Notes at the bottom, as usual.
The majority of characters in this story are owned and/or copyrighted by
Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, Disney, Bandai, Toei Animation, Seagull Entertainment,
Graz Entertainment, Sunrise, Mixxzine, Saban, Playmates, and probably a half
dozen other corporations which I've neglected to mention. I should add for
the benefit of their respective legal departments that I make no claim to
the characters which the previously listed or referred to companies have
copyrighted, and I am not making any money from the distribution of these
stories (if I were, do you think I'd still be working at McDonald's?)
The characters which do not appear in either the Sailor Moon or Ronin
Warriors shows are mine. Touch them and die.
Now that that's out of the way...
Crystal Scouts #11
"Turn Over a New Reef"
For the second time that day, the twelve Scouts teleported into Tori
and Merry's living room. This time, however, no one said a word, flippant,
serious, or otherwise. Nobody wanted to discuss the recent events.
Everyone trooped quietly to their rooms. The only sound made was the
closing and locking of doors.
The phrase "deafening silence" may be an oxymoron, but it definitely
was the truth in this case.
Tori sat on the shingled roof of the Victorian house, knees tucked
under her chin, staring up at the midnight sky. The waning crescent moon
shone dimly, not bright enough to interfere with the stars. A light wind
rustled her long red hair.
Tori rarely retreated into solitude, only doing so when she had a
personal problem she felt she couldn't talk to Merry or Mr. Chen about, which
wasn't very often. Ordinarily she would have worked on the engine of one of
her collection of cars, but that would mean at least partly concentrating on
something, and she wanted to have her mind clear for now. So Tori was doing
something she hadn't done since she was a young child: gazing at the stars.
She wondered if the astrologers were right, if the stars ruled everything...
"Listening to the music of the spheres?"
Tori had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even heard Sailor
Moon approach. "What?"
Sailor Moon took a seat next to Tori, smoothing out her pink skirt.
"The ancient Pythagoreans believed that the movement of the planets in their
assigned orbits produced an ethereal melody, which they called the music of
the spheres. It was their way to explain the harmony of the universe."
Tori's eyes had glazed over at the word "ancient". Great, she
thought, somebody else who wants to educate me. "Oh."
A few seconds passed. "The moon's beautiful tonight, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
A few more seconds. "Do you want to talk about it?"
The floodgates finally opened. "Talk about what?" Tori exploded.
"We just _killed_ someone today and you want to _talk_ about it? My
friends have just accepted what we've done and you want to _talk_ about it?
I'm not even sure I want to do this anymore and you want to _talk_ about it?"
Sailor Moon was unruffled by Tori's outburst. "Point number one,"
she said, "what about all those droids you fought before we arrived?"
"Droids?" Tori asked blankly.
"You know, the monsters."
"So that's what they're called," Tori said. "But they were
different."
"Okay, then here's the important question," Sailor Moon countered.
"Did you destroy them because they were different--because they weren't
human--or because they were evil?"
A long pause. "Because they were evil," Tori finally decided.
"That, in a nutshell, is what Scouts do: destroy evil, wherever and
whenever it's found," Sailor Moon said somberly. "Just remember, sometimes
evil can look a lot like a human being." It can even take the form of a
Sailor, she didn't bother to add.
"You're right," Tori said, lowering her gaze to her knees. "I just
wish--"
"Some things can't be helped," Sailor Moon said sternly. "Some
people, too."
Tori didn't answer. She couldn't answer, really--there was no
response to that inexorable, inescapable aphoristic logic.
"Point number two," Sailor Moon continued. "What's your motivation?"
"Motivation?"
Great, Sailor Moon thought. We're playing the definition game. "The
overriding emotion or virtue that drives your actions."
"I'm--not sure. I don't know what my motivation is." Tori gave a
humorless, hopeless laugh of despair. "I sound like a bad actress."
"What about your friends? What are their motivations?" asked Sailor
Moon. "You should at least know what Merry's is."
"Intelligence. Rationality," Tori replied instantly. "She's always
prided herself on her intellect and its ability to get her through any
situation using reason and logic." Her face took a more contemplative look.
"Sort of like your Sailor Mercury."
"A lot like Sailor Mercury," Sailor Moon agreed.
"Aurelia I'm not really certain about," Tori continued. "She's a
little shy and reserved--" she subconsciously rubbed her neck--"well, most
of the time, at least. I haven't really been around her a lot, but I'd
guess she sees this as a test of her skills--that would explain why she
seems to change personalities almost, when she transforms. As for Gail--"
Tori's nose wrinkled a little--"I think she actually _enjoys_ it. Sailor
Venus does, too."
Sailor Moon smiled slightly. "You probably wouldn't believe it, but
justice is really her motivation. For her, everything's right and wrong,
black and white, no shades of gray."
From the look on Tori's face, it was obvious that the red-haired
girl didn't believe her. Sailor Moon cleared her throat. "And your other
three friends?"
Tori thought for a minute. "Justice, of one form or another," she
finally decided. "Roxanne's is an ideal justice, like what you claim drives
Sailor Venus. She sees things with a good versus evil mentality too.
Chloe's is more of a social justice--chivalry, I guess. Protecting the weak
and that sort of stuff."
"Sailor Jupiter," Sailor Moon interjected.
"And Lucia's justice is divine justice. I think she sort of sees
herself as dispensing the wrath of God."
"So does Sailor Mars," Sailor Moon said. "She's a Shinto priestess."
"Lucia grew up in a Catholic orphanage," Tori supplied.
"All of your friends' motivations are good--well, except maybe for
enjoyment," Sailor Moon began.
"But they all have this streak of--" Tori searched for the right
word--"Machiavellianism in them; that the ends justify the means, that evil
actions are sometimes good. I just can't--" she pulled her knees closer to
her chin--"I just can't think like that." A thought finally struck Tori.
"What's _your_ motivation?"
"Mine is altruism," Sailor Moon replied unhesitantly.
"Altruism?"
This is the last time I give her a definition, Sailor Moon vowed.
"Consideration for others without thought of self; devotion to other or
humanity, even to the point of self-sacrifice."
Tori frowned, slightly annoyed; good, Sailor Moon thought. She's
coming back out of her shell. "I know what it means. What I meant is,
why?"
"Because I believe in everything humanity stands for: its ultimate
ideals, its hopes and dreams," Sailor Moon said simply. "Besides, being
willing to sacrifice oneself instead of others is a powerful antidote to
Machiavellianism." She sighed. "Sacrifice is part of what being a Scout
is all about. You have to sacrifice your life--your own hopes and dreams--
to protect humanity. If you're going to do that, you'd better believe in
what you're defending."
"I see," Tori said quietly, still thinking.
"I think there's more altruism than Machiavellianism in your
friends," Sailor Moon told her. "Deep down, they believe they're doing this
for others, and not for their own benefit."
Again, Tori didn't answer. Sailor Moon's logic was solid as usual.
"Point number three," Sailor Moon said. "Have you actually talked
with your friends yet?"
"Well...no," Tori admitted.
"I would talk with them," Sailor Moon advised, rising to her feet.
"You just might find that they aren't dealing with things as well as you
think they are."
Tori nodded and returned her gaze to the stars. Why is it, she
thought, that others can see so clearly what we ourselves cannot...
Sailor Moon had turned to leave, but stopped suddenly. The air in
front of her seemed to be boiling, distorting the objects behind it.
Roughly of human shape and size, the boiling mass of air seemed to be
blocking her path.
"What--"
The shape coalesced into being, only for a split second, yet long
enough for Sailor Moon to catch a glimpse of pink.
"Coral!" she blurted.
The shape vanished from in front of her to reappear beside Tori, who
had started to rise at Sailor Moon's warning. Once again, the vague shape
focused into the form of Coral.
Coral lowered her shoulder and delivered a shot that would have done
any football coach proud. Caught off guard by Coral's unexpected block,
Tori went down--a lot farther than she would have liked, driven by the twin
forces of Coral's hit and gravity.
Tori slid off the edge of the roof.
Sailor Moon moved toward the edge of the roof. "Tori!"
Coral had already positioned herself between the roof's edge and
Sailor Moon, as if defying her to come any closer.
"I wanted to talk to you alone," Coral explained.
"You could have asked," Sailor Moon replied acidly.
"I didn't have much time," Coral replied. There was something
different in her eyes now--a look of pleading.
"I need a favor."
Tori hung by her fingertips from the edge of the roof. She'd have
to haul herself back up by arm strength alone; the roof stuck out a little
too far for her to plant her feet on the wall.
But there was no sense in pulling herself back to safety now, not
with Coral likely still waiting up there to shove her back down. There was
no sense in calling for help either, for the same reason.
What she really wanted was to see Sailor Moon lean her pink-haired
head over the edge and pull her back to safety. But there was about as much
chance of a powerless Sailor Moon defeating Coral single-handedly as there
was of that Gates guy up in Redmond selling off his computer company and
becoming a monk.
There was a much better chance of someone inside the house coming to
her rescue. Gail or Sailor Mars should have sensed Coral, or maybe Lucia had
had one of her premonitions. Barring that, it was up to one of the other
seven to just happen to check on the roof; not likely, but more likely than
Sailor Moon saving her.
Tori spent a few seconds calculating the total probability; she
really didn't have anything else to do. Three out of ten--thirty percent--
plus a little extra...thirty-three percent. A one in three chance of being
rescued.
One in three...one in three...
Tori's fingers began to go numb.
"What kind of favor?" Sailor Moon asked warily.
"I need--I want you to heal me."
Sailor Moon was completely taken aback by Coral's request. "Why?"
"Remember the Four Sisters?"
"Yes."
"They were--are--my cousins."
Sailor Moon took a deep breath, then sighed heavily. She _really_
didn't want to have to say this. "I'm sorry, Coral. I can't heal you."
The pleading tone rose an octave to desperation. "What do you mean
you can't heal me?"
"I don't have the Silver Crystal."
"You've got the seven Rainbow Crystals, don't you?"
Sailor Moon shook her head. "Not the same thing."
"So you can't heal me?" Coral reiterated.
Sailor Moon sighed again. "No."
Desperation dropped two octaves to icy coldness. "_Can't_ or
_won't_?"
"Coral, I--"
"Fine," Coral snapped, cutting her off. "From this moment on, you
and I are enemies." She abruptly vanished.
Sailor Moon stared at the spot where Coral had been for a few seconds
before she remembered who else had been on the roof with her. She rushed to
the edge to find Tori still there, nearly at the limits of her endurance.
"About time somebody got here," Tori said, grasping Sailor Moon's
outstretched arm.
"Sorry," Sailor Moon apologized, taking Tori's shirt and lifting her
up onto the roof. "Coral wanted to talk."
"She had a nice way of telling me that," Tori muttered.
The two leaders turned to face their teammates, who had joined them
while Sailor Moon was rescuing Tori.
"Sorry we're late," the Indigo Sailor said, pointing at Sailor Mars.
"Li'l Miss Teamwork here wanted ta rustle everybody up first and then come
up here together."
Sailor Mars made no apologies for her actions. She was having enough
trouble as it was keeping her temper in check around this stupid loudmouthed
upstart.
Sailor Moon was back in command mode. "It doesn't matter.
Everything's taken care of now--but we need to have a meeting."
"But it's--" Sailor Venus began.
"I am fully aware of what time it is," Sailor Moon smoothly cut in,
"but there are some important new developments that I must discuss
with you." She turned to go inside, leaving Sailor Venus and the others no
choice but to follow her.
It took Sailor Moon about fifteen minutes to fill the others in on
the events which had transpired on the roof.
"So she asked you to heal her?" Roxanne asked in disbelief. "Was
she sincere about it?"
"Yes," Sailor Moon concluded. "She wouldn't have asked me otherwise.
She also wouldn't have volunteered the information on her cousins." She
smiled wanly. "She also could have killed me when she found out that I
wasn't armed with the Silver Crystal--but she didn't."
Sailor Mercury sat quietly pondering, creating alternatives,
discarding most, rating others on their possibility of success. She had
just come up with one that might work when her train of thought was
derailed...
"Still, none of that matters now," Sailor Moon sighed. "Do me a
favor, Sailor Mercury, and scan the city. If nothing turns up, we can go
back to sleep for a while."
Sailor Mercury quickly tapped out a sequence of keys on her computer.
The look on her face told the Scouts that they wouldn't be returning to bed
anytime soon.
"We've got problems," Sailor Mercury said.
"Spit it out," Sailor Venus prompted, missing the importance of
Sailor Mercury's grammatically correct use of the plural.
"Four of them, to be precise."
"Four of them," Gail and Sailor Venus chorused, both cracking their
knuckles. A sour look passed between them.
"Four teams of three each," Roxanne suggested.
"Locations, please," Sailor Moon requested.
Sailor Mercury punched another key sequence. "The Golden Gate
Bridge, the Transamerica Pyramid, the United States Mint, and the Candlestick
Park."
"It's just plain Candlestick Park," Gail corrected.
"What's the connection?" Merry pondered. "They're all landmarks, but
the Golden Gate's the only one that could really cripple the city if it were
destroyed."
"What about the Mint?" asked Sailor Mars. "Wouldn't that destroy the
United States money supply if it were damaged?"
"No," Merry replied. "It's only used to produce commemorative coins.
The mints in Philadelphia and Denver create the coins used by the public.
This one's more of a museum."
Sailor Moon was interested in more practical concerns. "How far
away are each of them?" she asked, turning to Tori.
"The Mint and the Pyramid aren't very far--within running distance,"
Tori replied. "The Gate's on the northwest side of town, and Candlestick's
toward the southeast."
"I'm goin' ta Candlestick," Gail announced.
"I'll go to the bridge," Aurelia said. "I'll take Lucia with me."
"I'll go with them," Sailor Jupiter volunteered.
Tori tossed Aurelia a set of keys. "Take my Camaro," she said.
"Just be careful with it--and try not to get caught."
Aurelia gave a crooked grin and vanished with her teammates.
"I'm heading for the Pyramid," Sailor Venus announced, turning to
leave. Chloe followed her.
"Sailor Mars?" Sailor Moon asked, glancing toward the departing two.
Sailor Mars nodded in understanding and rushed to join them.
"I'll go with Gail," Roxanne finally decided.
"Me too," Sailor Mercury said.
Tori tossed Roxanne another set of keys. "Here's the Windstar,"
she said.
"Aw, man. Why da we have ta take the van?" Gail grumbled.
"Because after you defeat your droid, you're picking everybody else
up," Tori said.
Roxanne grinned. "Do the others know that?"
Tori shrugged. "They will when you show up."
Only Tori, Merry, and Sailor Moon were left in the room now.
"Both leaders in the same group," Sailor Moon observed. "I hoped
that wouldn't happen."
"Too late to call everybody back now," Merry said.
"Don't worry," Tori said. "I think we can protect you as well as
your regular Scout friends do."
If you only knew, thought Sailor Moon. "Are you sure you're up to
this?" she asked Tori.
Tori nodded. "I think I am," she said quietly, just barely loud
enough for Merry to hear. The second half was meant for Sailor Moon's ears
only. "I just don't think I'm ready to kill anybody yet."
Tori was definitely tough, Sailor Moon thought. She just wasn't
killing tough.
Tori did not enjoy killing.
And Sailor Moon thanked the merciful heavens for that.
Given the early hour of the morning, the traffic on the roads was
sparse to say the least.
This was not to say that they were empty; there were still people
running errands even at this ungodly hour of the night. But the current
traffic was nothing compared to what it would be during rush hour just a
few hours from now.
Roxanne was not driving like a senior citizen, hunched over the
steering wheel and doing twenty miles an hour, but she might as well have
been. One semi truck had just passed her and another one was preparing to.
"Ya drive too slow," Gail grouched from the shotgun seat.
"I'm driving the speed limit," Roxanne doggedly persisted.
"This is an emergency situation," Gail pointed out. "Ya oughta
learn how ta drive like a cop." She jammed her foot onto the gas pedal,
on top of Roxanne's, and pressed it to the floor. "Ya just worry about
steerin' and I'll work the pedals."
The Windstar jumped like a kicked horse. It raced past the startled
truck drivers, nearly scaring them off the road. With Roxanne steering and
Gail giving directions, the Windstar got to the ballpark faster than any
Giants fan ever would.
"Here we are," Gail smiled happily--a very rare occurrence.
"Candlestick Park."
"I thought it was 3Com Park now," Roxanne said.
The grumpy Gail was back in an instant. "Yeah, yeah, you're very
smart. Now shut up."
Sailor Mercury seemed to have taken no notice of their argument.
"The droid is directly on top of the pitcher's mound," she announced after
checking her computer screen.
"Your computer can do a lot of stuff, can't it?" asked Gail.
"Yes," Sailor Mercury said. "But--"
"What're the odds that the Giants'll win the World Series?"
"I don't see--"
"Just do it," Gail insisted.
Sailor Mercury tapped a few keys. Roxanne peeked over her shoulder
at the result. "That's a lot of zeroes."
"The Giants' chances are about the same as a cigarette smoker
surviving in a fireworks factory," Sailor Mercury announced.
"Uh oh, Gail," Roxanne joked. "Better call your bookie and cancel
your bets."
"Shut up and transform," Gail replied angrily. "We got a fight ta
finish."
Two transformation phrases later, the three Scouts were racing toward
the playing field. Sailor Mercury had taken the lead, still scanning the
area with Quicksilver, with the Orange Sailor right behind her and the
Indigo Sailor in the rear, one hand held oddly behind her back.
The monster was exactly where Sailor Mercury had predicted it would
be. It wore a baseball uniform, complete with cleats and cap, and appeared
to be burying something underneath the mound. The three Scouts managed to
slip unnoticed onto the field.
"Wonder if it's got a gun for an arm," the Orange Sailor quipped.
The monster heard her. It did.
Baseballs began to fly like bullets from the cannon on its arm.
Sailor Mercury and the Orange Sailor tried to dodge them as best they could.
The Indigo Sailor was nowhere in sight.
"Aren't you supposed to get a free base if you get hit by a pitch?"
the Orange Sailor complained, just barely ducking a fastball.
"Not in this game," Sailor Mercury replied, doing some artful dodging
of her own.
"Hey, pal!" came the voice of the Indigo Sailor. "Quit attackin' my
friends!"
The monster searched for the source of the voice, finally locating
it at home plate.
The Indigo Sailor stood in the batter's box, revealing to her friends
and the monster exactly what she had held behind her back--a Louisville
Slugger. "C'mon and try ta get a piece of me instead," she taunted.
The monster let loose with a fastball straight at the Indigo Sailor's
head. Anticipating that, the Indigo Sailor had taken a step backward as the
pitch had been delivered. The white ash bat whipped off her shoulder and
impacted the ball solidly.
The screaming line drive back to the box hit the monster squarely in
the chest. It disintegrated into dust before anyone could make another move.
"Aw, man," the Indigo Sailor complained. "I was hopin' ta hit it
outta here."
"You did a pretty good job as it was," the Orange Sailor said. "What
I don't get is why the Black Moon would even send a monster that could be
defeated so easily--without magical attack powers, I mean."
"Decoy," Sailor Mercury answered succinctly.
"Meaning that one of the other groups of our friends is fighting the
true monster."
"One or none," Sailor Mercury replied. "All those other droids
could also be distractions as well."
"Only one way to find out," said the Orange Sailor, detransforming
and trading her orange crystal for the keys in her pocket. "Let's go."
Roxanne and Sailor Mercury rushed off before finally realizing that
they'd left the third member of their team behind. "Are you coming?" Roxanne
called.
"Be right with ya," the Indigo Sailor yelled back. She quickly
grabbed one of the baseballs left behind by the monster. Lobbing it into
the air, she swung the bat, cleanly golfing the ball into straightaway center
four hundred feet away.
With a satisfied smile on her face, the Indigo Sailor tossed the bat
across her shoulder and raced to catch up with her teammates.
Three Scouts ascended the steps of the U.S. Mint and made their way
inside. They found no one to herald or object to their entrance.
"Pretty deserted," the Red Sailor observed. Her heart was starting
to beat a little faster, something that usually only happened during a test
from Ms. Nielsen.
"The security staff has probably already been dealt with by the
monster," the Blue Sailor said.
"Which means we don't have much time to lose, if we want to help
them," Sailor Moon said. "Let's go."
The three rushed past the exhibits of ancient coins and paper money,
as well as the huge presses and coining dies which were occasionally still
put to use. The Blue Sailor led the way, with Sailor Moon in the middle and
the Red Sailor bringing up the rear.
The monster attacked so quickly that none of the three had a chance
to react and to stop it.
A gleaming monster, bright burnishing gold, suddenly appeared in
front of the Blue Sailor. With silver claws flashing from its paw, the
monster swatted her away to its right. A brutal backhand swipe sent Sailor
Moon flying in the opposite direction, pink ponytails trailing like
streamers.
The monster grasped the front of the Red Sailor's collar and slammed
her up against one of the nearby machines. It raised its glittering claws,
prepared to slice through her head. Yet instead of doing so, it slowly
lowered its paw as a dull whine behind the Red Sailor rose to a thunderous
roar. The Red Sailor latched onto the monster's forearm as it began to
force her backwards. Time seemed to slow down as her brain kicked into
panic gear.
Somehow the monster, probably by slamming her into it, had managed
to turn on the coin pressing machine, which used heavy rollers to turn bars
of bullion into thin strips of metal, from which coins could then be punched.
It was these rollers that the monster was now trying to force her head into.
The monster now wore an unholy grin, teeth the same bright silver as
the claws. The pressure exerted by the creature increased as the Red
Sailor's head drew closer to the spinning cylinders of certain slaughter.
The Red Sailor's eyes glanced quickly at her fallen friends, first
to the Blue Sailor on her left, then to Sailor Moon on her right. Neither
one was moving, which meant that she had to defeat this monster on her own--
not to mention the other monsters she was fighting within her own mind.
She felt like she had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the
other, both giving her advice. Only the Red Sailor wasn't sure which was
which anymore.
Come on, Tori girl, fry this creep with your fire...
No...fire burns...fire kills...remember Pearl...vow of altruism...
Sailor Moon's voice now: "Consideration for others without thought of
self; devotion to others or humanity, even to the point of self-sacrifice."
Another voice, one she'd never heard before, girl's voice, highly
cultured, British accent: "Sacrifice is very noble, but it's almost like
giving up."
Still another voice she'd never heard before, a soft yet still
powerful voice, regal in tone: "Sacrifice is indeed a noble virtue. But do
not practice it frequently or it becomes cowardice."
Merry's voice, playing chess: "Sacrifice is worthless if you gain
nothing from it."
The Red Sailor's eyes glanced back at the still unconscious Blue
Sailor. Sacrificing herself now would only mean one dead Scout, with two
more to soon follow.
Altruism might be a virtue, but there was that part in there about
"humanity". She didn't owe this monster anything, but there were plenty of
friends and family who would miss her if she were gone.
Someday, if the time was right, if it was absolutely necessary, she
would sacrifice herself to save others.
Today was not that day.
Now was not the time.
And it was nowhere near necessary.
The Red Sailor's red eyes flashed with a lambent glare. Surprised
at seeing the fear and doubt in its captive's eyes suddenly vanish, the
monster let up slightly on its inexorable pressure.
That was its fatal mistake.
Shifting her grip and her weight, the Red Sailor broke the monster's
grip on her uniform, feeding its clawed arm instead of her head into the
machine.
Within seconds, the monster was reduced to dust. A small part of the
Red Sailor's mind idly wondered whether bad deeds done by good people while
combatting evil were also evil.
The answer she came up with was no. Besides, she had more important
things to worry about--like her teammates.
The Red Sailor rushed to the Blue Sailor, cradling her head in her
arms. "Come on, Merry," she whispered. "Wake up. Please be all right..."
The Blue Sailor's eyes fluttered open--not wide open, but a good
sign nevertheless. Her light blue eyes took a few seconds to focus on the
Red Sailor. "Not supposed to call...each other by our real...names when
transformed."
"Good old Blue Sailor," the Red Sailor grinned Her smile vanished
when she noticed her friend's chest bow. There was a deep gouge in the
button, almost completely obliterating the blue crystal symbol. "Are you
sure you're all right?"
"I'm not bleeding, am I?"
"No," the Red Sailor agreed. A hand clasped her shoulder. The Red
Sailor was within a split-second of attacking when she heard its owner's
voice.
"It'll repair itself the next time she transforms," Sailor Moon said.
"You wouldn't believe how many times I tore this uniform up when I was...
younger."
"Are you okay?" the Red Sailor asked her.
"I feel like a cat that went through a clothes dryer," Sailor Moon
smiled. "Other than that, I'm fine."
"Good. Help me with the Blue Sailor, then."
"I can walk," the Blue Sailor insisted, gamely rising to her feet
before her legs gave out from underneath her. She would have fallen to the
floor if she hadn't grabbed the Red Sailor's arm for support.
"No, you can't," the Red Sailor replied. "Sailor Moon, would you
please get on her other side so we can help her up?"
"No problem," Sailor Moon said, putting the Blue Sailor's arm over
her own shoulders. Together the two lifted the Blue Sailor and began to
walk toward the exit.
"You did a great job of dusting that droid alone," Sailor Moon said
to the Red Sailor.
"Yeah," the Red Sailor replied dully.
"'The greatest evil of all is a good person who stands by and does
nothing,'" Sailor Moon quoted. "Remember that."
The Red Sailor nodded. "Thanks."
On the steps of the Mint, the three exiting Scouts met three entering
ones--Sailor Mercury and the Orange and Indigo Sailors.
The Red Sailor forestalled any questions. "She'll be okay. She just
had her bells rung."
The other Scouts helped the Blue Sailor to a seat in the Windstar.
Sailor Mercury took the seat next to her, rapidly typing data into her
computer.
"We got our monster," the Indigo Sailor announced.
"Two down," Sailor Moon added.
"Where are the keys?" asked the Red Sailor.
"In the ignition," the Orange Sailor replied.
"All aboard, everybody," the Red Sailor said, clambering into the
driver's seat. "We've still got two to go."
The Transamerica Tower, not the Great Pyramid of Cheops, is the
tallest pyramid in the world. Rising eight hundred fifty three feet into
the sky, it dominates the skyline of downtown San Francisco.
Three Scouts burst in the front doors of the Tower, led by Sailor
Venus' direct approach--no graverobbing-style stealth tactics for her. A
cursory search of the area revealed no monsters.
"Let's go up," the Green Sailor suggested, pushing the "up" button
near the bank of elevators. One set of doors opened immediately. "We don't
even have to--"
"Wait!" Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars yelled.
"What?" the Green Sailor asked, puzzled.
"Boobytrapped," the other two Sailors replied, again simultaneously.
"So you want us to climb a million stairs to the top floor?" asked
the Green Sailor doubtfully.
"Fine. If you don't believe me, I'll prove it," Sailor Venus said.
Without stepping inside, she reached into the elevator and pushed the button
for the top floor--number 48. She quickly pulled her arm out before the
doors could close on it.
The elevator rose slowly to the forty-eighth floor, as evidenced by
the floor indicator now being intently watched by all three Scouts. Upon
reaching the forty-eighth floor, it returned downward with considerably more
velocity, finally landing with a crash at the bottom of the shaft.
"I told you so," Sailor Venus said without a hint of triumph.
"Let's go," the Green Sailor said nervously, shaking her head. "I
hear stair-climbing is good exercise."
Sailors Venus and Mars charged up the stairs behind her. "Just
remember to stop at the forty-seventh floor," Sailor Venus said.
"Why?" the Green Sailor asked, glancing over her shoulder. "Is the
top floor boobytrapped too?"
Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus merely nodded.
By the twenty-fifth floor, the Green Sailor had lost much of the
bounce in her step.
By the forty-fifth floor, she was near the limit of her endurance.
Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus looked as if they could continue
forever--although, of course, they'd had the benefit of centuries of
training.
"Only two more stories to go," Sailor Mars announced encouragingly.
"Two...more...?" the Green Sailor gasped, nearly collapsing.
"No time," Sailor Venus stated, shaking her head disparagingly. She
lifted the Green Sailor and carried her piggyback style. The three Scouts
made it safely to the forty-seventh floor.
Sailor Venus managed to open a window, sticking her head outside and
looking in all directions, finally holding her gaze on the floor above her.
"What are you doing?" asked the Green Sailor.
Sailor Venus motioned for her to keep her voice down. "I was going
to try to climb up to the top floor, but I can see the droid from here.
It's fixing some kind of machine to the top of the pyramid," she whispered.
"You two come here and hold onto my legs."
The two other Scouts did as they were (sort of) asked. "What are
you going to do?" asked the Green Sailor.
"Hang on--literally--and watch," Sailor Venus replied. She raised
her right arm, lining up her aim on the back of the monster's head.
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
The golden laser beam lanced out, carving through the monster and
the base of the machine. Both came sliding down the building toward Sailor
Venus.
"Pull me in!" she yelled.
Sailor Mars and the Green Sailor hauled Sailor Venus through the
window a split-second before the mass of metal and monster flew by on its
way to oblivion. The monster was already beginning to disintegrate into
dust.
The three Scouts managed to stick their heads out the window just
before the remnants hit the ground, with the requisite Wile E. Coyote dust
cloud provided by what was left of the monster.
The three triumphant Scouts returned to the ground floor and exited
the building to find the Windstar's front bumper a scant twelve inches from
the twisted remains of the infernal machine.
"Would you mind explaining this?" asked the Red Sailor.
"The droid was working without a safety belt," Sailor Venus said
sarcastically. "It was an accident waiting to happen."
"We could have analyzed the machine if it had been left intact,"
Sailor Mercury pointed out.
"Oh well," Sailor Venus shrugged. "It's a lot less dangerous if
it's busted."
"Did you destroy the droid?" Sailor Moon asked.
"What's left of it is under what's left of the machine," Sailor
Mars answered.
"Pile on in, everybody," the Red Sailor said. "The Scout tour bus
has one more stop to make."
As the Purple Sailor pulled the Camaro up to the Golden Gate Bridge,
she and her two Scout friends noticed three problems.
First was that all the cars on the bridge had been turned onto their
sides. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anybody inside them.
Second was that the cars had been placed so as to create a roadblock,
preventing anyone from driving onto the bridge.
Third was that the monster, which was ten feet tall and built like a
tank, was now busying itself with snapping the thick steel cables which held
up the suspension bridge.
The Yellow Sailor leaped onto one of the cars. "/Hold it!/" she
shouted. "/This bridge is for driving and architectural appreciation, not
for destruction!/"
Sailor Jupiter may not have understood her words, but she caught
their general meaning. "No speeches!" she warned. "Just destroy the droid!"
The Purple Sailor wasted no words. "Metal--Chain!"
The monster tore another length of cable from the bridge, snapping
it like a whip against the Purple Sailor's chain. The tips of the two
intertwined. With another quick jerk, the monster ripped the Purple Sailor's
chain from her hands, jettisoning cable and chain into San Francisco Bay.
Sailor Jupiter next caught the monster's attention. She folded her
arms over her chest as a lightning rod extended from her tiara, calling down
a thunderbolt from the heavens. "Jupiter Thunder Crash!" she shouted,
flinging her arms open wide.
The monster quickly dodged to the left, escaping Sailor Jupiter's
attack. It ran right into the Yellow Sailor's, who had prepared her ball
of light while the monster was distracted with Sailor Jupiter. The monster
collapsed into dust.
"/Good job, Yellow Sailor,/" the Purple Sailor praised, replacing
the missing suspension cables with lengths of her chains.
"/Thanks,/" the Yellow Sailor replied, helping Sailor Jupiter to
right some of the cars.
The Windstar pulled up to the bridge, and the rest of the Scouts
climbed out. Sailor Venus and the Indigo Sailor decided to help Sailor
Jupiter and the Yellow Sailor tip cars back over.
"Somebody made a mess," said the Indigo Sailor dryly.
"Get used to cleanup duty," retorted Sailor Venus.
"How did the fight go?" the Red Sailor asked.
"The usual," the Purple Sailor replied, tying up her final chain.
"Monster shows up, we show up, monster attacks us, we blast monster, monster
turns to dust."
"You actually had to attack it with your elemental power?"
"Yyesss," the Purple Sailor answered slowly. "Why?"
"Because we didn't have to use ours at all. The other three monsters
were destroyed by physical means alone."
"Speak for yourself," Sailor Venus stated, joining the others. "I
blasted our droid with my Crescent Beam before the machine even touched it."
"Are you sure?" asked the Red Sailor.
Sailor Venus fixed her with a withering stare. "I don't miss."
The Red Sailor averted her eyes. "The Indigo Sailor got hers with
a baseball."
"So what are you saying?" the Purple Sailor finally asked. "That
we're getting stronger?"
"No. I'm saying this was too easy. Sailor Mercury's theory was
that some of the monsters were decoys; I'm saying they _all_ were--used like
misdirection in a magician's performance to divert our attention from the
real secret of the trick."
"I agree," Sailor Moon stated. "Sailor Mercury, scan the city one
more time."
Sailor Mercury did so. "Quicksilver is picking up a disturbance on
Alcatraz Island."
The seven Crystal Scouts, who knew exactly where Alcatraz was,
instinctively looked out over the bay at it.
"It's labeled as a United States federal prison," Sailor Mercury
added, a trifle worriedly.
"Which has been closed since the Kennedy administration in the '60s,"
the Indigo Sailor laughed.
"Too bad," Sailor Venus sniped. "You won't get to see any of your
friends."
"Stop it, both of you," the Red Sailor commanded.
Sailor Venus turned on her. "Don't order me around."
"Shut up, Sailor Venus," ordered Sailor Moon.
Sailor Venus glared sullenly at the two leaders, but did as she was
told.
"Let's go, everybody," Sailor Moon said. "We're teleporting in."
The twelve Scouts landed in the middle of the prison courtyard.
Coral was already there, her hand placed protectively on a large device.
"Welcome, Scouts," she said grandly. "You certainly know how to
make a dramatic entrance at the last minute--I mean that quite literally
this time."
"What are you talking about?" asked the Red Sailor.
Coral patted the device. "This is an energy bomb, set to go off in
one minute--oops, fifty eight seconds. It will create a massive tidal wave,
inundating San Francisco and releasing large amounts of energy, which my
machine on the forty-eighth floor of the Transamerica Tower will collect.
You must admit, placing a decoy machine on the outside was a stroke of
genius."
"You destroyed her machines, didn't you?" Sailor Moon asked Sailor
Venus. "Both of them?"
"Uhh...yeah," Sailor Venus lied.
"Give up, Coral," the Red Sailor said. "You brilliant plan has
failed."
"I think not," Coral replied. I may die, but I'll take you with me.
Thirty seconds left--I suggest you prepare your souls for eternity."
"If you want us, just say so," Sailor Moon said, voice beginning to
rise in frustration, "but don't kill over a million innocent people too."
"Why are you acting like this is my fault?" Coral asked. "_You're_
the one who could have prevented this. All you had to do was heal me when I
asked you to. Which of us is more evil? I'm only following my Commander's
orders. You refused, of your own free will, a request from someone who
genuinely needed your assistance."
"But she _can_ heal you!" Sailor Mercury interrupted.
"Liar. You're just trying to stall for more time--you have fifteen
seconds."
Sailor Mercury had rapidly whispered something into Sailor Moon's
ear. "It'll work," she nodded confidently. "What do you say, Coral?"
Sailor Moon took a step toward Coral and the bomb.
"Don't come any closer!" Coral warned hysterically.
"Either certain death or a chance at a new life," Sailor Moon said,
continuing to advance. "It's your choice, Coral."
Sailor Moon reached the bomb without interference from Coral and
removed the access panel cover to reveal two main wires. "Which one do I
pull, Coral?" she said, smiling gently, a warm smile of friendship. "The
red or the green?"
"The red one," Coral replied quietly, head bowed.
Sailor Moon pulled the green wire. The bomb's timer stopped with
two seconds left. A collective sigh of relief come from the other eleven
observing Scouts.
Sailor Moon's smile remained in place, but it was now humorless.
"That's the last time you lie to me, Coral. Do you still want to be
healed?"
"I didn't lie," Coral replied. "Disconnecting either wire would
have disarmed the bomb. And the answer is still yes."
"I'm going to need your help on this one, Crystal Scouts," Sailor
Moon said. "First, I need you all to detransform."
More than one of the Crystal Scouts would have questioned had it not
been for the supreme confidence with which she gave it. As it was, they did
as asked without complaint.
"Second, I need you all to call out your transformation phrase,"
Sailor Moon said, carefully removing the brooch from the bow on her chest.
"But I need you to direct the energy at this brooch," she clarified, holding
it high. "Ready?"
Seven rainbow beams lanced out, converging on the golden brooch and
endowing it with a blazing white-hot aura. The Red Sailor could have sworn,
before she was forced to look away, that Sailor Moon's skirt and bow had
changed colors to dark blue and red.
"Step three's all mine," Sailor Moon called out from the white pillar
of fire. "Moon Healing Activation!"
The white light of the brooch turned pink as it streaked toward
Coral, washing over and obscuring her as well.
A few seconds later, Coral stood revealed, looking none the worse for
wear, much the same as usual, with one small exception.
The inverted Black Moon insignia that had once graced her forehead
was now gone.
Coral stood in a terminal of the San Francisco International Airport,
full suitcase in one hand, plane ticket in the other. She was no longer
wearing her Black Moon outfit, but had switched to denim jeans and a turtle-
neck sweater--both in cotton candy pink. (Some things never change.)
She was surrounded by her twelve new friends. Five of them wore
long trenchcoats, which was a little weird for this time of year, but this
was San Francisco in the United States of America, where you had the right
to do any weird thing you wanted to do.
One of those five--Sailor Venus--had bloodshot eyes and was having
trouble staying awake, though she was hiding it well. While Tori and Merry
had taken Coral shopping for a new wardrobe and the other Scouts were
catching some sleep, Sailor Venus had snuck back to the Transamerica Tower
to destroy the machine she'd missed the first time around.
"Thank you, Rini," Coral said, carefully selecting her choice of
names. Eyes brimming with tears, she drew the pink-haired girl into an
embrace. "You'll never know how much this means to me."
"Actually," Sailor Moon replied, her own eyes moist, "I do." She
stepped back from Coral's hug. "Tell Catzy and the gang the Rabbit says hi."
"They'll really get a kick out of that," Coral grinned. She turned
to the seven Rainbow Crystal holders. "Tori, Merry, everybody, thanks for
everything."
Tori shrugged. "What's money for if you can't spend it on your
friends?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it," Coral mock-pouted.
Tori smiled. "I'm just glad we could help."
The loudspeaker interrupted them. "Last call for Flight 286 to
Tokyo. Last call for Flight 286 to Tokyo."
Sailor Mars quickly pressed a strip of parchment into Coral's hand.
"What's this, Rachel?" Coral asked, staring at the four unfamiliar
characters written on it.
"It's an ofuda," Sailor Mars replied. "When you get on the plane,
say 'Akuryo Taisan' and stick it on the window. It'll help you get to Japan
safely."
"Aku-ryo-tai-san," Coral repeated. "Okay. Got it."
Sailor Moon handed Coral an envelope. "Give this letter to Catzy
when you get there. There are instructions inside that'll tell her what to
do with it."
"No problem. It's the least I can do," Coral said. "Thanks again
for everything, you guys. I promise I'll write."
Tori waved. "Goodbye, Coral."
The others chimed in. "Bye, Coral!"
Coral and the Scouts might have been happy, but Coral's former boss
was definitely not.
"That _traitor!_" the Commander snarled. "That ofuda might get her
to Japan safely, but once she gets there I can do anything I want to her--
as long as I get those Rainbow Crystals!"
The Commander turned to the black one, who had been standing
impassively. "Opal, you're my ace in the hole. Get those Crystals--I don't
care what it takes. Understand?"
Opal cracked her knuckles. She smiled--a malicious, ear-to-ear grin.
Hi, it's me again. Here are the notes...
* The line about evil taking the form of a Sailor refers to
(warning: spoiler ahead, if all you've seen is the English version)
Sailor Stars. _Every_ enemy, from the monster of the day to the evil
bosses are called Sailor Something-or-Other.
(My personal favorite? Sailor Guts. Though the girls' reaction to
Sailor Mademoiselle is priceless too...)
* This list of motivations took an awfully long time to come up
with. Try it sometime--you'll see what I mean.
(I really don't want any mail telling me how completely off I am...)
* I think I've got the group dynamics pretty well down as to who
will and won't work with each other.
* You should be able to figure out who the voices are that Tori
hears in her head. If not...Sailor Moon (Rini), Amy, Queen Serenity,
and Merry, in that order.
* The "Akuryo Taisan" prayer with the ofuda is, of course, what
the NA dub refers to as "Mars Fireball Charge." Though Mixxzine kept
it in Japanese, of course. Go figure...
* This will be the last time I'll write notes for this series,
I think. It's already far enough into the storyline that I don't
really believe any more notes are necessary. Of course, if I think
something is sufficiently important, I'll have a special note on it
down here. Lately, this section just seems to be full of my
ramblings...
(
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