"All we're doing is searching the city," replied Ami, "hopefully we'll find some clues that may lead us to Jadeite."

"I highly doubt that these efforts will meet with success, Ami, but if you insist, I will humor you."

"Hey guys," cheerfully ranted Serena, joyfully skipping ahead of the group, "while Darien is out looking for clues on the other side of the city, we can go out for some ice cream!"

"Serena, why do you always have to think with your stomach?," said Rei in irritation.

"Okay, Rei, you don't have to come, but let's ask the Surfer here. Whaddya say?"

"If…ice cream, is any form of food," the Surfer said, "I'm afraid it is a pleasure that I must do without."

"What? Howcum?"

"You see, Serena, I have no need of food or drink. For all the energy I need I simply take from light, or other energy sources."

"You mean, you've never had a triple fudge sundae? You haven't lived!"

"So tell us," asked Lita, ignoring Serena, "what exactly can you do? What are your powers?"

"I possess the power cosmic," answered the Surfer, "it allows me to do a great many things. With it I can survive the coldness of space, travel the stars at the speed of light, channel energy into physical force, I can rearrange matter, heal certain types of wounds, I can-"

"-rearrange matter?! Is that how you disguised yourself?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Wow. I need you for my wardrobe."

"Wardrobe?"

"Nevermind."

"So you say that searching the city like this won't accomplish anything," whispered Luna, careful so no one could hear her, "what do you have in mind?"

"Jadeite left the Earth in our last encounter," he answered, "it is very unlikely that he is not here now. If it pleases you, I can trace the energy trail he left, and perhaps find him."

"Why didn't you say something before?," asks Mina.

"As I said, I will humor you."

">Hmphf< Well, now what?," asks Rei stubbornly.

"If it is all right, I'd like to take one of you with me. You, Ami. Will you come with me?"

"M-ME?! In outer space?," the girl said with a shock, "Why me?"

"You seem to have an analytic mind, which may be useful. You also have what I'm assuming to be a specialized computer with you. That may help as well."

Ami puts her hand into her pocket, and feels the small computer he's talking about. She then looks at her friends, "Don't any of you want to go?"

"Into space?," asks Serena, "No way! We'd like, suffocate or something."

"I will protect you from the rigors of the vacuum," said the Surfer, "you will not be harmed."

"Well," Ami nervously said, "I guess if I'm needed…"

"Very well, then," the Surfer said gesturing toward the sky, "to me, my board!" Out of the blue haze came a streak of silver, and as fast as it appeared, there it now rests at the Surfer's feet.

"Wow!," said Mina, "so that's where it was!"

"I simply sent it to orbit the planet until I had need for it again. That is another power I possess, Mina."

The people in the area are shocked at what they see, some are frozen, some run away, and some come closer, thinking it were a show. The Surfer then raises his hand again, and a blue flash washes over his form, dissipating to reveal his true, silver skin once more. Those who haven't ran in fear do so now, thinking him to be another creature to drain them of their energy. Stepping onto his board, now hovering mere inches off the ground, he holds his hand out to Ami.

"Come, Ami," he said. Still unsure if this is a wise ploy, the girl accepts his gesture, and slowly steps onto the shiny platform. Once her weight is fully on the board, she feels it steady, like a rock, but also a gentle vibration running through it. It was then that she realized the Surfer was its master, and he was in complete control.

"You two be careful, now," said Artemis, "and good luck!"

"While we endeavor to seek the stars," spoke the Surfer, "you should continue the search here. Simply because it is unlikely that Jadeite isn't here, it does not mean he isn't."

With that, the board gently rises into the air, slowly picking up speed, until the sight of Ami and her friend is gone. The local crowd then begins to wonder what just happened. "What was that?", "did you see that?" "he just flew away", "that poor girl"," all an illusion", "must be a logical reason…" The remaining group took this opportunity to vacate the scene, to avoid any unwelcome questions. Everyone moved in silence, except Serena. "What about the ice cream?"

Meanwhile, in the deeps of space, Ami has her eyes closed tighty, as she has both arms wrapped around the Surfer in fear. "It is all right, Ami," he said, trying to comfort her, "I have placed an oxygen field around us, so long as I will it, it will not leave."

Ami slowly opens her eyes, and looks down, to see there's nothing under the surfboard. "I…I can't believe it! I'm in outer space!"

"Yes, Ami. See the glory of the universe unfettered by atmosphere! Witness the life of the stars flickering, the planets bouncing in unison, the very melody of the universe!"

"I…I guess you like it here."

"It is my home."

"Don't you get lonely out here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, don't you…have a girlfriend… or something…on your planet?"

"In my universe, Zenn-La has been destroyed, as was my beloved Shalla Bal."

"Oh," the girl said, watching a small asteroid streak by, "I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize, Ami, for it was not you who destroyed my planet… Besides, I have since dubbed the Earth as my newly adopted home world, with Alicia at my side."

"Alicia?"

"Alicia Masters, of New York," the Surfer explained, "she has lost her sight, but gained the inner vision to see into my soul. It was she who convinced me to leave Galactus and begin my never ending quest for redemption."

"So…I guess she means a lot to you."

"Alicia is my heart now, yes. She…is my 'girl friend'"

"Oh," said Ami, loosening her grip around the surfer for support.

"But the time for idle speech has passed now," the Surfer began, "we've reached the other side of the solar syatem, and the vapor trail."

"I can't believe it," muttered Ami, "I'm so close to the sun, and I'm not blinded, not even warm!"

"My cosmic powers shield us from the intense heat of this star, and also dims its light. I will now tune the vapor trail to your level of perception."

Ami looks up to the Surfer, and sees his blank eyes begin to glow a strange yellow, as if each eye were its own star. She then turns before herself, and sees a thin purple line materialize before them. "Is…is that it?"

"Yes. As you can see, it leads straight back to Earth, but I notice another energy."

"Another cloud?"

"If you will, another energy was here…Scrier. Curse me for a fool!"

"What's wrong?"

"It seems I have been duped. I should never have listened to him!"

Ami looks down, trying to find the words to say. She then strengthens herself, and looks him in the eye.

"At least it wasn't a total waste."

"How so?"

"If you weren't here, you could never have shown me this place. It's beautiful, Surfer, and I'm glad you brought me here."

There's an awkward moment of silence, and the Surfer eventually rests his hand on Ami's small shoulder.

"You are far more wise than you realize," he said with a smile, "I thank you for that… Now to the task at hand. Your computer…"

"Right," she said, ignoring her grin as she digs out her small pink pallet. She opens it to reveal a miniature keyboard and monitor.

"I wrote a program that tracks Nega-energy."

"Nega-energy? Is that the power mixture I detect?"

"Probably. All beings from the Nega-verse emit a certain energy… According to this readout, there's an abundance of it before us."

"Yes, I see, but something is not right."

"What?"

"I will use my powers to peel back the chronal energy of the past, hoping it may reveal what Jadeite was doing here."

"You can see into the past?!"

"No, I can only reveal the energy imprint left by the recent past, before it dissipates. Quiet please, this takes intense concentration…"

Ami watches the vapor mass before them begin to take shape, slowly, into the familiar figure of Jadeite. Ami, is shocked and intrigued as the form of Jadeite seems to be talking to someone, someone invisible, and suddenly leaves in the exact path taken before, back to Earth.

"Ah, it is done," said the Surfer, "we have learned all that we need to know, Ami. It seems Jadeite meant to conceal his trail by pursuing it back to the Earth."

"What does that mean-ooh!"

Her sentence was interrupted as the Surfer clasped his hands around her waist, and they began speeding away from the sun, as the image of the Earth came closer and closer.

"It means that Jadeite has successfully avoided us," he answered, "and wasted our time! We must return to Earth, for the other Sailor Scouts are surely in danger!"

Meanwhile, on Earth, the rest of the scouts continue their search.

"I gotta say," began Lita, "for a guy that can move at the speed of light, they sure are taking a while. I wonder if everything's okay."

"I'm sure they're fine, Lita," said Serena, gazes at an arcade they were passing. "With a guy like the Surfer, Ami's as safe as can be."

"You're probably right," Mina interjected, "did you seem him transform in front of that crowd? You'd think he'd know a little more about subtlety!"

"A guy like him doesn't need to sneak around, I think," Artemis added.

"Hey guys," Serena said, running up to them, "look who I found!"

The girls look back to see Darien in her arms as she rushes toward them. "Uh, hi," he muttered.

"Oh good," began Luna, "Darien, did you have any luck finding Jadeite?"

"Not really, there's no trace of him anywhere. Where's the Silver Surfer and Ami?"

"Oh," answered Mina, "they went into orbit to find some more clues."

"Into space? Are they going to be okay?!"

"I think they're fine."

"Y'know, you people may be putting a lot of faith in the Surfer, but for all we know, he could be just as bad as Jadeite!"

"Do you really think so," asks Serena with genuine concern.

"All I'm saying is that-What was that?!"

A brilliant blinding flash illuminates the air, stopping everyone in their tracks, as a large form of Jadeite's face fills the sky.

"Here me, Sailor Scouts, and you, you silver freak, wherever you are!," he cried out, voice booming beyond measure, "I'm challenging you to a final dual! Meet me at the airport in one hour! Ironic that it will be where you fall this time! And don't even think of trying anything! Otherwise…" His eyes grow with power, and two gigantic beams of light shatter the city. The people cry in agony as they are set of fire, buildings collapse, and the city is wiped from the face of Japan.

Then another brilliant flash appears, and in it's wake, the people of the city find themselves unharmed. The buildings still stand, the sky is still above them, and only Jadeite's frame remains.

"That was just an example of what I can do if you try to hide from me!" And with that, the image of Jadeite disappears. The group regains their composure from the illusion, and silently look to one another, knowing what they must do. Before they can move, all seven of them are caught in a gentle energy field and whisked to the roof of the nearby tower.

"What the-" "What was that?"

"Forgive me, Sailor scouts," the Surfer said, with Ami at his side, "I thought it prudent to discuss our condition elsewhere."

"Surfer," called Rei, "did you find out anything?"

"I'm sorry to say that we only found out that we were too late. Ami and I witnessed the illusion of Jadeite destroy the city, and feared the worst. We are relieved to see you unharmed. It seems Jadeite has thrown us the gauntlet."

"That's right," said Darien, staring down the silver man with cautious eyes, "we know what has to be done."