[FFML] [Fanfic][SM] Terrible Things to Waste Part 8

[Bastion]

Okay, FFML, time for another wondrous chapter of my story to hit my
fans. Ah yeah, maybe that didn't come out right. Anyway, I've built
up to this point, now it's time for the climax! Can't wait? Neither
can I! So let's not stall any longer.

This is a rough draft, though I did put considerable amount of time
into editing this chapter, C&C would be greatly appreciated.

Previous chapters and fanart can be found here:
http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/view_st.php/24/

Dedications go out to Setsu-P for putting together some awesome
sketches for this story that I'll hopefully be able to post up on
Mediaminer soon.

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Terrible Things to Waste
Part 8: …Before It Gets Better
---------------------------------------

Pluto was well aware of what eternity meant. She'd lived a drab
existence guarding the Time Tunnel for what felt like eons watching
those little puffs of moisture lazily float by. However, the minutes
she waited for her Queen to appear at the warehouse came close to
feeling just as long. She could just feel the sands of time slipping
through her fingers.

The other girls were quietly murmuring to themselves. At least
Neptune, Uranus, and Venus were. Mars and Jupiter were oddly silent
as they waited a few blocks away from the Toke warehouse.

She understood Mars' melancholy, but Jupiter's silence bothered her
somewhat. Typically, the brunette would be bristling with excitement
rather than listlessly standing around like she had lost her brain.
Next to Uranus and Neptune, Jupiter was the best fighter in the group
and she was going to need that in the inevitable battle.
Unfortunately, there were much larger problems looming for Pluto just
on the horizon.

The timeline had been compromised, that much was for certain. The
question and the problem were, just how much? She wouldn't know until
the Travellers left and assessed the damage. Fixing their timeline
would be the next hurdle.

'That's if I can fix it.' She thought, crestfallen.

Already, she could see a few things that had happened out of sequence.
Raye's grandfather's death was by far the cruelest surprise she'd
experience since the Traveller's arrived. She had hoped it wouldn't
affect Raye too much since he didn't have much time left on this
world. Pluto's eyes flickered to Raye as she stood aloof from the
group. She remembered how the priestess mechanically washed his
corpse and then methodically recited a ritual chant before finally
breaking down and cried. Pluto briefly closed her eyes; the memory
left Pluto feeling cold inside.

This was all her fault. She had failed to convince her Queen just how
much danger she was putting herself in. If she'd only swallowed her
pride and revealed her disadvantage. On the other hand, she wasn't
sure compromising herself in front of the Traveller would have been
all that bright of an idea either. She'd thought she'd have enough of
advantage considering her experience and knowledge of the events of
this timeline. She underestimated the Travellers' cunning and for
that she had failed in her duties.

For the first time in her very long life, she was at a loss on what to
do. She found herself in unfamiliar waters and she felt like she was
flailing her arms desperately. No, she wasn't, she determined. A
Time Guardian would never allow herself to think like this. There was
always a solution, she just needed to keep her mind clear and find it.

She could do that by focusing on her duties and responsibilities. As
the Time Guardian everyone was going to depend on her to make sure the
peaceful future that had been envisioned by the first Queen Serenity
was ensured. Despite everything as long as she kept on her mission
she knew she'd make it through this.

"Let me get this straight. This Tracer guy fought Tuxedo Mask,
survived a direct World Shaking from you, and a fall down a few
flights of stairs?" Venus said astonished.

"Yes, Venus." Uranus replied, tucking her arms under her chest,
wearing a slight frown.

Venus backed away from the pair and grimaced. "I wished you had
mentioned that sooner. I think we need to go check out the warehouse
now."

"Why?"

"In case this Tracer guy gets there before we do. I mean he all but
told everyone he 's here for the old man."

"No we are not, Venus." Pluto said in most authoritative tone she
could muster. "We stay back and wait for our Queen. Besides I don't
want to give away our position to the Travellers."

To the Time Guardian's surprise, the blonde girl didn't seem at all affected.

"You're right, but maybe if some of us did a real quick patrol of the
surrounding area, we might be able to intercept him before he gets to
the warehouse." Venus said with a shrug.

"And what do we do if we intercept him?" Neptune asked leaving only a
hint of intrigue.

"Then we make him feel as unwelcomed as we can." Pluto had to admit
the wide toothy smile Venus wore right then was down right disturbing.
"I mean I doubt we could kill him at least if it was one on one, but
one of us could definitely distract him long enough while the rest
rescues Reenie."

Pluto was almost going to dismiss Venus' idea outright, but thought
better of it. She had a point. They hadn't actually seen the
Timelord leave. He'd disappeared in a flash of light after Serenity
activated her Silver Crystal. With the other Travellers in this
timeline she couldn't confirm whether or not he had left them behind
for good. Somehow she had a feeling he was still out there.

Her imagination ran rampant. She envisioned the devastation that
awaited them at the warehouse with the Timelord standing before them
holding the beaten and bloody corpse of Small Lady. Now primed for
motivation, Pluto was about to put Venus' plan into action when a pair
of headlights rounded the corner.

Pluto felt anxious and jittery and it took a great deal of effort not
to involuntarily shake. As her Queen and King emerged from the car,
the Time Guardian resisted tapping her foot. Why was she getting
impatient? Time Guardians don't get impatient.

A rush of guilt bloomed anew in Pluto when Serenity's somber face was
illuminated in the weak silvery moonlight. Her cheeks were flush and
sparkled slightly where tears had run down them from puffy red rimmed
eyes.

The other girls had come to attention as Serenity, her fiancé
Endymion, and Mercury approached.

"About time you got here." Mars spoke softly yet sharply.

Endymion appeared to speak but was cut off by Serenity's quiet
gesture. Pluto watched as Mars and Serenity silently gazed at each
other. Pluto knew that her Queen had her reasons nonetheless she'd
hoped she'd speed up the process. It was her obligation as Time
Guardian to not get involved, but Small Lady was in danger. Each
passing second was like a pair of synchronized chisels on her brain.

Fortunately for Pluto, Mars had a much shorter temper. "Okay,
Meatball Head, what's this brilliant plan you have that we had to wait
twenty minutes in the cold for?"

"Uh," Serenity peered past Mars towards Pluto, "well, I just wanted
to
talk to Cindy and get her to release Reenie. That's all I had
planned."

Behind her, Uranus exhaled loudly. Mars on the other hand expressed
her displeasure more vocally.

"What!?" Mars exploded. "That's your plan!?"

Several of the group cringed. Pluto allowed a frown to momentarily
appear. The priestess would need to use more discretion if they
didn't want to alert the Travellers they had arrived.

Serenity, for her part however, hardly blinked. Her deep blue eyes
glowed in the darkness of the alley and her response was barely a
whisper. "Yes. That's my plan."

"You hardly thought this through haven't you?" Mars growled. "What
you're doing doesn't make any sense! Why are you giving Cindy another
chance to betray us!? How many more people are you willing to
sacrifice because you don't want to admit you made a mistake!?"

"Raye, that's not what's going on her-"

"Shut up Amy!"

Pluto nearly stepped forward but thought better of it when she saw a
look of disapproval firmly placed on Jupiter's face. Perhaps she
wouldn't need to get herself involved besides it was important that
the girls take care of these issues on their own rather than relying
on her.

"That's enough, Raye!" The brunette bellowed as she strode toward
Mars and spun the priestess around to face her. "Okay, it's terrible
you lost your grandfather, but you've got to settle down."

Mars narrowed her eyes and scowled. "This isn't about him. How dare
you think I would let something like that affect me! You have no idea
what I'm-"

Jupiter's expression darkened considerably and clenched her fists.
"Don't finish that sentence Raye."

The admonishment wiped the scowl off Mars' face. Her eyes widened in
surprise as if she'd just been slapped. Slowly, Mars angry façade
retreated back to neutrality though a fire still flickered behind her
dark violet gaze.

Instantly, Venus had materialized between the girls and cheerfully
wrapped her arms around their shoulders oblivious to their smoldering
glares. "That's enough of that! I think it's time we buried the
shovel and rescue Reenie!"

Both Mercury and Endymion let out a soft sigh while Uranus grunted
loudly. Pluto was just glad Venus found an effective way to diffuse
the situation.

Wearily, Serenity raised those blue eyes to Pluto and spoke louder
though with little energy. "I'll be willing to compromise, Pluto. If
I cannot sway Cindy and she refuses to hand over Reenie, I will let
you do what you must in order to save her."

Her Queen didn't need to say anything more. If getting Small Lady
back meant resorting to violence then she wouldn't hesitate.

"As you wish my Queen." Pluto bowed her head and then called to the
rest of the girls. "The Queen, Uranus, Neptune, and I will go into
the warehouse while we negotiate with the Travellers. Everyone else
will fan out and quickly patrol the area for any signs of intruders
before positioning yourselves around the warehouse. I caution all of
you to be careful and stay on your guard."

In unison, all the girls nodded their heads and shot off into the
darkness. Satisfied, Pluto turned to gather her Queen and two of her
guards when she heard a soft gasp.

"Vicky?" Worried, Neptune rushed to the spooked small girl. "What's
wrong?"

The hallow expression on Victoria's face made Pluto's blood freeze as
the pale girl spoke. "I'm being called. Something is calling for
me."

"Vicky," Neptune knelt next to the child, her soothing voice laced
with panic. "Who's calling you?"

Victoria's eyes searched the darkness like someone was whispering in
her ear. "A tormented soul is calling for the silence."

Looking up to the surrounding girls, Victoria clutched her glaive
close to her chest. "We must hurry! I fear we will be too late to
save Reenie!"

Neptune brushed aside some of her wavy green hair and cast a look up
at Pluto. The Time Guardian nodded and tapped her staff on the
concrete calling everyone into order. They'd wasted enough time here.

"Quickly everyone." Pluto called lifting her staff. "Gather around
me. We must make haste!"

The Garnet Orb attached to the top of Pluto's staff began to glow and
a renewed sense of purpose and duty roused in the woman. Once again
she felt like a Time Guardian. She would go to the warehouse,
retrieve Small Lady, defeat the Travellers, and restore the timeline.

'Afterall, that's what a Time Guardian does.' She thought as crimson
light of the Garnet Orb absorbed them. 'And that's who I am.'

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The slight stale salty air caressed Halebit's skin. The chorus of
Nihil's loud chuckling had died down to a faint murmur with the
distant sound of rolling tides crashing against the docks. The
momentary interlude gave Halebit time to collect his thoughts and
prepare.

He'd just raided the last of his emergency supply of red crystals
leaving the office torn asunder in his desperate search.

Perhaps he'd been being too hasty. The clock started to run the
moment he'd consumed that red powder and his window to use his powers
was shrinking. Halebit took in a calming breath. No, he hadn't been
hasty. If Serenity wanted to see her daughter alive, she would be
here soon. He had no reason to be concerned, he concluded.

With that resolved, Halebit reviewed his plans once more. Once
Serenity traded her daughter for the Silver Crystal he would create
the portal and then he'd finally have his precious red crystals. Of
course out of everything he was doing, this was the biggest risk that
gave him any real concern.

After obtaining the location of the red crystals from the old Nomad,
Halebit realized the dimension, to his great displeasure, was in a
rather remote time stream and there was little hope he'd reach that
dimension before his supplies ran out. But he wasn't going to be
denied. There had to be another way.

Halebit read voraciously and discovered an interesting theory. It had
been postulated by other Travellers that a machine or conduit could
amplify and channel their energy to create a portal that would allow a
Traveller and anyone else for that matter to cross into another
dimension. Usually a Traveller would have to 'phase' in and out from
one dimension to another which was both time consuming and draining.
However, the electrical power required to create one was astronomical.

One of the most prominent researchers had been Cindy's father. In his
papers, Cindy's father chronicled case after case of attempts to
create portals with all kinds of conduits. Unfortunately, those
Travellers had underestimated the energy required and the resulting
backlash had been... quite unpleasant to say the least.

Halebit hoped Cindy's father would be able to assist him in creating
him such a machine. However, he hadn't counted on the Timelords
beating him to the punch, killing the Community's best scientific mind
leaving him down to his daughter. To his great disappointment, the
girl didn't inherit any of her father's genius. Forced to rely on the
few specifications he had obtained, it was obvious to Halebit the
exercise was futile. The machine they created was a ticking time
bomb. To complicate matters, his supply of red crystal was dwindling
and he still had no way of getting more.

Ironically, it had been Cindy who inspired him to a solution, albeit
indirectly. During one of Cindy's 'performances' he noticed a silvery
object dangling between the valley of her breasts. It was a necklace
that the Children of Serenity order wore, a religion that filled the
youth of the Community with silly promises of salvation and peace.
What mindless sheep, they'd be better off as foot soldiers at least
then they'd be useful as cannon fodder! But as he gazed at the small
figurine of Serenity holding her Silver Crystal, it occurred to
Halebit that the crystal acted much like a conduit and it stood to
reason that in the hands of a Traveller it would be able to easily
create a portal. Why rely on a machine when nature provided adequate
resources?

So he put together a plan. The deathly contraption earned a new use
as a ruse. He'd purposely 'leaked' information to the Counsule that
he'd developed some kind of war machine. The bait worked like a
charm.

Halebit felt a little pride as he activated the machine, watching it
heat up and vibrate dangerously in the basement of his 'hideout' while
a majority of the Counsule's Timelords battled above. Oh sure, he'd
been forced to sacrifice a few of his own soldiers in the process, but
then again most of them were soldiers he'd plan on weeding out
eventually. There was some elegance in using trash efficiently.

From there it was only a matter of using Cindy's reverence of Serenity
to soften the naïve goddess, giving him the opportunity to collect his
bargaining chip, Serenity's daughter. The whole operation had gone
more smoothly than he had anticipated. He'd thought that their 'Time
Guardian' would have figured out his strategy by now. Such a pity
too, he had looked forward to matching wits with her.

Now he waited. He had been listening carefully for the small signs of
Serenity's arrival; light footsteps on the roof or the loud metallic
moaning of a door or voices from the front. He had chosen this place
for a reason; every little sound was amplified and drifted back to
this office. He'd spent his time categorizing every sound and attuned
his ears so that there wasn't a noise he didn't recognize. There was
no way Serenity and her soldiers would take him by surprise.

Finally, he heard the soft whimper of a rusted window hinge being pulled open.

'Ah, so Serenity has arrived. I wonder which one she's sent to
destroy me.' The old man pondered as he tensed his fists.

Without warning, the rusty hinges moaned loudly echoing throughout the
warehouse. Halebit clenched his teeth; no doubt that Cindy had heard
it as well.

Apparently defeating several powerful beings from all corners of their
universe didn't teach them much in the art of war. 'Such amateurs.
They think that can sneak up on me by making that much noise?'

Listening carefully, Halebit heard heavy footsteps move purposefully
and slowly down the one of the few hallways. That was strange, he
thought, the hallway went right by the platform where Cindy and
Serenity's daughter were in plain sight. This assailant had ignored
them, continuing down the hallway. No guardian of Serenity would pass
up an opportunity to make sure that their queen's daughter was safe.
Then he'd heard the door to the office creak and heavy breathing now
accompanied the heavy footsteps coming his way. No this person wasn't
looking for the Serenity's daughter and it stood to reason this wasn't
one of Serenity's guards.

"Tracer." The old man hissed as he exhaled one of his meditative
breathes. He didn't need to see the gun to know it was pointed at his
temple, he could feel the coldness of the metal barrel leaching the
heat away from his skin.

"Old man." The Timelord replied, his voice thick with anticipation.

"You insolent child." Halebit calm words chilled on his lips. "So
you're willing to squander your second chance at life? I would say
I'm surprised, but when dealing with such a simpleton so compelled to
throw his life away, who am I to refuse?"

The boy growled. Halebit smirk. He was such a predictable child.
"Shut your fucking mouth, ya old bastard! I came back here to pay you
back for everything you've done to me!"

Humored, Halebit raised an eyebrow, though he kept his tone icy.
"Done to you? All I did was train you and it's obvious I did not do a
very good job, I'm ashamed to admit. You're still wild,
undisciplined, and disrespectful. You were the worst soldier I ever
had the displeasure teaching. I'd have an easier time domesticating a
dog."

Tracer's breathing became ragged, and by the wavering coolness of the
barrel, his hands were shaking. "Then why the hell did you take me
under your wing? Why did you bother training me?"

Halebit sat silently, reaching out with his mind and curling his
hands. In a flash, he opened his eyes and his hands snapped shut.

Instantly the barrel of the gun collapsed. Halebit filled with
nostalgic glee as he witnessed Tracer's initial reaction, a
combination of shock, anger, and panic. Ah, did that ever bring back
memories. Not wanting to linger though, Halebit thrust his other
glowing palm out, paralyzing the boy with his invisible grip.

"Because," Halebit stared intently at his victim, his tone stern and
malicious. "I wanted to relish in your failure. I wanted to see the
son of the Great General flail about like an idiot as he struggled to
make it through my training only to fall short. Then, I could prove
once and for all my superiority over Trekker by showing the Community
how much a miserable waste of flesh he'd sired."

Halebit watched, entertained as the Timelord struggled fruitless to
free himself from his telekinetic vice. The fiery defiant glint in
the boy's eyes, on the other hand, was beginning to annoy him.

'Good luck with that, boy.' Halebit chuckled softly as he tightened
his fist which in turn tightened the grip around the Timelord. He
was going to enjoy turning this delinquent into paste.

He'd toy with the child long enough, he felt; Serenity would be here
any moment. 'Good bye, unruly beast.'

Halebit strained his fingers and attempted to curl them closed before
he met some resistance. He strained harder, but the resistance pushed
back. A frown wrinkled the old man's taunt leathery skin and tried
again for only more of the same. Irate, Halebit made a quick sweep of
the Timelord and instantly his sights honed in on the iridescent blade
hanging from his hip.

'That damn sword.' Halebit thought bitterly. 'Why must that artifact
of his father's always haunt me!?'

'I bet Trekker must laughing at you from beyond the grave, Hally, me
boy.' The sound of Nihil's voice nearly caused the old man to gag on
his breath.

'Wha-what? How is this possible?' The panic hit Halebit with such
ferocity, his spine involuntarily relinquished a shiver.

'Isn't it obvious? You're no longer in control.' Nihil's voice
grew
louder, giving it greater gravity.

His forehead felt warm and the telltale signs of perspiration were
forming. With his free hand, Halebit wiped away the salty liquid
beads, staring at it mortified. Of course, he'd been focusing too
much of his precious energy on this piece of trash.

'Heh. You thought you were so clever with your plan to con the Silver
Crystal from *the* Serenity. You are such a fool, Halebit.' Nihil
warm breath tickled his ear. 'You will be nothing but dust when she's
done with you.'

Ignoring Nihil strained Halebit's nerves, but through the fog of
distractions, the annoying apparition gave him the moment of clarity
he needed. 'I believe the contrary.'

'What?'

Halebit smirked, caring little whether his former pupil could see. It
didn't matter anyway; he was going to be dead in a few minutes.
'Perhaps, I should delegate tasks in order to conserve my energy.'

'Hmph.' Halebit's chest swelled with pride and his anger ebbed, it
wasn't often that Nihil sounded so annoyed. 'You're still careening
out of control.'

Through the diminishing red veil of rage Halebit became dimly aware
that his prisoner had nearly freed one of his arms and appeared to be
reaching for his sword.

Snapped out of his trance, Halebit's and Tracer's eyes locked. For a
moment, neither Halebit nor his old pupil moved, tension filling the
air between them. Once again Halebit stared at those dark intense
eyes and realized he wasn't dealing with some ordinary man.

Ordinary men, when they've been beaten down enough, break or conform
but not Tracer. Repeatedly, Halebit had berated, humiliated,
defeated, and belittled him his entire life, but he wouldn't be
broken. Even now in a situation this dire, Tracer stared at him with
that single-minded promise of destruction blazing in his eyes.
Tracer's sole concern was killing him everything else was secondary,
including his own life.

No. This was no man. He was dealing with a beast or a demon, an
agent of Chaos.

Finally, the boy began to shiver, from what, Halebit wasn't certain,
but his loosely hanging hair dangled back and forth across his nose
like a greasy black curtain.

"You're so fucking dead, old man."

'See you are weak, Hally.' Nihil chuckled. That chuckle always
raised his hackles in ways that demented voice knew all too well.
'You've given Tracer hope! Another chance to kill you! Oh he is so
precocious! This is precious! Hahahaha!'

"Believe what you like," Halebit croaked then licked his dried lips.
"BUT I AM THE ONE IN CONTROL HERE!"

With a mighty roar, the old man flung his glowing hands forward,
sending the soldier barreling through the flimsy walls of the office
and out of his sight.

-----------------------------------------------------------

There was no redemption for her. Cindy had agonized enough about it
and all she could do was await the punishment she had coming to her.
One does not simply betray Serenity and expect salvation.

"If any of the Scouts, especially the Queen, comes to harm because of
the Timelords, you will be held responsible. I will personally ensure
your reciprocation is swift."

The blonde woman shivered at Pluto's words. She anxiously kicked her
legs as they dangled from the ledge of the platform letting her heels
click against the concrete below. Neither of them made a sound.
Occasionally Reenie's cage would rattle when she repositioned herself.
Cindy wanted to apologize in the worst way, but she stared ahead
despondently. She didn't dare raise her voice unless she wanted to
call Halebit's attention back to her. And the last thing she wanted
was to be the focus of the creepy lecher.

*Creeek!*

Cindy instinctively clutched her ruby bracelet and twisted around
toward the sound. She quickly scanned the area around her, briefly
catching Reenie wide eyes.

'This is it.' The blonde Traveller thought as she carefully crawled
to her feet.

She waited for a moment before a bright flash blinked behind her.
Already tense, Cindy twirled, knees bent, ready to … well, she quite
honestly didn't know what she was going to do. Hell, she didn't know
what she *should* do. She was no match for them and had no desire at
all to fight them. They were her childhood heroines for Serenity's
sake!

As the light faded, she could make out four figures. When she saw the
silhouette of the Time Key and Silence Glaive, a large lump formed in
Cindy's throat. She glanced at the cage holding the child and then at
the procession walking toward her. No, it was much too late to
apologize now. What she had done was unforgivable.

Eventually, Sailor Moon was immersed in the red glow that bathed the
interior of the empty warehouse. Cindy's sights drifted to the
sparkling Silver Crystal adorning her brooch. It flickered with a
warm nearly metallic aura. Once they got a few feet away, the
procession stopped and all parties examined both her and the girl in
the cage next to her. Cindy studied their reactions and grew anxious
at their open hostility.

"Sailor Moon?" A slight rattle rang in tune with Reenie's soft voice.

Cindy closed her eyes and released a sigh. She hoped they would end
her life swiftly.

"Don't worry, Reenie." Serena sounded nervous? Shouldn't she
be
outraged? "Everything's going to be okay. Right now, I have to talk
to Cindy, alright?"

"Yea-yeah." Reenie stuttered apparently feeling just as confused as Cindy.

"Okay," Serena took a deep breath. "Cindy, listen to me. You don't
have to do this."

"This isn't what I had planned!" Cindy cringed as the words escaped
her lips. She must have sounded awfully pitiful. "W-what I mean is I
never meant for this to happen. I know I shouldn't have done this,
but you have no idea what that old man put me through. When he gave
me the opportunity to meet you, I had to take it. I didn't mean to
deceive you. I just wanted a way out. "

Quickly, Cindy lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. 'There.
I've done it. Everything is out in the open. Whether or not she
believes me it doesn't matter. I've atone for my sins. I can now die
in peace.'

To Cindy's surprise, she heard Serena sigh and step closer. As she
spoke, Cindy found the warmth in her voice very soothing. "I
understand, Cindy. Please, just let go of Reenie and we can fight
this battle together."

"No!" Cindy snapped and then immediately she looked away, embarrassed
by her outburst. "I can't… I'm ... I'm unforgivable."

"Cindy." Serena's voice was clear and gentle yet it demanded Cindy's
attention. "I forgive you."

"You forgive?" The proclamation left her awestruck and a little
overwhelmed. "You forgive me? For what I've done? But what I had
done was-"

"You did what you felt you needed to do." Serena interrupted but her
expression remained warm. "We know what's going on. But now, you
need to do the right thing, let's get Reenie out of the cage."

"Yes." The blonde Traveller stood straighter, as if she had flung off
the weight of guilt from her shoulders. With renewed determination,
Cindy gingerly walked toward the cage. "It's the right thing to do."

Cindy fiddled with the lock feverishly, her confidence soared. She
and the Sailor Senshi were going to take on Halebit. She'd been
praying and wishing and waiting for this day for a long time.

As she fumbled with the cage, Cindy caught Reenie smiling at her.
Cindy smiled back filling with elation. It felt like an eternity,
but eventually the door to the cage opened up and the child jumped
into her arms.

"I knew you weren't bad, Cindy." The child whispered into her ear.

"Thanks." Cindy whispered back returning the hug.

Suddenly, a loud crash broke the silence as a figure smashed through
the rear wall, slamming into the concrete floor between Sailor Moon
and the platform. In an instant, the warehouse was a flurry of chaos
as Sailor Scouts flew in from every available window. Cindy
instinctively wrapped herself around the child. For a moment they all
paused. Then the figure stirred and groaned.

Cindy protectively pushed Reenie behind her. Sailor Saturn and Pluto
had their weapons ready as the other Sailor soldiers gathered around
Sailor Moon in various fighting stances.

Then Cindy saw it. As the figure rose, she could see the tell-tale
greasy black mop hanging over the stranger's face. The man groaned
once again, stumbling about a little disoriented before he finally
flipped the thick dark locks away his eyes darting one way and then
another. Finally they settled on her.

Immediately, her breath hitched and her heart pounded in her chest.
It was him. It was the murderer. It was-

"YOU!" Both Travellers shouted, simultaneously pointing at each other.

Without hesitation, Cindy yanked her bracelet from her wrist, snapping
it rigid. The individual diamond-shaped ringlets expanded sliding
together harmoniously to form the flat blade. Leaping from the
platform, Cindy threw both her arms behind her head and gripped the
newly assembled sword in her hands. She envisioned this moment every
time she trained with her sword, his smirking face there for her to
strike, slice, hack, and-

*TING!*

Cindy stood in shock. The asshole had caught her blade with his claw!
She caught the smirk on his face and her anger flared.

"Damn you!"

Tracer sneered in reply. Tightening his hold on the blade, he kicked
her full force into the protruding ledge of the platform. Falling to
her knees, Cindy tried to shake the lights from her eyes as well as
fight the urge to vomit. Her lower back ached and her abdomen
throbbed painfully. However, she was determined she was going to win
this fight. He wasn't going to get away with killing her family. But
before she could muster enough energy to make another charge, she
realized to her horror that she didn't have her sword.

In her field of vision, she saw her sword imbed itself next to the
Timelord's feet which were stepping towards her.

"No!" She heard Serena scream, but she heard nothing more. Why
weren't they coming to her aid?

As the Timelord stepped closer, a heavy coldness settled deep down
inside her. Were they abandoning her? Were they going to stand by
and watch as this monster tore her apart? If she was doomed, then she
wasn't going out on her knees.

"You Counsule lapdog!" Cindy jeered spitting the taste of blood and
saliva from her mouth. "The Counsule has to send you to finish the
job, huh? Or you're not satisfied just killing them, are you?!"

Suddenly, Tracer pounced upon her and gripped her tightly around her
throat. She tried to put on a brave face as she raised her head.
His shiny, silvery claw recoiled, was posed to strike while his face
was ferocious and his eyes wild and predatory.

"What the hell are you talkin' about you Society bastard?"

"You-" Cindy attempts to quell her quivering went to no avail. She
was going to die wasn't she? She shouldn't be scared. She'd be with
her family shortly. She had to be strong for them. "You killed them.
Sam, Mom, and Dad."

Saying their names left a bitter taste in her mouth. "You killed my family."

The ferocity drained away and the man lowered his claw. "What?"

As he loosened his hold, Cindy noticed a smooth wooden hilt hanging
from his hip, just within her reach. Taking advantage of the
momentary distraction, Cindy grabbed the weapon.

Instantly, her breath was taken away. A sudden rush of… something
washed over her. She felt more alive, more confident, and more…
powerful. Exhilarating didn't begin to describe what was happening to
her. She took in her surroundings in a new light. She could not only
see Serenity, but she could sense her too. It was strange she could
sense everyone in the room, even Tracer. Not only that, but it seemed
like time had stood still. No one appeared to be moving; well they
didn't appear to be moving very fast if they were moving at all.

'A Child of Serenity?' A mysterious voice asked.

'Huh?' Cindy couldn't see anyone. Where was the voice coming from?
'Who are you?'

'Are you a Child of Serenity?' The voice asked again.

Cindy could feel the necklace almost burn against her skin. How did
it know she was a part of the Children of Serenity order? 'Uh, yes.
Yes, I am.'

'Good.' The voice sounded pleased at this. 'Use my power.'

'W-what power?'

'Use my power.' The voice urged.

'I don't understand.'

'Use my power.' It repeated, a little more urgently.

'Please.' Cindy's head began to ache. 'What are you talking about?'

'Use my power!' This time the voice was drumming about inside of her mind.

The pain grew worse as the voice repeated over and over demanding that
she use its 'power' whatever power it was. She looked at Tracer's
face and realized she was still in his grip. This was his doing,
wasn't it? He must have put some kind of spell on his sword to keep
other people from using. She sneered as she gripped the handle of the
hilt, determined to use it.

Jerking the sword from Tracer's side, she shoved the weapon into the
Timelord's stomach and sawed upwards into his chest. Years of
seething anger erupted with that stroke, leaving its bloody trademark
evident all over her hands and face. Cindy kept her eyes fixed on the
stunned expression frozen on the beast's face. A tingle went up her
spine. It was over. It was finally over!

Her satisfaction was short-lived however as the voice suddenly boomed.
'USE MY POWER!'

The voice was now stabbing into her brain and the room spun. She was
losing control and she had only one option left to her. She had to
give in.

As she did, she bellowed the most horrific scream.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"No!" Serena shouted the savage display was too much for her. She
lunged forward only to have the Time Staff block her path, the red of
the Garnet Orb staring her in the face.

Serena twisted her head toward the Time Guardian, and whispered
hoarsely. "Why?"

Sailor Pluto stood motionless, looking straight ahead at the fighting
combatants. "It's time to make good on our agreement. I'm doing what
I must.'"

Serena's face soured. "You can't be serious, Pluto! You saw for
yourself she was going to give Reenie over to us." The Time Guardian
remained silent. "We were going to help each other Pluto! She's our
ally! We can't stand here and watch her get slaughtered!"

"Yeah, Pluto, what gives?" Lita asked indignantly over Serena's shoulder.

Just then, Serena could hear Amy furiously tapping on her compact
computer. "Uh, guys-"

"This is of no concern to you, Jupiter." Serena winced; Pluto must be
stressed to lash out like this. "This is an agreement made between
the Queen and myself. No one else."

"We're just doing our job, Pluto." Venus offered, suddenly standing
between Pluto and Lita.

"Guys-"

"Your job is to protect the Queen here and my job is to protect the
timeline that sustains the Queen. This is my job. This is my duty!"

"Guys!"

"Oh my God!" At Raye's exclamation, Serena returned her attention
to
the battle between the Travellers and gasped.

A bloody blade jutted from the back of the Timelord and it appeared to
be making a jagged journey upward. What was most distressing was the
part of the silvery blade that could be seen was glowing brightly.

"Reenie!" In a heartbeat, Darien, Erica, and Michelle leapt towards
the platform.

Things had definitely spiraled out of control. Serena held her hand
to mouth, dismayed and horrified by the scene unfolding in front of
her. As she did so, her brooch nearly blinded her.

'What's going on?' Serena felt a mixture of fright and awe at the spectacle.

"I don't believe this." The blonde turned to Amy who now was staring
awestruck at the translucent computer relay framing her eyes like
goggles.

To see Amy this fascinated by her computer in the heat of a fight made
Serena very weary. "What is it, Amy?"

"This is telling me-"

Before Amy could finish her sentence, a blood cuddling scream filled
the warehouse and a flash like a bolt of lightning blinded everyone.
Serena and the other girls around her barely stayed on their feet
while the ground shook and a wave of energy struck them.

From the flash, Serena saw Tracer fly through the air like he'd been
launched from a cannon, his sword still protruding from his chest.
She followed his trajectory until his body disappeared into one of the
dark corners of the warehouse landing with a painfully loud thud.

As the dark splotches died away from her view, Serena gasped when she
noticed Cindy's slumped form in front of the platform. A reflective
pool of blood surrounded her as well as coated her hands and chest.
Her blond hair, now undone from the fight, hung forward over her face,
shaking as she visibly sobbed into the crimson pool. In the red light
glow, her pale skin reminded Serena of a cursed spirit kneeling at a
dark lake.

"Cindy." Serena murmured, rushing forward to embrace the shaken woman.

"My, my, what a performance, Xendyte." Serena stopped and her body
numbed like she'd been dumped in icy water when she heard the harsh
and dispassionate voice. Nervous, she peered toward the platform
where she saw an old man clapping. "So what are you going to do for
the next act?"

Serena's heart leapt into her throat as she watched Reenie standing
rigidly beside him as if something inhibited her movement. A ghost of
a smile crossed the old man's hard well-defined features reflecting
the red light. "And I must thank you for all your efforts to help me
retrieve the Silver Crystal. I am indebted to you, my faithful
servant."

Cindy only swayed and sobbed some more not even turning toward the old
man. At this, Serena balled her fist and straightened her back. She
wasn't going to let this old man do this to her.

"Leave her alone, Halebit!"

As if he had just registered her presence the old man addressed her
with an air of disinterest.

"Ah, yes, the great Queen Serenity. I see my soldier has made mention
of me." He said coolly. "But I am in no mood to make niceties so if
I may make a humble request that you hand over the possession of the
Silver Crystal to me." Halebit rested one of his hands upon the
child's shoulder. "So that I may guarantee her safety."

Serena could feel the rest of her group tense, but Pluto stepped
forward before any of them could take action. "I believe you are not
in a position to make demands, Traveller. Killing Small Lady will
only expedite your death."

Halebit chuckled dryly but kept the same emotionless expression. To
Serena he looked like a freaky ventriloquist dummy which she found
eerie and terrifying. "Go ahead, but let me ask you all this: which
one of you wants to carry the guilt of this child's death on their
shoulders? Who wants to be the one who must witness the birth of the
child they killed? For you see, Time Guardian, I might be dead but I
will be happy knowing that one of you will live miserably with the
guilt of killing this daughter of your future."

"Don't you dare!" From below, Cindy lunged at Halebit ruby sword
in hand.

Immediately, Halebit threw out his hand, stopping the sharp blade mere
inches from his face.

Suspended in midair, Cindy glared at Halebit. "You son of a bit-"

Without a word, Halebit waved his hand sending the blonde woman
tumbling end over end until she slid to a stop at Serena's feet.
Recomposed, Halebit returned his attention to Serena as if he'd just
batted away a fly.

"What is it going to be Princess?" The old man sounded rather edgy.

Serena gazed to her brooch which held the Silver Crystal, the source
of all her power. Should she give him the crystal? There had to be
another way, but what was it? Serena sweated and a panic she hadn't
felt since those first awkward fights as Sailor Moon gripped her. She
had to get Reenie back but she could see two choices, peacefully or by
force. Grudgingly, she realized she had little choice.

As she took a step forward, Pluto grabbed by the shoulder. "Do not do
this my Queen. We can not give up the Silver Crystal to that
Traveller. There's no telling what he'll do with it."

Serena remained facing the platform, but sighed. "What about Reenie?"

At that Pluto didn't reply and Serena could feel her hand tense before
slowly sliding away. With her heart drumming and her fingers
twitching, Serena approached the platform like she was walking to her
own execution. To keep her nerves, Serena never left her eyes waver
from Reenie.

Once she reached the ledge, she hesitated as she ran her fingers over
the Silver Crystal. Taking a deep breath, Serena closed her eyes and
tugged on the stone. She shivered when her uniform loosened and the
ribbons that formed her uniform unwrapped from her body. As she
tugged harder, she could see the red ribbons slip back into the
shimmering crystal. Once she had the crystal cradled in the palm of
her small hand, Serena stood in her white dress that she had worn to
the restaurant.

Gathering her nerves, she fixed the old man a hard gaze and offered
her crystal. "Here."

With a nod, Halebit carefully leaned over and plucked the object from
Serena's hand. "You are indeed as wise as the legends make you."

"What about Ree-" Before Serena could finish her sentence, Halebit
had pushed on the child's shoulder sending her head first into
Serena's chest.

Despite having the air knocked out of her, Serena reflectively wrapped
her arms around Reenie and rolled with the child's momentum.

"Ompf!" Both girls grunted as they landed hard.

"Serena! Reenie!" Instantly her friends surrounded her and they
looked eager to strike back.

"I'm fine." She waved her hand dismissively at them before peering
down at Reenie. "Are you okay?"

The pink haired child pondered a moment and then nodded wearily.

"World Shaking!" Just behind the wall of worried faces of Raye, Amy,
Lita, and Mina, Serena heard Erica retaliate, the sound of concrete
uprooting from the fury of her attack.

Then she heard nothing except Erica's curse. "Shit!"

Lifting herself, mindful of Reenie, Serena peered over the heads of
her friends to see the brilliant light of the Silver Crystal as
Halebit held it over his head. Serena decided right then and there
that the crooked and gnarled smile upon the leather surface of the old
man's face ranked up there as one of the most unsettling things she'd
ever witnessed.

"Deep Submerge!" This time Serena could witness the attack and gasped
as the ball of water Michelle had hurdled at Halebit harmless crash
against an invisible barrier.

"The Traveller must be stopped at all cost!" Pluto barked while
swinging her staff around, the end gathering a large collection of
sand. "Dead Scream!"

Again nothing happened.

A groan caught Serena's attention and she noticed a weak and
despondent Cindy kneeling next to her and Reenie. When she finally
came to her senses, Cindy threw herself at Serena. "I'm so sorry!"

"That's okay Cindy." Serena watched the glow of her crystal with
dread when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Do you have any idea
what's going on? Did he ever tell you what he wanted with the Silver
Crystal?"

Cindy, now transfixed like Serena on the glowing crystal, shook her
head and gulped. "I-I don't know. He never told me what he wanted it
for."

Serena swallowed hard while the light continued to intensify. "I was
afraid of that."

--------------------------------------------

"Fuck!" Tracer gasped as the burning in his chest became more intense.

The Timelord gritted his teeth as he re-gripped the hilt protruding
from his chest. The pain was excruciating however he didn't give a
damn, as long as he could still move he wasn't ever going to give up.
He didn't know how that bitch was able to throw him across the
warehouse but if she thought he'd go easier on her yet again, she was
in for a surprise.

"Graargh!" He screamed as the pulled the sword the rest of the way
out of his gaping wound. Immediately he could feel his blood oozing
out of his wound at an alarming rate. He tried holding his hand over
it in hopes of suppressing the flow of the silver laced crimson fluid.
However it became apparent it was a futile exercise especially when
he felt the wound on his back spurting even more of his blood onto the
ground.

'I'm not going to let it end like this!' Despite the pain, the
dizziness, and coldness ebbing into his limbs, a pressure built behind
his eyes and spread throughout his head. His body began to quiver and
convulse. 'I will make them all pay! They will all pay!!'

Quickly Tracer jumped to his feet, oblivious to the fountain of blood
streaming from his chest cascading down his pants and finally
splattering onto the concrete floor. He tightened his hold on the
hilt of his sword and sneered. Though the coldness continued to
spread, his limbs tingled with excitement. Yes, he was going to make
them pay, he determined. He was going to destroy them all.

In the back of his mind, Tracer knew his world should be spinning
around him and that he should be wobbly on his feet. Hell, it was a
miracle he was able to walk in a straight line much a less gain speed.
However, that was what happening as he ran towards them keying in on
the brilliant light that was threatening to swallow the surrounding
darkness. Instinctively, he knew that hiding behind that bright light
was the old man.

'I will show you I am not a failure, you bastard.' His sneer
deepened. 'I'll defeat you in front of Serenity and Cindy and once
they see my prowess, they'll tremble with fear and beg me for mercy!
Then we'll see who the failure is then!'

His body felt so cold yet so hot, Tracer was thrilled. He couldn't
get over how it was possible to feel two completely different
sensations at once. He honestly didn't care anymore as he gave in to
this sensation that had taken over his body. He ran even faster and
it got to the point where he swore he was floating on air.

When he saw Serenity's group huddled together in front of his old
teacher, Tracer smirked. He secured his sword with both hands ready
to strike with all the force he could muster. Merrily, he imagined
all of the destruction that was about to take place.

He hardly registered how bright it was glowing as he raised it over his head.

--------------------------------------------

"This is bad!" Serena flinched when she whipped around towards Amy.
It was never a good thing when she said that.

"What is it?"

Amy was once again furiously tying away on the translucent keypad and
her eyes were moving back and forth reading her display like the
roving eyes of her cat clock mounted on the wall of her bedroom.

"It appears Halebit is distorting the physical space around his
hands." Amy shook her head, somewhat confused. "If I were to
postulate, it looks like he's using the Silver Crystal as a type of
hot cutting apparatus."

"Huh?" Serena blinked.

Suddenly Pluto hunched over and grimaced. Steadying herself with her
staff, Pluto fixed Amy with a glare. "She means that Traveller is
punching a hole through the timeline like a hot knife through butter
if I understand the saying correctly. Ugh!"

"Pluto!" Lita jumped to the Time Guardian's aid and provided her
with
some support. "Are you going to be okay? What's going on?"

"It's a portal." Cindy said, her eyes widening in awe and fright.
"I
can't believe he's actually trying to make one. This is really bad."

Amy stopped typing a moment. "What do you mean?"

Realizing she was the center of attention, Cindy squirm a little as
she explained with a sense of urgency. "Er, well, when I first joined
the Society he had asked me if I knew how to build a portal generating
machine. When he found out I didn't he went ahead and built one based
on the specs my father had researched."

"What happened to that machine?" Amy pursed her lips like she usually
did when she was worried.

Cindy interlaced her fingers and muttered. "It kinda blew up when he
activated it."

"What!?" Serena jumped at their exclamation.

Cindy returned her weary gaze to the increasingly intensifying glow.
"I'm not sure if there's anything we can do now to stop him, it looks
like he's already begun to open the portal and if we disturb the
process there's no telling what catastrophe it'll trigger."

A swirling wind whipped Serena's blond tails of hair drawing her
attention to the platform. A jagged burning line now appeared tracing
the path of Halebit's glowing hands downward.

The dread was evident on the faces of her friends as it settled like a
heavy blanket upon them. Underneath that dread, little prickles of
guilt pinched Serena's self-conscious. She was center of this
turbulent storm and every effort to bring a peaceful calm to the
situation only seemed to make it rage even further out of control.
There was very little she could do anyway since without the Silver
Crystal she was just plain normal school girl. Her only option was
just to sit back, wait, and hope.

"There is a solution." Pluto said under her breath, more to herself
than anyone else. "There is always a solution. I just need to open
my eyes to see it."

"I'd keep our eyes behind us," Mina replied, jumping to her feet,
battle ready, and facing away from Halebit, "because we have a very
angry Timelord coming right at us!"

"What does it take to keep this creep down!" Raye growled bringing
hands in front of her already nurturing a small flame between them.

Both Serena and Reenie twisted their heads around. The light of the
Silver Crystal had grown so intense that it now illuminated the entire
warehouse. The crazed expression on Tracer's blood spattered face
appeared with frightening clarity as he charged at their group at an
alarming rate of speed holding his sword with hands over his head.
Serena imagined that if he looked any madder, he'd snort dust from his
nose like a rampaging bull.

By now, every Scout, with the exception of Reenie and herself, had
position themselves to stop the Timelord's mad dash toward Halebit.
Serena uttered a silent prayer to whatever Gods might have been
listening that this would end without more death and then watched,
saddened it had come to this.

To everyone's dismay though, just as Tracer within range of their
attacks he leapt high into the air. Serena's jaw hung open at the
height he had been able to reach and maintain. Everyone stood
stunned. It was impossible for any one to jump this high but there he
was sailing above the entire group.

It was only when Tracer cleared them and made his descent that it
became obvious how he was able to accomplish such a feat. A pair of
transparent skinny strings, that reminded Serena of creepy black bony
fingers, had sprouted from the shoulders of the dark man and spread
out like wings.

Once the shock wore off, Serena's heart stopped realizing just where
exactly Tracer was going to strike: right at the hands of Halebit.
Several of the Scouts took off; hoping to catch him in time but it was
no use. Serena shielded her eyes when Tracer disappeared into the
glare preparing for the worst.

A moment later the glare became blinding and the roar of the wind grew
louder. There was a soft but vibrating sound, like the glass legs of
a wind chime gently tapping against each other which increased in
pitch till the point it hurt her ears. Finally, the sound reached a
fevered pitch and then it stopped.

At that, the blinding glare collapsed and turned into a pitch black
void. The wind that had been swirled around pulled on them hard.
Serena looked around frantically for something to hold onto but the
smooth floor of the warehouse offered her no anchors. She dared a
glance back, realizing to her horror that her friends had just been
right there a second ago were nowhere to be seen.

The vortex pulled on her harder and Serena slid across the glossy
floor unable to stop her momentum. Desperately, she clawed at the
surface hoping to hit a crack or seam with her fingernails. Just as
she was losing hope, a strong hand snatched hers and held on for dear
life. Surprised and elated, Serena whisked her head around to see
Darien straining to keep his grip around his cane which he had nailed
into the ground.

"I've got you Serena!" He yelled over the roar of the vortex. "I
won't let go!"

Bringing both of her hands to hold her lovers, Serena felt Darien slip
slightly and then he slipped some more. Quickly, Serena figured out
that his hold on the cane wasn't strong enough to keep both her and
Darien from being pulled to the darkness. Looking into his eyes, she
could see his determination. He didn't need to do this. She wasn't
worth this kind of sacrifice. Now that she'd lost the Silver Crystal,
she wasn't important any more. They'd already lost everyone else!

"Darien!"

Darien shook his head, knowing full well what she was thinking. "I'm
not letting you go!"

"Darien, you must!"

The man strained and screamed in anguish. Serena closed her eyes and
cried, knowing this was probably the last time she'd ever see her
lover's face ever again. As she untangled her hand from his, his
other hand shot out and grabbed her forearm. In her tear clouded
vision the serene smile was evident on Darien's face before he wrapped
his arms around her. Burying her face in his chest, she sought to
embrace him tighter. In each other's arms they both relaxed, finding
mutual comfort.

It took Serena a moment to realize they had finally been swallowed up
into the black void and were now falling.

And they fell. And they fell. And they fell.

--------------------------------------------

Greg hated waiting in cars. His mother had done to him as a kid
whenever she'd run into a store to 'pick up a few items' as she'd
say.
Of course with the ability to foresee the future, he knew there were
going to be more than a few items that she'd promised.

To him it was agony, knowing exactly how many minutes he was going to
sit there until his mom returned. He'd noticed that other people
tended to make promises they never intended to keep and all he could
do was nod pretending he'd never closed his eyes to check.

Leaning his head back, Greg let loose a frustrated sigh. Unlike all
those years ago, he couldn't foresee the future since the Travellers
arrived (apparently there was a connection) and because of that he had
no idea how long it was going to take before something would happen.

'I don't know why I'm so irritated. I always viewed these powers as
a
nuisance. All I wanted was to be normal guy for Amy-'

Suddenly an image of Amy's flushed and passionate face flashed in his
mind. He sat up with a start and cursed his bad luck. Why did he
stop when he did with her? It had been well over a week since that
incident with her and now he was just kicking himself for the missed
opportunity. He knew Amy was willing but he didn't want to ruin the
moment. He didn't want to close his eyes and see the possible
consequences of his actions.

Leaning back again, Greg stared out into the night lost in his
thoughts. He'd changed, he decided. The week he spent tagging along
with Tracer had changed him. He'd endured a great trial and came out
feeling much older and more mature.

The entire time he had no idea what was going to happen next and
Tracer proved to be a rogue and maverick the world had yet to see. He
saw first hand what it was like to think on one's feet and just how
tenacious a person could be when they wanted something bad enough.

Yes, this was a new Greg who replaced the old the moment the Timelord
appeared in front of him in the alleyway near his home. From now on,
Greg was no longer going to-

*CRASH!*

Jerking from the back seat, Greg watched as one of the warehouses
collapsed. Without a second to lose, Greg was running towards the
wreckage hoping against all hope that Amy wasn't underneath the
twisted steel girders and jagged concrete.

"Dear God, no!" Greg cried as he pulled on one of the heavy metal
beams but it wouldn't budge. "Give, damn it! Give!"

"You're wasting your energy."

Instantly, Greg went still. Slowly, Greg let go of the metal beam and
swiveled to whoever it was that was talking to him.

When he fully turned around, he saw a man with short stark white hair
that radiated around his head like a hallo. A dazzling white cloak
draped over his shoulders that sparkled from the fine bits of sand
which dusted it. Underneath the folds of the cloak, the stranger held
a bundle of cloth securely in the crux of his elbow.

Greg stared intently at the stranger before him, having an eerie
sensation of déjÃ* vu. Except last time he had been staring down the
barrel of a gun. "Who are you?"

The stranger pursed his lips and turned his head, showing him a
profile of his elegant and sleek face feinting interest in Greg's
question. "I have a message I need you to pass along for me."

"For who? Tracer?"

"No!" The ferocity of the stranger's reply made Greg step back and
it
also made the bundle in his arms wiggle.

Greg's eyes widened when he heard the unmistakable gargling of a baby
just waking. The stranger saw the boy's expression and glared at him
as the man cooed and rocked the newborn in his arms.

"Is that your-"

"I have wasted enough time already… Greg, correct?"

The boy blinked. "Uh, yes."

The man nodded and continued rocking the increasing agitated child.
"I need you to communicate a message to Setsuna."

"Who?"

The stranger rolled his eyes, his task with the baby quickly taking up
the rest of his attention. "She will know who she is when you tell
them."

Greg furrowed his brow; he swore he could hear an edge of bitterness
in the man's voice. He was about to ask who was this 'them' he was
going to relay this message to, but the stranger had already began
talking again.

"It's Small Lady's duty to protect the future."

Greg knitted his eyebrows trying to comprehend the message but ended
up thoroughly confused. When he noticed that the man was already
walking away apparently satisfied, Greg followed. The man knew
something about what happened to Amy. There were still many
unanswered questions. Very important questions. "Wait!"

The man paused, looking over his shoulder shifting his arm as the baby
began to squirm.

"What happened to the others? Are they okay?"

Greg could see the man close his eyes and exhale. He stood there a
moment. Finally he spoke with an even tone his words carefully
chosen. "All I can tell you is it will get worse before it gets
better."

-End of Part 8-

**End of Arc I – Serenity**

**Begin Arc II – Faust's Sword**

Author Notes:
Well, I hoped you liked this chapter, I'm personally rather proud of
it. I thought it turned out pretty well considering some of the
different tangents I went on here and there. I hope the technical
jargon about making portals and such didn't kill the flow of the story
if it did, let me know, I'm kinda curious about that.

Also, I apologize about this whole arc deal. See from here the story
shifts to something wholly different and I felt it would better to
make a definitive break signifying it. Trust me, there's going to be
several before we're through, this story is far from over. So stay
tuned because this ride is going to get out of control like a katamari
ball across the world!

Soundtrack:
Various scenes inspired by music.
Pluto Waits – Forever by Orbital
Tracer vs Halebit – The Way Out is Through by NIN
Tracer vs Cindy – Enough by Gravity Kills
The Final Showdown – The Canyon by Phillip Glass
The Final Showdown (Remix) – I Got the Fear Pt. 5 by Meat Beat Manifesto
Passing on a Message – Recessional by Vienna Teng

Disclaimer:
All original characters are owned and copyrighted by Bastion (c) 2008.
And Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and in America by DIC and Pioneer and
ADV and a whole boat load of other people.

Bastion
Rev 01/08



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