A Secret Revealed James awoke slowly. He was in Serena's house, and he had been unconscious for a little over an hour. The first thing he saw was a blond-haired girl staring at him. At first, since his vision was slightly blurred, he did not recognize her. Soon, however, he knew it was Serena. "Uuunnnnhh..." "Darien, he's awake." Darien walked into the room. "About time. I thought we were gonna have to break out the ice bucket." "What...happened?" James asked in confusion. "You got clobbered by that woman." "I thought I remembered this feeling..." Darien sighed. "Anyway, what did she want?" "This," Darien said as he showed him the Love Star. "And she almost got it." James closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "So...we've already got a terrorist looking for it." "Not exactly," Darien said. "She's already found it. Now she wants to possess it." "Thank goodness Darien was able to stop her," Serena said. "Enough!" James almost shouted, seeming frustrated. "Let's just get this over with. Darien, you keep the Love Star and the girl safe. I'll take care of the terrorist." "That's not a real good idea," Darien said. "Why not?" James asked sharply. "You have no idea what you're dealing with," Darien said as he stared into James' eyes. "Oh, and you do?" "Yes. I am very aware of what we are dealing with." "Fine. Tell me." * * * Katarina stood in a small room occupied only by her three captives. Each one of the three Sailor Scouts were dangling over a trap door. Below that was a pool of black acid. It was a kind of acid that slowly ate through clothing and flesh. It took slightly longer to eat its way through bone. "Now," Katarina said in her usual shrill voice. "Who wants to be first to die a slow, painful, death?" "Listening to her is enough torture," Mars mumbled. Katarina heard the comment. "Then let me tell you about our special torture program! First, I make you listen to me ramble on, like this--" "Stop it!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. Katarina moved closer to Sailor Jupiter. "You want me to stop?" Katarina asked in a whisper. She moved even closer. She then screamed into Sailor Jupiter's left ear, causing temporary partial deafness. Katarina smiled, and moved away, still having a fixed gaze on Sailor Jupiter. "Don't worry, Sailor Scouts. I know Sailor Moon will hand over that Love Star, just so you won't die," Katarina said wickedly. She then disappeared. * * * Amy Anderson was surprised to see Serena standing on her doorstep. She was even more surprised when she saw her two companions, Darien, who revealed to Amy that he was an angel, and James Bond, who had been informed of everything on the way over to Amy's house. Amy let them in, and they discussed the situation. Darien revealed that Serena's star locket was actually the Love Star, and explained the potential disaster if it was destroyed. He also explained the fact that, if activated, it could bring peace to the entire world. Amy began analyzing it with her mini computer. It only took about three minutes. She found no way to activate it, but she did find that it was very hard to destroy. There was only one thing that could destroy it, and Sailor Moon had it. It was the Silver Empyrean Crystal. "Great, " Serena said. "Now I have TWO things that they want." "Well, we could always call the others," Amy said. "Uh-uh. No can do," Darien said. "Why not?" "They are now prisoners." "So let's get them out!" "First," James said, "we have to find out where they are. Then, we need to survey their hideout. Only then do we make a move." "So where do you suggest we start looking?" Serena asked. "I can scan the area for a portal," Amy said. "I'll be back," Darien said. He then slowly disappeared. * * * Darien floated over the icy tundra. It was dark there, and no one else was within miles of him. The winds howled through the night. If Darien had been alive, he would have been in extreme agony. Instead, he merely floated across the tundra, looking for anything unusual. Actually, anything would be suspicious, with the exception of the ice. He continued looking, hoping to find a way to get to Katarina and her mysterious commander. Darien finally saw what he wanted to see. A small trans-dimensional gateway, otherwise known as a portal. He moved closer, just to make sure. "Yep, that's it," he said to himself. "Better tell Serena." Darien disappeared. * * * Serena and Amy were slightly surprised to see Darien materialize right before their eyes. While they knew that he was an angel, it was still new for them. James was more than slightly surprised. He nearly passed out! "Serena, I've found a portal." "Where is it, muffin?" "Remember where you went to fight Queen Beryl?" "It's at the North Pole?!?" "Well, not exactly. More like the USA." "Which state?" Amy suddenly asked, slightly annoyed that she had not been included in the conversation before. "Yeah, which state?" Serena asked. James only stared at Darien. "Alaska." Serena, Amy, and James just stared at Darien. "Did you hear me?" "Yeah, we heard you," James said. "But are you sure?" "Yes. Positive." "Well then. Let's get our asses in gear," James said. Amy and Serena decided to go ahead and show James the whole truth. "Moon Cosmic Power!" "Mercury Star Power!" The two girls transformed into their alter-egos. "By the way, Darien," Serena said. "We're not calling ourselves Scouts anymore. We are now going to call ourselves Sailor Soldiers." Darien had a puzzled look, as did Amy. "Sailor Scouts just seemed too childish." "Fine," Darien said. "Let's just get this over with." "I can use the company jet to fly us all there," James offered. "How long before we can use it?" "Well, I can book us all a flight to MI6 headquarters, and we can just go from there." "What about your superior?" "M won't mind. The fate of the world is at stake." Serena, Amy, and Darien agreed. * * * "M, I need a favor." "What is it James?" M asked while looking at a portfolio. "I need to use the company jet. It's very important." "James, your concerns should lie with Britain. Saving the entire world is not your concern. Saving Britain is." "Well, Britain's in the world, so that should work out nicely." M looked up at James, to see three other people. "Who are these people?" "This is Darien," James said as he pointed to him. "And this is Serena, and here is Amy," he said as he motioned to each girl. "They're my guides." "You need THREE people?!" "Yes. Look, M. I really need this." There was a brief pause. "All right. You leave tomorrow morning at nine o'clock." "Thank you." James turned around, and walked out of the room. He went to a nearby hotel to provide lodging for his two of his three companions. Darien did not need sleep, so he watched Serena sleep all night long. He smiled every time she whispered his name in her sleep. Darien then looked at the rose he had been carrying around all this time. There were only three petals left. "We better get this right the first time," Darien whispered to himself. To Be Continued...