SailorsPathfinder : Love and Without By : Erin Flynn – fanfic@mjade.com Episode 12 : An Upside-down World Risa lay on her back, her head in her hands, her fingers knit together. She stared into the sky. Clouds billowed upwards, higher than she could see. The one on her left looked like a small animal... the one straight above looked like a face... his face... She squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, the clouds had shifted, and no longer held any images for her. She rolled over on her side and started picking at the plants surrounding her. She angrily ripped a clump of liana grass out of the ground and threw it away from her, "NO!! Stoppit Risa!" "Disciplining yourself again?" Risa started, then recognizing the voice, didn't even bother to look. "What're you doing out here?" She heard Sage snort. "And a merry day to you too, dear." She heard her friend sit down behind her. "Why are you in such a good mood?" she asked sarcastically. Risa hid her sigh. "I'm just angry... that's all. Angry that we tried so hard, and lost so many, and that the bad guy still got away. And that we're now all huddled in this valley... waiting... wondering what we can do next. And so many have died. Including Jarlin... I can't believe a Pathfinder died.." She couldn't see Sage's nod, but she figured she had as she continued, "I just want these people to be free... I want to be free. We've tried so hard..." "We'll win, don't worry, Risa," her friend interrupted behind her, "Hydrazite is all alone now, and she only has a handful of DarkNites left. I sent out Pathfinders to scout her out... when they find her... we can go get her." Risa sighed and then laid to look at the sky again, "But even if we do win, what about Mamoru?" * * * Sage knew Risa better than anyone... they were like sisters... and when she had explained her mood, Sage knew she was lying. And the direct question on Mamoru proved it. But if Risa wanted to try and keep her emotions hidden, to deny them, Sage would let her. In any other situation she would pry it out of her... but it was him. She must pretend she didn't see it, and maybe she would figure it out for herself. "Mamoru? Well, I suppose we try to get him back home, maybe search for more crystal transports... We only had one version of it, there might be others--" Risa suddenly sat up and looked at her, hope in her eyes, "Ann and Alan!! Maybe they..." "No, no I've already asked them... Ann is up, and well again, though they are still staying at the med facility for now... it's amazing how fast they can heal because of their bond to the tree... So anyways, I was asking them about it... and when they go through space, they don't have an air seal or anything... they just put themselves into a sort-of semi-hibernation state... still alert and aware, but not active. Mamoru needs to breathe... and humans can't go into hibernation like that." As she spoke, she saw the hope die in her friend's eyes. Then she laid back down. "Oh." Sage just looked at her. * * * "LeeoTA!!!" Leeota winced as she popped her head around the side of the door. "Um... yeah?" The nurse looked at her, hands on her hips, "Just WHERE do you think you are going." "Um... back to the Pathfinder camp to help my friends..." The nurse shook her head, and started to walk towards her. "You don't understand, they need my help!" The nurse growled, "You don't understand... you need to get better!!" "I am better!" The nurse reached her and then carefully grabbed her by the arm. Even though it was lightly... it stung... her skin was still red. Leeota winced again, this time in pain. "You are not." She released Leeota's arm. "Now please go back to the med unit dear, we need all of you Pathfinders healthy!" Leeota nodded and sighed, "I'm going." * * * Risa had quietly made her way into the small fortress. It contained which once was the second largest, and now the largest medical facility. She quietly made her way inside. No one saw her as she moved through the corridors towards her destination. She paused a moment before entering the room, looked around, and then quietly slipped inside. She let the door close behind her and then leaned back on it as she stared into the room. Mamoru lay on a bed near the opposite side of the room, seemingly asleep, but probably unconscious. His armor lay in a corner... his armor... She moved towards him. As she neared, she remembered how badly she had seen him burned... but as she neared, she marveled at how he had healed. His face was merely pink, and his arms were pink, and... and... Risa suddenly realized he was merely clothed in what looked like a half sheet, and then was covered in sheets. As she felt herself turn pink, she turned to leave "Usako." Risa jumped and turned to look back. "Mamoru?" But his eyes were still closed, his face contorted now though, as if in pain, "Usako, no... it's not me... don't believe... I'm here... please Usako, it's not-- listen... to Rei... listen to her-- it's not--" He paused. Risa moved back towards the bed, "Mam--" "NOO!!!" He began to scream, and to thrash around. Risa raced over to the bed, "Mamoru!!! Mamoru, no!! Stop, please!" She tried for a few moments to hold him down, but then suddenly realized she didn't want to hurt his wounds any more so then she stepped back, continuing to shout, "Mamoru!! Please!! It's a nightmare, it's not real!! It's me! It's Risa, wake up!! It's all just a bad nightmare, please--" His eyes suddenly flashed open, "Risa?" She suppressed the tingling sensation that started within her as he said her name. "Yes, yes it's me, Mamoru... I'm here, I--" He looked at her confused, "What was I saying?" Risa looked at him for a second, "Uh... well, something about Sailor Moon... you didn't want her to believe something, to listen... I think that was all you said..." He continued to look at her for a moment more and then stared up at the ceiling. "Another one of my nightmares... Usako..." Suddenly the pain seemed to hit him, and he moaned for a moment... and then went unconscious again. Risa began to cry. She couldn't remember the last time she had. Not in a few years, no, not in a lot of years... she never cried, she was strong. And yet, the tears fell freely from her eyes, unwanted, unbidden, but she let them come, and let herself feel all of the sadness that she had tried to suppress... every tear a wish for something that couldn't be. She moved to the door again. Stared at it for a moment, almost turned to look at him... but stopped; then she quickly opened the door, and fled from the room. Her sobs echoed in the hallway. * * * Sage was wandering through camp aimlessly when suddenly she saw a Pathfinder running up to her. She recognized it as one of the girls she had sent out to look for Hydrazite... Her heart started to pound... "Sage!! Sage!!" the girl ran up to her, and stopped to pant for a moment, "I found them... far to the east of here... at one of the farming facilities. A gathering of DarkNites..." "Did you see Hydrazite?" Sage asked "No... but so many DarkNites... wouldn't you think--" Sage cut her off, "Yes, I would. Thanks, Sheliad." The girl grinned, "Thanks," and then the momentary expression vanished as a solemness seemed to take her, "Now what?" "Now I find Risa, and we go look some more." She turned to go- "Sage, do you think we'll win this time?" She looked back at the girl. She could have said anything... she thought for a moment, and simply said, "I hope so... I really hope so." Then she turned, and was off to find Risa. * * * Leeota snuck through the corridors of the med facility. She stopped suddenly as she heard crying around the corner. Easing up along the wall slowly, she took a quick look around the corner and then pulled her head back. Then she simply walked around the corner-- "Risa?!?" The older girl looked up at her, "Leeota?" She wiped at her eyes. "Hey, you... heh, looks like you've got a pretty bad burn going there. Good job, though, Sage told me all about it." She looked like she as trying to smile, but she was failing miserably. "Risa, why... what's wrong?" "Oh, nothing!" this time she did smile, although one could tell it was forced. "Just being an emotional girl, that's all." Leeota opened her mouth, but Risa cut her off, "Oh," she said quickly, "It's just this damned fight, I want it to be over, I want to win." Leeota studied the other girl silently for a moment, but she couldn't figure it out, so she just sighed and pretended to go with what Risa was saying, for the time being. She'd ask Sage about it later. "Yeah, me too..." Suddenly Risa's eyes got a far-away look to them, "Risa--" The other girl held up a hand, silencing her. "It's Sage... they've found what the think to be Hydrazite location..." Her eyes returned to normal, "I've got to go." She stood up quickly. Leeota stood up a second later and grabbed her arm, "I'm going with you-" "No, no, you need to stay here, to get better-" "No!! I am going with you! Listen, if you were me, you'd want to go too, I mean, come on, I'm like second in command behind you and Sage, I mean... this is my fight, too, I want to go!" Risa smiled at her, "Are you sure you'll be okay?" "Yeah... just be a little quieter... if that nurse hears this, it's not Hydrazite that'll be our problem..." Risa laughed, Leeota grinned, and then they both ran through the corridors. * * * "So, everything is set then? The girl saw all of the DarkNites?" The general nodded. Hydrazite smiled lightly. So she had lost her fortress. So Endymion was alive. So he might have said the truth... she clutched the necklace at her throat for a second-- and then ripped it from her neck. She gazed at it. And then incinerated it with a thought. Nothing mattered now. Only revenge, beautiful, sweet revenge... revenge in which all of her enemies... She looked at Sailor Moon who stood across the room... eyes blank, an eerie smile across her face. Yes, ALL of her enemies... would die. "So beautiful..." and then she laughed... * * * Sage shook off the chill that raced along her spine, "Brrr... damnit, I know she's still out there, the witch..." "Yes, she is, but we're gonna get her this time, right?" Sage turned and smiled, "Yeah we are, Leeota... yeah we-- What in hell is she doing here, Risa! She can't go along, she's gonna get killed!" Sage looked at Risa and then at Leeota in annoyance, "Or is that what you want?" Risa sighed, "Oh, come on, Sage. If you were her, wouldn't you be doing the same thing? Besides us three are a team. All together, till the end." Sage looked at the two of them for a moment, and then threw up her hands, "Fine! Fine! Anyways, here's where we're going..." she held up a technical readout she had printed a while earlier at one of the other fortresses, "Do you two think you remember this one?" The two looked it over for a moment, Leeota nodded, Risa spoke, "Yes." "Well, then, anything you two want to do before we go check it out?" "Nope." Sage grinned, "Then let's go see if we've found the red-haired devil, shall we?" * * * A voice. A beautiful voice. Hard to hear... "Wake up, dear one, your new friends are in danger, and your love needs you... hurry, hurry, you know what to do." Endymion opened his eyes. He was in some medical facility.. monitors were beeping all around him... He sat up and looked around. Suddenly a wave of memories flew through his mind. And then a thought... something about Risa... and Leeota and Sage... in danger... He leapt out of the bed and quickly located his armor and clothes. Ignoring the pain he felt, he hurriedly got dressed, grabbed his sword and ran out of the room. The nurse outside nearly had a heart attack. He grabbed her by the shoulder, "The two... the two with the tree, Ann and Alan... the aliens... do you know where they are?" The woman nodded and then pointed down the hall. "Great, thanks." He quickly moved down the corridor and discovered it ended in a door. He quickly pulled it open and stepped inside. The two occupants of the room looked up at him, startled, "Mamoru?" "Mamo-chan?" "We've got to find some Pathfinders. Or Risa, Sage, and Leeota are going to die." * * * The three now stood in a small valley. Risa looked around, "Now what?" Sage pointed forward and up. "It's all up over there. Now let's split up, I'll go straight in, you two come around on the sides, we'll take a look, and then go back--" "Aw, damnit, I thought you'd all come charging in here... but if I get you three, oh, well, that'll be enough for now." A rush of cold, hard fear ran through Risa as she spun around, looking for the source of the voice. She glanced at Sage. Her friend had fear in her eyes as she wildly looked around as well. Leeota grabbed her wrist. "Who the hell-" Sage cried out, and Risa turned to find her pointing in the same direction she had been moments before, only now... the sky shimmered, and an immense face appeared, laughing down at them. Hydrazite. "Oh shit." "You did very well, being the simple human vermin that you are, but I am afraid, that you angered me quite a bit, you see, so, well, I have gathered my new army. And they are ready... oh, and, um, you'll die." "NEVER!!" Risa saw Leeota clench her fists as she yelled into the sky, "We've beaten you before, and no DarkNite left on this planet can take us. You're the one who's doomed!!" Hydra's face contorted in anger for a moment... and then she laughed... "You don't know how wrong you are... Now you will have to fight my new army..." "MY ARMY..." "OF VERMIN!!!" And as the sky screamed at them... dozens of colored flashes went off around the field. The flashes continues for at least a full minute, the three Pathfinders gaping as the spun around the field... looking... gaping... unbelieving... Hundreds of sailor-suited soldiers covered the field.... Hundreds of Senshi... Risa saw Leeota stagger backwards as she herself gasped in disbelief, "What the HELL is going on!?!?!" She heard Sage's haunted voice behind her, "She's... she's brought them here... from all over the galaxy... so many... they are all still alive..." Still more and more teleported onto the field. The ones already there stared at them, eyes forward, unseeing, and glassy... Risa suddenly heard Leeota, "They probably all had peaceful, new lives... like Mamoru had... they might not have ever remembered they were senshi and she's brought them here, enslaved them, look at them, they're all under some sort of mind-control..." She suddenly stopped, and then almost sobbed out, "GOD DAMNIT-- we can't fight them guys!! They don't even know where they are... we can't murder them..." Sage and Risa nodded. They moved to form a triangle and faced back to back to back. Risa felt her friends' fear almost as strong as she felt her own. "We're dead..." * * * Endymion gasped once more as he watched in confusion as the scene continued to unfold. Dozens of senshi continued to teleport into the valley below him, slowly surrounding Sage, Risa, and Leeota. Ann touched his arm, "Where did they all come from?" He shook his head, "I-- I don't know..." Suddenly, in front of Risa... forming the back part of a five-person pyramid... flashes of blue, red, green, and orange.. four very familiar faces... "My God in heaven..." He suddenly noticed that all of the other flashes had ceased... And then... just in front of where Risa stood, the last part of the five- person pyramid blazed into existence in the brightest of white lights. His heart froze. And then he was recklessly running down the hill, Ann, Alan, and several Pathfinders screaming behind him. He called out to her -- * * * "USAKO!!" Risa spun as she heard a cry from behind her. She saw Endymion mindlessly charging down the hill as Ann and Alan raced behind him... Risa turned to the senshi that stood a little less than ten feet before her. "Sailor Moon?" The senshi merely smiled wickedly and brought up a large scepter. Risa gasped as she recognized it as Queen Serenity's. She only had a moment to think of this before-- "MOON PRINCESS ILLUSION!!!" --she found herself being hit by a wave of sheer energy and thrown across the field. She was unconscious before she slammed into the ground. End Ep. 12.