
Subj : On the Edge of Yesterday!
To   : All
From : Daniel Harrison #1
Date : Sun Jun 29 1997 13:46:54 AST

                        Chapter Eleven: Trapped!


     Captain Jamison came up the ladder and stared at the approaching fortress.
"That's the base?"
     "Yes." Sailor Mercury answered.
     "Looks damn formidable." Chief Graham whistled through his teeth. "I don't
know if we have the firepower to take them on."
     "We'll help you!" Sailor Venus smiled. She looked at Artemis and nodded
encouragingly. Artemis met her gaze then turned away. Mina didn't feel as
confident as she sounded...

     The "Hunter" continued to follow the other submarine. Then, they all
watched as the shimmering in the air dissipated. The other sub continued
forward. 
     "The defense shield is opening. They're letting us through." Artemis
looked at Luna. "This doesn't feel right."
     "A trap." Luna felt nervous. She watched as Captain Jamison turned.
     "Tell all hands to stand by their weapons..just in case."
     Ensign Bell nodded and smiled at Raye before he went below.
     
     They had entered the harbor of the Asian Empire base. On the shore, they
could see thousands of men moving around. The submarine in front of them pulled
up to one of the docks. Chief Graham swallowed. "I think we should get the hell
out of here."
     Sailor Jupiter glanced at Sailor Pluto who stood dispassionately watching.
Sailor Moon clung to Tuxedo Mask. Ensign Bell came up the ladder. "Captain, all
hands report ready."
     Captain Jamison nodded and looked through the binoculars that were around
his neck. "Looks like a welcoming commitee. And, from the looks of it, it isn't
a friendly one."
     "CAPTAIN!" 
     Jamison turned and saw a crewman on the ladder. "What is it?" he asked.
     "Sir...we're receiving a transmission...to surrender!"
     "So much for Sailor Moon's healing." Luna sighed.
     Sailor Moon felt fear. "But...but they were friendly! It couldn't have
worn off that quick!"
     "You changed the men in the other sub...not the people at the base." Pluto
looked grim. "I can feel the source of the time distortions. I believe it's at
the center of the base. But...we need time to reach it."
     "And leave our friends??" Mercury asked shocked. 
     "Leave Jim?" Raye echoed. She looked at Ensign Bell who was talking to
some men. "I...I can't.."
     "Sailor Mars..." Jupiter began then stopped in midsentence. It was
impossible to think of the right thing to say at this time.
     Artemis suddenly smiled. "Wait a second! I have a man on that other sub
who's mind I was into. Maybe I can use that to our advantage."
     "Oh?" Luna stared at him.
     "I can have him maybe shut down their defenses in the sub. That would give
us a chance to get off a shot at them." He turned to Mercury. "Maybe you can
hack into their conputer network..take control of the base defenses."
     Mercury nodded. "It's worth a try. It may buy us time. But, what do we do
then?"
     "We must find the central point of the distortions." Pluto looked at
everyone. "We must correct this twisted timeline before we all spiral down into
nothingness.."
     "Nothingness?" Sailor Venus blinked. "What do you mean...?"
     "If our timelines are not returned to normal soon...we may never exist."
Sailor Pluto answered. "At least...not the people we are now."
     Sailor Moon swallowed and looked worriedly at Raye. "Then..then we have to
stop this somehow. Darien..I'm scared."
     Tuxedo mask nodded and put his arm around her. "I'm with you. It'll be
okay."
     Captain Jamison came over. "So if what I'm hearing is correct, you can
maybe stop all this...and return things to normal?"
     "If we can..yes." Artemis looked away knowing Jamison and the "Hunter's"
fate.
     "Then let's give you the time." Jamison turned to everyone on deck.
"EVERYONE!! Get below. We're going to dive!!"

     Men immediately began to move past them down the ladders at record speed.
Chief Graham came up. "Sir..that field has closed behind us...we're trapped."
     "Fine then..." Jamison looked at the Sailor Scouts. "If you have the power
to change all this, you do it. We'll buy you the time you need. "Now, get
below!"
     He climbed down the ladder and, the Sailor Scouts followed him. Tuxedo
Mask sealed the hatch.
     Captain Jamison's voiced echoed throughout the sub. "THIS IS THE CAPTAIN!
DIVE! DIVE!!"

     Artemis opened his mind as he felt the "Hunter" going down....searching
for the link to the soldier from the Asian Empire he had stopped before.
Finding it, he saw through the man's mind the control room of the enemy
sub..and commanded the man to move to where the defense stations were. The man
moved willingly as if under a spell and, Artemis watched as his puppet
distracted the crewman on duty and deactivated the systems...

     Captain Jamison reached the bridge. "Up periscope!"
     The periscope rose and he turned till he saw the enemy sub and the
shoreline of the base. "Stand by all torpedoes!"
     Torpedoes aye!" a man said.
     "CAPTAIN! They're ordering surrender again!" Seaman Martin reported.
     "Tell em to go to hell." Jamison smirked. 

     Sailor Mercury began typing on her computer looking for a way to hack into
the enemy computers. She winced as she was blocked and tried to move around it.
     "Once we invade the base, we can shut down the whole place!" Jupiter said
excitedly.
     Sailor Mars didn't answer still looking at Ensign Bell who was talking to
a crewman at his station. She swallowed feeling her heart ache. How could
things have turned out so bad for her?
     "Captain," Artemis said, "I've been able to disable the enemy sub
defenses. Target the sub and the docking areas of the base."
     Jamison turned and stared at him, "How the hell did you..?" his voice
trailed off and he smiled. "Nevermind." He hit the intercom. "TORPEDO ROOM!
TARGET ENEMY SUB!!!"
     Jamison could see the sub pulling away from the dock and turning to do
battle. As it backed up, Jamison shouted! "FIRE ONE!!!"
     The torpedo fired...it streaked forth and slammed into the enemy sub
damaging it's tail section.
     "FIRE TWO!" Jamison shouted.
     Another torpedo launched slamming into the docking area of the base! Men
on the bridge cheered as Jamison reported the damage.

     Suddenly, Sailor Pluto winced as she felt a voice in her head...then all
the other Scouts gasped as they heard it too.

     "SAILOR PLUTO!! SO THIS IS WHERE YOU WENT WHEN YOU ESCAPED THROUGH THE
TIME CORRIDOR! YOU WILL ALL DIE!!!!"


     Sailor Pluto gasped as a flood of memories assualted her accompanied by
pain. She shook the pain off and stared wildly at everyone. "I KNOW! I know now
who our enemies are! It's the Temporal Dominators! And, unless we do something
fast, all our realities will cease to exist!!!"

     

