"Shutter Chance!" the phage cried out, her camera-arm lighting up the night as she shot out another bolt of energy. Their former photographer was now a distorted sailor senshi, trying her best to kill them with laser-like bursts from her camera-arm. Star Fighter scowled as the black haired woman came down from one of her leaps, her talisman in hand. "Star Serious Laser!" the leather bikini clad woman cried out, the star-designed box flaring as it sent forth a powerful beam. Star Healer looked at her in surprise as their foe crumpled, her white hair falling into her eyes. "Half power?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Keeping a wry eye on their foe Star Fighter said, "I'm trying not to kill her... if Maker and I keep her contained, can you find Sailor Mercury?" "Is that wise?" Star Maker asked, her long brown hair flowing. "She's an innocent," Star Fighter said softly, "we should at least try to save her. "What a shot!" the Phage exclaimed. Her weapon-arm came up, "Shutter Chance!" "Damn it," Star Healer blurted as they leapt aside. She bounded up to a roof as she called, "I'll be back as quick as I can." "Make it fast," Star Maker winced, realizing she had been singed a bit. Bounding from roof to roof Star Healer looked around wildly, racing across the city as she searched. She moved with unearthly grace and speed, white ponytail bouncing, the star on her brow gleaming in the starlight. The seconds ticked by to minutes as she hurried, then finally she saw a flash of movement, 'There!' Sailor Uranus saw her first, the sandy haired woman giving her a suspicious look as Star Healer raced up to them. She tried to shield Sailor Merccury reflexedly, only to get gently poked I the side by the blue haired woman. "Sorry," she smiled. "What's wrong?" Sailor Mercury demanded of Star Healer, seeing how out of breath she was. "Star Fighter and Maker are fighting," Healer gasped, "a phage... they've got it contained, but they need help to stop it." "Lead the way," Sailor Mercury said firmly. "Are you sure about this?" Sailor Neptune asked Mercury softly as they leapt after Healer, "It could be a trap, you know." "You and Uranus are both professionally paranoid, aren't you?" Sailor Mercury smiled as she answered her softly. "Well, yes," Uranus admitted with a grin. They reached the battlefield in moments, Star Maker looking up to smile slightly, "Good to see you, Sailor Mercury." "Neptune Deep Submerge!" Neptune cried, throwing a blue-white sphere of energized water to stagger the phage a moment. "Now, Sailor Mercury!" Star Fighter cried happily. "I don't need a cue," Sailor Mercury muttered as she raised her sword. In a second Mercury's crystal locket blazed then the weapon shifted to a scepter in her hands, one that gleamed purest silver, the circular head decorated with a ruby, emerald, diamond and a crescent moon. The dark blue cloak that had been added to her costume swirled around her slim body as she raised it, watching as her foe staggered to her feet, power and cold swirling around the weapon. She pointed it and declared, "Mercury Freezing Restoration!" The phage didn't even manage a final attack as ice swept over it, her voice weak as she gasped out, "Shutter Chance..." In a second the layer of ice shattered and a young woman lay there, her clothes a mess and her camera laying in a puddle of water. "Is everyone all right?" Uranus demanded, all the while keeping a wary eye on the three black clad women. Star Fighter gave her a frown, moving to support Star Maker as the other woman staggered. "We all took some hits," she acknowledged, "but we'll be fine." "Do you want us to..." Neptune began. "No," Star Healer said shortly. "Healer!" Star Maker scolded. She gave the others a wry smile, "Sorry." "It's all right," Mercury waved it off, her costume and weapon having reverted to normal. She hesitated a moment then drew something from her costume, tossing it to Star Fighter, "Here." "What are you doing?" Uranus hissed. Star Fighter caught it, "This is...?" "A communicator," Mercury answered, "so far I seem to be the only one who can revert the phages, it makes sense for you to have a way to reach me." Star Fighter studied it, smiling faintly before smiling, "Thank you." With that the three Starlights were gone, disappearing into the night. "Are you actually going to use that thing?" Star Healer asked her a few moments later as they raced across town. Star Fighter smiled slightly, "Probably... we can't save the Phage's any other way." Silently she added, 'And I'd like to know this Mercury better.' Setsuna Meiou smiled to herself as she listened to them coming up the hall to the apartment. She was there with Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, it was her turn to keep an eye on them tonight while the others went out on patrol. She stood and walked to the door, black hair shimmering with green as they came in, "How did it go?" "Made an ass of myself again," Haruka Tenoh admitted, smiling ruefully, "sorry, Ami." "It's all right, Haruka," Ami Mizuno gave her friend a smile, "I know I surprised you with that communicator." "So you made up your mind to give one to the Starlights?" Luna asked from where the black cat was perched on the table. "You knew, I guess?" Michiru asked, her light green hair flowing around her face. "We discussed it," Artemis shrugged from where the white cat sat nearby, "but I thought Ami was still thinking about it." "I was," Ami admitted, "right up to five seconds before I gave it to them." "Sit down, you all look beat," Setsuna said gently, gesturing them to seats. She look at Ami, "I can guess your reasoning, I think..." Ami sighed, "It's really simple. I'm the only one who can free the transformed people, and the Starlights were ready to kill a transformed woman the first time we met." A shrug, "I don't want that happening, ever." "I guess what worries me is their being able to listen in on our conversations," Luna fretted. Ami gave her a faintly disappointed look. "It's a one way device," she explained, "they can call us, that's all." "Oops," Artemis gave Luna a wry look. "I should have known you'd think of that," Haruka grinned. Setsuna smiled as she put her hand on Ami's, noticing how tired the younger woman really is. "Are you going to be all right?" "The healing takes a lot out of me," Ami confessed, getting up from the table. She swayed a moment, then with an expression of surprise on her face toppled over in a dead faint. "AMI!"
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