Happy birthday, Sakura-chan
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters from Sailor Moon; and I don’t own the characters
of Suburban Senshi, either. Archangel, however, is mine all mine! :)
And with that out of the way...
Happy Birthday, Sakura-chan.
October 11, 2907 – Magellan Castle, orbiting Planet Venus,
20:50, Venusian Standard Time – Infirmary Room of the
Princess Venus
The mood was tense. You could have been blind, deaf,
and mute, and still have noticed this.
And it had every good reason to be; it hadn’t been
more than a week since the disastrous King Jeruka
attack. Nobody had thought that such a thing could ever have
happened; the Ganymede station was thought to be safe,
one of the most secure facilities in the sector – but the horrific
creature had made a mockery of all those boasts, tearing its
way into the place, intent on one thing – killing Sakura
Xadium Aino. And frankly, anyone that got in the way. That this
attempt had been foiled cut no ice here; the level of security
was triple what it had been then. Discreet, but sending an
unmistakable message – it would not happen again. Not here.
Magellan Castle had not been made as a fortress per se, but
today, it could have taken on an army of invaders with
ease. The newest inhabitant of the castle had yet to
arrive; until she was safely here, no person within
the castle walls would think of sleeping. Not that anyone
was at the moment.
Not least within the castle’s refurbished
infirmary. There, all was activity and bustle; the
contractions were still far enough apart that things
weren’t at a crucial stage just yet, but even so,
seeing as whom the mother happened to be, nobody
wanted to look as if they had any idle time. Not with
the mood she was in, at any rate.
“X-chaaan!”
The named Time Lord winced at the
volume, not to mention the timbre that Minako Xadium-Aino
(or Aino-Xadium, depending on whom you asked, and when)
could put into her voice. Her room, though large, was at
the centre of a hive of activity; nurses, orderlies,
all buzzing around them, making sure that everything
was in optimal readiness. And to ensure that there
were plenty of moving targets around.
Minako had experienced, so far at least, a
relatively easy pregnancy. There had been fears that,
due to the mixture of differing genetic materials,
there would be complications unknown to a normal
human birth. Up until nine days ago, nothing out
of the ordinary had happened. “A freeze,” as the
lady herself might have said. And then been
corrected.
That changed the night of October second. And
even now, as he moved closer to his wife’s side, Dr.
Xadium could see the fear hiding behind her
eyes. Even a normal human pregnancy had its
risks; there were all sort of things that could
go wrong, big things, little things, but this...
having a baby is a stressful occurrence at the
best of times, as anyone will tell you. Having
a baby not ten days after a serious assassination
attempt is an exercise in managed stress that would
kill most people. But not Sailor Venus. She might not
be able to transform, but even with the fear, she was
determined to have as normal a birthing as she could;
and for that, he could only admire her.
“Yes, dear?” he asked, looking quickly
at the large table next to her bed.
Minako had just about everything
she needed at this point; drinks, food,
magazines... the combined resources of the
castle had come together to make sure that
their mistress had everything and anything to
keep her happy, entertained, and most
importantly, occupied. In her condition,
even if she was Princess here, there wasn’t much
that she could do to help her own defence, a fact
that annoyed her to no end; despite the fact that
that along with her own security forces, she had
the combined strength of the Outer Senshi, and
as many of the Inners as could make the trip.
The fact that any attempt to help would only
hurt the very life that they were all trying to
protect made it that much worse. But most of
the time, she hid it very well. Like now. Even
with the annoyed expression that she was
aiming at him, he could tell that she was making
the best of things.
“Mohh, where were you?”
Slightly ducking his head in apology,
he replied, “Sorry. As I was coming back from the
TARDIS, I ran into Sailor Mercury; the official
consensus is that everything is going
well. You’re making excellent progress...”
“Swell...”
“...And the latest security report is
in; we are at High Alert Status Level 3. The sensor
sweeps are coming in a constant negative. We are,
at the moment as sa-”
“Shhh!!”
Shaking her head at his confused look,
she replied, “Baka; you’ll jinx it.”
“Right; sorry.”
A smile replaced the frown. “You’re
forgiven, itoshi. Now, come sit.”
Xadium gladly complied; increased hormones
had made for mood swings, and some harsh words over
the months, but never for long. And the ‘making up’
afterwards...well, every thorn had its rose, right?
He pulled up a chair, and sat next to her. And noticed
the empty spot amongst the clutter.
“Did you bring it?”
He nodded, feeling a little bit of his
good mood slip away, as he brought back to mind
why exactly he’d gone to his vehicle in the first
place. Reaching into one of the many pockets in his
photographer’s vest, he pulled it out, and gently
handed it over. For a moment, neither one said
anything, and Minako simply looked at it, her eyes and
face etched in sadness.
The picture was very old by now; some nine
centuries, if you stopped to think about it. On two
sides of the shot, two groups stood – Haruka, Jedite,
Michiru, Chibi-Usa, and Dr. Tomoe on the left; on the
right, herself, Xadium, Hotaru, and...her. Standing
there next to them, her robes bright and pristine,
she looked every inch what she’d been in life; strong,
silent, an implacable warrior against the dark forces...
a true miko, and a damn good friend. All right, back in the
day, she’d been as sarcastic, disruptive and destructive
as anyone, in her own understated way. Even at her worst,
she’d never lost the steadfast qualities that had made her a
good person. Here, though, dedication came at the highest
price; King Jeruka was gone, but so was rei.bot, and
‘second version’ or no, she still felt the loss.
The extra weight on the bed made her look up. Xadium
sat beside her, ignoring the dirty looks of the medical
staff. He put his arm around her, and gently squeezed.
“Those were good times.”
“Yeah; good ol’ Ten’Aino House. Always something...”
Her voice choked off, and she closed her eyes; for a
long silent moment, husband and wife, each in their
different way, gave thanks for the life and
sacrifice that had kept them alive in the darkest
of hours. Until she was returned, rei.bot would be
remembered.
That much, at least, she was owed.
***
Magellan Castle Security Control, 20:55
Here was a level of activity no less
than the infirmary; there were just more guns around.
Ranks of men and women manned huge banks of high-
resolution monitors; every scan on multiple frequencies,
multiple angles, random patterns – no mistakes. Period.
And with no less than Sailor Saturn leading the
operation, there wouldn’t be – nice woman that she was,
but nobody wanted to see her angry.
It was not a pretty sight.
Hotaru watched the monitors unblinkingly,
quietly leaning on her glaive. She’d stood like that,
never moving, and watched, for three hours now; and
she was perfectly capable of doing so for another
three, another five, another ten if need be. She
would watch every monitor, one by one, again and
again, unceasingly, until she’d found what she
was looking for.
Because something was wrong; badly wrong. She
hadn’t said anything yet, but she *knew* it. Some
small thing, some tiny detail, was off, somewhere;
a camera not pointing quite the right way, a patrol
route not fully mapped-out – something. Close, far,
she couldn’t tell; but the feeling was bone-deep,
and it wasn’t going away. Maybe it was just her
paranoiac side reacting to the situation as of late,
but with so very much riding on what happened in the
next few hours, she honestly didn’t care. Artemis,
on seeing the look on her face, had immediately
sent out the order to double the perimeter guard;
he’d been with her long enough to read that
particular expression, know what it meant,
and trust in its accuracy implicitly.
He was out there right now, with Jedite
of all people, making another sweep of the
western quadrant. The two didn’t get
along, but tonight, enmity was buried in
favour of pragmatism; Hotaru loved her
husband dearly, but she’d made it clear to all from
the outset that she wanted total focus on the task
at hand – deviation from this would not be tolerated. Haruka
and Michiru were in the south, Setsuna and Chibi-Usa
were in the north, and what Inner Senshi that had come,
other than Ami, were heading teams spread over the
various points in between. With Setsuna, too, one
look was all she needed; the normally cryptic
woman had merely nodded, and gone to collect the younger
woman. With them on constant patrol,
with Ami heading the medical teams and in constant
contact with Minako, and with Xadium by his wife’s
side, most would consider things to be going well.
And besides, it beat sitting around in a waiting
room, enduring yet another round of squabbling.
Factor in nearly seven hundred troops, eight
thousand separate cameras, and three orbiting
security satellites (two of whom seemed to be having
constant technical difficulties, though) on different
orbital tracks, and even a cautious person might
venture that the net was foolproof.
She would not.
They’d thought themselves safe on the
Ganymede Platform, with its three hundred security
personnel, plethora of cameras, and elaborate sensor
suite, whose coverage extended four hundred
square kilometres into space. Ganymede had fallen.
Magellan Castle would not, could not. Far too much
depended on the line being held, here. Their most
powerful ally had fallen in their defence; and in her
honour alone, to say nothing of her love and
respect for Sakura and her sempai, the Senshi of
Ruin could do no less than to be a guardian of the
same calibre, the cost be damned.
But she still couldn’t see it.
***
Castle Library – 21:00
The chimes were striking as the six-man
team wrapped up their sweep of the library. It had
been only their third of the day; the castle complex
was extensive, and seeing as how Lady Saturn had
insisted on randomly rotating patrols and routes,
the teams had covered a lot of ground. Not that the
library was small, either; nearly 40,000 volumes,
spread in a concise way, but in a large area. Add to
that the various tables shelves, mirrors, and about a
million other furnishings, all of which needed to be
checked, and you had a two-story ‘room’ that took a
good hour to search, and that was at a clip. Which was
what they had to do to make up time.
Then the clocks had struck – all four of them
together, discreetly, but still a pretty distracting
noise.
Of the team beyond this point, no footage
exists.
***
Minako’s Room, Castle Infirmary – 21:10
Husband and wife sat side by side,
their moment of remembrance for rei.bot over
for now. Minako’s contractions were getting
closer together, but Sakura wasn’t quite ready
to make an appearance yet. So they waited; and the wait
was getting to be difficult – if anything, the cordon
around, and even inside, the large room had increased.
The report they’d just got back from Hotaru had not been
good; an entire security team apparently vanished into
thin air, in front of at least two different cameras –
so someone was here uninvited. Hotaru had redoubled the
patrols, but so far, zilch.
Xadium was just finishing a joke about a Dalek, an
Auton, and George W. Bush, when his communicator
went off. Excusing himself, got up from the bed.
“Yes?”
“Yo, X; Haruka here. How’s it going?”
“Hello Haruka; so far, everything’s fine.
Any news?”
“Nothing at the moment. ‘Taru-chan still can’t
find that team, and she’s had us looking
every-[BLEEP]n’-where.”
“I see; no movement otherwise?”
“Nah; zippo. Me and Michi are just
finishing a look in the main hall, and – whuh?”
Faintly, Xadium could hear Michiru’s voice,
calling. Haruka asked him to stand by, and after
a silent moment, the Senshi of Uranus came back
on.
“Uh, X, Michi just checked the front door,
and I think she’s found something.”
Xadium glanced over at Minako, who continued
to flip through a magazine. “What is it?”
More silence.
“Uh, well, you’re not going to like it.”
He sighed. “Haruka, please, just tell me
what it is. I’m not in the mood for any surprises
today.”
“...Yeah. Listen, could you meet us at
Security Central? I think you’re gonna want to
see this thing personally.”
“Very well. I’m on my way. Out.”
“X-chan?”
Minako looked up at him, the
magazine forgotten. “What did Haruka find?”
“She didn’t say; but she thinks it’s serious,
whatever it is. I’m just going to have a look; I’m
sure it’s nothing much. A glitch.”
She just looked at him.
“...but I’ll have them turn on the
vid link, so you can see it as well. Rest
assured, dear, you won’t be kept out of the loop.”
She motioned for him to lower his head, and
rewarded him with a kiss. “Thanks, love; I know I can’t
fight, but not knowing what’s happening is the real
pain in the mutt.”
He smiled, and kissed her softly on the lips.
“I’ll be right back.”
As he closed the door behind him, Minako
frowned. No doubt about it; the situation
sucked. People had disappeared, there were
guards everywhere, and worst of all, she couldn’t
help. And it was getting to X-chan, too; they were
both trying not to let it show, but he had to be
really tense to not correct her. And she was
worried about him; he wasn’t a fighter, but she
knew he felt as helpless as she did, and if
what Haruka had found turned out to be
significant, he’d want to help – but since
his horrific run-in with the Goddess Venus
(not her; she could never have done that to
him), things were different. He only had the
one life, and despite having ‘fulfilled his
biological function’, she wanted him to stick
around, to be the loving husband and father that
Sakura herself had implied, and that she knew,
he’d be. The future wasn’t set in concrete, and
as much as she loved him, she didn’t want to
lose the man she loved the most just because
he wanted to play the hero – even if it was
with the best of intentions.
***
Security Control, conference room – 21:20
It was a simple card; the scans told
the assembled Suburban Senshi so. No magic, no
holograms, no flashy voice messages. Just a simple
business card, plain white, left on the special
little shelf in the entrance hall like so many
others. What was causing the problem were the
things written on it.
Three symbols; a yellow circle, slightly
flattened and turned on its side. Just below it,
a matching pair of folded birds’ wings – black.
Nothing else. But they all, even Minako, who’d only
ever seen it once before, knew what it meant. Their
‘visitor’ had a name.
“Archangel.”
The group ignored the level of venom
in Xadium’s voice. Since their initial meeting on
twentieth-century Earth, the two men had totally failed
to get along. Archangel blamed Xadium for persecuting
him, while Xadium held the white-haired Time Lord in
high contempt, considering him no better than his
criminal father, the Master. The two had finally
parted company, on particularly bad terms,
when Xadium had lifted Archangel’s
travel ban in the 2150’s. ‘AA’ had sworn never
to have anything to do with Xadium, or his kin,
friends, or associates, and hadn’t been seen
since. That he was here, now...
“But I don’t get it.” Minako took the
floor.
She’d been shown Archangel’s ‘calling card’,
and hadn’t reacted that much – on the surface of things,
she supported her husband, but bluntly, as she’d never
had that great an issue with the other man, it was
Xadium’s feud, not hers. If he wanted to pursue it,
that was up to him. Underneath, she was as worried
as anyone; she’d seen the hate in Archangel’s eyes
the day he’d left, and if he’d nursed that kind
of feeling for as long a time as seven hundred years,
they might have to kill him to get him to
stop. Even so, something didn’t seem to add up. She
continued.
“Why would he be here? I mean, if he really
wanted to...start a fight with X-chan,” she said,
the slight pause showing her concern, “Aren’t there
better places and times than this? He must know how
much security we’ve got around. Trying to attack
now would be suicide; crazy.”
Hotaru nodded, her face grave. “I agree. But
sempai, you have to concede that he might not actually
care about that – ‘crazy’ may be a very apt
description.”
Haruka piped up. “ ‘Taru’s right, neko.
Suicide run or not, if he wants a piece of X
or any of us that badly, he’s not gonna care
about odds. But you’re right; he can travel
all over time, so why now? Something stinks
here.”
Xadium looked at the blonde woman, an
eyebrow raised. “Oh? How so?”
“Well, even though when he left, he said that
he never wanted to see us again, he didn’t mention
Sakura. Seems to me that out of any of us here,
she’s the only one he gives any kind of a damn
about, right? I mean, she is still his godchild,
right?”
Minako nodded, pretending not to notice
Xadium flinch. Haruka continued.
“He knows that this is where and when she
gets born – so he also knows that if he tries
to start something, here and now, she could
end up hurt.”
Jedite shifted slightly, and spoke
up. “Agreed. He may hate the parents, but he’d
never lay a finger on the child, directly
or not.”
“That still doesn’t answer the question”,
Setsuna interjected. “His feelings notwithstanding,
he is here. The question now becomes, what do we
do with him?”
They took a moment to consider this. As tense
as things were then, more bloodshed was the last
resort – enough lives had been lost already. Michiru
broke the silence.
“I say that we organize a search for him, and
once found, we detain him. This is neither the time
nor the place for overwrought, childish games. With
him out of the way, we can concentrate on any other
threats.”
This met with murmurs of assent from
everyone; far better to contain him for now, and
deal with him later. Minako decided to make it
official.
“Okay then; those are the orders; teams, led
by us, are to concentrate...itai...on finding and
detaining the individual known as “Archangel”, until
such time as the all clear’s been given. Simultaneous
sweeps inside and outside the building. Are we
agreed?”
The group voiced their agreements; Minako
technically wasn’t ‘on duty’, but she was Princess
here, and so far, everyone had treated her as their
nominal boss. As they began to make their
way out, Artemis voiced the last concern.
“I have a question.”
Everyone paused.
“What’s our policy if things get...ugly? If he
won’t come quietly?”
Haruka’s eyes widened in disbelief at the
question, but Xadium’s answer cut dead any riposte
that she was opening her mouth to give.
“He’s an animal; we put him down like one.”
With that, the Time Lord stalked out
of the room.
***
So very nearly time. All the preparations
completed, and the guests invited. All was in
perfect readiness. But there needed to be one
more arrival before the show could truly begin.
Because without the star, a show is
nothing at all.
***
Interrogation Room 5 – 1, 21:55
And then, he was just there. Twenty
minutes of intensive searching and scans come
to nothing, and then there he is, just
a-walkn’ down the corridor, in his his
neat suit and tie, with his gentleman’s
cane; Gallifrey’s Bertie Wooster, just out
for a stroll. With a wrapped, elegantly
gift-wrapped, package under his arm. He
didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow when Artemis’
team confronted him; he simply handed over package
and cane with polite grace, nodded a greeting to its
leader, and politely inquired after the health of
the castle’s mistress. Even when the incensed Mauian
backhanded him, he made no effort to fight back. He
just nodded, mostly to himself, and had wordlessly
held out his wrists to be handcuffed. And they’d
gone, him cuffed and shackled, multiple weapons
trained on him as the team met up with Jedite’s,
down to the detention level. The tension so
thick that you could choke, and still, not a
word, a gesture, a look; he was the epitome
of the model prisoner. And it was
driving them all to distraction.
This was all a part of some game; they
all knew that. He’d revealed himself, on his own
terms, when and to whom he’d wished – so what
was the game now? Distract them from an
accomplice? Put them off-guard, and somehow
escape? The possibility did exist. But would
he?
Jedite, Artemis, Xadium, Setsuna and
Hotaru questioned him. Xadium was pacing like a
caged lion – the contractions were coming closer
together than ever, and Minako was dilating
quite a bit now; she still wanted to be in
the loop, but frankly, she didn’t need to see
this. (And truth be told, she hadn’t fought
the decision not to include her, because
if she had to be honest, she didn’t want to
know.) He wanted to be there, to help
her. And the fact that he was here instead, trying
to wrest details out of this devious, tight-lipped
bastard, (not, mind you, that he’d be able to
physically help in the actual fighting) had
driven him to his one last, ragged nerve. Fifteen
minutes of maddening silence, except for his
polite greetings as they’d entered the room. Question
after question, and it was like talking to a damn
waxwork. And then his patience went.
He calmly walked around the table, looked
down at Archangel for a moment, and without
any preamble, kicked at the back legs of the
chair so hard, the other man slammed into
the table chin-first, loosing a tooth. In almost
the same second, he was being pinned to the
back wall by his lapels – and looking
into the eyes of a *very* angry man.
“Why here.”
Xadium’s voice was low enough that Archangel
had to strain to hear, but the look on the man’s face
spoke in volumes that were easy to detect. Time to
talk.
“To mark such a happy occasion, my boy. Why
el- whuf!”
Xadium didn’t even flinch as he drove his fist into
the other man’s gut. He let Archangel drop, and bent
down to whisper in his ear.
“Now’s not the time to try my patience,
*Acolyte*. They might hate my doing so,” he jerked
his head to indicate the others, “But they won’t
mourn your death – any of them.”
Catching his breath, Archangel chuckled,
letting the insult pass. “Are we still jealous of
that? My my; and yet you seemed so grateful when she
stabbed you in the hea-”
Hotaru moved a little when he was kicked into the
floor, face-first; but she could’ve just been adjusting
her chair. The others didn’t so much as twitch. He’d
asked for that one, frankly. Xadium was so tense about
Sakura’s birth and Minako’s safety that it was
bringing out facets of his personality that
nobody wanted to see – away from Minako, he’d been
snappish, impatient, and on one occasion before this,
very nearly violent; he needed an outlet. Archangel
had never brought out the best in him at the most
tranquil of times; only an idiot would provoke a
man in Xadium’s position – and they owed Archangel
nothing. So let him suffer.
Archangel was slow in rising to his knees, but that
smile was still in place, though battered. He looked over
at Jedite. “Has he been taking lessons from you? That was
quite the hit.”
The former dark general frowned impatiently. “Just
answer the man, insect; or do you enjoy him beating you
down?”
Adjusting his now battered glasses, the ‘insect’
replied, “My answer is this, Mr. Runway Stain; I’m here
to present my compliments, give my gift, and witness the
birth of my beautiful goddaughter. Why else would anyone
be here and now? The décor? Oh hello Mr. Fist-” And he hit
the ground again, and before he could recover, Xadium had
picked up and slammed him face-first into the wall.
“Don’t you get it?” SLAM! “That isn’t
good enough!” SLAM! “You’re not welcome here!” SLAM!
“You are *never* welcome here!” SLAM! “You - ”
SLAM! “will never - ” SLAM! “ Be welcome - ”
SLAM! “As a part - ” SLAM! “Of my - ” SLAM! “Family - ”
SLAM! “You will never - ” SLAM! “Be part - ”
As he pulled back for the hardest blow yet, Setsuna
stood. “Stop!”
The eyes that turned themselves on her were not those
of a rational man – but the beating stopped. Setsuna ignored
the wild rage in Xadium’s face and calmly said, “You must
go.”
“But he hasn’t sa-”
“I know. But the contractions are coming closer
together than ever now; if you don’t go *now*, Sakura will
be born without you.” She gestured to the unconscious man
in his grip. “And do you really want to miss something
that important for *him*?
After a very taut moment, the rage seemed to subside,
and Xadium’s face took on a more civilised cast. As an
afterthought, he dropped Archangel to the floor, and
smoothed his hair back into place.
“Indeed; he isn’t worth it. It’d be bad form to hold
my child with that *thing’s* blood on my hands.” He
turned to leave. “Very well; if I’m needed, I’ll be in the
infirmary.” He glanced to the Senshi of Time. “And you *will*
let me know if he says anything, correct?”
“Of course.”
Xadium left, Artemis not far behind. The others
relaxed, and waited for their ‘guest’ to find consciousness
again.
***
Operating Room, Magellan Infirmary – 22:05 VST
It was time; ready or not, here comes Sakura
Xadium-Aino.
The room was the usual birthing chaos; nurses relayed
information, instructions, and encouragement, lights flashed,
machines went bleep, (someone was in the corner filming it
all), and the centre of attention, the mommy-to-be, was
making very clear to her beloved partner, through the
intimacy of a gripping hand, exactly how she felt about trying
to squeeze what felt like a bowling ball out of a very small
and tender space. So really, business as usual. And everyone had
long since tuned out what she was saying – except for Xadium,
who was quietly hoping that when she saw the baby, she’d forget
the threats about what she’d do to him if she ended up like this
again in the future. Not that she’d have any idea where to find
that many sporks – or the beaver and the outboard motor, either.
But still...
Cliché though the phrase is, most of the actual birth *was*
a blur; voices, colours, words. Ami was the centre of the storm,
barking orders to those around her, and softly instructing
Minako. Xadium himself did what he could (although those Le
Mahz classes felt like they’d been eons ago), and hoped. In a
sense, he knew the outcome, but there’s no true father anywhere
in the universe at a time like that who doesn’t worry. So he did.
They’d hoped for a T-section, a delivery by matter transportation;
but with the stresses of the recent days, nature had bypassed
that option; and there were two things that husband and wife had
agreed upon – one, that they’d tell Sakura, when she was old
enough, that it had been a T-section. They had no illusions that
she was going to be a precocious child, and her knowing that an
attack on her parents had been an indirect cause of her birth would
not sit well, whether she learned the fact at two or at twenty. The
other was that the next time they found themselves in a delivery room, they
*would* have a T-section. And the second motion was one that both
were more than happy to ratify.
So many possibilities, all swirling around this very moment...
death, life, pain, pleasure, all together...the chaos began to
rise to a peak, then slow, and stop. And that wonderful first
sound – lusty young lungs testing the air, the baby’s first
cry. And then mother and daughter meeting; soft brown eyes
met ocean blue for the first time, and the bond was forged.
Minako’s voice jarred him out of the spell, and he moved
closer, putting his arm around his new family. Minako
shifted the precious bundle slightly, and father and daughter
shared their first look. And what he’d ‘known’ before became
definitive; there would be nothing – no risk, no price,
effort or barrier that he would not overcome for her. Now,
he had *two* important women in his life.
It felt good.
***
Cell 5110, Security Wing – 22:15 VST
He’d missed it; he was lying in some
mass-produced, faceless box of a cell, and the
one thing he’d wanted to see, the one event in the
life of that family that he’d ever want to witness,
that held any kind of meaning for him at all...and
they were there, and he was not.
The scene formed itself in his mind before
he could stop it; the whole group, crowded around
the bed, watching the child in its mother’s arms,
all wanting to see the precious new
life. She’d be asleep, perhaps, or quietly
looking around, trying to process all the new
sights, sounds, colours of life outside the womb. Maybe
the poor dear was crying her little eyes out, not wanting
to be the centre of attention just yet. Not that she’d have
much choice in the matter, mind; of the two parents, Minako
was the one he could at least stomach, but her old career as
an idol, and now as Princess of Venus, meant she wasn’t
adverse to a little positive PR – and what better source
was there than a new child? After such a rough few weeks,
Sakura’s arrival, and healthy existence, would be just
what the spin doctors ordered. So they’d publish and be
damned. They couldn’t believe that a man like him could
approach a situation like this without some kind of agenda, but they’d
happily slap their firstborn in front of a billion-strong
tri-d audience just to help their popularity figures.
Laying on the bed, his features twisted into a scowl;
damn them and their vacuous, smiling hypocrisy. But there
wasn’t that much force to the hate.
His thoughts were still brooding on that, ten minutes
later when the door quietly opened; he didn’t look over,
but he knew who it’d be – so he greeted said person
appropriately.
“All hail the Goddess of the Ages.”
Setsuna didn’t so much as blink. “I don’t
remember you calling me that before. Or anyone else,
for that matter.” She looked around the room; the bare,
beige walls, no window, a moulded combination sink/toilet,
and a bed built into the wall, with its lone occupant
staring at the ceiling. “Enjoying the accommodations?”
“Yes; very much to my taste – quite Spartan. Please
pass along my thanks to the proprietress.”
No reply. Archangel continued.
“I take it the happy occasion went without
incident?”
“You presume correctly; Sakura Xadium Aino was
born via natural delivery, 22:10 VST, weighing
approximately 7 lbs. 8 oz. Mother *and* child are
well.”
“Good. When can I expect to be released? There is
a small matter of a gift to be delivered.”
“When the time comes-”
“Oh how droll.”
“- you will be charged with gross breach of security,
trespass on private property, conspiracy to commit assault,
and attempted murder.” A small smile graced her lips.
“You’re going to be ‘enjoying’ Venusian hospitality for
quite some time to come.”
He continued to stare at the ceiling. “I thought
as much. He’s in quite the vindictive mood today, isn’t
he? Gave me chills.”
The smile remained. “*He* had nothing to with
it. It was the Princess’ decision, and hers alone.”
“I doubt that.”
“Doubt what you want; her hand signed the
warrant.”
He raised a finger. “But whose hand guided hers?”
“Touche.”
“Thank you.”
Silence. He broke it.
“And yet you remain here, my lady. Why?”
The smile soured. “You still presume to
control the situation? How...presumptuous.”
He raised his head to look at her; now, the smile
was his. “But I don’t *presume* at all, dear lady –
I know.” He flopped back down on the bed. “And judging
by the look on your lovely face, so do you.”
“Another presumption.”
He popped up again, and grinned. “It’s been
on your mind since the second I was picked up, don’t deny
it. That nasty little doubt, eating away at things – ‘What
if, just this once, it isn’t him? What if we’ve got the wrong
man?’ ”
Silence again; her face was a mask. He pressed the
advantage.
“It’s only natural, of course; part and parcel of
what makes you ‘good’ – being able to give someone the
benefit of the doubt. Quite touching, if it wasn’t so soft.”
Her voice was strained, but still commanding. “Be very
careful; it could still be a very long stay.”
Archangel went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “But
something’s happened, hasn’t it? Some incident, while
I’ve been in here. Or you’ve seen something, something
that’s going to happen – and you realise, I might just be
useful after all. I can be your conduit, so you don’t have
to get your sainted hands dirty. Your way of keeping the
‘balance’ intact. Keeping things on the ‘path’.
Never mind that it might involve the lives
of hundreds, maybe thousands on occasion. Never mind
that it could result in pain, misery, and squalid
death. Your ‘path’ is clear; everyone has their place
and use, and for now, I’m convenient for you. You can’t
do this thing yourself, that much is clear; if you
could, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But
this thing still has to happen, and like it or not,
you can’t leave it alone. You need a tool. I can
do what you don’t have the stomach for; and if I happen
to die in the attempt, well, what does it matter?”
The smile dropped off his face. “Correct?”
Even saying nothing was an admission. After
a moment of silent staring, she bowed her head and
whispered, “Damn you.”
He huffed, the anger he’d built up during his
short speech shunted aside. “Already done, my dear.
Or do you think you’re the only one who’s seen things
that cannot be altered?”
Setsuna ignored this. “The camera footage of this
cell is on a loop for the next five minutes. Hotaru and
most of the others are visiting the baby, but they won’t be there
much longer; you’re going to have a very small window
of opportunity to get out and disappear again before they
get back to their posts, and if you’re caught, don’t expect
assistance – you must be seen to be acting alone.”
Archangel nodded, and sat up fully, swinging his
legs over the side of the bed and straightening his
tie. “Understood. My cane?”
“Will be waiting for you, just outside of
this room.”
He stood. “Where, and when?”
“I’m not completely sure where, but
it’ll be within the next thirty to forty
minutes.” Her face hardened. “Do not fail.”
Archangel turned back to her, an eyebrow
raised. “And if, for some reason, I decide to
decline your most generous offer?”
Now, her smile was grim. “You won’t get
far enough to breathe free air.”
He chuckled, and slipped through the now
open door. “I think that sounds like a
challenge...don’t you?”
She let the door re-seal without a word. After
another moment, the room was empty. Only her last
words still hung in the air. Along with a cryptic
little smile.
“You’re welcome, you sentimental fool.”
***
Choose your cliché. The pieces, in their
right places. The actors, ready for their cues. The
hall rented, the musicians engaged.
They’d all be right; with the arrival of Sakura,
and with the last minor impediment now dealt with, the
plan was on. The only questions left were time, and
location – where would be the best place to strike
the blow? And when? What would best send the message
that his client, Euidal, was to be feared? With the
child in her mother’s arms, or all alone, behind a
glass wall?
The fun, of course, would be deciding.
***
Security Control, 22:25 VST.
Hotaru was enraged. Being as she was, a
shy and reserved woman by nature, this was
impressive; that she was also a woman that’d
undergone the tender mercies of Ten’ou Haruka
as a father-figure, and yet seldomly, if ever,
lost her temper at all, raised the term to
‘awe-inspiring’ – and terrifying. This was someone
that possessed the ultimate destructive power, and she
was so incensed, she was literally shaking in anger. And
she had good reason.
Two security teams attacked since the night began –
one found fifteen minutes ago, throats torn out; the other,
never found at all. The others, evaded as if they were
amateurs. The camera system, having been made so useless
in finding anything on its own, they might as well
have been staring at the wall – the entire security
net, in fact, having become a total failure in every
detail. And most galling of all; their best suspect,
their *only* suspect, had just walked out of the most
secure cell in the entire castle, and vanished into
thin air. Even ChibiUsa, who would pick a fight with
her dark-haired friend at the most inopportune times,
was treading carefully – nobody wanted to get
noticed now. They were all leading search teams, eager
to be outside the range of her wrath; even Artemis. Right
now, it was her on her own, surrounded by the evidence of
the failed web she’d tried to weave to keep Sakura safe.
And then she caught it. Rage and self-pity were
abandoned in an instant; on a lone screen, on the edge of
the swarm, was that little detail she’d been looking
for all night. A foot, sticking out of a mostly
closed closet door; she ordered the computer to look inside
the room, and was instantly vindicated. The unconscious
body of a man, quickly identified as a male nurse, stripped
of his uniform and equipment. And then, minutes later, another,
this time a male doctor waylaid in a toilet. She smiled, and
nobody left in the room could meet her gaze – it was Death
herself, smiling in triumph. The assassins saw no reason to
hide from her anymore – she’d make them pay for that.
She spoke one word, and stalked from the room, her
glaive appearing in her hand.
“Endgame.”
***
And she was right, too. It was ‘endgame’ for the
two figures, carefully disguised, making their ways
to the infirmary; it was for the people who’d come
together to protect the infirmary’s contents, now
scrambling to draw the last line of defense; and it
definitely was for the new family, who despite
everything, were starting to hope that the worst
was over – even though their instincts told them
to prepare for the worst. But most surely, the
‘endgame’ had begun; what happened next was beyond
prediction or strategy – it was the last move. High
stakes, no rules – one last hand.
And no silver medal for coming in second.
***
Minako’s room, Magellan Infirmary, 22:30 VST.
They knew it was coming; they weren’t stupid.
Long before Archangel had shown up, they’d known that this
time would come; whoever had engineered the Ganymede attack
was not the kind of person to stop at one attempt. They wanted Sakura dead,
and if they’d known enough to attack her in the womb, they had the information to attack
her now that she was out of it - that is, if there had been someone behind that
disaster at all. Minako and Xadium were both armed
now, as were several of the medical staff; Ami had transformed, and stood
ready, a fact that would’ve stung to Minako, if she’d let
herself think about it. Right then, she had bigger things
to think about. The pain and wonder of childbirth were dreams
that she’d had to wake up from far too quickly – because now,
she had to make sure that her baby lived. So she gripped the
unfamiliar-feeling pistol tightly, and hoped that she didn’t
have to use it. But it wouldn’t be long now...
Xadium held his gun just as firmly, with a frown on his
face. He detested guns at the best of times, and to be holding
one mere feet away from his newborn daughter rankled
especially. This was something no child should ever have to
go through, yet there she was, fast asleep in her bassinet,
not a care in the world – all these adults here, trying to
protect her, and she could end up covered in their blood.
They could have run, his TARDIS wasn’t that far away – and
the room, the castle, was full of friends and employees that’d
sell their lives unbelievably dearly to make sure that they
got away safely. It could be done, even now.
If he could’ve lived with himself afterwards. Which he
couldn’t. He was a traveler, a scholar – not a coward. He’d
let his own wife kill him again and again, just so he could
be forgiven of a crime – and if he had to give away his last
life to keep her and Sakura safe, so be it. That was a death
he could live with. So to speak.
He looked over at Minako, who lay in bed, facing the door,
face set and weapon in hand. Rassilon, if this was the last
time...a part of his mind knew that technically, there were
things after this. Sakura herself had come back from the
future, and shown them that they had a happy life together,
raising their child, seeing the universe; all those stars
up close. But it wasn’t guaranteed; Miss Dream, the trip
to the Silver Millenium...each in their own way had
demonstrated that even what had already occurred wasn’t
safe – the future could always be re-written, no matter
when that future was.
But if this was the last time he could look at her, to
see such beauty and know that she was his (as he was hers)...
it wasn’t food, but it’d make a good last meal nonetheless.
The call had come through five minutes ago; it wouldn’t be
long now...
Sailor Mercury kept her eyes glued to her visor; it
being plugged into the castle’s security net, she had the
perfect view of everything. She’d got the call from
Security Control – whatever happened, she’d be on the
front line; she’d done her job as doctor and friend. Now,
it was time to be a soldier. The three most likely targets
were in that room – and like everyone else, she was
determined that those three people remain safe – at all
costs. So far, the body count had stayed low; as much as
she would’ve wanted it to stay that way, if it had to rise,
she’d do her best to make sure that it was attackers, not
defenders, that increased the numbers.
But it wasn’t an easy task; Minako couldn’t really
be moved, and Xadium, quite rightly, refused to go
without her – and there was no way she’d sanction moving
Sakura on her own. So they’d wait here, and if necessary,
fight it out here as well. It wasn’t the best of
battlefields, but she’d been on worse. It had to be
done – so she’d do it. Thankfully, the silent alarm
was on, so the baby could sleep.
There hadn’t been time to implant Archangel with
a tracking beacon, and the other target still
hadn’t shown ‘him’self, but she knew; it wouldn’t be long
now...
Two sets of footsteps, on their way; their owners
fully focused now. Their final disguises would aid them,
to a point; beyond that, their skills would have to do. The
goal, the thrill, was all they could see now. And it
wouldn’t be long now...
Because it *was* now.
***
Hallway/Minako’s Room
It was a hell of a tableau – or it would
have been, if it could’ve been frozen and painted. It was
a near blur of indescribable motions, shouts, flashes; to an
aloof observer (much as Ami still hoped that she could be),
only the basic outline could be seen. From either end of the
corridor, two figures were making their way to Minako’s
room – and just to play to the cliché, that door was right
in the middle. What all the noise was about was the fact that
just as the ‘doctor’ had turned the corner, he’d pulled off a
wig; and they’d been looking for a white-haired guy, right? The
‘nurse’ had used this distraction to get closer, but hadn’t
taken five steps before being queried about his ID; ‘he’
must have been pretty keyed-up to attack like that, to
become so bestial so quickly. And having torn out the
guards’ throat like that, Ami knew that whatever he
*had* done, Archangel hadn’t killed the security team
that he’d run into. They might even be alive – but
now was not a good time to think about that. Maybe he
hadn’t been violent with them – true or false, but he
was being violent now. Both attackers were weaving,
dodging, slicing at guards as they went by, barely
taking the time to step over the bodies as they hit
the floor. But...yes, there were differences.
Archangel, if you followed his progress, was the more
controlled fighter; tight movements, nothing wasted,
cool, calm, collected, like it was a basic
simulation, like his opponents were mere shadows –
all he had to do was pass through them, and on
to the next level.
The other one was getting wilder and wilder
with each second. Instead of a weapon, he was
literally tearing his way toward Minako’s
room with his bare hands, each one topped
with a vicious set of cat-like claws. Whereas
Archangel seemed to consider his attacks, this
one was all passion and rage; he was an animal,
biting and tearing and clawing at whatever got in
his way, moving through the mass of guards firing
at him with an almost balletic skill.
Barring herself, Minako (who couldn’t
really fight), and Xadium, the ‘heavy hitters’
were still on their way; they’d have teleported
in, but with no way of knowing how any attackers
would try to access the infirmary, they’d had to
keep the localised scattering field up
around the room and the corridor, too – they
were racing their way up via stairs and the
elevators, but they weren’t there yet. And as
powerful as she was, she wasn’t looking forward
to fighting either man. Even if Archangel seemed
to be – what?
She frowned and squinted, sending the unconscious
command to her visor to zoom in and follow the actions
of the attacking Time Lord. He...yes, he was; it was
hard to tell, but even at that speed, she could see
that Archangel was cutting his way through to the
door, yes...but was pulling his blows. He made
sure that they were down, but the constant
bio-scans showed that none were dead – at least,
not yet. Compared to the river of blood that the
other attacker was spilling, Archangel was being
kind.
If she’d had more time to ponder this, Ami
might’ve come to an important conclusion. But
she couldn’t – because they were nearly at the
door, then almost at the door, then at the door.
Ami keyed up the room’s defences, and made
a silent hand signal. Instantly, every armed
person but the Time Lord and his wife got into
position, weapons trained on the door. The bed
shifted backwards on anti-grav coasters, and
both husband and child followed Minako; other
than her and the people with guns, there was
one last line of defence.
And if *that* fell, they’d all lost.
***
The door was there, right in front of him. Just a
few more steps, barely a foot, and the job was as good as
done. Yes, they’d be armed in there, but at most, it’d
be a few nurses and guards with guns; and if his
information was right, one Senshi that could put
up a fight – and that being Sailor Mercury, it’d be
a Senshi tired from conducting a delicate operation,
with few offensive weapons, and two very fragile patients
to protect. Tearing the child apart as its helpless parents
looked on would be so simple, it was almost sinful. Amost.
He was already drooling, anticipating the taste of the baby’s
throat; a few moments, and he could give his bestial half
free reign.
Just the door to contend with. And the white-haired
fool with the stick-sword; he’d been a useful distraction,
giving the Senshi a target to follow – and more than that,
he was known to hate the one called Xadium with a
passion. If Euidal had contacted him, he
had no idea; but with him around, it’d been that
much easier to execute his plan. And with a
door like this, double-sealed, computerised lock with
multiple-digit combination, he could have another
use; not that he was going to share the money, but
he’d thank the man. Well, kill him, but he would say
‘thanks’ at some point.
He growled, “You; Archangel.”
Archangel looked up from the door, which
he’d been examining. “Yes?”
Fighting to keep his beast side at bay for just
a little longer, the assassin continued, “You want
them dead as well?”
Archangel paused for a moment, then nodded, and
went back to trying to open the door, with what looked
like a sonic screwdriver. After no more than thirty
seconds, he huffed in irritation, pocketed the tool,
and pulled out a sonic blaster. He motioned the
other man to step back, aimed, and with a squeeze of
the trigger, the door was gone. Neither man, after
taking cover, moved for a long moment, expecting
the defenders to open fire; they didn’t. Archangel
then reached into his pocket again, and this time
pulled out a squat, squarish object – a stun
granade. Nodding to the assassin with a smile,
he pressed a button on it, and quickly tossed in
in the room. A bang and a flash, and then they
were both inside, faced with the unconscious
bodies of Ami and the other guards – and the
Xadium family, alive and awake behind a
shimmering barrier, an energy shield. The
assassin snarled and took a step towards
them – and the two guns now trained on him. He
heard a chuckle, and looked over at Archangel,
who’d stowed his gun, and was holding his cane
ready. The renegade Time Lord smiled at the beast-man.
“What a pity, isn’t it? We get this close, and
they still put a wall up. You’d almost think that
they didn’t want us to visit.”
“Then again”, he said, jerking his head
towards Xadium and Minako, “Those two are
notorious for being ‘party poopers’.” He grinned.
“Though I have to say that I approve of the new
look – armed and fabulous.”
Xadium and Minako didn’t return the smile, and
remained silent. Archangel sighed. “Typical; I’ve made
all this effort to see you both, and you’re not even
going to say thank you – you’re just going to stand
there, and die quietly.”
Her voice quivering only slightly, Minako
replied, “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Archangel’s smile only got wider at her words.
Holding up his cane, he said, “No bet to make; this is
a certainty.” He rubbed his thumb over the top – and
the three other adults watched the field flicker, and
vanish. The assassin let out a roar, and sprung; or
tried to. Xadium and Minako fired, but he felt a
blinding pain erupt across his back, and darkness
swallowed him up as he hit the ground, just two feet
from the target. But just before it did, he heard
another body hit the floor; they hadn’t been shooting
at him – so who...?
He died in ignorance.
***
October 14, 2907 – 10:31AM VST
Magellan Castle Infirmary (Secure Room)
Archangel wasn’t at all surprised to wake
up handcuffed to the bed. It made sense, seeing
as how he’d had to play the part of villain just
to flush out the real one; had he been in their
place, he would’ve done just the same. Even so, it
wasn’t a very dignified way to wake up;
and for a Time Lord, it was humiliating. But compared
with the very real possibility that he could end up
being executed for just the things that he’d done,
coming to with plasteel bracelets on was a small price to
pay. He smiled, and let his head rest on the pillow;
crimes or no, they couldn’t deny that it was his shot
that had stopped the assassin; and that they’d hit him.
No, he’d handled things perfectly; Sakura was
alive, as were her parents. The body count was
probably higher than he’d supposed, but since he
hadn’t torn out any throats, he was confident that
he wouldn’t be blamed. Especially once they’d
studied the security tapes of the fight in the
corridor. And as both Xadium and Minako had had
the pleasure of gunning down the ‘mastermind’ of
the attack (not that they’d ever bring themselves
to believe his version of events – well, Xadium
never would), they were bound to be in a
generous mood. At least, it was fairly likely
that they wouldn’t throw him at the walls again.
But he did have lives to take; and wouldn’t it just
be the perfect punishment, dragging him down to the
same level as that overblown idiot Xadium –
cradling his final life to his chest like a precious
gem, living in fear of having it taken away, to
such an extent that he hid behind a mere human with
a bit of power...yes, that was well within the realm
of possibility. Especially if Xadium had any influence
over things.
That is, if they hadn’t done so already; he hadn’t
seen his reflection yet.
His thoughtful review of the ceiling was broken by
the sound of boots being brought down sharply on the
floor; men coming to attention, he realised. It could
be any number of people, but hearing the soft footsteps
in the silence that followed, along with a certain other
sound, told him everything.
“I didn’t think that you’d ever want to see me again”,
he said, looking Minako full in the face, “Unless it was to
sentence me – though I suppose that doing so with your child
in your arms gives the act a certain amount of ‘punch’.” He
nodded at Sakura, who quietly slept. “Seeing as she’s the
reason I came here at all. How is she, by the way?”
Minako’s face was unreadable. “Sakura-chan is
just fine, thank you. But that’s not why I’m here.”
Archangel sighed. “Of course not; you want
‘answers’, don’t you.” His voice put just enough
of a edge on the word to create the scare-quotes that
his hands couldn’t make.
After a tense moment, she nodded, just once. He gave
a mental shrug; Pluto might be concerned about acting
from a position of anonymity like some god on high, but
since when did that apply to him? Minako wanted to know, so
he’d tell her; and if she didn’t like the answer...
“All right. Because your daughter is too important to
the future to allow her to die. And because if I’d made
my move any sooner, the real assassin would have
suspected something; he had to think that I was just
another piece on the game board.”
Silence.
“That’s why I intervened, and why I had to
do it in that manner.”
She just stared at him, almost ignoring the child
she was carrying. The silence lengthened, grew heavy;
neither face gave anything away. Minako turned, and
he watched as she went to the door, still moving
quietly so as not to wake up Sakura. Mentally, Archangel
tossed a coin; she knew that wasn’t his whole reason,
because she knew how he felt for his goddaughter. And
at this point, he couldn’t get into any more trouble –
so what could it hurt? His sainted reputation? A paltry
life or two?
“And...”
Minako stopped, but didn’t turn. “And?”
“...And having seen what you would have gone
through had that creature been successful, I could
not let that future come to pass.”
He paused; Minako remained where she was.
“And as much as I dislike your husband,
no parent should have to lose their child in such
a way; especially not someone as special as
Sakura.”
Minako left then, not giving any sign that she’d
acknowledged his words. But he was hopeful – or rather,
he had a fair idea that the security evidence, the
injury reports, and the wealth of proof in his TARDIS
(they had his keys, and the security system was
set to admit Hotaru and Minako inside, even if
they didn’t know it yet), if nothing else, would
prove his case.
His only option was to wait; what happened after
this, good or ill, were not things he could control.
He’d face them, even possible forced regeneration,
with head held high. Even if he’d been manipulated by
Time, even Xadium would have to admit that
he’d done the right thing – if not quite for all
the ‘right’ reasons.
No sense in worrying about it.
***
Author’s notes:
Well, wasn’t that fun? Hehe. Anyway, that’s the fic. I hope
that you enjoyed it; my thanks to Dr. Xadium for letting me use the
characters and situations from Suburban Senshi. Not only that, but it
was his advice and clarifications about various details regarding
Sakura and other Sub Senshi that helped me make this as accurate,
and entertaining, as I hope it is. So my thanks once again. :) Hopefully, this’ll
be the first of several Sub Sen fics involving Archangel – but if anyone
would like to use the character, feel free to contact me on the Sub Sen forum. ^_^
I have no idea if this’ll become canon or not, but really, it
doesn’t matter; this has been fun, and I hope that you had fun
reading it. :)
Does Archangel regenerate after being shot? You know,
that’s a good question... and my secret. *evil chuckle* I’ll have
to see where my muse takes me. You’ll just have to wait and
see...
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the fic; later!
- Between_the_Lines (aka Archangel) :)