Sailor Moon: Age of Innocence

Chapter 3
Chapter 2: Headshot

Chapter 2: Headshot

To Amy, the hours she spent at the daycare center passed quickly.

She really did enjoy children and marveled at how energetic and

inquisitive her charges were.

Mrs. Owens, the middle aged woman in charge of the center, was

impressed with her dedication and had given her responsibility for a

small group of two to three year olds. She’d passed the time playing

games with them, feeding them, and even changing a couple before lying

them down for a nap.

By five-thirty, she was waving good-bye to the last of them, an

adorable little toddler named Tracy, who was going home with her mother.

Back inside, Mrs. Owens met her. "Well, Amy, I think you had

almost as much fun as the little ones today."

Amy politely blushed and replied, "They were simply darling. I

really enjoyed taking care of them."

"Well, if you feel that way, maybe you should consider volunteering

here more often," Mrs. Owens said.

Amy sighed, honestly torn. "That would be wonderful, but I’m

afraid my schedule is too full."

"Oh well, worth a shot," Mrs. Owens laughed. "Try to have some fun

when you can though, dear. All work and no play makes Amy a dull girl."

Amy laughed and said, "I’ll try to." Privately though, Amy

wondered why she was the only one she knew who found studying fun.

Mrs. Owens continued, "Till then, could you do me a favor, dear,

and make sure the place is clear? I’m about to close up."

"Certainly ma’am," Amy said before going towards the main rooms.

After Amy’s departure, Mrs. Owens calmly walked back into her

office. She stopped upon entering and looked at the man seated at her

desk, his legs resting against its top.

"Is there anything else you’d like me to do, master?" she serenely

asked him.

Tencite finished the last of his cup of coffee before he replied,

admiring the quality of the Colombian roast Mrs. Owens kept for herself.

Warmly, he said, "No, Barbara, you’ve been wonderful. You may go home

now. Don’t bother locking the door when you leave, I’ll take care of

that. Of course, you’ll remember having locked the door yourself after

letting Amy out to go home. You won’t remember me though. Drive

carefully now."

Barbara Owens nodded and walked out her office door to go home.

Tencite got up from the desk and placed the mug in the sink to

rinse it out. After following Amy to the daycare center, he’d entered

under the pretense of bringing his daughter here. Alone in the office

with Mrs. Owens, it hadn’t taken much energy to put the woman in a

trance and find out what she knew about Amy Anderson.

He wasn’t surprised that she was a straight A student. In the

battles he’d watched, she’d taken charge many times. What really

interested him was that beyond being intelligent, Amy was also very shy.

It was an insecurity he could take advantage of.

Walking out the office door, Tencite allowed himself a grin. Owens

would never remember he was here or that Amy had been left alone. He

liked tying up loose ends cleanly.

Amy finished the last of her rounds and shut the lights in the main

playroom. Twilight shone through the windows giving the interior an

eerie glow. She paused a moment, looking at the brightly painted anime

characters on the walls and the games portrayed on the rug. It was all

so adorable but she couldn’t help thinking that if she were in charge,

she’d try to use things a bit more educational.

It was then she felt the chill. She knew instantly that it was a

dark energy signature but it was a type she’d never expected to feel

again. "The Negaverse?" she whispered. But she knew that couldn’t be.

Queen Beryl had been destroyed by Sailor Moon and with that, her army

had been banished. Hadn’t it?

Another thing that confused Amy was the timing of it all. If the

center had been full, it would have made sense. A great deal of energy

could be drawn from children. Now though, it was just her and Mrs.

Owens.

Amy’s breath came in sharply at that last thought. Mrs. Owens

could be in great danger. She had to change into Sailor Mercury now to

try and protect her. Untransformed, she was as vulnerable as any other

fourteen year old.

Amy quickly reached into her subspace pocket that contained her

transformation pen, the magical item that allowed her to transform into

the Princess of Mercury. Holding the pen in front of her, she opened

her mouth and... screamed as her entire arm exploded in searing pain,

causing the pen to fly to the corner of the room.

"Well, it certainly took you long enough to pull it out. I almost

got tired of waiting," a cheery, mocking voice echoed above her.

Absently, Amy noticed she was now on her knees, her left hand

clutching the still burning right arm. She guessed she was in a slight

state of shock since she had a hard time speaking, "Wha-what, did...

you do?"

"Hmmm, low level lightning attack centered on your arm. Looks like

I’ve still got pretty good aim after all these years. Wouldn’t you

agree, Sailor Mercury?"

Amy shook her head to try and get her thinking cleared. She had to

divert her enemy’s attention. "What are you talking about? My name is

Amy, sir. Take what you want, just please, don’t hurt me," Amy

breathed, truly meaning the last of her statement.

The man shook his head and spoke in a voice that seemed to scold

her, "Don’t play dumb with me, Princess of Mercury, it doesn’t suit you.

I know who you are just as well as I know what that transformation pen

is for. I was there when Queen Serenity gave it to you after all." With

that, the man removed his trench coat and allowed it to drop to the

floor.

A gasp came from Amy’s lips despite herself. She still didn’t

recognize the man but the gray uniform was unmistakable. It was the

uniform of one of Beryl’s Generals.

Immediately Amy leapt for her pen but was stopped as the cabinet in

front of her exploded in an array of sparks and soot. Coughing, Amy

watched as the General calmly walked over to her pen and picked it up.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, trying to buy some time.

The General ignored her and simply held up his left hand. In it, a

sphere of blue energy began to form. The sphere rippled like water and

distorted the light as it passed through.

Amy’s own blue eyes widened in fear. She truly was a brave girl,

especially for her age. Still, it wasn’t easy for anyone to see the

bullet being readied to fire.

"Please, no," she whispered, just before the General’s hand came

down.

Amy closed her eyes before the ball impacted, the anxiety in her

stomach shooting through her chest like a spike. Instead of killing her

though, the ball simply splashed across her body like cold water. There

was no pain. In fact, her body felt strangely numb.

Sailor Mercury opened her eyes to see the General standing over

with his arms crossed over his chest. Strangely, he seemed to be

getting bigger. Before Amy could ask why she still lived, she noticed

something else. When the ball had hit her, she’d fallen onto her back.

As she tried to sit up again, she noticed how loose her blouse had

suddenly become, the cuffs falling over her wrists. She watched in

shock as her skirt and tights flattened against the floor, her legs

dwindling within the folds. When her loose shoes plopped off her

rapidly receding feet, Amy was frantic again.

"What’s happening to me!?" she squealed, her voice much higher.

She could feel one of her shoulders hitting the cool air as her sleeves

completely covered her hands. Her clothes were huge and she quickly

found she was swimming in them.

Tencite smiled as he watched the rapidly shrinking Sailor Scout.

He guessed Amy was just under nine, her face becoming chubby with baby

fat. He found it humorous to watch her struggle within the folds of her

own clothing as she further diminished. The look of utter horror on her

face delicious. Tencite had to admit there were times when being bad

could feel so good.

Amy’s skirt and tights lay flat on the carpet as the little girl

completely removed her legs from them. She’d lost her socks in the

struggle and could feel her huge panties wrapped around her ankles. She

crawled forward, kicking the panties off. She was now on top of her

discarded skirt on her hands and knees. Her blouse hung on her like a

cloak and she could feel the strap of her bra against the small of her

back. The last observation made her think and she moved her hands

within her blouse to touch her breasts. Unable to find them, she knew

what had been done to her.

Tencite watched as the four year old calmly stood and looked up at

him. Amy clutched her blouse closely to her body, her little toes

sticking out from under it. The child didn’t even come to his waist but

she spoke without fear. "Age regression. A very impressive power. But

why not just kill me?" she asked, her piping voice making her attempts

at seriousness seem silly.

"Because, little princess, I don’t need you dead, just out of the

way," Tencite answered.

"Rini," Amy breathed.

"Got it in one! I have to admit, Sailor Mercury, you would have

been a worthy opponent. Taking you out first was a must."

"I’m so flattered," Amy sarcastically squeaked. She was waiting

for her adversary to gloat as usual. If she could just get the General

to let his guard down, she knew she could hide and use her communicator

to warn the other Scouts.

"So who are you anyway?" she demanded. "I thought all of Beryl’s

troops had been defeated."

"Awfully nosy, aren’t you?" Tencite responded. "I’m the one who’ll

be asking the questions, little girl." Again, something formed in his

hand, a much smaller, much brighter sphere.

Amy found the sphere distracting but tried to ignore it. "Why so

defensive? I’m the one who should be scared after all. I’m jus...

just a lit... little girl," Amy stuttered, a confused look crossing her

face. It was getting hard to think. Too late her fleeting teen mind

warned her something was wrong.

"Wha... what are you... do... doin’?" she struggled to say,

squinting her eyes against the glare. The bright blue glare of the

glowing sphere. Amy quickly became fascinated with it, her childish

curiosity taking over. "Pwetty wight," she finished, flashing a

gap-toothed smile.

Tencite quickly snuffed it out, much to Amy’s dismay. "Nooo. Bad

man! I wiked wight. I gonna tell on you!" With that, little Amy

reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a large compact. Holding

the comm. unit in her tiny hands she stuck her tongue out at Tencite and

said, "You in twouble! I gonna call Sewena and den you be sowwy."

Before the tyke could open the compact however, Tencite reached

down and plucked it from her. "Young lady! You are much too young for

makeup. This is for big girls," he lightly admonished.

Amy responded angrily. "Not makeup. It’s a comm... comm... talky

thingy. Now give it ba’k!" she finished, stomping her little foot in

anger.

"No. I really don’t think you deserve it anymore."

Tears began to well up in Amy’s eyes. Without her compact, she

couldn’t warn the others and stop the bad man. She didn’t understand

why he was being so mean. "B-but it’s mine!" she wailed.

"Nope. This belonged to Sailor Mercury. You’re just a little

crybaby."

"I Saiwor Mercuwy," Amy whined, her voice very weak.

"Really? Then where’s your uniform, Sailor Mercury? Where are

your powers? I must say you’re much shorter in person," Tencite mocked.

"You’re not Sailor Mercury anymore, because you failed. Botched the

job. You’re just a pathetic little toddler now. You won’t be coming

here to help out anymore, you’ll be coming here as a student."

Each of Tencite’s words stabbed Amy like daggers. She felt

miserable. She hated herself for failing the other Scouts. "I sowwy,"

she said.

"Sorry is not good enough. Face it, you just weren’t smart enough

to be a Sailor Scout," Tencite said.

Amy bristled at that. "I smart! More smart than dat stoopid

Sewena!"

"Oh please, she’s much smarter than you. You couldn’t know half

the things she does about being a Sailor Scout," Tencite admonished.

"Do too! I know awl about da Scouts!" Amy huffed proudly.

Tencite smiled and bent his knees to crouch in front of his small

companion. "Really now? Y’know, if you really know as much as you say,

I might just change you back."

Amy suddenly brightened. She so much wanted to prove herself. At

Tencite’s prodding, she proceeded to tell him everything she knew about

the Sailor Scouts.

An hour later, Amy happily swung her feet as she drank orange juice

from a sippy cup. She simply couldn’t believe how big everything was

now. She was sitting in the same tiny chair, at the same tiny table

that little Tracy had used most of the day. She smiled at the memory of

the little blonde girl, cheerfully wondering if she’d be her friend.

It didn’t really matter she knew. Soon Uncle Tencite would change

her back and she could go back to playing with her older friends.

Looking at the colorful characters on the walls and the wonderful games

on the floor, Amy wondered if she really wanted to be old again.

Remembering what it was like to be Sailor Mercury made the decision easy

though. She liked being a Sailor Scout and she knew she was the best at

it. Giggling, she took another sip of orange juice.

Tencite watched little Amy with his head atop folded hands. The

poor little dear had known quite a bit about the other Scouts. Names,

addresses, personalities, likes, and dislikes. There was a time when he

would have turned all the information over to Rubeus and wiped his hands

of the whole thing. Watching the little girl before him, he knew he

couldn’t, however.

He could remember when the Princess of Mercury had actually been

that age. How adorable and inquisitive she’d been. It reminded him

that even now, the Scouts were little more than children. It was one of

the reasons he hated them but even he wasn’t embittered enough to want

them dead. He had the feeling Rubeus and the Sisters would slaughter

them in their sleep.

No, he decided. He wouldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t place

his finger on it but there was something he didn’t like about these

people. Didn’t trust. Who were they really? He didn’t believe they

were surviving soldiers of the Negaverse as they claimed, simply wanting

to find a way home. Why did they want the girl? And more importantly,

how had they known about the debt he owed that old man so long ago?

Unfortunately, Amy had known very little about Rubeus’ people.

Something wasn’t right though and he was going to find out what that

was. In the meantime, he would follow his promise to the letter. Rini

would be captured and the Scouts would be eliminated... but it would be

done his way.

Little Amy looked up as Tencite approached her, her smile becoming

wide. "Ya gonna turn me ba’k now?" she asked innocently.

The spell he’d placed on Amy was a simple one. It was suppressing

the aggressive side of her personality and dulling her reason. In

effect, her emotions now matched her physical age and like all four year

olds, it was very easy to earn her trust. "Yes, I’m going to change you

back," he lied.

As tempting as it was to leave Amy like this, the mental spell was

simply too unreliable. It had to be constantly renewed or it would wear

off. Tencite knew he had to change Amy into an even more manageable

package.

Amy dropped down from her chair as Tencite readied another time

ball, anticipating her growth back to teen hood. She giggled as the ball

splashed over her, creating the numb feeling for the second time. The

giggling stopped suddenly, however, as she noticed her blouse start to

get bigger.

"Hey. Wong way. No wanna be wittle! Me too smart to be wittle!"

she shouted.

Tencite watched in silence as Amy’s arms and legs became pudgier

and her short black hair began to curl. As she passed below two, she

lost her balance and fell on her little behind. Tears came to her eyes

as her babyish voice shot out, "No fawr! Me smart! Me... aaahhwahhh!!"

An eighteen month old Amy sat on the floor crying piteously. The

upper half of her body had come completely through the collar of her

blouse which surrounded her like a blanket.

Tencite calmly walked to a cabinet and pulled out one of the

center’s extra diaper bags. Taking out a pacifier, he stuffed it into

Amy’s mouth, effectively halting her crying. Ironically, the pacifier

was blue, just like Sailor Mercury’s uniform, except now the babe wore

nothing but her birthday suit.

"There, I changed you back. All the way back," Tencite said with a

chuckle, tweaking the infant’s button nose. Baby Amy looked up at him

in fear, desperately sucking on the pacifier for comfort.

High above the city, the structure floated, magic cloaking its

presence. It was shaped like the tower of an ancient castle, bringing a

regal image to its dark purpose. Within, Negamoon agents lived and

plotted.

The interior of Rubeus’ chamber was in shadow. The only light was

in the center, coming from the image of a seated, cloaked individual.

"I don’t trust him," Rubeus stated. "He’s not one of us. He has

refused to assist us in battle against the Scouts and hasn’t contacted

us in days. How do we even know he’s trying to capture the Rabbit?"

The image shifted a bit before answering in a seemingly ancient

voice. "Tencite is an honorable man. He will do what he promises. It

is the reason I helped him in the first place, so that he could serve us

one day."

Rubeus gave a disgusted laugh before saying, "I don’t need his

help, Wiseman. I can defeat the Scouts on my own."

"You haven’t yet," the Wiseman cut in. "You were sent back in time

to acquire crystal points and destroy the Scouts so that our conquest of

Crystal Tokyo would not be hampered by them. You have not succeeded in

this. You haven’t even been able to capture a little girl."

Rubeus swallowed hard at the remark. The Wiseman noticed his

nervousness and was pleased by it. He waited a moment before

continuing. "No, Tencite is perfect. He is of the Moon Kingdom and

knows the Scouts better than we do. He also has his own reasons for

wanting to see them fall. Did you have Birdie tell him the story?"

Rubeus responded quickly, glad the Wiseman wasn’t too upset with

him. "Yes. He thinks we are stranded soldiers of Beryl’s and that we

need the Scouts out of the way in order to acquire enough energy to

return home. He’s also been told the Rabbit is the key to opening that

portal."

"Excellent. If I remember him well enough, Tencite will destroy

the Scouts just for the fun of it. It’s unlikely he’ll question his

mission," the Wiseman said.

"And what if you are wrong? What if he somehow betrays us? What

then?"

"Then you and the Sisters will destroy him," Wiseman answered.

Rubeus nodded, satisfied that at least the Wiseman didn’t fully

trust this General either. "I hope he can do the job," Rubeus snarled.

"I think you will find he is quite efficient," the Wiseman

finished.

It was seven o’clock and Dr. Anderson was exhausted. She’d been

forced to cover for another doctor at the hospital and was happy to

finally be headed home. She’d left a message on the machine to let Amy

know she’d be late. She figured her daughter might be at Lita’s so she

wasn’t worried.

Waving good-bye to some of the nurses, Dr. Anderson walked into the

parking garage. No sooner had she entered than she heard the tap of

feet behind her.

"Oh, Dr. Anderson. I really need to ask you something," a dark

haired nurse called to her.

Sighing, Dr. Anderson turned to talk to the woman. "Yes?"

The nurse stopped and asked, "Well, I just wanted to ask you a few

questions on your treatment of Mr. Jenkins. I was really impressed."

Dr. Anderson inwardly moaned. "Listen, uh..."

"Nancy."

"Nancy. I’d love to talk about anything you want but some other

time. It’s late and I want to get home to my daughter."

"Oh, but this won’t take long," Nancy stated as her body began to

glow.

Dr. Anderson suddenly felt very weak and her vision started to

blur. "Wha... ?" she uttered before fainting and falling in a heap on

the ground.

Seconds later, the nurse ran into the emergency room yelling,

"Somebody help! Dr. Anderson just fainted in the parking garage. She

needs help!"

As nurses and attendants rushed outside to help their friend, the

nurse named Nancy smiled and calmly walked to the stairwell.

"Tenny will be so pleased," she thought.

 

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