Jennifer asked.
"We found them on the bridge, trying to override the lockouts on the
Quantum Pellet guns," Jessica said.
"So we had Linda fill the bridge with knock-out gas, after which it was
easy to cuff 'em, and take 'em
with us to the surface, which was where we were headed anyway," David
finished.
Vicky grunted, and so did Sarah.
"You could have warned us," Frederic said coldly. "And trying
to destroy a planet is unacceptable under any circumstances."
"It is. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Sorcerer
is an interdimensional threat. Destruction of one planet is nothing compared to
getting rid of this evil for ever," Vicky said.
"And you followed her orders, as usual," Daphnix said to Sarah.
The girls and their cats had by now gathered around the group. Sarah nodded.
"I should have explained better," Frederic said. "This is as
much my fault as it is yours. But, consider yourself limited in clearance. You
are hereby restricted to quarters until we can talk this out. Dismissed."
Vicky nodded, a little hesitation in her eyes. Both
girls snapped a salute, and disappeared as Frederic had them beamed directly to
their quarters.
"David, Jessica, meet the defenders of this world, the Sailor Senshi.
This is Usagi, a.k.a. sailor Moon; this is Minako, a.k.a. sailor Venus; this is
Makoto, a.k.a. Sailor Jupiter; this is Ami, a.k.a. sailor Mercury; and that's
Sailor Mars, who wishes to remain anonymous for the time being."
"I never said that!" Mars exploded.
"You have, as of this moment, still not disclosed your identity,"
Frederic said. "Therefore, you have stated your wishes to remain
anonymous."
"Huh?" Usagi said.
"Mars is still in costume, and he says that, since she's still in
costume, Mars doesn't want them to know who she is," Ami interpreted.
"Everyone, these are David and Jessica, our children," Frederic
finished the introduction. When Usagi and some of the girls went haywire over
the kids, both looked strangely at the girls.
"Dad?" David asked, pulling his father's
sleeve.
"Yeah, Love?"
"You could have warned us we had to learn Japanese," David said.
The kids had refused a full download of their father's knowledge, claiming that
studying a subject from books gave a broader understanding than just a dumping
of knowledge into their brains.
"Sorry, there wasn't time. It does seem logical, considering the fact
that we're in
Frederic didn't notice the look Ami and Minako were shooting at the group.
"For once, I think we'll take the easy way," David said, after
shooting a look at his sister. During their intense sessions together at Alpha,
the two knew each other almost perfectly by now.
"Okay," Frederic said, opening his hand, and turning the palm
towards the sky. David and Jessica held their hands above it. Two seconds
later, the two children opened their eyes.
"Japanese," David said. "Intricate language," he added
in flawless Japanese. Jessica nodded.
"I have to agree," she responded in the same language. Ami and
Minako looked shocked. The rest didn't know what was going on. Ami told them.
"Those kids didn't know Japanese. Frederic taught them Japanese in
those few seconds they held their hand over his," she said. "It is
incredible to see his claims to be proven so openly, in front of our very
eyes."
"That's a trick," Mars said. "You don't believe that, do
you?"
David and Jessica looked at her. The next moment, they floated into the air,
so they were at eye-level with Mars. The girls, and their cats, looked
astonished at the two floating six-year olds. At least, they appeared to be six
years old.
"Are you calling us liars, Sailor Mars?" Jessica asked.
"We do not appreciate being called liars," David added.
"Cool trick!" Usagi shouted. "Can you teach me how to do that
too?"
"Maybe later," Frederic said. "David, Jessie, You're scaring
her. Come back here."
The two kids turned around, floated back, and touched down on exactly the
same spot as before.
"Now, apologize to the girl. We're here to make friends, not create new
enemies. We have our hands full with Sorcerer," Jennifer said.
"Mom!" David said. "We did nothing
wrong!"
"Yeah, she called us liars!" Jessica said.
"She called me a liar too," Frederic said. "And I reacted the
same way you did. But I apologized," Frederic said.
"Alright," David said. He turned to Mars. "We're sorry,"
he said. Jessica nodded. "Me too," she added.
"But that still leaves the question of you not believing us. If we can
prove to you that we're immortal, will you believe us?" Frederic asked.
Mars looked from the kids to the parents, a look of shock on her face.
"Sure," she said.
Frederic took the Necklace. "Dagger," he told the Necklace. The chain
disappeared, and the Necklace changed into a dagger. He gave the dagger to
Mars.
"Make sure that it's real," Frederic said. Mars gave it back.
"It's real," she said.
Frederic took the dagger, pointed it at his hand, and jabbed it through.
When he withdrew it, Usagi and Minako fainted because of the blood, Ami and
Makoto looked on in pure shock, and Mars… well, Mars looked
flabbergasted. She looked even worse when the hand healed in front of her very
eyes. By the time his hand had healed, Frederic had put the Necklace back
around his neck.
"Now do you believe?" Frederic asked, after he and Jennifer had
knelt down to look after the two fainted girls. Thankfully, they started
regaining consciousness very fast. They woke up, looking directly at Frederic's
and Jennifer's faces, respectively.
"That was gross!" Usagi shouted.
"And it must've been painful," Minako added. The rest of the girls
nodded.
"We've had worse," Frederic said. "But telling you about it
would just get you to faint again."
Mars looked at the three grown-ups and the two children, who had a knowing
smirk on their faces.
"I am Hino Rei," Mars said, deactivating her powers.
"One thousand years ago, the universe was in a state of total peace.
This period of time, called the Silver Millennium, was a happy and prosperous
time for human kind. Queen Serenity, who lived on the Moon, ruled the universe.
The
However, a threat to this long-lasting peace existed in the form of the
Negaverse. The Negaverse was the direct opposite of the universe of the
During a lunar eclipse, Queen Beryl led her minions to the moon, and quickly
began their attack. It ended almost as quickly as it had started. The warriors
of the
After the decisive battle, the Negaverse claimed victory. Queen Serenity
knew that she could not let the Negaverse win. She resorted to one final act.
Using the power of her Imperium Silver Crystal, Queen Serenity purged the
universe of its invaders. Queen Beryl, the Negaforce, and the Negaverse's army
were all sent back to the Negaverse. Also, she sent many of her people away, so
that they may live in peace once again. Her daughter, along with her court of
princesses, was sent one thousand years into the future, to the present-day
earth. Queen Serenity gave her life, so that her people,
and her universe could live in peace once more. She knew her daughter must live
on, because she was destined to be the next Queen of the Universe. She also
sent me and Artemis to Earth to find, and guide them. Usagi is Queen Serenity's
daughter, and the Sailor Senshi are the princesses of
the court. Tuxedo Kamen is the Earth Prince," Luna concluded.
<<Now this is one hell of an alternate reality,>>
Frederic sent.
<<Life originated on the moon instead of Earth?>>
Jennifer asked, skeptically.
<<Even better, the other planets were inhabited,>>
Daphnix said. <<But, their powers are proof enough for me.>>
<<Amen to that,>> Frederic said.
"That explains a lot of things," Frederic said out loud.
"But, I am curious, though. Are there other Sailors? I mean, you've missed
Saturn, and Pluto the last time. The guy in Tux comes from Earth, but Saturn
and Pluto were not represented."
"Sailor Pluto guards the gates of time," Luna explained. "She
can not leave her post unless there is a big emergency. So far, Sailor Saturn
has yet to appear, so we don't know who she is, or where she is."
Frederic nodded. "One more question…" he began, and broke
off. "This is silly, probably. But, that
locket," he looked at Usagi's locket, "it feels familiar to me,
somehow."
"Really?" Luna said.
"That is strange," Artemis added. "There is no reason why it
should feel that way to you."
"I have to agree," Frederic said. "Neither of my companions
feels that way. It's only to me… and only when I am focusing on it. Very
faint, almost as if something's not right for it to feel totally familiar, or maybe it's just very far away."
"Maybe touching it will help," Ami said. "That is, if Usagi
doesn't mind."
"No at all," Usagi said, removing the locket, and extending her
hand with the object to Frederic. Frederic just stared at it, and slowly
reached out to take it. For some reason, his heart was pounding, almost as if
he knew that something would happen. He took the locket, and a bright light
engulfed him.
Shadow opened her eyes. Her eyes. Not
Frederic's. Hers. She stared at the object in her
hands. A silver crystal was floating above the locket. Reaching out, she took
it. Immediately, she felt as if she could talk to it.
"You brought me out," she asked. "Why?"
Everyone was staring at Shadow, who was holding the locket in one hand, and
the crystal in the other.
"The ginzuishou," Luna whispered. "The
Imperium Silver
Shadow, meanwhile, was totally oblivious to her surroundings.
"You want me to do WHAT?" she barked at the jewel in her
left hand. Everyone stared at the black-haired woman, now staring very
angrily at the precious stone.
"No, I don't care if you want me to be Sailor Earth. And no, I don't
care about extra power either. No way are you going to get me into one of those
costumes! I am 250 years old. Someone who's that old just does NOT dress up in
clothes like that!" Shadow continued.
"And yes, I'm very much aware that I look twenty. I don’t care.
Now, how do I put you back in your box?" Shadow muttered, attempting to
get the crystal to reabsorb back into the locket from which it came. It was
obvious the crystal didn't cooperate.
"Maybe you should accept," a female voice said from behind them.
"Guardian?" Shadow muttered, and turned
around, and her jaw hit the ground in shock. "What did you do to your
hair? And what are you doing in one of those costumes?"
"I am sailor Pluto, Guardian of Time," the woman responded.
"This is a matter of great importance, so I came."
"Guardian of time," Shadow muttered. "Wrong Guardian, I
guess."
"Wrong sister, Child," the Guardian of the Crossroads said,
appearing in the room, which was now beginning to feel cramped with three
warriors, two children, five girls, two cats, a Guardian of Time, and a
Guardian of the Crossroads.
"Guardian?" Shadow asked, again. She was
beginning to feel quite stupid, with her asking the same question in such a
small period of time. But then again, she wouldn't be as embarrassed as she
would be if she were to put on the sailor uniform.
"Yes, Child. Now is the time to tell you what
has happened to the first one to make it on the path of the Universal Savior."
"Impossible," Luna said. "Sailor Earth… was a rumor. A ghost story to tell children."
"That is not correct," the Guardian said. Pluto nodded. "The
stories are quite real. Maybe you can tell about Sailor Earth, Luna, and we can
fill in the gaps," the Guardian said.
Luna looked quite distressed. Artemis was in some kind of shock, and the
regular Senshi were looking on in wonder.
"Sailor Earth was a rumor. She was said to protect the Royal Moon
family behind the scenes, from all kind of outside influences who wanted to do
them harm."
"Yes," Artemis said, breaking out of his shock. "It was also
said that this duty fell upon the first daughter of the Earth Royal family.
Many brave women must have died…"
"And many did," the Guardian said. "But one made it back. The first one, and until recently, the only one, to actually make
it on the path of the Universal Savior. She transferred back to the
Moon, and protected it against Queen Beryl with her full power. She died
protecting it. While the rest of you were sent to the future, Sailor Earth gave
her life to grant you safe passage."
"And what does this have to do with me?" Shadow asked. "I was
never Sailor Earth, and I never got sent into the future."
"No, Child. But your victory over the path of the Universal Savior has
granted you this status."
"Then I thank you for the honor," Shadow said, and resumed
attempting to put the still resisting crystal back in the locket.
"Hey! Come on!" Usagi shouted. "It'll be fun to have a new
Senshi join the club."
Shadow's eyebrow rose as the other girls started saying encouragements.
Shadow thought that things couldn't get any worse. They did.
"Wise One," Jennifer said. Shadow spun around, and bowed her head
in respect.
"Wise One," she said. "Please, don’t tell me you want
me to do this as well? Come on, I'm 250, I don't need these powers, and those
outfits are WAY to revealing for my tastes. And, don't forget, I'm actually a
MAN."
The moment she looked into the Wise One's eyes, her hopes were dashed. She
knew what he was going to say before he actually said it.
"You might need them in the future," the Wise One said.
"Frederic always said it was better to be safe than sorry, and that there
was no such thing as too much power."
Shadow looked around frantically, like a caged animal. The girls were
encouraging her again, Daphnix and Jennifer looked at her with a big smile on
their faces, the kids were encouraging her as well, and Pluto, the Guardian of
the Crossroads, and the Wise One were looking encouragingly at her. Shadow
looked at Jennifer and Daphnix. They're enjoying this! I'll get them…
but first, I need to get out of here.
"How does this happen?" Shadow asked with a sigh. Luna jumped up
in the air, made a summersault, and a stick appeared out of thin air. As Usagi
handed her the stick, she thought she was going to be even more embarrassed
than she already was. The stick was in purple, and had a yellow star on top.
"Now all you have to do is say Earth Star power, make up," the cat
instructed. Shadow looked around. No way was she going to do this now. She put
the stick in her pocket.
"Good to know," she said, finally getting the crystal back in the
locket. Shadow handed the locket back to Usagi, glad to be rid of the thing. Shadow
could feel the transformation item burning in her pocket. Good for her, this
was the time the crystal's power wore off, and she transformed back into
Frederic.
"Uhm…it's Shadow's call," he said,
raising his hands. "No way am I going to pick a fight with myself out of
all people," he added with a grin. The Guardian of the Crossroads and the
Wise One disappeared soon after, soon followed by Sailor Pluto.
"I do have one question," Frederic said. "How come you can
materialize this transformation stick? I thought the Sailor Earth story was
just a rumor?"
"The transformation item is identical to those of the other
Senshi," Luna explained. "Once I knew Sailor Earth was real, all I
needed to do was make the necessary modifications."
Frederic nodded, unable to believe his mind. Who would have
thought…I'm not only a woman, but also a Sailor Senshi out of all things
to be! It's bad enough not to reach for the female underwear when waking up,
now I actually have a genuine female transformation to think about.
His thoughts were soon interrupted as the Senshi surrounded him, laughing
and smiling about 'the new addition to the team'.
Frederic was locked in a deep meditation trance. He was at a park, on the
shore of a big lake located in the center of it. None of the surrounding
beauty, none of the sweet fragrance of the flowers around him, or the gentle
breeze of the wind reached his mind where it was now. He was looking for
Sorcerer. Using the last trick in Shadow's book, he used the astral viewing she
had learned while studying yoga.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. As he had suspected, Sorcerer had camouflaged
himself wonderfully.
Of course, you idiot. He's you, and if
there's something you've learned it's that a Fromthefield always does a full
job, his mind told him. Frederic got up. He needed to relax. Daphnix and
Jennifer had gone with the children and the Senshi. The girls had very kindly
invited them along to go to something called "Crown's", an arcade. He
had declined their offer to join them, knowing very well that he needed to get
himself back into balance. He hadn't been since he had revived, and the
situation wasn't helped by the fact that he and Jennifer had yet to do a
complete merge. He knew she was afraid of the strength of his mind. And she
knew he was afraid of hurting her. And they both knew that the first few hours
of Frederic's revived state had done their marriage no good.
A gentle smile appeared on his face as Frederic knew what to do, and he
disappeared off the mortal plain.
Frederic appeared on the Ortega, in the garage that had been built for the
APV. Now it would house Shadow's bike as well. Frederic let his hand trail over
the gray and black finish, marveling in the smoothness of the powerful machine.
He disappeared back to the ShadowZone.
He appeared in an empty cargo bay. He told the nanoprobes to convert it into
a place that would be able to house a park. It would take the probes an hour to
finish the changes, and Frederic left the few Senzu plants he had brought. He
walked out of the room, which was now bristling with activity as the nanoprobes
converted the room to get it ready for biological matter.
Frederic walked to the quarters where Vicky and Sarah were housed. He rang
the chime, and waited to be allowed entrance. He soon walked in.
"We need to talk," he said, after nodding a greeting to the two
girls.
"Yes, sir," Vicky said. Sarah remained silent, as usual.
"What you two did… it's inexcusable. You not only acted without
authorization, but you also endangered an entire planet! I don't care how you
were raised, but we don't kill off people unless there are no other
options."
"Yes, sir," Vicky said.
"Stop that!" Frederic said. "Don't 'yes, sir' me. I need you
to understand this. We…Jennifer, Daphnix, and I.
We're a team. We're friends. There isn't a chain of command, unless the
situation warrants it. My children are part of this as well. We all want you to
join our team, to be our friends, but you have to act like part of the team.
You can't go around blowing up planets because of one bad element."
"I…I don't understand, sir," Vicky said. "The target is
extremely dangerous, and is responsible for many deaths. We have the means to
eliminate him. Why not do so?"
"We are trying to eliminate him," Frederic said. "But
destroying an entire planet to do so is not acceptable, under any
circumstances."
"But, in the past, I mean…we read the records of universe 254.
You were willing to blow up
"If we were unable to defeat the evil, we were willing to destroy one
city in order to save the planet," Frederic said.
"How is this different?" Vicky asked.
"Sorcerer isn't threatening an entire galaxy, or a multitude of
universes. So far, he has launched a couple golems, which were easily defeated.
Sorcerer is not a threat to this entire world, let alone the galaxy, or
different universes."
"I understand now, sir," Vicky said. "So, if Sorcerer were threatening to take over the galaxy, and he was based
on this planet, then our action would have been warranted?"
Frederic shook his head. "Not unless all other options were exhausted,
and Sorcerer was threatening to win. Destroying a planet, a city, or anything,
is a last-ditch effort. We can't go around sacrificing people when longer and
harder ways are available that take less casualties."
"I understand now, sir. I wish to extend our deepest apologies to you
for our earlier actions."
Frederic sighed. The ESMF was a disciplined army, with professionals. Few
sanctions ever had to be taken, and if there were, they were minor. In short,
Frederic had little or no idea how to handle something this big. He decided on
another leap of faith. After all, he had trusted the Sailor Senshi on a stray
feeling he was picking up from Usagi's locket. Granted, it had turned out to be
real, but still…
"How would Section X deal with an infringement this size?" he
asked. Vicky looked at him. For the first time, he saw something bordering on
apprehension in her eyes. Sarah, on the other hand, was much more open, and her
eyes betrayed fear.
"Pain threshold training, sir," Vicky answered.
"Excuse me?" Frederic asked.
"Pain threshold training, sir. It's a nice
name for what is basically torture training. We were given a piece of
information, and Section X would attempt to get it from us. All means were
allowed except permanent injury or death."
Frederic looked at her in shock. "You endured that?" he asked.
"By the end, I logged 500 hours in pain threshold training, sir. I
became more or less used to it. Sarah was developing nicely until we had to
blow the entire division to the stars."
Frederic shook his head. "We don't use that kind of punishment
here," he said. "But, I could give you a training course… it'll
probably have the same results, but at least you'll have some benefits from
it."
"With all due respect, sir, but training isn't punishment," Sarah
said, fearful of getting her torture training anyway.
"You haven't trained with me yet," Frederic said, casting them a
smile. "Tomorrow, I'll come get you. Let's say at… 0900 hours local
time?"
"Very well, sir," Vicky said.
"Until your punishment has been carried out, you are restricted to
quarters. After your sentence, you will be reinstated to your formal
privileges. We don’t hold grudges."
"Thank you, sir," Vicky said.
"And please stop calling me sir," Frederic said. "I told you,
we're all friends here."
"Of course, uhm… how do we address you
instead?" Vicky asked.
"Fred, or Frederic. Take your pick,"
Frederic said, walking to the door. "See you two tomorrow."
"Of course … Frederic. We'll be ready," Vicky said as the doors slid shut.
Shadow had been drinking and using drugs for 250 years. Only her continued
cleansing when she went in and out of the ShadowZone had kept her alive through
the harmful effects. Every time she would enter or exit the ShadowZone, her
body would be brought back to full health, just as her bike would be brought
back to brand new.
Thanks to Shadow's continued use of the drugs and alcohol, Frederic's
immortal body had a nearly inhuman resistance to the effects. He could feel the
buzz of the pot and the relaxed state of the alcohol, but he was not stoned, or
drunk. He took the pipe, and finished it off in a few long drags. The buzz was
more pronounced now, and Frederic closed his eyes, letting his mind wander.
Suddenly, he opened them, and looked at Jennifer. So relaxed had he been
that all his shields were down. He slammed them back up, sliding his blocks
back in place on his end of the link. He also knew that Jennifer knew what he
had been doing here.
"Drink?" he asked, extending her the bottle. She grimaced, and
made an warding off motion with her hands.
Jennifer's mind was in turmoil. She had no idea Frederic was in such a bad
shape. Sure, she was suffering from their imposed solitude as well, but not
like this… She had felt a burst of fear in those few milliseconds before
Frederic had slammed his blocks back in place. Then, she started realizing
things. Frederic had been away for 6 months, from her point of view. But, from
his point, he had been gone 250 years.
"Are you capable of talking?" she asked.
"About what?" he asked. His voice was a little slurred, but not
overly so.
"Us," Jennifer said. Frederic's eyes set on her, and he put up one
finger.
"In a moment," he said. Frederic closed his eyes, and focused on
his body. He burned the alcohol and drugs form his system within ten seconds.
Of course, this did leave him…edgy as his rush was so violently
interrupted.
"I am now," he said, sitting up. Jennifer sat down next to him, as
Frederic hurriedly moved the pipe and bottle out of the way.
It was getting rather dark as Daphnix and his niece and nephew left Crown's.
All of them had enjoyed themselves, the old-fashioned computer games were a
nice diversion from the holodecks. Of course, they had kept their abilities
down to normal levels. They had been the best, but not so that they were
standing out as abnormal.
Instead of just beaming back to the ship, Daphnix and the two children
decided to go to the park, to meet Frederic and Jennifer. It was quiet walk.
When they got there, a strange an eerie show awaited them. Only they could
see it, thanks to their power senses, but the normal people had felt that
something was amiss. The general area was deserted.
Frederic and Jennifer's foreheads were resting against each other's. Thanks
to their power visions, Daphnix and the two children saw the lines of energy
twirl around the two warriors' bodies.
What both had feared; happened. Frederic's mind,
strengthened by 250 years of training, study, and hard work, overwhelmed
Jennifer's mind. The merging wasn't a loving encounter this time. It was
a battle for survival, with Frederic fighting for survival of his sanity, and
Jennifer for survival of her mind. Neither had been prepared for the enormity
of the shock, the sheer pressure Frederic had contained in his mind.
Her essence merged with his as the energies washed around their minds and
bodies. On and on the battle raged, with Jennifer learning all about the 250
years Frederic had been away. The continuing escape in
alcohol and drugs to cope with the loss of friends over and over. The
aching loneliness of a spirit that had no idea that something was missing.
Jennifer's mind strengthened as she strained against the memories, thoughts,
emotions and experiences of her husband's mind. As the full merging approached,
Jennifer knew that she had survived. She had stood against 250 years of pent-up
emotions, stress, and pain, and she had survived.
For Frederic, he was unable to stop. Once the gates had been opened, he was
unable to stop them. Two hundred and fifty years worth of life were released in
one huge tidal wave, through the link, directly into the mind of his wife. When
he found her strengthening, he rejoiced. She had survived. So had he.
Instinctively, he knew that this was as dangerous for him as it was for her,
the sudden release after so long could have driven him insane.
When the tidal wave finally dried out, their minds were finally able to
merge. The two beings merged. Completely. Without reservation. Both cried as they shared each other's
pains, as they suffered along with each other as painful memories were
explored, and they both rejoiced when they finally knew they were together. Forever.
David and Jessica were reluctant to go. They did so anyway.