Sailormoon: CyberNet Chronicals
Log 2: Warriors of Apocalypse
"There are those who wander the streets, like phantoms, dressed in the garbs of old heroes. They fight, they lose, they fear. Everything they have done
has failed. They have not tried to change their tactics. They wait for their true powers to emerge. They are phantoms; ghosts of the past who walk through
our future. They bear the crystals of their ancestors, but lack the courage and knowledge to use them. They shall fall, as we are destined to rise."
An assembly of cloaked figured sat rigif before a being atop a shadowy horse. His sunken crimson eyes and bony face slowly watched the audience. One
thin, almost transparent, hand gripped a stone tablet engraved with mystical carvings whose meanings could only be decifered by one of the four horsemen. The
horseman holding this tablet was famine. He was currently powerless; he needed a power source to fully use his abilities.
All seated wore long cloaks, the hoods pulled over the owner's face. Famine's eyes turned to the back of the spacious stone room. Standing amidst the shadows was a being with large leathery gargoyle-like wings.
Across her right eye was a large reddish birthmark, across her left were short spikes. Golden cat-like eyes glinted coldly from under long black bangs. A silvery
triangular earring dangled form one ear, a green jewel hung around the being's head. she appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, tall, with strong arms and legs.
She rarely wore a cloak, besides the fact that no cloak could cover her wings. Famine took a deep breath, then dismissed the assembly. They left in a silent single-file line, heads bowed.
"Silphe, you're back early. I assume you disposed of the descendants of Mars?"
"They weren't descendants," Silphe answered, stepping into the dim light illuminating the room. "It wasn't necessary to kidnap or kill them."
Famine glared at the girl. The decision wasn't hers to make. "Anyone who might oppose us, now or at some later date, must be either assimilated into this group or
destroyed. We are powerful because we eliminate our enemies. Anyone who is a descendant of the original senshi is a potential threat. You are here to obey orders."
Famine's horse stamped its foot impatiently and snorted, as if to agree with its master. Silphe shrugged lightly and took a few steps towards the horse and rider. The horse stamped the other foot, sensing
the building tension in the air. Silphe gracefully hopped on top of a stone fountain and perched like a bird. Golden eyes watched the horseman intently. He turned his horse,
thus dismissing Silphe's pressence. The girl didn't budge from her location, so Famine rode his horse in a trot through the stone passageway leading outside. Silphe waited until the clip-clopping
of hooves on stone faded away.
"It's almost sad that he doesn't have any power now," she said, thinking out loud. She knew no one neared the cobblestone holo-library, the room she currently occupied, at this time of day. Silphe sighed contently
and leaned backwards to dip her head in the cool water of the fountain. She spread her wings and fell fully into the fountain, sliding underwater into the short tunnel leading to a secret doorway under the old Juuban racetrack's
bleachers. Silphe pushed the doorway upwards, inhaling the air as she surfaced. She pulled the rest of her body out through the doorway, then sat on the grass for several seconds. She crawled out from under the bleachers and shook
her short black hair in an attempt to rid it of water. She snatched a carefully concealed towel from the second rusty bleacher's underside and hastily wiped her hair dry. Replacing the towel, she gazed across the dusty track. A figure
was jogging around the circular path, slowly coming closer to Siplhe's position. Silphe clenched her hand into a fist, preparing to fight. The figure rounded a corner, then came to a sudden halt before Silphe.
"I didn't realize I'd be having company," the figure said. Silphe relaxed a little and scrutinized the figure. She was tall, with creamy brown hair tied back with a small hair clip. About half of her wild ponytail was silvery. Her
eyes were dark brown and she wore a light green jogging suit. She didn't seem the least bit scared or surprised by Silphe's appearance.
"I could say the same thing," Silphe replied coolly, "normally I'm alone at this racetrack. I guess - it's unusual to see anyone else around here."
"Have to agree with you there," the girl answered with a nod, "but since we're both here, and - I assume - we both want to use this old track, so we should race." The girl paused, waiting for a response. When she didn't receive one, she
looked up at the charred remains of Juuban High School. "You know, my gran went to Juuban when she was about my age. I never met her, but my mom told me stories."
Silphe smiled. "Well, it's good to have company. Race" She walked onto the track and stood in the lane next to the girl. "Love to." The girl grinned and stooped into a racing start position. Silphe did the same and turned her head. "I don't
think I caught your name."
"You didn't," the girl said, "but it's Themis." Both runners turned their attention to the track ahead. "Ready?" Silphe nodded. "Go!" Two trails of dust flew backwards over the dull red starting line as the girls darted around the track.
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Two girls with flame-red hair sat in a black leafless tree. They looked identical, except for their clothes. One wore a pale pink T-shirt with orange shorts and lace-up orange sneakers, while the other wore a crimson tank-top with yellow shorts
and knee-high yellow boots. Both were watching the golden hues of sunset gradually fade from the sky.
"Phobos, Deimos, come here quickly!" The urgent voice of their mother caused hte twins to jump from the tree and race through the backdoor of the house. Several cloaked warriors armed with level three lasers and trans-magma rays stood in a broad
circle around the black haired woman. The girls ran to her, frightened. A figure atop a black horse stood in the doorway, blocking the dim light from outside. The figure dismounted, a sword clanging against his jeweled scabbard. He stopped before the woman.
"Nice to meet you again," the horseman whispered.
"War," the woman hissed, "only you would pull a stunt like this." She clutched her children tightly. War's mouth turned up in an attempt at a grin, barely visible under the heavy ancient mask he wore.
"I've been ordered to rid the Apocalypse Master of your pressance, as well as theirs." He motioned towards the twins. "However, being who you are, I am here to offer you a deal."
"Talk."
"Right to the point. I always did like that about you." He slowly walked to one grayish stone wall and tapped on it with a blood-red gloved hand. The wall was completely solid. "Ever since your fiery - ahem - fury, I thought you would be useful in our mission
to reincarnate the earth. Allow it to be reborn, if you will."
"I would never turn against everything. Never again. I did, once, but that was the only time."
War sighed, frustrated. "Have what you wish." He gestured to the cloaked warriors. "You could have been a great warrior again, as you once were. You could have fought at my side, but you would rather live out the rest of your life as the lonesome priestess."
Two warriors pulled the twin girls away from the woman. The rest fired the magma rays straight at her heart. The priestess screamed as the flames of magma enveloped her. Her eyes slowly took on a reddish hue, her body morphing from human to myhtical bird. Great wings of
eternal fire spread as a golden beak reached for the sky. The flowing red and white robes she had been wearing burned to ashes, falling to the floor in scattered black piles. A yellow star shot from the bird's chest and Hino Rei turned to look longingly at her children before
she vanished in a sudden burst of flames. Deimos shook with fear, her gray eyes filling with water.
"You two will join us," War stated, "now." Two cloaked warriors prodded the girls forward. Phobos stumbled, but her twin grabbed her arm and pulled her upright.
"Someday," Phobos whispered through clenched teeth. Deimos nodded in agreement.
~ End CyberNet Two ~
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