Chapter 16: An Interesting Enigma

Sol kept to the rooftops and the alleys as she moved through the city. Night had already descended upon the city, the shadows concealing her from the innocent people ignorant of the battles that raged around them. It was those innocent people she had to protect, even if she continued to face the battles alone.

She kept moving. Her premonitions sometimes warned her in time to prevent an attack. At other times, she would arrive during the attack and would have to deal with the dual task of rescuing the victim and defeating the monster. Deep down, Sol hoped that it wasn’t one of those latter times.

* * * * *

It would be days before she could even chance going back to the house, Mara realized, zipping her thin cotton jacket higher. Yet, she didn’t have any money and nowhere to go. She had to keep moving, constantly watching for signs of trouble.

Feeling a slight breeze, Mara immediately glanced over her shoulder. Seeing nothing, she faced forward again. Immediately, she noticed the tall lady with long, curly gray hair standing right in front of her. Frightened, Mara recoiled but tripped as she tried to back away.

Smiling, the lady grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. “Don’t be afraid.”

“Who . . . who are you?” Mara stammered, brushing the woman’s hands off of her. “What do you want?”

The lady’s smile broadened, her dark blue eyes glowing eerily in the faint light. “I have great plans for you, precious Hecate. Great, wonderful plans.”

“I think you’ve got the wrong girl,” Mara stated, taking a few steps back.

“Perhaps,” the lady said, walking toward her again, “but I really don’t think so.”

“I think you’ve had just a little too much holiday cheer. You’d better head home and sleep it off, lady.”

As she turned to walk away, Mara felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around. Any hint of a smile was gone in the strange lady’s face. Those blue eyes really seemed to glow now, making Mara realized that she wasn’t dealing with a regular drunk.

“You don’t seem to understand,” the lady growled, her hand tightening its grip. “You’re coming with me.”

“No way in hell,” Mara shouted, pushing her away. Without looking back, she began to run as fast as she could. Although her injured leg protested painfully, she ignored it and tried to run even faster.

The lady immediately picked herself up off the ground. She held her hands out in front of her as her eyes glowed even brighter. As she chanted softly under her breath, the wind began to pick up.

The woman smiled as the familiar power coursed through her body. With a sweep of her arms, a wind tunnel formed. With unbelievable quickness, it followed Mara and threw her into a building.

As quickly as it appeared, the wind vanished. The woman dropped her hands and her eyes stopped glowing. With a satisfied smile, she walked over to Mara’s crumpled form. “Don’t worry, Hecate. You will know hell soon enough.”

In a whirl of motion, Mara swung her uninjured leg, knocking the lady’s feet from under her. Raising the same leg, she dealt a blow to the woman’s stomach and then to her jaw. Not waiting to see the result of her trick, Mara got to her feet.

However, she had taken only a few steps before the woman grabbed her ankle. With a shout of surprised, Mara crashed to the asphalt, landing on top of her injured leg. Wincing, she rolled unto her back. She swallowed hard as she noticed the strange lady was now standing over her.

With a growl, the woman bent down and grabbed a fistful of Mara’s jacket. The thin cotton fabric stretched as the woman used it to jerk the girl to her feet and then off the pavement. Mara’s widened further, noting the woman had picked her up as if she weighed no more than a rag doll.

“Enough games, girl,” the woman growled. “Aeolus is waiting.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“It’s a little late for that now. I’ve wasted enough time with you.”

Mara grabbed the woman’s wrist with both hands, trying desperately to break free from her grasp. With another growl, the woman gave her a savage jerk. When Mara continued to struggle, the woman slapped her, making the girl see stars.

However, the woman paused as the black circle appeared on Mara’s forehead. The girl faced the stranger, her eyes now completely black. In an instant, the circle flared with black light and the blast sent the woman flying.

* * * * *

“It’s a little late for that now. I’ve wasted enough time with you.”

Sol paused and turned around, hoping she had finally found the site of the attack. ‘Don’t let me be too late,’ she prayed, as she hurried to the edge of the roof. Below her, in the deserted street, a gray-haired woman held a dark-haired girl by the material of her jacket.

The girl was clearly frightened as she fought to free herself. Sol’s grip on the Sun Staff tightened as she watched the woman shake and then slap the girl. Gritting her teeth, Sol jumped and landed silently on the asphalt below.

However, she stopped when she saw the black circle appear on the girl’s forehead. A different image had appeared on Sofia’s forehead when she was attacked. ‘Could this girl be a Senshi?’ Sol wondered.

The strange woman suddenly went flying in a blast of black light. The girl moaned and fell to her knees before falling back, practically sitting in the street. Keeping an eye on the woman, Sol ran to the girl.

“Are you okay?” Sol demanded, kneeling beside the girl. Her eyes quickly scanned the girl’s body, noting the scraps and the blood-soaked left leg. Sol knew that she had to get the girl out of here quickly.

“She’s mine!”

Sol jumped to her feet and whirled to face the strange woman. “I don’t think so. Sol Corona Flare! Sol Nemesis Nova!”

The woman easily dodged the first attack but didn’t see the second one until it was too late. As the light faded, the woman was kneeling on the pavement, clutching her abdomen. Her eyes glowed, prompting Sol to stand protectively in front of the girl.

“You don’t know what she is,” the woman stated. “She belongs with us. You'll see.”

Sol raised her staff to send another attack but the woman vanished in a gust of wind, leaving Sol alone with the girl in the deserted street.

With a sigh, Sol lowered her staff. She didn’t know anything more about her enemy and now she had this girl who could be a Senshi. She turned and looked down at the girl, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” Sol asked gently, kneeling beside her once more.

The girl shrank away from her, scooting back on her hands. “You’re one of them.”

“No, I’m different,” Sol said gently. Keeping eye contact with the girl, she touched the center of her bow and transformed back into Celeste Halley.

The girl froze, watching the change. After the light faded, she managed to murmur, “You’re human?”

“Yes, my name is Celeste Halley,” the red-headed woman explained softly. “I fight as Sailor Sol to protect people, and I’ve been doing it for a long time.”

The girl nodded, but her wide eyes continued to convey her fear. Celeste slowly and gently touched her shoulder. Although the girl flinched, she didn’t jerk away.

“Who was that woman? Why did she want me?” the girl asked.

Celeste shook her head. “I don’t know. But I will protect you. I promise.”

The girl merely stared at Celeste for several long moments. "Why? Why bother to protect me?"

"It's what I do."

The girl took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. However, her dark brown eyes remained guarded. “My name is Mara Adams. We should go somewhere and talk. I want to know what’s going on.”

Celeste nodded. She needed to learn more about this girl. Although a figure of light had appeared on Mara’s forehead, the girl had not transformed into a Sailor form like Sofia had. The girl definitely posed an interesting puzzle.

“Nice to meet you, Mara,” Celeste said. “My apartment is not far from here, if you would like to go there to talk.”

“All right,” Mara replied.

Wincing, the girl rose to her feet. Ignoring the pain in her leg, she began to follow Celeste. Mara just hoped that she had made the right decision.


An Interesting Enigma Sol kept to the rooftops and the alleys as she moved through the city. Night had already descended upon the city, the shadows concealing her from the innocent people ignorant of the battles that raged around them. It was those innocent people she had to protect, even if she continued to face the battles alone. She kept moving. Her premonitions sometimes warned her in time to prevent an attack. At other times, she would arrive during the attack and would have to deal with the dual task of rescuing the victim and defeating the monster. Deep down, Sol hoped that it wasn’t one of those latter times. * * * * * It would be days before she could even chance going back to the house, Mara realized, zipping her thin cotton jacket higher. Yet, she didn’t have any money and nowhere to go. She had to keep moving, constantly watching for signs of trouble. Feeling a slight breeze, Mara immediately glanced over her shoulder. Seeing nothing, she faced forward again. Immediately, she noticed the tall lady with long, curly gray hair standing right in front of her. Frightened, Mara recoiled but tripped as she tried to back away. Smiling, the lady grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. “Don’t be afraid.” “Who . . . who are you?” Mara stammered, brushing the woman’s hands off of her. “What do you want?” The lady’s smile broadened, her dark blue eyes glowing eerily in the faint light. “I have great plans for you, precious Hecate. Great, wonderful plans.” “I think you’ve got the wrong girl,” Mara stated, taking a few steps back. “Perhaps,” the lady said, walking toward her again, “but I really don’t think so.” “I think you’ve had just a little too much holiday cheer. You’d better head home and sleep it off, lady.” As she turned to walk away, Mara felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around. Any hint of a smile was gone in the strange lady’s face. Those blue eyes really seemed to glow now, making Mara realized that she wasn’t dealing with a regular drunk. “You don’t seem to understand,” the lady growled, her hand tightening its grip. “You’re coming with me.” “No way in hell,” Mara shouted, pushing her away. Without looking back, she began to run as fast as she could. Although her injured leg protested painfully, she ignored it and tried to run even faster. The lady immediately picked herself up off the ground. She held her hands out in front of her as her eyes glowed even brighter. As she chanted softly under her breath, the wind began to pick up. The woman smiled as the familiar power coursed through her body. With a sweep of her arms, a wind tunnel formed. With unbelievable quickness, it followed Mara and threw her into a building. As quickly as it appeared, the wind vanished. The woman dropped her hands and her eyes stopped glowing. With a satisfied smile, she walked over to Mara’s crumpled form. “Don’t worry, Hecate. You will know hell soon enough.” In a whirl of motion, Mara swung her uninjured leg, knocking the lady’s feet from under her. Raising the same leg, she dealt a blow to the woman’s stomach and then to her jaw. Not waiting to see the result of her trick, Mara got to her feet. However, she had taken only a few steps before the woman grabbed her ankle. With a shout of surprised, Mara crashed to the asphalt, landing on top of her injured leg. Wincing, she rolled unto her back. She swallowed hard as she noticed the strange lady was now standing over her. With a growl, the woman bent down and grabbed a fistful of Mara’s jacket. The thin cotton fabric stretched as the woman used it to jerk the girl to her feet and then off the pavement. Mara’s widened further, noting the woman had picked her up as if she weighed no more than a rag doll. “Enough games, girl,” the woman growled. “Aeolus is waiting.” “Just leave me alone.” “It’s a little late for that now. I’ve wasted enough time with you.” Mara grabbed the woman’s wrist with both hands, trying desperately to break free from her grasp. With another growl, the woman gave her a savage jerk. When Mara continued to struggle, the woman slapped her, making the girl see stars. However, the woman paused as the black circle appeared on Mara’s forehead. The girl faced the stranger, her eyes now completely black. In an instant, the circle flared with black light and the blast sent the woman flying. * * * * * “It’s a little late for that now. I’ve wasted enough time with you.” Sol paused and turned around, hoping she had finally found the site of the attack. ‘Don’t let me be too late,’ she prayed, as she hurried to the edge of the roof. Below her, in the deserted street, a gray-haired woman held a dark-haired girl by the material of her jacket. The girl was clearly frightened as she fought to free herself. Sol’s grip on the Sun Staff tightened as she watched the woman shake and then slap the girl. Gritting her teeth, Sol jumped and landed silently on the asphalt below. However, she stopped when she saw the black circle appear on the girl’s forehead. A different image had appeared on Sofia’s forehead when she was attacked. ‘Could this girl be a Senshi?’ Sol wondered. The strange woman suddenly went flying in a blast of black light. The girl moaned and fell to her knees before falling back, practically sitting in the street. Keeping an eye on the woman, Sol ran to the girl. “Are you okay?” Sol demanded, kneeling beside the girl. Her eyes quickly scanned the girl’s body, noting the scraps and the blood-soaked left leg. Sol knew that she had to get the girl out of here quickly. “She’s mine!” Sol jumped to her feet and whirled to face the strange woman. “I don’t think so. Sol Corona Flare! Sol Nemesis Nova!” The woman easily dodged the first attack but didn’t see the second one until it was too late. As the light faded, the woman was kneeling on the pavement, clutching her abdomen. Her eyes glowed, prompting Sol to stand protectively in front of the girl. “You don’t know what she is,” the woman stated. “She belongs with us. You'll see.” Sol raised her staff to send another attack but the woman vanished in a gust of wind, leaving Sol alone with the girl in the deserted street. With a sigh, Sol lowered her staff. She didn’t know anything more about her enemy and now she had this girl who could be a Senshi. She turned and looked down at the girl, who was staring at her with wide eyes. “Are you okay?” Sol asked gently, kneeling beside her once more. The girl shrank away from her, scooting back on her hands. “You’re one of them.” “No, I’m different,” Sol said gently. Keeping eye contact with the girl, she touched the center of her bow and transformed back into Celeste Halley. The girl froze, watching the change. After the light faded, she managed to murmur, “You’re human?” “Yes, my name is Celeste Halley,” the red-headed woman explained softly. “I fight as Sailor Sol to protect people, and I’ve been doing it for a long time.” The girl nodded, but her wide eyes continued to convey her fear. Celeste slowly and gently touched her shoulder. Although the girl flinched, she didn’t jerk away. “Who was that woman? Why did she want me?” the girl asked. Celeste shook her head. “I don’t know. But I will protect you. I promise.” The girl merely stared at Celeste for several long moments. "Why? Why bother to protect me?" "It's what I do." The girl took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. However, her dark brown eyes remained guarded. “My name is Mara Adams. We should go somewhere and talk. I want to know what’s going on.” Celeste nodded. She needed to learn more about this girl. Although a figure of light had appeared on Mara’s forehead, the girl had not transformed into a Sailor form like Sofia had. The girl definitely posed an interesting puzzle. “Nice to meet you, Mara,” Celeste said. “My apartment is not far from here, if you would like to go there to talk.” “All right,” Mara replied. Wincing, the girl rose to her feet. Ignoring the pain in her leg, she began to follow Celeste. Mara just hoped that she had made the right decision.


Chapter 17: Late Night Reflections Sailor Sol: Homefront