From the Sailor Moon Expanded (SME) Universe:
 

               After The Fall, part 2

          A Tale of Crystal Tokyo by Ron Inn
 

The Sailor Senshi and related characters were created by Naoko
Takeuchi.

Earlier parts of this fanfic can be found at SME's home page
http://members.xoom.com/Warthog/index.html

%%%%

"WHAT?!?!" Rei shouted incredulously.

"Rei, OUR mind is made up. You are going on vacation!" Queen
Serenity stated with a commanding voice.

"B-B-But ..." Rei sputtered.

"Now don't worry about anything," Serenity continued in a
business-like tone, "Ami has already agreed to cover for you and
we both know that she is more than qualified."

"W-W-Wher ..." Rei stuttered as she tried to recover her breath.

"I've already booked a flight plan on the palace's CT-3 Shuttle
to Hawaii. It's fueled up and is scheduled to leave tomorrow
morning." Serenity pulled out an envelope and placed it in Rei's
limp hands. "Here are your hotel accommodations and itinerary.
I'm sure once you get there, you'll be eager to some more
exploring. You know Europe is really nice this time of year.  Or
if you really want to get away, there's this cozy spot off the
coast of Madagascar ..."

"My Queen," Rei interrupted as she strained to remain calm. "Are
you trying to get rid of me?"

Serenity's expression softened as she took Rei's hands in her
own. "Rei, you know I can't afford to lose you. Not now,
especially with ... what will happen soon."

"Then why are you sending me away?"

Serenity looked into her eyes, "Tell me truthfully, if you were
one hundred percent in control of yourself, would you have
bounced that man off the wall?"

"I admit that was a lapse in judgment. It won't happen again."

"Rei, you're so wound up that you won't able to stop making these
'lapses in judgment'!"  Serenity immediately regretted her sharp
retort when she saw the hurt reflected in her old friend's face.
Serenity released Rei's hands and turned to pour more tea.

After taking a slow sip of tea, Serenity started again, "I need
you relaxed and rested for the challenges that we are going to
face. That's why you're going to take a little vacation."

"You _know_ a shooting war with Nemesis is going break out. It is
just a matter of time!  What if it starts while I'm out sunning
myself in Timbuktu?"

"Then you'll fly CT-3 back to Crystal Tokyo," replied Serenity
stubbornly.

"_Usagi_," Rei pleaded, "I swore an oath to protect you with my
life. I can't do that if I'm halfway around the world! Maybe I
could take a couple weeks off in Crystal Tokyo ..."

"Don't be silly!" Serenity replied firmly, "We both know that you
wouldn't be able to stay away from your job."

"Usagi ..."

"That's enough Rei. My mind's made up ..." Serenity's voice
trailed off as she looked thoughtful.

"What is it?"

Serenity shook her head, "Never mind, it would never work."

"What would never work?"

"You'd never agree to it."

"My Queen, if there's any acceptable alternative to sending me
away, I'm willing to consider it."

Serenity looked at Rei quizzically as she took a couple small
sips of tea.  Placing her cup gently on the table, she gazed
calmly into Rei's eyes. "There's a prisoner that I'm concerned
about in the Woman's Correctional Facility. She's sunk into a
very deep depression and is refusing all treatment and programs."

Rei frowned. "I'm sure that the correctional staff is competent
enough to handle it."

"Yes, quite possibly, but I want you to take care of it."

"Me?" Rei blurted out.

"Yes, after all you're the one that arrested her."

"But the only people I personally arrested recently were those
Nemesian ..." Rei sputtered, "Surely you don't want me to waste
my time helping Nemesian scum!"

Serenity sighed sadly, "I told you that you wouldn't do it."

"Wait, I didn't say that! I'm just surprised at your suggestion."

Getting up from her cushion, Serenity crossed the room to pick-up
a small jar of fish food from a concealed panel. Settling herself
down next to her little brook, Serenity asked in an odd tone,
"What do you suppose will happen once the war with the Nemesians
is over?"

"We'll kick their butts all the way back to Nemesis so hard that
they won't be able to sit for the next century!"

Serenity took a pinch from jar and sprinkled it on the water.
"And after we drive them back to Nemesis?"

Uncertain of what Serenity was driving at, Rei remained silent.

"The Nemesians won't be ...," Serenity caught herself and started
again. "The Nemesians won't just 'go away' like some of our past
enemies. They will still be with us."

Rei held her breath. She instinctively knew that Serenity was
referring to her role in total destruction of the Dark Kingdom
and its inhabitants. In all these years, Serenity had never
discussed it. After becoming friends with the Renegades, refugees
who had escaped that apocalypse, Rei had wondered if Serenity had
ever recognized the implications of her actions so many years
ago. Seeing the hidden anguish on her face, Rei now knew.

"Serenity, there was no other choice." Rei said quietly. "There
was no time. They were unredeemable --"

"Were they really?" Serenity asked bitterly.

"You saved the world!"

"Only by dooming another?" Putting her jar down, she slid next to
Rei and took Rei's hands in her own. "Do not worry about me. It's
all old history now. What's done is done and cannot be changed.
But one thing I can do:  It will never happen again."  After
holding Rei's gaze and giving Rei's hands a final squeeze,
Serenity went back to feeding her fish.

"The fact remains that the Nemesians that will still be with us
after the war. So what is the final answer to their threat? Would
you suggest containment? Maybe subjugation?"

"Containment would seem to be the best policy, " Rei replied in a
subdued voice.

"Rei, the Nemesians are more like us than you'd like to believe.
They aren't all bad."

"They aren't all bad? You know as well as I do what they're going
to do to this world. How can you think of being soft with them
when many of our people are going to suffer and die at their
hands!"

"So, you would rather have us become just as ruthless?" Serenity
asked chidingly. "War is a terrible thing. Extreme suffering will
happen on both sides; there is no way around it. However, it is
still not an excuse to become like those we fight. If we do so,
we will have lost before the first shot is fired.

"I'm asking you to help this Nemesian prisoner, Ruby, for two
reasons. The first is that I want you to see a human face on
those that we are fighting. I think you'll find that Ruby is
basically a good person, considering oppressive environment in
which she grew up.

"The second reason is this: The only way for a lasting peace is
for a peace-loving government and culture to be established on
Nemesis. How can we accomplish this goal? For now, one person at
a time. If we can start planting the seeds of freedom in few
Nemesian hearts, perhaps they will flourish and spread in time."

Rei didn't quite agree with what her Queen was saying. But she
did understood that if she could complete this little task, no
matter how odious, she could avoid a prolonged vacation during
which she would be unable to do her duty. There was really no
choice.

"So, once this Nemesian is cured, I can immediately get back to
my job?" Rei asked to be safe.

"Once I agree that Ruby is restored, you may go back to your
normal duties," Serenity amended.

"In that case, my Queen, you have a deal." Rei stood up. "I have
much to do. By your leave?" With Serenity's dismissal, Rei
swiftly exited the room, her mind already awash with planning.

As the door closed behind Rei, a holograph of a kneeling young
woman flickered into existence next to Serenity.

"Well, what do you think, Sally?"

"Considering the circumstances, it went as well as could be
expected, your Highness." Sally responded. She paused before
continuing, "Is Your Highness aware that there are no registered
flight plans for the CT-3 shuttle tomorrow?"

"Oh dear, I must have forgotten to make those arrangements,"
Serenity replied absently as she put away the jar of fish food.

"How long will it be before Rei figures that out?"

"Oh, maybe in five minutes or so."

Sally rolled her eyes, "No disrespect Princess Ogando-head, but
over the years I've observed that you have a strange definition
of tact.

Serenity smiled angelically.

%%%%

"My, what a quaint apartment building!" exclaimed Gracie as she
got out of the taxi.

"Yes, dear," Harry obediently replied as he gathered up their
luggage.

Their apartment was on the third and top floor of the building.
Gracie chatted away merrily as Harry strained to carry two
suitcases, a duffel bag, a tote bag and his briefcase up the
stairs. The cab driver lagged behind, sweating beneath his load,
a large fiberglass-reinforced box.

By the time the cab driver stumbled his way to Harry & Gracie's
apartment, Harry was waiting for him with his tip. As the cabby
collapsed from exhaustion, Harry caught the box and gently set it
down inside the apartment.

"Just what is in that box?" cab driver wheezed as he took the
offered cash.

Harry gave the man a funny little look. "Our robotic pets. Gracie
would never leave home without them."

"I see. Well, good day then," said the cabby taking his leave.

Harry closed the door and wandered into kitchen vainly hoping to
find a wet bar. His search was interrupted by his wife. "Harry,
come here. Look at what our friends left us!"

Harry found his wife perusing blueprints on their bed. Harry
looked over her shoulder. "Look dear, blueprints for CT Men's
Correctional Facility, CT Woman's Correctional Facility and the
groundskeeping systems around the palace. Isn't this just
marvelous?" she gushed with undisguised delight.

%%%%

The next day, a young woman wearing a beige dress and pastel pink
sweater decorated with small white ducks walked briskly into CT
Women's Correctional Facility. She wore her auburn hair in a bun
from which errant wisps of hair struggled to escape. Upon
entering the administrative building she removed her
turquoise-rimmed sunglasses.

Slipping the well-worn pair into her soft leather briefcase, she
navigated her way past security and through the maze of offices.
Soon she found herself in the Case Worker Operations section.
"How may I help you?" inquired the receptionist.

"I'm special assistant Rachel Takae with Queen's Affairs. I
believe that Superintendent Miyamoto is expecting me." Upon
identifying herself, Rachel flashed her QA badge.

The receptionist replied with a quick smile. "I believe that
Superintendent Miyamoto is in conference at the moment, but I'll
go and let him know you're here."

The corner of Rachel's mouth twitched in amusement as she watched
the receptionist scurry off to find the superintendent. Being
with Queen's Affairs commanded a lot of respect. The department
had a long and storied history reaching back to the early years
of Crystal Tokyo's founding.

As legend had it, at the founding of Crystal Tokyo Queen Serenity
had been driving Lady Rei to absolute distraction with many small
requests involving improving her city or help some individual.
Exasperated, Rei respectfully suggested that Internal Security
was NOT the appropriate organization for that kind of work and
that her Majesty should find some aides to help her out.

So Serenity recruited one volunteer and then another and another.
In short order, she had filled a quarter of the palace's south
wing with these "aides". After a few 'discussions' between Rei
and Queen, the aides were finally moved out into their own
building and given official status. And so the Queen's Affairs
Corps was born.

Shortly thereafter, the name of the organization was shortened to
simply Queen's Affairs because of the unavoidable acronym that
"Queen's Affairs Corps" suggested: QuAC. Unfortunately, the
nickname stuck. QA agents are still referred to as QUACs.

The average QUAC is a jack-of-all trades:  One day talking to the
Public Works about rearranging the train schedule; the next day,
doing family counseling; the next, finding housing for a
destitute family. Somehow, Serenity had her finger on the pulse
of the city and every week had new tasks for those she
affectionately called her helpers.

Technically, Queen's Affairs has no legal authority or
jurisdiction. It could only give suggestions or take advisory
roles in fulfilling the Queen's wishes. The reality is, however,
that Crystal Tokyo is Serenity's city. If the Queen wishes for
something, in the minds of her subjects it is as good as law.

In short order, the receptionist reappeared and ushered Rachel
into Superintendent Miyamoto's office.

"Ms. Takae! Please take a seat. How may I be of help?" the
superintendent gushed.

"You have a prisoner here that isn't responding to treatment. I
believe her name is Ruby, formerly of the Black Moon Family."

"Why yes, I was just reviewing her case. It is a difficult one,
but I believe that we can handle it."

"If I may suggest, I could be of some help in taking over her
case."

Superintendent Miyamoto frowned, "This is highly irregular, but I
will see what I can do. I need to get authorization from ..." He
broke off as Rachel pulled out a datapad from her briefcase and
set it before him.

"I see," he muttered as he read its contents. "I'll be happy to
render any assistance you need," he said handing back the
datapad. "Curious, you must have gotten Lady Rei's approval just
before she left for vacation."

Rachel smiled, "Yes, it was sort of a last minute thing. Now, if
you could get me an office and the case files ..."

In short order, Rachel was set up in an office with a view.
Ruby's case files were scattered all over the desk. The psych
evaluation looked fairly bad, Rachel admitted to herself. She
agreed with Ruby's former caseworker that it would be best to
recruit someone Ruby knew to help draw her out. The alternative,
of course, was drugs, but Ruby had refused them so far. To
administer them without her consent was unthinkable.

Rachel listed down the people that Ruby knew within the city. The
Nemesian Ambassador?  No, Ruby was disowned; There is no chance
of any help from that quarter. Topass? Topass was probably the
last person Ruby needed to see. That left only Boxite and Pumice,
Ruby's two subordinates in her failed mission. Boxite was clearly
no help unless by some miracle his mental capacity quadrupled.

Sighing, Rachel reached for a communicator in her briefcase. As
poor an option as Pumice was, she was the only one Rachel had.
With a press of a button, a familiar face appeared on the screen.

"Hi Rei! What can I do for you?"

Rachel gave Ami a frosty look. "I'm Rachel Takae. You must be
mistaken."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I mistook you for a friend," Ami said in her most
business-like tone. "What can I do for you, Special Assistant
Rei-chel?"

Rei, also known as Rachel, rolled her eyes. With friends like
these, who needs enemies?

"I need to know where Pumice is. I'm going to recruit her help."

Ami turned briefly to consult her terminal. "She's shopping with
Makoto on the Ginza."

"She's WHAT!"

"Shopping with Makoto on the Ginza. Didn't you know that Boxite
and Pumice are officially our honored guests? Serenity thought
that they should be treated as such and see the sights."

"Yes, yes, I _know_."

"By the way, the hand-over is tomorrow."

"You don't have to remind me."

"Well, if that's all, Ms. Takae, I have some serious work to do."
Ami didn't bother to hide her smirk.

Rei hung up the communicator. She had forgotten that tomorrow
they were exchanging Pumice and Boxite for some of their own
people who had been detained by the Nemesians. It was a fairly
decent trade. She'd have to work fast if she wanted Pumice's help
with Ruby.

Rei took out her compact to check up on her make-up. Rachel Takae
was one of her alternate identities that she'd spent a long time
establishing. A few centuries ago she had discovered that being a
QUAC gave her a freer hand to get things done than as Lady Rei.
Where ever she went as Rei, there were formalities, endless
meetings and important people that just _had_ personally express
their pleasure at her presence. As a QUAC, she got full
cooperation without all the extra hoopla, which was exactly what
she wanted.

So she had invented Rachel Takae. Rei carefully touched up her
make-up. It was a relatively simple disguise - change the hair
color and style, subtle facial make-up, total wardrobe change,
different mannerisms and the slightest touch of a magical
glamour. The sum of all the changes was quite effective.

Of course, she could have used a glamour for the entire disguise,
but there were too many in the city who could detect and see
through them. Simple and low-tech was the best way to go.

Satisfied with her efforts, Rei crammed the case files into her
briefcase and headed out the door. Trust Serenity to take serious
the fiction that Pumice and Boxite were 'guests', she thought
ruefully.

If Rei had not been so preoccupied, she might have noticed the
faintest wisp of a ghostly form following her.

%%%%

"Here we are," Makato said to Pumice as she stopped in front of
Pumice's guest quarters in the north wing of the Palace. "Back
safe and sound."  A general groan of relief escaped the five
porters who had been trailing them. Carrying all manner of boxes,
bags and packages, the porters were on the verge of collapse.

"Thank you so much Makato!" babbled Pumice. "This was soooo much
fun! All those beautiful stores and so little time. Did you see
that positively adorable pink dress I picked out for my cousin?
We simply must do this again someday. How about tomorrow?"

Makoto giggled, "I'll have to introduce you to Minako the next
time you're in town." Behind them, one of the porters hit the
ground in a dead faint. "You're heading back home to Nemesis
tomorrow, remember?"

"Like I know, but a girl can dream can't she?" Impulsively Pumice
wrapped Makato a bear hug. "Thanks for being so nice to me,"
Pumice whispered.

Before Makato could respond, Pumice fled into her quarters and
closed the door. Mild amusement playing across her face, Makato
regarded the door for a moment before turning to leave. A cleared
throat from the lead porter got her attention.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. What do we do with all this merchandise?"

Pumice poked her head out the door briefly. "Oh, could you drop
all that off at the Nemesian Embassy for me? Thanks a bunch!" And
with that parting comment, she was gone.

The man who had fainted earlier started gibbering.

Makato frowned. "Pull yourself together! If those goods aren't at
the Nemesian embassy in pristine condition within 20 minutes,
I'll personally see to it that you will all be assigned to
Minako's next shopping trip!"

The hall cleared shortly after that.

Inside her quarters, Pumice examined her nails. There were little
chew marks on them; where had she picked up the despicable habit
of chewing on her nails? She made her way to the bathroom to do a
little repair and polishing work.

Her mind cast back over the events of the day. An entirely
wonderful day, except for that encounter with Rachel Takae.
Pumice wondered why it nagged at her so. Rachel wanted her to
meet with Ruby; To help Ruby out of chronic depression no less!
What could she be thinking? Doesn't she know that to associate
with a Nameless person was just totally gauche?

Pumice was startled out of her reverie when she realized she was
chewing on a lock of her hair. "Oh yuck! What is a matter with
me?" she plaintively asked her reflection in the mirror.

It was then she noticed a small handwritten note on the counter:

 Please be so kind as to meet me in your living room.

 - A Friend

Pumice frowned. She had just been in her living room. Besides
that Palace security supposedly keeping close tabs on her and her
quarters.  Pumice shrugged. There couldn't be any harm in taking
a look.

Walking through her bedroom and peeking out the bedroom door,
Pumice spied a trenchcoated figure leaning lazily in a corner. A
funny-looking hat was pulled low to conceal his features.

Pumice stared at the man. The man didn't move. Gathering her
courage, Pumice straightened up and walked into the room. "Are
you, like, that weird shape-shifting guy, Magnesite?" she
twittered nervously.

The figure seemed to glower for a moment before replying, "Kid,
who am I is not important. If you want important, you should be
helping Ruby."

"And what makes you think I even _like_ her, much less want to
help her?" Pumice laughed nervously.

"Who was looking at the scanner the night you were all captured?"

Pumice's eyes widened and she looked away. "How did you know that
..." she began turning back to the man but stopped when she found
herself talking to empty air. A quick search of her quarters
turned up no man, no trenchcoat nor any quirky hats.

Was the encounter real or a hallucination? Pumice racked her
brains. Did it really matter?

After pacing across the room and nearly chewing on her refinished
nails, Pumice groaned in resignation. She picked up the phone and
a palace operator appeared on the comscreen. "I'd like to talk
with Rachel Takae ..."

In the hall outside the Pumice's quarters, the IS officers
Yamashiro and Watanabe were posted by the door. They straightened
to attention upon at the unexpected arrival of Lady Mizuno.
Curiously, she was wearing her visor and appeared to be looking
for something. Watanabe started to speak, but then thought better
of it.

Seconds ticked by.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Ami demanded of the empty
hallway. Both officers looked around for something they must have
missed. "Yes, you!" remonstrated Ami, "Are you going to make
yourself visible or am I going to have to take steps?"

Before the officer's eyes, a mist appeared and congealed into a
shadowy man wearing a trenchcoat and fedora.

Ami tapped her foot. "Just who do you think you're fooling, Dr.
Martin Spectre?"

The man sighed and assumed the familiar ghostly form of Martin
Spectre. "How did you know I was here, grandmother?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't have ways to keep tabs on you?"
Ami said while dismissing her visor. Noting the presence of the
two guards, Ami continued "Come along, Martin. We're going to
have a little chat and I had better like what I'm going to hear."

Martin mildly resented being treated like a kid. After all, he
was over 600 years old. Some things just never changed. With
defeated sigh, he followed his grandmother down the corridor.

"Er, who was that?" whispered Yamashiro to his partner.

"Martin Spectre," replied Watanabe.

"Who's he?"

Watanabe momentarily considered letting his friend stew in his
own ignorance before relenting. "Spectre was involved in some
sort of accident awhile back. Effectively turned him into a
ghost. He's the great-grandson or so of Lady Mizuno. Mostly
harmless."

"Did he get past us?"

"I have no idea, but I'm sure Lady Mizuno will set things right."

When Ami and Martin finally reached Rei's office, Ami closed the
door and looked contemplatively at Martin. Martin fought the
impulse to squirm as he made a show of sitting down in a chair.

Ami coolly sat down behind Rei's desk. Deliberately steepling her
hands and focusing her icy gaze upon Martin, Ami uttered one
word, "Talk."

"Grand ... Lady Mizuno," Martin strove to keep his cool. "I was
merely attempting to help Rei by recruiting Pumice's aid."

"And why wasn't I informed of this?"

A glib lie almost crossed Martin's lips, but his better sense won
out. "Perhaps I should have cleared it with you first."

"Yes, you should have. Now I want the whole story. Including why
it looks like you've joined the Humphrey Bogart fan-club."

"It's a long story."

"I'll make the time."

Martin paused to sort out his thoughts. He had never counted on
getting caught and there were some promises of secrecy to had to
be kept.

"It involves a woman, doesn't it?" prodded Ami, "I can tell by
that look on your face. You could never resist helping a damsel
in distress."

Despite his being an apparition, Ami could read Martin's body
language quite well. Martin made a mental note to be extremely
careful. "Yes, it does involve a lady. Who exactly is none of
your business!" replied Martin defensively.

"Just as long as it doesn't effect CT security," warned Ami.

"Anyway, this lady expressed a desire to see Magnesite. I cannot
imagine why anyone would want to see _him_. Regardless I
foolishly promised to help her before discovering out that she
could not come to Crystal Tokyo to visit him. Since she could not
go to him, I had to find a way to get him to her."

"And she couldn't come to Tokyo because ..."

"Because of reasons you don't need to know."

Ami frowned in irritation, but decided to let it pass. Then
thought occurred to her. "You've the phantom trenchcoated man;
the one Magnesite has been hallucinating all these years!" Ami's
face softened slightly before scrutinizing Martin even more
intensely. "So, Maggie is not quite as crazy as we thought.
You've been yanking his chain with random sightings of Humphrey
Bogart all along."

Martin scowled back, "He was already hallucinating seeing Bogart
before I came along."

"So you just decided to help him along?" noted Ami dryly.

Martin had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "I would
informally keep tabs on him from time to time for Lady Mars.
Anyone who trusts a full-blooded youma is a fool, especially one
as psychotic as Magnesite. So I amused myself once in a while. It
was only a harmless prank ..." Ami did not look amused.

"Regardless," Martin continued, "when I came to find him this
last time, I happened to land squarely in the middle of Ruby's
operation."

"You're the one who sabotaged the Rei's secondary sensor net,"
deduced Ami. "Rei was climbing the walls for weeks trying to
figure out how security was breached."

Martin winced. "I apologize for that. I needed to provide
Magnesite with enough rope to hang himself. It was the prefect
opportunity for him to show his true colors once and for all."

"Things didn't quite turn out the way you'd thought they would."

"No, I was quite surprised," Martin admitted, "but at least now I
will be able to fulfill my promise."

"Ah yes, Magnesite is now free to roam the world. You still
haven't explained why you're still meddling with the Nemesians."

"I happened to hear that Ruby was in a bad state, I knew that I
could render some assistance."

"It seems like you went through an awful bit a trouble to help
out a criminal."

"Pardon me, it is patently obvious that she has gotten the short
end of the proverbial stick -- something with which I am well
acquainted. She was definitely acting on her government's orders
and her government has made her a scapegoat. I feel partially
responsible since I could have stopped everything before it got
out of hand."

"Even if she was under orders as a foreign operative, she belongs
in jail."

"Maybe so, but she doesn't deserve the indignity of being branded
a common criminal and going mad as a result."

"The intelligence game is a cruel one. If you're going to play,
you have to accept the risks."

"I do not accept that. I also reject the notion that the
Nemesians are as evil as they are made out to be. How much do we
really know about them? Certainly, they seem overly harsh to us,
but given the nature of their home world, can they be blamed? The
tension between us and them is likely a product of our paranoia
and a cultural misunderstanding. Serenity is the one who is
always talking about peace and understanding. Why isn't Crystal
Tokyo taking the lead in building bridges to the Nemesians?
Instead, you've been antagonizing them!"

Ami sat through Martin's outburst with a stoic expression. For a
minute, Martin thought she'd give a rebuttal, but instead she
coldly asked, "Are you quite finished?"

After pondering a moment, Martin nodded brusquely.

"Dr. Martin Spectre, from now on you WILL NOT invisibly sulk
around the Palace, any government offices or look over shoulders
of CT officers on official business. You must identify yourself
and remain visible when in proximity to any government office or
operation. And keep away from those Nemesians. DO I MAKE MYSELF
CLEAR?"

Ami never threatened people, but Martin had no doubt that
consequences of crossing his grandmother would be extremely
unpleasant. One the upside, however, this little speech meant the
interview was nearly over. With luck, he'd escape unscathed.

"Perfectly." Martin met and held Ami's eyes to show he
understood. He was briefly tempted to inform Ami that he worked
under Lady Mars and her alone, but wisely held his tongue.

"Good. Now get out of here," Ami said dismissively.

Martin rose to leave, but then stopped. "You're not going mention
this to Lady Mars, are you?"

"I will if you become a nuisance."

"Ah," replied Martin as he walked toward the door.

"What was that young lady's name again?" asked Ami in an off-hand
fashion.

"Na ... None of your business!" With that, Martin phased through
the door and out of the office.

Ami massaged her temples and then rummaged through the desk to
find some aspirin. It was only her second full day on the job and
she was starting to hate it already ...

Martin navigated his way through palace corridors toward the
exit. Chagrined that he came so close to divulging one of his
secrets, he thought back over the events of the past months. *
Naru where are you now? *, he pondered.

It started out quite innocuously with hearing rumors that Ferrite
was in seclusion. The more Martin had thought about it; the more
it bothered him. If Ferrite was out of circulation, something BIG
must be up. Finally having nothing better to do and needing a
challenge, Martin had set out to track him down.

Following a faint and convoluted trail, Martin eventually found
himself in the Canadian Rockies. Unmindful of the surrounding
blizzard and howling wind, he came upon a little log cabin
nestled among the pines in a remote valley. The cabin was not
quite what it seemed. Under the small wooden structure was a
passageway to a 10,000 square foot underground complex complete
with quarters for twenty, mess area, communication center,
infirmary, food storage and back-up generators.

Strangely, the complex was empty save for a beautiful young woman
sitting in a secured room. Phasing through the door of the room
to get a better look, Martin was startled when the woman looked
at him directly, smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Naru. Who are you?"

Martin had met only very few people could see him in his
insubstantial state. Astonished, he manifested his visible form
and reflexively replied, "I'm Martin Spectre. A pleasure to meet
you."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Naru quickly apologized cupping her hand over
her mouth, "I'm not supposed to talk to imaginary people!"

A spirited discussion ensued over whether Martin was real or
imaginary. It was definitively decided by the arrival of an
infuriated Ferrite.

"Why are you so angry, Uncle Ferrie?" Naru inquired with a
confused expression. "Martin is the first imaginary person I've
met who is actually real. I must be getting better!"

Retiring to a separate room, Ferrite and Martin unleashed a storm
of insults, yelling and threats. By the time the dust settled,
Martin had learned the Naru was Ferrite's niece who suffered from
a particular psychosis. This psychosis was deeply rooted in the
city of Crystal Tokyo and, in particular, the Senshi. CT's Mental
Health Institute had made a spectacular mess of her treatment and
when Ferrite asked to transfer her, the MHI had refused. Taking
matters into his own hands, Ferrite had simply whisked her out of
the city and taken charge of her rehabilitation. Ferrite claimed
that it was to avoid the scandal and long court battle and that
Naru's rehab needed to begin immediately in a safe and quiet
environment.

There was something about Ferrite's explanation that didn't quite
ring true to Martin. In negotiating a truce with Ferrite,
however, Martin had convinced Ferrite of his utility in assisting
with Naru's rehab. That, coupled with the extreme difficulty
getting rid of Martin, persuaded Ferrite to allow Martin to stay.

The ensuing weeks passed quickly and Martin became attached to
Naru, who was at times very shrewd and at others extremely naive
and vulnerable. During one of those sessions, Martin made his
ill-considered promise to find Magnesite for Naru. Martin thought
nothing of it until Ferrite called him on it. "Naru's expecting
you to keep your promise," Ferrite argued, "It'll be detrimental
to her progress if you let her down." Martin delayed as much as
he could, but finally agreed to take the trip to CT.

Martin's musings of past came to an abrupt halt as he exited the
palace and walked out into the evening air. Upon finding
Magnesite, he had unintentionally got Maggie kicked out of the
city. Literally. Rei had punted Maggie so hard and far, Martin
did not even bother trying to track or pursue him. Upon returning
to the cabin in the woods, Martin had found Ferrite and Naru
gone. This time there were no clues as to their destination.

Now back in CT, Martin had not picked up any further clues as to
either their or Magnesite's whereabouts. At least, he consoled
himself, he was able to help straighten out the Nemesian's
situation. * Well, maybe I can get some information at Irons Corp
*, he thought, and with that faded from view. The result of his
search is another tale.

%%%%

Ruby hardly blinked when the guards came to take her out of her
cell. With a mechanical listlessness, she put on brass manacles
offered to her by the guards. A pair fit snugly around her ankles
and a second pair around her forearms, much like the power-
damping bracelets she already wore. If Ruby had cared, she would
have found it curious that the manacles were also smooth circlets
without any chains or any other apparent attachments.

With slumped shoulders and a blank expression, she allowed
herself to be herded through the corridors.  She did not know
where she was being taken, but it didn't matter. Nothing
mattered.

Finally, they came to an earthen-hued door. The guards opened the
door and gestured to Ruby. After she entered, they closed it
behind her and took up positions outside it.

Ruby found herself in a gym of sorts. If Ruby had taken the time
to look, she would have noted a balancing beam, uneven bars,
vaulting horses, and floor mats among other things. But it was
all irrelevant and Ruby slouched down beside the door to stare at
her feet.

After a few minutes, a door on the far side of the gym opened to
admit a single person. Ruby didn't bother to look. The person
walked right up and stood in front of Ruby. Ruby ignored her.

"You know Ruby, like, you've really been letting yourself go.
Just take a look at your hair! Have you even bothered combing it
in the past week?"

Ruby's head snapped up. She stared at the possessor of that
annoyingly vacant voice -- one that she hoped she would never
hear again.

"How can you stand all those knots and split-ends? You know if
you had told me I would have brought in a brush. Could have you
fixed up in a jiffy. Then again, I couldn't have. You know,
prisons have such silly security rules, you just wouldn't believe
it. Oh well, maybe it would be better to just cut your hair
really, really short and start over again. You know, short hair
is really coming back in a big way.  And maybe a different color
would ..."

Ruby tucked her head between her knees and groaned, "Pumice,
would you please *SHUT*UP*!"

"Oh, who are you to tell me what to do, Ms. High-and-Mighty? I
don't believe that you outrank me any more," said Pumice
thoughtful while absently shaking a finger a Ruby.  "In fact, I
don't think you have any rank at all now that you are disowned
and such.  You _are_ disowned aren't you?  Well, that case it
certainly means that ..."

Ruby glared at Pumice and snarled, "If you don't shut up and
leave immediately, you're going to regret it. Really regret it!"

Pumice took a step back and her voice took on a cold-hard edge,
"Make me, you NAMELESS low-life."

With an inarticulate growl, Ruby leapt at Pumice ... and
immediately fell on her face.

"Oh, silly me," twittered Pumice, "I forgot all about those
restraints you're wearing."

Ruby paid her no attention as she got up and threw a punch. As
she threw it, Ruby felt like she was swimming through molasses
and her arm slowed to a crawl.  Pumice stopped Ruby's fist with
her pinkie.

"Hold on, let me get those restraints off of you," bantered
Pumice while she searched her pockets. "Crystal Tokyo really has
some intriguing technology  -- like those speed and force
limiting cuffs that you have on. Aha, here it is!" Pumice pulled
out a little crystal sphere which pulsed gently as she squeezed
it.

The manacles encircling Ruby's arms and ankles fell off and
clattered to the ground.

Throwing the spent sphere over her shoulder, Pumice asked, "Now
where were we?"

Ruby threw herself at Pumice. In a blink of an eye, the room spun
around her and she found herself lying on the mat in an
excruciating arm lock. Ruby berated herself for giving Pumice
such an easy opening to throw her.

"Wait until I get my hands on you, you little snot!" Ruby got out
in between gasps. As much as she struggled, she couldn't break
Pumice's hold.

"You want a piece of me?  Fine, but on my terms:  Academy rules,
up to eleven points."

Ruby gritted her teeth, "Sure, whatever!"

"I want you to swear on your honor."

A wave of bitterness swept over Ruby. Had she still belonged to a
clan, it would have been her clan's honor that she'd swear by.
Now there was only her own honor, as if she had any left.

"Ruby?"

"OK, I swear on my honor.  Now let go of me!"

Pumice released her hold and rolled to her feet. Ruby got up
slowly and unsteadily. Feigning a stumble, Ruby rushed her
tormentor with a barrage of punches, but Pumice was ready. She
calmly blocked Ruby's attacks and retaliated with a snap kick to
the gut which folded Ruby over and toppled her onto the mat.

"Point!" squealed Pumice happily as she bounced up and down.

Sitting on the mat, Ruby caught her breath before standing again.
*This can't be happening* she tried to convince herself, *I'm
being beaten by Pumice?*

Settling into a ready position, Ruby took the time to study her
opponent. Pumice's vacuous visage smiled back at her. Ruby
frowned. Something was definitely wrong.

Warily Ruby probed Pumice's defenses with a combination of simple
kicks and punches. They were readily blocked and Ruby had to
quickly duck to avoid Pumice's return roundhouse kick.

Ruby stepped back to get some breathing room. "You're not Pumice.
You're a CT spy."

"Um, what does 'CT' stand for?" asked Pumice brightly before they
came together for another cautious exchange of blows.

"Well, prove that you're Pumice," huffed Ruby when they broke
apart again.

"You remember the time you asked Boxite to dig an outhouse during
training?" Pumice recounted gaily as she bounced on the balls of
her feet. "He accidentally cracked a gas main but didn't tell
anyone. Later you went to use it and ..."

"Enough!" shouted Ruby as she launched a furious assault that
drove Pumice back across the mat. Landing a few glancing blows
along the way, Ruby finally feinted a punch to the head followed
by a foot sweep, but Pumice ignored the feint and stepped-in for
quick elbow strike and take-down.

"Point number 2," Pumice announced while bending over Pumice and
holding two fingers in front of her face.  Pumice's celebration
was forestalled as she look at her hand. "You broke one of my
nails!" she cried in dismay.

Ruby groaned and rolled back up into a standing position. "If
you're Pumice, then you've been sand-bagging on me the past
year."

"What a mean thing to say!" Pumice exclaimed as she resumed a
ready position. "I rather call it 'disguising my true potential'.
That has a much better ring, don't you think?"

"What I really want to know right now is how you learned to
fight."

"Oh, daddy always provided the best tutors.  Even if I hated it,"
Pumice said as she made a face.

Ruby grimaced as well. Pumice's daddy was _Admiral_ Garnet and
though Pumice was a flake, Ruby had little doubt that her tutors
had done their job thoroughly. Ruby kept a steady eye on Pumice
as she pondered it further. How far did Pumice's training go into
practical brawling? Ruby grinned savagely as she resolved to find
out. Noting the various gym equipment and fixtures around the
room, she knew she would find some way to win ...

%%%%

The two guards looked at each other worriedly as they heard
screams and sounds of breaking equipment emanating from the gym.
Still, they had their orders, so they made no move to intervene.
Rachel better know what she was doing;  These Nemesian women had
a strange way of bonding ...

%%%%
 

"OW!!!"

"If you don't stop squirming," Pumice admonished her patient,
"you'll have an extra crease in your forehead."

Ruby rolled her eyes with impatience as Pumice applied a wound
sealer to a nasty gash above her right eye. They had given each
other a thorough working over. With matching shiners on their
left eyes, numerous cuts and plethora of bruises, neither was
going to win a beauty pageant anytime soon. Despite the physical
discomfort, Ruby felt better than she had for the past month. She
had managed to beat Pumice 11-9. In her out-of-shape condition,
Ruby felt she was fairly fortunate to win. If Pumice hadn't
twisted her ankle near the end, the match may have turned out
differently.

Satisfied that the sealer had glued the edges of the gash
together, Pumice put the first aid kit away and gingerly took a
seat on the floor next to Ruby.

"I'd help glue up your chin, but as you can see, my hand isn't
quite up to the task," Ruby said as she held up her sprained and
bandaged right hand.

"And whose fault is that?" Pumice asked after wincing from
accidentally bumping one her bruises.

"Yours. You had no right to evade that punch. Especially while
standing in front of a vaulting horse."

"I'll try to remember that next time," Pumice replied archly.

There was a comfortable silence for several minutes before Ruby
broke it suddenly.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you here?  Why did the prison give you access?  And why
the heck have you been acting like an incompetent bumbler ever
since you've been on my team?"

Pumice gave a little laugh and then was silent. For an instant
Ruby wasn't sure if she'd answer.

"Ruby, your caseworker practically came and begged me to talk
with you. They've been concerned about your mental condition and
have been trying to figure a way to draw you out."

Ruby griped, "Why should they care?"

Pumice just shook her head, "I don't know. Call me crazy if you
like, but there's something in the air here  -- like it's the
most natural thing to care for a total stranger." Pumice's voice
trailed off as if she were lost in her thoughts.

Ruby cast a side-long glance at Pumice, "Have they been brain-
washing you?"

Pumice turned to Ruby with her most innocent expression, "Why?
Does my brain need washing?" The effect was spoiled by her black
eye and split chin.

"Can it, Pumice. You've been sandbagging on me and I think you
owe me an explanation." A suspicious look stole across Ruby's
face. "Don't tell me you're a double agent."

Pumice's face froze at the suggestion.  With great deliberation,
she turned toward Ruby and said, "I ... I am ... yes, I am a
double ..." Before she could continue, Pumice dissolved into a
fit of giggles.

"Pumice!" Ruby gaped at her companion.  Pumice was silently
laughing so hard that tears were streaming out of her eyes.

"Pumice, pull yourself together!"

Pumice took a deep breath, composed herself, took one look at
Ruby and erupted into gales of laughter while falling back onto
the mat.

"What's so funny?" demanded Ruby who was irritated that she was
possibly the butt of a joke she didn't understand.

"It's not you ..." Pumice got out between giggles, "It's about
Father ..."

It was several moments before Pumice could recompose herself and
wipe her tears dry.

"No, I'm not a double agent," Pumice confessed. "In fact, half of
the time I'm not sure exactly who I am ..."  Pumice paused as she
noticed Ruby's lack of comprehension.  "Perhaps, it's better to
start from the beginning.

"How do you suppose it's like to be a daughter of a great
military man like Admiral Garnet?  I know what you're thinking
about: all the power, prestige, training, connections and the
chance to learn from the oh-so-greatest military mind of our
generation.

"From day one, I was groomed to be a warrior. My days were filled
with rigorous training in unarmed combat, weapons, military
history, tactics;  Everything needed to make an exceptional
soldier, but I was miserable.

"However hard I tried, I was always too slow, too clumsy or too
stupid for Father. It only got worse when it became apparent that
my elder step-sister Esmeraude was unfit to carry on his legacy."

"Why was Esmeraude passed over?" inquired Ruby softly.

"When she came into her powers, well, it just went to her head.
Who needs to study strategy and tactics when you're the great
Esmeraude? With the attention and favor she received from Demand,
Father no longer had any hold over her.

"Before mother passed away, she would try to shield me from the
brunt of his criticism, but when she was gone ..." Smiling wanly
to hide the catch in her voice, Pumice continued, "As I grew
older, I started hating the endless conflict of warfare. It
seemed so senseless; the violence and loss of life, feuds
spanning generations, the ongoing retaliation for past wrongs.
And for what prize?  Glory and privilege?  Such a small comfort
to the dead and grieving.

"One day after being dressed down by Father, I decided that if he
thought I was stupid and lazy, then I'd show him and be more
vain, lazy and incompetent than he could imagine. Father just
absolutely blew his top! He eventually sent me off to the clan's
military boarding school to straighten me out.

"It only served to strengthen my resolve. I reasoned that if I
could play my part well enough, then I would be able to finally
escape military destiny that my Father had set for me."

Pumice sighed and pulled her hair over her shoulder. "As you
know, that strategy didn't quite work out as well as I hoped.

"You know, some days I start wondering who I am. Whether there is
a still real me under the mask I've been wearing or if I've
become that mask ..." Pumice trailed off, lost in thought.

Part of Ruby wanted to berate Pumice for being such a fool, but
she was also both touched and uneasy that Pumice had confided in
her. Ruby decided to change the topic. "Why were you laughing
earlier?"

Pumice gave a little chuckle. "I was just imagining what Father
would do if I were actually working for Crystal Tokyo. The
expression on his face would be priceless!  I'm certain that he'd
immediately kneel over from an aneurysism but come back from the
grave just to throttle his disgraceful progeny. It'd almost be
worth it just to his face."

Pumice noticed the speculative expression on Ruby's face, "Oh
lighten up, I'm just gabbing! It's not like I'd betray the clan
just to get a rise out of Father."

Playing along, Ruby smirked, "Too bad. It'd serve him right, that
cold-blooded bastard. I bet he had a hand in putting me in this
dump."

"Ruby, I do believe that's the most traitorous thought I've ever
heard from you."

"Having your life completely trashed will do that to you."

The conversation stalled for a time as they listened to the hiss
from the air conditioning ducts.

"It's ironic," whispered Ruby.

"What?"

"Here you are desperately wishing you could escape your father.
Me, I'm wishing that I was back in the Clan serving Admiral
Garnet. This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic."

Careful not to bump her bruises, Pumice carefully stood up and
held out a hand to Ruby. Upon Ruby's questioning look, Pumice
urged her, "Come on, I have something to show you." Ruby allowed
herself to be helped up off the mat and they both limped toward
the gym door.

As Pumice reached for the door handle, Ruby gestured back to the
restraints lying on the floor. "What about the cuffs?"

Pumice grinned impishly, "I made a deal with Rachel. If I could
walk out of the gym after meeting you, you'd earn the privilege
of traveling without restraints."

With that, they hobbled out into the corridor beyond, neither
mindful of a single tear left behind on the mat.

<To be continued in part 3 of After the Fall>

<Also, Martin Spectre was created by Matthew Thomas. I wanted to
mention that earlier but that would have spoiled the suprise,
ne?>