Storyline Name: Wrath of the Amazon
Creator(s): Jasper and Sailor Saturn
Forum: Tokyo City
Advanced or Relaxed: Advanced

Plot Summary:
Strange chaotic disturbances are plauging a small desert community in California, drawing the attention of Myrina Nada when her interstate trip is interrupted by an unforeseen attack. Her friends are victimized by bizarre leechlike organisms that siphon mental energy and influence the actions of their host. Though she has only recently discovered her identity as a sailor guardian, Sailor Bellatrix's strength and determination prevails over the subversive parasites.

However, all is not well. The recent chaos, along with Bellatrix's well deserved victory, has attracted attention from an unfamiliar man whom Bellatrix assumes is knowledgable or otherwise connected to the psychic vermin. Brushing off the senshi's demands for an explanation, Jasper Franklin affirms the destruction of the parasites and prepares to go his own way.

Unsatisfied with the shady individual's non-answer, Bellatrix intercepts Jasper before he can leave, locking the pair into an unavoidable fight. Though Jasper refuses to be drawn into the affairs of the senshi for what is arguably a good reason, will he be able to avoid triggering the battle rage of Sailor Bellatrix? If he does awaken her blind fury, can he hope to survive?


Details on any necessary information:
Myrina and her friends are travelling through the Mojave Desert of California to reach the Pacific coastline, starting with Pismo Beach. The quickest route from Maine brings her through Kramer Junction, an unincorporated community which serves as a fueling stop and rest area. The attack on Myri's friends interrupts their departure, forcing her hand (and her spear).

Jasper Franklin, on the other hand, is concluding a leisure trip to Las Vegas and has received news reports of strange events within the crossroads.

Cast:
Sailor Bellatrix -- Sailor Saturn
Jasper Franklin -- Jasper

Restrictions: Only Sailor Bellatrix and Jasper will be present in this story.

OOC Thread: https://www.thegalaxycauldronforums.com/t16049-tentative-rp-ooc-discussion-wrath-of-the-amazon

KRAMER JUNCTION, 6:59 PM

Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream, dream, dream, dream

Within a small diner overlooking a heavily travelled desert highway, the men's bathroom door creaked open slowly, giving way to a young man with a slicked haircut and a clean gray business suit. He stepped out into the lobby, taking a thoughtful observation of every object and person in his immediate vicinity.

It didn't take a detective to determine that something was improper. Every other person in the establishment was unconscious, either curled up on the floor or resting their heads upon the tables. The restaurant had fallen quiet, save for a jukebox that, in spite of the sleep-stricken patronage, leisurely spun a pop song sharing its charmingly antiquated style. Meanwhile, Jasper had felt a strange pulse of energy while preoccupied in the restroom, but he was otherwise unharmed.

This might have been a strange emergency for any other person. Taking a calm breath, Jasper walked outside into the warm twilight to search around the building for further evidence of what had occurred. If he was quick, perhaps he could catch the responsible party in the act.

Cttchchkkh..

An unusual sound reverberated within Jasper's thoughts, prompting the young man to seek out a better vantage point than the street. Fortunately, the back of the diner had a service ladder that offered passage up to the rooftop. The bottom rungs of the ladder were locked within a security panel, but that was simply a barrier to entry that could be overcome with the right attitude (and athletic tone).

With a running start, Jasper was able to make a vertical leap up to the next available rung and climb up to the building's parapet. Once situated on the rooftop, Jasper crawled across the beams until he was able to spot a likely source for the mental chittering.

Down below, near the diner's parking lot, the unpleasant energy that he had detected before was rapidly coalescing on a number of unconscious individuals. Tiny insectoid parasites that resembled worms had found unwitting hosts in these subjects, infesting their thoughts to harvest and absorb the abundance of mental energy expressed in day-to-day living. Merely draining these high school teenagers wouldn't have been enough for these freeloading pests. They were always hungry for more - perhaps the decision for them to come here was influenced by those worms, so they would be able to drain the energies of every single person that was present.

Except for someone like Jasper. Not only was his mind hardened against such infiltration, but he had once been charged with exterminating these leeches wherever they dared to steal the energy that had been claimed for a greater power sleeping in the dark places of the world. Even if those days were behind him, the bottom feeders' insatiable appetite for energy would cause problems if left unchecked.

His course of action was clear. These psychic worms were still a threat to Earth, and Jasper never liked to simply leave a job unfinished.

She opted to stretch after they arrived, letting the others use the bathroom and get some food. Her muscles ached at having been sat so still for so long. It wasn't just the sitting, there was also the problem of her height.

Jaqueline's car was petite, which made it difficult for someone so tall to sit in the back for hours at a time. Added to the fact that the car needed to fit two other girls, and it was a tight fit all around. But Jaqueline was the only with a car and a license, so it was the only option available to them.

Myri walked around the diner, taking the time to stretch out her long legs with slow steps. There was something in the dry air, something that made her feel on edge. Perhaps it was the heat? The typical weather back home in Maine was never so dry and hot on her skin.

Somehow, that didn't seem quite right. Weather differences didn't explain why she felt so restless, like there was something she was forgetting to do...

Cttchchkkh...

The sound seemed to echo within her mind, Myrina's steps come to a full stop. What was...?

She glanced around, figuring the sound must have come from some strange insect that made its home in the desert. She was hearing things, that was all. Right?

As she rounded the corner, it was Jacqueline's prone form she saw first. Eyes widening, Myrina ran to her friend, grasping the girl's shoulders. "Jacqueline! What's wrong?" No matter how hard she shook, her friend did not respond to her.

It was only then that she noticed the sickly worm scattered around the area, and the rest of her friends laying on the ground. One of the worms turned towards her, and Myrina backed away, eyes narrowing. A burst of golden power shielded her, as the mental chittering came back, as if trying to find its way into her mind. But the golden warmth kept it at bay.

Myrina found her footing, and grasped at that golden power in an act that still felt strange and unfamiliar. The need for revenge against these parasites fueled her actions, despite any misgivings she still held for this newfound power. As the golden lights subsided, Sailor Bellatrix stood where a frightened teenager had been only moments before. She tightened her grip upon her Murzim Spear, its golden sheen catching the light of the desert sun.

Whatever these things were, it didn't matter. She would get her friends back, and she wouldn't let them hurt anyone else.

The bloated, pale crawlers bristled at the surge of golden energy, raising their heads to look upon the emergent Sailor Bellatrix. They chittered to themselves as if awestruck; what appeared to be a sheep was instead a sheepdog! No human they ever met had such ability to resist their influence to such an extent.

Cttchk.. she resistss..

Young lady, you are sssstrong...

Join usss... together, our power would know no equals!

The gluttonous silkworms crawled away from their prior hosts, briefly approaching Bellatrix while keeping a respectable distance from her spear. This new figure was practically shimmering with warmth and vitality! With that kind of energy at their call, their own evolution would be significantly accelerated.

---

Before Jasper could fully commit himself to leaping down and confronting the psychic parasites, something unexpected happened. Another teenager was here?! She stepped around the corner, as if also to investigate the source of that strange sound. With little hesitation, the girl ran to the side of her friend and tried to rouse her from her unconsciousness.

There was almost a sense of fright in her voice. There were, in fact, things which could shake a person to their core, no matter how great or small they were.. and no doubt, this young woman certainly fell upon the great side of the size spectrum.

Jasper didn't know how right he was.

A bright flash of golden energy erupted before his eyes when one of the malevolent insects approached her, perhaps to try and siphon her energy with a more direct approach. Once Jasper's vision resettled itself, there was now a stern-faced woman wearing a style of leotard that was all too familiar with the travelling young businessman. There were subtle differences, but she otherwise looked very much like a certain team of mystical superheroines from Japan. Except, only much taller.. and she was armed with what looked like an elaborate partisan.

A sailor soldier, here in California? This just got a lot more complicated..

He would watch and wait; perhaps this problem would solve itself. If she required any help, then Jasper could consider helping her repel the vermin. Otherwise, he had no obligation to fight on her behalf.

The words assaulted her mind, unwelcome and crawling. They taunted her, trying to get her to succumb to their particular color of evil. Was this how they attacked? Through underhanded means, giving civilians no chance at all to avoid them?

Cowards.

Bellatrix shook her head against the voices. "Enough!" she called out, anger tinting her voice. Anger came easily, these days. Almost too easily. A kind of power lurking unchecked within her that a part of her feared. She didn't want to give in to it, not this time. Not again.

The rage still simmered despite her insistence. It didn't yet threatened to take over, but it lingered with red promise.

She was already close to her enemies, so her Amazon Twist attack would not give her much of an advantage. Strange, how these kinds of thoughts were beginning to be a part of her, after only a few battles.

Bellatrix focused on channeling her conflicting emotions into an attack, forgoing a powerful one and simply slashing at the creatures in a wide arc with the blade of her spear.

Bellatrix's arcing strike scattered the parasites' hope of an easy victory. They chittered in alarm, forced to retreat back from the spear-wielding senshi on pain of further injury. In short order, the parasitic insects appeared to wind about each other before merging together into a glowing, writhing mass of flesh and energy. Within mere moments, a large abberation burst free of the cocoon-like structure, glaring down at the senshi guardian who had thoughtlessly discarded its offer.

The emergent worm youma was quite large, and unsettling to behold. Upon the bloated, pale white flesh of its segmented body was a (mostly) humanoid torso with identifiably feminine characteristics. It possessed a pair of arms ending in five-fingered hands, though each of the digits were topped with wicked claws. The chest was bared, surprisingly rich with toned muscle but otherwise disdainful of human mores of modesty.

Perhaps more startling than the wormlike tail that extended from the amalgamation's torso was its head, partially human but heavily marked with insectoid features - a pair of segmented eyes and a set of mandibles acccompanying its mouth.

One way or the other, your body will be mine!

Chittering angrily, the silkworm amalgamation pushed towards the senshi. Its mandibles parted from vaguely humanlike lips, which in turn spewed forth viscous strands of silk towards the spear-wielding warrior.

So that's what happens when these pests hide in a silk farm...

This spectacle was the kind of thing Jasper would have to spend an inflated amount of money to see on a wide screen, typically found inside a cramped theater with overworked employees and one too many spilled soft drinks in the primary isles. And while Jasper didn't have popcorn to snack on while the battle played itself out, he did have an acceptable substitute.

Casually unwrapping a piece of bubble gum, Jasper popped the small pink chunk into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully while the lithe senshi and the emergent worm horror clashed against one another. With his power suppressed and a mental screen in place, Jasper was unlikely to draw attention to himself if he continued to keep a low profile on the building rooftop, crouched just behind the parapet overlooking both parties.

After all, why spoil a front row seat to the unfolding battle?

The noise the creatures made set her on edge. The way they intertwined within one another, growing and writhing... it was unnatural. Perhaps she should have expected it, after the things she'd seen. The things that lead her here, standing in front of a monster in a senshi fuku, but it still sent her heart racing.

But she did not falter. Even as the massive worm creature grew ever larger in shape, becoming some sickening mix of human and monster, Bellatrix didn't retreat or run away. It didn't matter how fast her heart raced, how much her muscles might tremble. Her newly acquired powers were mostly untested, something she had yet to fully understand, but she knew one thing for certain.

She needed to stand up against this foul creature. For her friends, and any other hapless victim who fell into its grasp.

Still, the way that voice echoed in her mind left her distracted. She almost did not spot the attack in time, but her extended agility aided her in jumping away from those silken tendrils.

This time, at least. She cursed under her breath at the close call. She needed to remain vigilant.

"Stay out of my mind!" she told the unsettling creature. Its now larger shape would need an equal attack. She jumped up into the air, angling her golden spear towards the torso of the creature in the beginnings of her Amazon Twist maneuver. She tried not to think about how human-like it appeared in that area, and instead focused on remember its inhuman qualities. She prepared to twist the prongs of her spear were this attack to land.

Bellatrix's demand was met with angry hissing and chittering from her attacker, perhaps more so at her narrow failure to ensnare the senshi. Now it was apparent she would have to use more forceful means to claim that strong human body, potentially risking permanent damage to the prospective host body.

The insectoid abberation bared her claws when the sailor soldier went on the offensive, attempting to slice the defiant warrior upon landing. That spear could be dangerous! But if she could endure the strike with her external carapace, pinning and trapping that youthful woman would be just the first step of many along the road to evolution.

The golden spear found its target within the insect monster's torso, briefly causing her to shudder from the impact. It was a strong blow, but not nearly enough to unbalance the creature on its own; its sheer mass ensured that it would remain upright, permitting the opportunity to seize the brash young senshi for her own designs.

What the Chaos spawn had not considered was the possibility that Bellatrix would twist her spear to further breach her carapace.

What.. my energy is fading..?! N-- noo...!!

The aberration shrieked as a glowing gold fissure began to spread along her body, radiating outward from her torso. Such brilliant power! That skirted waif's pure strength was supposed to be within its grasp, to gradually let the parasitic creature assimilate the girl and become more beautiful! More powerful! More.. human..

The insect-woman shrieked and scratched at herself as an inner fire began to overwhelm its senses, her pallid flesh quivering with a great golden light that threatened to burst out of her very being. If only she could have tasted this power by means other than the sharpened end of a spear..!

Jasper blinked at the sudden eruption of golden sparks and faintly tangible energy, allowing the sizable gum bubble that he had been blowing suddenly implode upon itself. For a moment, he was starting to worry that the tall blonde might not have escaped the silkworm hybrid's sticky breath. He had never seen one of those creatures claim or corrupt a senshi, and despite its theoretical possibility, it was not something that would have been permitted to happen.

He allowed himself a mild smile at the victory over the Chaos vermin, in part that it was something that the senshi could fully claim for herself. One that didn't involve him in any way whatsoever, for he wasn't putting himself on the market as an ally for either light or darkness. Just the human job market would be enough... at least for now.

One last thing to check on before Jasper could check out from this dry desert rest stop - the health and overall physical condition of the worm's victims. The golden motes of light had been dispersed in numerous directions, but he didn't need to track every single one of them; a handful of the tiny motes wafted towards the sleep-stricken friends of the spear-bearing sailor soldier before fusing into their bodies.

Sliding his legs over the rooftop parapet, Jasper eased himself down to the parking lot and approached one of the unconscious girls. Kneeling beside her, he reached down with his index and middle finger to touch the young lady's neck, feeling for a pulse.

The shrieks echoed throughout her very bones, harsh and sharp. Bellatrix may have fought a few monsters similar to this one before, but it was still a new enough experience that it felt wrong somehow. Logically, she knew they were evil, that they sought to hurt people. But should it feel so easy--so good?--to end their lives?

She forced herself to watch as the creature writhed and quivered, golden light coalescing within her very being. To look away would be a weakness. If this was her future, better to become used to the sight than to turn her head away in naivety.

Still, it didn't make the sight any easier to behold.

As the creature disintegrated, motes of light soared through the air like golden snowflakes, before seeping back into her friends. Bellatrix let out a small sigh of relief. She didn't know what those lights were, not exactly, but she had sense enough to guess that it was their energy being returned to them. They were safe.

Movement from the corner of her eye set her back on edge, the moment of relaxation dashed away at the sight of someone moving. At first, the stylish grey suit of the man caught her off guard--what need did one have of such fancy clothing at a place far away from everything as this?

He looked human enough, but there was something about him that caused her to pause in that judgment. He did not seem to be alarmed or even slightly surprised to find people littering the ground unconscious. In fact, he looked as though he knew all along to expect it. Was this all his doing? Typical, that a man was behind these evil attacks, some kind of master plan in play, rather than the creatures acting on their own survivalist instincts.

The man in black went too far, kneeling down towards Jacqueline. Without knowing his true intent, it was not something Bellatrix could allow to go uncontested. Too much uncertainty left in this interaction to leave her friends at this man's mercy. If he were the true culprit behind this, she would make him pay.

Grip tight on her spear, she took a step forward and angled her weapon towards him, sharp blade glinting with golden threat. "Stop touching her and tell me what you're doing here."

Damn, Jasper groaned inwardly. The spear-wielding senshi took notice of him, segueing directly into an unscripted session of Twenty Questions for which he had no time or personal interest. He would have to leave soon before she got too suspicious, and since she was armed, any breakdown of sociable behavior was likely to go ugly.

Jasper kept his attention on the young lady, maintaining the appearance of examining her physical condition - rather easy to do, since he was concerned with the unconscious girl's well being in the first place. "What I'm doing here is checking her pulse. It's not only her, but everyone in this little corner stop that caught some kind of sleeping sickness."

Her breathing cycles seem normal now, and there's no irregularities with her heartbeat. Maybe I can start talking my way out-

Jasper stood up and turned around, then uttered a brief yelp and nearly fell on his hindquarters when he realized that the tall blonde was pointing her spear directly towards him. He reflexively took a step back, pointing angrily towards Bellatrix's weapon. He thought whether to ask if she was specifically trying to injure him, but the forward stance that she had assumed was all he needed to know; this senshi was not affording Jasper any trust. While that was wise, he didn't appreciate weapons being brandished in his direction.

"Hey, would you mind pointing Gungnir somewhere else? If I knew I was going to be greeted with the business end of a spear, I wouldn't have bothered to look around!"

The man remained far too interested in touching Jacqueline's unmoving form that Bellatrix had half a mind to attack right then and there. His touches were innocent enough, methodical and professional as he checked over her. It reminded her of a doctor's regimen, and that, added to the man's short explanation, was enough to quell back the fury building in her veins. At least for the time being.

Because she did not trust him, did not like the way he was so unsurprised by all of the fallen bodies littering the ground right now. Normal people wouldn't be so nonchalant about this kind of strange occurrence.

His reaction to her spear was almost comical. She might have laughed if the situation weren't so dire. But she had her friends to protect, and she needed to keep her concentration. This man was suspicious enough to not let her guard down for even a second.

She wouldn't pin him with the blame for this. Not yet, anyway, but all of her instincts screamed that this man needed to be dealt with carefully.

Out of the interest of learning more from him, she lowered her spear, but only a little. No longer a direct threat, but still at the ready should the need arise. She ignored the name he assigned her spear—and the irritation that went with it—and focused instead on the more important things. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" She paused, taking her eyes off him for only a second to glance at Jacqueline and assure herself that her friend still breathed. "What do you know about what happened here?"

The prospect of going elsewhere was steadily rising in value. While the inquisitive virago lowered her spear from overt combat readiness, she wasn't affording Jasper much more than the time of day - no smiles, just a focused gaze and a squared battle posture. Perhaps if he was attempting to charm or otherwise persuade her that he had good and wholesome intentions, Jasper would have had a reason to be upset beyond the threat of her weapon.

However, he wasn't offended or disheartened, at least not very much. Outwardly, the brown-haired young man looked more annoyed or disappointed with Bellatrix than frightened by her unfriendly attitude. Jasper had no interest in being near Bellatrix or learning about her struggles at all, so being presented with the business end of a dangerous melee weapon only made his desires of departure much easier to embrace. A brief idea drifted through Jasper's surface thoughts while he measured an appropriate statement with which to satisfy her curiosity.

Is she assuming I'm a threat because I'm not panicking?

Taking a moment to compose himself, the 'suspicious' man spoke with a voice that dripped with mild resentment, gesturing to the building, then towards Bellatrix's friends. He'd have to be cautious about the amount of information that he volunteered to this woman while distracting her with small talk until he could retreat to his rented car. "My name is Jasper, and I'm wondering why so many people here have fallen asleep. Something happened while I was visiting the restroom; at that moment, I was the only person awake in the diner. After stepping outside to look around, I found you fighting some kind of silkworm creature."

Jasper scoffed briefly, eyeing Bellatrix's leotard and chuckling with amusement. "Who are you supposed to be, anyway? I thought superheroes only existed in fiction."