1101 (Phase 03: Interrogation) Rated R To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell; Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. -John Milton, "Paradise Lost, Bk. I" Have you ever stopped to wonder what might be? Look beyond what is real, and grasp at a destiny yet unrealized. You might be surprised at what you find--not just for yourself, but for everyone else around you. The future has been called a Pandora's Box at times. It is the mystery of not knowing what is inside, what our future truly holds, that gives us hopes and dreams. But to open the box and see what awaits you...fate becomes a cruel mistress. Everything becomes known, and the secrets die. Hope is lost in the darkness of knowing what tomorrow's sunset will bring. Dreams are dashed like fragile sands against an ocean tide. And yet there may be a way around it. Consider not one future, but many futures. Not a single Pandora's Box, but a legion of them. The possibilities of a future Naoko Takeuchi envisioned grow near infinite, the curiousity is satiated, and your dreams are always there with you. For in seeing many futures, you still see what is unknown. Which one will find you? So many realities, so little time. The past is history. The future is now. And His lordship Chaos welcomes you to the future that is Crystal Tokyo. Choose your future that is Crystal Tokyo. But choose wisely. The future has a nasty way of turning on you.... -His lordship Chaos hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com Crystal Tokyo 3XXX A.D. The one who would be Chaos was a daimon. 1101 discovered this as the small convoy of Cyclopaths cut across the street, passing into a set of warehouse doors left open. The large, steel doors began to seal themselves once the vehicles were through. Hotaru leaned forward over 1101's shoulder, trying to give a reassuring smile to the young girl still incredibly tense, now that the grogginess of awakening had passed. "Daijobu, Rei; we're safe here." The warehouse was two storeys high, and utterly deserted. Leftover steel beams, windlasses, chains and dust were its decorations. The large glass windows near the ceiling reflected the random lights from passing traffic, and the stray hovercopter. Haruka let her cycle coast to a stop, into a spot designated for large rig deliveries, before powering her engine down. "Charming place," she remarked. "Daimons aren't known for their sense of interior design," Michiru drawled in response, slightly amused. But the brooding thoughts still showed in her face. There was a time she never seemed to scowl, even in battle. Now it felt like she scowled every hour she was awake, and perhaps scowled even when she slept. The floor underneath the Cyclopaths abruptly shuddered, and then steadily lowered itself into the ground. 1101 watched as the transport lift descended further into the underground, until finally she saw another level teeming with youma who didn't seem to care about their presence. And there, the one who would be Chaos waited to greet them. Strange times made for strange alliances. His skin was pale and white, so white that he seemed to shimmer like a mirage as he stood there. Yet while his skin was albino, his eyes were black--well, the one eye that wasn't permanently closed because of the jagged scar running across it. No one could tell if this was natural, or if his pupils had just become fixed in this gross dilation. All youma had to resemble something, the object which served as host to their parasite. Chaos' form was easily humanoid, dressed in black human clothes, but with noticeable differences. His nose sloped forward into a partial snout, and his triangular ears sloped back. Bangs of wild indigo hair were slicked back, neatly hiding the fact that he had a mane which continued to run all the way down his back. Fingerless riding gloves covered the palms of his hands; Michiru knew that his palm was where the black star used to extract pure hearts was located. But moreso, it covered the soft, sensitive pads that cushioned his hands. Chaos was a daimon who had been modeled off a wolf. His laughter rolled off the walls as he strolled over to greet the four women dismounting their Cyclopaths. "Haruka! Michiru!" he said warmly. His smile revealed the razor-sharp fangs in his mouth. "How are my two lovely angels today?" "We've been better, admittedly," Michiru replied. Chaos grinned, running his tongue along the edges of his fangs. "That's the most optimistic view about Crystal Tokyo I've ever heard. Ne?" "You're not THAT happy to see us, are you?" Haruka inquired, unzipping her jacket. "News from the underground's already out on how the Tokyo Raven went down in a blaze of glory," he said. "Given the outstanding bounties for your capture--dead or alive, I might add-- I'd say you managed to really piss someone off." He turned his head, a playful growl escaping his throat as he saw Hotaru helping 1101 off her Cyclopath. Chaos gave a feral smile as he approached her, brushing aside a long strand of ravendark hair form her face. "Ah, my little firefly, it's a shame you don't visit more often." He leaned forward and gave her a deep kiss. Hotaru didn't seem to mind in the slightest, returning the affection with equal vigor. 1101, however, tried to stay as close to the one person she seemed to trust--while staying as far away from the daimon as possible. As Chaos slowly drew away from Hotaru's lips, his one good eye caught sight of 1101. "And what delectable little morsel do we have here?" She cringed behind Hotaru even more. Said nothing in response. "She's the reason we're here," Michiru said to the daimon. "She wandered into our club earlier tonight, and the Senshi neatly destroyed it while trying to kill her." Chaos rolled his eyes, stepping back but keeping his clawed arms wrapped around Hotaru's waist. "Somehow that just doesn't surprise me. Those gestapo bitches seem to be everywhere these days--no offence," he quickly added, knowing full well the company he kept. "None taken," Haruka replied evenly. It had been through unexpected circumstances that they had formed an alliance. The daimon before them was one of the first that had been mass-produced for the Crystal Wars. In many ways he was not a true youma, but a youma protoform, designed to be the ultimate soldier. He was meant to kill by skill and power, not by overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers. The abilities that had been bestowed upon him by his creators made him a threat. Death, however, seemed to have a hard time keeping up with this daimon. After escaping the lab that had grown him, he established a new underground empire in Crystal Tokyo. Being among the first and most powerful, he took up the title of the most feared entity the planet had ever known: Chaos. If ever this city had a kingpin, it was him. It had been Chaos who had inadvertently rescued them when they were on the run from the Inner Senshi and the Shadowgate armies. That event had transpired two hundred years ago, and yet nothing had really changed between the daimon and the Outers. They rarely associated much; kept to their own businesses, affairs and empires. Hotaru and Chaos were off and on lovers. But when a favour was required, they were always ready to sit down and talk. Haruka found the polite distance comfortable. Even after all the years since her war against Deathbusters, she still didn't fully trust a daimon. Chaos didn't seem to care. In fact, he felt flattered by her suspicions, and always helped remind them that his kind wasn't exactly the nicest or honorable of creatures. Yet strangely enough, in Chaos' world there was such a thing as honour among thieves. "So why do the Senshi want this succulent little peach of a woman?" he inquired, cocking his head to one side and examining 1101 with a little more scrutiny. One of his eyebrows abruptly went up. "Well, that explains it." Haruka and Michiru turned to each other in surprise. This daimon had managed to catch something that they had missed? "What is it?" Michiru asked. "Esper," Chaos answered. "Though none like I've ever seen. We youma are rather sensitive to people who possess an Esper ability; we see an esper aura like you people see colours of a rainbow. And this girl's saturated with it." Hotaru nodded, resting her head against Chaos' chest and risking a content smile. "We're not entirely sure who she is," she told him. "She doesn't even know who she is." "Oh, Shadowgate's been playing God again?" Chaos chuckled darkly. "Ara ara, you'd think they'd have learned the first time, after creating me." Michiru cut into his laughter, reminding them of the time constraints. "They've got a tracker on her somewhere, but I've managed to dampen the signal for a while. I don't know for how much longer, though." The one who would be Chaos now stepped away from Hotaru. Without saying a word he slowly advanced on 1101. She in turn tried to step back and avoid him, but found herself backed up against Haruka's Cyclopath. He slowly peeled the riding gloves off his hands one by one, moving with all the casualness of a predator toying with its prey. 1101 could feel her heart racing. This thing was going to attack her. It was making her want to run again--and those women who had first helped her were now doing nothing. She felt alone once more. Terror was overtaking her thoughts. Triggering her memories. Something was threatening to release itself from within her again. Chaos' eye suddenly burned blood red. And 1101's entire body became like fire. She gave a choked cry of fright, her hands thrashing about, desperate to grope and grasp something, though the rest of her body was frozen. Hotaru was by her side instantly, taking firm hold of 1101 and holding the girl steady. The ordeal was making 1101 feel to sick to her stomach. What was this creature doing to her? Her body churned as if her flesh was parting, moving back as muscle and organ and blood fused into a single pulpy mass. She opened her eyes and discovered that her body had in fact changed, opening up to reveal a small hole of darkness in her chest. And within that hole something metallic shimmered. The daimon snarled. Suddenly the metallic device erupted from her, and she felt her body spasm as the hole closed in on itself like it had never even been there before. The urge to vomit and collapse was unbearable. Chaos caught the device in his teeth, but did not destroy it. Carefully removing it from between his jaws, he remarked, flexing the hand which bore the black star. "Extraction methods for my kind may seem graphic, but you can't deny how effective the technique is." "Destroy it," Haruka stated, moving to steal the device from his hands. The daimon shook his head, turning his body to ensure Haruka couldn't get near the locator. "Ah, and you would throw away such a wonderful piece of technology? It's not every day you get to test out Shadowgate's top of the line." Michiru moved to flank him. "Don't be an ass, Chaos. I had the signal clouded while it was in her body; now they can home in on it. They know where we are this very minute." Chaos shrugged indifferently. "And?" Before any of them could voice an ardent protest, the daimon pursed his lips and let out a sharp whistle. Something answered, emitting a low, guttural snarl. While the other daimons ignored the new presence, packing and unpacking whatever merchandise was in the crates scattered around this underground place, the Outers stiffened as they felt something stir within the shadows. It trotted out moments later, its surprise appearance behind 1101 causing her to scream. Hotaru immediately pushed the girl back, her Saturn powers flaring up. "Calm down," Chaos said evenly, shaking his head at their reaction. "You'll scare him if you continue to be so threatening. And trust me: you don't want to upset my little pet." It was a rat. Or might have been once. Now it was mutated. Hairless, blue skin glowed in the dark. And its mouth opened up like a tripod, three mandibles filled with razor-sharp teeth. Upon all four of its grotesque paws, the creature was as high as Haruka's waist. There were no eyes, yet it stared in their direction as if it could see them regardless. Its nostrils shifted in picking up their scent. "My kawaii little pet," the daimon remarked, petting the creature's head. It growled affectionately, nuzzling Chaos' leg. He fastened the locator into the beast's collar. "My little beast here will take to the sewers once our business is finished here. The Senshi will naturally follow him, but to no avail. This should buy you more time than if you simply destroyed the locator now." Even Michiru was staring at Chaos in surprise. They hadn't considered using a decoy like this. But they had yet to have the luxury of time since 1101 had first appeared. The Outers watched as Chaos growled something that the rat-beast seemed to understand. Moments later the creature spun around, its immense barbed tail thrashing behind it. Its three mandible opened up and the beast unleashed a shrilling cry that made everyone cringe. Then it dashed off into the darkened corridors beyond, and disappeared from sight. Chaos nonchalantly waved good-bye to his pet. He turned back to the Outers, the predatory smile back on his face. It was obvious he was enjoying this game. "We are in your debt," Hotaru said, bowing politely. The daimon shook his head. "We've been in each others debts enough times over the centuries. I won't hold this over your heads, for I'm sure there is something in the past I owe you that cancels this out." He strolled over to the nearest Cyclopath, that being Michiru's, and leisurely reclined on the seat. "So, now that the immediate business is taken care of, what else can Chaos do for you?" "The Senshi are after us because we protected this girl," Michiru answered. "That means Shadowgate is after us." Chaos read between the lines and smiled. "You want me to give me some new toys, don't you?" he remarked, amused. A snap of his fingers commanded a hidden doorway behind him to swing open. He turned and stepped through, presuming they would follow. Haruka nodded, right behind him. "Specialty weapons more than anything else. And we'll need transportation. They might be trying to ID and track our Cyclopaths." "I'll put the bikes in private storage, until you contact me and say otherwise," Chaos agreed. His gaze darted back to 1101, who was keeping close to Hotaru. "So what exactly is Shadowgate hiding away from the general public this time?" "Everything," Michiru answered solemnly. "They always hide everything." what has happened to the world? why can i not remember? 1101 this is not the future i know [PHASE 03: INTERROGATION] The man who ruled Shadowgate, who ruled Crystal Tokyo, remained on the upper level of the darkened facility, leaning against one of the guardrails. Everything around him rippled in navy shadows, throwing an eerie dance of light across the entire room. But he ignored the paradery of light. His attention was focused upon a seemingly benign beast towering like a central pillar in the room: a large cylindrical, glass chamber. Bubbles from the liquid inside surged, floating to the top. A strange concoction that was like viscous water, a fluid tinted sky blue. It wasn't water. The compound was of a design he had not created, but plundered from the ancient world, one that even predated the Silver Millennium. Once it had been used for something called a Datadive. He could no longer use the chamber for such a thing. But modifying the machine gave rise to other uses. The newborn Sailor Venus floated in the middle of the glass chamber, her back slightly arched and her knees pulled up against her chest. In a fetal position she slept, her blue eyes closed and her golden blonde hair drifting beautifully in the liquid compound. She was naked, breathing in the fluid directly to her lungs. Thin black cables which had already risen up from the grille at the base of the chamber wove a tangled web around her, drifting leisurely as she did inside the liquid. They looped, stretched, graciously curved around her form to give her ample room to float. Yet each cable was inevitably bound with her, fused at the skin where metallic nodes worked their own version of magic. Her legs and arms, her chest and back, found at least two or three nodes burrowed into her body. Yet she slept, and remained unaware. For she trusted the man who had led her here. He could hear her heartbeat, the rhythmic pulse echoing loudly across the room. A slightly mechanic hum accompanied it as the machinery synchronized with her pace. Venus' progress was continuing without complication. The memory implantation would take a while longer, and she would remain unconscious for some time afterwards as her mind integrated the memories with her Essence. "What is her status?" he asked, looking down to the technicians below. "All biorhythms are within acceptable parameters," one reported, looking up from her array of screens. "Heartbeat steady. Brain algorithms are stable." "How much longer?" "Two, maybe three hours before the integration is complete. From there it's a matter of ensuring that her Essence accepts this new 'programming.'" A vicious smile manifested itself on his face, though it was cloaked in the overall darkness of the grandiose room. "It will. It always has before." A small chime at his waist signaled an incoming call. He detached a cellular phone out from his belt, and connected. In between the two receivers was a small but perfectly clear image of the caller. This time it happened to be his droid secretary, timidly studying his stoic face. "Sir?" she said. He turned his attention away from Venus and lifted the phone to where she could see him. "Yes?" "Your transport to the Diet Building is here." He nodded. "I'll be out in a moment." Terminating the connection, he glanced back at the lab technicians busy studying the data. "When the procedure is completed, you can take her to her room," he instructed them. The leader of the group nodded. The Shadowgate president left them to their work. It was time to initiate a contingency plan he had established almost two centuries ago. If he was to keep his empire, he had to play out the next day's events carefully. A woman stood on the second observation platform, staring down at the parks around the Tokyo Tower, and the looming skyscrapers just beyond the manicured earth. The sudden nostalgia she felt was like a stabbing pain in her breast. "Just like Paris," she muttered. Had Paris still existed today. Yet it was all but wiped out now, much like everything else on the face of the planet. Now all that remained was Crystal Tokyo, and with it a monolithic remnant of the old world, forged not of crystal but of steel. A jarring and stark reminder of what had once been--and what this place had now become. How long had it been since she had last seen the shimmer of the entire city in an ocean of crystalline architecture? Now everything was dark, metallic and cold. Any romantic renaissance had been long washed away with the calculated, hard edge of hyper- technology. But even then, the Tokyo Tower managed to keep itself abreast of this new world. It was never a part of the old Crystal Tokyo, nor was it a part of this new one that had slowly and fatally crawled up and swallowed everyone unsuspecting. The Tokyo Tower would always remind her, remind them all, of when the world was covered with humanity. When there still was something called hope, and that hope was worth fighting for. The tower itself was a 333 meter high steel structure, and a one point in time was the tallest structure in all of Tokyo. But as Crystal Tokyo came to life with its one hundred storey skyscrapers, the Tokyo Tower lost some of its lustre--though not much. It still housed radio and television news studios, sending out the signals to the city proper's respective 60 million citizens. Most of those channels though were heavily regulated by Shadowgate, filled with Serenity-smiling propaganda. The two observation platforms had been reduced to one, the lower platform converted into an elitist business restaurant. Even at this hour of night, the surviving observation deck was still swarming with people. She counted at least two separate school groups, judging by their differences in regulated uniform. Graveyard hour academics were not uncommon; for some it was the only time to be able to learn, and so some children grew up being the equivalent of nocturnal. Contributing all the more to a city that never seemed to sleep. A city that never seemed to know sunshine, or peace. She remained oblivious to the students' presence. For countless days upon countless years, ever since the Timegate had been destroyed, she had come here to stare at the city with her magenta eyes. To perhaps fill the emptiness in her soul by watching the world that once was. How many times had she wanted to end the numbness of her heart, the pain that still occasionally brought tears to her eyes? The palm of her hand reached out and touched the cold pane of glass. And she gazed at the ghostly reflection caught in the midst of light and darkness. She saw a woman with tanned skin, haunting eyes, and long dark hair. She saw herself. A shadow of her former self. Her fingers drummed against the window pane, the sound of metal against glass ringing harshly in her ears. She was dressed in fine fashion once again, because he had contacted her. He wished to meet again. And for as much as she tried to bring herself to hate him, she could not. It tore her apart inside. But she had long since been drained of her strength and given up hope. There was no more will in her left to fight, not after the portal was destroyed. And she became this...this machine. Yet he had still sought her out and given her everything possible to make her feel human. An apartment. A guaranteed income of large amounts. Her own chance at designing fashion. And he met with her often. Within her stirred the desire to be loved as a woman whenever she was with him. But for as much as she wanted the intimate, sexual touch, she was terrified of what she was. That he might yet become repulsed and abandon her. Then she would truly be dead. Magenta eyes studied the compact chronometer strapped to her wrist. 3am. He would be expecting her in front of the Diet building soon. She tore her forlorn gaze away from the darkened cityscape and adjourned to the elevators. From there it was a small trek to the nearest Railtrain. She never said a word to any of the humans or youma who passed her by. She kept her gaze always forward, never making eye contact and never staying in one place too long. Centuries of training long ago gave her the ability to move in and out of crowds like a wraith. Glimpsed one moment, gone and forgotten the next. Crystal Tokyo was no different a place for her to excel at such an ability. Even at this time of night, there was a significant crowd of people waiting with her at the platform. Cool winds whipped through the station, heralding the approach of a train. Silently she watched the Railtrain pull up in front of the platform. The monorails had taken over the old subways and bullet trains: using the same type of electromagnetic field charges on the monorail train and its tracks, one could get a virtually self- powered and self-propelled transportation system. The underside and roof of the Railtrain cars were lined with electromagnets, while the entire framework of the tracks curved around the bullet-shaped train. Simply turn on the power inside the cars, and the train was moving. Speed was regulated by the power of the electromagnetic field; the more power that caused repulsion between the like EMF charges, the faster the train went. Turning off the EMF of the train caused it to slow to a stop. But a slow letdown in power was required to aid in the jolting landing. That alone kept the Railtrain from crashing as it settled down onto the track. She glanced back at the computer terminal; this was the train she needed to reach the station in the Marunouchi Ward. And from there, she could walk a short distance to the Diet Building. The doors slid open with a hiss of air, and she joined a crowd of people pushing their way into the car. Always a ghost. And she hated it. The further they wandered the subterranean world that Chaos seemed to rule over, the more 1101 found herself more confused than frightened. Somehow this didn't look right. This didn't feel right. This was not Crystal Tokyo. And yet impossibly it was. "Daijobu," Hotaru kept whispering to her. A soothing mantra. "It will be all right. I won't leave you alone, Rei." Tunnels stretched out before and behind them, so long that their was no telling where they ended. 1101 looked down at the odd mixture of gravel, wooden planks and metal rails that seemed to be their walkway. "We're in the old Tokyo subway lines," Chaos was saying to Haruka and Michiru, almost as if he were a tour guide and not a daimon--though there were youma tour guides. The "domesticated" breeds were always found in such subservient jobs. "When the Railtrains were built, a lot of this fell into disuse. Not that it wasn't going to hell like the rest of the city anyways." "Are there a lot of police patrols?" Michiru asked. Chaos shook his head. His whitened skin proved to be luminescent, and became their sole source of light as he led them further underground. Given the varying intensity, it also appeared that he could control how much of a glow his body gave off. "We're far enough away from any major underground routes or important buildings for them not to care. Here in the outer rim of the city proper, it's assumed that we youma control the tunnel systems." "It would appear their assumption is right," Haruka remarked. "For the most part," the daimon agreed. "We more use the deserted mainlines as a means of smuggling. Some of the branch lines are even too out of the way for our tastes. We leave those to whomever might lay claim to them." They wandered down the abandoned subway tracks for what felt like hours, but in fact it was more close to twenty minutes. Pitch darkness has a way of making a fraction of a second melt away into hellish eternity. Hotaru felt 1101's grip on her tighten. "We're safe here," she whispered to the girl. But 1101 shook her head, and continued to tremble. A darkened atrium became their final destination. As Chaos helped them back onto an arrival platform, artificial lights came to life, bathing the underground station in welcomed colour. "Funny how when a room is dark, you humans would rather presume there's nothing in it worth looking for," Chaos said with a chuckle. The far walls were covered in transport crates, while the escalators leading upwards were blocked off. "We're right beneath a parking lot I happen to control," he explained. "To ensure a quiet departure, your four can leave from here; not many are liable to be around spying in this section." "Do we just hitchhike from her on in?" Haruka inquired with some degree of sarcasm. Without looking, Chaos reached into his jacket pocket and tossed a set of keys over his shoulder. Michiru effortlessly caught them. "Take my hovercruiser; it's parked where your bikes would have overwise left from. Third level, private stall number six; the red card next to the key will unlock the stall door. It's a silver Vengeance Incorporated classic. And retrofitted, of course, to accommodate the gauntlet that is this city. I know you for one will enjoy it, Haruka--just make sure you don't scratch it." Haruka cracked a wry smirk. "Maneuvering capabilities that good?" "It's a wet dream on wheels, my dear. Just don't play with the optional extras I installed; you're liable to blow up oncoming traffic if you do. And I'll give you the access codes to get in the driver's seat without triggering the defense system." Chaos moved to a round table in the centre of the subway platform, and began typing commands into a computer console. The gridworks in the centre of the table lit up, and a floating series of simulations appeared, suspended in midair. Each screen slowly rotated of its own accord, seemingly paper thin yet displaying incredibly detailed, three-dimensional images. They were all pictures and schematics for various firearms of different types and makes. Some were legal. Some were illegal. And some were military- classified prototypes. "Do you have access to everything here?" Haruka asked. He nodded. "What you see in the virtual inventory is what I can procure for you within three to six hours at the most. We have the usual handguns and assault rifles I'm sure you're both familiar with. You can pick and choose your preferences." He glanced over to Hotaru. "And colour, though I'll never see why you enjoy owning that bubblegum pink Glock." Living in Sin City tended to make one either an expert or a victim. The Senshi were no strangers to making do with battle or survival tactics. They were well-versed in weaponry as they were with their own powers. Haruka opened up a rotating picture of a customized weapon. "A shotglass? And I see this was manufactured for arm braces," she observed. "That particular shotglass is more compact, but you still get the same amount of ammunition as a regular sized one. It's also made from a lightweight and durable, metalloid polymer; makes for less of a load to carry." "Excellent." Haruka tapped a few of the buttons on the console in front of her, and the purchase was registered. "What about the assault rifles?" Michiru inquired. Chaos brought up another weapon image and gestured to the displayed firearm. "Model TMX-12, state of the art," he stated. "Two hundred rounds in the clip; lightweight frame; completed with an over and underhead N-2 grenade launcher. The Shadowgate riot squads are notorious for enjoying these babies way too much." Haruka made an order for two. "These will do just fine." "Can I interest you in any realms of laser technology while we're at it?" the daimon inquired. "Not really," Michiru said. "Anything with laserfire tends to be moulded like a shoulder-mounted cannon. We want weapons easy to carry or smuggle." Chaos sighed and shook his head. "Well then, I guess my prized railguns are certainly out of the question." "We couldn't afford those models anyways." "Neither can I. That's why these ones are stolen." Michiru found herself smirking at that, pushing a button on the table. The floating images of Chaos' inventory were replaced with a three-dimensional, fully and accurately rendered profile of Crystal Tokyo. The moquette hovered in front of them, rotating until Michiru selected a specific point for it to stop at. "Here's where we go next," she stated. Haruka's face studied the schematics map of the city. She visibly scowled. "I don't know if she'll be happy to see us." "Setsuna may hold no more ties with us, Haruka, "Michiru said. "It's been almost ten years since we last had any contact with her- -and that's what we want. Hotaru's home address are in the Tokyo Raven's files since she's a registered employee, but all connections between Setsuna and the club were severed long ago. They're looking for us, but not her." Chaos whistled as he listened in. "Ten years? Is this Setsuna even living at the same address anymore?" "I hope so," Hotaru murmured. "I agree with Michiru; my place isn't very safe right now." "We'll need her, and we'll need a place to hide." Michiru paused, lifting her eyes from the holographic map. She stared somberly at her lover. "Don't think I'm going all-out for your cause in helping that girl. I just don't have the energy to keep on running the way we used to." "And what am I supposed to be?" Chaos piped up, feigning hurt. "Cannon fodder?" "In another life, you probably were," Haruka retorted. The daimon grinned viciously. "What a saucy woman you are, Haruka." His eyes darted back and made note of the address they were going to. "Ooh, classy neighborhood. Expect me to arrive there within four hours to deliver your merchandise. I'll ring the bell, drop the cases in front of the apartment--assuming it still belongs to Setsuna--and be gone by the time you open the door." 1101 abruptly let her voice be heard. It was subdued voice, somewhat reluctant to be heard in the first place, yet it was the first time she had said anything in the presence of the daimon. "Don't let them follow you. Please...." For all the arrogance he held, Chaos seemed to back down from all his bravado as he answered her with a question. "What makes you think they'll be able to track me now that my little pet is leading the Senshi through the sewer canals?" "They might have pinpointed this area as the last location we were stationary at before going underground," Hotaru countered. Chaos merely shrugged. "What a shame for them; my business there was just finishing up when you arrived. And now that warehouse is slated for an untimely demise twenty minutes from now." He paused to savour the various expressions of the Outers upon hearing that. "We daimons are anything if perfectionists," he stated. "You humans would do well to remember that every now again, otherwise we might end up on the higher rungs of the food chain in a few years." His voice was half-playful and half-serious, showing the respect he held towards them as the exception to his otherwise global distaste of humanity. "Now then," he concluded, powering down the display console. "If we don't have any further business, I suggest we go our separate ways for the time being. You have Senshi to run from, and I have some merchandise to deliver." A hidden doorway opened up and revealed a way into the parking lot somewhere above their heads. Chaos quietly watched them leave, his one good eye resting upon 1101 longer than anyone else. It was studying her, and she cringed underneath the daimon's knowing gaze. She understood what he was seeing. He knew what she was. What had once been the centre of the Japanese Parliament still remained, though much had changed in the world since the turn of the century. But now the historical concrete and granite structure of the Diet Building, with its tall central tower, was dominated on all sides by looming skyscrapers, with only a series of streets and parks to act as a buffer between worlds. The Diet's function had been nullified with the rising of the Court of Serenity, based at the Crystal Palace. That negation continued when the Shadowgate Council took over. Nowadays the Diet was nothing more than a tourist centre. It was open to visitors, and therefore one could slip through the front gates without being arrested on sight by the patrol forces. And so it was that a Shadowgate limousine pulled up next to the front gate. She pushed away from the pillar she was leaning on, moving out from under the portico. She intercepted the Shadowgate president halfway down the front steps. He smiled in appraising her choice of wardrobe. "Been busy with your artistic licence, I see." "Why did you call me here?" she asked. He laughed and nodded. "Hai hai. You're smart enough to know that this request was different from the others." From behind the tinted lenses covering his cobalt eyes, something flickered. "The Outers have chosen to resurface, Setsuna. Your comrades have come back to life." Setsuna's magenta eyes widened, and she sucked in her breath. Her composure cracked only momentarily, but her mind reeled. She looked away, lost in a storm of thoughts and doubts and fears. "They're moving?" she whispered. Centuries had passed since she last possessed the ability to see through time, even though she was technically its guardian and keeper. Yet she wished to have seen this coming, and been given the chance to brace herself from the tears threatening to streak down her face. "They have something of mine," he said. Voice as calm and melodious as ever before. "Something I want back. With nowhere else to go, they will inevitably turn to you for help." Now her gaze went from staring at nothing to staring at him. Her magenta eyes were pleading for him to reconsider. "No...I can't." He quieted her with a gentle finger against her lips. "Shhhh. Setsuna, I have always taken care of you. What I am asking of you is not to outright betray them. You must let them in when they knock, and be my eyes and ears to their intentions." His warm breath moved across her skin. His face was so close to hers. The need to feel his touch, to feel loved once more, overwhelmed Setsuna enough to dare to rise above her fears. Her palm hesitantly reached up, daring to touch the side of his face. He moved with lightening speed, his own hand reaching up and grabbing hold of hers. She flinched and tried to pull away, but he held her there. And then pressed her palm against his skin. Setsuna didn't know if she wanted to embrace him and cry, or run away from him and cry. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "Please, don't make me do this...." "It's for the good of the future, Setsuna," he said quietly. "It's what has to be done. We can both get what we want. It will only be a matter of time before they come to me, searching for the truth. Tell me when that time will be, and I'll let your pain be no more." Magenta eyes were clouded in uncertainty. She looked to the ground, and closed them. The voice she answered with was weak, almost crushed by the early morning breeze around them. "Hai." Despite that, he slowly turned her head and then gently kissed her lips. Haruka let the blurring streaks of colour pass them by as she accelerated the speed of their Vengeance Inc hovercruiser. Leather cushioned her body. Added to the unexpected thrill as she briefly downshifted. One thing she had to ruefully admit was that, for as cold and remorseless a daimon as Chaos was, he certainly picked a vehicle that had moxy. He had been right in saying she would enjoy driving it. She took her eyes off the skyway momentarily, glancing at her lover. Michiru was looking out at the dark city beyond the windows, ignorant of the scattered droplets of rain spattering against the windshield, only to be wiped away moments later. The expression she wore was one of melancholy, her very eyes oppressed by the sight that was all around them. The brave face Michiru had worn for so long was cracked now, and Haruka could not deny the chasm that had opened up since their emotional explosion at the Tokyo Raven. It had taken two hundred years, but Crystal Tokyo had finally made Michiru admit that it had broken her will to fight. Haruka found herself wondering if she was suffering the same fate. There was no easy answer. Hotaru, who sat in the passenger's seat behind Michiru, was the only one who had proven to remain ever the fighter. She had been the defiant one, refusing to accept this city's new paradigm. They had gone their separate ways after trying to fight their own revolution. Fifty years--and apparently three brief but enjoyable flings with Chaos--found Hotaru at the bar of the Tokyo Raven, asking to talk. The raven-haired girl worked at the club, frequented their quarters regularly. Yet she kept her own life and her own apartment. Shadowgate's raid on the Tokyo Raven would have turned up information on her home; she was as orphaned as they were right now. The more Haruka tried to think about what kept fueling her surrogate daughter's fierce hope, the more she could only come back to a single reason. Chibiusa. They still didn't know what had happened to the princess. But they all feared the worst. Haruka's gaze went to the rearview mirror, resting upon the girl who was like the Rei they once knew in so many ways. But the distance 1101 kept, her uncertain past and powers, and that tattoo branded onto the base of her neck. Everything about her made Haruka both question and believe all at once. What was she? 1101 had her face constantly near the window. Dark eyes taking in the world of Crystal Tokyo down to the last detail. She saw the daunting heights of the skyscrapers above, and the multitudes of aerial traffic crisscrossing up there. She saw the frenzied life of the streets below, and the lanes of aerial traffic still beneath them. Haruka made a left turn at an intersection, and 1101 flinched as a large, neon sign with its red light exploded into her vision. Haruka's eyes squinted out the light, and she shifted to a higher gear to accommodate the rise in speed. They came into another large square, not unlike Serenity Square. But the two shared a commonality. And that was the large pixelboard image of Neo Queen Serenity giving her tranquil sermons. The queen was smiling. Always smiling. Always speaking aloud to the people on the streets below, and whomever was watching or listening. Telling them that everything was all right. That this city was in good hands. Asking them to continue to give their support and allegiance to Shadowgate, who was now the palace's acting council. 1101's ambivalent expression gave way to sadness. "What happened here?" she asked, her fingers touching the window. The Outers remained silent, though they spoke with their eyes in anxious glances. This was a subject none of them liked talking about anymore. It brought with it too much pain. "We can't tell you exactly when it happened, only that it did," Hotaru said finally. "By the time anyone took notice, Shadowgate was already in control of everything." The girl shivered, reaching back and touching the mark on her neck. 1101. A question and answer all at once. But Shadowgate was familiar. Shadowgate she knew. Shadowgate was the entity she was running from. 1101 looked the one who called herself Hotaru, the only one whom she knew to wholly and implicitly trust. "Who leads Shadowgate?" "The Shadowgate Council," Haruka answered, her contempt for them evident in her tone of voice. "A mysterious group of twelve or thirteen people. No one knows exactly who all the members are; we know of who three are at best. They never seem to actually meet together, but their word becomes the law here. And they have Neo Queen Serenity endorsing them." Momentary quiet. Reflection. "Shadows are born from darkness. Serenity is of the light." 1101 was speaking to herself, but her voice was heard by the three Outer Senshi. And they were confused by her whispers. 1101 lifted her eyes to Hotaru once more. "How could one replace the other?" Hotaru's body tensed, her hands balling into fists. She seemed to mentally brace herself, swallowing a taste of bitter memory. "When the time came for Chibiusa to be born, we couldn't be in the picture." "Chibi...usa?" "Serenity's daughter," Michiru answered, staring out at the hypnotic scenery around them. "The heir to the throne." "Chibiusa had--would have to travel back in time on numerous occasions," Hotaru explained. "But in order to ensure the timeline was preserved, she could not recognize any of us Outer Senshi. Haruka, Michiru and I were there to witness her birth, and then we left the palace. Serenity had already arranged us to make a diplomatic trip to Kinmoku. We would remain there until it was safe to return." She could recall their time in the outer reaches of the stars well enough, though it seemed like a distant and distorted mirage. A glimpse of happiness she no longer was certain actually happened. There was a natural tension between Haruka and Michiru, and the Starlights; that had to be mended first. But Princess Kakkyou had shown incredible patience. They toured the local systems, and were shown the work Galaxia had done in restoring the planets she had once decimated. There would be an occasional message relayed to them from Earth, though they knew they could send no personal messages back, lest Chibiusa unwittingly stumble across it. They were forced to live vicariously through the letters, pictures and recordings delivered in each transmission. Videos taken of the Inner Senshi, of Chibiusa and of Crystal Tokyo were watched over and over again. For a time there was nothing. Nemesis had attacked. Haruka more than anyone had to be kept at bay from forcibly going back to Earth to help fight. Ironically enough, her rivalry with Seiya was what kept her in the Kinmoku region. Seiya knew exactly what buttons to push to keep Haruka venting her frustrations on the Starlight, and not in hijacking an interstellar vehicle. When the time of restoration began, no one was happier to see the pictures of Chibiusa than Hotaru. The princess was starting to quickly resemble the young girl she knew she'd met/meet one day in the past. "Chibiusa traveled into the past on three separate occasions, and we only had to be absent for the first two. It was going to be a surprise for her to find us at the palace when she returned from her third trip." Serenity had wanted the experience to be like boarding school. Instead of Chibiusa disappearing into the past one second and then coming back the next (even though she had been in the past for a full year), it was decided that Chibiusa would return to the Crystal Palace a year later. Time passed by quickly in that final year. The message that Chibiusa had left for her final journey into the past arrived, and she, Haruka and Michiru all began to make preparations to leave. The almost year-long voyage home was filled with reminiscing, laughter and unbridled eagerness to see old friends and places. Their surprise return was slightly delayed by an unexpected battle with a rather nasty, celestial creature who got onto the ship and managed to destroy most of their communications hardware. They had been able to destroy the being before it sucked their bodies dry, but at the cost of them being halfway home and unable to send or receive any message. "Our shuttle was late getting in, only by a week or so. As we landed--" Hotaru abruptly broke off, her voice choking up. She was fighting the bitter tears and cruel memories. It was a battle that she proved to be losing. "As we landed, something attacked our shuttle. It was a miracle we survived the crash. Haruka-poppa pulled me from the wreckage and...and...." The emotional dam burst, and Hotaru was barely able to say anything more. "And we saw who had attacked us...the Inner Senshi. Ever since then they have been chasing us. Not unlike you, Rei, they want us dead." Haruka felt the need to speak up, and give Hotaru the chance to cry again. "That daimon we met with tonight happened to be in the right place at the right time. We didn't know what was going on, only that our own friends were trying to kill us in cold blood. Chaos stumbled into our firefight, and intervened. "He knows we're Outer Senshi, but that we had nothing to do with what happened to Crystal Tokyo. Every now and then we call on each other for a favour. Chaos was the one who told us about Shadowgate and the Crystal Wars. However, his own knowledge is limited because of the information caps Shadowgate placed." And the fact that he had been created only a few months prior before going renegade and stumbling into them, but Haruka left that out. 1101 had enough to digest for the moment anyways. The girl's face was passive in listening, but the horror was there in her violet eyes. "Now you know what happened," Michiru said. "You know as much as we do...which in truth is nothing." When he returned to his office from the Diet Building, the president of Shadowgate found guests awaiting him. His droid secretary, complacent beast that she was, had given a rather fearful stuttering of who had crossed into his inner sanctum. That was more than enough to tell him who had crossed into his inner sanctum. The double doors to his private office swung open, allowing him to walk unimpeded through the doorway. They closed shut once he had crossed over the threshold. As always, the windows were left uncovered and the lights were left off. The eternal glow of the city gave him the inspiration he sought for his daily ministrations. Calmly he walked over to his desk, leaning upon its edge. He removed his tinted, coin-sized lenses. Cobalt eyes beheld the two women standing in front of the picture windows and silently watching the city. "What brings you to my office?" he inquired. "You rarely ever come here unless in involves matters of important business." Sailor Jupiter turned her head away from the glass, the shimmer of Crystal Tokyo casting a pale glare upon her face. Yet her emerald eyes possessed a chilling clarity and shine. "They escaped. A decoy led us into the sewers. By the time we even got close to the decoy, it was too late." "Did you retrace the path this decoy took?" he asked. Both Senshi nodded. "And?" "The warehouse is destroyed," Mercury stated. "It was reduced to rubble about an hour before we arrived there. All evidence of Eleven-on-one and the Espers' whereabouts has vanished." "These Espers are ghosts," he agreed with a sage nod. "They were trained to be ghosts. You won't find them anymore, no matter how hard you search, unless they want you to find them." Mercury in particular straightened up as she heard that. "You know something about them?" He nodded his head slightly. "Care to let us in on that little piece of information?" Jupiter asked, her voice quivering between anger and restraint. "The three girls you encountered are Espers I have been tracking for some time now," he explained. He spoke casually of this, as if those women were his best friends. "They are highly skilled, very dangerous, and if push came to shove they could easily be your equals in combat." Jupiter sucked in a breath, with Mercury watched their master with newfound suspicion. "How long have you been tracking them?" the water soldier probed. An enigmatic smile crept onto his face, masked by the shadows of the office. "Longer than you know. And that is all you need to know." Neither soldier seemed easily pacified. "Indications are that the Espers had outside help," Mercury stated. "That means there's more than four of them, and only two of us. The balance of power is not in our favour." Jupiter nodded in agreement. "You told me Minako won't be ready to fight for another few weeks. Can't you give us a new Sailor Mars?" she asked. The tone of her voice laid somewhere between a plea and a demand. "With three of us patrolling--" "Makoto," he said sharply, silencing her protest. "I cannot give a rebirth to Sailor Mars so long as Eleven-oh-one is alive. The Essence of Mars resides in Eleven-oh-one. She must be killed in order to release that Essence, and that Essence in turn will breathe life into our newborn sister." "And we cannot kill Eleven-oh-one if we can't find her," Mercury retorted. "That places us in a stalemate, with the odds in that little bitch's favour." A peculiar and frightening laugh was heard from the president of Shadowgate. It was laugh that caused Jupiter and Mercury to exchange mutual looks of confusion. "My dears, you do not need to search them out," he countered evenly. Perfectly calm in his rationale. "Go about your business as you always have. When they are ready they shall come to us." As much as they didn't like the feeling of helplessness in the matter, both Inner Senshi accepted his verdict. He pleasantly bid them good night, and remained in his office as they left. Once more alone, he walked up to the windows and surveyed the grand kingdom that was his. Mercury and Jupiter knew he was withholding information. Yet they did nothing, for they trusted his judgement. A part of him questioned whether he should tell them everything; the revelation that the Outer Senshi were alive would be a tremendous shock. It was an unexpected side-affect from the Essence changing bodies, one he discovered only when the Outers' shuttle had crashed. It was as if knowing who the other soldiers were was reset. Even with implanted memories, a Senshi would have to see another Senshi transform before her eyes. Only then would she understand and believe. It had happened before in the past. Why should now be any different? This certainly explained why the Inners hadn't understood the ones they fought in the Tokyo Raven. The Inners who had fought the Outers two hundred years ago were gone, all of them replaced by new Candidates. Yes, they had sensed a powerful force, but they could not fully understand what it was. And so they had mistaken it for an advanced Esper power. But the Outers had long been branded as traitors to the crown. All the more reason for the Inners to hunt them down and ask no questions in executing them. He had known about the Outers ever since their shuttle had been shot down. He had followed their every movement during their time of trying to incite an unsuccessful revolution. When they had finally become resigned to their fate and obediently settled down, he already knew. His contact told him everything. She would tell him when the three Outer Senshi were ready for a final confrontation. Setsuna's apartment was located in one of the more upscale districts of the city. The Shibuya ward was one whose landscape was formed by expensive glass towers of fanciful design. As Haruka settled the hovercruiser onto a landing pad, she stared out to the east, and sighed in knowing that they should have been witnessing a brilliant sunrise. But the sunlight never seemed powerful enough to penetrate whatever veil of darkness was covering Crystal Tokyo. Switching the primary functions to accommodate land travel now, she drove the Vengeance Inc. classic down to one of the parking areas. Finding a spot proved to be difficult, even in the visitor section. Yet through a little vigilance and some blind luck, Hotaru managed to point out a vacancy. The hovercruiser's defense systems were activated. Four women cautiously made their way to the elevator, only to find their hoped-for quiet entrance blocked by a security terminal. They either had to call the security desk, or have access granted from someone inside the building. Contacting security was definitely out of the question, and having Setsuna refuse them here wasn't an option they wanted to explore. Haruka shrugged as she examined the panel. "I'm open to ideas." "I've got this one," Hotaru said, discreetly slipping in between Haruka and the terminal. After a few minutes of rapid typing, she quickly hacked into the system and authorized the foursome into the elevator. She giggled upon seeing the looks on Haruka and Michiru's faces. "Chaos taught me a few tricks." "I'll bet," Michiru muttered, not exactly liking the idea of her 'daughter' making love to a daimon. The elevator ride was uneventful, and they watched through glass windows their steady descent to the twenty-fifth floor. Even in the darkest of hours this part of the city looked so beautiful. But how much of that was merely a facade, a false beauty? With a quiet hum the elevator doors slid open to reveal a bright corridor painted in petticoat white. Small lamps mounted into the walls added to the overall cheery effect, and at the far end was a large picture window that allowed for another grand view of the Shibuya ward. A wicker lounge chair and potted Ficus Elastica were positioned next to the glass. "Corner penthouse suite," Haruka remarked as they stopped at Setsuna's front door. "I've never been able to piece together how she gets the money to afford it," Michiru admitted, walking side by side with her lover. "Maybe being the guardian of time has its fringe benefits." Haruka raised her hand to the door, and then knocked. "Here goes nothing," she murmured to herself. They waited patiently as someone in the apartment unlocked the security field on the door, and opened it up. Setsuna was standing in the doorway. She didn't look happy to see them. But she didn't look surprised to see them either. Her reluctance to talk to them, let alone permit them inside, was evident. "Setsuna, did we wake you?" Hotaru asked, concerned. Setsuna shook her head. She was dressed differently now: a tight, black, sleeveless shirt, and a pair of faded jeans. "I heard the news reports about the Tokyo Raven, and figured you'd eventually wind up calling on me," she said, stepping back and allowing then entry. "Where have you been all night?" "Around," Michiru replied evenly, moving through the doorway. The place seemed disturbingly serene compared to the rest of the city outside. On one side there was an tall but thin glass aquarium, deep blue bubbles of water mingling in with the fish. Plants and halogen lights were in every corner. The kitchen was open concept. Much of her furniture was made from thin, metal frames with leather upholstery, but there was a distinct sense of style to it. Setsuna had indeed decorated the apartment to her own tastes. Of course, the living room still held its typical couch and wall-screen televiewer. Haruka's eyes moved to the rather expensive piece of computer hardware on Setsuna's desk. "Impressive," she remarked. "I use a number of programs for designing my clothes," Setsuna answered. "Sometimes I do interior designing for a few select clients." She looked from one Outer Senshi to the next, the awkwardness of a decade of avoidance nearly overtaking them. And then Hotaru led 1101 into the apartment, closing the front door behind them. A small buzz sounded as the security field activated itself once more. Setsuna cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, you brought a friend." 1101 glanced down as another exotic creature leisurely crawled over her feet. Kneeling down, she scooped up the three foot long iguana and examined it. The iguana didn't protest much, becoming a limp deadweight in her hands. Setsuna's magenta eyes abruptly narrowed as she walked around and caught a better view of 1101's face. She scowled, hissing out a breath of air. "What is she doing here?" Setsuna snapped, turning to Haruka. "Why did you bring her to my apartment?" "Because our home was either shot up or ripped apart by Shadowgate," Michiru stated coldly, not exactly trying to placate the fuming soldier of time. "Setsuna, she's not what you think she is," Hotaru said, finding herself once again standing between 1101 and another person's hostility. "She's Rei, not the Sailor Mars we've hidden from. She escaped from something, and Shadowgate sent the other Inner Senshi to kill her. Right now we're trying to find out who she is, why she is this way--" Hotaru glanced back at 1101, who was busy stroking the iguana. "--and maybe the most important thing of all: what happened two hundred years ago, causing Crystal Tokyo to become like this." Setsuna's panic didn't abate. With a weak, disbelieving laugh she collapsed onto her black leather couch. Magenta eyes were looked to the ceiling as she ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Shimatta," she muttered. So this was the "stolen" item he had been referring to. "What's his name?" 1101 asked, setting iguana down on a table. The reptile lazily sprawled itself out on the tabletop moments after. Setsuna was still trying to untie the knot in her stomach, looking pale even with her dark skin. "Angel," she said at last, looking away from the girl. "You were caught off guard when you saw her," Haruka remarked, walking around the counter. On the other side was the kitchen. She pulled open the refrigerator door and pulled a few bottles from the shelves. "You are not the type to be caught off guard," she added, tossing the bottle across the room. "What's the problem?" "She's changed," Michiru replied, catching it in one hand without so much as flinching. She twisted the cap off, tilting the bottle to her lips and taking a slight sip of the drink. "Vermilion Light," she remarked, appraising the label. "Not a bad taste." Setsuna didn't protest their raiding of her fridge. However, she didn't accept when Haruka offered her a bottle for herself. 1101 glanced back at Haruka as the tall sandy-blonde crossed into the living room. Her violet eyes returned to Setsuna. "What happened to you?" she asked. Setsuna suddenly grew agitated, and looked away. Her vision darted to anyplace other than to meet the steady, inquisitive gaze of 1101. "She doesn't like to talk about it," Michiru answered for her. "She's never told us what happened either, for that matter." Setsuna glared at Michiru, angry tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. "You weren't here when it happened. You were given a shock when you came back, I won't deny that--but you were spared the grief that I had to endure that last year you were gone." "What happened?" 1101 asked. Her voice was quiet, but now it had an edge to it. She was demanding an answer. Setsuna turned to the girl who might be Rei, and answered her. Only to her, even though there were others in the room who could hear. "The Timegate was destroyed." Audible gasps came from the three Outer Senshi. "But that's impossible!" Hotaru exclaimed. "How--?" "I have the power to initiate a self-destruct of the portal, if the threat that it may be seized is very real," Setsuna countered, slowly standing up. Now she stared defiantly, at Michiru more than anyone else. It was a failsafe mechanism, ensuring that so long as she remained the guardian of time the portal would never work. Only when a new Pluto entered would the failsafe be retracted, and the Timegate restored. How many times had she contemplated letting herself die, just so the portal might be restored? And how many more times had she refused to die, for fear that it might be seized again by Shadowgate--by him? "To make sure the portal did not fall into his hands," Setsuna told them. "I let most of myself be destroyed in the process. Don't ever talk to me about sacrifice, Michiru. You've never had to wake up for endless years with the nightmares of your own body bursting into flame." Michiru was shivering where she stood, looking as if she had been slapped across the face. "Setsuna," she whispered. "I...I didn't...." She broke off and buried her face in Haruka's arms. 1101 listened to the woman sobbing softly. Everyone seemed to cry in this city. "Who's 'he'?" 1101 asked. Setsuna fell silent. Refused to say anything further as she sank back down in her couch and tried to console herself. Hotaru was left standing in the middle of the room, helplessly looking at each of her friends in turn. Everything was falling apart, and now it felt like the city would claim their souls and resolve before they even had a chance to fight back. That girl had to be Rei. She was the key to everything. Hotaru closed her eyes and took a deep breath, mentally psyching herself up for what she now planned. "I can try a probe of her mind." Hotaru's eyes fixated on 1101, and the girl cringed, lowering her eyes submissively to the floor again. "If she gives us the answers, maybe we can get back the Crystal Tokyo we once knew." Haruka tried to be the voice of caution. "You know only Luna and Artemis had the actual power to do something like that. We don't even know what happened to them." "We don't know what happened to anyone!" Hotaru snapped, possessively clutching at 1101. She was on the brink of crying again. "No one knows what happened in the palace--and you, Setsuna, refuse to tell us." "I have my reasons," Setsuna said. "I have my reasons...." Hotaru shook her head, finding that answer unacceptable. if Setsuna would not tell them, they would search elsewhere. "Until we do know what happened, this city will keep us locked and caged like everyone else. We have to risk, Haruka. We have to dare to believe again." "Chibiusa may not be alive, Hotaru-chan," Setsuna spoke up, her voice quiet but steadfast. "If that has been the reason you refuse to give up, are you ready to accept the possibility that she is dead?" Hotaru tearfully looked out to the city beyond the windows of the apartment. Out to the darkness stippled with a deluge of tiny artificial lights. "I have to know, Setsuna. It's come to a point that unless I know one way or the other, I can't go on. And then this city will have claimed all four Outer Senshi. I won't let it. It stole my friends away...I want them back." "What does Rei have to say about this?" Haruka abruptly asked, still cradling Michiru in her arms. She turned to 1101. "Hotaru, she may or may not be the Rei we once knew, but she is still a human being. Don't turn her into a sacrifice for your obsession." Hotaru stared at Haruka. Then she forced herself to release her hold of 1101. 1101 watched Hotaru slowly fall to the floor and push her knees against her chest. Hotaru broke down, tears streaming along her cheeks. 1101's violet eyes watched these women stumble in their despair before turning to Haruka. "I want to know who I am as much as you do," she stated. "If you still wish it, I will allow you to probe my mind." Haruka nodded, inwardly grateful for the gesture of goodwill. This girl might have been a complete stranger to this entire world, but she was coping with the reality a lot better than they ever had. 1101 was developing a haunting calm about herself. Now they had to see if the answers they so desperately sought would present themselves. "Michiru, you may be the best candidate for this," Haruka said. "You can use the Aqua Mirror; maybe that will give you a glimpse into whatever memories are buried in her mind." Michiru shook her head and said nothing in response. But Haruka refused to let it end there. She lowered her head, pressing it gently against Michiru's. "My love, a long time ago you had to convince me to commit to believing in my destiny as a soldier. Only when I finally did that did I find peace and purpose. What must I do to convince you to believe in your own words once more?" Her face still stained with tears that had now abated, Michiru lifted her eyes from Haruka's shirt and stared at 1101. "I have to know that this isn't a trap...or some kind of cruel joke. If she's Rei, I want to know how that's possible. If she's not, I want to know why." "Then you know what you have to do," Haruka said quietly into her lover's ear. Michiru surrendered her last fear to the warmth of Haruka's touch. After one last kiss from Haruka--one that she savoured, one that reminded her of how they kissed long ago--she broke away from the tall sandy-blonde and crossed through the living room. "I'll need the couch," she said to Setsuna. Setsuna vacated it without protest. As Haruka once again found herself needing to be the shoulder to cry on with Hotaru, Michiru and 1101 settled onto the couch. The Aqua Mirror was drawn out, and there the Talisman hovered between them. Its reflective surface flickered with light, responding to Michiru's silent commands. "This is the first time I've ever done anything like this," she admitted. "I can't guarantee we'll have any success, or that the procedure will be pretty." "Life is full of risks," 1101 answered. "It's a guardian's duty to embrace that risk." She looked around the room to the faces of the four women with her. "You all have taught me that." Michiru nodded. "Let's begin." 1101 closed her violet eyes, and lowered whatever mental or psychic barriers she could. Her mind was opened. And the nightmare began anew.... A laboratory. White walls. Metallic frames and glass panels were the ground beneath her feet. Painfully white lights stretched across the boundaries where the wall met the ceiling and floor. She was walking down a long corridor. There was no one but her. This place was deserted, but not abandoned. The hum of machinery could be heard amidst the loud echoes of her footsteps. She looked down at her boots, and found that they were high-heeled shoes the colour of crimson. And her clothes had changed, the black bodysuit gone and replaced with something else. A white leotard and equally crimson, pleated skirt. She reached up and touched her forehead, but found nothing there. Her fingers then glided across her shoulders. Hesitantly she fumbled to touch the base of her neck. 1101 was still branded upon her skin. A closed entry hatch unsealed itself for her, sliding up somewhere into the ceiling. The room beyond the doorway housed the same style of floor, the same style of lighting. Except this chamber was circular, the lights running around the edges to form a ring above and below her. She shivered. That chilling fear snaked its way through her body. This room housed but a single device. It was silver in colour. A long cylinder large enough to hold even her. There were no identifying marks upon the machine. Only a single, glass porthole near the top. The fear inside of her was growing. But now there was something else which stirred in the back of her mind, and it was screaming to be released. Unleashed. Given freedom. Give me freedom.... Loud, rhythmic pulses echoed inside of the room as she approached the cylindrical machine. Her heartbeat. It wasn't echoing just in her ears, but everywhere. And it was speeding up. Frost covered the large, oval glass port. With a gloved hand she wiped aside the thin layer of ice. Her mind didn't want her to see beyond the glass, yet her body was unwilling and moved itself. She peered inside. There seemed to be nothing but a hazy, liquid gel. Suddenly a large and pale thing threw itself at the porthole, its impact cracking the glass. She jerked back with a shriek, her entire body quivering without wanting to stop. And her dark eyes widened with what she saw on the other side. It was a woman, or had been once. But now its pinkish flesh was dissolving. The eyes were gone, gaping black holes in their place that seemed to stare at her regardless. Stared at her with maniacal glee. The creature raised it hands, pressing its palms against the cracked port. Blood vessels were rupturing to spread a thick, murky ink across the glass. The creature pounded on the glass, frantically trying to get out. All too quickly this human form slid down out of sight, fingers leaving a crimson trail along the glass before they too disappeared from view. She saw it all happen. The room was silent yet she heard this woman's cries of agony. Her entire body was threatening to shake itself apart, her mouth agape in horror as the terror within her heart found voice. And 1101 screamed at the insanity when she realized that the creature's face within that chamber had been her own. [interrogation complete.] [next phase: revelation] My indebted gratitude goes out to Greenbeans and Meara, who walked by my side as this realm first unfolded. To Angus MacSpon and "Sailor Moon 4200", which dared to ask me the question: what if Crystal Tokyo didn't last as long as we all thought it would? Thanks must be given to the "Crystal Tokyo for the Baka" compendium. My work as its archivist has no doubt contributed to many of the ideas that are here within this story.