Chapter Nine

Debt Repaid

The force fields that surrounded the senshi vanished as the light from Sailor Moon’s attack faded. Aura had vanished without a trace, leaving Sailor Moon standing with her rapier hanging loosely from one hand, staring at the spot where her adversary had once been. Sailor Mars and the others ran over to join her.

“What happened?” Jupiter asked. “Where did she go?”

“She’s finally happy,” Sailor Moon whispered.

“You are too kind,” a new voice told them.

The four girls turned around to see Shade standing next to Sailor Janus, who was still trapped in her bubble cage. Mars, Venus, and Jupiter placed themselves in front of Sailor Moon, who had been weakened by the duel with Aura.

“Both of my sisters out of the way, thanks to you,” Shade said. “I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“What happened to your face?” Mars called.

Shade raised a gloved hand to his cheek, scarred from where Jupiter had cut him with her earring. His face reddened and he glared at Sailor Mars. Jupiter smiled and laughed.

“You’ll never stop us now, Sailor brats,” Shade snarled. “The machine is complete, except for the final piece. We will be unstoppable, and the entire world will tremble before our power!”

Shade vanished, taking Janus with him. The four senshi stared in shock at the place where their friend had been a second ago. Sailor Moon raised her head and squinted her eyes, wondering if she could see the asteroid from where they stood.

“We’ve got to hurry,” Venus was saying.

“What did he mean by ‘machine’, I wonder,” Mars mused.

“They’ve got Janus,” Jupiter exclaimed. “We have to save her.”

“Let’s go,” Sailor Moon said quietly.

The other three looked at her. She smiled sadly at them. “Let’s go. Let’s teleport to the asteroid and save the world.”

Smiling, the three senshi nodded and they all joined hands.

“We’ll need to concentrate harder than we ever have before,” Mars said. “We’ve never teleported with less than five people before.”

“I’ll use the Crystal’s power,” Sailor Moon assured her. “We’ll make it.”

Closing their eyes, the senshi focused their powers. In a flash, they had disappeared from the Earth and were soaring through space.

*****

The senshi found themselves standing alone in a desolate landscape. They were surrounded on all sides by barren rock, under the starry night sky, with the large shape of the Earth looming just out of reach in the distance. The air was thin and cold, and Sailor Moon shivered and hugged herself to keep warm. She turned full circle, taking in the environs of the rock before her eyes settled on a tall factory-like building.

“That must be the place,” Mars said, following Sailor Moon’s gaze.

Sailor Moon said nothing, but began to walk slowly forward, her blue eyes locked on her goal. She heard her friends following her, their shoes kicking up the loose rocks as they moved, but her mind was focused on the building. Shade was there, with Janus, and the mysterious Boss who had caused all their suffering and hardships. Sailor Moon picked up the pace, her determination forcing her forward. She would save them.

The two large doors of the building were wide open, revealing an empty corridor that disappeared into the darkness. Sailor Moon hesitated and the other senshi caught up to her. They all stared into the abyss.

“Looks like we’re expected,” Jupiter remarked.

“We’d better not keep our host waiting, then,” Venus added.

The girls entered the building, walking slowly and cautiously down the hall. The only sound was their shoes echoing on the hard ground, and the pounding of their hearts. Surprisingly, the light that had illuminated the factory doors followed them, keeping the area ahead and behind them masked in shadows. Their nerves were tight as they waited anxiously for an attack, each of them aware at how easy this was.

Finally, the corridor ended and the light expanded to illuminate the centre of a huge room, keeping the walls and corners in total darkness. On a pedestal rising from the centre of the floor was a yellow sphere with a person inside it.

“Sailor Janus,” Sailor Moon cried.

The black haired senshi raised her head, her turquoise eyes widening in surprise and alarm. She raised herself to her knees and pounded her fists on the sphere, yelling something the other senshi couldn’t hear. She pointed back the way they had come, shaking her head.

“Mars Flame Sniper!” Sailor Mars called, shooting her arrow at the bubble.

Janus ducked instinctively, but the arrow glanced harmlessly off the surface of her cage. Janus glared at Mars angrily, and Mars shrugged.

“Venus Love and Beauty Shock!” Sailor Venus sent her attack at the base of the column, hoping to knock Janus down by destroying the foundation. Janus’ sphere rocked dangerously close to the edge, but stayed put. Janus began shouting something at the senshi.

“What impolite guests!” Shade’s voice came from the shadows.

The light expanded further, revealing the rest of the room. Shade stood to the left of the pillar, his gloved hands resting lightly on his hips. He had a smug grin on his face, and the cut on his cheek was a startling red contrast to his pale skin. Directly behind Shade was a large object covered in a white sheet. It rose almost to the ceiling of the building, and was as wide as a small car. Next to the sheet sat an enormous man, lounging on hundreds of cushions. He appeared to be too fat to move, but his dark beady eyes betrayed his cunning intelligence.

“Allow me to introduce the Boss,” Shade said, gesturing to the obese man.

“Enough chit-chat, Shade,” the Boss snapped, his voice slightly wheezing.

“I apologize,” Shade said with a bow. “To business, then.”

He clapped his hands and the pedestal holding Janus vanished. The yellow sphere fell to the ground, bouncing once before coming to rest next to Shade. Janus blinked a few times in surprise, but was unhurt by the fall. Now that she was closer, Sailor Moon could see she still wore the bruises and chains she had suffered under Aura’s care. Janus rose to her knees and began gesturing rapidly to Sailor Moon, speaking at the same time.

“Release her,” Sailor Moon demanded.

“Of course,” Shade answered, levitating he sphere into the air. “My dear former sister would be an excellent way to demonstrate our fabulous machine.”

Janus’ sphere sailed towards the huge sheet covered object. The Boss laughed in delight as Shade whipped the sheet off as if he were a magician revealing his latest trick. The senshi were dumbstruck by what they saw. The base of the machine looked like a large above-ground swimming pool, with flashing lights and buttons on the side. Three legs protruded from the top of the pool and held a large white crystal suspended in the air. Above the crystal was a glass tube that led to what looked like a laser beam, which was currently pointed at the ground. Inside the pool was a swirling green mist that crept up the sides of the basin as if trying to escape.

“Holy crap,” Jupiter whispered.

“My greatest achievement,” the Boss rasped. “Harvesting the strength and powers of the senshi and focusing them on a single person. Imagine the possibilities.”

Sailor Mars took a step forward. “You’re killing us to make yourself a super senshi?”

“Not a senshi!” the Boss roared. “I will be a god! But I require the powers held by my dear daughter.”

Janus gazed at the fat man sadly from her prison.

“You can’t have her,” Sailor Moon declared. “You’ll have to go through us first.”

The Boss smiled, his rotted teeth full of old food. “If you insist. Shade, add them to my collection.”

Janus floated to the ground, resting next to the machine. She sat, watching in growing horror as Shade removed his gloves to attack the younger senshi. Her eyes flickered towards the green mist and hope sparked. Bowing her head, she closed her eyes and clasped her chained hands together.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done,” Janus prayed, “but there are innocents in danger. Use my strength as I have used yours. Please, help them!”

Shade held out his hands, palms forward, and blasted the four girls with an intense beam of dark energy. The senshi scattered to avoid being hit, chased by Shade’s laughter as they moved. Sailor Moon rolled into a crouch and tried to figure out the best course of action. The Boss was watching the battle with bemused interest, and Janus seemed to be deep in prayer. Mars, Venus, and Jupiter were at the other corners of the room, with Shade walking slowly towards the centre, randomly blasting around the room. Sailor Moon held out her hand for her rapier and was comforted by its weight in her hand. She bit her lip in silent frustration.

“Everyone’s in danger,” she thought to herself. “What do I do?”

Suddenly, the room was filled with a dense fog that made it impossible for anyone to see anything. Sailor Moon rose to her feet, peering into the mist. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized she could see Shade, and the other senshi, moving around. She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around quickly to see a figure resembling Sailor Mercury vanishing in the fog. The figure paused to look at her before disappearing completely. Sailor Moon smiled, tears welling up in her eyes and she gripped the rapier tightly.

Moving as silently as she could, she approached Shade. She could hear him muttering obscenities against the sudden haze as she drew closer, but his back was to her. Standing tall, Sailor Moon held her rapier out towards him, preparing to end this battle with a single thrust. Before she could strike, Shade whipped around, his own sword in hand, and parried her attack. The clank of the two blades meeting echoed through the room as the mist dissipated. All eyes were on Shade and Sailor Moon as they stood motionless in the centre of the room, their swords locked together. Shade smiled playfully.

“Shall we dance?” he asked.

Sailor Moon’s eyes narrowed and she took a step backwards, breaking free of the stalemate. Shade did the same. Sailor Jupiter watched fearfully, hoping that Sailor Moon would be able to fight against Shade. As she stared at the duel, she saw a figure materialize next to Sailor Moon, holding her hand and helping to guide her blade. It was a senshi with short wavy reddish-blonde hair and two white locks framing her face. She wore a blue fuku that exposed her navel, with feathered shoulders and a yellow collar. Her skirt was white with blue and yellow stripes along the bottom, and she had white bows on the front and back of her uniform. She wore tall blue boots on her feet. The figure looked over at Jupiter and winked.

“Do you see that?” Jupiter asked Venus.

“What? The girl with black hair done up in buns?” Venus replied.

“No, the reddish-blonde with white streaks.”

“Sorry. I only see the black haired girl.”

“And I see a girl with long black hair and dark skin,” Mars added. “What’s going on?”

Sailor Moon and Shade continued to fight tirelessly. Shade was slowly gaining ground, pushing Sailor Moon towards the strange machine and the pool of green mist. Sailor Mars nocked an arrow on her bow and let it fly at Shade, but he deflected it calmly with a single blast from his hand.

“What do you think will happen if Sailor Moon falls into that pool?” Jupiter asked.

“I don’t know, but it can’t be good,” Mars replied. “We have to stop him.”

“Jupiter Oak Evolution!” Jupiter cried, hoping her attack will at least distract Shade from his assault.

The attack did nothing. Sailor Moon was almost against the side of the pool, when Venus heard pounding behind her. Janus was banging on the side of her spherical prison, trying to get their attention. The three senshi tore their eyes from the duel and turned to face Janus, who pointed to a panel on the machine and mimicked pulling a lever down. Mars nodded and ran to the mechanism, yanking the lever. The yellow sphere disappeared and Janus was free. Venus destroyed her chains with a flick of her Love-Me Chain and they all turned again to assess the situation. The Boss remained oddly silent at this turn of events.

“We can’t let her go into the pool,” Janus said quickly. “The mist is the senshi essences that Shade and Aura collected. Since they’re not senshi themselves, they had to deposit what they stole in there.”

Venus looked at the pool with newfound disgust. Janus smiled as she looked to a seemingly empty part of the room and nodded. Venus noticed that the black haired girl she had seen earlier was standing there, and nodding back.

“You can see them?” Venus asked.

“I’ll explain that later,” Janus promised. “I’ll distract Shade. You three stop that machine.”

Sailor Moon cried out in terror as Shade’s weapon came dangerously close to her throat. She was exhausted, but managed a clumsy save. Janus charged into the battle, throwing her attack as she drew closer.

“Yin Yang Magic!” she exclaimed, tossing a discus.

The discus exploded on impact, causing Shade to drop his sword and stagger backwards a few steps. Sailor Moon stared in surprise, as did Janus as she saw a senshi with gray hair wearing a purple and blue fuku come up behind Shade and push him.

“Sailor Moon!” Janus exclaimed, pushing the blonde girl out of the way as Shade stumbled towards them, still holding his face in both hands. He stumbled by them, and Janus noticed the reddish-blonde haired figure give him a swift kick in the behind, causing him to fall forward and into the pool. He cried out as the swirling green mist dragged him down and out of sight.

“Are you okay?” both Janus and Sailor Moon asked one another.

They both laughed and embraced. From the shadows came the faint sound of clapping. Venus, Mars, and Jupiter stopped their sabotage to see what was going on, and Sailor Moon held Janus tightly by the hand.

“Bravo, daughter,” the Boss said. “You defeated Aura and Shade, but then I always knew you were the strongest.”

“Knock it off,” Janus replied. “I’m not the same person you corrupted. I’ve remembered my past.”

“Really? And is it all sunshine and roses?” the Boss asked. “What about the life I gave you? I provided everything you could want. I gave you strength and power, and this is my payment? Betrayal?”

Janus hesitated. Sailor Moon glanced up at her and saw tears in her turquoise eyes.

“I even loved you like a daughter,” the Boss continued. “You were always special to me. That’s why I made you part of my plan. When I am a god, you will rule beside me. The universe will be ours to mould.”

“The universe is fine the way it is,” Janus said stiffly. “Forget about this stupid plan and go home. I don’t want to have to kill you, for old times’ sake.”

The Boss exhaled a long, wheezing breath. “You know I have to finish what I started, Janus.”

He pushed a button on a receiver he held in one of his chubby hands. The laser cannon turned slowly until it was pointing at him. The senshi froze, unable to see how they would stop him now. Janus had her eyes locked on the Boss’ face the entire time, but now she turned to Sailor Moon and took both of the girl’s hands into her own. Sailor Moon stared up at her and read the pain in her face.

“I know I promised,” Janus said quickly, “but please forgive me. This is the only way.”

Before Sailor Moon could open her mouth, Janus released her hands and ran to the pool. The green mist was spinning much faster know, being drawn up towards the crystal, and a blackness was visible at the bottom. Janus didn’t hesitate, but leapt into the air and executed a perfect dive directly into the middle of the container.

“Janus!” Sailor Moon screamed, suddenly realizing what her friend had said.

The Boss laughed as the laser prepared to fire. Venus, Mars, and Jupiter moved to where Sailor Moon stood, staring stupidly at the machine. Mars put her arms around her, and looked up at the Boss. The laser looked as if it were about to fire when suddenly the entire machine went dead.

“Huh?” the Boss gasped, pushing his button a few more times.

The pool exploded into a geyser of green vapour, knocking down the complicated equipment above it. The Boss roared with anger and frustration as all the senshi essences he had collected spread out across the floor like a flood. Slowly, the mist formed shapes, human shapes that lay on the ground. The four senshi stared in amazement as all the senshi who had died were reformed in front of their eyes.

“What’s going on?” Sailor Uranus asked, rubbing her head. A short distance away, Sailor Neptune was also rising to her feet.

“Haruka-san, Michiru-san,” Sailor Moon whispered, hardly daring to believe it was real.

“Ooo… my head,” Sailor Stellanova gasped as she sat up.

“Étoile-chan,” Sailor Moon fell to her knees.

“Usagi-chan?” a quiet voice spoke. “Are you all right?”

“Ami…” the tears flowed freely from Sailor Moon’s eyes as Sailor Mercury knelt in front of her, looking at her with worry. Sailor Moon threw her arms around Mercury’s neck and held her tightly. Behind her, the other senshi were also crying as they were reunited with their friends.

“Last thing I remember was fighting a strange senshi with turquoise eyes,” Sailor Neptune was saying. “She had just killed you, Haruka.”

“Apparently it’s not until death parts us,” Sailor Uranus replied, holding Neptune by the hand.

Other senshi were forming as well, including the four figures that had helped defeat Shade. They were standing together in a group, staring at Sailor Moon and the other senshi. Finally, a tall girl with dark skin and her black hair in two buns on top of her head hesitantly walked forward. She was wearing a white fuku with feathered sleeves, a red collar with green bows, a green skirt with a yellow and red stripe, and green boots.

“Princess?” she said softly. “Princess Serenity? Is that you?”

Sailor Moon looked up and rose to her feet. The senshi in front of her smiled widely and laughed. Turning back to her friends, she gestured for them to come forward.

“I am Sachi Hiroko, Sailor Fortuna,” she said with a bow. “It is wonderful to see you again, your Highness. You as well, Lady Venus.”

Sailor Venus blinked in surprise. “How do you know me?”

“You were Sailor Janus’ team,” Sailor Moon said slowly. “She told me. Each of you trained one of us.”

Fortuna nodded, tears in her eyes. “I helped make Sailor Venus the best she could be. I trained her to lead the senshi when Princess Serenity became queen.”

Sailor Jupiter looked at Fortuna’s team and immediately recognized the girl with the reddish-blonde hair. She smiled and came forward, holding out her hand for Jupiter to shake.

“I’m Sailor Andromeda, or Toushi Leiko when I’m not on duty,” she said with a wink. “Mako-chan, it’s great to see you again.”

“I take it you were the one who trained me?”

“Everyday. We used to fight in the garden while Suma over there was trying to meditate.”

The tall senshi with the very dark skin and incredibly long black hair rolled her eyes and cross her hands over her chest. Her fuku was the same style as the other two, only her collar and skirt were dark blue and her bows orange. She wore tall orange lace-up boots on her feet.

“Chishikino Suma, Sailor Aegyptus,” she said by means of introduction. “Lady Mars, pleasure to see you well.”

Mars bowed to her former teacher. “We used to meditate in the garden?”

Suma smiled. “When I could catch you.”

The final senshi shyly stepped forward and looked at Ami. The two girls even looked similar. She had silver hair and pale skin, and her collar and skirt were purple, while her bows were blue. She also had ankle length purple boots on.

“Ami-chan,” she said with a smile. “I wish you remembered me. I am Kon Yasu, Sailor Pandora.”

“Sensei,” Ami said with a slight bow.

Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune exchanged confused looks. Even Sailor Stellanova, who had been part of the fight longer than the other two senshi, was trying hard to figure out what was being said. Sailor Moon glanced over to the machine in sorrow.

“Mikko did what she had to do to save us all,” Sailor Fortuna said gently.

“Her death was honorable,” Aegyptus added.

“All she wanted was forgiveness,” Sailor Moon whispered, her eyes straying to the rapier that lay discarded by the machine.

“A touching reunion,” the Boss spoke up.

“You are the one who set Janus against us,” Sailor Pandora said with uncharacteristic harshness in her voice.

“I did,” the Boss replied. “When she arrived on my asteroid, the opportunity was too good to pass up. An untrained, powerless senshi with a unique ability to get me what I needed.”

“She was a child!” Fortuna exclaimed.

“She was a senshi,” the Boss snapped. “You are all alike. So high and mighty because you have magical powers. Without them, you’re just like us.”

“Yes,” Sailor Moon agreed. “We are just like you without our powers, but we can’t get rid of them so easily. So we have to make do with what we have, like you do. We have to decided whether to be good or evil, like you do. We have to chose between helping or hurting, and we have to live with the consequences of our actions. Exactly like you must do.”

The Boss was silent.

“Leave now,” Sailor Moon continued, her voice getting stronger as she spoke. “Return to wherever you came from and don’t come back. You’re alone now.”

“Yes, alone,” the Boss said quietly. “Very well. You’ve won. You’ve taken my family from me and left me powerless and alone. Get out of here.”

The senshi filed towards the door, Sailor Moon bringing up the rear. She could hear the muffled sobs of the Boss as she left the room. Pausing at the doorway, she heard him call out to Janus, his lost daughter, asking her for forgiveness.