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) :)