5 minutes
time
A siren
rang throughout the Kuriverse Go, signifying the escape of prisoners.
Lord Takeuchi and Ami sat up straight in alarm at that, and rushed down
to the security center. Along the way, they met Avarice also running
back to the security center, Lord Takeuchi’s fuse blew, “Avarice, you were
supposed to be manning the panel!”
“My
lord, I had to go to the prison cells, to let some of my officers into
the prisoners’ section to interrogate some of them. I couldn’t trust them
with my keys!”
“And
in turn you let some prisoners escape?!” By that time they had already
arrived at the security center, and saw the light indicating the maximum-security
cell, flashing. “And of all cells, let the maximum-security cell
prisoners lose? Are you mad? Do you think that I am so stupid as to even
let your little excuse dwell in my mind? Did you even for one moment think
that you would get away with this? Let me tell you then, NO!”
“My
lord, I don’t know how that happened, I checked on it personally.
You two!” Avarice pointed to two men standing behind them, “gather the
corps and check the rest of the manor for the escaped fugitives. I’ll go
over the security tapes right this moment.”
The
two men nodded, and ran off to follow the orders issued. As Avarice
turned back to the panel, he found that Ami had sat at his seat typing
away at a frantic speed. “Excuse me, this is my seat.” He glowered.
Avarice
felt a hand on his shoulder and backed off. Lord Takeuchi was reminding
him of their previous conversation, and he swore that he would pay Ami
back for the disrespect to his personal station.
Ami
turned to the two men and frowned, “Avarice, there has been a huge internal
security breach, I don’t understand how it could have occurred without
your cooperation, unless the person is extremely skilled, and we just don’t
have this type of skill in here.”
Avarice’s
jaw dropped to his knees, SHE was instigating that HE had
somehow had something to do with it? When SHE was the one who was
formerly associated with the enemy? And when SHE was formerly THE
enemy that they had been fighting against?
She
didn’t react to his surprise, “the system has been tampered with, for ten
minutes it has been recording the same frame, we have no idea how those
four escaped other than by your help. You CONVENIENTLY disappeared
about ten minutes ago after pressing a certain button which we have no
way of identifying, and you are the only one with such high-level access.”
“I…
that button was for extra security!” he protested.
“Extra?
Extra MINIMAL security you mean?” Lord Takeuchi held Avarice by
the neck, “we have evidence, that YOU SENT THEM a message to come
here, you have been acting suspiciously all this time, and you have betrayed
us. I should have known better than to entrust the former advisor
of the self-indulgent failure, that self-proclaimed Queen Beryl to this
seat, but no… I didn’t see it until too late, you are the traitor
amongst us. Unbeknownst to you, all of this has your signature on
it, YOUR PIN, even in front of a judge we would have enough evidence
to prove that you have been working behind our backs! You weren’t satisfied
with being our security officer were you? Oh no, you decided to go and
join ranks with the other side... you are going to pay the price for this!”
“My
lo-lord…” Avarice stammered, “it is not me, but her!” He pointed a finger
at Ami, only to find the grasp on his neck even tighter, yet he persisted,
he was going to bring her down. “This women copied down my security PIN
number, she’s been deliberately leaving my trail after her
work to incriminate me, my lord, I have served you faithfully…” He trailed
off, choking by the hold.
Ami
touched Lord Takeuchi softly as if to indicate mercy, yet her eyes which
were trained onto Avarice’s spelt something else, she smiled one of victory,
“and pray tell us Avarice, how did I manage to get your personal, secret
PIN number? The number lies with your pass, which I did not have the privilege
of examining the covered area... not that I remember, did I?”
Avarice
felt his mouth dry; he had been expertly framed. Either way he would
be killed, and Lord Takeuchi would never believe him. Telling Lord
Takeuchi that she had gained his PIN when she struck him down while he
was trying to rape her did not exactly conclude to clearing his name.
Instead, he opted for a less painful death and in exchange for kept his
mouth shut.
“No
more to say huh? Guards, take him away to be beheaded immediately, my lady
and I will be in audience to make sure of his death, feed him to the dogs.”
Lord Takeuchi let the traitor go and walked away from him, only to be succeeded
by a mass of guards to take Avarice to death row.
The trio
looked up as they heard a swishing noise beside them, and a gust of wind
sweeping into the underground room. When the four girls seemingly
tumbled out of a hole in the wall, Mamoru, Luna and Artemis gapped, and
held their breathes for the fifth to appear. However, as the light
and the wind vanished, it became apparent that Ami was not to follow the
rest of the senshi’s return.
“Girls,
I’m so glad that you’re back, where’s Ami? Didn’t you manage to find her?”
Luna asked.
SailorMoon
shook her head and curled up in a fetal position on a stool beside the
wall, tears brimming from her eyes, she choked on the thought. Mamoru
was immediately at hand to comfort her, and helped her from the chair.
SailorMoon and the others transformed before climbing the stairs up to
the café again so that they could talk… Motoki would be very surprised
at the somber mood that even Usagi could be in.
“I still don’t
understand why he would turn away from us like this though.” Lord Takeuchi
paced in his study in a distracted manner.
“Dear,”
Ami reached touched his shoulder, “don’t torture yourself with such a thought,
what you must do now is reconfigure everything that Avarice may have slipped
to the senshi, to make sure that they can’t come back in. Come, sit by
me, you are wearing a hole in the carpet.”
“Yes.”
Lord Takeuchi sat down beside her and massaged his temple, “first of all,
I have to redesign the security system for the Kurizuishou Go again, and
then… How on earth am I going to find someone to do that? Of course!
My dearest, you are the only one I can trust here, would you? Would you
mind terribly?”
She
looked into his imploring eyes and smiled, “of course I will, I will help
you with anything, I’m sure that I can figure out your security system
for you.”
“What
would I do without you?!” He exclaimed and brushed his lips against her
cheeks, jumping up excitedly, he held her hand to lead her out of his study,
“I’ll show you the basic framework of the system right now, so you can
think over the new design.”