|
Cynthia was curled up tightly on Erika's bed, sound asleep. Her tiny body was exhausted from all of the talking with Karin the night before, and by the time she'd been able to get some decent sleep, her whiskers had been drooping badly. However, it was now 7:00 in the evening, and the day was almost finished. Her dreams during the afternoon hadn't been too pleasant, and even in her sleep she felt that something was about to happen - not like the last few nights - something bigger than that. Something with more evil intent than any of the youma had.
Suddenly, the feeling grew extremely urgent inside Cynthia. Her head shot up and she blinked sleepily in the dusky evening light. She pulled herself to a standing position, stretched hard and jumped down. The fur on one side of her face stuck out wildly from resting it on her paw, but what caught her attention as she passed Erika's full-length mirror was the crescent moon on her forehead - it was glowing slightly.
"What's this?" she mumbled to herself. She shook her head to clear the remaining sleepiness from her eyes and looked again. It was glowing a little brighter now. "I've never seen it do this before," she blinked. She stepped closer to the mirror to inspect what she'd always considered just a guardian birthmark. Sure enough, the tiny golden hairs in the crescent pattern were each letting off a tiny shimmer of golden light. Then an vivid image entered her mind... Erika and Karin were in their Sailor Senshi uniforms, but their skirts were tattered and dirty and both of them were bleeding from various cuts. Erika looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.
"Quasar, get yourself out of here before he does it again!" Karin called.
"But we haven't found Marion or Trina!!" Erika protested. Cynthia felt her eyes narrow in concern. Erika looked too much like her normal self... why?...
Where's her tiara!? Cynthia gasped as she finally noticed Erika's bare forehead.
"I'll find them, you go!!" Karin ordered. Erika began to leave wherever the two of them were, but the vision carried Cynthia past her two senshi deeper into the room. A faint light was showing in the pure blackness. It glowed bluish-green, but it grew dimmer with each passing second. When the vision finally brought her to the light, it was only glowing enough for Cynthia to see that it was a symbol - the symbol of the Neutron Star! Then the light vanished.
The vision faded and Cynthia found herself sitting in front of the mirror in shock, her mouth hanging wide open. It was all too clear. If she didn't get to the dance club Erika had told her about immediately, then all could be lost.
Cynthia raced out of the house...
Erika and Karin were both pouting as they leaned against the wall. They'd finally gotten into the dance club, and so far, neither of them had been asked to dance. Katja and Brita were busy hitting on every guy they could see, Liesel had actually found someone as quiet as she was, and Marion and Trina hadn't missed a song since they'd gotten in. Karin pounded her fist against the black-painted wall in frustration.
"Maybe I should have taken a piece of gum from Marion, after all," she scowled. Erika felt her lips twist into a smirk as the two of them watched the younger girls giggle and flirt outrageously with their partners.
"We don't have to just sit here, you know," she glanced up at Karin. "We could just go out and dance. I mean, we don't have to have partners."
Karin looked down at Erika. "I'd feel like such a loser, though," she whined. Erika shrugged. This was probably the most uneventful dancing trip she'd ever been on. Usually, she was out dancing with everyone else. She sighed to herself and glanced up at Karin again. If Karin would just say yes to someone she might actually have a chance at getting asked again. So far, though, she'd turned down anyone that approached her. They were all either geeks, losers, idiots or nerds. Erika felt her patience starting to run out for about the tenth time.
"Hey, check out that item over there," Karin nudged Erika's elbow, and Erika followed her gaze to the door where two guys were just walking in. The taller of the two had brown hair that was long on top and hung slightly in his eyes. He was dressed all in black. The other one had light green hair, and when he turned to look at his friend, Erika could see it was pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a blue shirt with white racing stripes going down each arm, and baggy tan pants.
"Uh, which one?" Erika asked, hoping her friend wasn't drooling over the short one.
"The tall one," Karin grinned. Erika looked up to see her friend's face lightly blushing. "Oh, he's fine," Karin murmured.
Great, if she wants to hook up with him, that probably means I'll get stuck with his pony-tail friend, Erika grimaced to herself. I hate pony-tails.
"Let's go see if they want to dance," Karin grabbed Erika's wrist and started pulling her toward the door, hoping she wouldn't lose sight of the two. Erika followed grudgingly.
Rax and Dain stepped into the dance club and looked around. The floor was filled with people, bright colored lights flashed every direction, and some kind of badly-sweet smelling fog floated through the air. The wild techno beat pounded ruthlessly in Dain's ears.
"Great idea," Dain mumbled to himself. "We won't even be able to hear ourselves think, much less speak."
"Check it out," Rax said loudly beside him. "So many women, so little time," he smirked up at his partner. Dain rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Remember, we are here for a reason, not for women," he replied coldly.
"Maybe you're here for a reason, Mr. Gothic Walker," Rax smirked, indicating Dain's all-black outfit. "But, I'm here to have a good time."
"Won't that sound pleasing when we report back to Saphrina," Dain bit. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rax flinch from his comment, but he didn't respond. Dain smiled slightly to himself because he knew that Rax wouldn't argue when he was reminded of Saphrina.
The two began to walk toward the dance floor when Dain felt a light tap on his left shoulder. He turned around to see two girls - one who was almost his height smiling at him, and another shorter one, who had one arm in a sling and looked nervous.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
Karin felt herself begin to melt at the sound of his voice. It was so deep and just the way it should sound coming from someone as hot as this guy. She hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself.
"Um, yeah," she laughed and pursed her lips. "I was just wondering if..." she paused, trying to find the courage to ask him. "Well, we were just wondering..." she started again, fidgeting. The man raised her eyebrows at her. She felt her face flush bright red.
Erika, noticing how tongue-tied Karin was just looking at the guy, stepped in.
"We were just wondering if the two of you would like to dance with us," she forced a smile, knowing very well who she'd be dancing with.
Dain felt his stomach clench with dismay. He'd hoped that the two of them could do what they came to do and leave, but it didn't look like that was going to be possible. Instead, he smiled lightly at the taller girl and offered his arm to her.
"We'd be honored," he answered.
Karin felt like her heart was about to explode. But she did her best to control herself, and took the guy's arm. She was completely oblivious to Erika or the green-haired friend that looked on in surprise, and let him lead her to the dance floor.
Erika watched Karin for a minute as the two began to walk away, and then turned to the pony-tail man. She tried her hardest to give him a genuine smile, but ended up forcing it onto her face instead. He looked about as uncomfortable as she felt.
"So," she cleared her throat. "Do you have a name?"
The guy looked at her nervously, and then glanced around the room before answering. Erika began to chew on a fingernail.
"Um, yeah," he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Andreas." (pronounced: ahn-DRAY-us) He pulled one hand out and shoved it toward Erika.
"Erika," Erika replied as she shook his hand. She released it and folded her arm across her sling. "So?" she asked, nodding toward the dance floor. Andreas flushed slightly.
"Uh, well... I'm not feeling too well tonight, so maybe I could sit this one out?" he stammered his way through the excuse.
Erika felt like she'd been punched in the stomach, but she kept her face calm and shrugged. "Sure, nice to meet you, though," she turned and headed back to where she and Karin had been standing just a few minutes before.
Andreas!? Rax laughed to himself, as he watched Erika walk away. Where did I come up with a name like that? He turned toward the dance floor and spotted Dain and the girl dancing in the middle of the floor. Dain, for once, looked like he might be having a good time.
"I can't let him have all the fun," Rax mumbled to himself. He walked into the crowd, looking for a possible prospect.
Erika leaned against the wall, furious. So far, this evening had been the worst she'd ever experienced - and she was blaming it all on Karin. First, never being asked to dance, then putting up with Karin's whining, and then being turned down by someone she thought was a loser to begin with! UGH!!! She fought to hold the tears back that were threatening to fall down her cheeks.
"Hey Erika!!!" Katja and Brita came bounding toward her. "What's wrong?" Katja asked as she noticed Erika's face.
"Karin," Erika spat. Katja and Brita both glanced back at the dance floor.
"Why, what did she do?" Brita asked.
"EVERYTHING!" Erika shouted into the loud music. Then she explained what had happened with Andreas and his friend. When she finished, Brita and Katja were staring at her with their mouths open.
"What a jerk!" Katja protested about Andreas.
"No kidding," Brita agreed. "I can't believe..." she trailed off shaking her head.
"All in a day's work, I suppose," Erika shrugged bitterly.
"Hey, come dance with us," Katja smiled as she put her arm around Erika's shoulder. "We've only been asked a couple of times, and it would help just to take your mind off of all this."
Erika smiled up at her friends. "Thanks guys," she breathed as the three of them headed off to the floor.
Cynthia raced through alleyways and narrow streets, searching for the area that the club was in. Her heart pounded hard in her chest from running, but she wouldn't let herself stop. If she did, she might be too late...
Dain rested his head on top of Karin's. She was leaning against his shoulder during one of the few slow songs. The two of them had been dancing for most of the evening now, and he couldn't quite figure out why he wasn't willing to let her go. For some reason, he felt completely at peace with this girl. But he was running out of time, and he had to find Rax.
Karin smiled to herself as she leaned against his shoulder. She felt him rest his head on top of hers, and killed the urge to cheer out loud. She did find it strange that she felt so comfortable with him since they'd just met, but she tried not to think about it too much - why ruin a good thing with worry? She felt his hand stroke her long hair.
"Karin?" he started. She pulled away and looked up into his eyes, those incredible violet eyes. The small silver ring in his left eyebrow sparkled. "I have to leave," he stated. As much as he didn't want to say that, or have it be true, there was a duty he had to fulfill. Karin looked down at the floor. It had to come at some point. After all, she'd be a fool if she expected the night to last forever just for her. She looked back up at him and smiled.
"Thank you for the wonderful evening, Eric," she blushed a little as she said the name he'd told her, and then glanced down with her eyes, showing off her long lashes. "Maybe I could see you again, sometime?" she asked.
Dain nodded and returned the smile. "I hope so."
Katja, Erika and Brita all watched the scene between Eric and Karin from a rail that separated the low balcony from the main floor.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Brita laughed, mocking Karin's look and fluttering her eyelashes. Erika shook her head in amusement - she'd finally been asked to dance a few times, and was feeling a lot better.
"Pretty interesting scene for someone who couldn't get over how many losers were here a few hours ago," Katja quipped.
"Well, at least we both finally had a good time," Erika smiled. "I can imagine another scenario that would have ended up a lot worse."
"No kidding," Katja snickered.
The group watched as the couple parted, and Eric walked off the dance floor. On his way out, he tapped Andreas on the shoulder, and the two left together. Erika smirked as she saw Andreas tear himself away from a rather well-built blonde girl with hair that wouldn't quit.
So that's what he likes, she shook her head. I knew I smelled a jerk from the beginning.
"C'mon, let's go get Karin. She looks lost," Brita put her arms around both girls' shoulders and led them down the short staircase.
Karin watched as Eric walked off the dance-floor. Her whole body was tingling from the small kiss he'd planted on her forehead. Just as the crowd swallowed him up, she was practically knocked over by two very anxious girls.
"Karin!!!!" Marion squealed. "Oh my God! That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen!!" she was almost jumping up and down.
Karin laughed and put her hands on Marion's shoulders. "Calm down, Marion. You're more excited about it than I am."
"But he's so hot!!" Trina exclaimed, looking off in the direction he'd gone, even though she wouldn't be able to see him. "And he kissed you on the forehead!!" Both girls pretended to swoon. Karin laughed out loud.
"You two are nuts," she grinned.
"Yeah, well you did look pretty comfortable in his arms," Katja commented. Karin turned around to see her, Brita and Erika all looking rather smug.
"Hey guys," Liesel came walking over to the group, looking tired and happy at the same time. "Where have you been all night?"
"Well, Karin here has been with Mr. Tall-Dark-n-Handsome all night, and the rest of us have just been hangin' around," Brita grinned as Karin blushed a rather bright shade of red.
"Where have you been, Liesel?" Erika asked. This time it was Liesel's turn to blush.
"Oooooooooooooooooh," the whole group said in unison.
"Wow, two romances in one night," Katja laughed. "Looks like we'll have to come-"
Darkness and silence. Erika's eyes fought to adjust to the sudden change in the atmosphere. The sound of the crowd became a bunch of confused questions. She felt Karin turn beside her and grab her arm.
"What the-?" Katja started, but was cut off by a blood-curdling scream from the front of the room. Karin's grip on Erika's good arm got tighter.
"EVERYONE GET OUT NOW!!!" someone shouted.
The next thing Erika knew, she and Karin were being pushed hard from behind, as people that had been at the very back of the room began to surge forward.
"Liesel!" she heard Marion call in the blackness.
"I'm here," Liesel called back. "Where are you?"
Karin felt herself start to panic, and she leaned down as best she could toward Erika. "Do you think we should change?" she asked.
Erika looked toward Karin's voice, even though she couldn't see a thing. "I don't know," she replied. "I'm as new to this as you are."
"MARION!!" a voice that Karin recognized as Trina's shrieked. It was way back behind them.
"We can't leave her here, Erika!" Karin shouted.
"I know!" Erika snapped, she didn't want her right arm ending up in a splint too. "Let's try to make our way over to the wall," she lunged left, and felt Karin stumble from the change of direction. The two girls pushed through the panicked crowd as fast as they could. Finally, Erika felt her slung elbow knock the wall. Karin threw herself against the wall beside Erika, and the two of them scooted their way along, trying not to get swept up into the panicked and screaming crowd again.
What seemed like an eternity later, Erika felt cool metal brush against her cheek. She moved forward a little farther, and found herself falling into another black, but empty room.
"Oh God, now where are we?" Karin asked, her voice echoing slightly in the room.
"Sounds like the restroom," Erika answered. "Is anyone in here!?" she called. There was no answer. "Alright, Karin, let's go find our friends!" she announced.
"QUASAR LIGHT POWER!!" The ring on Erika's right hand burst with white light as she punched her hand into the air.
"PULSAR FLASH POWER!!" The ring on Karin's uplifted right hand began to flash bright yellow.
The two transformations took place simultaneously, and soon both girls were standing in their respective poses, even though the room was pitch black.
Karin/Sailor Pulsar, feeling a little braver, for what it was worth, swung around and opened the door. The noise from the crowd again filled her ears, but it wasn't nearly as loud.
"Sounds like a lot of them got out," she said.
"I hope so," Erika/Sailor Quasar answered. "Let's go take a look."
The two of them stepped out from the restroom. The dance club was every bit as black as it had been before.
"Quasar Illumination!!" Quasar called. The entire room was suddenly filled with bright white light, leaving the two senshi blinking for a second. It was at this point that Quasar realized her splint was gone, and her left arm felt fine. But she had to leave that thought for later. As she got used to the light, both she and Pulsar noticed hundreds of bodies lying on the floor. Some looked like they were asleep, others looked dead.
"What the hell-?" Pulsar started. She and Quasar both looked at each other, and then back at the scene. One of the people closest to Quasar reached out and grabbed her boot. Quasar jumped in shock and looked down at the person.
"Why do I feel so weak?" she managed to whisper just before she fell unconscious to the floor.
"What is going on!?" Quasar called as she looked from the girl to the rest of the people lying on the floor. The room began to grow more and more quiet. "Who did this!?" she demanded. A soft low chuckle came from the front of the room. Quasar and Pulsar both looked toward the sound.
"Well, well, it's about time we met face to face," the voice greeted.
"Show yourself, coward!" Pulsar demanded. A slight movement came from the shadows, and a man stepped out wearing a black tank-top, tan baggy pants and black combat boots. His dark hair hung in his eyes. Pulsar felt her stomach flip as she noted every similarity between him and Eric. She desperately prayed that it wasn't him.
"The name is Dain," he announced coldly. Pulsar breathed a sigh of relief. "I am from the Dark Moon of the future. My comrade and I are here to help weaken this side of the world, so that Crystal Tokyo will never come into existence." The man stood with his arms crossed, daring the two senshi to challenge him. Instead, they looked at each other in confusion.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Quasar asked. "Crystal Tokyo!?"
Dain raised his eyebrows in surprise. Pulsar thought she saw something glimmer when he did, but decided it was her imagination. "Ah, so the senshi of Hamburg, Germany don't have any contact with the REAL senshi in Tokyo, eh?"
Neither of the girls answered.
"Nevermind, then," he laughed, and waved his hand. Suddenly the room was dark again.
"I don't think so!!" Quasar called into the darkness. "I am Sailor Quasar, defender of the center of our galaxy!! My home was already destroyed once, and I won't stand by while my new home is in danger. With the light of the galaxy, I'll defeat you!!"
"Get ready to die, loser!!" Pulsar screamed. "I am Sailor Pulsar, guardian of the memories of my people, and protector of my friends and fellow Senshi!! I will not stand by and let you have an unfair advantage!! With the power of my home star, I'll defeat you!!"
Their speeches were met with laughter, this time from another person. The laughter was followed by the sound of someone clapping.
"Very impressive, ladies," the second voice mocked. "However, you seem to be at a slight disadvantage. You see, we can see you, but I can't imagine that you can see us very well."
"That can be fixed," Quasar growled. "Quasar Illumina---AAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed in pain. Quasar doubled over her left arm, feeling blood gush from just below her elbow - right where she'd been hurt the night before.
"Quasar, are you alright!?" Pulsar knelt down beside her. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Quasar gasped. "It was sharp and thick, like glass."
Pulsar stood up slowly and glowered in the direction she'd last seen her enemy. "You will pay for that," she said, her voice deadly. Bringing her hands up to her mouth, she began to call "Pulsar Ultrasonic--- whoa!!" She stopped just as she felt two ice cold breezes pass beside either ear.
"What'd you do that for!?" the second voice demanded at the front, but no answer was given that Pulsar could hear.
Dain spun around and glared at Rax with venom in his eyes. He had caused the ice shards to miss Pulsar's eyes. "Are you really that stupid?" he spat at his partner.
"What!?" Rax whispered in surprise.
"You could have killed her!"
Rax failed to see why that was such a big deal. "So?"
"Get out! Get out of here now! I WILL HANDLE THIS BY MYSELF!!" Dain ordered Rax in a fit of rage.
"That's exactly what I intend to stop, so I'm not going anywhere!!" Pulsar's voice called from the wall.
Rax glared questioningly at Dain before he turned and teleported himself out of the club. Dain shook his head in wonder. The kid was so dense that he couldn't even see that this Sailor Pulsar chick was the same girl they'd watched last night, and that he'd danced with tonight - Karin Wallace. There was no way he was going to let her be hurt - not after the way she made him feel earlier. That was a peace he hadn't felt since... his thoughts were interrupted as he heard the two girls start to talk. Silently, he began to drain the crowd of what little energy and strength remained. When he was finished, all of them would be willing slaves to the whims of Wiseman. All of them except Karin.
"Can you stand up?" Pulsar asked her wounded friend. "We need to get you out of here."
"I don't know," Quasar answered. "I'm suddenly so tired."
"NO! Don't fall asleep," Pulsar ordered. "You might be in shock from blood loss, and the last thing you need is to lose consciousness right now. Let's see if we can get you out of here." Pulsar helped her friend stand, and began to move forward. But she tripped over a person lying in front of her. "Quasar, I hate to ask this now, but I really need some light."
"I can't," Quasar choked back a tired sob. "I don't have the strength."
"Damn."
Cynthia finally reached the dance club. Immediately she could see that everything was how she'd seen it in the vision. This was not good. She rushed in through the slightly open door of the club.
"Quasar! Pulsar!! Are you here?" she called out.
"Cynthia?" Quasar mumbled. Pulsar looked up toward the familiar female voice.
"Over here, Cynthia!" she called.
Dain turned just in time to see the small splotched cat dart toward the two senshi. A cat? he thought to himself. But he concentrated instead on completing his task. He was just about finished.
"You're alright!" Cynthia exclaimed as her eyes adjusted and she saw Sailor Pulsar.
"Yeah, but Quasar's not. We need to get her out of here now," her voice was urgent. Cynthia approached Quasar who was kneeling on the ground again, and placed a paw on her thigh. For a moment, she concentrated, the crescent moon on her forehead beginning to glow again. Gradually, Quasar began to feel some strength return, and she noticed that her arm stopped bleeding.
"Thanks Cynthia," she smiled down at the cat.
"Quasar, just tell me, do you have your tiara?" Cynthia asked, worried.
Quasar reached up to touch it, just to be sure. "Yeah, why?" she asked, as her fingers brushed the oval jewel.
"I'll explain later. Now, you two keep him distracted. There's something I need to find," she explained as she darted off into the darkness.
"And just how does she expect us to do that?" Pulsar wondered out loud.
Dain continued to extract every last bit of energy from the crowd that he could. Finally, everything was reaching the point where he could finish up and be done with this place. Then maybe he could approach Karin one more time...
Cynthia bounded toward the back of the room, like she remembered the vision showing her. Quickly, she searched as many people as she could, looking for the glowing bluish-green light. It took her a few minutes, but she finally found something. When she pushed the girl's head so that it faced the ceiling, she could see that it might be too late. The symbol was almost gone.
"Sailor Neutron," she whispered. "Don't give up on me now." She jumped up onto the girl's chest and placed her paws on her chin, then she looked straight at the fading symbol and concentrated with everything she had.
These were the strangest dreams Trina had ever had. She felt herself observing as pictures of a world flashed by, a world that had developed around some kind of star. She saw a queen and king, and several of their children. She saw great buildings and palaces, and millions upon millions of stars. The people of the civilization were friendly and open, greeting strangers like old friends. Then she saw the moon. There, she also saw palaces, gardens and life. People living in harmony, friends that would never die. Then she saw two people she recognized… one had knee length loose hair that flowed around her, the other had waist-length dark brown hair. A third girl had short blue hair, and a fourth girl… she couldn't quite see. But she had chin-length strawberry blonde hair like Trina's own. Then the dream faded to blackness, and she heard herself being called.
"Neutron? Sailor Neutron? Can you hear me?"
Trina struggled to turn her head, but when she did, a massive headache shot through her skull. She decided she didn't want to move.
"Sailor Neutron! We need you! Please, wake up!"
The voice was urgent enough that Trina decided to try and open her eyes. Doing so was an effort, though, because they felt like they had lead weights sitting on top of them. Finally, she blinked them a few times. Wherever she was, it was pitch-black and she couldn't see a thing.
"Where am I?" Trina managed to whisper.
"You're still at the dance club," the female voice explained.
"What dance club?" Trina whispered.
"The one you and your friends came to tonight."
Trina wracked her memory trying to remember exactly what had happened. Vaguely, she remembered dancing, talking with that one girl, the lights going out, and then...
"What happened?" she croaked, her voice hoarse.
"I don't know, you'll have to ask the other two."
"Huh?" Trina was now totally confused. She let her eyes drift down to her chest, and realized that something warm was sitting in the middle of it. She gasped in surprise, and began to struggle with her weak body, trying to get up.
"Relax, Sailor Neutron, I'm here to help you," the voice tried to soothe her.
"Sailor? What? Who are you, and why do you keep calling me that?"
"You'll find out soon enough," the voice answered. Trina felt something small and cool being pushed into her right hand. "Now take this and say, 'Neutron Star Power!'"
Trina felt her eyes well up with tears. She was tired, she wanted to rest, and now whatever was talking to her was telling her to say...
"What was that again?" she asked.
"Neutron Star Power," the voice repeated.
"What's a new-tron?" Trina asked, annoyed.
"Nevermind! Just say it!" the voice demanded.
"Fine!" Trina snapped back. "NEUTRON STAR POWER!!"
The jewel on the small ring in her hand began to glow bright green - almost white. Trina quickly slipped it on to her right middle finger and pulled it closer to examine it. But a bright flash just about blinded her. The next thing she knew, she was surrounded by a bright green bubble that was closing in on her. She felt fear well up inside of her, but the bubble closed in so fast that she didn't have time to react. Suddenly she was standing in the middle of the dark room with her right arm flexed, and her left knee bent. A cool draft blew by her legs, and for a second she wondered if she was naked. But when she moved, she knew she wasn't - material brushed at the middle of her thighs, and something rubbed below her knees. She panicked.
"What just happened to me!?" she cried. "And what am I wearing!?"
"Be quiet, Sailor Neutron and pay attention," the voice, which was now coming from the floor, ordered her. "Your fellow senshi are in trouble, and you're the only one who can get us out now, so you need to do exactly as I say." Trina nodded. "There is a man at the front of the room who wants to destroy us all. You need to call out 'Neutron Matter Smash' alright? Is that clear?"
Trina thought about it for a second and nodded again. "Yeah, I think so."
"Good. Do it now!"
Dain watched with interest from the front of the room. He'd seen the whole transformation of this new girl, but he hadn't been able to get a good look at her. Now she was standing there talking to herself - or at least it looked that way. He chuckled softly to himself as he stood watching her. He'd been done with the energy collection for a few minutes now. How this girl managed to revive herself was a mystery, but so far, she didn't look like much of a threat. In fact, she was quite amusing.
"Hey... voice! Where's the front of the room?" Trina asked.
"You're facing it, so don't turn. Just shout what I told you."
"Okay, here goes." Trina instinctively clasped her hands together as she began to chant. "Neutron Matter..." She pulled her hands apart, revealing a tiny glowing gray ball between them. With her right hand, she grabbed the ball and brought her arm back. In that split-second, she noticed how heavy the ball was. "SMASH!!" she cried as she sent the ball hurling toward whoever was supposed to be there.
Dain watched as the tiny glowing ball came flying toward him. "Child's play," he smirked to himself. There was no way this tiny thing would be able to hurt him. He stood his ground.
The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back with the wind knocked out of him, and when he finally could inhale, his stomach wretched with pain. He fell into a coughing fit, and curled into a ball, hoping that the pain would go away quickly. But it didn't. Instead, his body began to feel weak all over. The energy that he had collected, including his own, was leaving him. He tried desperately to keep it from seeping away, but he was too weak from the impact of... whatever that had been. But what was more crushing to him was the fact that he'd succeeded, and then failed.
A flash of darkness appeared beside him, and he felt Rax grab him by his shirt. Then the two of them teleported back to headquarters.
Groans began to come from the people around them. Quasar felt her own strength returning, and stood up.
"Let's see how bad this is," she said. Gingerly, she brought her hands together in front of her chest. "Quasar Illumination!" she called. The dance hall was filled with light again, and she and Pulsar turned to see a third Sailor Senshi standing toward the back of the room. Quasar felt herself smile broadly. "Looks like we have a new business partner."
Pulsar looked over at the girl and waved for her to come over. The girl looked around her, and then back at Quasar and Pulsar.
"What's she doing?" Pulsar asked. Quasar shrugged. Finally, the girl jumped as hard as she could toward them. To their amazement, she landed crouched next to them. When she stood up, Pulsar just about died.
"Trina!?" she gaped, staring at the fuku-clad girl.
"What?" Trina blinked.
"You're a Sailor Senshi, too?" Quasar grinned.
"Um yeah," Trina hesitated. "Hey, how come you know who I am, but I don't know you?" she finally asked. Quasar and Pulsar both looked at each other and laughed.
"You don't recognize us?" Pulsar asked. Trina shook her head.
"You came dancing with us tonight, remember?" Quasar prompted. Trina shook her head again. "I'm Erika Fischer," Quasar said, pulling off her tiara. "She's Karin Wallace." Pulsar pulled off her tiara too. Trina studied to the two girls closely for a minute, then a smile of recognition spread across her face.
"Oh yeah," she breathed. "Now I recognize you."
The girl that had grabbed Quasar's boot earlier began to stir and groan. Quasar looked at her team-mates.
"We need to call an ambulance, and see if we can get some help for these people," she said hastily.
"I saw a phone by the door, I'll be right back," Pulsar hopped over toward the entrance. Quasar turned back to Trina.
"So, how did you do it?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"Stop that guy, Dain!" Quasar laughed.
"Oh, well I did what that little voice told me to," Trina shrugged.
"Little voice?" Quasar looked confused.
"It was me," Cynthia said from the floor. "I was the one who told her what to do."
Quasar watched as Trina looked down and let her jaw drop open. "That cat's talking!" she exclaimed.
Quasar couldn't help it this time, and burst out laughing. "Looks like it's gonna be another long night, Cynthia," she quipped.
To be continued... |
