"Shadows of the Past", Part 5
Written by M. H. Torringjan
MSTed by: G. A. Curtis Wildcat

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

>        Hello!  I'm back at it again!  As always, the characters
>in this story aren't mine, unless they were created by me.  The
>ones not created by me are owned by Naoko Takeuchi, Bandai, DiC and
>other large corporations.  I won't ever say that I own the
>characters, unless I do, so there!
>        Also, if I step on anyone's toes by using characters
>similar to theirs, my bad.  I can't read every fanfic that is
>posted on the internet or anywhere else.  It's almost humanly
>impossible.

Tails: And those that the author DOESN'T read are going to be shoved
down our throats by an insane doctor.
Razor: For us either way, it's a lose-lose situation.

>Shadows From the Past
>by: M. H. Torringjan
>
>Part five: The Fires of Destiny

Razor: Yeah, tell us about it.
Wildcat: Oh, come on, Razor.  It's not THAT bad.

>
>        Raye awoke in the middle of the night, disturbed by a dream
>that she had had.  It was another one about her mother.  Raye had
>always been disturbed by these dreams, but recently, the dreams had
>been growing in intensity.  She was beginning to become worried
>about herself, and perhaps even her future.  She decided to check
>the sacred fire for any signs of trouble.

Tails: (Raye) Hey, what's that Ho-oh doing in here?

>        As she sat down at the fire, she felt a presence in the
>room.  Chad was asleep by the door.  He would cause her no trouble
>in her reading.  Raye concentrated on the warmth of the flame.  She
>felt the presence fill her as she looked into the fire.
>        "Sacred fire, show me the answer which I seek," Raye began.
>"I must know what is wrong with me."

Wildcat: (deep voice) Do you even have to ask?
Tails: Hey!

>        Raye looked at the flame for a moment.  As she looked, she
>saw many sights, all in a second.  Most of them, she couldn't
>clearly make out.  One was her mother's casket, empty.  Another was
>of Raye at her current age standing next to her mother.  The final
>was of Raye lying in a bed of roses with her friends standing over
>her.

Tails: Yeah, I'll bet Darien paid the tab for all this.
Razor: Face it; everything's coming up roses.

>        These views disturbed Raye and completely overwhelmed her.
>She was flooded with different feelings.  The strongest was
>sadness.  She didn't like to think of her mother's death.  Another
>was fear; what did the bed of roses mean?  And what was with her
>standing next to her mother?  She didn't want to think about it.
>She was too tired.  But, she was too awake to sleep.  She hated 
>being that way, especially this early in the morning.  It was cold,
>so Raye decided to go back to her bed.  She was asleep in fifteen
>minutes, by some miracle.

Wildcat: (singing) "Don't sleep...I know just what you're
saying...."
Razor: Yeah, no doubt about that.

>        Rubeus looked at the healing chamber with disgust.  Jupiter
>had pushed Mercury into the sewer, breaking Mercury's leg, then
>went and got herself healed by Sailor Moon.  The whole affair
>smelled of conspiracy.

Razor: Not to mention of reeking sewage.

>Rubeus couldn't afford those sorts of
>mistakes.  He knew that his attack force of one Scout would fail 
>against a full-fledged force of five Sailor Scouts.  He would send
>a Droid with Mercury on her next mission to ensure triumph.

Tails: (various R2-D2 beeping noises)

>        "Droid Juggernaut, come forth!"  The Droid that approached
>was as tall as a one-story city building, and about as tough.
>About as fast and smart, too.  It looked like a tank with eyes and
>a head on the top of its hatch.  He had designed it so that it
>would take no damage from any Scout-originated attack.  It had only
>one weak point, and the Scouts had lost it before they were even 
>Scouts.

Wildcat: The alliance between the Virtual Unknowns and the Autobots
was short-lived.

>        He looked over at his mirror to choose his next target.
>It didn't matter which one he went after.  The pair would win
>anyway.  He chose the old man who had caused so much trouble to
>Zoicite when she had tried to capture him.  It would be an easy
>enough target, and perhaps a chance to kill a Sailor Scout.  All he
>had to do now was wait for the blasted healing chamber to finish
>its work.  The thing had never gotten any use before that, and it
>had to go through all these system checks, dusting the cobwebs off
>and all that.  For now, he would wait.

Tails: (Rubeus) Hmm....maybe I could start up a game of "Starcraft"
or something....Sapphire's been bugging me for days about it.

>
>        Raye awoke at seven o'clock.  She had to get ready for
>school quickly.  She needed some food after her little prophecy
>the night before.  She was getting bored.  She hadn't been in any
>battles in the past two days, and she had a lot of pent-up energy
>that she would need to let out.

Wildcat: Send your energy flying in all directions like Frieza in
a good mood.

>        Raye left at about seven thirty for school.  She hated it
>that she didn't go to school closer to the Temple.  She hated
>having to leave Grandpa unguarded  for such a long time.  On her
>way to school, she came across Luna.
>        "Luna, hi!" Raye greeted.
>        "Good morning, Raye!" Luna responded cheerily.

Razor: (Luna; cheerily) Outside of the threat hovering over our
heads, everything's just peachy!

>        "Has anything happened in the past two days that I
>need to know about?" Raye asked.
>        "Yesterday, Hercules got taken.  We got Lita back."
>        "That means that you're off guard duty!  Can you go
>to the Temple and look after Grandpa until I can get back there
>this afternoon?"

Tails: Say, you ever hear the one about the Droid and the pod race?

>        "Of course, Raye," Luna said.  She considered asking
>Artemis to come with her, but she knew that he would just be
>trying to make passes at her.  She wasn't about to ask Rigel
>for obvious reasons.  She figured that she could fly it solo for
>one more day and hoped that she could do better than she had 
>guarding Hercules.

(Wildcat's jaw drops a few inches, and his eyes bulge out of his
head)
Razor: (arches an eyebrow) Hercule would be MAD if he knew about
this.
(Wildcat's face goes back to normal)
Wildcat: What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

>        Luna went in the direction of the Temple in the fastest
>manner possible, taking every shortcut she knew.  Raye watched her
>go, and hoped that Grandpa would be all right under Luna's
>supervision.  She hurried back on her way to school again, and she
>hoped that she wouldn't be late because of her meeting Luna.  Raye
>hadn't told Luna about her visions because she wanted to be sure of 
>what they meant herself.

Tails: (Raye) What was that hubcap doing, singing to that butterfly?

	Raye got to her school on time, but just barely.  She sat
down at her seat next to her friend, Jessica Tanten.  She was a
little taller than Raye, had black hair, and weighed a little more
(give or take).  Shee was overly religious and about as smart as
Raye.  As she sat down, Jessica greeted her.

Razor: As smart as Raye?  What are we getting at, here?
Tails: Every third comment out of our mouths doesn't have to be an
insult.
Wildcat: (rolls his eyes) Okay, I'll settle for every fourth.

>        "Hi, Raye!  What a beautiful day that we've been blessed
>with," she said.  "What's new with you?"
>        "I had a weird vision last night," Raye responded.
>        "What was it about?  Did it show your death or something?
>You look about as white as a sheet when you talk about it."

Tails: (Raye) That's because Chad put too much laundry detergent
in the washing machine.

>        "Well, I'm not sure."  She went on to explain what she had
>seen, paying special attention to the bed of roses.
>        "Sounds pretty rough.  I hope it's not what we think.  That
>would suck if you died."

Razor: And that's putting it mildly.

>        "I was thinking the same thing, but not quite in those
>terms."  Raye sat in quiet thought until class began with a lecture
>on French history.

Wildcat: For once, Raye, I agree with you.

>        Luna sat in the courtyard of the Temple, watching Chad and
>Grandpa do some training.  Grandpa was showing Chad the correct way
>to meditate or something.  Luna didn't really care.  She was just
>there to do Raye's job while Raye was at school.  She watched as
>Chad and Grandpa sat in the courtyard, motionless.  People were
>walking past the gate, seeing if the place was open to sell any
>good luck charms, or at least at what hour they began selling.
>Luna got so bored sitting in the tree, that she fell asleep for a
>while.

Razor: Fell asleep because of boredom?  Now she's drilling logs.

>        When she awoke, Grandpa and Chad were gone.  She ran around
>the courtyard, looking frantically for the two.  What she wanted to
>know was, why would the Negaverse take a son of a well-off family
>like Chad.  It's like they would have any use for him.

Wildcat: "Not."
Razor: Not true; they could use him for entertainment.
Tails: (Chad) Well, I was sweeping outside, and I heard that Japan
beat France four games to none....

>        Luna went inside, where she found the two eating lunch.  It
>was noon time, wasn't it?  Luna stayed out of sight where the two
>men wouldn't see her.  She was getting bored with this job, and she
>began to wonder why she had taken it.  It was because Raye needed
>someone's help when I was the only one around, Luna told herself.

Razor: (Luna) WHAT?!  What do you mean, I don't get paid for
overtime?!  I want my lawyer....

>        After lunch, Chad tuned up his guitar and began to play a
>bit.  Luna went outside to escape the faults that Chad's fingers
>made on the guitar strings.  She wanted to get out of there, but
>she had a job to do.  She would deal with Raye when she got back
>from school.

Wildcat: (covers his ears for several seconds) Wince, wince, pain,
pain, shut up, you stupid guitar.

>        Serena ate her lunch with a ravenous appetite, as usual.
>Lita and Michael watched the other kids running around, playing or
>joining their friends for lunch.  They had finished their food long
>ago, and were waiting for Serena to finish.  Serena looked up from
>her food for a moment and saw Rigel sitting in the bushes, urging
>her and the others over to him.

Razor: (Rigel) The Village People are here.  Pass it on.

>        "Rigel, what's up?" Michael asked as he and Lita got to the
>dog.
>        "There's a new monster out and about, or there will be
>soon.  We'll need all the help that we can get to beat it."
>        "How do you know that?" Lita asked.

Tails: (Rigel) A little birdie told me.
Razor: (Lita) Ah, yes.  The one that met its fate in Artemis's
mouth.

>        "I got a message from Central Control that they've picked
>up a new reading coming from where these Droids are coming from,"
>Rigel answered.  "It's heading towards us slowly but surely."
>        "Wait a minute," Serena said.  "If we know where thes 
>things are coming from, then why don't we just go up there and
>annihilate them now?"
>        "Tell me something, Serena.  How do you think that five
>Sailor Scouts will do against an army of a thousand Droids?  A
>hundred thousand?"

Razor: I'd gladly take on the whole lot if it would end this
film sooner.
Wildcat: You and me both.  Almost makes me wish I had a Death Star
in my arsenal somewhere.

>        "Good point.  Never mind."
>        "We need to be prepared for the attack.  It's almost a
>given that the Droid will be tough enough that we'll all need to be
>there if we plan on beating it."
>        "All right.  When is it supposed to get here?" Michael
>asked.
>        "At its present rate, it will get here at about five
>o'clock this afternoon."
>        "Rigel, who is this Central Control anyway?" Serena asked.
>"Luna talked about it a lot before Artemis and Mina joined us, but
>now she doesn't say a thing about it."

Tails: (Rigel) That little lever in the center of the room.  
Activating it will start the Satellite's self-destruct sequence.
Razor: I knew it!  I saw it that time!  The theater screen DID 
darken a little!
Wildcat: Good thing we don't HAVE one of those things....

>        "Central Control is the group of people who gives us our
>orders.  If I understand correctly, they are a small number of
>technical geniuses who we hired for our use.  They monitor Earth
>for us and tell us what our best next move would be.  Artemis was
>working for them at one time."
>        "Wait, let me get this straight," Michael said
>disbelievingly.  "You hired them, and they're giving you orders."

Wildcat: Goes to show you should never ask my best consultants to
work for you.
Razor: Especially if "Dogbert's" their role model?
Wildcat: Yep.

>        "Yeah, that's about the size of it.  Bureaucracy sucks,
>eh?  Now, back to the point.  I want us to meet after school at the
>Temple so that we can be ready for the attack, wherever it hits."
>        "Works for me," Michael said.  The bell rang, and Serena
>and the others went back into their classes.  Serena didn't like
>the idea of going back in.  She hated geography class.

Tails: To quote baseball player Babe Herman, "I'd rather be
somewhere else!"

>        Mina got out of her class at the normal time, and prepared
>to go home.  She was met by Artemis outside the school, and he had
>some important news to tell her.
>        "Mina, we've gotta talk.  There's going to be trouble in
>about thirty minutes.  We've got to go to the Temple.  The others
>are there, and they're ready for action already."

Razor: (Artemis) If you don't show up for that yard sale, no
Playstation for a week.

>        "What sort of action?" Mina asked.  "Is there another
>Droid?"
>        "Good guess.  We've gotta hurry, because the others are
>going to need all the help they can get.  Do you have your
>transformation stick?"
>        "Sorry, Artemis, I forgot it today," Mina said.

Wildcat: First Amy, then Serena, now Mina.  I'm sensing a pattern
here.
Tails: Yeah.

>        "After I reminded you three times to take it with you.
>Let's hurry and get it.  We don't have much time."  The pair rushed
>to Mina's home and grabbed her transformation pen to take it with
>them.  She got to the Temple at exactly five o'clock.  The sky was
>getting darker by the second, and there was a large, black portal
>opening by the tree in the courtyard.  The others had already 
>transformed and were forming a defensive arrangement around the
>portal.  They were prepared to send the threat back into the portal
>where it had come from.

Tails: (Sailor Moon) There is no room for a Decepticon on this
planet!

>        "Venus Star Power!" Mina called out, changing into her
>Sailor Scout.  She took a place beside Europa, preparing to attack
>the instant that she saw the Droid.  "Ready for some action,
>Europa?" Venus asked.
>        "Always am," Europa answered, half of a sly grin crossing
>his face.  "Don't you get hurt.  I've just known you for a day or
>so, I don't want to lose you already."
>        "You underestimate my abilities," Venus said.

Razor: (Luke Skywalker) Your overconfidence is your weakness.
Tails: (Palpatine) Your faith in your friends is yours.

>        As the five Sailor Scouts watched, a giant tank-looking
>form came out of the portal, followed by Mercury.  Mercury was
>carrying a sword that had been given her by Rubeus for the attack.
>It looked about as tall as Mercury, and about as powerful as her.
>Moon wondered how Mercury could stand to hold something like that
>for so long.  When both the soldiers were through, the portal
>closed.

Wildcat: (Crocodile Dundee) That's not a knife.  THIS is a knife!

(Wildcat pulls out his sword which abruptly quadruples in length,
then re-quadruples.  Eventually, it gets so big that the cat
collapses to the floor with a startled shout.  The tip of the sword
sizzles as it rests against the screen's shield)

Razor: See what you get for showing off?
Wildcat: (putting his sword away and sitting back down) Point.

>        "Mercury, what are you doing?" Jupiter asked.
>        "You shouldn't have betrayed us, Jupiter.  We were going
>to spare your life, but now, we'll just have to kill you," Mercury
>yelled as she raised the sword to signal the robot to attack.
>        The cannon on the Droid's arm targeted the Scouts and
>fired a stream of fire their way.  All of them were able to dodge
>the attack easily.

Razor: (as Mike Nelson) You know, they shouldn'tve set their phasers
to "miss".

>        "Jupiter Thunderclap, ZAP!" Jupiter called as she shot a
>barrage of energy towards the giant Droid.  The Droid stuck out
>a dish-type apparatus from its chest, blocking the lightning and
>sending it back towards the Scouts.  Jupiter was at ground zero
>when the bolt struck the ground, and was thrown for a loop.  

Tails: Ground zero becomes zero ground.

>        The others were at a safe enough distance that they only
>felt a grand tremor and a slight shock.  Mars rushed to check on
>her fallen friend, leaving the other three to do battle with the
>giant Juggernaut.
>        "Venus, how about that combo?" Europa said.
>        "What is it?" Venus asked.
>        "The Earth Shocker!" Rigel answered from his hiding place.

All: (monotone) You're grounded.

>       "Earth Shocker!" the two called out at the same time.
>A beam of energy ran out of Venus, meeting with a vine from the
>ground where Europa was standing.  The vine rushed through the
>ground until it reached the Droid's position.

Wildcat: (to Tails) I've always found that attack annoying.
Tails: Well, that probably IS why Razor Leaf was thrown into the
game in the first place.  Has more damage potential.
Razor: What are you guys talking about?
Wildcat: Meet me in the video game library after the ship is fixed,
and I'll show you.

>       A moment later, under the Droid, a blast came from under the
>ground, knocking the Droid on its side.  Juggernaut immediately
>began working on getting up.  Small jets came out of its side and
>started blowing it back upright.  Sailor Moon took this opportunity
>to use her Scepter.
>        "Moon Scepter, Elimination!" Moon called out, charging her
>Scepter's power level to the top.  She let loose with a blast that
>hit the Droid, who sucked the energy into its own power systems.
>It had a momentary boost of energy, which righted it completely.
>It began moving forward at an increased speed.  It didn't look like
>it was going to stop, either.

Wildcat: Guess the Bullet Train needed a recharge.
Razor: Checkpoint #5.
Wildcat: Was that a Checkpoint?
Razor: Well, it IS something to remember for future reference when
we go after ol' Blobnik.  About his computer systems, I mean.
Wildcat: (nods) True.

>        "Mercury Ice Storm, Blast!" Mercury called out, sending
>waves of freezing rain over the helpless Sailor Scouts.  Sailor
>Moon could feel herself slowing down, and she took her brooch off.
>The brooch opened as Sailor Moon tapped its power.
>        "Moon Crystal Healing, Activation!" Moon yelled.  The
>Imperium Silver Crystal channeled its power into Mercury, purging
>her of the evil that was in her.  Amy fell forward, asleep from
>exertion.  Sailor Moon, still slowed from the freeze that she had
>felt, got Amy to safety.  Then, there was only one more problem.

Tails: (Sailor Moon) What do I do about that coyote that's wandering
around?
Razor: (Europa) Release the road runner, and that problem will solve
itself.

>        Europa, Venus, Mars, and Moon rushed to where the
>Juggernaut was going after Grandpa.  The Droid ripped the roof off
>the Temple to get to the old man.
>        "Man, that'll cost a pretty penny to fix, eh, Mars?" Europa
>said.

Tails: Hope the checkbook's prettier than that.

>        "That guy's gonna pay for that!" Mars said through gritted
>teeth.  "I wanna take him out!"  She rushed up to the foot of the
>Juggernaut and started to attack it.  "Mars Celestial Fire,
>Surround!"  The flames went in rings around the base of the Droid,
>causing minor burn marks on its metal.  When the Droid sensed this,
>it reached down with its large mechanical hand and batted Mars back 
>into the others.

(Everyone cringes)
Razor: That's gonna leave a mark.

>It reached into the frame of the building and
>grabbed Grandpa.  It opened another portal behind it and turned to
>leave.  Mars got one last good look at it when it went through the
>portal.  On its back was a symbol that looked very familiar.  The
>symbol resembled a bauble that she had seen in pictures of her
>mother.

Wildcat: (as Goliath) Where is the Phoenix Gate, Demona?

>        Finally, all the pieces were starting to fall in place.
>The key to beating this Droid laid in Raye's mother somehow.  She
>would have to ask Luna about it after she had helped the others.

Tails: (Luna) Have her make one of her best casseroles, give it to
the droids, and spice it up with a liter of pepper.

>        Everyone reverted to their original forms and was going
>back to help one of their friends.  Mina and Michael were helping
>Jupiter, who had woken up when the Droid had gone through its
>portal, while Serena was helping Amy.  Raye went over to help Amy.
>Amy was only asleep, and not wounded.  Mina and Michael helped to
>get Jupiter to the remains of the Temple.  When they got there, she
>reverted.
>        "What happened?" Amy asked when she woke up.

Razor: Wow, those Droids sure know how to throw a party.

>        "It's a long story," Raye said to her friend as she went
>to check on Lita.  She wished that she knew how to work Amy's
>computer so that she could check vital signs and whatnot.  At that
>time, Chad emerged from the place that he had been hiding in for
>the duration of the attack.  He was white and shaking like Serena
>usually did.

Wildcat: (hums a few bars of "The Fifth of Beethoven")

>        "Raye, what did that thing do to our Temple?!" he exclaimed.
>        "What does it look like it did?" Raye asked, slightly
>annoyed at Chad's denseness.  "It trashed the place.  Man, what are
>we gonna do?  We're out of a place to live."  Serena felt sorry
>about what had happened to Raye.  She felt like she had to do
>something.

Tails: (Serena) Here.  Use the cat as a pillow.

>        "Raye," Serena began cautiously, "I'm sure that my parents
>wouldn't mind letting you stay when they hear what happened."
>        "Serena?  You'd do that for me?" Raye asked disbelievingly.
>        "What about me?" Chad begged.
>        "My parents don't like boys in the house," Serena said.
>"Especially not older guys."

All: Ha, ha!

>        "Bummer.  I guess I'll just have to get another job and
>make some money to rent an apartment."  Chad looked slightly
>downcast at the prospect of having to work.

Razor: Get used to it, bud.

>        "Come on, Raye!  We've got to talk to my parents and
>convince them to let you stay with us!" Serena said as she started
>off in the direction of her house.  The sky had cleared up after
>the Juggernaut had left, and it was almost like nothing had
>happened now.  Except for the crumbling building and the
>fire-trucks and police cars gathering at the scene.  The smoke from
>the wreckage rose into the sky, adding a certain air of triumph to
>the afternoon.  Triumph for the Negaverse, at least.  All the other
>Scouts left feeling down and out.  Mina and Michael decided to try
>and make something out of the afternoon by going to a movie
>together.

Wildcat: (sour) The temple was just trashed, and they want to see a
movie.  TIME MANAGEMENT, you people!
Razor: Sssh.

>       Lita and Amy went to Amy's house so that Lita could give 
>her the work that Serena had collected for her over the past two
>days from school.

Tails: (Lita) Considering how you're five chapters ahead, it's
nothing you can't handle.

>        Tuxedo Mask watched from the top of a nearby building.  He
>dearly wished that he had gotten there in time to help the Scouts,
>who seemed to have needed it by the looks of the Temple.  Well, its
>remains, anyway.  He might have been able to save Grandpa if he had
>tried.  Of course, that could just be some major delusions of
>grandeur talking there.  He could see that they had gotten the last
>of the group back.  They had done well enough without him for the
>past couple of days, but he felt that he would need to help them
>soon.

Wildcat: Oh, come on.  Where's the ol' "You'll never succeed" speech 
and the multitude of flying flowers?
Tails: Every good speech-maker forgets their notes sometimes.

>        Rubeus sat in his mirror room gloating over his victory.
>He knew that the Juggernaut would do the job.  Who needed that
>Scout anyway?  She was a wimp when it came to fighting anyway.  He
>listened to the screams and yells of those in the prisoner chamber
>for a minute.  He loved listening to their tormented calls for
>help.  Those gave him such a high.

Razor: Back home, they raised the drinking limit to 23.
Wildcat: Smart move.  Maybe they'll outlaw beer entirely.
Razor: (chuckles; shakes his head) Afraid not, kid.
Wildcat: (grumbles, disgruntled)

>        Juggernaut was recharging and getting some upgrades.  It
>would be ready for another strike the next day.  The Scouts
>wouldn't have a chance against the new Juggernaut.  He watched his
>mirror as the firefighters tried to make sure that the Temple was
>safe and the police interrogating anyone who had the slightest idea
>of what had happened.  Rubeus gave a laugh at the sight of part 
>of the Temple collapsing on some workers.  That would sting in the
>morning.

Tails: Well, then, tell it to buzz off.

>        Serena and Raye had reached Serena's house and were
>building up the courage to ask the elder Tsukinos for permission to
>let Raye stay.  Luna was feeling proud of Serena for making the
>choice by herself to help out Raye.
>        "Okay, so we'll start off by telling them about the Temple,
>then, we'll wing it from there," Serena said.
>        "Okay, but you're doing the talking," Raye said.  "You know
>better how to handle your parents than me."

Wildcat: To quote a "Simcity 2000" official, "You will regret this."

>        "I'm not arguing with you on that," Serena said, leading
>Raye into the living room where her parents were watching the news
>on TV.  There was a report on about the Temple's destruction.
>        "Hello, Serena," Mrs. Tsukino said in greeting.  "Have you
>heard about what happened to the Temple on Cherry Hill?"

Tails: (Raye) We lost the temple on Cherry Hill, and we found our
bill on Blueberry Hill.

>        "Yeah, I was right near there when it happened," Serena
>said.
>        "Do you know what happened exactly?"
>        "No.  I would have stayed to talk to the police if I did."
>        "I wonder what will happen to those people who lived in
>it.  Your friend Raye lives there, doesn't she?" Mr. Tsukino said.

Wildcat: Did, anyway.

>        "Yeah, and that's what I came to talk with you about."
>        "I wish that there was something that we could do for
>them," Mrs. Tsukino said.  She didn't know that Raye was standing
>right outside the room.

Razor: And we have dramatic irony.  That's a plus.

>        "There is," Serena said.  She beckoned Raye to enter.
>"Raye needs someplace to stay until she can get another place,
>and..."

Wildcat: (Serena) She forgot to reserve a spot at that last hotel.

>        "I know what you're thinking, Serena," Mr. Tsukino said,
>"And I think that it'll be a tight squeeze for everyone, but we
>should be able to handle her staying here."  Raye couldn't help
>but express the relief that she felt, and Mr. Tsukino saw it.
>"We're a bit short on beds, so you'll have to sleep on the couch
>down here."
>        "I don't mind," Raye said.  "I'm just thankful that you're
>being so generous."

Razor: (Mr. Tsukino) If it weren't for the fact that we have a
surplus of mulah, we wouldn't even think of letting you into our
humble abode.

>        "Nonsense," Mrs. Tsukino admonished, "You're one of
>Serena's friends.  We should help you when this sort of thing
>happens, just don't make it a habit."  She got a laugh out of her
>joke.  She was the only one, though.  "Anyway, you go and get your
>stuff that you'll need, and we'll get you set up down here."
>        Raye and Serena left the house and headed towards the
>remains of the Temple, hoping that they would be able to salvage
>some clothes from the wreckage.  They were able to get through the
>police line easily enough when they said that they were the
>Temple's caretakers.  Most of the rooms were full of rubble, and
>dangerous to enter.

Wildcat: Check the kitchen....rubble.  Check the foyer....rubble.
Check the living room....hey, look, it's Barney!
Tails: Barney Rubble?
(Wildcat almost bursts out laughing.  Tails follows suit)
Razor: (to himself) Kids.

>Raye was able to push her way into her room 
>with little trouble, and she got a suitcase full of clothes and
>hygiene items to keep with her.  The thing that made her the
>angriest at the droid was that he had taken Grandpa, although it
>was followed closely by trashing the Temple.

Wildcat: Followed closely by the fact that the robot exists in
the first place.

>        Raye got into Serena's house and sat around for the rest of
>the night, meditating out of everyone's way about what her vision
>had meant, completely.  She got nothing that she hadn't already
>figured out.  She finally gave up and went to talk to Luna.  She
>told Luna about her visions and the conclusions that she had come
>to during the battle.

Tails: X-Wings and Tie Fighters don't mix.

>        "That is truly puzzling, but I think that I know how to
>solve it," Luna said.  "The Droid had a sign on its back that
>looked like the bauble of your mother's, right?"  Raye nodded.
>"Then, we'll have to get this bauble.  It holds some magical
>potential, probably.  We won't know unless we get it from her
>directly."

Wildcat: Forgive me for sounding cliche, but you don't stand a ghost
of a chance.

>        "Do you mean digging her up?" Raye asked offensively.  She
>didn't want to dig up her mother.                                                
>        "No, I mean get her to give it to us," Luna said, laying
>her head down to get some sleep.  Raye wondered what Luna had meant
>by that last statement, and she dwelt upon it until she went to
>sleep.  She slept calmly for the rest of the night.
>
>End of part five
>
>Coming up: The Dead Come Back

Razor: (sings in a low voice) "You thought they were goners; but the 
dead came back; they just couldn't stay away."
Wildcat: (meows; long, drawn-out groan)

>        Well, that's the end of this chapter, too.  Five down,
>four to go.  As always, E-mail me with comments, suggestions,
>flames, etc. at: jmh6187@uncwil.edu.  I'll read anything that is
>sent to me, because I just *love* getting E-mail.  See you later!

Tails: (monotone) Alligators.

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