“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.” The Call of Cthulhu, H. P. Lovecraft ------ He didn’t like coming here. Truth be told, there was nowhere Professor William Dyer would rather not be than here, in this waiting room, in this building. It had been several years since he was last here to visit his friend Danforth. And over a decade since the two were on the doomed Miskatonic Expedition in the Antarctic looking for fossils. “Professor Dyer,” the nurse said as she entered the waiting room, “You may come in now.” William got up wearily and followed the nurse into the psychiatric ward where Danforth was being kept. As they walked along the corridors, the sounds of manic laughter could be heard coming from some of the rooms lining the hallway, as well as the sounds of crying and screaming. Between two of the rooms was a window looking outside into a courtyard where a group of inmates were frolicking in an enclosed field. “The lunatic is on the grass,” Dyer muttered. “What?” the nurse asked. “Nothing. Just thinking of an old song.” “Oh, I see. Well, we’re here,” she said, motioning to a door. Through the glass window into the room he could see his friend, dressed all in white and staring up vacantly at the ceiling. “I understand you two were friends.” “Yes. We explored the Arctic wastes together.” “Really?” the nurse asked, her interest peaked by the statement. “Hmm… Nurse, has he said anything coherent, anything whatsoever, in the last few years?” “I’m sorry, no,” she said as she pulled out a chart, “It all seems to be gibberish. He drones on endlessly about ‘the windowless solids with five dimensions,’ ‘the wings,’ ‘the proto-shoggoths’ and the like. None of us know what to make of his rantings.” Within his room, staring at the ceiling, Danforth opened his mouth a crack. “The mountains…” he muttered. “No nurse,” Dyer said uncomfortably outside the room, “I haven’t the slightest idea what ‘the nameless cylinder’ or ‘the primal white jelly’ might refer to.” “…of madness,” Danforth finished. He then turned to lay on his side, his back to William and the nurse. As the nurse left him alone momentarily to check up on one of the other patients, Dyer went up to the window and looked in at his friend from long ago. “What did you see?” he whispered as he put a hand up to the glass, “After all the horror we’d already seen, what greater could you have seen when you looked back from the cockpit. What sent you here?” A few moments later, the nurse returned and led the professor out. ------ “How’s Rei doing?” Artemis asked, noting the concerned look on Minako’s face. The blonde looked over to her cat guardian and sighed heavily. “She either won’t or can’t talk about whatever happened,” the Senshi of Love mused, “She’s currently in the shrine staring into that flame of hers.” “I see,” the cat said as he continued to study the leader of the Inner Senshi, “And you, how are you doing?” Minako arched an eyebrow at the question, “What do you mean?” “You’ve seemed a bit preoccupied with something lately,” the cat said, “Care to talk about it?” Minako considered the question as she slowly started pacing the room. Finally, she stopped as she looked outside the window at the shrine grounds. “The future,” she answered, “I’ve been thinking about the future.” ..Meanwhile, at the Chiba Residence.. “The future?” Luna asked. Usagi nodded her head, “Luna, we stopped aging decades ago. We’ve all been preparing for what’s to come in our own ways. But how long? When do Mamo-chan and I become king and queen? How much longer before Crystal Tokyo becomes a reality? We’ve all sacrificed so much, how much longer?” Luna tilted her head, “You’ve grown so much from the irresponsible girl I once knew,” she sighed nostalgically, “Usagi-chan, I hate to admit this, but I have no idea.” …. “What do you mean you don’t know?” Minako asked incredulously. “Mina-chan, try to understand; I don’t know any more than you do about what’s to come. If it’s questions about the Silver Millennia, I’m your cat. However, as far as Crystal Tokyo goes, we know no more than the rest of you. There will be a great peril to the earth, and then somehow Crystal Tokyo is born. As to when that’s supposed to happen, however…” …. “So, we continue to just sit and wait?” Usagi asked disappointedly. “I’m afraid so,” Luna said. As her princess stood up from her chair, the cat noticed something, “Usagi-chan, you look a bit under the weather. Are you okay?” “I’m fine,” the blonde answered with a smile, “Just a little queasy I guess. Mamo-chan fixed some eggs for me this morning, and they didn’t quite sit right,” she explained. The cat nodded in understanding as the two left the room. ------ Ami yawned as she rubbed a bit at her eyes. As the head of thoracic surgery in Fuchu Keijinkai Hospital, she’d had a long day. Besides dealing with insurance forms, a pair of worried parents whose child was going in for lung problems, and helping to break in a new nurse who would be working under her, she’d spent four hours in the operating room on an adrenalectomy, the normally simple procedure complicated by an undetected blood clot she noticed during the operation. She entered her office to grab her coat, a smile teasing her lips as she thought of tomorrow’s little reunion. She was also thankful for tonight, since her four-star chef wife had the day off. Their schedules often conflicted, which made times like tonight, when they could both simply enjoy each others company, all the sweeter to the blue-haired woman. As she was about to leave her office, she heard a beep coming from her computer alerting her she had mail. Out of curiosity, she decided to see who it was from. “Professor Angell?” she asked in astonishment. She hadn’t heard from the American in decades. The message was marked as being urgent, too. She was about to click on the message, when she stopped herself; she’d just worked a twelve-hour shift, and was exhausted. Even if the message truly was urgent, she doubted she’d be able to give it the necessary attention it deserved. “Tomorrow,” she muttered as she turned the computer off. She left her office, grabbed a hot coffee from a vending machine, and left the hospital. ------ Kihomi looked out at the ocean, noting the way the colors danced across the waves as the sun slowly set. She loved it out here on the beach, lounging on the towel spread out underneath her. There were few tourists out in the Hawaii islands this time of year, giving a sense of privacy to the part of the beach she and her soul mate were spending their time on. As she stared out, watching a group of seagulls fly overhead and a sailboat gently glide by, someone sat down next to her and ran a hand over her shoulders. She turned and smile as her grey eyes met Setsuna’s violet ones. They kissed, both closing their eyes as they savored the moment. After several moments, they separated and Setsuna joined Kihomi in looking out at the beautiful scene before her. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “Mmm…” Kihomi answered with a smile, “And so is the scenery,” she joked. Both women laughed warmly for a bit before the teacher added, “I think I understand now why Michi-chan loves the sea so much.” “Michi-chan,” Setsuna said fondly, “Wonder what she’s doing right now.” “Well, since you and I are on our anniversary, and she’s been cooped up in that big house alone while Ruka’s been racing in Italy, I’m guessing she’s probably waiting eagerly by the door for the big blonde goof to come home.” “He, he… You and Ruka,” the Time Senshi chuckled, “Still, you’re probably right. She’s probably been bored to tears left all alone,” she said as she lay on the towel next to her wife. The two lay silently together as they continued to watch the sun slowly descend over the horizon. ------ Michiru looked through bloodshot eyes at the two women leading her through the mansion, away from the prison she’d been sucked into in the studio, and away from the horrible image. As she looked first to the blonde at her left, then to the emaciated woman with midnight black hair dressed in orange Tibetan robes to her right, she became puzzled; she knew the Buddhist from somewhere, but where? The blonde to her left was saying something in a frantic, almost angry voice, while the other woman was answering in low mutterings. In her current state, she wasn’t sure what was happening. She had a tenuous grasp on sanity, and was fighting with her last remaining strength to retain it. Slowly, she brought herself around enough to focus on the words passing around her. “…you! Damn you for running away and damn you for hiding all these years and damn you for coming home now like this!” Michiru looked from the blonde to the other woman, who said something incoherent to her. As a light was switched on in the bathroom, the blonde snapped back at her. “…do you mean calm down? I come home to find Michi-chan delirious and looking like a Picasso painting, and then you showed up out of the blue and…” “Pumice soap,” the quiet one responded. “What?” “Papa, things may have changed but certain things stay constant, like your love of cars and working on engines. I’ll stay with Michiru-mama; you go into the garage and get the pumice soap you use for cleaning oil and grease off your hands.” A moment of silence followed, then “O… Okay,” the blonde said, her voice much more subdued. She then left Michiru alone with the black-haired woman. “Michiru-mama, if you can hear me, I’m going to take you into the shower now. Please trust me.” The artist looked at the woman like a deer caught in headlights, her sad blue eyes causing the woman in the robes to look away briefly as she wiped something from her eyes. She then watched her turn the water on in the bathtub, and adjust it to the right temperature. She gently took Michiru’s bright green hand and led her over to the bathtub as the blonde re-entered the room carrying something. “Here; I’ve got the cream soap and the solid bar.” “Good,” the quiet one said as she got the artist into the bathtub, “Call the others,” she said as she stepped into the bathtub behind Michiru, “Tell them all we’re all in great danger. Something terrible is about to happen,” she said as she closed the curtain. Unseen by Michiru, the blonde left the room. The dark-haired woman in the orange robes turned a handle, and the overhead shower came on. “Papa should really be doing this,” Michiru heard her mutter as she was ushered in underneath the warm water. As the Buddhist’s robes quickly became soaked, she took some sort of orange-smelling goop and began working it into the artist’s wet and filthy hair. As the fingers scrubbed at her scalp, the artist felt herself begin to weep once again. “Shhh…” the woman gently said from behind, “Don’t cry Michiru-mama,” she said as she took the removable showerhead and began to rinse the artist’s hair. Michiru then heard a very strange sound coming from behind her. It sounded like a song… No, not a song; a chant. The same phrase being recited over and over again, in a voice deeper and more powerful than the artist would’ve guessed the frail-looking woman capable of. Somehow, the rhythm and the repetition began to have a calming effect on her, and as she felt a bar of rough soap being scrubbed against her back, a name came to her. It was a name from long ago, a name that brought feelings of love and pain, affection and sadness, all at once. “Hotaru,” she whispered, her voice drowned out by the shower and the Tibetan chant. ------ Ami sipped absent-mindedly from her coffee mug as she pulled her car into the driveway. She parked the vehicle, got out, and went to the front door, smiling as she thought of the nice, relaxing evening she was hoping to have with her wife. Opening the door, she was in for a surprise. The living room was romantically lit with candles, and on the dining room table was a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries. As she took her shoes off and came further into the room, she heard a voice call out to her. “Darling? Is that you?” Ami turned to the kitchen where her Mako-chan’s voice had come from, and felt her eyes widen as she saw her wife in a form-fitting French maid outfit, complete with plunging neckline and plenty of leg showing. A goofy grin appeared on the doctor’s face as her eyes wandered from the taller woman’s chest down to her dark stockings and black high heels. “M… Mako-chan?” Ami stuttered out as she felt the temperature in the room rise, “Wha…” “Happy birthday, m’love,” the chef purred as she picked up one of the chocolates and began to saunter over to the shorter woman. “Birthday?” Ami began, “But that’s not for another two…” she was cut off as Makoto placed the sweet in her mouth. “I know,” the chef answered affectionately as she stroked the doctor’s cheek, “But we’ll both be busy on your birthday, love. And tomorrow we’ll be at Usagi-chan’s, which means we’re celebrating your birthday tonight,” she explained as she led Ami over to the couch and made her sit, “And for your birthday tonight, you’re the mistress of the house. And I’m your humble servant, to do with as you wish.” Ami’s eyebrow arched up a bit at that. Before she could respond however, Makoto brought the tired doctor’s feet up to her lap and began massaging them. She bent over, making sure her wife got a good look at her cleavage as she kissed the top of the doctor’s right foot. Ami let out a soft moan as the chef’s hands slowly began rubbing up her ankle, up her calf, past her knee and under her skirt. Ami pulled her wife to her and kissed her, the two women exploring each other’s mouths with their tongues as Makoto’s hands continued to slide up the smaller woman’s inner thigh. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Ami whispered sweetly as she pulled back from the kiss. “Of course,” Makoto answered as she started to slip her fingers beneath her wife’s panties, “But I never tire of hearing it.” RING! Both Ami and Makoto looked up with disappointed looks. “That… that was the Senshi communicator,” the doctor said sadly, her face still flushed. “I guess we should answer it then,” Makoto sighed. RING! The chef got up off of Ami and answered her communicator, “Mako here, I… Ruka? Ruka, calm down, you’re talking too fast for me to… What?.. WHAT? Okay, stay calm. We’ll be right over.” “Mako-chan? Mako-chan, what’s wrong?” “We have to go to the Outers’ mansion,” Makoto answered, anxiety evident in her voice, “Now!” ------ Haruka finished calling the last of her fellow Senshi, and set her communicator down with shaking hands. She started up the stairs, trying to calm down as best she could as she could hear the shower going and what sounded like a low droning chant coming from behind the bathroom door. She was about to reach for the door handle when she stopped. Closing her eyes, she felt the warm tears begin to travel down her cheeks. She put a hand up against the door to steady herself as she brought the other one up to her eyes. It was then that the timegate appeared, and her fellow Outers emerged. Setsuna went over to the blonde and pulled her into a hug. Haruka initially tensed, but soon found herself returning the embrace. “Damn it,” the racer said angrily, “I’m supposed to be the strong one.” Setsuna said nothing as she held her friend. Kihomi heard the sounds from inside the bathroom and noticed the set of paint-stained footprints leading from downstairs into the closed room when she and the others heard the sound of tires squealing, followed by the front door opening rapidly and footsteps racing towards them. “Ruka!” Mamoru called out breathlessly as he reached the group first, followed closely by Usagi and Luna. “We’re here,” the blonde in her trademark odangos said, placing a comforting hand on Haruka’s shoulder. The racer smiled at her princess sadly; even now, even in the middle of this crisis, Usagi had the power to lift her spirits. The shower and the low chanting in the other room ceased. A few anxious moments later, the door opened. Michiru was wearing a white bathrobe, the paint cleaned off most of her but still staining her wet hair and under her nails. Behind her stood Hotaru, her wet hair hanging like a curtain over her face. The wet Tibetan robes clung to her body, revealing to the onlookers just how thin the Senshi of Death had become. “She needs sleep,” Hotaru said as she swept the wet black locks back away from her face and focused her sunken eyes on her Haruka-papa, “I’ve washed as much as I could off her. Take her to bed, and try to make her as comfortable as possible.” As Setsuna went with Haruka and Michiru, the youngest of the Senshi looked to the three remaining people in the hallway with her and smiled weakly. “So,” she quipped, “Anything happen while I was gone?” An awkward silence followed as the four stood uncomfortably in the hallway, a growing puddle of water forming under the Senshi of Death and her wet robes. Hotaru was waiting for it; the yelling, the angry tones. She knew they’d be furious at her for running away like she did after the incident, and was trying to steal herself for what was to come. Finally, Kihomi stepped forward. “You… look hungry,” she said as she broke the silence, “Do you feel up to eating something?” Hotaru was taken aback a bit, “But… Aren’t you mad at me?” she asked as she looked from the teacher to her princess and Mamoru. Kihomi answered her by wrapping her arms around her. Hotaru closed her eyes as she rested her head on her obi-san’s shoulder. Usagi came up and joined in the hug. “Yes, we’re upset,” Kihomi answered, her own clothes now wet from hugging Hotaru, “You left us a note in the middle of the night and disappeared. I know you were hurting, but we were all hurting Taru-chan.” Tears began to form at the corners of Hotaru’s eyes, “He was only a child,” she whispered, “He was only nine years old, and I… I…” “He’d been turned into a youma,” Usagi said as she stroked the younger Senshi’s cheek, “He was about to attack me. You did what you felt you had to at the time.” “Try telling that to the media,” she said resentfully, “Try being labeled a menace and a public danger. Or try telling that to his mom. I can still remember her pointing her finger at me, screaming ‘murderer’…” Mamoru crossed his arms as he looked at Hotaru, “So you needed distance,” he said, “From the looks of things, you were busy trying to find yourself. Now that you’ve returned, I take it your journey is over. What did you find?” Hotaru looked at her future king silently for a few seconds as she pondered the question. “Emptiness,” she answered, “No enlightenment, no fulfillment, just the emptiness of a coward running away from her past,” after a few seconds, she added, “And loneliness.” Kihomi tilted the Senshi of Death’s head up, and kissed her gently on the forehead, “Come on,” she said as Usagi backed away, “Let’s all go downstairs. We can talk more down in the kitchen. You need some food,” she added as Hotaru’s stomach growled. ------ Rodger McGovern strode into the meeting room, a briefcase in his hand and his strong figure showing through the grey flannel business suit he wore. The gray-haired man was one of the wealthiest men in the world, and one of the most admired. His charitable organizations and philanthropic pursuits were all well known in the international community. They also acted as a perfect front. In the room standing around a large meeting table were a blonde woman wearing sunglasses and a tailored coat over her suit, an African man in a suit with a scar running up his cheek, and a middle-aged woman in a long black dress and glasses holding a file folder overflowing with papers. As McGovern took his seat, the others followed suit. “Well?” Rodger asked as he focused on the older woman. She immediately pulled out a collection of news clippings and astronomical charts. “The few isolated cases of madness have turned into a torrent,” she said, a smile spreading across her face, “Which only goes to confirm what the national observatory, NASA, and my own observations have pointed to.” “When the stars come round again,” the African said, a heavy accent hinting at his Nigerian nationality, “Then the liberated Old Ones will teach us new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy ourselves, and all the earth will flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom.” “Yes, thank you,” McGovern said with a grin, “We are all well aware of the prophesies; it’s what comes after the cosmic rave party from hell that we are interested in,” he pointed out. Turning to his left, he looked intently at the blonde in the sunglasses, “How did it go Maria?” “The problem has been eliminated for the moment,” she answered in a Hispanic accent, quickly adding, “Although I feel I should point out that once the insanity begins to spread beyond those with acutely sensitive psyches such as artist and seers, it will be harder to keep outsiders from connecting the dots,” she said, leaving out the part about the professor sending out any sort of computer message. “Maybe,” Rodger answered sardonically, “But by the time anyone can make the connections it’ll be too late. Now then,” he said as he opened his briefcase, “Let’s get down to business, shall we?” ------ Minako sighed as she drove the car into the Outer’s driveway. Just as the blonde was turning off the ignition the radio station she was listening to, an oldies station, began to play one of her songs from her youth as a teen idol. She looked worriedly over to Rei; the Shinto priestess hadn’t said a word to her since this morning when she begged her to hold her. After the call from Haruka, she went to the sacred flame and found Rei staring intently into the fire, not even acknowledging her presence. She basically had to drag the woman away and into the car. As Minako exited her side of the car, another car pulled up. She opened Rei’s door and pulled her out as Ami and Makoto exited their car and came over. “Mina-chan, Rei-chan,” Makoto said excitedly as they ran over. Minako noted that Mako was wearing a large green sweater over something rather skimpy underneath, and cracked a smile as she noticed the tall woman’s black stockings and heels. “So,” she asked, “I take it Ruka-kun called you when you two were in the middle of something?” Both Makoto and Ami blushed. The doctor found her voice first, “We’d better get inside; maybe Rei will be able to sense something and… Rei-chan?” she asked quizzically as she looked behind Minako. The blonde turned to see her love far ahead of her and the others as the priestess opened the door to the Outer’s mansion. “Hey!” Mina yelled as she and the others followed, “Wait up!” Rei either didn’t hear her beloved’s admonition or didn’t care as she strode into the house, not bothering to remove her shoes. As she walked through the living room towards a side room, she could hear voices coming from the kitchen. “…mama is sleeping soundly in bed. I’m… Sorry I spoke angrily to you firefly, it’s… It’s just…” “Papa,” a sad voice said, “Papa, don’t cry.” “Tell you what,” a third voice said, “Let’s get you out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold. We should have something dry for you to slip into up in my room. Of course, it’ll be a bit big for you…” “I’ll come with you,” a voice cheerfully offered as Rei now walked past the kitchen door. “Thank you Usagi-chan, I… Rei-chan?” Setsuna asked as she caught a glimpse of the priestess walking past them back towards the door that led into the studio. “Rei-chan!” Minako shouted as she now came into the house with Makoto and Ami. Kicking her shoes off quickly she ran over to the Priestess who was now standing before the door, her hand resting on the hard wood doorframe as she looked in at the painting through the glass window of the door. Her bizarre behavior alerted the others that something was seriously wrong. “Rei?” Usagi asked as she came up behind the raven-haired woman. She placed a hand on her shoulder, “What’s wrong Rei? Do you sense some sort of menace or…” Usagi’s voice sounded to Rei like it was coming to her from out of a cave, echoing off walls and reverberating in her ears. Then she felt the room grow dark. She was alone, no light, just her and the painting she was somehow able to still see in the heavy darkness of the Outer’s mansion. “R’lyeh,” the Fire Senshi whispered, staring straight ahead at Michiru’s painting. She didn’t understand why she said it, or what it meant. She narrowed her eyes as she continued to stare intensely at the painting, blue and red dots suddenly appearing before the image. Usagi cocked her head to one side, not understanding what her old friend meant. She looked back to the others and shook her head before turning back to the priestess. “Rei-chan,” she asked as Mamoru came over to her and Minako, “I don’t understand, what do you mean?” “R’lyeh…” Rei repeated, the word echoing over and over in her mind as the dots continued their dance and the thing in the art studio continued to look at her emotionlessly. Mamoru looked inquiringly over to her as Minako came closer. “Rei love, what is it?” Minako asked, sensing something was very wrong indeed with her beloved. “Rei-chan?” the future king asked, “What…” She could sense it; a menace. A new and terrible menace had appeared. She began to feel short of breath as she gasped for air. “Cthulhu,” Rei said, her voice now loud enough for the other Senshi in the room to hear her, “Cthulhu.” “K… Klul… Rei-chan, what are you talking about?” Minako asked, a sudden unaccountable dread building up in her and the others. She didn’t know what the new word meant either, but it seemed to surge through her like a bolt of electricity as she said it, thrilling and arousing and terrifying her all at once. “Rei-chan,” Usagi said apprehensively. As bright flashes of green light joined the blue and red dots in their concentric dance before the painting, she realized it; the image was calling to her. Her throat felt like it was constricting as an unknown terror now filled the Fire Senshi. “Rei-chan, what are you trying to tell us?” Mamoru asked. In answer to Mamoru’s question, Rei let out a sudden blood-curdling scream as she threw herself forward, smashing her forehead through the glass. “REI!” “Oh my god!” As she could feel hands frantically reaching for her, she looked up once again at the painting. Blood ran down her face as jagged pieces of glass stuck out from her forehead. “Cthulhu!” she screamed, her eyes bulging as they met the red, merciless eyes of the painting, “Cthulhu!” -To Be Continued- End Notes: Okay, as if the fact that there’s a tenth Senshi and the future Sailor Jupiter has a bionic arm hasn’t alerted you yet, yes, this is an AU. I’m stating this because in this story Crystal Tokyo is founded in 2043, whereas in the original manga and anime the incidents would’ve been closer to 2000-2003. I hope this doesn’t annoy too many of you. It’s my own fault; in Rules of Engagement I mentioned 3043 as being the millennial year of Crystal Tokyo (poor research on my fault). Anyways, thanks for all the reviews so far, and I hope you like this series as much as its two predecessors.
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