Chapter 2

"This Kori person is the best thing since sliced bread." Queen Beryl exalted.

"We still have no clue as to his motives or agenda, Majesty." one of her subjects reminded her.

"But he's taken the number of Sailor Scouts down from five to two, and those Future Sailor Scouts have the remaining ones so confused they won't be watching for Negaverse activity."

"The Future Scouts will be helping in that department, Mistress." another Negaverse operative said. "And they are far more powerful than either of the remaining Scouts of the present. And they are armed with the mysterious ChronoShards."

"I've got an ace in the hole." Queen Beryl said. "Now is my chance to play it." With that, she left the throne room, and those standing in the room believed she was retiring to her chambers. Instead, she took a left precisely six hundred and sixty-six paces from the entrance to her chambers. The holographic wall rippled as she walked through it and descended via a spiral staircase to a secret place below even the sub-basements. Once there, she pushed open a long-closed door, which led into a room where pools of liquid energy bubbled like glowing Jacuzzis. She spent a couple of hours luxuriating in one of the pools, energizing herself for the taxing exercise ahead. When she was energized to capacity, she followed a tunnel into a room where a giant crystal stood, shining the color of frozen blood. Queen Beryl placed her hand against the crystal, suffusing it with energy. After several minutes, the crystal began to crack. Nearly an hour later, shards began to flake off like the leavings from arrowhead making. Queen Beryl collapsed, panting, exhausted. She searched the shards, ignoring the cuts they inflicted on her, until she had found all the workable pieces, ten in all. With these in her arms, she began to stagger back to the energy pools, where she reenergized. She could hear the commotion outside when servants failed to locate her, but she didn't care. After six hours' soaking in the energy pools, she was ready to begin phase two. The energy crystals would give great power to their possessors--greater even than her own. They would be impossible to control unless she infused the crystals with her own will. This was a painstaking process, requiring persnickety manipulations of the psychic fields surrounding the crystals.

"It's done." she sighed, after nearly two days of work. The crystals smoldered malignantly at the pool's edge. Queen Beryl curled her lips up in a tired, yet very evil smile, showing one elongated eyetooth. "When I have rested, I will put my plan into action."

"Someone's coming." Kori said, awakening Minako. "They're bringing something with them. Something powerful, and very evil."

"Should we wake the others?" Minako asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I think perhaps that's best." Kori replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Same way I usually feel in the mornings." Minako replied. "Sleepy, lazy, kind of horny." She quirked a smile up at him.

"Mmmmm ... wazzup?" Rei asked, emerging sleepily from under the covers. "Is something wrong?"

"Perhaps." Kori replied. "Let's get the others up."

Chiao Shen breathed a sigh of relief. She hated the ten pm to six am shift, but someone had to work it. Unfortunately she didn't get paid more just for working an unpopular shift. Worse, she had to work six pm to six am tonight for a special conference. With the business overseas booming, the graveyard shift was anything but, and Shen was going to need her rest. A woman appeared before her, smiling as if she knew a secret. That smile frightened Shen, and she backed away. Stabbing pain lanced Shen's stomach, and she staggered, fell, and clutched her torso in agony.

Kataigin Ayumi sat lotus-fashion as she meditated, awaiting the arrival of her students. Incense burned in the censers before her, calming her, helping her to gather her thoughts. Ginseng tea energized her, washing away the fatigue of work and sleep, helping her prepare for the work ahead. Her students were coming along nicely, growing more and more disciplined each day. It wouldn't be long before some of them began to ascend to the rank of black belt. The thought pleased her. Not only would her girls have learned to defend themselves, but the discipline and focus would help them in other areas as well. One of her students, Jiyu Hana, was becoming quite an accomplished scientist thanks to her lessons.

Ayumi opened her eyes, feeling a strange presence in the room. She unfolded her legs and rose, wondering who could possibly be this early. A very sinister-looking woman appeared, holding a shard of crystal in her fingers like a throwing-dagger. Even the crystal looked evil, pulsing with darkness like a malignant tumor. Ayumi stepped around her censers, standing in the practice area, where she would have more room to maneuver.

"How utterly predictable." the woman muttered as Ayumi began to rise into the air. How had this woman been able to set a trap in Ayumi's own dojo? The woman chucked the crystal with deadly accuracy into Ayumi's torso. It pierced a lung. A dark chill spread through her even as the crystal wound began to burn like a wildfire in her body.

No! her mind cried. Not like this!! I can't die like this!!

"You're not dying." the woman replied. "Far from it, in fact."

"Is something wrong?" Kori asked.

"Pain." Callisto replied. "Someone's in pain. Agony."

"You can feel that?" Mars asked.

"Where?" Kori urged.

"One nearby." Callisto said. "Another one across town." She seemed to be experiencing some kind of sympathy pains, one in her gut, and the other in her chest. "It's maddening!"

"Concentrate on the location." Kori said. "Focus."

"She's coming. Homing in on our energy."

"Who is?" Mars asked, placing a hand on Mai Li's shoulder.

"I don't know ... I can't ... the pain ... drowning her real self out." Suddenly a female figure with Chinese features landed on the roof. Lightning in a wicked shade of purple lashed out from her fingernails. Her skin was the same shade. Her eyes glowed red.

"Super Love-Me Chain!" Venus exclaimed, binding the woman in golden chains. Purple electricity traveled up the chain, shocking Minako and causing the chain to dissipate. She landed hard on her shoulder, her eyes closed so tightly that tears leaked out. Mars rushed to help her comrade, but was batted aside by the swift woman.

"Odin's Thunder!" Jupiter exclaimed, lashing out with vengeful fury and enhanced thunderbolts. The purple woman absorbed it with no ill effect.

"Nice try." she snarled. "My turn. Clonestorm!" With that, she created two purple-lightning clones of herself and sent them after Jupiter.

"Zeus's Spire!" Jupiter exclaimed, and a gigantic spike of electricity rose, destroying the clones and causing everyone's hair to stand on end. "Thor's Hammer!" Lightning struck Lita's hand, causing a heavy-looking hammer to appear. She hurled it, and it moved as swift as lightning, and apparently propelled by the lightning trail which connected it to her hand. It struck the surprised woman on the chin, knocking her to the floor. When the hammer returned, Lita went to Minako's side while Mai Li attended the purple woman. The others watched in awe as Mai Li reached into the woman's body, pulling out a nasty-looking crystal. She tossed it to the ground as if it were hot, clutching her hands in pain for a moment.

"We'd best get our wounded to safety." Kori suggested, picking Rei up in his arms. Lita gently lifted Minako, and Meiko carried Mai Li and the strange woman, because Mai Li for some reason refused to let go of her. As an afterthought, Kori gathered up the crystal as well, placing it inside a silver box. He suppressed a shudder as the box closed. Never before had he felt anything as evil as that.

Shen's eyes opened slowly. The first thing she noticed was that the pain was gone. She looked down at her stomach, finding no wound. Had it been a dream?

"It was no dream." a kind young woman said. "More like a waking nightmare."

"But it's over." Shen said. "Isn't it?"

"For you, yes." she replied. "But there are others. I can feel them."

"How? Who are you?"

"My name is Mai Li. I was able to remove the shard from you. You will recover."

"Thank you." Shen said. "There are no words to express my gratitude."

"Those will do fine." Mai Li replied. "I could feel your agony as the crystal tortured you, and even though the wound closed, the pain wouldn't stop."

"How?"

"I have very strong healing powers, made even stronger with Kori's power over the various mystic elements."

"What you describe this Kori to be sounds like some of the legends my grandfather used to tell us about the ancient Order of Catalysts." Shen said.

"Funny, I wasn't aware any Catalysts had visited Earth prior to the mid-twenty-fourth century." Mai Li mused.

"How did you find me?"

"You found us." Mai Li replied.

"I did?" Shen asked.

"You don't remember?"

"All I remember is the pain." Shen replied. "It was like I was drowning in it." She felt Mai Li's gentle touch in the valley between her breasts, and was suddenly made very aware of her own nudity.

"It almost overwhelmed me, too." Mai Li said. "But you're safe now. Everything's going to be fine. When Kori gets back, he's going to want to talk to you, but you can rest until then." Mai Li reached down beneath Shen's feet, pulling up a light blanket. "You can cover up with this if you're shy."

"Thanks." Shen said, turning on her side and closing her eyes.

Ami opened her eyes. Someone was whispering her name. She glanced toward the shadows in the corner of her room and discovered Kori. She opened her mouth, drawing breath for a scream. More swiftly than she would have given him credit for, he was at her side, clamping his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet." he whispered. I need you to pass something along to Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Callisto pulled it out of some unfortunate after a battle. It was controlling her, giving her dark powers and driving her mad with pain. I put it in this box for safekeeping." He produced a silver box about the size and shape of a mouse's coffin. "I've placed a lock on it that only Darien's thumbprint can open. I want you to promise me you will give it to him." Ami nodded. "Thank you." he said, placing the box on the bed.

"Are you controlling the others?" Ami asked. "Forcing them to serve you?"

"I'm not forcing anyone to do anything." Kori replied. "I'm going to be honest with you, Ami. I've done some things I'm not proud of, like the time I was forced to kill a pair of soldiers in self-defense. But under normal circumstances I would never knowingly harm someone. What I have done for your friends is drop some troublesome emotional barriers which prevent them from living life to the fullest. All things considered, your friends are happier than they've ever been in their lives."

"Our psychological barriers keep us from doing bad things." Ami replied. "They are what separate us from the animals."

"You're confusing emotional inhibitions with conscience." Kori replied. "I would never alter someone's conscience, or their core self."

"Then why did Minako use her powers on Sailor Jupiter to make her fall in love with her?" Ami asked.

"Minako didn't know how strongly her power would affect her." Kori replied. "She is accepting responsibility for her actions, and taking good care of Sailor Jupiter, until we find a way to undo this particular mind job without hurting her."

"She really feels bad about it?" Ami asked. Kori nodded. "I guess you really didn't change her ... that much."

"You still don't trust me." Kori said, sounding somewhat hurt.

"I don't know all the facts yet." Ami replied. "You ... don't seem like the super villain type, but..."

"But Sailor Future Moon makes very strong arguments." Kori sighed. "That girl is in serious need of an enema." He turned back to the shadows. "Keep an open mind, Ami, and draw your own conclusions. I have to go take care of the others." Ami sat in the bed, thinking about what Kori had said. She wondered what she would say to Tuxedo Mask when she handed the silver box over to him. She wondered what she would say to Kori if she saw him again. She began to play scenarios through her mind. Her mind wandered, seeing his face and the outline of his body under the cloak, deciding he was indeed quite attractive. Before she knew it, her fingers had found her rather moist labia. They quested inward, finding her clitoris. Spurred by unfamiliar feelings, Ami began to masturbate. She moaned as powerful sensations wafted through her body. Her free hand rose, taking her left breast in hand. Her fingers brushed the fabric over her sensitive nipples. She squeezed, drawing a gasp from herself. She fantasized about running her hands over Kori's chest, down his sides over his hips. She wondered what it would be like to have him inside her. Would it hurt? She switched hands, plunging her left hand into her flooded slit while tweaking her right nipple with her right hand. She pinched it. If her breasts had been maybe a size bigger, she could probably have bitten it. She imagined what it would feel like to have Kori nibbling at those sensitive buds. The thought made her shiver, and she rubbed at herself with greater urgency. She could definitely feel something happening. Her body bucked and shook. She screamed out Kori's name. Lights exploded behind her eyes. As she flopped back on her pillow, she sighed. Never before had she felt such pleasure. Why had that never happened before? As her senses returned to normal, she realized she was covered with sweat. Her hands were sticky, and there was a strange smell about her. She went to the bathroom and climbed into the shower. She felt an odd satisfaction as she cleaned herself off, rubbing scented oils into her skin. She found herself doing it again when her mind once again wandered to Kori.