CHAPTER FOUR

TAKEN FOR GRANITE

“Jupiter Thunder Dragon!”

With a final scream of pain and anger, the Negaverse monster disappeared. Sailor Jupiter watched in satisfaction as and turned to the monster’s victim.

“Thank you so much!” the girl gasped. She was shaken, but unhurt and the monster had not taken enough energy to severely weaken her.

“No problem,” Sailor Jupiter said with a smile. Leaving the girl to collect her things, the Sailor Scout faded into the shadows and transformed back into Lita.

“That’s the third monster since Jenny vanished,” Lita muttered to herself. “I wonder why the Negaverse suddenly go so energy hungry.”

She shrugged and picked up her discarded school bag. Raye would be furious if she was late for the meeting.

*****

Far off in the Negaverse, Jenny paced in her cage. Granite sat a little ways away at a table covered with food, and watched the girl in amusement.

"Why don't you transform and blast your way out," Granite suggested.

Jenny glared at him and continued pacing. Granite laughed softly and sipped at a glass of wine.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he asked.

Jenny stopped directly in front of him and stared into his eyes. They were cold and unforgiving.

"I would rather die," she replied.

Granite shrugged and bit into a strange looking fruit.

"Have it your way. If you don't eat, you will die," he said.

Jenny sat in a corner, her back facing him. She allowed the tears that had been building up inside her to flow out as she fingered her ring.

"The Prince would . . ," a new voice began.

" . . . like a word with you," another voice finished.

Jenny quickly brushed away her tears and turned. There were two identical generals standing on either side of Granite. They seemed more evil than Granite and Jenny became afraid.

"As the Master wishes," Granite said as he vanished.

Jenny stood and ran to the bars that blocked her from freedom, almost wishing that Granite would not leave.

"Welcome to the . . ," the first twin started.

" . . Negaverse, Sunchild," the other ended.

"What do you want from me?" Jenny asked.

The two generals laughed evilly.

"You shall soon find out," the said in unison. “Once you transform, your true self will finally be revealed to you.”

Granite reappeared and sat back down. The twins watched him.

"Halite, Albite you can go now" Granite said.

The twins bowed and vanished. Granite stood and walked towards Jenny.

"So, you still haven't transformed. No matter, you will soon enough," he said.

"Why are you doing this?" Jenny asked.

"Because I'm the bad guy! It's the duty of all bad guys to destroy the good guys. You're a good guy so I'm trying to destroy you," Granite explained.

"You've been reading too many comic books," Jenny accused.

Granite shrugged. "Perhaps, but that doesn't change your situation."

*****

“You were attacked?” Raye asked.

Lita had just arrived at the meeting at the Cherry Hill Temple. She was usually on time, so when Raye confronted her at the door, the fiery sailor scout had questioned her friend’s tardiness.

Lita shrugged. “Well, not me personally, but a girl was. I had to help her.”

Raye nodded. “Amy was attacked yesterday, and Mina the day before. Since Jenny’s disappearance, the Negaverse has been acting very strange.”

“It’s almost as if they need energy in a hurry for some reason,” Mina said. “Anyone have any idea why?”

“The Negaverse needs energy not only to survive in our universe, but to open the portal that will let the Negaforce out,” Luna said. “It was that force that destroyed the Moon Kingdom.”

Serena blinked. “So, if Queen Serenity was able to send the Negaforce back, why can’t I with my Crystal?”

“I don’t think it’s that easy,” Artemis replied. “The Negaverse is a lot stronger than it was before.”

Serena frowned. “Then how are we going to get Jenny back?”

Luna shook her head. “I don’t know. But we’ll think of something.”

*****

Andrew unlocked the door of the arcade early the next morning and stepped inside. He switched on the lights, illuminating the rows of quiet machines that would soon be full of life. Humming to himself, he strapped on his apron and began to set up for the day.

A man walked through the open door and Andrew turned. The man was young with blue eyes and black hair. Andrew came up to him with a polite smile on his face.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re not open yet,” Andrew said.

The man turned to face him and smiled back. Andrew felt a chill go down his spine. The man pointed at Andrew and a shot of dark energy sprang from his finger, hitting the clerk full force in the chest. Andrew was knocked unconscious.

“Nega-Secure!” Granite called.

An eerie black mist settled on all the machines of the arcade. Granite snapped his fingers and a robotic monster appeared before him.

“Get as much energy as you can for the Negaverse,” Granite ordered, “and capture a Sailor Scout.”

The robot bowed. “As you command, master.”

The Negaverse general peered over his shoulder to the still form of Andrew. “You might as well start with that one.”

Granite smiled his chilling smile as the monster slowly approached Andrew, and vanished.

*****

Serena was skipping down the street, whistling happily. Her friends has assured her that they would get Jenny in no time and Serena had felt her mood brighten considerably. For the first time in a long time, she felt carefree. She was so confident in their mission that she didn't even notice when she bumped into someone on the street.

"Hey, watch it, Meatball Head," a voice said fondly.

Serena looked up and squealed with joy.

"Darien! You're back! How was your trip?" Serena said as she hugged him.

Darien was a tall college boy with short, dark hair and brown eyes. He was also Tuxedo Mask, protector of Sailor Moon, and Prince Darien, Princess Serena's lost love. He had been gone for several weeks on a trip to Europe.

"It was great. I bought you something," he said, placing a small package in Serena's hand.

Quickly, Serena opened it and took out a beaded bracelet. It was yellow and looked almost exactly like the one Princess Serena had worn while on the Moon.

"Oh Darien, thank you," Serena said.

Darien returned the smile Serena had on her face.

"I'm on my way to the arcade to give Andrew his gift, do you want to come?" Darien asked.

"Sure. On the way I can tell you about Jenny," Serena agreed.

Arm in arm, the two walked down the street.

*****

Serena and Darien rounded the corner leading to the arcade. Serena was chatting about Jenny and the adventures they had already had when Darien suddenly stopped walking. Serena looked up at him with concern.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Does that seem odd to you?” Darien asked quietly, pointing toward the arcade.

Serena looked and noticed a group of people leaving the building. Their heads hung low and their eyes appeared droopy. None of them spoke.

“Does what seem odd?” Serena asked.

“They look . . . drained,” Darien remarked. “Maybe we should check it out.”

Serena nodded and the two began to walk quickly to the arcade.

As the doors slid open, Serena immediately noticed the eerie silence. The arcade was usually full of conversation, the ringing of games and a million other sounds. Girls and boys of all ages sat staring at the games like zombies. Serena clung to Darien’s arm as they walked toward the counter where Andrew usually stood.

“Hello,” a woman said, appearing before them. “Can I interest you in a free game?”

“Where’s Andrew?” Serena asked.

“He took the day off,” the woman replied with a smile. “He wasn’t feeling himself today. How about that game?”

“This doesn’t feel right,” Darien whispered. Serena nodded.

“We’re friends of Andrew’s,” Darien said to the woman. “He asked us to get something from his office.”

He tried to brush past the woman, but she stuck out her arm to block them. Darien took a step back to where he had been standing before and looked the woman in the eye.

“I have a special game for you,” she said. “Robotica! Transform!”

Serena and Darien tried to scramble out of the monsters way as the woman transformed into a Negaverse creature. She appeared to be a giant video game with a head, arms, and legs. She held a controller in one hand. As Darien pushed Serena toward the door, Robotica jumped over them to block their only way out.

“Ha ha ha!” she laughed. “Your energy is mine!”

"Don't count on it, lady," Darien said.

"Moon Crystal Power!" Serena called out, holding up her locket.

The monster stared in confusion as her two victims transformed. Soon, instead of facing two powerless humans, the monster was facing Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

"Sailor Moon! What energy I’ll get from you!" the monster sneered.

"I don't think so, creep," Sailor Moon replied.

With that, the robot leapt and tried to catch Sailor Moon in a flying tackle. The girl dove out of the way with a terrified cry and Tuxedo Mask charged. The monster seemed to want him to do just that and she shot some sort of net at him. Tuxedo Mask was caught before he knew it.

"Sailor Moon, your tiara!" he cried from inside the net.

Sailor Moon took off her tiara and it turned into a glowing discus.

"Moon Tiara Magic!" she called, throwing it at the monster.

The evil being jumped and the tiara uselessly hit the wall. She turned to face the scout.

“My turn,” Robotica laughed. She pointed the controller at Sailor Moon and hundreds of sparks of electricity. Sailor Moon began to jump to avoid being electrocuted.

"Mercury Bubble Blast!" Sailor Mercury cried.

The room was in closed in a thick fog as Sailor Mercury joined her friend.

"Mercury, thanks. Where's every one else?" Sailor Moon asked.

"There was another monster sighting on the other side of town and they went there. I came here to find you," Sailor Mercury replied.

The fog thinned and disappeared and the two scouts saw Granite standing over Tuxedo Mask.

"Well, looks like I'll kill three birds with one stone. Nega-Destroy!" Granite commanded, pointing at Tuxedo Mask.

"No!" Sailor Moon yelled, running towards him.

"It's a trap!" Sailor Mercury shouted.

"Nega-Contain!" Granite ordered.

Soon Sailor Moon was trapped inside a glass box. She pounded vainly on the walls but they wouldn't budge.

"You should have listened to your friend," Granite scolded. “With you two, the Sun girl will have no choice but to transform.”

“Why do you want her so badly?” Sailor Moon asked from inside her prison.

“Because locked within that girl is the Negaverse’s greatest weapon against you!” Granite replied. “Nega-Away!”

He laughed wickedly and vanished, taking Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask with him. Sailor Mercury was left alone to deal with the monster.

"Looks like it's me and you, kid," the monster said.

"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Sailor Mercury cried.

Before the monster could dodge, she was frozen solid. Sailor Mercury kicked the statue in the stomach and the whole thing crumbled into millions of ice cubes.

*****

Granite reappeared before Jenny's cage in the Negaverse.

"Now, you'll have to transform, Sunchild," he said.

"And how will you make me?" Jenny retorted.

Granite smiled and raised his hand. The darkness that had surrounded Jenny's cage melted away and she could see two figures lying unconscious on the floor.

"Sailor Moon!" she cried, recognizing the girl.

"That's right, and unless you transform and surrender yourself to the Negaverse, your friends will perish," Granite threatened.

Jenny stared at the two forms and then glared at Granite.

"Never. Those two are probably just your illusions," Jenny said.

Granite shrugged and returned to his seat at the small table. "Very well, when they awaken, you shall see."

He gestured nonchalantly to the unconscious people and they vanished. A cage materialized adjacent to Jenny’s and the two people reappeared in it. Jenny watched them carefully as they stirred and awoke.

"Oh my head," the girl said as she tried to sit up.

Jenny studied her closely and, as far as she could tell, it was Sailor Moon. The man, however, she had never seen before in her life. He remained lying on the ground and Sailor Moon first check him before looking at her surroundings.

"Jenny!" she exclaimed.

"Sailor Moon! It is you!" Jenny answered, moving to where her friend stood.

They faced each other between bars and smiled. It was the first time Jenny smiled since her abduction.

"Who's that?" Jenny asked, pointing at the man who was struggling to sit up.

Sailor Moon ran over to help him, and held him as he cleared his head.

"This is Tuxedo Mask" she said by way of introduction.

The man stood, nodded to Jenny and began searching for a way out. Jenny thought about everything Serena had told her about this man. She smiled in remembrance.

"We've got to get out of here," he said.

“No kidding,” Granite laughed from his chair. He sipped his wine. “You should talk to your friend.”

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask turned their eyes to Jenny. Jenny lowered her eyes. " I can free you."

Tuxedo Mask moved closer to her. She kept her gaze down, looking at her feet. Sailor Moon also came over to her friend and reached between the bars to gently touch Jenny’s shoulder. Sailor Moon immediately noticed that Jenny was much thinner than before and was covered in dirt. Jenny fingered her ring nervously.

"By becoming Sailor Sun, I will be able to free you, but Granite has been trying to get me to transform since he kidnapped me," she explained. “I’m afraid of what I’ll become if I try.”

“Granite did say something about you becoming the Negaverse’s greatest weapon,” Tuxedo Mask reminded them.

"Then we can't put you in any more danger," Sailor Moon decided. “There has to be another way out.”

Tuxedo Mask nodded his agreement. For hours the three of them tried to escape as Granite watched on. Finally, he rolled his eyes and stood.

"Nega-Choke!" he cried, pointing at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

The two of them fell to their knees, struggling to breathe. Their hands rose to their throats in desperation.

"You won't transform unless your friends are in serious trouble,” Granite said angrily. He gestured to the suffocating duo. “Well Sunchild, the choice is now yours."

Jenny watched, horrified at what was happening to her friends. Sailor Moon lay on her back, gasping for air and Tuxedo Mask clutched at his throat.

"I have no choice," she whispered. "Granite, you have won this round."

Jenny raised her hand with the sun ring on and clenched her fist. "Solar Ring Power!" she shouted.

In a blinding flash, Jenny was gone and Sailor Sun stood in her place. She bowed her head slightly and put her fingers in a triangle at her forehead.

"Day-Star Solar Ray Charge!" she said, aiming at the bars that blocked her path.

They melted away and Sailor Sun rushed to where her friends lay. She raised her ringed hand once more.

"Solar Recharge Radiation!" she called as a pale yellow light floated down from her ring.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask sat up groggily, inhaling deeply.

“Jenny . . ,” Sailor Moon gasped.

"Keep your part of the bargain," Sailor Sun demanded, rising to her feet.

Granite shrugged. "As you wish," he said.

He pointed for the final time at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

"Nega-Return!" he commanded.

The two prisoners vanished.

"Now you are mine to control," Granite said.

Sailor Sun was about to surrender when her ring acted on its own. It shot an orange light down to the floor and the ground suddenly began to shake. The table was crushed under a large piece of falling rock, and Granite was roughly thrown into a wall. When he raised his head again, Sailor Sun was gone. He cursed and thought about what he would tell his Master.

*****

"No! Take me back! Jenny!" Sailor Moon cried.

Tuxedo Mask held Sailor Moon where they both knelt on the floor. They were once again in the arcade. Sailor Mercury had long since gone and all that remained of the monster was a puddle of water on the floor.

"Take it easy, she did it for us," Tuxedo Mask said, holding her close.

Tears poured down Sailor Moon's cheeks as she transformed back into Serena. Darien released her, but kept a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"She sacrificed her freedom, for us," Serena whispered.

She stood and embraced Darien tightly. They held each other for a long time before there came a flash of light from one of the back rooms.

"It could be the Negaverse, coming back for us," Darien said, pushing Serena protectively behind him.

He slowly headed toward the light, followed closely by Serena, and peeked into the room. There, lying on the floor, was Andrew and beside him was Sailor Sun.

"Andrew!” Darien exclaimed. “Sailor Sun!”

He rushed over to where his two friends lay. Andrew groaned in his sleep and Darien left him, satisfied that he was not injured and would recover on his own. He turned to Sailor Sun, who lay face down on the floor, unmoving.

Serena joined him and gently they turned their friend over. She was unconscious and her hand was burned right through her glove. Serena touched the jewel on her tiara and she changed back into Jenny.

"We'd better bring her somewhere safe," Darien suggested. “Someplace the Negaverse won’t be able to find us.”

Serena nodded. “What about Andrew?”

“He’s weak, but he should wake up in a few minutes on his own. I don’t think we should be here when he does,” Darien said.

He picked Jenny up easily and they walked to the door. It was dark outside and Serena realized that they had spent the entire day in that cage in the Negaverse. She looked at Jenny and realized that Jenny had been gone for over a week! They kept walking and soon they arrived at Raye's Temple on Cherry Hill. Serena headed over to Raye's widow and knocked. Raye woke up and looked outside, her face full of anger.

"What do you want, Serena? It's the middle of the . . ," she stopped when she saw Darien holding Jenny.

"Don't just stand there doofus, bring her in here," Raye ordered, disappearing back into her house. Seconds later, the door opened and Serena and Darien went inside.

*****

Darien lay Jenny down on Raye’s bed as the fiery girl searched the temple for healing herbs. Jenny’s face was contorted in pain and she moved her head slightly, giving a faint moan. Her right hand was burned badly and Raye quickly put on a soothing salve and bandaged it. She sat back with a sigh and turned to her guests.

“Now, why don’t you tell me what happened,” she suggested.

A few hours later, Jenny woke up. Darien was sipping tea and Serena had fallen into an exhausted slumber in a nearby chair. Raye knelt by Jenny, watching the girl for signs of healing.

“Raye?” Jenny mumbled, her eyes slowly opening. “Where am I?”

“You’re in my room,” Raye said quietly. Serena woke up at the slight noise and made her way, with Darien, to where Jenny lay.

“Are you okay?” Serena asked.

“Serena?” Jenny said in a confused tone. “What are you doing in Raye’s room?” She turned to see Darien. “Who are you?”

“Do you remember anything that happened today?” Serena asked.

Jenny shook her head slightly. “I remember fighting in the park, and Granite taking me to the Negaverse, and being in a dark cage, but that’s all. Did you rescue me?”

“You rescued us,” Darien told her. “We were taken as well, to force you to transform into Sailor Sun, and you did. Then Granite sent us back and you appeared shortly after.”

Jenny squinted her eyes and smiled. “You must be Darien. I remember Serena talking about you.”

Darien seemed to blush, but said nothing.

“You better go home,” Raye told Serena and Darien. “Jenny can stay here for a while, until she gets her strength back.”

Serena nodded and smiled. She turned to say good bye to Jenny, but the girl had already fallen asleep again.

*****

“Granite, you are becoming a disappointment to me,” Rutile, Ruler of the Negaverse said from his throne.

Granite bowed. “Yes, my Master. The girl was in my power, but something happened that sent her back to her world before I could stop her.”

Rutile narrowed his eyes. “I should dispose of you . . .”

Granite flinched.

“But I won’t,” Rutile finished. “Bring this Sailor Sun to me. I will personally convince her to join our forces. She is too important to me to let her get away so easily.”

Granite bowed and left the throne room. Prince Rutile sat back in his throne and began to laugh.