Sailor Moon: Darkstone By Andrew M. Hujsak Part 4 - Crystal Refractions The heater in the shelter was running full blast, barely able to keep the cold on the outside from creeping in. I.V. lines were running from plasma bags into the arm of the man who lay in the cot. Examination had revealed the presence of partially healed puncture wounds on his back, which had caused loss of bodily fluids, but if there had been any internal damage otherwise, it had somehow repaired itself. As he slowly swam back to consciousness, images invaded his awareness, dark disturbing images, the sound of evil laughter, the desire to kill another. At first, they were blurred, indistinct. Then with increasing clarity, he could make out where the laughter was coming from, a red- haired woman, and she gave orders to destroy someone else who was there also. At her command, he initiated the attack, striking at the other with his sword, the girl pleading with him to stop, her face not clear. Then as he was about to strike the final blow, she looked up at him and she came into focus... "No! Sailor Moon!" Darien cried out as he sat up in the cot. Then in a softer tone "Can you ever forgive me for what I've done?" As he sat there, holding his head in his hands, he became aware of his surroundings. He looked around, not recognizing anything. The room was fairly Spartan in appearance, just the cot he was on, a table and a few chairs, his armor on the table. That got his attention, it meant he was still in his Prince Darien guise. Where was he? What is this place? A knock at the door momentarily startled him, and with some apprehension he said "Come in." A man seeming to be in his mid-fourties, wearing a white lab coat entered. "Ah, I see you've finally awakened. How are you feeling? We heard you cry out, something about..." he hesitated a moment, "...Sailor Moon?" Instead of answering, Darien looked the man over. He seemed like a normal human, not a denizen of the Negaverse, but "First of all, who are you? And where am I?" "Oh! Excuse me, my manners are lacking." said the man, "I am Dr. Nikkei,part of a U.N. scientific team, Japan section. You are in a shelter at our base camp in Greenland, where we are investigating some unusual phenomena which occurred a few days ago. We found you, injured, in an underground cavern and brought you here. You were weak from blood loss, and in a state of delirium, and you asked about the Sailor Scouts. Sailor Moon is one of them, is she not?" "Yes, do you know if they are all right?" asked Darien. Dr Nikkei answered slowly, "We don't know. Hell, we weren't even sure of their existence until just recently. I can tell you this though, there is no sign of anyone else here, other than you and us, no Sailor Scouts, no anybody. Just a lot of questions with no answers." Then aloud, Darien asked "Is there any way you could find out? This is very important. If they are all right, they may be able to answer some of your questions, under certain conditions." The doctor thought about this for a moment, then said, "There may be a way. I have a friend, a long time acquaintance who works for a newspaper in Tokyo as a photojournalist editor. Perhaps he can find out something. His name is Raymond Tsukino." Darien gave him a startled look, then quickly hid it. * * * The sun shone in brightly through the window in Serenas' room, the leading edge of the rectangle of light creeping down the wall until crossing her bed where she lay, penetrating her eyelids and forcing her into groggy wakefulness. Moaning at the rude awakening, she rolled over and reached out to her nightstand and fumbled for her watch, squinting at it through half-closed lids. "Nah, that can't be right" she mumbled to herself. Taking another look, the realization hit her that it *was* right! 8:25! "YYYAAAAHHHHHHH! I AM SO *LAAATTTTE*!" Literally flying from under the covers, she tore into the bathroom, took a 15 second shower, the water not having a chance to heat up, shocking her even more awake. "IIIIYYYYEEEEEE!" she screamed as the ice cold water struck her. Zipping from the shower to her closet, the effect being like an instant blow dry, she threw on her school uniform and sped out her door and down the stairs. To anyone who might have been standing there, the sight was no more than a blur and a rush of air. Luna, having prudently stayed on the floor upon her return, winced at the shrill screaming, then quietly smiled to herself. "Mom, why didn't you wake me??!!" cried Serena hysterically. "Serena." said her mom, quietly. "Where's my lunch?!?" frantically, while grabbing a slice of leftover toast. "Serena!" more forcefully. "No time, no time!! Gotta go!!" "SERREEENAA!" "WHAT!?!" "There's no school today, it's been canceled." Serena stopped instantly, almost not comprehending what her mother was telling her. "Whaaa...? What?" "School has been called off, apparently there's been some sort of trouble with the heating system and it sent fumes throughout the school. The early arriving custodian found it when he went to open up this morning." Serena sat heavily in one of the dining room chairs, realization coming to her, and a smile starting to spread across her face. Lita and Amy were walking back from Crossroads Junior High, neither had heard about the cancellation of classes (along with numerous other students) and had been quite surprised. Both had stayed around, at Amys' insistence, until they found out what had happened. "A breakdown in the heating system, how do you suppose that happened?" said Lita. "I don't know, it does seem a bit odd, but stranger things have happened." "That they have!" Amy looked at her companion with a puzzled expression, then it dawned on her what she had just said, and they both started laughing. "I don't have computer school today," Amy said, "What do you want to do?" "Oh, let's go see Serena. We didn't see her at the school, maybe she heard about the cancellation... no, she probably just overslept again." Both giggled at the thought. "OK, we can roust her out of bed!" and they headed in the direction of the Tsukino household. At the building of the Tokyo Globe, Raymond Tsukino was in his office looking at his computer screen with a somewhat dumbfounded expression on his face. He had been thinking about the things Luna had told him and his wife last night about Serena and this Darien fellow, and had been quite surprised when an e-mail had come in to him. After a few minutes, he sent a reply, then reached for the phone. Serenas' mom had been telling her about Lunas' visit with her and her husband after Serena had gone to bed when there came a knock at the door. Serena got up to answer it. "Hi Serena! We thought we'd come over to see if you were up yet." Lita said. "Yeah, well, just barely" she replied sheepishly, "Mom heard about the trouble at the school on the radio and decided to let me sleep in. When I woke up and saw what time it was, I nearly had heart failure!" as she led Lita and Amy into the family room. "Yes," said Amy, "what do you think happened? It seems a little odd that something like that should happen." Serena just shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno, stranger things have happened." Amy and Lita gaped at her for a moment, then looked at each other and started laughing. "What!? What's so funny?" Serena cried. Lita then explained, between snickers and giggles that Amy had said the exact same thing not ten minutes earlier. Understanding, Serena joined right in on the laughter. As the three girls continued to chat about various things, the phone rang. Serena was about to get up to answer it when she then saw her mom get it. "Hello?...Oh, hi honey.....what? Yes she's still here." glancing over to Serena. Her brow furrowed slightly and a concerned look came in her eyes. "Yes...two of her friends are here too, Amy and Lita... ok, I'll tell them....I love you too...'bye, sweetheart." and she carefully hung up the phone, pausing for a moment, still grasping the handset. The three girls had stopped talking when they had realized that the conversation was about them, and were looking at Serenas' mom, Serena feeling a chill run down her spine. "Mom?" she asked, "Is everything all right?" Marie Tsukino looked over to where her daughter and two friends were sitting." I don't really know, dear. That was your father on the phone. He says he would like you to meet him at his office, and that you should probably bring Amy and Lita along." Confused, Serena asked, "Why? What's going on?" "He said he couldn't say anything at the moment, but that it did concern your, um, 'other' activities," she said with a worried look on her face, "and Greenland." The trio, comprehension dawning, said together, "Scout business." and started to head to the door, when Serena said, "Wait a sec, I think Luna should be there too." "Will they let her in?" asked Lita. Serena thought about this for a moment, then said, "Well, just in case they wouldn't, I'll see if she's willing to ride in my backpack." And she went up to her room to give Luna a brief explanation, who readily agreed to it. All four left and went to the nearest Metro stop. About 20 minutes later, they arrived at the Tokyo Globe building and went inside. "May I help you girls?" asked the receptionist, then, "Oh, hi Serena. Are you here to see your dad?" "Hi Maggie, yeah, he called and asked me to come over. My friends here were visiting, so he said they could come along, too." "Yes, he called down and arranged for passes. Here you go." She handed three plastic encased Visitor passes with clips to them. "You know where his office is." It was more of a statement than a question, Serena had been there several times before. "Be careful and have a nice visit." "Thanks, Maggie, we will." Serena called back as the trio headed for the elevator. When they arrived, they saw he was talking on the phone. Knocking, he looked up and waved them in, and finished up shortly. Then he keyed the intercom and said, "Maggie, hold any calls for me for the next half hour, unless it's my wife." "Yessir." came back the slightly tinny reply. Serena went up to her father and gave him a big hug. "Hi, daddy. I missed you this morning." Returning the embrace, he said, "Yeah, I know, kind of a treat for you, a day off in the middle of the week." Pulling away, Serena took off her pack to let Luna out, and said, quite seriously, "What's this all about, something to do with the Scouts?" Her father got up and pulled the shade down on his door window, said, "Sort of. I got this e-mail this morning from an old friend, who just happens to be part of the United Nations team investigating your...battleground... in Greenland." He then called up the message as the three girls and Luna crowded around to see. >To: R.Tsukino >From: J. Nikkei >Organization: TransEnergy Research and Rendering Associates >Subject: Info needed (Authors Note: I have been requested to 'blackout' the e-mail addresses to prevent overloading with frivolous messages. AMH) Ray, my friend: It's been much too long since we last spoke, I hope you and your family are doing well. I don't know if you've been following the story of the expedition to Greenland, but I and a few of us from the lab are part of the team sent there. As you may know, if you have been following it (as any good newsman should) we found a young man in the caverns discovered there. He seemed to be seriously injured at the time, but has made a remarkable recovery and is now doing quite well. He has made a request and you are the only person I know who might be able to get the answer. It concerns the group of young girl warriors known as the Sailor Scouts. Do you know of them? This man, he gave his name as Darien, but wouldn't give his family name, asked as to whether they are all right. Apparently they were involved with the strange happenings up here, but there is no sign of them now. Could you find out if they are around so we could reassure this fellow? Also, we'd like to get in touch with them and talk, try to get some answers. We would be willing to agree to any conditions they may want to set up to ensure security for them. Thanks in advance. Dr. Jacob Nikkei P.S. We should get together when this is over, renew our friendship. I'm sure your son and daughter have done a lot of growing, and your wife as lovely as ever. Take care. Jake. After everyone had read the message, Serenas' dad said, "I sent off a message that I would see what I could find out. I thought it might be a good idea to check with you before sending any hard information" Serena, feeling very much relieved at the news of Darien, said, "Thanks, daddy. Luna, what do you think we should do? I'm not at all sure." Luna scowled in thought for a few moments. (Have you ever seen a cat scowl? It can be frightening.) "I suppose it would be all right to let him know the Scouts are safe and sound so Darien wouldn't worry, but as far as talking with them, I don't see how that can be done without a chance of your everyday identities being exposed." Amy, who had continued to look at the message, said, "Luna, we have his e-mail address here. Would it be possible to set up an untraceable e-mail link to my mini computer? Either that or some sort of private 'chat' connection?" Luna looked at Amy with admiration. "That's certainly possible, but I'll have to check with Central Control to be sure. Maybe we could route it off the old system on the moon, if it's still operational. It was buried deep beneath the surface for protection and might have survived. Mr Tsukino, go ahead and send this message off that the Scouts have been seen recently and that you will see if you can contact them." Then to the girls, "It may take a few days to set up the link, which will be fine. It would arouse suspicion if contact was made too quickly. And Amy, it might be a good idea to set up an encryption program so no one else can intercept the messages." Amy nodded in agreement. There was something that Serena was wondering about. "Daddy, this Dr. Nikkei, is he...'Uncle' Jake?" Her dad smiled and said, "Yes he is. I'm quite pleased that you remember him, you were only six the last the last time you saw him. He always liked it when you called him that, though he isn't any real relation." (The rest of the visit has no significance to this story) " 'Uncle Jake'? Jake Nikkei? Yes, of course I remember him." said Serenas' mom, "Such a nice man, your father was real good friends with him while he taught at the college, then he started some research company and we lost touch. I suppose he just got caught up in his business. So he's in Greenland?" "Yeah, I guess he's heading up one of the teams there." said Serena. Luna, who had been looking thoughtful, spoke up. "I wonder just what kind of research they do there? What is 'TransEnergy'?" "At a guess," said Amy, "I think it may have something to do with the use of our powers. We did expend a rather large amount of energy when we toasted Queen Beryl, and it would only make sense to send someone who may be working on exotic forms of energy or their theories. That large a pulse would have set even the most primitive detection devices crazy, even half a world away." "Isn't that one of the things your mini computer does, Amy?" asked Lita. "Yes, which would seem to mean that present day technology is catching up to where Silver Millenium technology was at the time of the destruction of the Moon Kingdom." At the base camp in Greenland, Dr. Nikkei had been called over to one of the monitoring stations set up by the personel from his lab. "We've managed to stabilize the readings that we've been getting here, but it's really strange. They're relatively faint, almost like background, but they indicate in the minus area, almost like it's an opposite or negative of the type that set off our instruments back home." said the technician operating the panel. "I'm not sure what to make of it." "Have you checked the calibration?" "Yes sir, all appears normal in the established tests." "Hmmm. It would appear that we are dealing with another type of energy signature then. Monitor it, and keep me informed." Dr. Nikkei left the room and went to see to their guest. As he entered the room where Darien was staying, he noticed that he had donned his armor once again. At the curious stare that Dr. Nikkei gave him, Darien said, "I was feeling a bit chilly. This seems to provide some extra protection." "Curious. Mind if I take a look at part of it?" Darien decided that it wouldn't do any harm and unclasped his cape to hand to the doctor. "Very curious, I've never seen anything like it. Lightweight, yet amazingly strong. It seems like it could withstand an incedible amount of punishment." Darien thought to himself. "Would you mind if I tried a little experiment? If I'm right, there won't be any harm done." Darien considered this a moment, then gave his agreement. Dr. Nikkei took a butane lighter out of his lab coat and lit it holding it under the fabric of the cape. After about 30 seconds of holding it there, the lighter became uncomfortable to hold, and he put it away. "Remarkable! No sign of scorching or damage," then feeling the fabric where he had held the lighter, "And complete heat dispersal! No wonder that it feels warmer to you, it must have just as incredible insulating effects against the cold. That's probably why you weren't suffering from exposure like we thought you might be. Very odd, though, " as he walked around to the back of Darien and examined the armor there, "with material as tough as this, what could have punctured it the way it did? It must have been something incredibly powerful." Then going back to face Darien once again, "Just who the *hell* are you? And where did you get this stuff? Are you... are you from another world?" he demanded. At that last question, Darien laughed out loud. "No, I am most definately not from another world. Earth is my world, and always has been. As far as who I am," Darien considered his words, "I... am not at liberty to discuss this just yet, it's not my place to do so. Only the Sailor Scouts can give that information." Then he added somberly, "If they live." Dr. Nikei suddenly snapped his fingers. "That's the reason I came to see you in the first place! I heard from my friend, and he says the Sailor Scouts have been seen, and that he will try to contact them." Darien closed his eyes, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted, let out a sigh of relief, and whispered, "Thank you." When it was time for Raye and Mina to be let out of their respective schools, Lita and Amy went to meet them, to ask them to come to Serenas' home for a meeting. Mina wanted to get Artemis first, but was told that Luna was already on it. Raye grumbled a bit about there being so much work at the Temple to do, but seeing it was Scout business, agreed. "So, it seems that we should be going to Greenland, after all," mused Raye when told of the message from there. "but I'm still concerned about being seen by those news people there. We really don't want to get too much in the public eye." "Well, they did say that they'd agree to any precautions." said Lita. "That still doesn't give them control of the press outside, seeing that the expedition is so open to them. We would have to get inside their shelters without being seen, and I don't see how that is possible." said Amy. "Yeah," said Serena, glumly, "that's the sticky point, isn't it? It sure would be handy if we could, say, turn invisible." Raye rolled her eyes up and said, " Give me a break, Serena! As if!" Then her attention was brought back by a gasp from the others. Serena had vanished! Unnoticed by any of the girls, the Emperium Silver Crystal within the locket had started to glow when Serena had made her comment, responding to her desire. To be continued... -- /------------/| Andrew M. Hujsak / / | / / | e-mail: andyhme@mix-net.net / / | / / / /------------/ / http://www.commdesign.com/~andyhme | | / } |/--------| | /{/ /_______ / | | / |_______| |__|/} / / / / / {/ /--/ /--/ / |OO----OO|/ } |--------|{/