Finally, here it comes! For those of you unfamilar with the continuity of
Sailor Moon AX, we suggest you take a look at the first story, located at
its site below. For those of you who've been waiting, the story's on the
move!
Bai bai,
Studio YOGIPIGS staff
The World of Studio YOGIPIGS: http://www.yogipigs.org
Sailor Moon AX: http://www.yogipigs.org/sailormoon-ax/
A Long Strange Webpage: http://www.yogipigs.org/ALSW/ (COMING SOON)
Monogatari - The Legends of Old Japan: http://www.monogatari.org
Studio YOGIPIGS Presents
S A I L O R M O O N A X R
Based on Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon by Takuechi Naoko
Lead Writers: ROBERT BARBA & ELIZABETH THOMAS
SAILOR MOON AX LEGENDS Writers: EMANUELE BONAMICO, DELANY BRITTIAN & JOHN
SHEAREN
SAILOR MOON AX DATAFILES Artist: MARGARET EICHLER
Weapons and Tactical Research/Japan Data Analyst: SAMUEL LAMBSON
Geopolitical and Statistical Research/US Data Analyst: DOUGLAS MURPHY
Special Thanks to SMAX PRE-READING VICTIMS Staff:
BERK WATKINS, JOSHUA HOLMSTROM, ROBERT MORRISON & CHRISTOPHER ANGEL
================
Technical Notes
The Bluejacket's Manual
As we did in the last story, there is a system to delineate between the
Japanese Senshi and the American Sailors:
To identify a Senshi, the name will be in romajii (romanized katakana):
Short title: Jyupitaa, Neputyun, Puruto
Full title: Sera Jyupitaa, Sera Neputyun, Sera Puruto
To identify a Sailor, the name will be in English:
Short title: Earth, Venus, Saturn
Full title: Sailor Earth, Sailor Venus, Sailor Saturn
The planets and satellite will be referred to in English: Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto. However, since this could cause potential confusion, we
will refer to the heavenly bodies as little as possible.
Now sit back, and we hope you'll enjoy the return to the world of Sailor
Moon AX.
--Sam
================
Prologue
Paths Taken
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind
on the present moment."
-Buddha
Montego Bay, Jamaica
September 1998:
Raye looked at the ring on her finger for the umpteenth time, said the
words to herself once more: Raye Hino-Thompson. Or maybe just Raye
Thompson, or maybe she'd just keep her maiden name--Chad wasn't the type to
be bothered by things like that. But the nice expensive sparkly thing on
her finger and the smile on Chad's face said one and the same: she was
married, finally and happily married.
As the pair stepped off the plane into the sweltering heat of Montego
Bay International Airport, Raye leaned against her husband's arm and cooed,
"This is going to be great! Two weeks alone, just you and me and that cozy
little private island that you rented for us--"
"Which I have to admit, was a great idea," Chad conceded, as the pair
got into the Immigrations line.
Raye nodded her agreement as they moved up to the counter and presented
their passports. "Wasn't it, though? Anyways, the thing I think I'm going
to love the most is the freedom! No college for me, no studio sessions for
you, and best of all...."
"No costumes, terrorists, supervillans, monsters or natural disasters,"
Chad said, putting his arm around her and retrieving their passports from
the officer. He paused for a second before adding, "You did leave your stuff
at home, did you?"
Raye shook her head. "You didn't leave your guitar at home, did you?"
"I brought the acoustic one, Raye. And it's not like I'm going to be
bopping burglars in the street with it."
She grinned. "That'd make an interesting scene. Don't worry, though; I
can't get involved here--I have no jurisdiction."
"Since when has that stopped you guys before?"
"Gee, thanks for the positive support, dear husband," Raye murmured, her
sarcasm thicker than the smog over the LA Basin. "Well, I'll admit that I
did bring my Prism Ring, but you know I always wear it; and I brought one of
the group's Iridium laptops."
"Iridium laptops?"
"Think of them as about as powerful as a mainframe. They're almost even
as powerful as the monster mini-palmtops that Amy, Ami, Molly, and Cathy
carry. But I brought it with me so I can mainly use our digital camera and
email pictures to everyone." She looked at him with loving eyes and said,
"For two weeks, I'm just going to forget that I'm Sailor Mars. After all,
the crime level in this country is non-existent, and the least thing I need
to do is to get involved down here." A final check by Jamaican authorities,
and the pair were waved through, heading off to find their courtesy van.
"Oooh...Mamoru-kun," Chiba Rei complained, "I think this heat's getting
to me."
"You? The Senshi of Fire?" Chiba Mamoru commented, a faint smile
playing on his lips.
"Ha ha, anata. Seriously, though, I think I might need to lie down when
we get to the hotel. I thought I just saw...."
"Saw what?"
"I thought I just saw myself and Yuchiro, walking out of the customs
area, towards the taxis."
Mamoru gave his wife a strange look. "Dear, you know that's impossible.
After all, Yuchiro's still at the shrine back in Japan, ne? Either that, or
he's with his girlfriend." He grinned and said, "Or is that a subliminal
hint that you'd rather be somewhere else right now?"
Rei purred, "When we get to the hotel, I'll show you where I'd rather
be."
"Can we at least wait until after we meet with Pizer-san? I would
rather I set things up with him before continuing."
"Of course, dear. I don't see why not--"
*"REI-CHAN!!!!! REEEEEIIIIII-CHAAAAAANNN!"* Rei was abruptly tackled
by a redheaded rocket.
Looking at her somewhat loud attacker from her position on the floor,
she was surprised to find out it was... "Naru-chan? What are you doing
here?" One of the things that Usagi had done when she'd erased her
existence four years ago was to place her childhood friend, Osaka Naru,
under the care of her other best friend, Rei. Apparently, Usagi felt that
Rei and Naru were perfectly matched for each other, and over the course of
years, that had proven to be true: Naru had turned out to be the closest
friend that Rei had outside of the Senshi. However, it still unnerved her
that a girl that she'd only known in truth for about six years had an entire
life's worth of memories about her.
Naru said a quick hello to Mamoru, then commented as she got off the
floor, "Don't you remember? I told you that I was going to be attending an
International Jewelers Convention, since I'm taking over my mom's business.
Well, surprisingly, the Convention was here in Jamaica! What are you two
doing here?" Before Rei could answer, Naru continued on: "Oh, that's
right--you two are on vacation here. Well, I'm not going to bother you
both, and I have to get a taxi to my hotel, so I'll leave you two be. Just
give me the details later, okay?"
Rei grinned and nodded; Naru's bubbly enthusiasm was like Usagi's had
been...very infectious. "Which hotel are you staying at, Naru-chan?" Rei
asked.
"Um...." She fished a paper out of her shorts pocket. "The Hotel
Seabay, in Ocho Rios."
"Wow! We're staying there as well. Why don't we take a taxi to the
hotel together!"
Naru bounced up and down for joy. "Hey, that'd be great!" Both women
giggled excitedly and began chatting away as a resigned Mamoru went to look
for a cab, thinking it was going to be one hell of a long trip.
Standing on a nearby hill overlooking the main building of the airport,
a small group stood, looking down at the display below. Two men and one
woman, all well-built and giving an effect of power unbridled, watched the
procession with looks of disgust on their faces.
"Look at all the little insects down there just living out their lives,
mon," one said to the other in a thick, accented pidgin English that was the
patois of this nation. He wore a stained white T-shirt, torn jeans and
sandals. His dreadlocked hair and beard was arrayed in a chaotic splash of
burgundy, and his dark brown eyes were only slightly darker than the color
of his skin. For all intents and purposes he would have looked like just
another local if it were not for the rippling dancing strands of energy that
hugged his well-muscled body.
"I and I and I see the things down there," a woman at his side said,
"and all of I-ration weeps at what they've done to the land. They destroy
all there is, and rape our nation of its rightful place." Well built for
her size, the young woman had coffee colored skin, her face framed by golden
eyes and aqua hair done up in a tight, almost male hairdo. She wore a white
shirt with matching white pants. There didn't seem to be anything abnormal
about her, but appearances were always deceiving. "I think it is time to
deal with the problem."
"A nation of our own, all praise to Jah," said a third. His skin was as
light as they came, and he gave the other two a dazzling smile, through his
long azure hair that obscured his eyes and threatened to cover up his nose
as well. He stood there in an all-white suit, though he wore an ice-blue
collarless shirt under it. Carrying a cane, he too looked as harmless as
the woman, but again there was a different sort of truth to it. "Our
nation, free of the people who would plunder it."
"They will learn," the first man said, "or they will fall to the
oppression of those from other places."
"Then it will be up to us to show them the light and the path," the
woman answered.
"That it is, that it is. So is it time?"
"It is time," the man in the suit replied.
"It is time," the woman answered.
"Then let us deal with it," the first man answered, and all three drew
away from the hill, headed into a destiny that would unfold upon the
unsuspecting island nation.
=<+>=
Yokohama, Japan:
The two groups stood on the rooftop of their
office-building-turned-headquarters, looking at the darkest phase of night
and the dark waters of Tokyo Bay. The Basalt Outcasts, as they called
themselves, having grown in numbers over the past few months, were ready for
two of their most high-priority situations. If they succeeded, a major blow
would be dealt to the Basalt City of the future, and the war there would be
lessened, perhaps even never coming to pass. There was an electric
enthusiasm amongst the entire assembly as both teams prepared for perhaps
the most significant offensive of this guerrilla war of theirs.
However, the battle commanders of the two groups weren't as calm or
relaxed. Standing in her combat suit, Morigami Chiaki, the woman known as
Cobalt, looked at her friend, concern etched on her features. "Please be
careful, Usagi. What you're about to do is dangerous."
The other woman, Chiba Usagi, known to this assembly as Briar Rose,
stood in her bodysuit and armor, her cape shrouded around her and giving her
a ghostly appearance. "I'll be fine, Chiaki-chan," the rose-haired woman
replied. "I just have to admit, I don't want to do this. Killing those
children in England was bad enough, months ago. All the deaths I've caused
since are just as bad. But this...."
Cobalt nodded. "I know, Usagi-chan, but those are armies that we're
dealing with." To her side, she told someone, "Portal, please open a gate
for Briar Rose's group." The young man at her side bowed, and with a few
hand motions, created a shimmering pool of light on the floor on an empty
part of the building's rooftop. "And you won't be the only one dealing with
a mess. I too, must deal with a high profile issue."
Usagi sighed, turning to look at the water. "'And we must unmake beauty
to right the wrongs, said the knight, for naught else will come that would
think that nobly.' That was one of my father's favorite quotes. I never
knew where he got it from, and I've never heard Mamoru use it. I wonder if
I'll ever get the chance to ask him."
Cobalt smiled. "You will, Usagi-chan. You will. Now good luck, and
brightest hope to you."
"Brightest hope to you as well," Usagi murmured as she strolled away
from her friend, and towards the warp hole only a few meters or so.
=<+>=
Honolulu, Hawaii:
Alarms rang in the Superior Domain, nestled on Mokauea Islet in the
center of Sand Island Lagoon. The facility, home of Hawaii's lone superhero
team, Superior Force, was pretty empty at the moment. In the wake of
stopping Rubori's attempt to blackmail the Big Island under the threat of
setting off the volcanoes, the team members were enjoying a much-needed
break, and enjoying just being normal people, rather than the protectors of
the US' 50th state.
Rushing into the room, his gold and black armor shining on him as much
as the jet black cape that cascaded down his sides, Hardwire clicked on the
comm panel at the watch station, wondering just what the emergency had to be
that they'd call them back into action so soon--especially at five in the
morning on a Saturday. Taking a few seconds to ensure his visor was firmly
in place, he bit back a few choice profanities that he was going to comment
against his rather lackadaisical teammate; Angelo never seemed to take
monitor duty seriously. At least he was a decent enough hero, but he really
had to work on the professionalism part.
Forcing a smile onto his features, biting back a yawn, speaking into the
microphone and facing the video pickups, he said, "This is Superior Force
HQ, Hardwire online. What can I do for you?"
At once on screen came the face of an older woman, in her late forties
or early fifties. A trace of Asian ancestry showed in her fair features, a
reminder of the cultural melting pot that was Hawaii. She looked very much
awake at this time of the morning, and that in itself was a warning sign.
The look on her face made Hardwire go from smiling to concerned in an
instant. When Sheriff Margaret Ai Lau was awake at this time of day,
obviously something very unpleasant was occurring in Pineapple Land.
"Hardwire! Thank God I was able to get a hold of you."
"What's wrong, Sheriff? You run into something a little too tough for
Honolulu PD or the State Sheriff's Department?"
The response for that was a camera shift. Where her face was a second
ago, faded to the image of a neighborhood afire, homes burning with dead
bodies strewn all over the place; blood filled the streets and shadows moved
through, slaughtering any innocent that was present. The angry flames cast
a nasty light on the whole area as a bare sliver of a moon light up the rest
of the sky. Sheriff Ai Lau's voice could be heard, overdubbing the grisly
scene. "This is a live feed of what's going on out by Koko Head. As of
right now, the situation is moving Ewa-bound rapidly, and should be reaching
Honolulu in a couple of minutes!"
"We'll take care of it," Hardwire said, flashing the woman one of his
dazzling smiles even as instinctively flexed into a classic superhero pose.
"We'll be fanning out into Diamond Head in five minutes. Hardwire, out."
Pressing a couple of buttons and bellowed, "Halo! Morris! Argus! We've
got a situation here!"
Within seconds, three more members of Superior Force stood at his side.
Halo, a wiry young man wearing a pure body stocking of white with dozens of
golden hoops on his suit; Morris Robertson, an adventurer who went by no
code name but clearly was that of a superhero's nature; and Argus, wearing a
black, galaxy pattered bodysuit enhanced by a deep blue cape and a cowl that
covered most of his face. This comprised half of the team.
Morris yawned distractedly while he brushed his long lilac-hued bangs
out of his eyes. "What's up, Josh? Another one of these damn test runs?"
Halo fiddled with his eye mask for a couple as he murmured, "Probably
some auntie with her cat caught in a banyan on the North Shore or
something."
Argus merely closed his eyes while responding, "Or another dead body in
the pineapple fields in Wahiawa. I swear, the police up there are getting
too damn lazy in their precinct."
Hardwire looked at his teammates and said, "Nope. This one's a crisis."
"You think *everything* is a crisis, Josh," Halo pointed out.
Tapping the keys on the computer, Hardwire brought up a replay of the
conversation between himself and the Sheriff's Department. "So, we need to
get moving before any more people are hurt."
They would have started another round of comments, had Argus not spoken
up and said, "I sense great power in that force." He took off his cowl and
looked at his teammates with his clear blue eyes and said, "Far more power
than us."
Halo gave Argus a look. "What did you say, Berkley?"
"They have far more power than us. Even with our team at maximum
strength, they could overpower us." He closed his eyes again, and a halo of
light surrounded his head and hands. "I can see them. There's about 40 or
50 of them, and it looks like they're out to kill. They're not criminals."
He paused for a second before adding, "They're butchers."
Morris had enough. His violet aura of power erupted as he snarled,
*"AND WE'RE STANDING AROUND HERE? WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU
GUYS?"* Without even waiting for an answer, he raced through the air
towards the exit, his flight powered by the force that his body generated.
In turn, the rest of the current population of Superior Force joined him,
heading off to take the fight to the opponent. Argus, Hardwire, and Morris
bolted for the sky, while Halo hopped onto his motorcycle and headed for the
access bridge that would bring him onto the streets of Honolulu. While the
others made up the advance team, it would be up to Halo to get a hold of any
member of the team still on-island to meet at the point of battle and try to
stop this madness. There was still Spellmaiden, Tower Gal, and Falchion
unaccounted for, and that meant that they'd need all the help they could
get. If Argus was right, these guys meant business, and that there was a
good possibility that someone wasn't walking out of here alive.
================
Chapter One
Unscheduled Appearances
"I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
--Robert Frost
Somewhere, Nowhere, and Everywhere:
((I feel the time is coming closer, my time of freedom.
((Could it be that time is finally close at hand? That I'll be free to
walk the Earth once more?
((What will my friends think? Do I still have any?
((Well, I suspect I'll have the answer soon. I have to have the answer
soon, or else everything will fall apart, and I'll never be able to see the
sights, hear the sounds, feel the sensations of home again.
((I must have faith. It's pretty much all I have left.))
=<+>=
Tokyo, Japan:
Makoto yawned, just as she was looking at her friends. The morale
amongst the Senshi had grown strained in the past few weeks, and all of them
knew why: Minako's abject refusal to call Ami back just when they needed her
was bad enough, and if it weren't for Mamoru's agreement with that decision
likely someone would have gone over her head by now. Makoto envied Mamoru
and Rei's trip to Jamaica, and not because it was some romantic, beautiful
getaway. She envied them because they'd be getting away from the
in-fighting between the rest of the Senshi at the moment.
A curious situation had arisen since their last entanglement with that
group that the Senshi had labeled "the Outcasts", for reasons not entirely
clear. On one side, you had Minako, Mamoru and Rei--((figures she'd side
with her husband))--standing firmly on Minako's decision. On the other,
there was Makoto, Hikaru, Hotaru, Haruka, and Michiru--*especially*
Michiru--who were taking a firm stance that Ami needed to be called back,
and soon; contrary to Minako's opinion, the combined efforts of Hikaru's
brains and Hotaru's healing did not equal a filling in of Ami's vacancy.
Setsuna, of course, was being her usual enigmatic self, but there was of
late a sort of depressed sorrow to her that she wouldn't talk to anyone else
about. Likely it was over Chibiusa's attempt to kill her, but they all
suspected there was more to it than that--and as usual, they weren't getting
any answers.
((And that's just the problem. We're never getting any answers. Those
weirdoes are running all over the country killing and slaughtering at will,
and the National Police have their hands full. A lot of this hasn't hit the
national and international press yet, but it's only a matter of time before
that happens, and Ami'll find out, and she'll wonder why we haven't called
her back!))
Makoto bit back a scream of frustration as the trio stood on an
intersection in the Roppongi district, planning for a decent enough night
out. Considering all that was going on lately, they sure could use it.
Standing at her side, Hikaru smiled. "Makoto, don't brood over it. I
think that Minako's doing what she feels is best, you know? Granted, I
don't agree with her either, but tearing up the group is not the answer.
You two have been friends longer than I've known either of you, and are like
sisters, practically. Do you really feel that it would be best for you two
to stop speaking to each other now?"
On the other side, Hotaru nodded in agreement. "I agree with Hikaru.
We can't afford to fight like this. We need each other now more than ever."
The light changed from red to green, displaying the emerald symbol of the
international WALK sign; the girls took the cue and moved across the
diagonal strip.
"Okay, okay," Makoto replied as they made their way across the street.
"When I see her again, I'll try to make good, okay?" Makoto grinned and
said, "Okay then, ladies, where next? I'm thinking Gas Panics, personally.
I hear the bartender's pretty cute."
"And you're just telling me this now?" Hikaru retorted good-naturedly.
"I have to keep the world safe from notorious flirts like you," Makoto
replied in a mock-authoritarian voice. "You make Minako look prudish at
times."
"Oh, ha ha. I'm not *that* bad," Hikaru deadpanned. "But I think that
tonight's the night, ladies. What do you think, Hotaru-chan?"
"I usually don't come down here. Too many gaijin here to make me feel
comfortable." The look on Hotaru's face indicated that she'd rather be
anywhere else than here, but in the past few months since Hinode's death,
Hikaru had become a sort of security blanket for Hotaru. In fact, since
Hikaru's roommate Chiaki had moved out unexpectedly last month, Hotaru had
all but moved in, and that was expected to be official, shortly.
"You know," Makoto said, "you should have brought your
friend...whatsername...Chiaki."
"She and I aren't speaking much anymore since she moved out last month.
She's gotten involved with something new, which is good, considering that
she was falling apart when her fianc� died. Besides, I saw her the other
day down in Yokohama, talking to some other girls. She's just moved on in
her circle of friends--it's happened to most of us who've had non-Senshi
friends, right? Personally, I feel as stale as a Christmas Cake on New
Year's, but if she's happy, that's for the best." Hikaru shrugged, the
twinge of sadness in her voice still clear. "Besides, I figure the runt
here will probably end up moving in, anyway."
"You mean it?" Hotaru seemed to brighten at that.
Hikaru smiled. "Figured that would get your attention. I'll talk to
the rental agency and have them modify the lease and put you on i--hey,
isn't that Minako?" The three women had stopped across the street from a
dance club named Kochu--Inside of the Mouth. Sporting an entrance designed
to look like a cavernous maw, from huge teeth to the tongue that served as a
doormat, the place was a Gothic Techno club. Makoto was well acquainted
with the club's reputation--it was a place where all sorts of illicit events
occurred, and the metro police tended to look the other way since it was "a
gaijin problem". Sure enough, wearing some incredibly tight dress that left
little to the imagination, Minako went in, appearing a bit unsteady and in
the arm of some thirty-something salaryman who looked completely unfamiliar
to the trio. The question was, why? Especially with a guy that ugly?
Without even thinking about it, the three made their way across the
street into the deafening, blinding club.
By the time they managed to find her in the monstrous club--the whole
place took up a sizable three-story building as well as the basement--Makoto
was very worried. Minako, true to her form as the Senshi of Love, was
currently drunk off her ass and being felt up that gentleman. "Az I wuz
zaying," she said, her voice slurred from way too much alcohol, "mai friendz
a-aban-aban...left me an I don' hav anywun to turn to."
"Hey, you could turn to me, anytime, babe," he said, sliding his hand
further up her thigh. Minako was apparently way too gone to care, and in
this club nobody gave a damn about propriety, as evidenced by the two women
over in the corner who were heavily making out and were seriously in heat.
Not that it was hard in the sweltering heat of crammed bodies in this place,
with the chaotic lighting and booming sound.
"I can't watch anymore of this," Makoto growled and made to stride
forward, when she found she was held back by Hotaru, who'd grabbed her arm.
"Wait a couple more seconds, please, Makoto," the younger woman replied.
"Hopefully, Minako's not as far gone as we think."
"Don't tell me you two actually are considering letting that guy paw
her?" Makoto shouted at the top of her lungs, though it wasn't that much
louder than the tone she had already been speaking at.
"No," Hikaru answered, looking her friend and fellow Senshi straight in
the eyes, "but how do you think Minako will feel if you rush in? That we
can't even trust her to handle herself anymore? She's already afraid we
think that she's got questionable leadership. What happens when she starts
thinking that we can't trust her judgment? What then?"
"Hikaru!" Makoto replied. "She's drunk as hell! She's not capable of
making that sort of call right now!"
"Which is why we'll rescue her if she's really in trouble," Hotaru piped
in. "I think she'll get away from him soon."
"Let's go to this little hotel I know about and find out." With that,
his hand fully went up her skirt, and Minako suddenly gasped in shock.
Minako turned to protest, but suddenly found her mouth blockaded by another
pair of lips and a probing tongue.
"Then again, you could be wrong," Hikaru quipped, sans humor, while twin
novas of anger lit in Hotaru's eyes. The trio couldn't stand seeing their
leader in such a state.
More importantly, Makoto refused to see anything happen to one of the
few people she could call family. Racing over, Makoto grabbed Minako and
yanked her out of the man's grasp. She heard the tear of fabric, and could
only assume what had been torn away. Looking at her friend, she murmured,
"You're plastered, Mina-chan. Time to get you home."
"Ma-ma-Mako-chan?" Minako blurted wearily, her breath stinking with
enough various alcohols that Makoto swore right then and there she was never
going to touch another drop of liquor in her life.
"Yes, it's me. The girls and I are here to take you home."
"Excuse me," the man snarled, "but I saw her first. If you behave
yourself, then you can have her after I'm done with her. If you're really
nice," he said while leering, "you can have both of us."
Makoto's eyes narrowed. "Not on your life, dirtbag."
The salaryman stood up, his eyes burning. "Listen, bitch, I don't know
or care who you are, but you're on the verge of ruining a sure thing for me.
Take your ass out of here before I have to hit you, and believe me, in a
place like this, no one's going to even look twice."
As he stood up, she gave him the once-over. Late thirties, with a 5 O'
Clock shadow and thinning hair with some ugly glasses and an even uglier tie
to go with the rather dull-looking shirt and slacks. Though she was the
same size as him, she could tell that her size would not be an advantage in
this case. He did at least look trim enough to gain the affection of
someone his age, but she was sure that this guy was definitely the rorikon
type, and the younger the better.
Handing the drunken Minako to the other two Senshi, Makoto said, "Take
her to Almond's around the block and get some coffee into her. When I meet
you there, we'll go home. I'll deal with this bastard." As she handed the
drunk blonde to her friends, she took her eyes off the man, expecting him to
take advantage of the situation. Sure enough, she was right. The second
she finished talking to the other two, she dropped to the floor and
commenced a foot sweep, the guy's fist going through the space where her
head had been just a few minutes before. He hadn't expected that she'd be
ready and thus fell on his rump, slamming the back of his head against the
table.
Using her Senshi strength, she picked him up with one hand and snarled,
"If you ever lay your hand on another girl again, you bastard, I'll make
sure you can never be able to do anything with them." She held up her other
hand and summoned a snarling, writhing ball of lightning, which definitely
caught the guy's attention. Holding that ball of energy near his private
parts, she said in her most threatening voice, "This is your only word of
warning. Next time I will scorch you in some very painful places!" Dumping
him on the ground in the puddle of whiskey and whatever, she left the club,
noticing that not a single person had even paid attention to the goings on.
((And I don't even get paid to defend these people from monsters,))
Makoto sighed with a shake of her head. ((Sometimes it makes me wonder who
the monsters really are.)) But that wasn't the important thing at the
moment--Minako was. With relief on her face, Makoto left the club and
headed down the street, towards a simple coffee shop around the corner.
=<+>=
Costa Mesa, California
((Oh hell, what a rough night that was.)) Serena stretched, yawned,
then began to reach for something decent to wear--at least something decent
enough to make it to the kitchen, and a satisfying cup of java. Getting up
early on a Saturday was not one of her favorite things to do, especially
after a rough night last night, and the maybe four hours of sleep she just
got. ((Didn't think I was going to be able to take down that entire drug
deal by myself, but I did. And I'm sore all over. Note to self: never take
on four armor suits at once while someone is strafing above with an attack
chopper. But at least the Del Fuca cartel's out of business.))
Serena thought for a second about going back to sleep, but she had a
dozen things to do today. With no real need for Sailor Moon to show up on
Southern Cal streets today, it would give Serena a chance to take care of a
few things today. She still had her report to do for class, and some final
touch-ups to do to her new store, now located in the Pierside Plaza, across
the street from the Huntington Beach pier. Additionally, she wanted to
actually do a couple of "normal person" things today, like a movie or
something, and none of that was going to happen if she stayed in bed.
As she got out of the sheets, she realized that she'd went to bed fully
dressed in her combat gear--and that it needed some washing and mending.
Figuring she was dressed enough, she stretched once more and went
downstairs. After all, this was her place, and the only other person who
lived here was her ward and teammate, so no problem, right? Besides, it was
about eight in the morning, realistically too early to have guests over, she
thought as she beelined towards the kitchen, right into...
"Oh, hiya, Serena!"
"Mornin' S'rena!"
"Hiya!"
...Heather, Suzanna, and Brenda, all three perched in front of the TV,
eating cereal and watching cartoons. And here Serena was, standing right in
front of them, wearing her battle gear. Two things came to mind: one, she
was exposed, as Brenda was not one of the few in the know. Two, she was
going to kill Suzanna and Heather for not telling her. The look on Brenda's
face was one of total and utter astonishment, and Serena knew that she'd
been outed.
"You...Serena...." Brenda said in astonishment. Turning back to
Heather, she said, "Wow, you're right! The costume really does look make
her like Sailor Moon!"
"Look, girls, I know how this lo... 'looks like Sailor Moon'?" Serena
said, Brenda's words finally sinking in.
"So," Heather said, seeing the look on Serena's face, "Have a fun time
at that costume party? I didn't hear you pull up until 3:30 or so. Oh, and
since you were gonna be gone all night, I sorta invited Sue and Brenda over.
Thought you wouldn't mind." Heather gently nudged Suzanna with her elbow.
"I figured you'd be a bit groggy, so I made the double caf Kona blend."
"How did you know I was going to be out of bed so late?" Serena asked,
her mind still running on auto-pilot as her body moved on instinct for the
coffee maker.
"Simple. It's um, 8 in the morning now. You're usually up at 6. Count
for the fact that you slept in for a change, I knew you'd be up now.
'Sides, I drink coffee too, remember?"
"I hoped that Sailor Moon costume I made you looked authentic enough,"
Suzanna said in what sounded like an apologetic tone. "I've never seen one
of them up close, so I have no idea what material they use in their
costumes."
((I have no idea what they told Brenda,)) Serena thought, ((but I guess
I should be relieved that she's clueless.)) Falling right into step with
the girls' excuses, the blonde moaned as she grabbed a coffee cup and the
carafe. "Naah, there was this girl who looked even more like her than me;
probably helped that she works out more than I do, so she has that real
'buff superhero' look--Sue, you know Julie Gutierrez, right? She's the
one." Serena shrugged elegantly, and added, "Remind me to show you the
pictures when I get them developed. By the way, you shoulda went, Sue. You
would've gotten some interesting design ideas from all those people, and a
couple of cute freshmen were asking about you."
"I...really didn't want to, Serena. I don't like crowds." A signal
that they probably didn't want to continue this, which was something Serena
was already thinking about.
Serena slightly nodded assent as she downed her first cup, then began
pouring another. "Well, after this cup, it's to the shower for me, and to
the washing machine for this thing. I have my essay for my Historical Myths
and Legends class that I have to knock out of the way today, so I'll mainly
be in the office room."
"Speaking of which, I gotta get going," Brenda commented. "Mom wants me
to babysit my little sister while she goes to work today." She got up, and
made her way towards the front door, where her pack already was. Waving a
quick goodbye to the three, Brenda went out of the house, headed towards her
home a few blocks away.
"That was rather abrupt," Serena commented once Brenda exited the house.
"I take it she's still pissed at me for talking to her mother about drug
counseling, huh?"
"A bit," Heather answered, while the look in Suzanna's eyes hinted that
"a bit" was probably an understatement. "So, rough night out in Ontario?"
"Yeah. I probably should have called for backup or something, but you
know me." Serena dropped down into a chair by the kitchen table. "I gotta
admit, the past two weeks of minimal superhero intervention has been great.
We've all been able to do research and solo missions, and it's really helped
the HLO quite a bit." The blonde gave a stern look at her ward. "It's also
given you time to catch up on your grades, I hope."
Heather merely rolled her eyes skyward and gave her trademark "Yes,
'mother'" line of sarcasm. In truth, she was thrilled that Serena chose to
give her a couple of weeks off from being Sailor Saturn. It felt almost
like being a normal girl, and it was a rare opportunity that she'd enjoyed.
Serena couldn't help but grin. "Good. Hope you also got a chance to
relax, too. Take the opportunity while you still have a chance."
"You think something's going to happen, aren't you," Suzanna commented.
No one was sure how Serena did it, but she had a sense of foresight that
seemed to border on the legendary; Suzanna, also born with the same skill
could sense the feeling in the blonde's eyes. Sure enough, when Serena
nodded, the gypsy girl asked, "Think it'll be sometime soon?"
"Not only do I think that, but I'm betting it'll go down sometime today.
Fortunately, I've been wrong before." Unspoken was the small fact that in
cases like this, Serena was rarely wrong. Opening the fridge and reaching
for the last of the cold pizza, Serena said, "Well, you ladies do whatever
you two need to. Anyone needs me, I'll be upstairs in the office room
working on my research."
"Historical Myths and Legends, huh?" Suzanna asked. "That's Professor
Soren's course, isn't it? I've got her for my Cultural Anthropology class."
"Yeah," Serena answered, heading up the steps, coffee and pizza in tow.
"Personally, I think she's a nutcase. She actually believes that not only
was there an Atlantis, but that it was the remains of some ancient kingdom
from 10,000 years ago or something like that." Serena rolled her eyes and
groaned at faculty stupidity. "See you guys later." And with that, she
disappeared back up the stairs.
"I hate it when she does that," Heather muttered as soon as Serena left.
"What, pick on you about your school?"
"Naaah--that I can handle; I know that she's only trying to do that
'foster mother' thing and make sure I keep my grades up an' all. I meant
the regal bit. She's too serious nowadays, if you ask me."
"She's got a lot on her shoulders, Heather. You of all people should
know that."
"I do, Sue," the ravenhair replied, "I do." Heather's lips pursed in
thought before she said, "Hey, let's go get dressed. We're going to the
bank, then the mall. I have an idea, and I want to make sure I have enough
money to pull it off."
"Wanna fill me in?" Suzanna asked, just as the phone rang.
"Well, I think I'm gonna get her flowers or whatever. Something to
cheer her up, y'know?" Bounding over to the phone, she picked it up and
blithely said, "Davenport residence."
"Heather, this is Clare Davids," the voice on the other end said in a
businesslike tone. "I need to get a hold of Serena right now, and I don't
immediately have a way to contact her Comm code."
"She's upstairs, working on some, um, Serena-type stuffage," Heather
said, the look on her face going ashen. Captain Davids, head of the
Southern California HLO, never called Serena at home--and especially over an
unencrypted channel like the main phone line--unless something was
seriously, seriously wrong. "Is this, like, business related?" Putting her
hand over the speaker, Heather silently hefted the phone once and pointed
towards the stairs. Suzanna understood immediately and went up to get
Serena.
"Afraid so, Heather," Davids replied. "In fact, after I'm done talking
to her, you're probably going to wish that I didn't. I know I am."
=<+>=
"My head hurts," a weak Minako replied, her head on Makoto's lap, with
the other two Senshi looking on.
"Better that than something worse," Makoto gently chided. With Minako's
clothing ripped by her ordeal, Hikaru was using her lunar high magic to mend
the torn clothing while the blonde lay there. Hotaru, meanwhile, stood
nearby, projecting a bit of her fearless Sataan self into her normal
appearance; people were shying away from the four as a result, and by the
second stop, their car was completely empty. It also helped that they
caught the last train back to Azabu-cho.
"You need to be more careful, Minako," Makoto replied, gently brushing
the hair out of her friend's eyes. "If we weren't there, you would have
been in real trouble."
"No, I wouldn't have. I knew you were there." Seeing the puzzled look
on Makoto's face, she clarified with, "Setsuna told me you would."
Hikaru didn't bother with stupid questions like "How?" but instead
asked, "Then why did you do this?"
"To see if you all really had faith in me," Minako said in a sad, weary
voice. "Everyone was willing to follow Usagi into the fire, but none of you
trust me to be the leader. I'm doing the best job I can, and I'm not
perfect."
"No one expects you to be," was what Makoto would have said, if her cel
phone hadn't chosen that moment to sound off. "Moshi moshi."
"Makoto, it's Haruka. We have a problem, and I need you to find the
others and bring them to my place as soon as possible. The Outcasts have
surfaced again, and it's not looking pretty."
=<+>=
Littleton, Kansas:
"So, what'll it be, Amy?" the woman at the counter asked.
"Just the usual breakfast, Mae. For both of us, please." Turning to
face Lita, she asked, "So, whadda ya think?"
Lita's face was a study of contrasts; mainly amusement and bemusement.
"You know she's going to kill us both if she finds out about this."
The azurehair's face showed mock surprise. "What, for jogging to Kansas
and back? How do you guys think I'm supposed to stay in shape? I can't run
just ten miles like the rest of you guys, you know."
"You know that's not what I meant," Lita said in a serious voice. To add
to that, she pointed at the pair's current jogging gear--basically their
black winter uniforms, without the top tunics. The white symbols of Mercury
and Jupiter blazed in their embroidered glory on the girls' respective blue
and green tops.
"Look, if I knew you were going to get mad at me for showing you my
private retreat, I wouldn't have asked you to come jogging with me this
morning," Amy answered in a somewhat hurt tone.
"I'm not mad, Amy. If anything, I *am* surprised that you waited so
long to show me. Aren't we supposed to be best friends or something?"
"Lifelong," the Sailor of Speed grinned earnestly. "It's
just...sometimes I need to get away from it all, you know? It's not like I
can really turn to anyone else at home, other than one of us. I just found
this place while I took that week off three years ago, and spent it here
helping the people of this town out--building farms, helping with the chores
and such." Amy waved her arms around the caf�. "Look at all of these
folks, Lita. We're sitting here, and it really doesn't matter to them who
we are. They know I'm Sailor Mercury, and that I'm Amy Andersen, but they
don't care. They treat me like a person here, and I like it. From the
mayor to Bob Ortega and his wife, they just treat me like a local, only that
I live a little farther past the Haskins farm."
"I do have to admit, I does remind me a little of Mexico. The small
town feel, I mean," Lita commented as she picked up her glass of orange
juice. "I don't remember getting much of that growing up in the States.
And these people don't care if you're Mercury?"
Amy's answer to that was to point to a wall over on the far side.
There, in various photos, was Amy, both in and out of Mercury gear,
hobnobbing with several of the locals. "To them, I'm their hero. But more
important than that, I'm a local girl to them. You know, I own a house out
here?"
Lita gave her an odd look. "What?"
"It's true. When Old Widow Parker died two months ago, she left her
farm to me. Obviously I had to put my real name on the deed, but it's not
like it's any big deal or so," Amy commented offhand as the country-style
breakfast plates were placed before her and Lita. "I lease the farmland out
to several of the other families, and give the money to charity. As for the
house, I keep that for myself when I need some time alone."
"Which, of course," Lita jibed, while cutting her ham steak, "you are
going to give me a key today, right?"
"You've already had it for a while." The azurehair's eyes lit up
mischievously. "It's the same key as my apartment."
Lita flashed Amy a smile. "Figures you'd do that. But, it at least now
gives me an excuse to--"
Unfortunately, she never finished her sentence, as the comm-panels on
their shirt chirped at the same time. Instinctively, Amy reached for hers.
"Go ahead, Delphi. This is Code 01, reporting. I have Code 05 with me."
"Mercury, this is Moon. We have a general recall going on, and we're
going to need everyone. I'll need you and Jupiter to report in five minutes
at the hangar. We've got an away mission and--" Sailor Moon paused on her
line and asked, "Is that a diner I hear in the background?"
"Um, we had to stop for breakfast, 00. Even we superheroes have got to
eat, you know."
"Okay. Just make sure you get back from Kansas in time, you two. Ten,
and the clock�s ticking. Code 00 out."
Amy and Lita looked at each other with mild surprise. "How the hell
does she do that?" Lita asked.
"We've known her for ten years now and you still have to ask that
question?" Amy commented, shrugging.
"Right. I guess we take this to go?"
"Already ahead of you two ladies," Mae said, bringing out a to-go
carton. "A couple of breakfast sandwiches and cartons of orange juice for
you two."
"Thanks, Mae," Amy said, grinning. "You're a lifesaver." Plunking a
twenty down on the counter she said, "Give my regards to Bill and the kids,
and I'll see you guys later!" Taking the time to wave goodbye to the rest,
Lita slipped on the harness, double-checked that the line was secure, and
when that was done, Amy then took off for LA at a nice leisurely pace of
Mach 7.5.