Seeing Setsuna frantic was never a good sign. So when she arrived at the shrine and told everyone to be ready to hold Ami... well, they listened.
Moments later, Setsuna returned, looking a bit worse for wear, and tossed Ami to the others, where Rei and Minako grabbed her.
"Let. Me. GO!!"
Setsuna looked at the girl coolly. "If you will just give me a moment... I can give you a shot at Gothwrain."
That statement brought more than a few gasps. Ami glared at the eldest senshi, but stopped struggling. "If this is a trick..."
"No trick, Ami. I know you will not put everything you have into anything else until Gothwrain is taken down. So I will help you do that. But I can only give you one shot, Ami. And I'm putting a lot on the line to give you that one shot."
Ami sneered at her. "Really? What?"
"The entire world." Setsuna replied ominously. As if in response to that, Setsuna's watch started beeping. After turning off the alarm, Setsuna addressed everyone present. "That meant that we have thirty hours left."
"Thirty hours left until... what?" Makoto asked.
"Thirty hours until the lycanthrope army in China reaches Beijing. Thirty hours until a panicked government tries launching nuclear weapons to stop them. Which will cause an automatic response in all other nuclear-capable nations, rendering the world an irradiated wasteland within five hours of the initial launch. Sentencing everything that didn't die from the explosions to slowly die of radiation, cold, and starvation... even the werecreatures. In short... thirty hours until the apocalypse.
"If we don't use the purification before then... there will be nothing left to save."
Setsuna leveled her own glare at the short-haired girl, but it softened after a moment. "Since Ami insists that she must take on Gothwrain first... I will give her that opportunity. I have, through the Rats we just captured, found the location of one of their strongholds. If Gothwrain isn't there... someone that will know where he is will be."
Ami shrugged off Rei and Minako's arms. "You'll just give it to me?" she asked, suspiciously.
Setsuna shook her head. "No. Not unless you agree to take Brittany Diggers and Uranus along with you."
"What?!" came the cry from many voices... but not from Ami. She was thinking things over.
"The wererats fear werecheetahs more than any other werecat. The presence of two, combat capable werecheetahs might distract Gothwrain... from me."
"Exactly." Setsuna agreed.
"Wait a second!" Julia Diggers suddenly interrupted. "You are not sending my daughter to face that monster without backup I know I can trust."
Setsuna smiled. "By all means then, Mrs. Diggers, join them. I'm sure your presence will mean that... cooler heads will prevail."
Julia looked at the Senshi of Time for a moment, then nodded in understanding. Setsuna wanted her along... to both make sure the girls came back alive... and to make sure that Ami didn't start killing wererats left and right.
"You'll need some method of moving great distances rapidly... I'm sure you can come up with something, and a means to protect it yourself." Setsuna finished, and then turned to address the others. "While that is happening, another team must travel to D-point, and into the Dark Kingdom, to retrieve the Chromatic Orb." She looked at Mamoru. "I know you don't like to think about that point, Mamoru... but you did live there for a time. You possess the most knowledge of anyone here about the Dark Kingdom. It will be up to you to lead the team into and out of the Kingdom."
Mamoru nodded, unconsciously gripping the reclaimed Golden Crystal in his hand. "I understand."
"Then I'm going too." Came the surprisingly firm voice of Usagi.
There was an immediate outcry against it, but she just stared them down. "If Mamo-chan's going, then I will be by his side."
Rei looked ready to burst. "Oh no you don't! There is no way I'm letting you out of my sight, Usagi!" the weretigress yelled at her.
Setsuna smirked. "Okay, that means Mamoru, Usagi, and Rei are going..." Rei gave a weak protest that that wasn't what she meant, but Setsuna ignored it. "Furthermore, I would recommend that Dr. Diggers, Ranma, and Shelia go along as well. Between them, they have a good range of power and, more importantly, are familiar with the enemies you are likely to encounter. Anyone else?"
Makoto stood up. "I'm going too." she said in no uncertain terms. Not only was her princess going, but so were her mates.
Brianna also put in her two cents. "Hey, it sounds like fun! Count me in!"
Setsuna nodded. "Good. Then the rest of you are going to help me set up for the ceremony. When your jobs are done, get back here." Setsuna looked at all of them... friends, family, and acquaintances... "We only have one shot at this. Good luck, everybody..."
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(Posted Sat, 03 May 2003 01:20)
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