Typical Header Stuff:  

     Even though most of these give you about as much coverage
as a g-string on a stripper, I'm going to play it safe and include
it anyway...

     Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all characters contained within
this work are the copyright of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation,
Kodansya, DiC, and probably lots of other big people I'm forgetting.
I am using them without permission, but suing me because of it would
be futile as I have nothing.  Also Certain characters mentioned
in the prologue are the copyrighted property of John De Chance.
Any characters that are not copyrighted by other people are my own 
creation, and therefore copyrighted by myself...  which means that
if for some REALLY weird reason you decided you wanted to use them,
(and why would you decide that?!?!?!?) you need to write me for 
permission.

Comments, Criticisms, and flames welcome...  Starrngr@aol.com
However, due to a large amount of spam I have received in the past,
I have blocked off mail from some domains.  Sorry if your one of 
them.  And don't expect me to reply to mail that's nothing but 
Flames!

See the Character Bio for information on key people to this Fic....



----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Wanderer: Wandering Moon:  Episode 10: Loose Ends.


Serena Tsukino stole a surreptitious look at the clock and sighed.
'Oh man...  still 45 minutes to go.  I think I'm going to die of 
hunger before detention is over!'.  She then directed her eyes back
at the paper in front of her before Haruna sensei caught her.  'I 
hope Amy is right and she forgives Thunders sensei soon...  Or I'm 
liable to have detention for the rest of my life. Its only Tuesday
and already I'm stuck here for the rest of the week!'  She fought
off another sigh and tried to focus on the extra essay Haruna Sensei
had made part of her detention.  'Why punctuality is important
in school.  Its not like I plan on being late, it's just I don't have
any control over when the Negaverse attacks!'.

     She looked up only to see Ms. Haruna looking back at her with
a cold look.  "Ms. Tsukino, You will finish that essay before you 
leave, even if it means staying after your detention is over.  Have
I made myself clear?" Patricia Haruna declared in a tone that would
make an iceberg seem like a tropical vacation.

     "Yes, Sensei."

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     
*

     Tinkerer noted the sound of the door to the lab being opened
and turned his attention away from what he was doing.  He swiveled
his chair to face Cabelite as the other crossed over to where the 
scientist was working.  "I hope this is important, Cabelite.  I am 
quite busy, actually."

     "So you claim, but here you sit rather than working on what you
said you were."

     "The work on the project is on schedule.  At the moment, the 
subjects are recovering from the last procedure.  It will be a bit 
before they are ready for the next step.  In the meantime, I am being
more productive than you are."

     "Bah.  I can see the results of the training I am putting my 
Youma through.  All I see here is you playing with those toys of 
yours."

     Tinkerer turned away from the General and back to the banks of 
computer monitors.  "This is not a toy, you ignorant fool.  This is 
perhaps the most powerful computer on the planet not under the 
control of a government.  Without it, there would be no Super Youma
project.  And this 'toy' has just given us the key to defeating
our enemies."

     "I've heard claims like this before, cripple.  Spare me."

     "Much the way you spare that excuse of a brain from original
thought, Cabelite.  Do you remember the attack on that school?"

     "As much as I would like to forget it, yes."

     "And do you remember why it was I didn't consider that battle
a loss?" Tinkerer continued to probe.

     "What I recall is that you expected that attack to eliminate
one of our opponents or the other.  Instead, I lost my only youma
who worked well as a group,"  Cabelite replied with a sneer.

     "And yet that attack will give us our ultimate victory.  Since
you don't care to remember, I shall have to refresh your memory.
From the fast response to that attack, it is most likely that Star
Ranger works at that school.  I am therefore attempting to access
their records and see who has recently been hired."

     "And how will that help us?  They probably hire people all the
time!"

     "We know when that damnable Star Ranger probably arrived from
the disturbance I detected in my instruments.  It is a simple matter
to look for anyone who was hired after that date.  One of them is the
one we seek.  Once we know who it might be, we can set spyders to 
watch and see who he interacts with."

     "And what will that gain us?"

     "At the very least, a hostage.  At the best, those irritating
Sailors."  Tinkerer was forced to pause as a beeping emanated from
his workstation and several messages flashed on various monitors.
"You'll need to leave now.  Its time for the next procedure,
and I don't want you contaminating it."

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     
*

     Micheal started himself out of a light stupor as the elevator
chimed his floor.  He picked up a carton under one arm and his 
briefcase and a bag of groceries with the other and started down the
hall to his apartment.  Three steps out of the elevator he blinked
in shock and looked at the four sets of eyes looking back at him.

     "Sorry," he said to the waiting scouts.  "I wasn't expecting
company or I would have been back sooner."

     "Its okay," bubbled Mina happily as Micheal finished walking
down the hall to the door to his apartment.  "We actually just got 
here ourselves.  Here, let me hold that for you," she commented,
reaching for the large box that was threatening to fall from 
Micheal's grasp.

     "Why don't you let Amy take that," Lita interjected, noticing
the 'Warning! Fragile Electronics!' label on the box, as she grabbed
the bag of groceries that was also about to drop.  Amy quickly moved
in and took the box before Mina could.  Micheal blinked in confusion,
but made use of his now free arms to fish his keys out and open the
door to the apartment.  Curiosity was overridden by caution and he 
waved the girls into the apartment, carefully closing the door before
asking any questions.

     Hanging up his hat and coat on the hooks in the entryway,
he slipped out of his shoes before settling into the chair in front
of his desk.  "Now that we have some privacy, can I ask what brings
you ladies here??" he asked of the girls, who shifted their feet 
uneasily before Amy spoke up.

     "I actually was hoping to talk with you and your computer,"
she said.  "I was thinking that maybe between the three of us we 
could figure out a way to detect where the next attack will be."

     "But then why did you all come?" asked FRED from the remote
terminal behind Micheal.  At this comment all the girls blushed
and sweat-dropped.  Micheal instantly realized and turned to face the
camera.

     "Proprieties, Baka.  It wouldn't be proper for a student to show
up alone.  People might get the wrong idea and start talking,"
he explained while the girls blushed even more furiously.

     "Why don't I go put your groceries away while you three work?"
Offered Lita as a way to break up the growing tension.

     "That's not really..." Micheal started to protest.

     "Oh, its no trouble at all.  Amy is the one who you need to work
with," Lita replied, cutting Micheal off and picking up the bag of 
groceries and heading into the kitchen.  "This is way I'm not 
underfoot."

     Recognizing the inevitable, Micheal yielded.  Fighting off the
general state of lassitude that had come over him, he levered himself
up out of the chair he was in and waived Amy over.  "Have a seat Ms.
Mizuno.  Somehow I have a feeling this will be more efficient."
Amy hesitated for a moment before seating herself and pulling out the
Mercury computer  In no time the she and FRED were deep in an 
esoteric conversation about sensor methods and readings.

     Mina had seated herself on his small love seat and was looking
curiously at the large box he had brought home.  Moving quickly,
Micheal retrieved the box and carried it over to another desk by the
door to the bedroom.

     "What is it?" Mina inquired innocently, following him over and
looking at the collection of parts arrayed on the other desk.

     "Its going to be additional storage for FRED.  He wants to be 
able to store a bunch of information he thinks will be useful."
His attention was momentarily distracted by Raye's refection in the
window.  

The priestess was quietly looking about, fidgeting uncomfortably.
Micheal made a quick guess as to why and turned to catch her eye and
pointed to the bathroom.  Raye blushed slightly but moved in that 
direction with an expression of wordless thanks.  When he turned
back to the desk Mina was reaching out to pick up one of the 
components.  "Please don't touch that.  Its already been calibrated
and I would prefer not to have to re-adjust it."

     Mina snatched back her hand, and looked at Micheal as he settled
into the chair by that desk and rubbed his eyes.  "Are you OK, 
Thunders-kun?  Is there anything I can get you?"

     Micheal stifled a yawn. "Just running a bit low on get up and 
go, Ms. Aino.  A cup of coffee would be nice.  The coffee maker is in
the kitchen.  Just turn it on and wait."

     "Hot coffee, coming for you!" Mina gushed, and bounced off to 
the kitchen.  Micheal sighed and picked up a part and put it in 
place.

     A few moments of quiet descended on the apartment, moments
that were not to last.  Just as Raye was exiting the bathroom,
Lita's strangled voice emerged from the kitchen  "Mina!!  NO!!" This
was followed by the sounds of an electric arc and a small explosion,
and suddenly the power went out in the apartment.  A thick cloud of 
black smoke poured out of the kitchen, followed by Lita and Mina.

     Moments later, everyone was out on Micheal's balcony, waiting
for the smoke to clear out of his apartment, being greeted by a 
semi-surprised Darien.  The girls chatted amiably with Darien across
the space between the two balconies while Micheal just stared out 
into space with a dazed look and wondered what it was this fica had
against his coffee maker.

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     
*

     Tinkerer looked at the monitor screen and smiled.  'So.  Only
one person has been hired recently at Juuban Junior High.  Ha.  I 
will have my revenge on you yet, Star Ranger!  As Micheal Thunders,
your going to reveal to me just what I need to know without even 
knowing your doing it!'  His fingers flew across the keyboard before
him and in the darkness several spyders stirred to life and scuttled
off on their mission.

     He turned his attention to the five loosely draped shapes 
resting on tables in the lab.  'Six of them, and six augmented
youma.  Oh what a lovely bit of ironic symmetry that is.'

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     
*

     Patricia Haruna slumped in her favorite chair, thoroughly
depressed.  She stared out her window, absentmindedly twirling
a half full wine glass in one hand as the radio played softly behind
her.  She had paid no real attention to the station it was on when
she had turned it on.

     Then the sound of an old american song cut through her thoughts
and sent them into a depressing turn.  'I know how you feel, sir,'
she thought to the person who had written it.  'Its a Friday night
and I don't have anyone either.'  She took another sip of wine. 'What
did I do in a past life to deserve this?  Every man I've ever dated
turned out to be bad for me in one way or another.  Its just that 
Micheal turned out to be a more literal monster than most.'  
Something in her subconscious stirred at that, and tried to bring
some fact to her attention, but failed.  'How could I have ever been
so stupid?  I should have realized something was different about him
ever since that attack at the amusement park when he was one of the
only ones who wasn't affected.  I guess I should consider myself
lucky, though.  If I hadn't seen what I had at the shrine, I could
have still been going out with him, and who knows what he had planned
for me.'  The radio played the station identification, labeling
it as the United States Armed Forces Radio, and then went into 
another song by some person named Elvis something or other who was 
lamenting about his girl leaving him.  Patricia stood and turned
off the radio, not wanting to chance finding a station even MORE 
depressing than this one.

     She walked back over to the window, picking up her wineglass
as she passed.  She contemplated her reflection in the window, her 
body silhouetted against the night lights of Tokyo.  'And then he 
tried to apologize Monday morning like nothing had happened.  I'm 
amazed that he would be so bold.  If only there was some way of 
alerting the authorities without being considered for a room with 
padded walls.'  Her subconscious tried to become more insistent,
but was still ignored, for the moment.  She finished off the glass
of wine and turned to walk into the kitchen.

     As she was rinsing out the glass, her subconscious finally
succeeded in getting her attention.  The shock of her realization
was great enough that she dropped the glass into the sink, where it 
shattered into many pieces, much as her notions had just been 
shattered.  She had seen him intact, and unchanged, AFTER HAVING
FOUGHT THE SCOUTS!  And the scouts tended to leave nothing of their
enemies behind for anyone to use as proof that anything had happened.
Micheal had protested that she had the wrong idea...  what if he was
right?  What if he had been working WITH the scouts instead of 
against them?  'It would explain a great many things... including
the way he was so interested in learning what little I did know about
the Sailor Scouts,' she admitted to herself.

     Her mind in even more turmoil than before, she blankly walked
back to the living room and sat back down, unaware of her 
surroundings.  'If its true, I can't even blame him for not telling
me...  Its something I wouldn't have wanted to know!  It would make
me too much of a target for anyone wanting to use me to get to him...
or who thought I might know who the Sailor Scouts are.' Images of 
Micheal being himself flashed before her mind's eye, starting with
Micheal in his rented Tuxedo the night of their big dinner out, and
ending with an image of a bemused Micheal gently correcting Serena
Tsukino on yet another science concept she had gotten wrong.  'Maybe
I did misjudge him.  I suppose I can forgive him for keeping a 
secret, but at least he should have admitted that there were things
about him I didn't WANT to know.  Perhaps I will forgive him for 
that...  but not for a few days more.  I think it would do him good
to fully understand the heartache his little secret has put me 
through.'  Noting the time, she was surprised at the lateness of the
hour and got up and made her way to her small bedroom.  'Tuesday.'
She decided as she began to get ready for bed.  'I'll let him know
I forgive him Tuesday.  That should be long enough that he has a good
idea of how much hurt his little secret has caused ME.'

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     
*

     Cabelite strode across the Laboratory to where Tinkerer was 
standing, watching something though a large glass window.  On the 
other side, images made of light dance around, only to be trashed
by the six survivors of the super youma project.  A feral grin 
crossed his face as an illusionary Sailor Mars was gutted by one as 
she tried to paralyze it with one of her charms.  The other Sailor
Scouts were either dead, or dying, and only the image of that 
infuriating Star Ranger seemed unharmed.  That lasted for perhaps
ten seconds longer, as the six super youma attacked him from 
different directions at once.  The Ranger's shield blocked the first
two, but the third, coming from the side knocked it from his grasp,
the remaining three attacks stunning the metallic figure and driving
it to his knees.  Before the enemy could recover, the six rushed
it and dismembered it, pulling their foe literally limb from limb.

     A feral grin crept onto Cabelite's lips as he was forced to 
raise his opinion of Tinkerer a bit.  'This is so fitting...
this cripple has created the tools that will ultimately destroy
him when the time is right!'

     "Is everything in readiness?" Tinkerer inquired without taking
his gaze from the window, where the six augmented youma were filing
out.

     "I've done my part.  Have you done yours?" Cabelite retorted.

     Tinkerer replied only with a dark angry glare.  He turned away
from the window and walked over to his workstation.  Seating himself,
he struck a few keys and the monitors filled with an assortment
of images.  Most showed red hared human of average height with a 
ridiculous bush of a mustache. Others showed an attractive red haired
female.  A collection of images on the bottom row showed the two of 
them together, in general the woman looking less than happy with the
man's presence.

     "Micheal Thunders," Tinkerer noted, indicating the man.  "A new
teacher at Juuban Junior High.  Was hired a few days after that 
disturbance I detected.  The woman is Patricia Haruna, a fellow 
teacher.  She is the one we want."

     "Why?  If we know who this Star Ranger is, why don't we just 
eliminate him and be done with it?  From these images, she doesn't
seem to like him that much, why bother?"

     "Because of _this_," Tinkerer replied, putting a new set of 
images up that showed the two talking, then smiling, and the final
image showing them embracing.  "These images are only an hour or two
old.  Off hand, I would say that they had a fight of some sort and 
just made up.  If we capture her, he will be compelled to try and 
rescue her, and enlist the scouts to aid him.  They will walk into
our trap, even if they suspect that it is a trap, and that will be 
the end of them."

     Cabelite looked at the woman again, recognition showing as he 
remembered the woman he had used to help him escape that last fight.
'They let me escape to keep this person safe.  It looks like the 
cripple is more correct than he knows.'

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     "If I'm late one more time Ms Haruna said she was going to 
suspend MEEEEEE!!!!" wailed Serena Tsukino to no one in particular
as she tore down the sidewalk at top speed.  It should be noted that
this was not an uncommon occurrence, and those who lived along this
particular street knew better than to be on the sidewalk at this time
of day.  Unfortunately, Micheal didn't live on this street and didn't
know that he was about to walk right into the path of Hurricane
Serena.

     Micheal had just emerged from a coffee shop with a take out cup
of coffee when the inevitable occurred.  "AIEIEIE!!!  Look..."
The two collided before Serena could finish wailing out a warning.
Teacher and student impacted with a bone jarring thump, Serena's
inertia driving both to the ground.  The cup of coffee went flying
out of Micheal's hands and hit the front wheel of his car, then 
tumbled into the gutter where the lid popped off and its contents
drained away.

     "I'mSorryI'mSOrryI'mSorry!!!" Serena apologized profusely
as she clambered back to her feet.  Micheal, who had taken the brunt
of the collision, winding up between Serena and the pavement,
was slower to get to his feet.  He held up a hand to gain a moment
to speak.

      "Oy.  I'm fine, Ms. Tsukino."  He took a moment and caught
his breath.  "You really should try leaving a bit earlier and run 
less."  Serena blushed deeply at the comment.  "Ah well, come on, 
I'll give you a ride to school.  Just let me find... my... coffee..."
His words trailed off as his gaze fell on the battered and empty 
coffee container lying in the gutter.  He whimpered softly under his
breath.  Pushing himself off from the wall he was leaning against,
he walked over to FRED and held the door open.

     Serena climbed into the car and slid across make room for 
Michael. "Good Morning Fred!" she said.  Fred just ignored her 
concentrating instead on razing Michael.

      "I thought you were getting some coffee" , the disembodied
baritone of Fred noted as Micheal climbed into the car and prepared
to pull out into traffic, with a great deal of sarcasm in it's voice.

     "Can you say 'pulled circuit board's' _FRED_?" Micheal replied
tartly.  Serena couldn't help but giggle at this exchange, which 
evoked memories of tongue fights with Raye. 

     "Not right now... Transient detection!  I believe I'm detecting
a portal opening nearby...  Wait one."  Micheal's face grew grim at 
that news and the black HMMWV accelerated a bit more.  "Confirmed.
One of Tinkerer's portals just opened on the school grounds.  
Attempting locate the source."

     "Hang on, MS. Tsukino," Micheal warned as he cornered sharply,
tires squealing.  Serena's communicator began beeping, as if to 
further underscore the building tension, and Lita's face appeared
on its tiny screen.

     "Amy is detecting a youma attack here at the school, Serena,"
the auburn hared scout warned.  "Hurry!"

     "Ri-AIE-ght!" Serena responded, the middle syllable becoming
a yelp of surprise as FRED hit a pump and briefly became airborne,
and Serena was held fast by the seat belt as FRED skidded to a stop
in the teachers parking lot.  "Serena out," she finished weakly and
all but fell as she climbed out of FRED.  Micheal was a few steps
in front of her, and already had keys out, and was quickly unlocking
a door to one of the Janitor's closets.  She followed him in.

     "We can transform here," he noted, and began to morph into his
Star Ranger form.  Seconds later, Star Ranger and Sailor Moon burst
from the Janitor closet.  Star Ranger pointed up and the pair leapt
to the roof of the school.  Sailor Moon activated her communicator.
"I'm on the school roof, and I have Ranger-san with me.  Where are 
you guys?"

     "I'm detecting several new signals.  It looks like they have 
gathered in classroom 216,  We're almost there now." Sailor Mercury
reported.  Sailor Moon and Star Ranger exchanged looks, Sailor Moon
worried but Star Ranger's inhuman face unfathomable.

     "Have them go in through the door.  We'll go in through the 
window," he said in a flat metallic voice as he scooped Sailor Moon
up in his arms as wings snapped open on his back.

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     
*

     Patricia Haruna tried to control her fear, but failed.  Not 
surprising when one is being held by a misshapen blue monstrosity
that occasionally dripped an emerald green something she was afraid
was like blood on her clothes.  Taking a deep breath, she suddenly
tried to pull out of the grasp of the monster and escape.  The 
attempt failed, and resulted in the thing grabbing her other arm as 
well.  A flash of pain caused her momentarily fear having her arms
ripped out of their sockets as she to gasped in pain.

     The very human appearing leader of the monsters turned at that
sound.  "I wouldn't do that if I were you.  You just might anger him
and that could be very... Unpleasant for you.  In spite of 
instructions to keep you intact."  His attention returned to the 
front of the classroom, as the door burst open revealing two of the
Sailor scouts while a window shattered admitting Sailor Moon and Star
Ranger.  "I wouldn't move if I were you, or your friend here," he 
nodded in the direction of Patricia, "will suffer for it."  The 
creature that held Patricia tensed, and the pain from her shoulders
caused Patricia to shriek and pass out.

     "I would suggest letting her go, unless you _WANT_ to be fitted
for a coffin," Star Ranger warned in Clint Eastwood's voice.

      "Not on your life, Tin Man.  If you try anything, Glitch here
will tear her limb from limb," Cabelite replied haughtily.  "If I 
were you I'd shut up and listen.
 
      Star Ranger growled animalisticly.  "I'm listening.  Talk 
already."

     "Its quite simple.  You and the scouts show up at the Nadesco
warehouse on pier 36 tonight at ten, and she goes free.  Don't and 
she dies."  Cabelite gestured, and a portal appeared behind him and
his minions.  "All of you, or the woman's life is forfeit."  Without
taking their eyes from their enemies, Cabelite and his troops moved
backwards through the portal and vanished.

     "ARRRGH!" Raged STAR Ranger inarticulately, as he picked up a 
desk and threw it at the spot where the portal had been in 
frustration.

     "This is soo not good!  Now what do we do?' Worried Sailor Moon.

     "We show up at the appointed time and kick their sorry tails!"
Sailor Jupiter replied.

     "Even though its probably a trap?" interjected Sailor Mercury.

     "I don't think we have a choice about that," seethed Star 
Ranger, anger clearly showing through the metallic tones of his 
voice.  "I think we are going to have to do what they want and try 
and keep them from double crossing us at the same time."

     "Mercury?"

     "Yes, Sailor Moon?"

     "Everyone saw the Youma and ran off right?"

     "Yes," Mercury replied, puzzled.

     "Cool!" Sailor Moon gushed.  "No school today then!"

     Mercury and Jupiter face faulted while Star Ranger slapped
his face with a hand in shock.

          *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     
*

     Micheal looked out across Tokyo bay and sighed.  He 
absentmindedly reached for the cup of tea sitting on the small table
next to him when an aristocratic voice spoke up in his ear.

     "Your worried about Haruna-san, aren't, you?"

     Micheal started, knocking the mug off the table where it 
shattered unnoticed.  "Yea gods and little fishies, Luna!  Are you 
trying to give me a heart attack?" He sputtered, as the crescent
moon marked cat jumped off the balcony railing and into his lap.  
"Anyway, what makes you think I'm worried?" he tried to comment
nonchalantly.

     "The way you were behaving at the scout meeting for one, and the
way I startled you just now for another," Luna replied.  "You are an
important part of our plan, and if your worn out from worry tonight
it could get everyone killed.  Then what happens to Haruna-san?"

     "Ok, maybe I am concerned, but wouldn't you be?  The girls are,
well...  "

     "They seem to young for the responsibilities that have been 
thrust onto them?"

     "Yeah."

"I wouldn't worry about the scouts.  They've proved their up to the
task before.  Its you I'm worried about.  I don't know if I can put
your fears to rest, but I can at least lend a sympathetic ear."

     "Ok, Ok, you win, Luna.  Besides, I guess I could use a little
'Fuzz Therapy' as Serena calls it, right now," Micheal conceded.
Luna curled up in his lap and purred softly while Michael stroked
her fur and the two conversed as the last bit of twilight faded away
and lights began appearing out on the bay.

--------------------------

I know, I know.  I thought this was going to be the last chapter
too...  But there was so much left yet to happen that it became a two
parter.  I guess there is a strange cosmic symmetry to it, cause 
counting the prologue and Epilogue, there are 13 episodes...
Just the same number as a mid season replacement on TV.

Up next:  Episode 11: Endgame.