B I S H O U J O S E N S H I S A I L O R M O O N
A C R O S S T H E B O R D E R
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME (Mark A Page)
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Disclaimer - This is a story containing characters who were created
by anyone but me. That anyone would happen to be Takeuchi Naoko.
Handle it.
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Usagi looked out of the window at the high point above. The
skies were a beautiful azure blue, and the clouds light and
fluffy.... She was almost tempted to take her notebook out of her
backpack and start writing down some poetry. But this wasn't the
time for artistic relection. The time was close to seven to nine.
Time to move out!
She turned to Rei and Ami, who nodded. Having packed all of
their gear into their own backpacks, and dressed in their red and
blue bodysuits (respectively) and black overcoats, they made to move
out of the classroom that had been their home for the night.
Usagi had been quicker than them in rising this morning, which
was most unusual for her. As the veteran amongst the trio, she had
always taken things a little more lightly than Ami or Rei, knowing
well the limitations of their enemies. However, for some reason she
felt a little nervous about what might follow. She flexed her
fingers, remembering the dying screams of the man she had been
ordered to dispose of yesterday. Just another one of the souls that
haunted her, now.
Shaking the thought from her mind, she fitted her backpack
around her shoulders and knelt down to the floor, picking up a stick
from the floor. Rei and Ami stood by the doorway, looking back
at her, their eyes full of anticipation.
Slowly, Usagi began to tap the stick on the floor. Ten, nine,
eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one....
They ran through the doorway into the corridor, turning left
and making for the Principal's Office. Their pace was slower than
normal, but they had rid themselves of some of those who had been
following them the night before, so things weren't likely to get
messy. They had earned this little benefit of their job.
----o
Part One
Orders to Kill
----o
The Principal's Office was empty, as they expected. Rei was
the first onto his desk, jumping up and pushing the ceiling tile
away, exposing the hidden infrastructure beyond. Rei then reached
down to Ami, grabbing her hand. Ami pushed herself up, by one leg,
and was catapaulted through the gap.
Rei repeated this action with Usagi, then followed herself,
being careful to replace the tile after she found her balance on the
roofing beam. The tile had to look only slightly smudged, or out of
place, for their enemies to be able to follow the trail. It had
happened before.... Rei had had friends and partners die through
such small mistakes.
Rei gave Ami and Usagi the thumbs up, and the three began to
crawl along the beam, towards an access opening at the far end.
Ami, reaching the access first, stopped and placed her ear against
it. After a couple of taps, she put up a hand to the others,
gesturing that she wasn't sure of how clean the opening was.
Usagi and Rei looked at each other. Usagi signalled to the
structure above. That way? Rei shook her head. There was another
level there, blocking their path with a floor of concrete. Ami
gestured a backtrack, but this time both Usagi and Rei gave her
pained looks. Why the hell would they want to backtrack now? Ami
shrugged and placed her right hand against the serviceway. Only one
way to go, then.
Ami fidgeted with the opening, and after a pause of
preparation, she pulled it back. There was no explosion, nor the
shot of a waiting sniper.... Not that a sniper would be so stupid
as to fire straight away....
Ami reached into her jacket and pulled out a set of hi-tech
goggles, then opened the serviceway door, adjusting the goggles to
scan. This placed her life in danger for approximately twenty
seconds as she made a sweep of the area. Nothing more than a small
gap between two buildings, with various other buildings in the
background. On top of one of those buildings, she saw a Dada Group
in action. Civilians.... Might be difficult if they get caught in
the crossfire. Apart from that, she saw nothing threatening.
Ami gestured to her partners the situation, and gripped the
top of the serviceway. With a thrust, she'd swung herself out onto
the tiny ledge. From her backpack, she pulled out a grappling hook
and cable, and swung it around. With a mighty throw, she pitched
the hook at the edge of the roof. The hook held firm, and she gave
Usagi and Rei the thumbs up. Time to move on.
Ami clambered up the rope, slowly, followed by Usagi and Rei.
She paused just before the top of the building, then adjusted her
goggles once more, giving her over-the-horizon vision. The roof was
clear.
Below, as usagi began to ascend the rope, Rei closed the door
to the accessway carefully, for the same reasons she replaced the
ceiling tile. Holding onto the rope, she peered around, and spotted
the Dada group, in the distance.
Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered her days with just
such a group.... Growing up with her Grandfather, who had founded
the group.... The parties, the art exhibitions, the violence, at
times.... Rei swallowed hard and looked upwards. Usagi was almost
at the roof edge. No time to think back on a childhood that shall
never return....
Ami placed a handclamp onto the edge of the roof, allowing her
to hang on without the need for the rope, and reached down to Usagi.
Usagi put out her hand, and was flung over the edge of the roof,
landing catlike on the concrete. She quickly made a recce of the
roof area, moving out of Rei's way seconds later as the dark-haired
girl landed in the exact same spot, in exactly the same manner. Rei
then turned and helped Ami over. Within seconds, the rope and hook
were wound back up, and Ami's goggles were connected to her belt.
Rei checked the edge of the roof for any marks of their
arrival. She cringed when she saw the tiny scratches where the
grappling hook had been. "Gonna be a problem?" She gestured to
Ami. The blue haired girl pursed her lips and shrugged. Their
enemies could spot a lot of things, but many had passed this way
before, so it might be possible that, if any were on their trail,
they'd miss it.
You gotta be kidding, Rei gestured. Some of theit enemies
were almost as well trained and as well kitted as they were. Just
one of those would be able to spot the marks and decide, for
themselves, how recent they were. Ami shrugged again, it couldn't
be helped, now.
Rei shook her head as Usagi arrived at the cable bridge.... A
fat cable that ran between the roof of this building and the higher
one on the other side of the small school yard. On top of that
building lay the High Point.... The place where their trail would
end for anyone following....
Rei and Ami joined her, quickly. Ami flipped the goggles on
again and scanned the area below them. She gave the thumbs up to
her companions and replaced the goggles as Usagi whipped out a pair
of hand grapplers, attching them to this end of the cable and
checking its torsion.
The cable felt solid in her efforts to bend it. That could
mean one of two things.... It was tough enough to take their
weight, or it would go the way of all solid objects and crumble.
Well, there really was no turning back, now. Usagi stepped up
onto the wall that lined that side of the roof, then stepped off.
The cable creaked as she wrenched the grapplers, which slid along
the cable with protest, tiny little wheel locks preventing her from
sliding back down the cable's incline. Ami let out a breath of
distaste as Usagi struggled along. This wasn't going to be easy.
She followed Usagi's example, placing her grapplers onto the
cable, then taking hold of them with her hands. After a couple of
breaths, she stepped off the side. By this time, Usagi was at least
ten feet ahead of her.
She felt the blood rush to her legs, giving her instant pins
and needles, hot pins and needles even, the worst kind. She hated
hanging over long drops like this. Slowly, she wrestled the
grapplers up the cable.
Rei had been waiting, impatiently, for Ami to get moving.
Whilst Ami was the gadget queen amongst the trio, her active skills
left something to be desired, sometimes, and she was falling behind
Usagi with each wrench of the grapplers.
Rei gave the blue-haired girl some time.... She hated this,
glancing around for their enemies. It was possible, if they had
made the classroom by now, that they would see the trio making their
way across the gap. It wasn't likely, all things considered, but in
this line of work one should be prepared for any eventuation.
After giving Ami some room, Rei then attached her grapplers to
the cable. With even less fear than her companions, she leapt off
the side of the building, making great strokes with the grapplers,
swinging her legs in an effort to keep herself moving.
Usagi reached the far end of the cable and gritted her teeth.
Now came the REAL problem. Trying to swing one's legs over the side
of THIS building, from the position of hanging over a precipice.
Usagi struggled a couple of times. Even in the fit state she
was in, this wasn't easy. It reminded her of the time she had had
to do this between two skyscrapers. She was with a group of five,
and two failed to make it over, both tiring and falling to their
deaths. Usagi knew that, if she didn't get up, then both Ami and
Rei could suffer the same fate. The thought of taking on the next
assignment alone was enough to see her hook her right foot onto the
tiny ledge.
With strength born of a lifetime of training, than foot
wrenched her up to the level of the wall. She pulled the grapplers
forward and slipped the leg all the way over the wall, following it
with her left. Now, in a slightly seated position, she was able to
slip easily over the wall and onto the roof below.
She detached her grapplers and quickly placed them in her
backpack, scanning the rooftop for any assassins. She then turned
back as Ami arrived at the wall, kicking her legs up in an effort to
match Usagi's performance.
Usagi reached over the wall and grabbed Ami's left leg,
pulling the girl forward. Ami's breath was laboured and her face
red. Usagi couldn't blame her. Ami always had a tremendous fear of
heights. Ami had even fallen during her days of training, only to
survive because of her own precaution of attaching a special bailout
line. In terms of Assassin Cadets, it was considered cheating to
preserve one's life in such a manner. Ami didn't care.... She was
the only one in her class still alive today.
Usagi grabbed Ami's right leg and pulled her right over the
ledge. Ami then spun around, wrenching the grapplers forward and
detaching them, whipping them into her backpack and collapsing
against the wall, her eyes closed, sweat running down her face.
Usagi looked at her with concern, tapping her on the shoulder.
Ami gave Usagi the thumbs up signal and opened her eyes,
smiling. Another day, another dice with death. Ami got to her feet
and put on her goggles, looking around the rooftop with more
accuracy than Usagi's quick scan as Usagi went to work on Rei, who
had been waiting patiently behind Ami as the blue-haired girl was
carted over.
The roof seemed safe at first, but Ami spotted something that
worried her.... She whistled as Usagi pulled Rei over the side,
then clamped one fist down into the palm of her other hand. The
rooftop was mined!
Usagi and Rei looked at her worriedly as the girl counted.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.... Ami held up five fingers,
telling the others what she could see. Usagi let out a breath,
counting her lucky stars she didn't check this roof out like the
other.
Ami turned and checked the highpoint, a small roof access door
with a window. She gave the access an OK signal, then turned
towards a rooftop airconditioning unit, pointing to it as shelter.
She ran behind it as Rei removed her grapplers and placed them
in her backpack. After waiting a couple of moments for Rei to
regain her breath, the two ran over to the unit, joining Ami, who
was fiddling with a small box-like object. It had a clunky numbered
dial and several switches. With her goggles resting on her
forehead, she waited as the other two slipped in behind her, then
started fiddling with the dial.
After several attempts to generate and explosive frequency,
there was a blast that knocked several feet of concrete from the
points where each mine had been planted. Ami snapped her fingers,
filled with the sense of victory. The device had been her own
invention, and had saved the lives of many of the Republic's
assassins.
They thought they could hear cheers coming from all over the
city and giggled. if only the civilians truly understood the depth
of the seriousness of this situation. Almost all of them would
never be able to understand.... Nor should they have to. For this
trio, however, torn from similar backgrounds, that sense of innocent
abandon was lost forever....
Their amusement now fading, Ami replaced the box into her
overcoat and snapped her fingers in the direction of the access
door. Rei nodded and made her way across to the door, tapping it
and giving it the thumbs up. She then opened up the door and peered
within, nodding to her satisfaction that it was safe.... After all,
the only ones who would be able to cross this threshold would be
them....
There was a cry from behind one of the small outcrops of
ducting on the other end of the rooftop, and two figures emerged,
one holding a weapon at the ready in one arm, and a wounded comrade
with the other, hurt in the mine blasts. Rei quickly fell to the
ground as Usagi pulled out her double-barrel revolver from her
overcoat, leaping into the open.
With two calm shots, she blew the heads of the assassins clean
off their shoulders, and knelt there, in front of Rei, breathing
heavily, a sense of pleasure and satisfaction running through the
very core of her being.... There was nothing she enjoyed more than
killing the enemy.... the cathartic element of simply pumping the
bullets into their bodies...
She checked herself. They were human beings, much like
themselves, who had been similar torn from their innocent lives, but
for very different reasons.... To bring down the Republic. Usagi
got to her feet and replaced her revolver as Rei stood, smiling at
her in cynical thanks. Usagi turned to her and shrugged. All in a
day's work.
Ami made her way over to the access door, joining the others,
and they both peered into the small, dark stairwell that existed
beyond. Both the walls and the stairs were covered in a plush black
carpet, giving it a darkly welcoming appearance. And so it should
be.... For the time being, it would be the safest place they were
likely to experience....
Rei nodded to the others and leapt through the doorway, first.
Well, nothing bad happened to her, thought Usagi, immediately
cursing the thought that she had used Rei as a test to see if the
Central Branch's security devices were faulty. Shaking her head,
she made her way through and down the first small segment of stairs,
stopping where Rei had stopped in wait, looking back up at her.
Usagi turned and waited for Ami to follow, only to hear the
girl let out a cry and come rolling down the stairs, ploughing into
the two of them. After Usagi had managed to stand from the sprawl
of bodies, she whipped out her revolver once more as shots
ricocheted from the stairwell wall. The sound of feet running
towards the entrance made her bring the weapon to bear.
There was the sound of scrambling at the entrance, then a huge
flash made her cover her eyes. With a short scream, their new
attacker was reduced to paste against the carpet by a series of
small laser beams that emanated from hidden ports within the carpet
itself.
Usagi let out a sigh of relief as the access door
automatically closed, replacing her weapon and turning to Ami, who
was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
"Gomen...." She finally muttered. "I only saw him at the
last moment."
"You're slipping up in your old age." Rei removed herself
from underneath the blue-haired girl, glad that they could finally
use their voices now that they were out of official "combat"
territory.
"Easy for you to say." Ami got to her feet, brushing herself
down and wrenching her backpack from her shoulders. "I notice you
didn't spot that pair, earlier."
"It wasn't my job to." Rei huffed. "That's why you're here."
"Enough of this." Usagi barked at them. "We made it, okay?"
"Ah, I see you're in an argumentative mood, today." The voice
echoed along the stairwell, and the trio whipped around, looking for
its owner.
"Who is that?" Rei demanded.
"Oh really, girls. Don't you recognise my voice?" There was
humour in the woman's tone, and realisation dawned on them.
"President Serenity?" Usagi gasped. "I... We're sorry. We
didn't expect you to be briefing us, this time."
"Where are you?" Ami blinked. "Are you broadcasting this to
us?"
"Continue along the stairwell. Soon, you shall come to a safe
house, where you shall be able to receive all relevant information,
detailing your next target. Oh, and by the way, nice jump there,
Ami. Pity it's going to take a bit to clean up that carpet."
"Uh... thankyou, Ma'am." Ami bowed, slightly, feeling
slightly silly. Usagi tapped Ami on the shoulder and the blue-
haired girl nodded to her. After picking up her backpack, Ami
started her way down, followed by Rei and Usagi.
----o
Within the Safe House, a small, white-walled old school drama
room, with the same black carpet on the floor and a small dais at
one end, with black curtains covering the large windows, Usagi, Ami
and Rei were finally able to remove their backpacks and overcoats.
In an adjoining room was a small shower, in which they could refresh
themselves, although it was a bitch in removing their bodysuits,
which hugged their forms with extreme prejudice.
Having now washed and relaxed, redressing in the bodysuits in
case they needed to move quickly, they found a small food parcel
sitting in the far corner of the room, behind the dais.
Ami checked the food for toxins before they started to hoe in,
stuffing themselves on the canned meats and vegetables. It had been
a while since they had eaten food as good as this. Even better that
Ami had remembered to bring a canopener.... It would have been a
pain if Rei had to blast the cans open again with her low-grade
explosive charges.
Eventually, they stood in a row upon the dais and awaited
their orders. A small screen descended from the ceiling in front of
them, and on it appeared the image of a woman with long white hair,
sitting in front of a frescoe, representing the symbol of the
Republic of Surrealism. The trio saluted their President, Serenity
von Kalrich.
"The Death Sailors, reporting as you ordered, my Lady, and
awaiting your orders." Usagi said, deferentially, as the unofficial
speaker for the group.
"Ah, indeed. And most prompt you were, too, if I must say so,
myself. It isn't easy for our operatives to get about, anymore."
"Thankyou, my Lady." Said the trio, in unison. Serenity
smiled and lifted up a small piece of paper.
"So, we better get down to business. At ease." Serenity
nodded at the trio, and the three put down their arms and gently sat
on the dais, cross-legged. Serenity continued. "This man is to be
your next target."
The image changed to a still shot of a handsome looking
individual, with short blond hair and piercing eyes. The hearts of
the trio fluttered, slightly, then settled as they remembered the
situation.
"This is Adam Jade, the leader of the group known as the
Masters of Reality." Serenity's voice continued over the images
that started to flash across the screen. One of Jade addressing a
small gathering, another of Jade in a severely-cut but decorative
grey uniform, making an inspection of similarly-dressed soldiers.
"He intends to unite several powerful reality factions in the hope
of creating an army capable of taking on the forces of the Republic.
Death Sailors, he must NOT succeed. You must kill him at ALL costs,
for the lives of all who exist are at risk if he is to succeed...."
END OF PART 1
The tiny figure flitted across the roof of the damaged
building, doing its best to ignore the human remains that lay there,
and prevent its fur and paws from being soiled. It would not do to
make her arrival a messy one.
It seemed that the Death Sailors had met with some resistance.
Not particularly intelligent resistance, either. After all, they
had plenty of opportunities to kill the Death Sailors during their
traversal of the gap between the two buildings.
Instead, they chose to sit and wait. That was their mistake.
The Death Sailors weren't the sort to be so easily taken.... Not
that the figure wanted to admit she was impressed with their
efforts. She'd never been able to rid herself of the sense of
selfish pride that had come from her upbringing.
She stepped over to one of the dead assassins and studied the
uniform with much distaste. She was well used to the casualties of
the underground war (and sometimes not even that) to control the
Republic. She'd seen such bodies during the painful years of change
between the rule of the aristocracy and the current regime. She
prayed that this battle did not end up the same way....
Definitely members of the Truth Militia. Not particularly
well organised, but certainly NOT lacking in firepower. Minor
revolutionaries with no real understanding of the import of their
actions, merely a desire to wage war on whomever was in power.
Throwbacks to the bloodlines that preceded even the aristocracy.
They couldn't be blamed for what they did, it was in their genes.
She shook her head and chuckled. As if people could be
excused for their actions so easily. She mused on her thoughts for
a while, taking in the sounds of the capital. The sounds of
operatic and theatrical performances, concerts and fairs. The city
had become a party town, devoid of the kind of industry of other
nations. Their industry was thought, something they exported with
much gusto.
That was why there were those willing to fight against it.
She pitied those without imagination.
She took a breath and turned back to the door which lead to
the safe house. Time to meet with them. Time to reunite herself
with the child....
----o
Part Two
Nemesis Gate
----o
Within the safe house, President Serenity, viewed via a large
communications screen, had started to debrief her trio of
operatives. Crossing her slender fingers in front of her, she
studied Usagi. The similarity in their appearances had even made
both Rei and Ami glance between them. With deference to their Madam
President, of course.
She thought it time to allow them to relax a little. The
Death Sailors were her best operatives and she didn't want them to
exhaust themselves just by being in her presence. Well, quasi-
presence, anyway. She considered the artistic ramifications of this
dichotomy.
"So, we better get down to business. At ease." Serenity
nodded at the Death Sailors. The trio almost immediately went into
a state of physical meltdown, relaxing their stiffened postures and
attitudes. Usagi moved her neck from side to side, trying to loosen
up her muscles before sitting, cross legged, on the dais. Rei
stretched her arms and yawned, following suit. Ami was the last to
sit, if only because she'd crossed her arms in front of her and
waited for her partners to do something.
It was amazing, thought Serenity, the various interpretations
placed upon her words when she would tell her operatives to be "at
ease". She wished they were all as easygoing as these three.
Probably one of the reasons why they were so successful. Of course,
she could think of other groups who were even more easygoing, or
even laissez-faire, whose actions were something of an embarassment
to the Republic....
After a sigh, Serenity continued. "This man is to be your
next target."
The image changed to a still shot of a handsome-looking
individual, with short blond hair and piercing eyes. The hearts of
the trio fluttered momentarily as they gazed into those eyes, then
settled as they remembered the situation.
"This is.... Adam Jade." Serenity's voice wavered at the
mention of Jade's name. Usagi and Rei glanced at each other for a
second, then shrugged. "He is the leader of the group known as the
Masters of Reality. I'm sure you have heard of them. They were
involved in the assassination of Ambassador Osaka."
"The father of the young arts tycoon, Osaka Naru?" Ami
queried. Rei spat contempt.
"Damn bitch sold out is what she did." Rei leaned back on her
arms, staring at the ceiling.
"This isn't an argument about artistic ethics, Rei." Usagi
huffed, puffing up her face.
"Easy for someone as removed as you have been from society to
say such things. In the circles I had frequented, she was looked
upon as the spawn of the devil.... An AKUMA of the highest order."
"I understand your feelings, Operative Hino, but she is still
a citizen of this nation, and her feelings at the loss of her father
are genuine." Serenity chided her wayward charge. Rei's face
softened and she sat up again.
"I know, madam President. I am sorry."
"Now, shall we continue?" Serenity made a brief reappearance
on the screen, her eyes stern despite her smile.
"Hai." The trio chorused, suitably chastised. Serenity
nodded, her smile widening before images started to flash across the
screen, Serenity narrating over each and every one.
The images showed various events in Jade's rise to power....
One of Jade addressing a small gathering, another of Jade in a
severely-cut but decorative grey uniform, making an inspection of
similarly-dressed soldiers.
"He intends to unite several powerful reality factions in the
hope of creating an army capable of taking on the forces of the
Republic. Death Sailors, he must NOT succeed. You must kill him at
ALL costs, for the lives of all who exist are at risk if he is to
succeed...."
----o
ADAM JADE - THE FIRST NEMESIS GATE RALLY - 5TH LOK
Brothers and Sisters, I just don't know what this world is
coming to.
People accepting dreams, fantasy and surreality over the truth!
The truth that goes by the name of REALITY! And thus they suppress
those of us who choose to believe in this truth.
For it is a truth greater than all of us put together. A HOLY
truth. It is written into the constitution, the Right to Believe
whatever we wish to believe, and the Right to Bear Arms in defense
of those beliefs.
We have struggled, for many years, since the foundation of the
Republic, to have our collective voices heard, without fear of
suppression or retribution.
It is our RIGHT by LAW to have these beliefs. Yet, we have to
struggle to be heard, and this struggle has met with the harshest
punishment....
The murder of our number, in the multitudes. MURDER, my
fellow believers, by the Government that is supposed to serve US.
Why? Why do this to us? What have we done that deserves such
punishment? Nothing, that is what. Nothing that is not allowed by
our constitution. Nothing that is not within our rights to do.
And yet, because of this, we are branded as criminals and
terrorists. We are portrayed as the villains by a corrupt regime
who have, in a machiavellian fashion, taken away the rights of the
people to express themselves as they see fit.
Only those who live by the orthodoxy of the regime are free do
do as they please. And we have to question this concept of freedom.
Why do we threaten them so? Perhaps they see, within our
ways, our attitude, something that shall be more appealing to
the masses?
Yes, more than ever, they fear the attraction by the people to
our ways. They fear its intrinsic RIGHTEOUSNESS. Within it lies
the power to change society, and make it so much more than the mess
we see, today.
Yes, my brothers and sisters. Truth and Reality are the codes
by which we all live, and together, we shall bring down the powers
that be, and show the people the truth of our holy cause!
TRANSCRIPT WRITTEN BY HYLDUEN LORCANO - 7TH LOK
----o
"The enemy we encountered on our way here...." Ami rubbed her
chin, pondering the nature of their enemies. "Were they possibly
involved with Jade's group? They seemed awfully prepared for our
arrival, and would point to the fact that Jade already has his eyes
on us...."
Serenity reappeared on the screen and nodded, thoughtfully.
Ami had been reasonably quiet throughout the debriefing, unlike
Usagi and Rei, who had been firing pointed remarks and rebukes at
each other all the way through. At least she could rely on Ami to
put in some deep thought, even if it did, on occasions, appear out
of some strange theoretical tangents.
"I wouldn't discount the possibility.... Jade is quite a
paranoid individual and would have many of his assassin groups
watching out for republican operatives."
Usagi shrugged. "We are under threat, constantly, from a
multitude of groups. Those commandos we encountered could have
belonged to anyone." Usagi looked aside at Ami, who was not
prepared to enter into the kind of argument Usagi wanted to have.
She merely shot Usagi a pained expression and turned away.
This left Usagi hanging out on a limb. Of all the responses
likely to fluster her, the silent treatment worked the best. It was
not as if Usagi wanted to throw a spanner into Ami's theory.... She
was just having one of those moments.... The desire to be
obstructive for no visibly apparent reason. She had felt,
instinctively, that something different was going to happen on this
mission....
"Is that your judgement, Tsukino Usagi the third?" Said the
soft, feminine voice from behind the Death Sailors. Instantly, they
spun and got to their feet, hand revolvers whipped from where they
had been clipped, on their belts. They relaxed as soon as they saw
who they were facing. Mostly. "Really, Usagi.... A double-
barrelled revolver.... I'm amazed you're capable of withstanding
the kick of such a weapon. What is it, a .22 or a .357?"
Usagi huffed and turned away, reattaching her weapon to her
belt. "I've trained with this weapon my entire life. I made it,
myself! I am a gunsmith, remember? I don't need you to judge my
capacity to use it."
"Ah. Lady Luna de Sade. It is nice to see you made it here,
safely." President Serenity smiled behind them, crossing her hands
over her lap, ignoring the grumblings of Usagi. Of course, she had
fully expected Usagi to grumble when she had chosen to team Lady
Luna with the Death Sailors.
The dark blue-black cat was sitting, front feet aligned with
snobbish feline poise, gazing at the weapons that had been pointed
at her with total disdain. "I see your paranoia has not passed with
time, Tsukino Usagi the third." The cat smiled, her eyes squinting
with amusement.
Ami decided to break the ice with the new arrival "With good
reason, Lady de Sade. Do you normally travel in the form of a cat?"
"It is the best way to get around the city without being
attacked. Very few of the enemy believe, or even understand, the
powers of the old nobles." Luna chuckled, putting a paw up to her
mouth. "On top of that, I happen to find the feline form more
comfortable. Do any of you have a problem with this? Don't answer
that, Usagi, I know what your answer shall be."
Usagi continued to grumble, Rei stepping alongside her, trying
to calm her down. "Now now, we don't want any trouble in the
presence of the madam President, do we?"
"I'll give that overblown feral trouble if she's not careful."
Usagi mumbled....
"What's your problem with her?" Rei gripped Usagi by the
shoulder, and immediately let go, taking a few nervous steps back as
Usagi wheeled on her, gritting her teeth. But the blond merely
shook her head and looked away.
"Are you here for a reason, Lady de Sade?" Ami looked between
Luna and Serenity, nervously. "To be our guide in this mission?"
Serenity answered. "Indeed. She has been spying on the
activities of the Masters of Reality for some time now."
"Great. We get the counsel of the cat." Usagi sat back down
on the dais, roughly, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. Rei
shook her head and stepped over beside Ami, looking at Luna.
"I have to say...." Rei sniffed. "Usagi's reaction is rather
extreme." Usagi shot a glance at Rei, looking daggers so fierce Rei
could feel them striking her. She did her best to ignore them.
"Let's just say we've never had the best of working
relationships. I'm afraid there are a few things in our past that
she might just be holding against me." Luna chuckled softly and
stood, stretching her front legs. "I guess I better assume a more
human posture. Being a cat seems to bring out Usagi's worst."
"Not likely to change, either way." Usagi mumbled to herself.
Rei and Ami watched, with fascination born from never having
experienced the magic of the Aristocrats, as Luna closed her eyes
and shivered. Her fur rose and fell in waves along her back as a
gentle glow enveloped her.
She rose to her hind paws, like a cat attempting to walk like
a human. Before either Rei or Ami could remark on this, her form
began to extend, both fore and hind legs growing out into long,
slender limbs, her head widening, her trunk developing to scale and
her fur retreating to her head, retaining its dark, blue-black sheen
and cascading well past her shoulders in gentle waves. Slowly, this
new form lowered itself to the floor, to her knees, as the glow
dissipated.
Where the feline Lady Luna had stood, the naked form of a
noble young lady, knelt. She opened her eyes, covering her body
with her arms, and smiled at her audience with an imperious
arrogance. At least, that is what it seemed like to Rei, who wasn't
too enamoured of that expression.
"The powers of the nobles are strange, are they not?" Lady
Luna chuckled. "All I need now are some clothes." She looked down
at her naked form, expectantly.
"Perhaps you can magically conjure some up." Usagi muttered.
"You shall find some in the antechamber, Lady Luna."
President Serenity nodded. Lady Luna smiled and stood, turning
quickly and padding towards the door at the far end of the main
room.
"Sugoiii." Rei blinked, holding her hands up to her mouth.
"I've never seen anything like it."
"Lycanthropy, or a form of such. Fascinating. I must study
this phenomenon." Ami rubbed her chin.
"She won't let you, Ami. She's not that kind of person." Rei
and Ami turned to Usagi, who had now stood, staring away from them.
"You've seen one noble change, you've seen them all." Usagi threw
her nose into the air, haughtily. "Anyway, we are being
disrespectful in the presence of our President."
"You can talk." Rei growled.
----o
The fire that was consuming the house almost did the same to
the Lady Luna's flowing dress, as she attempted to make her way
through the main hallway.
"My Lady, it is too dangerous. Stop, before you get yourself
killed!" The voice of her servant, Azentor, a short, tubby and
balding middle-aged man, echoed through the roar of the flames. She
momentarily looked back at him, standing helplessly in the door to
the hallway, his hands in front of his face.
"I can't. I must find the Lord and Lady Tsukino and their
children. They were in the guest rooms when the explosions went
off." Luna shook her head, holding a hand to her mouth as she took
a lungful of smoke.
"They must be dead, my Lady. Come back, before you suffer a
similar fate."
Luna coughed and gave him a helpless expression, then gripped
the train of her dress and tore it away as sparks started to set it
alight. She then continued her staggering path through the flames.
Within seconds, she arrived at the door of the guest room in
which the Tsukinos had been staying. Or what was left of the door.
Within seconds, she evaluated the scene. There was no doubt that
the Lord and Lady were dead, their bodies reduced to a gut-wrenching
mess on the other side of the room.
Obviously, the bomb had been triggered when one or the other
had tried to open the door. She swallowed and continued on into the
room, which was almost devoid of flames but not of smoke.... A
thick mist, descending from the ceiling.
Luna made her way from the main room to the bedroom. Once
more, she was greeted to a gruesome sight. The young Usagi lay
across the floor, bleeding heavily from her lower gut. Lying beside
her was a long portion of wood, blood tipped at one sharp end. A
portion of the main door that had been blown into Usagi, removed by
her own hand.
Usagi stirred and looked over at Luna, trying to mouth
something. Seeing that Luna couldn't understand, she gestured to
the corner of the room, to Luna's right.
Luna turned and could see the figure of Usagi's younger
brother. He was hideously burnt across his back. Luna coughed as
the mist of smoke wafted through the doorway, then made for the
unfortunate young boy.
She reached down and managed to haul him over her shoulder, an
effort that took a great deal more than she had expected. She then
staggered over to Usagi and placed her brother beside her.
"Can you move?"
Usagi's mouth opened to speak, her words coming in a choke.
"Shin....go...." Luna shook her head in frustration.
"Damn Shingo right at this moment. I can get him out. Can
YOU move?" Luna put a hand down to Usagi. "Enough to at least lean
on me?"
"Save.... Shingo. Don't care.... about me...."
"Oh, for Picasso's sake...." Luna gripped Usagi by the arm
and sat her up against the side of the nearest bed, then managed to
haul Shingo back over her shoulder. "Even if I succeed in this
feat, I'm going to throw my back out, I can see it now...." She
gasped as she managed to kneel down beside Usagi.
Taking the girl's arms, against Usagi's will, she stood,
hauling the injured girl to her feet. Well, at least Usagi had
enough energy to stand.
Usagi looked at her with annoyance. "Not... going to live...
Don't bother... with me..."
"Excuse me for a few moments, but would would you mind
shutting up, there's a good girl." Luna lifted her right arm up a
little, balancing Shingo. "Yessiree, I missed my calling. I should
have been a member of a circus troupe. And now for our next act, we
present the amazing Lady Luna de Sade, balance supremo
extrodinaire." She shouted this as she dragged Usagi across the
bedroom to the main window door, which was, fortunately, open.
They continued through the door, onto the landing, where she
could see the emergency vehicles arriving, and the many guests that
had been staying in her palacial mansion, after the dinner she had
held in honour of her late father, milling about on the large front
lawn in fear.
"Now comes the real trick. Getting off the landing in one
piece...." Luna turned and smiled at Usagi, but the girl wasn't
looking, too concerned with her own pains to take in what was going
on around her, now.
----o
Perhaps Usagi might have looked upon her a little more kindly
if Shingo had lived. He was already dead. A corpse, hanging over
Luna's shoulder, on that day. As dead as the Lord and Lady
Tsukino...
But Usagi didn't want to admit that. She already KNEW Shingo
was dead. As dead as she wanted to be.
Usagi wasn't the only one to lose those she cared for. They
never did find Azentor's body after they put out the conflagration
that had gutted Luna's ancestral home. Somehow, she felt
responsible for that. But what she did had been important to ONE
individual.
She found, at the very least, some solace and redemption in
that fact. But not very much.
END OF PART 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ACROSS THE BORDER
In the heat of the day
Many miles away when the
Sun is beating downthe main street.
I'll be waiting at the station,
I gotta move down the line.
They'll be dancing and singin'
And doin' their thing
And they'll be rockin' and rollin'
Until the day is done.
You know I've got to
Make the deadline-
I gotta get that southbound train tonight-
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
The Mardis Gras
Will be blowing strong
And the people dancing
All across the city
I'm leavin' here tonight
I gotta move down the line.
I'm gonna catch a ride
On the 9.05
I'm gonna ride the rails
Until we reach the morning,
Maybe three or four
Hundred miles.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight-
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
When the wind is blowing
Softly throught the streets
of a little town
And the music's playin',
You're waitin' somewhere
Over the horizon.
I gotta get that southbound train tonight-
If I don't get to the border then I'll write.
-Jeff Lynne-
----
MAPPY (The RIght Dishonourable Mark A Page)
ayanami@merlin.net.au