For all the hardships that came with being a sailor soldier, it did have its perks, and the ability to clear a thirty-meter gap between rooftops without breaking a sweat was Juno's favorite. Soaring four stories off the ground, she looked down and savored the thrill.
Halfway to the other side, she saw a thorny tendril burst through the pavement. It coiled around her leg, and it was only by incredible luck and a split-second reaction that she was able to throw her momentum forward enough to grasp the opposite ledge. The vine tugged, digging into her skin. She struggled to hang on. Senshi or not, falling that far was bound to hurt, and Juno decided she had already broken enough ribs this week. Triceps straining, fighting for every inch, she finally managed to fling one arm up over the wall that encircled the roof. The vine pulled hard, nearly causing her to lose her grip. Survival instinct took over and she thrashed. She emitted a weak jolt of electricity from her entangled leg—until now she hadn't realized she could do that—and the vine loosened for a second.
Then it pulled even tighter, and a second one shot up to join it. Glancing downward, Juno saw a pod rising from the hole in the asphalt, like a bulbous, eyeless, green head. It split open to reveal a glistening maw of thorns, dripping with purple sap that gave off the most horrible stench she'd ever smelled. Another jerk of the vines, and she was hanging by her fingertips. The pod opened wider, eager to receive its meal.
Suddenly, a blade of ice cut through the vines around her leg. The plant pod hissed and started to retreat into the ground, but a second blast skewered it. Juno's fingers slipped off the edge, but someone's hand reached out and caught her wrist. Heart pounding, she scrambled back up to safety, and found herself looking at a familiar face.
"Hi, Juno!" Pallas greeted her with a sunny smile.
Juno heaved a sigh of relief. "Boy, am I glad to see you." She glanced down at the monster's remains, which were now a shriveled brown mess, and gulped. "Thanks. If you hadn't shown up just then… I don't know what I would have done."
"Died, probably," Pallas deadpanned. Juno laughed.
They walked together at a more subdued pace down a concrete staircase that descended to the street. "So, do you know where the princess is right now?" Juno asked.
"I dunno. In the Crystal Palace, I guess," Pallas said hesitantly. She scrunched her nose, thinking hard. Suddenly her face brightened. "Hey, I bet Sailor Moon would know! C'mon, I can take you to her."
Juno gave her a perplexed look. "Sailor… Moon? Pallas, there hasn't been a Sailor Moon for over nine hundred years."
"She's our leader, silly!" Pallas giggled.
"Wait, you mean Sailor Chibimoon?" Juno asked. Hadn't Pallas just said she didn't know where the princess was?
Now it was Pallas's turn to look confused. "Who's Chibimoon?"
"You know… rabbit hair, pink uniform, goofy laugh… our leader?" Juno prompted. Surely her companion wasn't that air-headed.
"Oh!" Pallas exclaimed, her face lighting up. "Yeah, that's Sailor Moon."
"You mean she's become Sailor Moon now? Awesome," Juno said with a grin. "I always thought she would someday." She paused, frowning again. "But why did you say she would know where the princess is?"
Pallas wavered. "I, um, just thought she would. You know, cause she's smart."
"Are you feeling all right, Pallas? Sailor Moon is the princess."
Pallas froze, eyes wide with utter disbelief. Slowly, her face twisted into a maniacal smile. Juno backed up, certain now that something wasn't right.
With a blood-curdling scream, Pallas sprang at her.

~*~

Crouched behind the cobblestone fence of a nearby condo, Pyrolusite looked on as "Pallas" turned on Juno. Perfect. Everything was going as planned, a welcome change from his previous encounter with the senshi.
Until a small gloved hand clapped down on his shoulder. Pyrolusite's head turned with a shuddering jerk, as if his neck had rusted. He found himself face to face with the real Sailor Pallas, and she looked none too happy at having her identity borrowed.
This is not good.

~*~

Shocked and bewildered, Juno barely managed to evade her companion's assault. "Pallas, what's wrong with you?" she cried. Was her friend being brainwashed by the enemy? Or… Juno recalled the two child-like beings who had attacked them inside Petalite's illusion. But Pallas seemed so human, and she had saved her from the monster. Could that really have all been a ruse?
The cluster of thorny green vines that burst from the girl's back were her answer.
With an angry shout, Juno unleashed her magic. "Diamond Storm!"
A crackle of lightning sheared off the end of the vines, but they grew back rapidly. Soon they had completely enveloped the false Pallas. Now the golem's true form revealed itself: a grotesque female shape made entirely of twisted briars, with thorny claws for hands and fat tentacle-like vines where legs should be.
At least a dozen vines lunged for her in unison. Juno leapt out of the way and crushed one under her heel, then fled across the street before the rest could close in on her. The creature extended its arms to grab her. The claws seemed to miss, plunging through the concrete instead. But seconds later, they emerged from below, right in front of her. Juno skidded to a stop and doubled back, scarcely avoiding the briar golem's leg-vines again. She ran for her life, dodging and weaving across the street, with the thorny hands bursting from the ground unpredictably all around her.
Then, all of a sudden, the hands lurched to a stop, grasping ineffectually at the air. In its rush to catch Juno, the briar golem had woven its limbs into the ground so tightly that it could no longer move. Seizing the chance, Juno changed directions and charged straight for her foe.
Before it could untangle itself, the senshi's thunder-charged punch connected with its jaw, tearing its head clean off. Its massive green body collapsed with a crash that shook the building. Within moments it shriveled into the same brown mess as the first plant monster.
When she was positive it was dead, Juno let out a sigh of relief and pretended she'd planned the whole thing.

~*~

For once, Pyrolusite reacted without thinking. He swung the dead weight of his metal arm at Pallas, catching her squarely in the side of the head. But the short, chubby soldier was more agile than he'd expected. She rolled to her feet, rubbing her face in pain, and countered with a blast of ice aimed at his legs. He dodged easily and closed the distance between them. The most important thing was not to give her any breathing room to power up her stronger magic. He had not forgotten that this was the girl who had blinded his sister.
Carnelian's battered body was laying in the corner, concealed behind a neat row of yew shrubs that lined the west end of the yard. Pyrolusite placed himself between Pallas and the robot's remains, determined not to let the senshi destroy what was left of his work. He grabbed a flowerpot and flung it at her. She slid between his legs and came up behind him as the unfortunate decoration shattered against the opposite wall.
That gave her enough time to call on her senshi power. "Gossamer Veil!" she chanted.
He whirled and raised his arm in time to block the shimmering mass she shot from her hands. It wrapped around his arm and started creeping up toward his shoulder. He tried to brush it off, only to find that it stuck to his hand and made a mess of trailing, gooey filaments when he tried to pull away.
But instead of struggling more and becoming trapped as she intended, he used the stuff to his advantage. He sprang at her and grabbed her face with his sticky hand. She kicked and struggled, but couldn't free herself. He bashed her head into the wall. She let out a muffled scream and went limp.
He pried her off with his foot and let her unconscious form fall into the bushes beside Carnelian. Without its creator's energy to sustain it, the goo on his arm soon dissolved. Pyrolusite smirked. Their magic, dependent on such a fragile thing as the will of a teenage girl, was easily broken.
The self-satisfied feeling didn't last long. A bolt of lightning from behind narrowly missed his head. Pyrolusite spun, skin tingling with adrenaline and residual static.
"I'm Sailor Juno, the Soldier of Bonds," his adversary introduced herself. She cracked her knuckles as she advanced on him. "You're goin' down, punk."
"I already know who you are," Pyrolusite said. He added in a mocking tone, "Punk."
The girl shouted something in English that he didn't understand and threw a punch at him. She was much faster than Pallas, but also much more predictable. He evaded the hit. Her fist slammed into the wall with a crack, dislodging one of the smooth river stones. She picked it up and hurled it at him. He dove to the side just in time to avoid having his face smashed in. There was a loud crashing sound behind him. Narrowing his eyes at Juno, Pyrolusite reached for what he thought was the stone.
His fingers brushed sharp plastic and severed wire, and he realized with horror that it was Carnelian's head.
No sooner had he gotten up than Juno swung at him again, landing a glancing blow to his jaw. He stumbled backwards into the hedge. She seized him by the collar, but he grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it in her face. She released him, swearing loudly and rubbing her eyes. His steel-toed boot connected with her gut, and she dropped to her knees, doubled over in pain. He kicked her one more time to make sure she stayed down for a few seconds.
Arrogant though he was, Pyrolusite knew he wouldn't win this fight if he stayed to finish it. Before Juno could get up, he scrambled over the wall and fled, carrying Carnelian's head with him. There wasn't time to grab the rest of her body, but he had the most important part.
Out on the street, he activated the Cyber-Psionic network again. "Ripidolite! Teleport. Now."
She grumbled under her breath. All right, the nearest stable location is in the parking lot of the Crystal Azabu Supermarket by the subway station. I'll have it up by the time you get there. You don't need to speak out loud, you know.
"Shut up," he snapped. Tucking Carnelian's head under his arm, he broke into a sprint. Behind him, Juno was back on her feet. He didn't waste any more time looking back.
Halfway over the wall, Juno hesitated, eyeing the unconscious Pallas. Was this one real? It didn't seem right to abandon a wounded ally. But if this was another fake, Pyrolusite might have left it deliberately to trap her.
Either way, Pyrolusite was getting away. She decided she would come back for Pallas later, after she caught him. With one last glance back at her maybe-friend, she set off in pursuit.

~*~

Minazaki peered up and down the street, searching. At length she sighed in disappointment. She was positive the mysterious blue-suited senshi had come this way, but there was no sign of her now.
A yawn escaped her, and she realized how tired she was. It was dark already. She gulped, anticipating her mother's anger when she got home at this late hour with her homework still not done.
She froze, feeling her heart sink. Homework! She had completely forgotten her group and their science lab! Her first thought was to run back to the hotel, but they had surely finished by now, and Tomoe-san would have gone home. They probably thought she had ditched them, and there was no way they'd believe her if she told them about the senshi…
A moan reached her ears, making her pause. There it was again, behind the stone wall of a nearby garden. Frowning, she pulled herself up and peeked over to investigate.
What she saw made her forget all about her homework troubles. There were two bodies lying on the ground. One was missing a head. The other was her new friend Atena.
Minazaki screamed. In her panic she lost her grip and tumbled forward into the garden. For a moment she lay dazed. When she opened her eyes, Atena was looking down at her. She looked from her to the headless corpse, and screamed again.
Atena took hold of her frantic friend's shoulders and tried to hold her still. "Whoa, chill out! It's not a real person!"
Minazaki stopped screaming. "I-it's not?"
"Nah, it's a robot. See the wires? Just an experiment gone wrong."
The brown-haired girl heaved a sigh and appeared to calm down. "Um, are you okay?" she asked, pointing to a large bruise on Atena's forehead.
Atena touched it and winced. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She forced a laugh. "I'm a little bit clumsy."
Minazaki grinned. "I know what you mean. Happens to me all the time."
If you had any idea… Atena thought, but smiled at Minazaki's attempt to cheer her up.
At that moment, they heard familiar voices calling out to them. Usagi, Seresu, and Hotaru came running down the street. Atena stood on shaky legs and greeted them.
"Thank goodness," Seresu said. "We were worried you two might have gotten hurt in the fire."
Minazaki gave her a puzzled look. "What fire?"

~*~

Pyrolusite ran for his life. He could hear Juno's footsteps behind him, growing closer with every second. She was yelling in English again, and he didn't need to know what she was saying to know she was furious. Unlike the naïve bunch he'd fought earlier, he had no doubt this senshi would kill him if she caught him.
Ahead, in the parking lot, the pale green shimmer of Ripidolite's portal promised safety. Just a little farther… Lungs raw, muscles burning, he forced himself to run faster than he ever had in his life. But Juno was still closing on him. An arm's length nearer and she would have him.
With a final, desperate lunge he threw himself forward and into the circle of light. He vanished in a flash of green, leaving Juno grasping at thin air.

~*~

"…so Kanzaki-san admitted to starting the fire, and the police came and took her in for questioning. But when they got to the police station, her mom was there! And when she saw her, Kanzaki-san suddenly got her memory back, and they were really happy to have finally found each other, and they went back home to, um, Morocco. So Kanzaki-san won't be in our class anymore," Usagi finished her long-winded (and completely fictitious) explanation.
"Wow!" Minazaki exclaimed. "Well, I'm happy for her."
"So are we," Hotaru said. "But anyway, we didn't get a chance to finish the lab, so I guess you and I will have to do it on our own."
"Okay!" Tomoe agreed, trying not to sound relieved at the alibi fate had provided her. "We can go back to my place and work."
After she and Hotaru departed, Atena smiled at Usagi. "That was pretty smooth, Usagi-chan."
Usagi laughed nervously. "I can't believe she bought it."
Seresu shook her head. "I get the feeling that girl would believe anything."
Her eyes widened when she noticed the bruise on Atena's head. "Oh my… what happened?"
Atena frowned and lowered her voice. "Had a little run-in with a bad guy. I'll give you the details later." Seresu and Usagi nodded in understanding.
"Sorry we left without you," Usagi apologized.
"Mm, it's fine."
Then Usagi noticed the robot's body lying in the corner. "Hey! Isn't that Carnelian?"
"Car-what?" Atena asked.
"We'll get everything sorted out later," Seresu said. "Let's get this thing back to the Palace. Maybe the scientists at Mercury-sama's lab could figure out what it's made of and where it came from."
Usagi nodded in agreement. "It would sure be nice to finally get some answers."

~*~

Pyrolusite tumbled out of the portal and dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. Though he knew it was physically impossible, he thought his chest might explode. Calomel and Ripidolite stood on either side of him, regarding him with identical smirks.
"Guess your toy robot isn't more effective than I ever was," his younger sister taunted.
Pyrolusite shot her a glare, too winded to voice a retort.
"Take him to get cleaned up," Ripidolite ordered. "I've got other things to do." She spun on her heel and exited the room before Calomel had a chance to object.
Pouting, Calomel stooped and tugged on Pyrolusite's arm, dragging him painfully to his feet. Leaning on her shoulder, he limped to the infirmary.
He staggered over to a bed and collapsed onto the creaky mattress. An antiquated medical droid rolled over and began examining him. Calomel stood by his bedside, staring into the distance with unseeing eyes. He got the sense she was waiting for him to say something.
"You still want to fight the senshi?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'll destroy them all. Starting with Pallas."
"You could die, you know," he reminded her.
"Yeah," she said, with none of the fear he'd expected. "I know. I don't think I realized it before how easy it was. Dying, I mean. I always thought I'd get some kind of… warning first, or something."
He flinched as the droid applied antiseptic to a cut on his arm. "Carnelian wasn't just a weapon," he admitted.
She gasped. "You mean it really was a love doll?"
"No, you idiot!" he snapped. "She was a test of my ability to make artificial life. This is proof that I've perfected the technology." He pressed a strange object into Calomel's hand.
She ran a finger over it, a confused look on her face. It felt like an odd conglomeration of metal and wire, with a smooth piece of glass at one end.
"It's an artificial eye," he explained. "If you'll let me implant it, I can restore your vision."
"I-implant? Ew!" She recoiled and nearly dropped it.
"Is that the thanks I get?" Pyrolusite grumbled.
She swallowed hard. "Sorry, I just… would you have to take out my old eye?"
"Well, yes. It's not working anyway, so why would you want to keep it? So, will you do it?"
"I don't want to look like a cyborg!" she protested.
He sighed impatiently. "Do you want to see again or not?"
She drew a shuddering breath, unable to believe she was actually considering his proposal to let him yank out her beautiful eyes and put a pair of these… things in her head. But if it really worked like he said, she would be able to see again. To reclaim what Pallas had stolen from her might be worth the cost.
A minute passed in silence. At last she reached a decision. "Fine. Just one. You can replace one eye."
Pyrolusite nodded, satisfied if not entirely pleased. "Very well."

~*~

"Three hundred percent. Our error is three hundred percent," Hotaru pronounced, staring dejectedly at the finished lab report.
"Yikes!" Minazaki squeaked. "What happened?"
Hotaru shot her a dirty look. "Somebody kept breaking all our glassware."
Minazaki wilted. "I'm sorry, Tomoe-san. Science just isn't my strong point!"
Hotaru sighed and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "It's okay."
Sunahara-sensei did not agree. And for the first time in her life, Tomoe Hotaru got a failing grade.