Ami clucked her tongue impatiently. Minako still hadn’t awoken of her own accord, but the planets were aligned, and the countdown clock indicated that the lunar eclipse would begin at seven o’clock, just minutes away. She couldn’t wait any longer or she would miss her window. Makoto would be on her way. It was now or never.

“Mercury Crystal Power!”

With a flash of blue, Ami transformed. Following this, she picked up a large syringe that she had prepared. After taking a deep breath, she stabbed the thick needle into Minako’s chest, depressed its plunger, and swiftly removed it. The medicine inside acted immediately.

Minako lurched up with a prolonged gasp, her expression mingled with pain and alarm. “Wha-what’s happening?” she said rapidly, jumping off the exam bed as if propelled to do so.

“It’s okay, Minako, you’re okay,” Mercury assured her, steadying the girl by her shoulders.

“Ami? Oh, I don’t feel so good, what’s wrong with me?”

“You’re fine, I just had to give you a shot of adrenaline,” Ami explained calmly. “Something’s happened, Minako. I need you to focus. Can you do that?”

Minako’s breathing was quick, and her wide eyes darted around in their sockets. “I feel…weird," she said. "Energized but not good. My body hurts. I’m listening, though.”

“Minako, Jadeite and Morgan are gone. Makoto showed up and saved the day—”

“Makoto?”

“Yes. That was yesterday—”

“Yesterday? Is that why I’m hurting?”

“Yes. I used a device to heal you, but you’re not fully recovered. I had to wake you up early because the enemy has attacked.”

“What?”

“We need you. We’re under attack. Jupiter is on her way. You need to go meet her. Your transformation rod and compact and a change of clothes are on my desk.”

Minako spun around and spotted the items. “What about you?”

“I have to stay here. I need you to protect the hospital. It’s going to be targeted.”

Minako shook her head fervently as she quickly dressed. “You’re not coming? I don’t understand.”

“I have to stay here because of this,” said Ami, stepping to the side to reveal a new machine placed between Rei’s exam bed and the metallic unit that contained their deceased friend. The unit’s lid was open.

Minako finished pulling a t-shirt over her head as she moved closer to the spot Ami indicated. A pedestal-like device with a transparent dome-like top contained a glimmering, white gem the size of a baby’s fist.

“Is that the Silver Crystal? What’s that doing here?” Minako murmured in disbelief.

“I’m bringing Usagi back, Minako,” Ami admitted with a sheepish grin.

Comprehension dawned on Minako as her big eyes followed the thick cords connecting it to the adjacent, cuboid machine and the small window she dared not investigate. “No. Ami… Tell me you didn’t… Oh God, Ami, tell me you’re kidding. This is some kind of sick joke, right?”

With a crazed look about her, Mercury explained, “No Minako, this is real! In three minutes’ time, I’m going to use my powers, Rei’s boosted powers, and the Silver Crystal to revive Usagi! With our energy further enhanced by the alignment of Mars, Mercury, and the Moon during a lunar eclipse, we’ll finally have Usagi back, have Sailor Moon back!”

“Usagi?” Minako whispered to herself more than anything. Then louder, she asked, “And Rei?”

“It’s funny really,” Mercury replied with a giggle, “It was supposed to be you on this table. I intended on using your unstable powers and Venus’ place in the alignment, but after Rei woke up and triggered her own inexplicable power boost, I thought it would be better to use her, while you kept the Blood Moon Alliance at bay. Besides, with your powers on the verge of disappearing, it made sense to have a spare on hand.”

“After Rei woke up? A spare? Oh my God… You’ve been keeping her asleep, haven’t you?” Minako ran her hands through her hair. “You’re crazy.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said you’re CRAZY!” Minako roared. “You judged me for using Rei to detect the enemy, while you were doing this to her? Was she ever even sick, or was that your handiwork, too?”

“Of course not,” Ami asserted. “You’re being irrational Minako, probably due to the adrenaline. This moment has been years in the making. I can bring Usag—”

“Usagi’s DEAD, Ami! She’s been dead for over five years! And you’ve been lying to us all this time… What’s the matter with you Ami? What makes you think you can play with people’s lives like this?”

“Don’t you understand? Think of the future we’ve seen. Think of Chibiusa! I couldn’t save Usagi, but I can bring her back! I can do this, Minako! It’s my destiny, I know it!”

“You’re out of your mind...” said Minako, shaking her head again. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to let you turn Usagi into some kind of zombie!” She lunged for Ami. However, she merely glanced off a forcefield, which became visible momentarily as she collided with it.

“I was afraid you might react like this,” Ami said exasperatedly, pushing her spectacles higher up her nose. “I don’t have time to debate with you, Minako. You’ll thank me when it’s over. Just head on outside, would you? The Blood Moon Alliance will detect the Silver Crystal once I begin, and it will take some time to generate the power level I need.”

Minako let out a derisive laugh. “You actually believe I’m going to protect you, while you abuse Rei and defile Usagi’s remains?”

“Oh, I know you are,” Ami answered coolly. “Firstly, because Jupiter is going to need backup. Secondly, because if you don’t, the enemy will find this lab and eventually penetrate this forcefield. They’ll get the Silver Crystal.

“It’s not some game we’re playing to keep them guessing anymore. The crystal is here, and if they get it, the Earth is doomed. If that weren’t enough, they’ll likely take Rei for her high energy, too. You don’t want that, do you? No. You'll protect this lab. Whether you like it or not."

Minako’s brow furrowed, and her face flushed with rage. "I suppose you’re right as usual, Ami,” she conceded through gritted teeth. “So, that leaves me with just one option, doesn't it?”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“I'll have to take care of the monsters outside first. Then, I'm coming for the one in here!"

Minako and Ami scowled at one another in silence. A few moments later, Minako stormed out of the lab, slamming the door behind her.

“Just ignore her, Usagi,” Ami said. “She’ll be eating her words in no time.”

Just then, Ami’s computer announced, “Peak alignment window commencing in thirty seconds.” On the giant screen, the moon had lined up perfectly with the other planets, and a second image showed Earth’s shadow creeping across it.

“Hear that, Rei? It's time!" said Ami, removing the Mars Crystal Change Rod from the drawstring bag she kept it in. “Let’s get you ready. Mars Crystal Power!”

With a blinding burst of scarlet, Rei’s sleeping body transformed into Sailor Mars. At the same time, Ami pushed a button on her hand-held computer. A faint distortion confirmed that a new forcefield panel had been erected between her and Rei.

The fuzzy barriers around the girl flickered violently but managed to contain the shockwave generated by her recently upgraded powers. The pulsating red energy that now encompassed Mars and the exam table she lay on put Ami in mind of a funeral pyre.

Ami removed the additional forcefield wall. She then the Mercury and Mars Crystal Change Rods to sockets on either side of the pedestal device. Following this, her computer began an audible ten-second countdown. With one last look into Usagi’s chamber, Ami put the final elements of her long-term plan into action.

“Well, this is it,” said Ami, taking a deep breath and placing her hands over the dome and the crystal inside. “I call upon the power of the Moon! I call upon our aligned guiding planets, Mercury and Mars! Legendary Silver Crystal, I beseech you. Accept these offerings. Shine your light upon us!”

Ami’s face was awash with relief as the glimmering stone began to react, emitting a pure white light from within. Blue energy soon began to seep from Sailor Mercury to her crystal, and the red energy surrounding Sailor Mars flowed heavily into hers. Their power was then transmitted into the dome, where it mingled with the Silver Crystal’s light.

The soldier consulted the power indicator on her display screen. It was working! A vertical bar was steadily rising. Ami had calculated how much power she would need to generate in order to account for not having the crystal’s true master, but this wasn’t enough. Rei was certainly doing her part. In fact, the girl was already showing signs of energy damage. Ami had to do more.

She focused on releasing more of her energy. In response, the crystal shined brighter, and the power gauge rose further. However, the other side of the screen also showed movement, the movement of the invaders. They were heading toward the hospital.

After storming out of Ami’s office, Minako charged up the stairwell in search of the hospital’s roof access door. Without a staff key card, she was unable to release its electronic lock. Instead, she brandished her golden, crescent-shaped compact, flipped it open, and called out, “Moon Power! Sailor V Kick!”

With a flash and a bang, Sailor V emerged onto the rooftop. She was immediately struck by what she saw, the angry blue eyes behind her mask widening with shock. The skyline she so often viewed with disdain from this very spot was on fire.

Despite her efforts, Tokyo had declined over the years. She had been fighting a losing battle against rising levels of crime and despair. What was happening here wasn’t the work of your average criminals, though. The city was under attack. Her city.

Minako’s fists shook with fury. If there was one good thing about this messed up situation, it was that she wouldn’t have to hold back. She wasn’t dealing with petty thugs and hoodlums in need of a good beating. Tokyo didn’t need their local vigilante hero right now. They needed an avenger; someone who would make the Blood Moon Alliance pay for what they had done. In the name of Venus and the Moon, she would punish them! First them, then Ami.

Sailor V began traversing rooftops in search of her first victims while heading in the general direction of Makoto’s apartment. With her wrist communicator gone, she couldn’t coordinate with her ally or inform her of Ami’s crazy scheme. She would have to bank on them meeting up.

All of a sudden, she stopped in her tracks, pausing atop an apartment complex. It was happening. She could sense it. Ami had activated the Silver Crystal. If she could sense its power, others would no doubt pick up on it too. She couldn’t go any further from the hospital if she wanted to defend it, however reluctantly. There was only one thing for it. She needed to transform now.

With any luck, her energy signature would be mistaken for the crystal’s. That was their “game”, as Ami had referred to it, after all; to trick the enemy into thinking she had the crystal. The only problem was that it would lure all the enemies to her. Then again, wasn’t that exactly what she wanted right now? Minako smirked. However, her expression faded upon producing her Crystal Change Rod.

The Venus symbol on the face of her orange crystal was almost imperceptible amidst the many fissures that now scarred its surface. This could well be it for her powers. Minako lamented for just a moment, then decided that if this were to be her last transformation, she would make it count. “Venus Crystal Power!”