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SAILOR MOON 4200:  What has gone before
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  It's the year 4200.  More than seven hundred years ago, Crystal Tokyo
was destroyed in an as-yet-unexplained disaster.  Queen Serenity and her
Senshi died fighting a hopeless battle against the mysterious evil.  All
over the world, civilisation fell.  Then, one hundred years ago, a great
renaissance began.  Today the city of Third Tokyo is the centre of a new
world order ruled by the Serenity Council (the "Serries").
  Artemis survived the final battle, and now wanders the world with his
young great-granddaughter Bendis, hoping that the Senshi will somehow be
reborn once more.  When Bendis accidentally speaks to a Serenity Council
member, the Council begins a surreptitious hunt for her.  Shortly after,
Artemis and Bendis argue and split up.  In a nearby school, Bendis finds
that one of the students, McCrea Beth, is the new Sailor Venus: first of
a new generation of Senshi.  Bendis decides to handle it on her own, and
begins to train Beth in a very eccentric style.  Several days later Beth
successfully captures a pair of gunmen staging a hold-up, but is shot in
the arm in the process.  Later, a security-camera recording of the event
is shown on a national news program.
  Meanwhile Artemis asks an old friend to help find Bendis again:  Hino
Rei, once Sailor Mars, who somehow survived the final battle for Crystal
Tokyo.  Now powerless, she tries to avoid recognition, going by the name
Pappadopoulos Itsuko, owner of the Olympus Gymnasium.  However, Itsuko's
efforts to help Artemis draw attention and a secret investigation of the
Olympus begins.  At the same time, she starts to have visions suggesting
that the evil that destroyed Crystal Tokyo is beginning to move again.
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    S   A   I   L   O   R       M   O   O   N       4   2   0   0
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                           by Angus MacSpon
                          macspon@ihug.co.nz
          http://shell.ihug.co.nz/~macspon/fanfic/index.html
                   Comments and criticism welcome!

           Based on "Sailor Moon" created by Naoko Takeuchi
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                      C H A P T E R   T H R E E
     "Senshi Fever: Old Faces, New Threats and the Price of Fame"
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The Council Chamber was not very large, or very grand.  It was a simple
room, with plain, undecorated walls.  The only furniture was the table,
shaped like a broken circle, and the chairs around it -- fifteen of
them, made of plain, varnished wood.  This room was not designed for
comfort.  It was a place where people got things done.

This was the room from which the world was ruled.

The Serenity Council was in session.  It was an emergency meeting; the
urgency of the matter could be seen from the fact that most of them were
out of uniform.  Only two members were absent: the directors of 'A' and
'C' Divisions.  But they were hardly required for this matter anyway.

The chairman cleared his throat meaningfully.  He was a slight man,
balding; he wore heavy black leather gloves.  A metal plate set in the
table in front of him was marked with the number '1'.  Below the digit
were such unimportant details as his name and ident codes.  His voice
was calm and precise as he said, "You've all seen the recording, I
assume."

The others around the table murmured in agreement.  In truth, it would
have been difficult _not_ to have seen the recording.  It was playing
almost continuously on viddy channels all over Japan, and over much of
the rest of the world as well.

"The most important question, to begin with, is whether it's real or
not," the chairman went on.  "At the moment it's not possible to answer
that for sure.  I understand that there's a group working to enhance the
recording, but I believe that may take some time ...?"

Another councillor nodded: the director of 'K' Division.  "The Tenchin
Institute have been passed a copy," she said.  "They have a good image-
processing lab; and they've done work for 'D' Division as well, so
they're reliable."  The ID plate set in the table before her was
numbered Twelve.

"Do they have an estimate?" asked the chairman.

"By the end of today, they think.  Tomorrow morning at the latest."

The chairman nodded slowly.  "It will have to do," he said.  "In the
meantime, we must consider the implications if ... what the recording
shows is genuine.  If the Sailor Senshi are returning."

There was an uneasy stirring among the other councillors.  "Aren't you
overreacting?" wondered a tall thin man with bushy white hair.  His ID
plate was numbered Eleven.  "They _were_ all killed in 3478, after all.
How likely is it that they'd suddenly be reappearing?"

"True," the chairman admitted.  "But still, we can hardly afford to
ignore the situation.  Public opinion will force us to pay attention,
if nothing else."

"But really -- on such flimsy evidence --" spluttered Eleven.

"Flimsy or not," put in a tall, stern-looking woman numbered Five, "it
would be a tactical error to ignore the possibility.  The possible
consequences are just too severe --"

"Oh, tactical possibilities," scoffed Fourteen, a stout woman with a
broad, normally-cheerful face.  "I'd expect that from 'W' Division.
What are the tactical possibilities that we're panicking over a simple
hoax?"

"Quite good," said Five, her face expressionless.  "Nevertheless --"

"Enough," said the chairman sharply.  They fell silent.  "We are not
going to panic.  We will conduct a careful, thorough investigation into
the incident, and if -- I say _if_ -- there is any evidence for concern,
we will take appropriate measures.  What we are here to do now is to
consider what those measures might be."

There was a long pause.  Then, "Surely it won't be a problem?" suggested
a tall, dark-skinned man.  "After all, they were all dealt with once
before."  His ID plate was numbered Four.

"'Dealt with,'" the chairman said with a chuckle.  "I like that.  But
remember the cost of that dealing.  Crystal Tokyo was destroyed around
them, and still they did not give in.  They had to be brought down, one
by one.  It would be best if we could avoid a repetition of that."

"Part of the problem is that back then, everyone knew _who_ the Senshi
were," said number Ten, a sweet-looking old lady.  "They were public
figures.  These days, they could be difficult to find."

"We do have one lead," pointed out another man, numbered Three.  "The
investigation that 'S' Division is carrying out.  An investigation," he
added dryly, "that has suddenly acquired a whole new urgency."

"Indeed," said the chairman.  "How is that proceeding?  Have there been
any results?  Do you need any further resources?"

Three shook his head.  "No results as yet.  We've had a great many
responses from our agents, but it'll take some time to follow them up.
Frankly, I wouldn't hold out much hope.  Finding a human being can be
hard enough.  Finding a single cat that could be anywhere in Third Tokyo
... that's almost impossible."

"It's not a cat," pointed out Four.  "It's a Moon Cat.  There's a
difference."

Three shrugged.  "Cat, Moon Cat ... what does it matter?  Unless it
speaks, there's no way to tell the difference anyway."  Another
councillor started to say something, but he waved her silent.  "Oh, I
know.  There's a moon-mark on its forehead.  But we can't emphasise that
too much, or our agents will realise what we're looking for.  And who
notices cat-fur markings, anyway?"

"An interesting problem," mused the chairman.  "We don't dare tell 'S'
Division exactly what they're looking for ... but without knowing that,
they're much less likely to find it."

"The mark puzzles me," said Twelve.  "I thought the Moon Cats were
supposed to have cresent-moon marks.  But we were told this cat's mark
is a plain circle ...?"

There was a moment's silence.  Three nodded thoughtfully, but offered
no explanation.

"How sure are we that there is a Moon Cat at all?" demanded number Nine,
a younger woman, at last.  "We only have Fifteen's word for it, and he's
... not exactly reliable."  Several councillors glanced at one of the
two empty seats.

"Fifteen may be junior --" began the chairman.

"I think we can be absolutely certain that the cat is real," put in Five
suddenly.  "After all, suddenly we have a Senshi to deal with as well.
And we know that Senshi and Moon Cats go together."

"Assuming the Senshi is real!" snapped Nine.  "It could still be a hoax,
remember."

Five shrugged.  "Well.  True."

Number Eight, an inoffensive-looking middle-aged man, said thoughtfully,
"It's a pity we can't initiate Fifteen.  We'd be able to get a lot more
out of him then."

The chairman sighed.  "It would help, yes.  Especially since he runs 'C'
Division.  But we can't afford the risk.  His psych rating suggests he
might not survive the process.  Besides, we need to keep a couple of
uninitiated in the Council, and he and Thirteen are all we have."

There was a brief silence as they all remembered their own initiations.
Then Fourteen said, "We can at least narrow down 'S' Division's search.
Where's the charging station in that recording?"

Nine consulted her notes.  "Just south of Tomoe Park," she said.

"So the Senshi is probably based somewhere around there, and the Moon
Cat as well."

Three nodded.  "Quite possibly -- though we can't afford to take that
for granted, of course.  But I'll arrange to have the search intensified
in that area."

The chairman nodded.  "Good."  He looked over to number Nine.  "You'll
be examining any results 'P' Division find?"  She nodded.  "Very well.
Please pass them on to 'S' Division as well.  I think 'S' may as well
coordinate the investigation ..."  Nine looked irritated, but nodded
again.

"So," said Five crisply.  "I take it that our current priorities are to
find the Senshi and the cat, if they exist.  But then what?  Get rid of
them?  Or should we try to use them somehow?  That could be a popular
move with the public --"

"Too risky," replied Three.  "What if they decided they wanted a new
Crystal Kingdom?  After all, we're supposed to be ruling 'in the name of
the Queen, until Her return.'  It might be difficult to tell them 'no.'"

"Don't be absurd," said Eight.  "One Senshi, trying to rule alone?  And
this is Sailor Venus, anyway.  The only one with a claim to the throne
would be Serenity's heir -- and that's Sailor Moon."

"Not necessarily --" began Three.

"That's enough," said the chairman wearily.  "The point is moot anyway.
We need more information to be able to make any kind of decision.  I
think we should reconvene when the enhanced recording is available, and
discuss it again then.  In the meantime" -- he glanced at Eight -- "you
could consult the Archives.  A better idea of what we're facing would be
useful."  Eight nodded.

"Very well then.  We'll meet again tomorrow morning."  He sighed.  "I'll
make some kind of press announcement later today.  That should buy us a
little time."

They all nodded.  Most of them looked satisfied.  As they filed out, the
chairman caught Twelve's eye.  She blinked, but remained behind as the
others filed out.  "What's up?" she asked when they were gone.

"Our biggest problem is going to be finding the Senshi," the chairman
said.  "If she -- or they -- exist, that is."

"Yes, of course."

"There is one traditional method of drawing out Sailor Senshi," observed
the chairman.  After a moment he added, "We may need to adopt it."

"Traditional method?  But what --"  Twelve stopped suddenly.  Her eyes
widened.  "You don't really mean --"

"Indeed.  Vitrimorphs take some time to construct, don't they?  So you'd
better start as soon as you can.  We may need a number of them, if we
really do have to deal with Sailor Senshi."

Twelve stared at him in horror.  "You can't really mean to --"

She froze suddenly.  Her face went blank; her eyes seemed to glaze over.
The chairman watched patiently.

Just as suddenly, the spell ended.  "Yes, of course," Twelve said.  "I
understand now."  She smiled.  "I'll need some people as raw materials."

"Talk to 'J' Division," the chairman suggested.  "I'm sure they have
plenty of ... warm bodies ... that nobody will miss."

She nodded, and left abruptly.  The chairman watched her go, then
looked down and studied his gloved hands for some time, his expression
unreadable.


                           ****************


Itsuko stifled a yawn as she turned the corner.  She had never realised
before just how many alleyways there were in the central district of
Third Tokyo.  Or how much they could resemble one another, especially
when all she had to go on was a vague description.  This was either the
fourteenth or fifteenth one, she had lost count.

She flashed her torch around.  No people in sight; so far, so good.
"Artemis?" she called softly.  "Are you there?"  There was no reply.

She took a few more steps, holding her breath.  The torch in her hand
was a comforting weight; but what was in her other hand, the one she
kept in her pocket, was more comforting.  Poking around in dark alleys
at night was about as risky a way of spending her time as she could
think of.  But anybody who tried to jump her would get an unpleasant --
and possibly lethal -- surprise.

"Artemis?" she called again.  No answer.  Damn.  She turned to leave the
alley again, and --

"Itsuko?" said a startled voice.  "What are _you_ doing here?"

She whirled, startled, automatically beginning to pull out her weapon.
Then she saw him, and relaxed.  Artemis stood a few metres away: a white
cat with the moon on his brow, his head poking out of a pile of decaying
old cartons.

"About time," she grouched.  "Do you have any idea how long I've been
looking for you?"  He started to answer but she didn't give him the
chance.  "No, never mind that.  Artemis, you've got to come with me.
Something's happened."

"Bendis has shown up?" he said eagerly.

"No.  Well ... maybe.  Look, you've got to see this for yourself.  I'm
not sure I believe it myself yet, but -- oh, just come on!"

She reached forward, picked him up without ceremony -- ignoring his
startled yelp of protest -- and ran out of the alleyway, her tiredness
forgotten.  As she ran she heard Artemis mutter, "You sure your name
isn't Minako?"  She snorted.

Her car was a few blocks away.  They drove back to the Olympus, making
good time; out of the central business district the traffic fell away
quickly, and a kilometre away the streets were almost empty.  A few
minutes later they pulled to a halt in Itsuko's private spot in the
underground car park, two levels below ground.

And then, up in her private suite, Itsuko showed Artemis the recording.

"Oh, no," said Artemis when it was finished.  "That poor girl ... we've
got to find her, Itsuko!"

"You think it's real?" inquired Itsuko.

"You notice how she was moving?  The way she fought?  It's real, all
right," Artemis snapped.  "Bendis has been busy with that girl."  He
sighed.  "How on earth did she manage to _find_ her?  That young idiot
... two years old and she thinks she knows everything.  Heaven knows
what she's been telling the girl ..."

Itsuko nodded slowly.  "Enough to get her into trouble, at least," she
noted.  "You saw she got shot?"  Artemis nodded.  "Hard to tell how
badly she was hurt.  I'm guessing it was just a scratch; she looked all
right when she did the Love-Me Chain.  And ..."  She hesitated.  "That's
odd," she added thoughtfully.  "That's quite an advanced attack for a
beginner."

"Not necessarily," said Artemis, shaking his head.  "Different people
develop differently.  It's a matter of aptitudes.  Minako found the
Crescent Beam easy, but it took her a long time to develop the Chain.
But there's no reason why this girl should take the same route."

Itsuko eyed him.  "You never said that before," she accused.

"It never came up before.  But you must remember how Princess Usagi had
a whole different repertoire from her mother."

"Mm ... yes."  Itsuko grinned for a moment, then bit her lip.  "Artemis
-- it's going to start all over again, isn't it?  Once one of them shows
up, there'll be more."

He nodded, and she winced inwardly.  The Senshi were coming back; the
great cycle was turning once more.  Ultimately that might be very good
for the world, she knew.

But for herself it would be different.  It would be hard, very hard.
Knowing that they were out there, using their powers, fighting ... just
simply _being_ what they were.

Knowing that she'd once been a part of that.  And that she couldn't any
more.  Because she was cut off.  Powerless.

Neutered.

Artemis was looking at her sympathetically.  He understood, she knew.
It didn't make it any easier.  She had had so much -- she had _been_ so
much -- and what was she now?  An old, old woman, for all her eternal
youth; a woman who had seen too much, lived too long ... who was tired
of it all.  She hadn't really been _alive_ for more than seven hundred
years, she realised; she'd just been marking time.  Standing still,
going nowhere through all the centuries, as civilisation fell and rose
around her.  Waiting, hoping that somehow, if she endured for long
enough, somehow things might change, that she might be able to get back
what she had once had.

"I'm sorry," she said softly to Artemis.  "You were right."

"Itsuko --" Artemis began.

"No.  You were right.  I told you I'd given up hope, that it couldn't
start again.  That it was all over.  But you never accepted that, did
you?"  She shook her head.  "Even when you had no reason to believe, you
never gave up.  I thought I was being realistic.  Maybe I should have
had the courage to dream a little."

Now, things were changing indeed.  And she saw that her time was gone.
The role was there once more, but for others to play.  She would be
banished to the sidelines, to watch while a newcomer took her place.  It
was a bitter pill to swallow.  But then --

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Artemis suggested.  "After all, I'm not
exactly the one who _succeeded_, either.  Maybe if I'd spent a little
less time preaching about how the good days would come again, and more
time actually searching ..."  He gave a cat shrug.

But then, she'd swallowed a lot of bitter pills over the years, hadn't
she?  Itsuko drew a deep breath.  She'd been the strong one, the
stubborn one, the one with the fire in her heart.  The one to stare
unflinchingly at the truth, however dark it might be.  And ... and just
maybe ...

Just maybe it didn't have to be so dark.  Maybe she _could_ still have a
role to play, she thought with sudden hope.  Because she'd been there.
She had the experience.  She might be able to help them, guide them.
Give advice.  If there was to be a new Mars, she might be able to help
with the training.  After all, she knew the ropes.

Maybe she could still be useful --

She laughed quietly.  "Maybe this, maybe that ... or maybe it's simply
that the time had come."  She shrugged.  "We just have to deal with it
the best we can, I suppose.  It's going to be very hard for them, you
know," she added, shaking her head.  "The new ones, I mean.  Trying to
be Senshi in this day and age.  They're going to be mobbed."

"I know," Artemis replied.  "It's going to be like it was for you, back
when you revealed your identities to the world.  You remember, when the
crowds invaded the Hikawa shrine --"

"Don't remind me," said Itsuko ruefully.  "But that's not what I meant.
It's more that -- well, people remember the Crystal Millennium as a
Golden Age.  Hell, they almost worship the memory of Queen Serenity --"

"Some of them do worship her," said Artemis softly.

She groaned.  "I know.  I try not to think about it.  I suppose it was
inevitable, but oh, Artemis, poor Usagi!  She hated all the adulation,
but at least they never did _that_ while she was still alive."  She
shook her head.  "But what I was trying to say was ... the sort of
people who'd worship Serenity, how are they going to react to this?
What the newcomers have to go through ... is going to be _nothing_ like
what we had to."

"You think there's going to be trouble?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it.  But there may not be much we can do to prevent it.
We'll simply have to keep an eye on things ... and do what we can to
help them deal with it.

"In the meantime ..."  She took a deep breath.  "What do we do now?"

"Now ... we go out and we find that girl and save her from my crazy
great-granddaughter before something horrible happens."  Artemis snorted
a chuckle.  "I don't believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss that
kit."  He sighed.  "Her ... even her father ... and Diana, and Luna.
God, I miss Luna."

"She died bravely," said Itsuko softly.

"So she did.  But she still died.  And we can't afford to sit around
reminiscing, or that girl out there might die bravely too."  Artemis'
tone became grim.  "If the Senshi are reappearing, you can bet there's
a reason.  There'll be work for them to do, and probably not much time
to get them ready for it."

He looked up at Itsuko.  "You know what's probably coming, don't you?"

She nodded.  "Yes.  And there's no 'probably' about it.  I've seen it."
And she told him about her vision in the fire.

"Well," he said at last.  "Could be a lot better.  But it could be a lot
worse, too."  She raised an eyebrow and he added, "You didn't see us all
dying, at least."

"I saw someone die," she said.

"But not anyone you recognise.  So ... no, never mind.  All right.  The
Great Fall is coming again.  We always knew that could happen."  He
thought for a few moments.  "It doesn't change anything.  We still have
to find the girl, as quickly as possible."

"Right.  I'm not sure what I can do, but --"

"Play that recording again."  Itsuko did so.  "How old would you say she
is?"

"Hard to tell.  Fifteen ... maybe sixteen."

"Right.  It's something to go on, anyway.  We know the rough area where
she appeared; that and her age narrows down the list of schools to
check."  Artemis yawned.  "What time is it?  Oh, great.  Well, I'll grab
two or three hours of sleep, and then get moving."

Itsuko raised an eyebrow.  "Not just yet," she said.  "There's one very
important thing you have to do first."

"Oh?  What?"

"Artemis, you just spent the last few days in an alley.  Do you have any
idea what you smell like?  I'm not even going to _mention_ fleas."  She
gave a distinctly nasty smile.  "It's time for a bath ..."


                           ****************


The school was abuzz with rumours when Beth arrived.  Most students had
not heard about the mysterious appearance of a Sailor Senshi the night
before -- the news had broken quite late -- but they soon made up for
the lack of facts with vivid imagination.  When Beth herself walked in
the gate she was intercepted by Nanako, who solemnly told her that a
group of five Senshi had defeated an armed terrorist uprising, and that
Queen Serenity herself was expected to be announcing plans for a renewed
Crystal Millennium later that day.

Beth blinked at that, not quite sure how to respond.  She grew steadily
more incredulous as, over the next ten minutes, she heard six more
versions of what had happened.  None of them made much sense.  Nanako's
was actually one of the least outre; others featured time machines
bringing the historical Senshi forward in time; various species of
aliens; secret cloning laboratories; and (her personal favourite) the
personal intervention of one or other of the Gods to restore the dead
Senshi to life.

Things settled down a little once classes started; but at lunch-break,
the rumour mills swung into full force once more.  A few students who
had smuggled pocket radios into school -- strictly against the rules --
were mobbed when news bulletins came on.  Unfortunately, the newsies had
little new to report.  Dr. Fukuda, the chairman of the Serenity Council,
had made a speech appealing for order and promising an immediate
investigation, pointing out that the whole incident could easily be a
hoax.

Many of the students listening booed at that announcement, to Beth's
secret delight.  To her surprise, though, a number of others only nodded
in apparent satisfaction.  Did they _want_ it to be a hoax? she
wondered, shocked.

Nanako was one who booed.  "The Serries've got no more idea of what
happened than we do!" she exclaimed.  "Do they just really expect us to
sit back and wait and see?"

"What else can we do?" pointed out Beth.

"That's beside the point!" Nanako spluttered indignantly.  "How can they
suggest this is all a hoax?  Didn't you see the recording?"

"Um, no," said Beth truthfully.  She'd had a slightly better view than a
recording.  Her arm still ached from the gunman's bullet.  She rubbed it
absently.  At least her sleeves covered the wound.

Nanako flushed.  "Well, neither did I," she admitted.  "But my father
did!"

Beth stared at her.  "You knew all about the recording?  So what was all
that you were telling me this morning about terrorists?"

"Oh, never mind that," Nanako said, flushing a brighter red.  "The point
is, he saw it!  And _he_ thinks it must be real!"

"Oh, yes," put in Eitoku.  He was one who hadn't booed.  "That settles
everything, of course.  Come on, Nana-chan, the chairman's right.  Of
course it's going to be a hoax!  Things like ... like Sailor Senshi ...
just don't _happen_ any more!"

"Yes they do!  You'll see!  Anyway, I bet you didn't see the recording
either!"

"I saw it," said Iku.

There was a moment's silence.

"What?" said Eitoku.

"What?" said Nanako at the same moment.  "You _saw_ it?"

Iku flushed.  "I was just going to bed," she said.  "I saw it when the
news report came on."

Beth stared at her, horrified.  What if Iku had recognised her?  Then it
struck her: sooner or later, _everyone_ was going to see that recording.
Everyone was going to know who she was.  She felt like screaming.  Why,
oh why hadn't she noticed that security camera and ... and broken it, or
something?  She held her breath, waiting for Iku to answer.

"There wasn't much to see," Iku said, looking embarrassed.  "Just a
blurry picture of a girl in a fuku.  She got shot in the arm, and then
she did something and this ... kind of spiral ray appeared."

"There, you see!" burst out Nanako triumphantly.  "That proves it!"

"No it doesn't!" returned Eitoku.  "She said a blurry picture!  Anyone
could fake that!"

Beth sighed to herself.  A blurry picture?  She could live with that.
She looked back at Iku, a little curious.  That was the longest speech
she'd ever heard the girl make.  And she seemed so ... disconcerted at
being the centre of attention.

Her arm twinged and she rubbed it again.  The motion caught Eitoku's
eye.  "What's the matter, Beth-kun?" he asked, apparently glad of the
distraction (he'd been losing the argument badly, overmatched by
Nanako's ability to say three words for every one of his).  "You've been
rubbing that arm all day."

"Oh, nothing," Beth said, startled.  She found herself blushing, rather
to her annoyance.  [He noticed me!]  "I just knocked it on a door,
that's all."

Nanako laughed.  "That's because you walk around in a daydream all day."
Eitoku and Iku laughed too, and Beth looked away, biting her lip.  So
she never noticed it when Nanako suddenly frowned, looking thoughtfully
at her arm.

"Anyway," Nanako said after a slight pause, "it must be Sailor Venus.
She's the one with the Love-me Chain attack.  And she was the first
Senshi to appear, back in the Old Days."

"That doesn't mean anything ..." Eitoku was quick to argue.  The battle
was soon joined again.  Beth listened to them bickering, a half-smile on
her lips.  Yes, they argued all the time; but it was kind of fun to
listen to them.  Fun to be with them.  Fun to have friends ...

She glanced at Iku again.  Iku was watching the two of them too, wearing
an almost identical half-smile.  Beth raised her eyebrows.  Now what did
_that_ mean?

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch break.  Nanako and Eitoku
reluctantly abandoned their argument (both of them looked at the same
time disappointed and relieved) and the four started back across the
fields.  As they walked Nanako looked at Beth, grinned and said, "At
least you look a bit more wide-awake today, Beth-chan!  You've been
half-asleep for the last few days."

[Too many late nights training,] Beth though with a mental sigh.  "Oh, I
managed to get an earlier night last night," she said casually.  That
was true enough.  Bendis had insisted; and after she realised just how
close she'd come to being seriously hurt, Beth had been glad to agree.

Nanako only nodded, looking thoughtful.  As they entered the classroom,
Beth relaxed with a sigh.  Actually, it was a relief to be able to
concentrate for a while on something _other_ than what she'd done the
night before.


                           ****************


Lieutenant Midori whistled cheerfully to himself as he walked through
the foyer of 'S' Division headquarters.  He was jingling the loose
change in his pocket and trying to decide where to go for lunch as he
pushed the door open and stepped outside.  He paused to hold the door
open for a woman who was going in.

He stayed there, holding the door open for longer than was strictly
necessary, so that he could watch her as she stepped through.  She was
certainly worth a second look.  Tall, almost as tall as he was, and
exotically beautiful, with a magnificent mane of black hair that fell
almost to her waist.

He checked the ID card clipped to her lapel as she stepped past him.  It
was purely an automatic reflex -- he was a security officer, after all
-- but it also netted him her name: Fumihiko Sadako.  He smiled, and
started to step forward to speak to her --

She turned her head and looked him in the eye, and ... something strange
happened.  A moment's giddiness, perhaps?  Or perhaps it was something
about her expression.  Quite suddenly, Midori realised that he didn't
want to speak to her after all.  He nodded politely, closed the door
behind her, and went on his way.  Within ten minutes, he had forgotten
he had ever seen her.

One last memory remained: the sight of her hair.  Extraordinary.  Such
a rich, deep black; but when the sunlight caught it, just for a moment,
it had the most amazing green highlights.

                                --**--

She checked her ID card as she walked calmly onward, putting the young
officer from her mind.  The card looked perfectly in order, but if she
tried to swipe it through one of the card-readers on every door, alarms
would ring all over the building.  She wasn't worried about it, though.
She had the situation covered.

For a moment, the name on the card caught her eye: Fumihiko Sadako.
She shrugged.  What's in a name?  And she'd had so many names.

She watched the probability flows, timing her footsteps carefully.  Just
as she reached the next door, it opened and a pair of officers came out.
One of them held the door for her, of course.  She nodded curtly as she
stepped through.

So it went, door after door.  Always with the most natural-seeming
timing.  When she needed to catch an elevator up to the ninth floor,
there happened to be a clerk going the same way; and she smiled in
thanks as the young woman pushed the button for her.

Who needed to be able to teleport?  Who needed a Time Staff?  This way
worked just fine, too.

Fifteen minutes after Midori let her into the building, she was in 'S'
Division's main Operations room, standing in front of an unlocked
computer terminal.  Only three minutes until the keyboard operator got
back.  She typed quickly.  Property records; history files; name of
property: Olympus Gymnasium.  She studied the display for a few seconds.
Yes, the trail of ownership was clear enough, if anyone knew to look.
She typed again.  A few critical pieces of information were changed: a
serial number here, a date there.  That would buy a little time.  Then,
without seeming to show the least bit of haste, she cleared the log of
what she'd been doing and walked away from the terminal.  Five seconds
later the terminal's operator got back, holding a cup of coffee.  Seeing
nothing unusual, he resumed his work.

Fumihiko Sadako retraced her steps and walked calmly out of 'S' Division
into the bright sunshine.  On the street outside, she bought a newspaper
and read an analysis of the previous night's Sailor Senshi incident with
interest.  "About time," she murmured to herself, and walked on.  Nobody
noticed her.  That was the way she preferred it.


                           ****************


Fukuda Ikemoto, chairman of the Serenity Council, paid a call to the 'M'
Division offices that afternoon.

Each member of the Council managed one or more government divisions.
They were allotted more or less by seniority.  However, because the
chairman had so many other responsibilities, he was traditionally only
given 'M' Division, the smallest and least significant of the government
departments.

At least, that was the theory.

He spent some time handling routine paperwork and speaking with his
chief operations officers.  It didn't take long; there wasn't much to
do, there never was.  Really, 'M' Division didn't warrant being a
separate arm of the government at all.  They were simply the Council's
Maintenance arm; they built and serviced the various vehicles and other
pieces of machinery used by various government departments in hundreds
of ordinary day-to-day activities.

At least, that was the theory.  That was what everyone was told.

He finished his paperwork, bid a cheerful farewell to his secretary, and
caught the elevator down to the car-park.  As the doors closed, though,
he slipped an ID card into the maintenance-key slot.  The elevator car
did not stop at ground level; it went down a lot further.

There was a security checkpoint at the bottom.  The guards all knew him
by sight; but still, they covered him with their weapons as he bent over
the retinal scanner.

Finally the machine blipped and he could go on, into the inner sanctum.
Into the _real_ 'M' Division.  The secret for which all the rest was
just a cover.  The Serenity Council's hidden think-tank.

And here, at the centre, was the chief thinker.  One of the Council's
greatest assets.  M in person.

(The name was partially a joke, he recalled with a hidden smile, like
Security's mythical 'Q' Division.  Wasn't there some ancient book, or
viddy or something, in the Archives?  Some kind of spy story?  Well, it
didn't matter.  The difference was, 'M' Division was real.)

M looked up with a grimace as he came in, then returned to studying
a complex piece of equipment.  The chairman looked at it briefly, then
away again with a shrug.  "Busy?" he inquired.

M grunted and said, "What do you want?"

"I have a little job for you.  We need some of the scanners in 'S'
Division's Opals refitted --"

M sighed, and the chairman nodded.  The Opals were flying patrol
vehicles: fast, sturdy, utterly reliable, and one of the most valuable
assets that 'P' and 'S' Divisions had.  And they had been invented here.
The field generator that drove them was one of M's greatest triumphs: a
tiny unit, less than half a cubic metre, that spun a delicate web of
interlaced fields so complex that few others could follow even the
theory behind them.

But they were only one of the technical wonders that had come out of
this room.  Much of the equipment used by 'D' Division -- the Diplomatic
Corps, who also doubled as Japan's external-espionage agency -- had been
developed by M.  To say nothing of some of M's innovations for the War
department.

The scanners were another matter.  There was nothing terribly secret
about them, and this refit could have been handled by someone a little
less rarefied than M.  But then, if it was done through M, there were no
questions to be answered ...

"What do you need?" asked M wearily.

The chairman smiled, and explained.  He didn't say that he wanted a
Senshi-detector, of course.  There was no point in letting even M know
too much.  But it wasn't too hard to describe his requirements in broad
enough terms that nobody could have worked out what he was really after.
After all, he _was_ a politician.

M sighed again when he stopped talking.  The chairman waited for the
expected protest at the waste of time, but none came.  Well, good.
Perhaps M had gotten the message at last.  You didn't question the
chairman's orders.  You just obeyed them.

"It will take a few days," M said after a moment.  "I'll have to do a
little figuring.  I'll give you a better estimate by tomorrow morning."
The chairman nodded and M added, "Is that all?"

"Yes."  The chairman turned to go, saying over his shoulder, "I'll
expect your report by ten o'clock."

"I've made up a new batch of the salve," M said to his back.

He froze.

"It's right here," M said softly.  Almost involuntarily, he turned, to
see M indicating a broad, shallow bowl covered with a cloth.

He stopped hesitating.  As M removed the covering, he gingerly took off
his gloves, staring expressionlessly at the horrors beneath.  The smell
filled the laboratory almost immediately.  Neither of them showed any
reaction.  After a few seconds, the chairman lowered what had once been
his hands into the thick gel.  He sighed softly in relief.

He remembered his initiation into the Council.  He'd struggled at first.
The price had been very high.  But the memory was distant, unimportant.

"You should do this more often," said M remotely.  "There's no need to
be stoic about it."

"Perhaps," the chairman said.  "If you could develop a formulation that
doesn't decay so fast --?"  As M's headshake, he shrugged.  "So.  It
doesn't matter, then."

He drew the gloves back on without a wince, turned, and started out of
the room without ceremony.  He could feel M's eyes on his back, and
could not resist smiling to himself.  After all, they both knew what the
guards at the end of the corridor were really there for.  M was far too
useful to the Council to ever be allowed to resign.

Sometimes it's hard to be a genius, he thought ironically.


                           ****************


Bendis was waiting anxiously when Beth got home.  Beth suppressed a sigh
when she saw the cat.  [Don't I ever get any time off?] she wondered.
She didn't say it out loud, though.  She was pretty sure she knew what
Bendis' answer would be: something long-winded about duty.  For all her
disparaging comments about Artemis, Bendis could be pretty fanatical
herself.

(And what was it between her and Artemis, anyway?  When Beth raised the
subject, Bendis always got very evasive.  It was almost as if she wanted
to avoid him, or something.  But why?  This was _Artemis_, for heaven's
sake!  The idea of meeting someone who had actually known Queen Serenity
made Beth's head spin.  But Artemis had even known the Queen's _mother_
-- Serenity the First.  He had actually _lived_ back in the days of the
_Silver Millennium_!  So why did Bendis --)

"About time," the cat grumbled.  "I thought you'd never be back."

"You say that every day," Beth pointed out.

Bendis glared at her.  "You try being cooped up in this house without
anything to do all day," she muttered darkly.

"Oh."  Beth thought about it.  "But I thought you just, well, lie around
and sleep all day, or chase mice, or ..."  She trailed off uncertainly.
Somehow she had the feeling that she was in a lot of trouble, though she
was not quite sure why.

Bendis shot her a venomous look.  "Are you under the impression that I'm
an ordinary _housecat_ or something?" she snarled.  "Perhaps you'd like
me to go play with a ball of _string_ or something ...?"

"Er ..." Beth began.  She had a sudden vision of Bendis playing with a
ball of string.  It was a very endearing image, but she had the
impression that it might be wisest not to share it.  "Sorry," she said,
flushing.

"I should hope so," said Bendis imperiously.  "Now look, we need to talk
about last night.  How's your arm, anyway?  And we --"

"Oh, everyone was talking about it at school," Beth burst out excitedly.
"Apparently there was a security camera!  I'm on the viddy!  This is so
... so _weird_!"

"What?"  Bendis stared at her, aghast.  "Oh, no.  This is terrible.
Artemis is going to kill me --"  She broke off.  "Ahh, I mean, Artemis
is going to be pretty annoyed.  When he gets back, that is.  From his
mission."

"Oh?" said Beth, filing the slip away for later contemplation.  "Why?
What's wrong with being on the viddy?"

"You don't understand," Bendis told her.  "If the Council --"

She cut off suddenly as there was a knock on the door.  "Beth?" called a
voice.  "Who's in there with you?"

"Oops," muttered Beth.  She opened the door.  "Hi, Mom.  Nobody's in
here."

"Oh."  McCrea Helen stepped into the room and took a rather obvious look
around.  Inwardly, Beth groaned.  She'd had to pretend to have a
boyfriend to explain why she was out so late at night, and her mother
was clearly nervous about the whole idea.

Seeing nobody else there, she headed back out, pausing to stare at
Bendis for a moment.  "I hope you're feeding that cat properly," she
said.  "Remember, if you want a pet, you pay for it yourself."

"I know, Mom," Beth said patiently.  Inwardly, she groaned.  That 'pet'
remark was going to make Bendis explode, she knew.  She was going to
have to listen to cat lectures for _hours_.

Then, with sudden delight, she realised that she didn't have to listen
to a thing.  Smiling, she followed her mother out before the cat could
say a word.  She closed the door behind her.

They walked into the living room.  Helen seemed bothered by something.
"Beth ..." she said after a few moments.  "Is there something you want
to talk to me about?"

Beth stared up at her.  "What do you mean?" she said evasively.  She was
thinking, [She knows!  She must have seen that recording, and recognised
me!]

"It's this boyfriend of yours, isn't it?  What's his name?"

Beth's mouth hung open.  She had no idea of what to say.  She had no
idea, for that matter, of what her mother was talking about.

"Oh, Beth ... I knew this had to come someday," Helen went on.  "And I
know it's very wonderful and exciting when you fall in love for the
first time.  But I'm a little worried about you, dear.  All these late
nights, and the detentions at school, and now I hear you talking to
yourself ..."  She took a deep breath.  "You haven't ... done something
foolish, have you?"

"Mom!" Beth almost shouted, shocked.  "Of course not!"

Helen looked at her doubtfully.  "Well, I'm glad to hear that," she
said.  "But ... be honest with me, dear.  There is something you're
not telling me, isn't there?"

Beth flushed.  She looked down at the floor, not daring reply.

"I thought so.  I ... dear, would you rather talk about this with
your father?"

Beth shook her head furiously.  She had never been so embarrassed in her
life.  This was even worse than when Nanako had cornered her and made
her talk to Eitoku, a few days ago.  She wished she were somewhere else.
Anywhere else.

"All right."  Helen sighed.  "I suppose you're old enough that you need
to handle this on your own.  Just remember ... we're here, and we love
you.  All right?"  At Beth's nod she added, "And remember this, too: be
careful.  Not all young men are gentlemen."

"Yes, Mom," Beth managed to say.  For heaven's sake, she was sixteen
years old!  She wanted to laugh, or cry, or quite possibly scream.  Or
something.  Instead she meekly said, "Yes, Mom."

"Are you going out again tonight?"

"Er --"  Beth didn't know.  She hadn't discussed it with Bendis yet.
"Yes," she decided.

Helen frowned.  "I really wish you wouldn't," she said.  "I don't know
if you've heard, but there are some dangerous people on the streets at
the moment.  It was on the news today.  I want you to be especially
careful, do you hear me?"

Beth smiled.  At last, this was something she could be confident about.
"Don't worry, Mom!  If there's any crooks around, the Sailor Senshi will
take care of them!  Everyone at school today was saying --"

"What?  Beth, it's this 'Senshi' I'm talking about!"  Helen shook her
head, tut-tutting.  "Oh, if we're lucky it'll just be some poor deluded
girl playing a silly game.  But if it turns out to be for real, I want
you to be careful, understand?  And if you see any of these Senshi, you
stay well away from them!"

Beth stared.  "What are you talking about?" she demanded.  "The Senshi
help people, they don't hurt them!"

"Oh?" said Helen.  "I know that's what everyone likes to think.  And I
admit things turned out well in the end.  But back when they first
appeared ... Beth, you go to the library sometime, and look at some of
the twentieth-century history books.  Those girls did nothing but
attract trouble back then.  A lot of people got hurt, and some of them
nearly got killed, when they were around."

Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing.  "How can you say that?
Everyone knows the Senshi were good!"

"Meaning well is not the same as doing good," her mother said firmly.
"And I'm not saying they were bad.  I'm saying that when they were
around there was always trouble.  And I don't want you getting hurt.  So
you stay well away.  Promise me!"

"But Mom --"

"Promise me!"

"All right," Beth said with a sigh.  She thought fast.  "I promise.
I'll be careful, and if I see this Sailor Venus I'll stay away from her.
All right?"

Helen nodded.  "Thank you, dear.  Now, I must start on the dinner --"
She bustled off.  Beth watched her go indignantly.  The Senshi, trouble?
Nonsense!

Then she rubbed her arm, which was still quite sore, and frowned in
thought.  Perhaps she ought to talk to Bendis about this.  She headed
back to her room.  As it turned out, it was an unwise decision.  Bendis
was not happy with her.

                                --**--

After dinner Beth headed out once more.  She didn't really want to go,
actually; she would have preferred to spend the evening at home for a
change.  But she'd already told her mother she was going to go, and it
might look odd if she didn't.  Besides, she needed to talk to Bendis,
and it didn't seem to be safe at home at the moment.

Once she found a secluded spot, she sat down with a sigh.  "I don't
know what to do," she complained.  "She thinks the Senshi are nothing
but trouble-makers!  What if she finds out _I'm_ one?"

"So don't let her find out," said Bendis.

Beth gave her an irritated look.  "That's not very much help," she
complained.  But another thought troubled her.  "Bendis, she said the
Senshi used to attract trouble.  Was that true?"

"Well ..."  Bendis thought about it.  "They didn't _cause_ the trouble,"
she said at last.  "But it's certainly true that after they appeared,
trouble seemed to seek them out.  I suppose it's natural that defenders
and enemies should be drawn to --"

Beth did not seem to notice that she was still talking.  "But then ...
if they attracted the trouble ..."  She made a face.  "If I'm only going
to draw in the bad guys and put other people in danger, maybe I should
just give the whole thing up before it starts!"

Bendis made a rude noise.  "Don't get carried away.  Remember, they
weren't the _cause_.  All those things might have happened even if the
Senshi hadn't been around.  And then where would we all have been?  If
they hadn't been there to stop Queen Beryl ..."

Nodding slowly, Beth said, "But there aren't any monsters around now.
So why am I here?  Why give me the power?"

"I already told you, I didn't!  Look, you were born with the capacity in
you.  I just recognised it."

"You're make it sound like some kind of Cosmic Destiny thing," protested
Beth.  "Don't I get any choice?"

Bendis gave a cat shrug.  "Do you _want_ to give it up?"

"No!  I mean, well --"  She broke off, struggling to say what she meant.
"I just don't want to think that, you know, everything I do is all laid
down or something, like I'm some kind of puppet."

"Maybe you oughta talk to a priest," Bendis told her, rolling her eyes.
"I'm not talking about predestination.  It's more like an inheritance;
what you do with it's up to you.  You can still fail, you know.  You can
still get hurt."

Beth rubbed her arm reflexively.  "I got hurt last night," she said,
almost inaudibly.

"Sure, and whose fault was that?" said Bendis.  "But you got to keep it
in perspective.  Okay, you got shot.  It's not a particularly serious
wound, but even so -- you'll heal faster as a Senshi, but you're still
going to have a sore arm for a few days, and probably a scar."  Rather
primly she added, "Actually, that might be a good thing.  Now you know
you're not invulnerable, you might be a bit more careful in future."

Beth sniffed.  "When did _you_ get so keen on being careful?  A couple
of days ago you were saying --"  She stopped suddenly.  "Wait a minute.
A scar?  I can't have a scar!"

Bendis shrugged, unconcerned.  "In the hero business, it's almost bound
to happen before long --"

"You idiot!"  Bendis stared at her.  Beth, angry?  "I can't have a
scar!" Beth shouted.  "Everyone at school will see it!  They'll know I'm
Sailor Venus!  This will ruin everything!"

"Er, that's a pretty good point, actually."  Bendis tried to think.  "I
don't suppose you can just wear long sleeves all the time?  All right,
scratch that one.  Um.  Ahh ... let's see, what kind of excuse would
explain --"

"Excuses won't help!  Thanks to that recording, everyone knows exactly
where Sailor Venus got hurt!"  Beth took on a sudden wild look.  "I
know!  I'll change schools!  That way -- no, wait a minute, that won't
work, will it?"  She clutched her head.  "What am I saying?  Oh, no,
what am I going to _do_?"

"Calming down would be a good start," muttered Bendis.

Unfortunately Beth heard her.  Bendis suddenly found herself picked up
by the scruff of the neck.  "You're ... not ... helping!" hissed Beth.

"What do you want me to say?" protested Bendis in a rather strained
voice.  "Panicking isn't going to do any good!  You don't even know if
it's _going_ to cause a scar yet!"

"What?  But you just said --"

"Maybe I was wrong!  Maybe you won't get a scar!  Or maybe it'll be so
faint nobody'll see it!  Or, or, or will you _let me breathe_!"

"What?  Oh.  Yeah."  Beth put Bendis down.  She had an odd expression on
her face: as if she didn't quite believe what she'd just been saying.
She stared at Bendis for a moment, rubbing her arm without even
noticing.

In the sudden silence, they both heard it.  The approaching hum.

"Opal!" said Bendis unnecessarily.  The cat jumped for cover.  Beth
watched her, puzzled.  Why was Bendis so wary of Opals?

The hum grew louder quickly.  Beth looked up.  After a few seconds she
saw it: a dark shape in the sky, some distance off, barely visible in
the twilight except for the steady winking of its running lights.  It
was headed north, and moving quite fast, she noticed with interest.  And
that meant --

She smiled.  Then she stepped into the nearby bushes, and said three
words.

Light and energy flared.

Sailor Venus stepped out of the bushes once more, grinning like a fiend.
She picked up an astonished Bendis before the cat could move; then,
bounding from rooftop to rooftop at a furious pace, she started after
the Opal.

                                --**--

"-- Earth were you thinking?" ranted Bendis.  "We're supposed to _avoid_
being seen by the police!  Not go following them!"

Venus glanced down and held a finger to her lips.  "Shh," she shh'ed.

"Dammit, aren't you listening to a word I --"  Bendis stopped suddenly
as Venus crouched down beside her.  They were hidden on a rooftop,
overlooking the Opal's landing site.  Or in other words, a great deal
closer than Bendis had ever wanted to come to an Opal again.

"They're right below us," Venus whispered, smirking.  "Keep it down,
willya?"

Bendis was silent for a moment.  Finally, choosing her words carefully,
she hissed, "What the hell are we doing here?"

Venus shrugged.  "Righting wrongs.  Triumphing over evil.  That sort
of thing."

The cat stared up at her, speechless.  [She said that with a straight
face,] she thought inanely.  "Er --" she said at last.

"Hey, anywhere an Opal's going in that much of a hurry, there must be
some kind of crime going on, right?" said Venus brightly.

"Yes, and we'd all be much better off if you let the police in that Opal
handle it, too!  They're the ones who're _trained_ to fight crime!  What
makes you think they need you?"

"Probably they don't," the Senshi admitted.  "I was just planning to
watch.  Check out the action.  Good idea to see how the pros handle
things, right?  Good training."

Bendis stared.  "You mean ... you never intended to --"

"Well, duh.  You think I _want_ to get shot again?  I'll just sit right
here.  Unless it looks like they can't handle it, of course."  Venus
hesitated.  "Mind you," she added slowly, "this --"

The building shook to the sound of an explosion from below.

"-- is a bank we're standing on," she finished.

They watched the police clamber out of the Opal and sprint inside.
There was a long silence.  Then the sound of shooting began.  Individual
shots at first, and then the chattering of automatic fire.  The whine of
ricochets.  They heard shouts, and a single short scream.  Three of the
police came back out of the building, carrying a fourth, who was
clutching his side.  That left four more still inside.

Venus looked down at Bendis.  She seemed uncertain.  Her face was pale.
"Guns," she whispered.  Then, suddenly, she shook her head, and the grin
was back.  There was an anticipatory glint in her eye.  "Do you think I
should --" she began.

Bendis shook her head firmly.  "It's still not your job," she insisted.
"Those police down there would tell you the same.  They'll be calling in
more help any moment."

"Oh ... I suppose so," Venus said.  She looked disappointed.  "But --
didn't you see that man?  He was shot and, and, and bleeding, and ...
and if I'd --"

"If you'd gone in there, the chances are that it'd've been _you_ shot
and bleeding down there," Bendis pointed out.  "Face it, this isn't your
fight.  It isn't your _kind_ of fight."

"Then what is?" asked Venus, very softly.  And Bendis could not answer
her.

They continued to watch.  There was a long silence.  The three police
did what they could for the shot man.  Then they took up positions
covering the entrance, their weapons drawn.  Bendis whispered a running
commentary.  Venus nodded.  She was starting to fidget.

There were shouts.  A single shot.  More shouting.  A group of people
came out of the bank.

It took a few seconds to make out the details.  There were three men
and a woman with guns; they were holding three of the police hostage.
They were shouting out demands.  The two watchers on the roof could
not make out everything they said, but it was clear enough that
things were going badly.  One of the would-be bank robbers held a
gun to a hostage's head.

Bendis heard a sound behind her.  She glanced back, and saw Venus
crouching down, measuring distances with her eyes, ready to leap.

Venus winked at her.  "Don't worry," she said.  "After all, there aren't
any security cameras out here to record _this_, are there?"

"No!  Don't --" Bendis began.  Too late.  Venus took a deep breath and
sprang out into the air.  For love, and justice.

"You idiot," the cat whispered.  "That's a police Opal down there.  It's
_full_ of security cameras."

                                --**--

The wind in her face was cold.  She relaxed for half a second, enjoying
it.  Then she started concentrating on where she was going to land.  And
on what she'd have to do when she got there.

Four bad guys, with guns.  Hand-to-hand, she wasn't sure if she could
get them all fast enough to keep them from getting off a shot.  And the
Love-Me Chain wasn't really much use from close up.  So she'd have to
keep it from getting close up.  That made it more difficult.

That made it a challenge.

She touched down lightly on a ledge just a few metres above the little
drama that was still playing out below.  Nobody noticed.  She nodded; good.
This might just work.  She raised her hands, ready --

But first, the announcement.

"I am the lovely sailor-suited warrior Sailor Venus!" she declaimed.
"You have broken the law, and seriously injured an officer of the law.
But now you face a higher law!"  She took up a dramatic pose.  "In the
name of the planet Venus --" she told them "-- you're _mine_!"

Ten pairs of eyes stared up at her.  Ten faces reflected total
disbelief.  She paused for a moment, relishing the moment.  Then she
took careful aim and shouted, "VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!"

The chain arced out.  All those hours of practice paid off.  It looped
itself neatly around the group: robbers, hostages and all.  At the same
time, Venus took a short running jump off the ledge, flipping over a
flagpole sticking out over the entrance of the bank.  She landed neatly
on the ground, braced herself, and hauled on the chain.

And that was all there was to it.  The little group were yanked off
their feet before they could move, and left dangling in mid-air under
the flagpole.  Most of the robbers' arms were pinned at their sides, so
they were unable to use their guns.  The one man who kept his arms free
dropped his gun when he was jerked into the air.

Venus smirked.  "Yes!" she shouted.

Then she turned to the rest of the police.  They didn't seem so happy
about it, for some reason.

One of them didn't, at least.  "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
"What do you think you're doing?  Don't you know you could get hurt,
interfering in police business?"

She glared at him, annoyed and hurt.  "I'm Sailor Venus," she told him.
"And I'd've thought you'd be a bit more grateful when I've just saved
your friends' lives!"

He stared at her once more, and something peculiar changed in his face.

Then he spat at her.

She stared at him, shocked, unable to speak.  The saliva ran slowly down
her cheek, unnoticed.  "Liar," he snarled at her.  "Fraud.  Usurper.
How dare you?  How _dare_ you?  You profane their memory."

He turned his back and began to walk away, his body stiff and taut with
rage.  That left two others, staring at Venus.  As she watched, one of
them shook her head in disgust, turned, and followed the first.

Venus looked at the last man.  She tried to smile, but it didn't work
very well.  She felt as if she'd just been punched in the stomach.  No,
worse.  "Your turn," she said.  Her voice sounded shaky.

"I thought you did very well," he said softly.

"What?"

"Don't mind them."  He indicated the other two with a toss of his head.
"They haven't gotten used to the idea yet.  That it's starting again.
It's all coming back."

He smiled brightly.  "They don't see it, not yet.  Their eyes are still
closed --"

Then, to her horror, he knelt down and bowed his head before her.  "Oh,
please," he whispered urgently.  "When you see the Queen, tell her ...
tell her ..."  He reached for her hand, and she realised he wanted to
kiss it.  She tried to squirm away from him, nauseated and -- finally --
afraid; but she could not move too far without releasing the Love-Me
Chain, and if she did that it would vanish --

And then someone else was there.  Another 'P' division officer, pulling
the would-be worshipper away.  Where had he come from?  Then she
remembered: one man had been left inside when the robbers came out with
their hostages --

"You'd better go," the newcomer said quickly.  "I'll take care of him."

"But --"  She indicated the Chain, and the bundle of dangling robbers
and hostages.

"Right."  He readied his gun.  "Just drop them," he suggested.  "Then
get out of here.  I'll handle it."

"I --"  She took a deep breath.  "Yes.  Thank you."

Thank you for being normal.

She released the Chain.  There was a chorus of groans and cries of pain
as seven people hit the ground in one squirming mass.  Venus paid no
attention.  She turned and ran away.  She did not watch to make sure the
officer could manage.  She did not stop to pick up Bendis.  She did not
look back at all.

She just ran.  And ran.  And ran.

                                --**--

Bendis got back to the McCrea house on her own, hours later.  She found
Beth lying in bed, wide awake, her face stained with tears.  Bendis did
not say a word.  She jumped onto the girl's bed, and Beth took her in
her arms, and cried for a very long time.


                           ****************


The next morning --

Hayashi Miyo walked towards school, talking animatedly to her friends
Dhiti and Kin.  Dhiti had heard that there'd been another Senshi
sighting the night before.  They were discussing the possibility that
the new Sailor Venus might be someone at their school.

Kin still didn't believe in this new Senshi.  "It's got to be a trick of
some kind," she insisted.  "Maybe they're shooting some new movie, or
something."

"Yeah, sure," snorted Dhiti.  "You think the newsies wouldn't know about
that?"  Dhiti was obviously a Claver, her skin was very dark; but she
spoke perfect, unaccented Japanese.  "C'mon, tell her, Hayashi!"

Miyo jumped.  "What?" she said.  "Ah, sorry, what did you say?"  Dhiti
repeated herself.  "Oh.  No, I don't think it could be a movie.  It
could be some kind of impostor, though.  Or ..."

She trailed off uncertainly.  She'd had the oddest dream last night.
She was fairly sure it had been about a Senshi.  It had been all blurred
and strange, though, as if seen through fogged glass --

She thought about telling the other two about it, but Dhiti was already
talking again.  She was running through a list of girls they knew,
rating each one on her potential Senshi-hood.  Miyo listened, amused.

It was odd, this business, she thought.  Unsettling.  Did new Senshi
mean there was going to be a Queen again?  That would be interesting.
Then the Serenity Council would have to step down -- after all, they
only held power until the Queen returned.  It was in their charter.

She said as much, and Dhiti and Kin both stared at her.  "Geez,
_politics_!" said Kin in disgust.

"Hey, what's wrong with you this morning?" inquired Dhiti.  "You look
pretty out of it."  Then suddenly, she gasped.  "I know!" she said
theatrically.  "It's you!  _You're_ Sailor Venus!"

Miyo joined in their laughter.  "Yeah, that'll be the day," she said.
But something inside her added, [No ... not Venus ...]

"Anyway, let's talk about something more interesting," Dhiti suggested,
and launched into a description about what she was going to do in the
fencing tournament the next week.

Miyo rolled her eyes.  Only Dhiti would think western-style fencing was
more interesting than Sailor Senshi.  But then, that was Dhiti all over.
The smartest girl Miyo knew, but she could never stay on one topic for
more than five minutes.

Shaking her head, she walked on, trying to appear interested in what the
smaller girl was saying.  They came up to the gates of Sanjukyu School.
As they passed through, Miyo glanced down and was surprised to see a
small white cat sitting just inside the gate, staring up at her.  That
was odd.  [White cat,] something inside her said.  But what was so
special about a white cat?

She shook her head, bewildered, still looking at it.  Its eyes followed
her as she went past, and she almost thought it seemed surprised to see
her --

"Are you listening to what I'm saying, Hayashi?" demanded Dhiti.  And
Miyo laughed, apologised, and walked on, the cat forgotten ...

                                --**--

Artemis stared after the girl, stunned.  [After all these years,] he
thought.  Who would have believed it?

Oh, he'd put up a good talk for Itsuko.  He'd claimed to have been so
certain.  But somewhere deep inside ... he had not been sure.  He kept
up the search, doggedly, year after decade after century, but he had not
been sure.  He had doubted.

[Oh, Serenity,] he thought.  [You managed it after all.]

He had seen the girl clearly.  Seen the moment of recognition in her
eyes.  _Felt_ the power within her.

[You did it ... you sent them forward, to be reborn yet again ...]

There could be no further doubt.  Not any more.  Because the girl he had
just seen, Miyo, the tall girl with the ponytail of chestnut hair, was
the living image of Kino Makoto.


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    S   A   I   L   O   R       M   O   O   N       4   2   0   0
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               E N D   O F   C H A P T E R   T H R E E
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NEXT:  Chaos continues to build; trouble for Bendis; and -- the return
of Sailor Jupiter!


Sailor Moon 4200 web-page:
http://shell.ihug.co.nz/~macspon/fanfic/sm4200/sm4200.html

Updated: 20 February, 2000