"She will come girt with the sword of freedom, and before her kings and priests will tremble and cities and empires will fall, and she will be called BABALON, the scarlet woman...And women will respond to her war cry, and throw off their shackles and chains, and men will respond to her challenge, forsaking the foolish ways and the little ways, and she will shine as the ruddy evening star in the bloody sunset of Gotterdamerung, will shine as a morning star when the night has passed, and a new dawn breaks over the garden of Pan" Jack Parsons, writings concerning Babylon written shortly before the Babylon Working. ---- "Apparently Parsons...or somebody is producing a Moonchild. I get fairly frantic when I contemplate the idiocy of these louts." Excerpts from a letter Aleister Crowley wrote to Karl Germer (then head of the Ordo Templi Orientalis in the U.S.) concerning reports reaching him about the Babylon Working. Shortly after the letter was written, Crowley reorganized the U.S. O.T.O. lodge, removing Parsons from his position of power. ---- ---The Silver Millennium--- The solar system spread out before her. In her ethereal existence she watched from the outside, the war fleet from deep space speeding at an incredible rate toward the outermost planet. She watched as the soldiers she'd filled with bloodlust and the urge to conquer came closer and closer. They would destroy the small planet and its ruler before moving on to the next planet. No warning would reach Pluto; indeed, Pluto didn't even know of Minerva's existence. Soon, the solar system would be subjugated to them. Then she would make her appearance. Moving at the speed of thought, she left deep space and the fleet to go to planet Minerva. She wanted a front-row seat for this. What she got was an unwelcome shock. An emissary vessel from Neptune was on the surface of the small planet. How could this be? She'd watched the rulers of the other planets long enough to know that it would be difficult enough even with her powers to defeat the nine of them. If the tenth should somehow join them, they'd be invincible. This couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen. She saw that the Princess of Minerva was giving some sort of a speech, and listened in. "...only a short while. At the most, a few months perhaps. Once relations between us and our sister planets have been established all will benefit." She hadn't contacted them yet. There was still time. All she needed to do was stall her long enough for the war fleet to arrive. "I will take a part of you all with me in my heart as I leave with the ambassadors..." she listened as the Princess continued on with her speech, finally ending to a round of applause. As Minerva turned away from her people to go back into her chamber, she followed. ------ She stared out from the picture in the chamber, a long staff with an orb near the end clutched in her hands. A mysterious smile graced her face, and long dark green hair hung down her back. Among all the pictures the ambassadors had shown her, it was this one that had captivated her. Minerva had never seen beauty such as this before. A feeling of longing clutched at her heart as she touched the face with her fingertips. Her chamberlain watched her princess from the other side of the room as jealousy swept over her. Why did the Princess like the lady in the picture so much? Why couldn't she like her? "It's not fair, is it?" a voice asked. Maiya looked around, but saw nobody else in the room but her ruler. "My lady, did you say something?" the chamberlain asked, brushing a few strands of curly black hair back. "Hmm?" Minerva asked, "No, why?" "She didn't. I did." Maiya felt a cold chill go down her back as she realized she was hearing voices. "Relax, my child." the voice cooed, "You're not going mad, nor are you in any danger. I'm here to help you." "Maiya?" Minerva asked, noticing the frightened look in her chamberlain's face, "What's wrong?" "You love her, don't you?" the voice asked, "You desire her, but she doesn't want you. She's fallen in love with an image in a picture." "Y... Your Highness," the chamberlain began, "I..." "I could change that." Maiya's eyes widened at that. "There is something wrong, isn't there?" Minerva asked, concerned for the woman's welfare. "We could change that." "How?" Maiya whispered under the Princess' concerned gaze. "What is it?" Minerva asked, "Tell me?" "All you have to do is allow me in. Open yourself to me, and allow me entrance my child. I will do the rest." Maiya looked at the woman in front of her, at her golden skirt, the light green bow on her chest and white boots that ended just above her knees. "Yes." The chamberlain whispered, closing her eyes. A second later, something else opened them. "Everything's alright, my lady." Maiya said with a smile, "Just a bit of indigestion, I'm afraid. Will there be anything else, Princess?" Minerva smiled back in relief, "No, of course not. You may leave." Maiya bowed low and turned to leave, smiling wickedly once her back was to the Princess. ---South Orange Grove, Texas--- ---January 18, 1946--- U.S. military rocket scientist and magician Jack Parsons, along with his magical partner and certain members of the O.T.O. had been working on the ritual for eleven days straight, performing the rite twice a day on each of those days. On the second and third day, a wind storm came up out of nowhere. Parsons was unhappy; it wasn't a windstorm he wanted, it was an avatar. On the seventh day, the magician was awoken by seven loud knocks. Getting out of bed, he discovered a smashed table lamp. On a subsequent night, during one of the final rituals, one of the participants was attacked by an entity that knocked a candle out of his hand and paralyzed his right arm overnight. The thing, a seven foot tall brownish-yellow light, was banished by Parson waving a ritual sword at it. Now, four days after the final ritual, it would appear that his ritual had been a failure. No avatar, no new Mary to carry the incarnate goddess Babylon had appeared. Parsons now found himself and a group of others in the Mojave Desert performing a different ritual, one in celebration of the Winter Solstice. As the ritual ended, an overwhelming feeling of calm and contentment came over him. He turned to his partner and smiled. "It is done." he said. Later, the two returned to Parson's house. There, waiting at the door, was a woman with green catlike eyes and red hair, just as the ritual demanded. They now had their avatar. ---Tokyo, the Present--- Hotaru was sitting on the couch in the living room reading a magazine when she felt a hand come down on her head. "Brain sucker." A deep, husky voice said as the hand started massaging her head. The teen looked up to see a very amused Haruka looking down at her. Suddenly, her hand stopped moving. "Died of malnutrition." she joked. "Ha ha, very funny." Hotaru said sarcastically. Haruka smiled down on her adoptive daughter, "So, looking forward to Monday after school?" "You mean when you're going to teach me that grease monkey stuff?" "Hey, everyone should know how to change their oil." Haruka said as Setsuna came into the room. "Maybe," Hotaru pointed out, "but I don't even know how to drive yet, remember?" She then turned from her papa to Setsuna, "Hey Setsuna-mama. What's up?" "Nothing much. Where's Michiru?" "In the kitchen starting dinner." Haruka answered. Setsuna nodded and walked off to the kitchen. She found the Senshi of the Sea stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce, her hair pulled back in a ponytail to keep it from falling into any of the food. As she walked over, Michiru began adding in the oregano. The violinist turned to put the container back in the herb rack when she saw her friend and fellow Senshi. "Setsuna-chan? Is something wrong?" she asked, noting the worried expression on the other woman's face. "Where to begin?" Setsuna sighed as she leaned against a cupboard. "I still don't know what happened yesterday. Time seemed to go mad for a few minutes. Something, some form of energy or energies, was sent back multiple times throughout the past." Michiru stopped what she was doing to consider what Setsuna had just said. "That sounds serious. Was there any damage to the timegate? Are we in danger?" "No, no damage, and the world's in no danger. But someone somewhere is tampering with forces that should be left alone. I'm just a bit frustrated that I can't get a handle on what's happening. And..." "And?" Michiru prodded. Setsuna took a deep breath. "And, well... Michi-chan, I'm the Senshi of Time. I've lived a solitary, lonely existence for so long, and now... I guess I always assumed I was meant to be alone." Michiru looked sympathetically at her, "Setsuna, no one's meant to be alone." she said in reply. Setsuna began to fidget in place as she thought of the next thing to say. "There's, there's more to it than that. Michi, I've never dated a girl before." she confided. "I see." she said as Haruka came into the kitchen behind Setsuna, "But then, you've never dated any guys either, have you?" "Well, now that you mention it..." Setsuna said a bit uneasily as Haruka leaned up against a wall. "Have you ever been attracted to a man before?" Michiru asked. Setsuna smiled, "For a while there I thought I was attracted to Mamoru." she admitted. The sounds of someone snickering caused both women to turn towards Haruka. "Mamoru?" the sandy blond asked incredulously, "Are you serious?" Setsuna's face turned red as Michiru gave her wife a stern look of warning. "I'm sorry." Haruka said quickly as thoughts of spending the next few nights on the couch suddenly appeared in her head. "Look, in all seriousness, when you looked at her today at the mall, how did you feel?" Setsuna thought for a moment, "I'm not sure. I guess... I... look, this is hard for me, alright. I've never looked at another woman like that." Haruka walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Look, she seemed like a really nice girl. If you're nervous, be upfront with her about it." Michiru nodded her head from across the room. "Ruka's right. And when the two of you get together tomorrow, just relax and let nature take its course." "And if she tries to get fresh," Haruka added in a low tone, "Remember to go for either the knees or the ribs." ------ Kihomi arrived back at her apartment smiling pleasantly to herself. She went out to buy a coat, and came back with an attractive young woman's phone number. She draped the coat over a chair as she once again pulled the slip of paper out of her purse to look at it. "Meiou Setsuna" it read, followed by her cell number. She put the paper back in her purse, resolving to call tomorrow around noon. She then walked past her bookshelf filled with history books and classical literature, and came over to her CD rack. Choosing a Miles Davis jazz album, she put it in the player, loosing herself in the music as she went into the kitchen. As Pharaoh's Dance began to play over the speakers, she pulled the leftover Chinese takeout out of the refrigerator and over to the microwave. As she set it for high and put the food in, she once again thought of Setsuna. She'd never been out with anyone quite this attractive before. The prospect was a bit daunting to say the least. As the microwave's bell went off, she pulled out her dinner, resolving to search her closet after dinner for something appropriate to wear. She only hoped she had something nice somewhere that didn't have chalk dust all over it. ------ Ami and Makoto had joined the other Inner Senshi at Usagi's house about an hour ago. Makoto was busy fixing up something for her friends in the kitchen. Minako and Usagi were playing checkers on one side of the living room while Ami and Rei were discussing what to do next on the other. Mamoru had left half an hour earlier. "Ha." Minako laughed gleefully, "King me." "When will the Outers be over?" Ami asked. "Hey, you cheated!" Usagi shouted. "After dinner." Minako answered from her side of the room. "And I didn't cheat." she said sternly to Usagi. Ami nodded, and then turned to Rei. "What exactly happened yesterday?" she asked. "Yes you did." Usagi said, "I saw Artemis there whisper in your ear a few minutes ago." "I'm not entirely sure myself." The priestess admitted, "All of a sudden, I felt a menace, an overwhelming feeling of dread. I tried to concentrate on the source, when I felt dizzy and passed out." "He did not." Minako said back to Usagi, "He just gave me a kiss. Artemis is a very affectionate cat." "She believes it has something to do with the new planet." Luna added, sitting next to Usagi. The cat then looked at the two bickering checkers players and rolled her eyes. Usagi turned away from the chess game to look at Ami and Rei. "But she doesn't know if the planet's Senshi is the threat, though." Usagi was quick to point out. Rei looked at her sternly. "Maybe not Usagi, but it's sure as hell connected to her. I... Oh no." she gasped out. "Rei?" Minako asked, concerned over the way all the color had drained from Rei's face, "Rei, what's wrong?" "It... It's happening again." she managed to get out. Closing her eyes, she tried to reach out mentally to see what was happening. ------ Elsewhere, Michiru was putting the finishing touches on the spaghetti dinner she was preparing when she felt the menace too. The wooden spoon fell from her hand and hit the floor. Haruka came in from the living room to check up. "Koibito (beloved), what's wrong?" she asked. "I'm not sure." Michiru answered, uneasiness evident in her voice. "Something's not right, though." ------ "Oh ye Guardians of the North Gate, Lords of Earth, we summon ye to protect this circle." the magus called out over the soft hum of Professor Miyagawa's machine. As the participants once again picked up their blades and Beniko lay once again on top of the pentagram, Marika watched as the High Priest finished sealing off the circle, making a face as she realized outsiders were trying to look in again. She'd tried to be nice before, but apparently they hadn't got the message. It was now time to teach them a lesson. ------ A moment later, Michiru had her mirror in her hand. Before she could look into it however, a feeling of intense nausea started to come upon her, along with severe stomach cramps which caused her to almost double over in pain. Clutching her abdomen, she made it to the kitchen sink just in time to throw up. ------ Rei was concentrating as best she could to find the source of the menace, when she suddenly felt the room get warmer. She was about to tell Usagi to turn the heat down, when a white-hot pain suddenly burst forth over her whole body. Usagi and the other Inners rushed to Rei, who began to shriek as her skin first turned red and then began to boil and blister. ------ Marika smiled as she felt the pain and distress of the two Senshi. She then slowly lowered herself on top of Beniko as the chanting began. ------ "Michi!" Haruka shouted as she held the shorter woman from behind. Michiru's stomach was now empty of its contents, but she was still suffering uncontrollably from the dry heaves. As Hotaru and Setsuna rushed in, the violinist began coughing up blood. ------ The professor paid careful attention to the proceedings of the ritual, waiting for the signal. Meanwhile, blood continued to run down the arms and torsos of the chanters as the High Priest continued the invocations. ------ "It burns!" Rei screamed, unable to bear the pain, "Oh gods, it hurts!" "Rei!" Ami cried. Makoto had rushed into the room from the kitchen to see what was happening. "Makoto, get over here quick!" Usagi ordered, "we need to join together to combat this." ------ Sweat poured down Michiru's face as she began hyperventilating. She could feel her wife's strong arms around her waist, and she reached down to clutch Haruka's left hand, holding it in a vice-like grip as if it were a lifeline. Hotaru, who had transformed into Sailor Saturn, was trying to use her healing powers to help her Michiru-mama. The Senshi of the Seas was no longer coughing up blood, but her nausea and painful cramps remained. "R... Ruka..." she managed to get out. "I'm right here, Michi." Haruka answered as she wiped the sweat from her wife's brow with her hand. "I'm not going anywhere, love." Setsuna just then came into the kitchen from the bathroom with a wet washcloth and began to wipe her friend's chin and mouth clean of blood, ignoring the disgusting sight in the sink. "Michi-chan." Setsuna began, "What's happening? Tell us how this happened." "I... I felt something." Michiru began, closing her eyes as she continued to feel sick, "A m... menace of some kind. I was... was about to look into my mirror, and..." "And something or someone caused you to become violently ill." Setsuna said, suddenly realizing that her friend had been attacked psychically. Haruka could feel unbridled rage welling up within her at whoever had done this to her love. As Setsuna took her wife's other hand, she angrily resolved that when she and the others found out who was doing this, she would make sure they paid. Setsuna could feel Michiru's firm grip on her hand, and she gave her friend's hand a light squeeze for support. Like Haruka, she wasn't going anywhere. ------ The magus turned from the spectacle taking place at his feet to give Professor Miyagawa the signal. The scientist turned to the machine and flipped the necessary switch, watching with satisfaction as the glowing orbs of ions within the vacuum chamber began to disappear into the past. He turned back to the magus and bowed. The High Priest returned the bow, and proceeded with the ritual. ------ Setsuna felt a jolt, just like the one from the day before, go through her body. She looked in despair at her friends, at Michiru who was still suffering and Haruka who was beside herself, unable to help her partner. She then turned to see Hotaru's frightened face, the child obviously worried for her Michiru-mama's welfare. "No." she whispered, as a second jolt seared through her, "Not now." Haruka was close enough to have heard her friend. "Setsuna, what is it? What's happening?" "I... I'm sorry." she said as a third jolt hit her, "I'm needed elsewhere. It's the timegate." Haruka could see how torn her friend was by having to leave. Michiru looked up at her and smiled weakly. "We... we understand." she said, "Go." Setsuna nodded sadly as she let go of Michiru's hand. A short transformation later, and she was gone. ------ Kihomi stood before her closet with a critical eye. Hotaru's Setsuna–mama was obviously a very classy woman, which meant she would have to find something classy to wear out with her. As she contemplated which blouse would look best with which skirt, she felt a small bit of pressure behind her eyes. Ignoring it, she then thought of wearing dress pants instead of a skirt. As she examined a pair of white slacks, she winced as the pressure in her head began to grow. With a sinking feeling, she realized it was happening again. She ran out of her bedroom into the living room, trying to get to the phone in time. Before she could reach it, however, a mind-searing pain tore through her head, sending the teacher to the floor. She held her head in her hands, laying in a fetal position, as wave after wave of agony flooded through her skull. "Manifestation...." Kihomi had heard something. She looked around from where she was laying, but saw no one. "Manifestation..." "Hasten..." "Manifestation..." "Hasten the manifestation." As her pain continued to increase, Kihomi began to fear for her sanity. First the pain, and now voices. "Join us." "Hasten the manifestation." "Join us." ------ Usagi and the others Inners, with the exception of Rei, had all transformed. Sailors Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Moon formed a semi-circle around the priestess as they joined hands. As Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus each took one of Rei's red and swollen hands in theirs, their friend gritted her teeth in pain. "Concentrate." Sailor Moon said, trying to keep her voice steady as Rei began to whimper from the pain she was undergoing, "We need to unite to fight whatever's doing this. Rei, if you can, try to join with us." she added. With that, the Sailor Senshi closed their eyes and began to concentrate. ------ Contact had been made. All within the circle could feel it. They had managed to open the psychic link with Minerva. They began to chant for the Senshi to join them, when an animalistic growl of anger interrupted them. The High Priest looked down to see Marika raise her head, her face twisting in anger. "M... Marika?" Beniko asked looking up at her. Marika could feel something fighting her, something strong. She began to breathe heavily as she tried to fight back. ------ "Hold on Rei!" Luna cried as the Senshi started to glow. The pain was slowly receding, allowing Rei to add more of her own power to that of her fellow Senshi. ------ Marika suddenly threw herself off Beniko onto the floor next to her, clutching her own head in pain and shock. "Close the ritual!" Beniko shouted. The High Priest was beside himself. "What? But... But we've made contact. We've..." Unable to fight it anymore, Marika released the two eavesdroppers. "We have no choice!" Beniko shouted, "End it now!" ------ Suddenly, just as quickly as it had started, the pain and voices in Kihomi's head were gone. She slowly got to her feet and headed to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. After taking two extra strength aspirins, she called the hospital. ------ Rei took in a deep breath of air as all the pain left her. Opening her eyes again, she found her skin was normal once more. In an instant, she was tackled in a group hug by her friends. ------ Michiru suddenly was able to stand upright again as the cramps and nausea left her as mysteriously as they had come. "I... I think it's over." she murmured. The words were barely out of her mouth before she was turned around by Haruka and pulled into a tight embrace. She could feel her wife trembling as she stroked her fingers through her sweaty aqua locks. Sailor Saturn transformed back into Hotaru and came over as well to hug her Michiru-mama from behind. Haruka narrowed her eyes angrily as she held onto her beloved. Someone or something had just attacked the single most important person in the blonde's life, and she'd been unable to stop it. A physical enemy like a youma she could handle, but something like this, where the enemy was unseen and was able to inflict pain from a distance, left her feeling frustrated and powerless. ------ Sailor Pluto appeared in the living room with a frown on her face. Someone was doing more than simply experimenting with time; they were actively accessing the timegate. She could feel it. A foreign presence had been in the gate, opening it for a few minutes before closing the gate once again. She'd been unable to find the culprit due to the energy fields shifting backward in time and the possible threat they posed. She couldn't tell yet if the two were related, but she highly suspected it. Transforming back into Meiou Setsuna, she headed into the kitchen to check on Michiru and the rest of her family. ---To Be Continued--- End Notes: Again, various occult websites and journals have been used as reference, especially in regards to the Babylon Working (Yes, it really happened). That being said, since no one has any idea what the exact results were, this is where I get to allow my imagination to run wild, he he. Also, in regards to planet Xena- officially, it's not a planet yet; the IAU, or International Astronomical Union, has yet to make a final decision. When it does, however, it has already stated that the planet will not be named Xena, that it will instead be given the name of a Roman deity like the other planets. I chose Minerva based upon it being the Roman name of the Greek Goddess Athena, and the fact that it would be cool if Venus weren't the only planet named after a goddess. And finally, the bit about Setsuna thinking she had a crush on Mamoru comes from the Manga.
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