                           Chapter Eight: Time Key!

     Serena smiled at Darien and moved closer as the Captain made his
announcement he would help them. He then picked up the intercom and told the
entire crew to work with the castaways they had picked up.
     Captain Jamison looked at the girls. "So..where do we go from here?"
     Raye noticed that several men had moved past her armed and climbed up the
ladder that led to the outer hatchway of the submarine. Ensign Bell stood
beside her waiting for his Captain to issue any other orders.
     Bell turned to her. "I...I guess you really are from the future Raye. I
said I believed you but...part of me didn't know what to think."
     Raye felt nervous but at the same time, she was very attracted to this
young man. Almost subconsciously, she leaned against him feeling safe...
     Artemis nodded to the Captain. "I'm glad your willing to believe us now.
But, we aren't fully sure what our situation is."
     Lt. Akano sighed. "The Asian Empire...and the United Confederacy. What the
hell happened?"
     Luna looked at the girls and saw they looked nervous. Lita eyes looked
determined...as if she was ready for anything.
     "We don't know yet." Artemis continued. "Please have your men monitor the
radio frequencies for full information. It appears time has already
altered..and we don't know what the result will be."
     Sailor Pluto nodded. "Exactly. What was no longer exists. This year of
1969 is not the 1969 that was only a short time ago. The nations that once
existed are not the ones we knew. I wish I could remember more of who our enemy
is...but they have.." she winced in pain..
     "Don't strain yourself." Serena said. Her concern made Pluto smile.
     "Thank you...Princess...Serenity."
     Artemis looked at Pluto. "The staff! You said it's the key to time?"
     "Yes." Pluto looked at everyone as she spoke. "The actual time gateway to
the corridor has been seized. However, if I had the time key and it's power, I
could create a temporary way for us to move through time. I would be able to
detect which areas in time were damaged by our enemies..and we would have to
try to repair them in order to save history."
     "If you do that, won't history be altered?" Lt. Akano asked.
     "If we don't...it will never be the same." Pluto countered.
     Artemis turned to Serena, "The power of the Silver Crystal might be able
to provide the time key with a temporary means of energy. If we form a circle
and you girls try to use that power to draw the key here, Sailor Pluto can use
that energy to move us to the areas of time we need to go."
     "But there is a disturbance here as well.." Pluto said.
     Everyone looked at her. She nodded.
     "I feel it. Whatever changed time in what was 1945 is still here in
1969...and was in the correct..1969."
     "Now...I am confused." Sailor Venus scratched her head.
     Serena looked confused too. Luna sighed. "So what we need to do is find
the source of the problem here...then go back in time to correct it in the
other places?"
     "There are two besides this one." Sailor Pluto said. "I am not sure where.
But...if we get the time key back...we can use the power to take us there."
     Serena nodded curtly. "Okay...let's try it."
     The other girls who hadn't transformed pulled forth their wands,

     JUPITER STAR POWER!!!
     MARS STAR POWER!!!
     MOON CRYSTAL POWER!!!!

     The crew of the Hunter watched in amazement as the three transformed just
like Venus and Mercury had. Ensign Bell stared at Raye in
amazement.."Incredible" he whispered.
     As the three finished, Sailor Pluto put out her hands. "Princess
Serenity..you will need to concentrate so that we can all become as one. Only
then will I be able to feel your power and hopefully draw the time key to me
from the bottom of the ocean."
     The crew stood back as far as they could as in the tight enclosed space of
the submarine, the Scouts all formed a circle.
     They closed their eyes. The Silver Crystal began to glow filling the room
with bright light. The men gasped and Lt. Akano looked quickly at Captain
Jamison. "My god..."
     Pluto felt the girls energy. She opened the part of her mind that hadn't
been tortured by her enemies..the ones who she had escaped from. The light from
the crystal glowed even brighter now. Men shielded their eyes from the glare..
     "What's happening?" Captain Jamison demanded.
     "They have merged their power so that Sailor Pluto can use it to find the
time key." Luna answered.
     Suddenly, an object began to form in the middle. Each Scout concentrated
their power and the glow continued. The object began to solidify into a long
staff covered with seaweed. The, seaweed was gone and the staff fully
materialized. Sailor Pluto opened her eyes and released the hands of Sailor
Moon and Sailor Venus she held on each side of her. She reached up and took the
staff.
     The Silver Crystal still glowed as the staff took in it's power. Sailor
Moon for a brief moment seemed to change her form showing the white dress of
Princess Serenity. Then, it faded and, she returned to normal. The staff's glow
diminished along with the Silver Crystal's...
     As the light faded, everyone seemed to let out their breath. The men
blinked and Captain Jamison shook his head. "I...I've never seen power like
that. I don't believe it."
     The intercom crackled and suddenly, Seaman Martin came on...
     "CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN...WE'RE BEING HAILED!!!!"
     "What the..?" Jamison hit the intercom. "Hailed? Hailed by who??"
     "SIR!" Martin said with a trace of fear in his voice. "It's a huge
submarine closing fast! They're ordering us to heave to and surrender! They
claim they're from the Asian Empire!"
     Lt. Akano stared at Captain Jamison. Jamison looked at the Sailor Scouts
and his eyes finally came to rest on Artemis..
     "Okay...you got all the answers...what now?"


