The next day began grim and frigid. Clouds had swept in during the night, and the sky was a gloomy slate gray as the first wave of commuters headed towards the train and bus stations amid a sullen, intermittent snowfall. As one man walked down the steps into the subway station, he saw a little girl with long violet hair running up the stairs towards him. He barely had time to wonder what she was doing there alone, let alone why she was dressed so strangely before she was past him. He turned his head to look after her, but he was suddenly and violently pushed down. He tried to catch himself, but stumbled directly into the back of the man walking in front of him. "Excuse me!" He apologized hurriedly, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw him catch himself on the railing. "Well why don't you watch where you're going?" The other snapped, straightening up and spinning around. The first man took a step backwards, surprised by the vehement look of anger in the other's eyes. The press of people around them slowed slightly, noting the disturbance. "I'm really sorry, I think that girl pushed me..." "What girl? I didn't see any girl!" As the two men glared at each other, the first felt a dull pounding in his head. The air, so cold a moment ago, seemed to be growing hot and close. He clenched his fists tightly. "What exactly are you accusing me of?" He said angrily. Though it went unnoticed, the crowd seemed to be affected by the change in the atmosphere as well. Many of them stopped to watch, and a few began calling out encouragement to one man or the other. Finally, the man who had been pushed cocked his fist back. "I'm sick of talking to you!" He shouted, running forward. The two of them, both businessmen in impeccable suits, began brawling on the stairs of the subway to the angry cheers of the men and women around them. Up on the ceiling, Tachyon sat on a metal beam, her purple eyes glittering in satisfaction as she watched the two fight. Inevitably, they began running into the crowd around them and the fight began to spread into a general melee. The little girl giggled gleefully, her legs kicking in the air. "Good little Furies..." She cooed. "This should bring those Sailor Senshi soon enough, then we can have some real fun." ------------------- "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Minako panted, running a step behind Ami. "Don't talk, just run!" Ami called over her shoulder, putting on a little more speed. "I can't believe you're going to make me late!" She moaned, throwing her head back. "I'm never late!" Despite her growing lack of breath, Minako managed a laugh. "You didn't have to wait, you know." That brought Ami skidding to a stop. Minako stumbled to a halt as well after passing Ami by a few steps, and she turned back to look at the blue haired girl. "What...?" She asked, then smiled as she saw Ami blushing at her. "Well..." She said, looking down shyly. "I guess I didn't *have* to." "Ami..." Minako walked over and took Ami's hand in hers. A bell rang out across the city, and Ami started. "Oh no! We have to hurry!" She broke into a sprint again, dragging Minako helplessly after her. As they turned a corner, she released her girlfriend's hand. "Oh no! Look out!" "What?" Minako asked dully, unable to stop herself or even slow down as she turned the corner. All she saw before being thrown violently to the icy sidewalk was a flash of blonde hair. She pulled herself to a sitting position, clutching her mouth. "Ow!" She exclaimed into her hand. Looking over, she saw Usagi laying prone. With a sudden movement, the other girl was up on her knees, holding her forehead and wailing. "Waah! That hurt!" Ami knelt by Minako and pulled her hand away, looking at her mouth. "You're okay." She said with a smile, before turning to look at Usagi. "Usagi-chan? Why are you running this way? School's the other way." "That's my fault." Luna said, hopping lightly off the wall they were running beside. "We're headed for the train station." "The train station? Why?" Minako asked, lightly touching her head to see if she had a bump. "Right after Usagi left, a news report came on. There's some kind of riot going on down there. Everyone's fighting." "Why?" "Nobody knows. It seemed sort of suspicious, so I caught up with Usagi to have her check it out." The cat smiled at Ami and Minako. "Actually, I'm glad I caught up with you. Now the three of you can investigate together." Ami blinked. "What...now? Luna we can't! We'll be late for school as it is!" "We could just say we got caught in all the confusion." Minako suggested. Ami looked horror-stricken, and Minako hurriedly followed up, "Well, it wouldn't be a lie, would it? Not exactly, anyway." "But Mina-chan, exams are in just a couple of weeks! We can't miss school right now!" "But we have to try to help those people!" Usagi chimed in. "If the enemy's making them fight like this, we can't just leave it alone, can we? Right, Luna?" Luna looked back and forth from Ami and Usagi, torn between supporting Usagi's responsibility to her duties as a Senshi and her duties as a student. "I think..." She started, but the decision was taken out of her hands as Sailor Jupiter's voice came in on the girl's communicators. "Everyone, I'm at the train station!" Jupiter's voice sounded tense and strained, as if she were speaking through clenched teeth. The sounds of a full fledged riot were roaring in the background. "You have to get down here right now...there's something weird going on...hurry...be careful..." The transmission ended. Minako stood up. "Well, that settles that. Let's go." Knowing that the others would follow, she ran off towards in the direction of the subway. Sure enough, the other two followed. ------------------- The three girls and their feline companion were not the only ones converging on the station. Mamoru had seen the same bulletin Luna had and, sensing he would be needed, was not running across rooftops as Tuxedo Kamen. A few streets away, he could hear the sounds of the disturbance and paused to take stock. Hearing a sound behind him, he turned. Sailor Pluto landed lightly on the rooftop from another direction and gave him a small, mysterious smile. "Going to help?" She inquired. "Yes...they're going to need me." He turned back to look towards the battleground. "Are the other Outer Senshi coming?" "No." Surprised, Tuxedo Kamen turned back. Sailor Pluto looked grim. "I asked them to stay behind." "But why?" "This is dangerous...more dangerous than a simple daeva attack. There is something far more sinister at work here. I think...no, I feel that the more of us that come to fight, the more dangerous this will become." With a grim expression, Tuxedo Kamen listened to the riot raging a few streets over. "Then what will you do?" "I'm not here to fight them." Pluto said calmly, but Tuxedo Kamen saw her mouth thin into a hard, angry line. "*She* is here as well." "Tachyon?" Pluto nodded. "In the confusion of the battle she might try to take one of them unaware, as she did Rei. I will *not* allow her to do that again." "I'm glad you'll be looking out for us." Tuxedo Kamen said with a smile. "You're still going?" Pluto asked with a small smile, sounding not at all surprised. "Yes...like I said, they'll need me." He touched the brim of his top hat. "You trust your feelings, and I'll trust mine. Don't worry, I'll be careful." Sailor Pluto nodded. "Good luck." Tuxedo Kamen replied with a smile and a nod, leaping off the rooftop to the street below and hitting the ground running. Sailor Pluto looked after him for a moment, then closed her eyes, her hands tightening around her Garnet Rod as she felt the twisting currents of Time, trying to gain a sense of when her adversary would attack. ------------------- When the three girls were in sight of the train station, Luna brought them up short with a sharp hiss, her back arched and all her fur standing on end. "Stop!" "Luna? What's the matter?" Usagi asked. "There's a strange energy in the air...I've never felt it before, but I don't like it at all." Minako looked at the other two. "All right...let's do it." Ami and Usagi nodded. "MOON COSMIC POWER!" "MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!" "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!" "MAKE UP!" Once they had transformed, Mercury immediately activated her computer. But after just a moment, she turned it off again with a frustrated look. "No good...Tachyon must be nearby. She's scrambling everything too much to get a decent reading." "So what do we do?" Sailor Moon asked, looking at the subway. While most of the fighting was still happening beneath the street, the brawl was beginning to spread up onto the sidewalk. "No choice." Venus said. "We go in. But everyone be careful." They ran to the stairs, dodging past the people fighting at the entrance as they took clumsy swings at the Sailor Senshi. Inside, it was chaos. A mass of people with fists and feet flying wildly. Here and there the blue of police uniforms could be seen, but they were brawling right along with everyone else. "Does anyone see Jupiter?" Sailor Moon called out loudly. "No!" Venus called back. "She's probably deeper in!" Mercury shouted. "We've got to find a way down!" Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus looked uncertainly at the rioting mob below them. Mercury bit her lip. "Well...I guess there's no choice..." She jumped up and began springing over the crowd, bouncing off shoulders, backs and heads before any of them could realize what was happening. Venus laughed. "She's so practical!" She followed, Sailor Moon close on her heels. It seemed that most of the crowd was concentrated on the stairs, so the boarding platforms were relatively clear. As they landed on tile once again, they heard Ami let out a horrified gasp. "Look!" A short distance away was a ring of fighting men and women, with the same crazed, enraged look as the people on the stairs. In the center of that circle was Sailor Jupiter, ruthlessly beating on three of the combatants that had gotten too close. There were a few prone forms around her, showing that these three were not the first. "Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Moon called. There was no response. Instead, the brunnette warrior siezed the woman she was punching by the arms and sent her sailing through the air until she collided with one of the concrete pillars. "Jupiter stop!" Sailor Moon shouted, running forward. "That's enough!" Jupiter ignored her and continued pounding on the next hapless man she grabbed. "Mercury, make sure she's okay!" Venus called over her shoulder as she tried to catch Sailor Moon. Mercury nodded and hurried over to the woman slumped against the pillar. "Sailor Jupiter! I order you to stop!" Sailor Moon had reached the other girl and was trying to pry her victim from her hands. Jupiter stared at her without an ounce of recognition and threw the man from her, grabbing Sailor Moon by the front of her fuku. She cocked her fist back. "Jupiter, no..." Sailor Moon whispered, staring at her in shock. "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" The shining links snapped Jupiter across her wrist, forcing her to drop Sailor Moon with a snarl. "Sailor Moon, get away!" Venus called. Sailor Moon backed hurriedly away, dodging a few of the other combatants as she did so. Jupiter glared madly at Venus for a moment before rushing towards her with a roar. "SHABON SPRAY FREEZING!" The icy mist spread out, trapping Jupiter and most of the other nearby rioters in a thin sheath of ice. "She's...fine." Mercury said, holding one hand to her forehead. "But somebody's going to be killed if we can't stop this soon..." "Are you alright?" Venus asked, noticing how pale Mercury looked. The blue-haired girl nodded. "Yes...I just feel so hot..." "Hot? It's freezing down here!" Sailor Moon panted, coming towards the other two. "What's going on?" "I don't know!" Mercury snapped angrily. Venus blinked, surprised by the vehemence in her girlfriend's voice. "Ami?" She said softly, reaching out to Sailor Mercury. With a small cry, Mercury slapped her hand away. "Ami!" Mercury stared at Venus, and the blonde Senshi could see the sense fade from her eyes. "No..." In the next instant, Sailor Mercury threw a punch at Venus' chin that sent her to the ground more from shock than the force of the strike. Sailor Moon rushed forward, holding Mercury's wrists and trying to keep her back. "Mercury! What happened to you?" Mercury just snared, actually biting at Sailor Moon as she struggled in her grip. Venus stood hesitantly. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Mercury, stepping forward and placing a hand on her arm. "Ami..." She whispered. For a moment, there was a change. Mercury's eyes cleared and she looked at Venus. "Mina-chan..." She gasped. "So...sorry...can't..." She closed her eyes tightly and cried out. "Ami!" "Ami-chan!" Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus both shouted, and Sailor Moon released her grip on Mercury's wrists. "Four of them!" Mercury shouted, her hands going to the sides of her head. She opened her eyes, and it was clear the rage had consumed her again. But before she could begin attacking once more, there was a loud shattering sound behind them. Sailor Jupiter had broken through the ice trapping her torso and was pounding on the rest that held her legs to the ground. "Hurry!" Venus shouted, quickly grabbing Mercury around the waist, pinning her arms to her side. The Senshi of Ice stuggled and screamed like a mad thing, but Venus refused to let go. With Sailor Moon's help, they dragged her towards the open door of the train stopped at the platform. Thankfully, it was empty inside. The two of them managed to secure Mercury's wrists to a couple of the hanging handholds in the train car and then quickly secured the doors. They both sank into a couple of seats to get their breath. Venus probed her lip, wincing when her glove came away bloody. "What happened?" Sailor Moon asked with concern. "She got me with a headbutt while we were dragging her in." Venus said softly. She blinked and looked again. "Sailor Moon...you're glowing." Sailor Moon looked down at herself and gasped. Sure enough, a soft pink glow was suffusing her body. "The Ginzuishou..." Her brooch had opened, and the crystal within was pulsing with light. "Maybe it's protecting me so I don't go crazy like the others." "But then why haven't I?" Venus asked, still poking at her lip. She winced, and stopped. "Ami would have told me to leave it alone." She said sadly, looking at the crazed girl struggle against her bonds. "We'll get her back, Venus. And Jupiter too. Don't worry." Sailor Moon said with a confident smile. After a moment, Venus smiled back. Then both of them started as a loud pounding rang out through the car. Someone was hammering on the door they had come in. "Is it Jupiter?" Sailor Moon asked nervously. Suddenly a large dent appeared in the door, and both girls leapt to their feet. "Oh yeah, it's Jupiter." Venus said, backing away from the door. "What are we going to do?" "Four of them...that's what Ami said." Venus muttered, looking around. "Four of what? What's going on?" The door was shoved aside, and Sailor Jupiter leapt inside, growling. She coiled back, about to spring towards the other girl, when a red rose shattered one of the large windows to the side and hit the ground in front of her. "Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon shouted in relief, but the relief was short lived. Tuxedo Kamen was staggering about the platform, obviously struggling against the insanity that had gripped all the others. "Tuxedo Kamen! Don't give in, you have to help us!" He looked up sharply, his mask slipping off his sweat-streaked face. His eyes widened in apparent fear, and he threw another rose, this one directly at Sailor Moon. With a frightened wail, the girl threw herself to the ground as it went through the window that separated the two. "Sailor Moon, look!" The rose had struck something invisible, and with a strangled cry, it's target came into view. It was hideous, a gray creature the size of a small child, with long, grasping hands and feet and huge, bulbous red eyes. It had a slit for a mouth and no other features. Venus attacked without hesitation. "VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" The creature shrieked and vanished in a blast of gold energy. "What was that?" Sailor Moon asked, pulling herself to her feet and looking around. Around the train, the rioters had fallen unconscious, along with Sailor Jupiter and Tuxedo Kamen. Mercury still shrieked and struggled, however. "It's what's doing this...and there are three more." Venus said grimly. "But they're invisible! How can we fight them?" Venus looked over at Mercury. "They can see them..." Venus said slowly. "And I got through to her once before..." She rushed over and began undoing the straps that held the girl in place, avoiding her kicking feet and biting teeth. "Come on!" Holding Mercury's arms to her sides again, she began dragging her out of the train. Confused, Sailor Moon followed. "Ami..." Venus said softly, holding her head back to avoid getting struck again. "You have to help us, please...tell us where the other daeva are..." Mercury stilled somewhat and began trembling. Venus took the initiative and turned her around, hugging her tightly. "Please hurry...just tell us..." With a small cry, Mercury pushed away from Venus. She ran a shaking hand through her hair and straightened up, looking around with fevered eyes. "There!" She gasped, pointing at a spot above the archway that led to the stairs. "There!" She fell to her knees and Venus knelt beside her, hugging her close. "Sailor Moon!" "I'm on it!" Sailor Moon said, twirling her scepter between her fingers. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" The pink energy blasted into the area that Ami had pointed to, and with a fading wail another creature, identical to the first, came into view just in time to fall into itself and vanish. A large crowd of the brawlers on the stairs fell to the floor, and the rest stopped fighting and turned to look at the small group. "Uh-oh..." Sailor Moon said, backing up a step. Sailor Mercury seemed on the verge of passing out herself, but she held onto Minako's hand in a deathgrip. "Don't let go..." She almost sobbed. "Please don't let go...when you hold me, it all fades away..." "I won't, I promise..." Venus's head snapped up as the crowd on the stairs gave a massive roar and charged down the stairs towards them. "But Mercury...I need to know where the other two are..." Venus pulled Ami to her feet, and Sailor Moon took up a defensive posture between them and the crowd. "There...it's right there!" Mercury said, pointing at a spot in the air directly over the front of the advancing mob. "Got it!" Sailor Moon shouted. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" Another blast, another scream and a third creature fell out of the air, vanishing into the mad crowd below. A full half of the mob collapsed, and the rest ran over them, heedless. "That was great Ami." Venus said gently. "But where's the last one?" There was no response. "Ami? Sailor Mercury?" Venus gave the girl a little shake, and Mercury's body went completely limp, falling out of Venus's hands to the floor. "Ami!" She shouted, and then the crowd was on them. The crowd's crazed condition worked against them. Venus beat aside a surge of attacks and knocked several people to the ground, clearing a space around her for a fraction of a second. She saw Sailor Moon avoiding her attackers with her surprisingly good evasion skills...mostly running, dodging and screaming. Sailor Venus shoved her way into the crowd, avoiding some attacks and taking more as she threw people out of her way to get back to Mercury. She felt a sense of relief as she caught sight of her, struggling back into a sitting position. Tears were streaming down her face as she flailed her arms wildly, and Venus' heart jumped into her throat as she doubled her efforts to get past the crowd. Mercury suddenly cried out and moved her arms as if pushing something away, and Venus understood. She screamed with rage as she shoved aside the last few people standing between her and her love, and went into a flying tackle right in front of her. She hands caught something she couldn't see, and she held her invisible enemy tightly beneath her as they tumbled through the grasping mob. "Don't you EVER touch her!" She shouted down at where she guessed the creature's head was, and raised her fingers. "CRESCENT BEAM!" The beam of golden energy flew out and something invisible burst. The thing didn't even have time to become visible before it vanished completely. The rest of the crowd fell, and silence reigned. Venus looked back and saw Sailor Moon standing above Mercury, chest heaving as she touched a swollen cheek. She smiled and offered Venus a thumbs-up. On the other side of the station, Tuxedo Kamen was struggling to his feet, and Jupiter stumbled out of the train car holding her forehead. "Oh, that hurts." She groaned. Venus stumbled over to Mercury sat by her, taking her hand. The blue- haired girl cracked her eyes open and smiled weakly. "Mina-chan..." "I'm here." Venus smiled. "I'm here." Suddenly, an odd sensation washed over her, and there was a buzzing sound in her ears. She looked up, or tried to. It suddenly felt as if she were trying to move through molasses. The buzzing sound came again, and Venus felt a chill as she realized that someone was speaking, it was just far too quick to hear. Her head finally lifted, and she could see the others moving in jerky, accelerated patterns. They seemed worried, and she guessed it was about her. Ami squeezed her hand, but the sensation was distant and numb. Her eyes drifted to the stairs, and a cold knot of fear appeared in her stomach. A little girl, dressed strangely in purple and with long violet hair was coming down the stairs, holding a glittering knife. She was grinning right at Venus. Venus opened her mouth to cry out, but she knew it wouldn't be fast enough. Indeed, at just that moment Tachyon bolted forward, her movement a violet blur to Venus in her slowed state. But then Sailor Pluto was there, dropping from the ceiling and swinging her rod down to deflect Tachyon's stabbing strike. There was a yellow flash, and Venus felt her flow of time return to normal. Everyone stared at Sailor Pluto, who looked down impassively at the glaring Tachyon. There was a silent, frozen moment and then Tachyon smiled sweetly. "Sailor Pluto...are you going to ruin all my fun?" Sailor Pluto did not speak. She simply raised an elegant eyebrow in a question and a challenge. Tachyon's knuckles turned white as they gripped the hilt of her dagger. She looked past the green-haired Senshi at the others gathered behind her. She relaxed somewhat and smiled again, a nasty, bloodthirsty smile. "I don't see the one in red, Sailor Mars. Hasn't she recovered yet? Poor little girl..." With a low growl, Jupiter started forward, but Sailor Moon put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head. With an angry expression, Jupiter allowed herself to be pulled back. Tachyon smirked mockingly. "That's right...no need to hurry. I like to take my time." She shivered a little. "I remember how Sailor Mars cried out when I stabbed her. If only I had had more time..." She giggled. "Well, I'll have all the time I need, soon. I'll make you all scream." She turned her eyes to Sailor Pluto again. "Especially you." She said, and there was vitriolic hatred in her voice. "So angry." Pluto finally spoke, her voice even and calm. "Just because I spoiled your...fun?" "No, silly!" Tachyon had shifted again, and wore a sunny smile. "You're the Guardian of Time...and I hate Time. Time's been really mean to me. And, since I can't hurt Time..." She licked the blade of her knife. "I'll just have to take it out on you." She stepped back. "I'll see you all soon." She giggled. "Remember...I know where you're going to be!" "No." Sailor Pluto pounded the butt of her Garnet Rod against the ground once and red light flared through the train station. Tachyon staggered backwards, shock written across her face. A small, satisfied smile appeared on Pluto's lips. "You badly miscalculated, little one. I felt your energy as you tried to attack Sailor Venus. I know it's pattern now, and I can hide us from it, just as you hide your allies from Time itself. From now on, you'll be as blind as we are." "You...how..." Tachyon started shaking violently. Her face went completely blank, but her hand began making stabbing and slashing motions as if of it's own volition. "I'll skin you and keep you frozen in agony forever for this..." She whispered harshly, sounding far, far older than she appeared. "You..." She let out a single, murderous shriek and vanished in a flash of sickly yellow. Sailor Venus was still sitting on the ground, and Sailor Mercury was now sitting as well, leaning against her love. "Well, she's fun." Sailor Venus said sarcastically. Mercury chuckled tiredly and gave Venus' hand small squeeze. Tuxedo Kamen yanked himself painfully to his feet. "Ow...I think a few of those lunatics ran me over while I was out." He said, rubbing his back. Sailor Moon ran over to him and slid her head under his shoulder for support. He smiled softly and gave Sailor Moon a kiss on the forehead. "What happened?" Jupiter asked, still sounding a little dazed. "All I remember is running past all those people fighting on the stairs to see what was causing it, then nothing until I woke up just now." Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus quickly related everything that had happened. When they had finished, Jupiter laughed. "Well, I guess that's why I feel like I have freezer burn." She said. "It's a good thing those creatures couldn't get to you." "Furies." Pluto said. "They're demons that feed on violent emotions and have the ability to incite them in mortal creatures." Venus nodded. It was still strange to her that the Furies hadn't affected her. Sailor Moon had the Ginzuishou to protect her, but what had protected her? The people around them began to stir. "I think we should make ourselves scarce." Tuxedo Kamen said. "Where should we go?" Sailor Mercury took a look at the large clock on the wall. "Well, this didn't take very long, all things considered...if we hurry we can be at school before homeroom is over." Everyone simply stared at her for a moment, and she looked down and blushed. "Maybe not." Venus laughed and gave the blue-haired Senshi a soft kiss on the cheek, blushing herself as she saw everyone smiling at them. "Why don't we go to Rei's shrine? It's close, and I think we can use a little rest." "Good idea." Pluto agreed. "And after that little exchange, I want to take closer look at Rei more than ever." They left the station and transformed back without incident, all of them except Pluto finding themselves rather battered and bruised by their experiences. They collected Luna and headed to the Shrine at a leisurely pace, Usagi and Mamoru leading, Minako and Ami hand-in-hand behind them and Setsuna and Makoto behind, Luna riding on Makoto's shoulders. "Rei-chan!" Usagi called as they approached the door to Rei's room. She lifted her hand to the screen frame to knock, but it was suddenly and violently thrown open before she could touch it. Rei was standing there, still in her sleeping clothes. She looked terrible, her hair was ragged, her eyes were red and her face was deeply tear streaked. She looked at the group standing before the door. "Is everyone okay?" She asked, a frantic edge in her voice. "I heard Jupiter's message and...and..." She choked and grabbed her chest. "Rei-chan?" Makoto handed Luna to Usagi and shouldered past the others to help Rei stand. "Rei-chan, we're all okay. And you're still injured, so you really did the right thing staying behind..." "No, no Mako-chan!" Rei sobbed, throwing her face against the other girl's shoulder. "I didn't *want* to stay behind. I tried...and nothing happened..." She lifted her stricken face to look at everyone who was watching her, stunned expressions on their faces. "I can't transform!" ------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE- Well, that's a good place to end the chapter, don't you think? Mwa ha ha ha!
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