After watching the NA dub of the Queen Beryl battle (yes, I am only a poor DIC subject who has not had the privilege to watch any fan-subs or fan-dubs) I decided to write this little story. I know what happened, the truth that the wimps at DIC thought was too grue- some for our squeamish little stomachs. As a result, the story does contain violence that is implied and death that actually occurred. Getting off that subject, this story is much, much shorter than my other epic plots. (Picture me setting fire to piles of manu- scripts.) I’m supposed to be working on the other five stories in progress, but sometimes you simply have to get an idea out of your head before it takes over your brain a la The Exorcist. This story is entirely composed of POV shifts. At times, it can get dizzying. And oh yes I won’t tell you who is who in the shifts. You’ll just have to guess, although some of them (make that most of them) are rather obvious. I just have to say thanks to the wonderful poet Thomas Stearns Eliot for being my inspiration, my Muse, and my reference book for quotations. You can always find something good in his writing! As always, standard disclaimers apply. You know what I’m talk- ing about. Yes, I’m talking to you. Sailor Moon and all related items belong to the people that own them. Don’t let the lawyers get all the money—avoid a lawsuit or twenty. I like e-mail (to a reasonable point and of a reasonable na- ture), so please write to me at my comfortable little Internet niche gramarye@rochester.rr.com. What the Thunder Said By: Gramarye --------------------------------------------------------------------- He who was living is now dead We who were living are now dying With a little patience --T. S. Eliot “The Waste Land” - Part V. What the Thunder Said “Houston, we have a problem.” -- Apollo 13 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Something is seriously not right. I can feel it deep inside and the panic is starting to set in. I keep thinking, it shouldn’t be this way. Most of the time, I have confidence in myself and in my friends. This time is different. I hate feeling like this—helpless, like a target. I don’t like being vulnerable...it’s completely against my nature. I hope we’re ready for this. Watch out, Queen Beryl. We’re coming to get you. Wait. That’s not entirely true. I’m coming to get you. Oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods. I’m so scared. I’ve never been this afraid in my life. All of the other battles I’ve even been in are nothing compared to this one. We’re finally getting the chance to go face to face with the head of the Dark Kingdom, the Queen herself. We’re going to win this time. We’re going to beat her, finally beat her. It’s the op- portunity of a lifetime—in our case, of a couple lifetimes. So why am I absolutely terrified? Don’t let your fear show. Don’t let your pain show. Don’t be weak. Don’t betray your emotions, or they will be your downfall. It’s just so hard to do this when adrenaline overload is turning your knees to gelatin. Stop it! Snap out of it! You’ve got to be strong. They’re using me as a tester, I can tell. Watching me. Waiting for me to show some sign of strain, a fear that will overflow and break me like a dry twig. If I break, they’ll break. Especially her. Her emotions are so easy to set off. She’ll have mood swings that are so extreme that you can’t really tell what she really feels inside. To tell the truth, I don’t think any of us knows her as well as we think. Just like they don’t know me. Uh oh. There’s something or someone coming toward us. I hate this cold. We have to take them out together, not hand to hand in mortal com— Damn that Jupiter! There she goes, rushing off again, headfirst and arms flailing. Why can’t she just think for once before she acts? What? What is going on? This isn’t good. I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I know that we have a problem on our hands. First Jupiter runs off to fight, and now her attacks aren’t working well enough to keep— run jump dodge fire jump jump duck duck keep down down oh my heart my heart I think I’m going to no must keep moving jump FIRE dodge duck FIRE jump FIRE stop it I can’t take this please someone help me don’t let me fight this all by myself... I didn’t think it would be like this...I mean, most of your ba- sic youma are the kind that can be toasted with a minimum of effort and a maximum of corny speech making. They’re beating us out here. That’s not supposed to happen—at least, I don’t think so— I’m trying, I’m trying, I’m trying, I’m trying... Leave me alone and let me concentrate! Shut up, you’re driving me mad! Wait, what is that? No, that’s not right. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...I can’t do anything right... I want to go home. I want to go home. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. But in my heart I know it’s too late. Use all of my power to fry this freak...I hope I’m doing the right thing. What am I saying? I know I’m doing the right thing. Jupiter, why do you have that look in your eyes? I’ve never seen you look like that, never. It’s not anger, it’s not fear, it’s not anything I’ve ever seen. I don’t even know if it’s human. She can’t be trying that. I forbid it. I won’t let her. She can’t do that. I could tell her to stop, make it an order, but for some reason I don’t think she would. No, I take it back. She’d look at me, smile, and do it anyway. Is that why I didn’t tell her to stop? This is it. I’m not turning back. This is for all of us: my parents, my friends, my senshi, my life, my powers, and my hope. Our future... Let the voltage begin... NOOOOOOOO! Stop! You can’t! Please, oh please...no...please... That hurt but I can’t feel my arms my legs they’re not there it doesn’t make sense I feel my head because of the pain but nothing else is there I’m sorry my sisters my friends Mommy I can’t Daddy please sempai tell me why it hurts I’m cold can I go in let me help I’m very sorry where— We’re not supposed to die. Isn’t that some kind of law—we can’t die unless we have permission from our doctor or our parents or our gym coach or something like that? I guess I should pinch myself but what’ll happen if the pinch doesn’t wake me up? I’d go insane. ...... She’s not dead. She can’t be dead. We were supposed to stay after for detention tomorrow because Haruna-sensei caught us talking about her hideous new hairstyle in the hall yesterday. She promised to bring in a ton of food so we wouldn’t starve after school. She’s not dead. She’s not dead. She can’t be dead. Our book reports are due on Friday. She has to turn it in or she’ll fail Literature class. I saw her slaving over it two nights ago when I stopped by her apartment. She needs to turn it in to keep her grades up. She’s not dead. Why does it feel like a piece of me is gone? One of my best friends has just died to save me. To save me, a girl who every one thinks is lazy and sloppy and stupid and a complete klutz. I know that I’m supposed to be different, special in some way, but some stupid destiny has just cost the life of an actual person. I’m not worth it. Nothing is worth it. ...... This wasn’t in the brochure. No one ever mentioned this. It’s happening again. We went through this once before—a long time ago. It’s not the first time we’ve died. And I know it won’t be the last. ......