Time appeared to stand still as the Shabti was extracted from Sailor Tiger. A brilliant red-orange light pulsed outward from the feline senshi as her transformation came undone.

"My Shabti..." Abenti breathed as she clutched it tightly and fell unconscious.

What really shocked the remaining sailor soldiers was the sight of Tiger laying temporarily stunned right next to Abenti. Bull's Eye took advantage of the moment and picked up Abenti's inert form.

"Let go of her!" Super Sailor Mercury screamed as she came to her senses.

"Yeah, like I'm really going to do as you tell me to..." Bull's Eye snorted.

"Mars Flame..."

"No! Mars, stop!" Super Sailor Mercury cried. "You might hit Abenti!"

"Let's go. We got what we came for." hissed Snake Eyes.

Within seconds, Snake Eyes, Bull's Eye and the unconscious Abenti still clinging onto the Shabti went through a portal that led to the enemy's base of operations. A moment before the portal closed, Snake Eyes quickly glanced back and saw Tiger come out of her shock induced state and let out a bone rattling roar.

**********

"No!" Tiger roared, still not wanting to come to grasps with the separation. However, there was no denying the hallow emptiness within herself where Abenti had been. "Come back here, you cowards! You have no idea what you... you're..."

Tiger roared once again as her mind became clouded over in anger. A sob from Eternal Sailor Moon went unheard by Tiger who had resorted to pacing as she attempted to come up with a plan.

"We need to find a way to get in there." Super Sailor Mercury exclaimed as she deftly typed in data into her mini-computer.

Manako pulled an item out of his pocket and stared at it longingly. There had to be a loophole in what he had promised to Snake Eyes, but what? The teleportation device only had enough energy to allow a maximum of three people go through the portal and Snake Eyes had him promise that it'd be used only if they were serious about getting to the destination that the portal was set up to bring them to.

"The sailor teleport..." The blond leader of the sailor soldiers started to suggest as she looked pleadingly at Mercury.

"It won't work. There's too many variables that could go wrong." Mercury replied, not looking up from her hand held super computer.

**********

Well within the confines of the headquarters, Bull's Eye placed Abenti on an examination table as Snake Eyes slid Abenti's Shabti out from her grasp. Something about it seemed odd to Snake Eyes, but he shrugged it off as he reminded himself that worrying about Shabti conditions was something he didn't do.

After Bull's Eye left the room, Snake Eyes placed the Shabti a good distance away from the prone form laying on the table before preparing for what was yet to come.

**********

Time was running short. If Tiger wasn't rejoined with Abenti, then there was no telling what would happen. As it was, Tiger was starting to seem more unrestrained and uninhibited. The remaining sailor soldiers had reverted to their regular human forms and were holding a meeting at the Wild Amazon.

"The sailor teleport won't work. We don't know where Sesmar and the others are located." Ami explained for what felt like the thousandth time.

"But what else could we try?" Usagi looked on in earnest.

"Take this." Manako said as he walked out from behind the bar. The curious glances as he held out a small device caused him to add, "Snake Eyes gave it to me. I think he was hoping we'd join him."

The last part was said while motioning towards Takame and Toraboushi.

"What? Was he who you were seeing but wouldn't tell us about?" Takame was taken aback.

"Why? He's on the wrong side of the fight." Toraboushi added.

"That's a pretty weak excuse to not see him considering how we started out when we were with the Dead Moon Circus. Besides..." Manako paused to blush. "...I love him."

"What is it?" Rei asked suspiciously, giving the device a look that could have killed if she was angry enough.

"Could you tell us how to use it?" Ami asked in order to break the uncomfortable tension.

"I believe so." Manako said with a small smile, glad that at least one person wasn't giving him the glare of doom. "This teleportation device will allow three people to get into the living quarters of Snake Eyes. I'm assuming that it's connected to the headquarters."

After a minor debate as to who was to go on the mission, the portal was activated. Tiger, Ami - who by that time had transformed into Super Sailor Mercury once again and Toraboushi - who insisted that he had to be there to get Abenti back - went through the portal.

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