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 #7
"Let Your Little Light Shine"
Tori settled into the plush seat of the Nautilus jet. "Definitely
more comfortable than the ones on our last plane ride."
"Speak for yourself," Gail grunted. "I can't believe they don't
tape broken ribs anymore."
Merry turned to Aurelia. "I'm glad you decided to come with us."
"Me too, I guess," Aurelia said glumly. "I'm going to miss
Klondike."
"She wouldn't like San Francisco much. You'd have to keep her in
a cage all the time."
"I know that." Same flat monotone.
"Brian could always fly you home whenever you feel like it."
"I don't think I'm going to do that yet," Aurelia replied. "At
least not until we find out who's behind these monsters."
"Doesn't matter who's behind 'em," Gail said. "Whoever it is, he's
a coward. Doesn't fight his own battles."
"Don't underestimate him," Aurelia warned. "He's not their leader
for no reason at all."
"Bet I can take him," Gail replied. "One handed. Without powers."
Aurelia smiled to herself and leaned back in her seat.
The pilot, Brian Hawkes, stepped into the cabin. He was about
twenty-five, six feet tall and muscular, with light brown hair and brown
eyes.
"Ready to go yet, Brian?" Tori asked.
"Almost. Everybody buckled in tight?"
Gail snorted. "'Bout as tight as it's gonna get."
"Okay," Brian continued. "By the time we get to Paris, it'll be
Tuesday--April 1--there, and about nine in the morning. You might need to
adjust your watches now--set them ahead eight hours--and get some sleep.
If I need a co-pilot, I'll come and get one of you. All right?"
"Yup. Thanks, Brian," Tori said.
Brian waved a goodbye as he re-entered the cockpit. Ten minutes
later, the jet was taxiing down the runway, headed across the Atlantic.
At nine-thirty Tuesday morning in Paris, the Nautilus jet touched
down at Charles de Gaulle International Airport. The six girls gathered
up their luggage as the stairs were lowered.
"Have a good time, girls," Brian said. "I'll be waiting for you."
"You sound like Dad," Tori laughed. "We don't know how long we'll
be here. You might want to go out--we'll just page you when we get back to
the airport."
"Okay," Brian agreed. "Just call if you're planning to get a hotel
room or something for the night. Your parents made it pretty clear that I'm
responsible for you all."
"What--did they threaten to fire you?"
"According to them, if you get hurt, that'll be the least of my
troubles."
"Don't worry, Brian," Tori said. "It's not like we're going to get
attacked by monsters or abducted by aliens or anything. We can take care of
ourselves."
"Like I haven't heard that before," Brian muttered. "See you all
later--I hope."
The six girls put their luggage into storage lockers. "This way,
we can always come back and get them later," reasoned Tori."
"So why was Brian so worried about us?" Roxanne asked.
"Remember how I told you about first going to San Francisco when I
was fifteen?"
"Yeah."
"Brian was our chaperone. We did the usual tourist stuff: cable
cars, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street and all the rest. We were driving
across the Golden Gate when I decided I wanted a better view of Alcatraz."
Tori looked embarrassed. "I almost fell off the bridge."
"Oh."
"Ever since then, Brian's been--"
"Protective?" Roxanne supplied.
"No, ragging on me about it," Tori answered. "But I'm watching him.
One of these days he'll make a mistake, too."
The girls had finally reached the airport's bus depot.
"I finally get to visit the Louvre!" said Chloe exuberantly.
"I'm going to see the Arc d'Triomphe," Roxanne said, going left.
"I'm goin' to the Awful Tower," said Gail, heading to the right.
"Everybody stop!" Tori ordered. More heads than Tori had counted on
turned toward her.
"You've forgotten why we're really here," Tori pointed out. "We'll
do the tourist stuff as soon as we find that crystal. Merry, any plans?"
"Actually, Gail's got the right idea," Merry said. "The Eiffel
Tower would be a good place to start. It's one of the highest places in the
city, and besides, it's also a transmission tower."
The Eiffel Tower sits on the Champ de Mars and rises nine hundred
eighty four feet above the city of Paris (one thousand fifty two if the
transmission tower is added). It has three observation levels at one
hundred eighty nine, three hundred eighty, and nine hundred six feet. The
six girls were on the third.
"This view is incredible!" Chloe marveled. "I'd love to draw this!"
"You can see almost forty miles in any direction," Merry said,
looking up from her laptop for a few seconds.
"Hey, that's the Notre Dame church!" Gail said.
Merry glanced up again. "Yes, that's the Cathedral de Notre Dame,"
she said, correcting Gail's pronunciation.
"I saw it in the movie."
"Disney didn't do the novel justice," Merry replied, still typing.
"Come up with anything yet?" Tori asked.
"I'm overlaying a map of the city onto the coordinates I got from
the satellite," Merry said, "and the results are--an orphanage."
"A _what_?" Chloe asked.
"Glad they don't still have 'em in America," Gail said.
"Or Canada," Aurelia agreed.
"Sainte Anne de Paris, Rue de Anges. It's in a converted church."
Roxanne smiled. "Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary."
"I didn't know you were Catholic."
"Not anymore."
"How far?" Tori asked.
"About three miles from here, to the north," Merry answered.
The six girls rose on a city bus to the orphanage.
"A step down from your usual mode of travel, huh, Tori?" asked
Roxanne.
"I can't get away with speeding here," Tori admitted. "Germany yes,
France no."
"The French hate you, huh?"
"The French hate everybody."
"Girls, I've been doing some thinking," Aurelia said. "What if the
person with the Yellow Crystal is a boy?"
"He'd look pretty stupid in a skirt," Gail snorted.
"I was being serious," Aurelia said.
"So was I."
"I honestly don't know," Merry said. "Maybe he'd wear shorts
instead. Chloe, you're the expert on Sailors. What's your verdict?"
Chloe thought for a few seconds. "All fourteen are female," she
said. "I don't know about the tuxedoed guy or the Arabian sheik. My guess
is they're probably honorary Sailor Scouts at best."
"Fourteen Sailor Scouts in Japan," Tori recalled. "What are their
names?"
"They're all named after the planets--"
"There are only nine planets."
"One for each planet. There's no Sailor Earth--at least yet--so
that makes eight. There are three Star Sailors and three Sailors Moon--
eight plus six is fourteen. They've all got powers which relate to their
mythological counterparts--more or less, that is."
"What about the two guys?" Tori asked.
"They throw roses."
"What kind of weak attack is that?" Gail laughed.
"I wouldn't laugh," Chloe said. "They can stick in concrete."
"_What_?"
"Both the tuxedoed and Arabian guys can embed roses into concrete.
Eyewitnesses have seen them do it."
"I wonder where _their_ greenhouses are."
"Their roses are probably magical, just like our attacks," Chloe
said.
"All the more reason we should meet them," Tori replied. "Right
after we find that last crystal."
The orphanage was a Gothic-style work--not as impressive as Notre
Dame, but beautiful nevertheless. The two stained glass windows in the
front of the orphanage depicted the crucifixion and the Virgin Mary.
Merry knocked on the large oaken doors. A relatively young nun of
about forty answered.
"/Yes?/" the nun asked. "/What can I do for you?/"
"/We would like to see the headmistress,/" Merry replied in flawless
French.
"/Of course,/" the nun said, opening the door wide. "/Right this
way, please./"
The nun led them down the halls to what likely would have been the
bishop's chambers. "/Mother Superior, these visitors are here to see you,/"
she announced.
"I am Sister Marie Catherine, the Mother Superior," the old woman
said. "How can I help you?"
"You speak English?" Chloe blurted.
"Yes. Only because the tourists do not know how to speak the
beautiful French language."
Roxanne nudged Tori. "You were right," she whispered. "The French
do hate everybody."
"The sister who greeted us did not think my French was that bad,"
Merry replied evenly.
"Hmph. You did not come here to waste my time," the Mother Superior
said in an annoyed tone. "What do you want?"
"We want to adopt a child," Merry answered.
"You must be joking," the Mother Superior scoffed. "We do not allow
children to adopt children."
At least she didn't bring up the other argument, Merry thought.
Tori would have gone ballistic. "Perhaps I should explain. My parents
would like to adopt a child. They want to give a disadvantaged orphan a
chance--you know, put some of their money toward a good cause."
"Your parents are rich, then?"
"Ordinarily I'd rather not talk about it, but yes. Billions--as in
thousands of millions."
"I am not unfamiliar with that word," the Mother Superior said
haughtily. "Who are your parents?"
"Timothy and Marta Rivers."
"Never heard of them."
"Ever hear of Nautilus Undersea Mining and Exploration?"
"Yes, I have," the Mother Superior said, drumming her bony fingers
on the desk. "Why adopt an orphan from Paris, though? Why not adopt one in
America and skip all the--red tape, correct?"
"Why not?" Merry replied. "We were in town."
"If your parents wanted an au pair--"
"My parents do _not_ want an au pair!" Merry exploded. The other
girls seemed taken aback by her display of temper--except Tori, who sat with
a secretive smile on her face.
"No need to become angry," the Mother Superior said quickly. "My
apologies. I meant no offense."
Merry settled back into her chair, the slight frown creasing her
brow the only indication of her outburst.
"We have about twenty-five orphans here--all girls, ranging in age
from five to seventeen."
The six girls each inwardly sighed in relief.
"Did your parents have any particular age group in mind?" the Mother
Superior asked.
"Not really," Merry admitted. "Could you give us a tour and let us
meet all of them?"
The Mother Superior rang a bell on her desk. The door was opened
by the nun who had greeted the six girls.
"/Sister Therese, please escort our guests on a tour to meet our
orphans,/" the Mother Superior said.
"/Of course, Mother Superior,/" Sister Therese answered.
"/When did this church become an orphanage?/" Merry asked as Sister
Therese led the group through the former sanctuary, which was now a large
classroom.
"/Shortly after the Second World War,/" Sister Therese replied.
"/It was originally for orphans whose parents had been killed in the war.
It has gained some new members since then, of course, but this has always
been an all-girls orphanage./"
The group entered the narthex of the church. "/The girls are likely
in the dining hall or their chambers below,/" Sister Therese said.
"/Who lives above us?/" Merry suddenly asked.
Sister Therese stopped in surprise. "/Above us?/"
"/Yes. Directly above us--probably in the belfry./"
"/Th--that's Lucia's chambers./"
"/We want to meet Lucia./"
"/I don't know,/" Sister Therese hedged. "/Lucia is a--very special
girl./"
"/What do you mean?/"
"/She--well, since you seem to know about her already, I guess I'll
let you meet her,/" Sister Therese said. "/If she wants to go with you,
that's fine. It's just--I think I'm her only friend./"
She led the six girls up the long and winding staircase to the
belfry. Sister Therese gently rapped on the trapdoor at the top. "/Lucia?
It's me,/" she announced.
A bolt rasped open and the trapdoor was thrown back. Sister Therese
and the six girls entered the belfry.
A girl with blond hair stood in the spartan room, with only a bed,
desk, and bookshelf for furniture. She was taller than all the girls except
Tori and Roxanne.
She charged Sister Therese and threw her arms around the nun. "/My
savior!/" she cried.
Sister Therese blushed. "/Jesus Christ is the Savior,/" she
reminded her.
"/You are my second savior,/" Lucia told her. She reached into her
pocket and held her cupped hands out to Tori. "/See? I have the crystal,
and you've finally come for me!/"
Merry turned to Sister Therese, gently moving her back to the
trapdoor. "/Go tell the Mother Superior that we've made our decision.
We're adopting Lucia./"
"/See what I meant?/" Lucia asked the surprised nun. "/You are my
savior from this awful place!/"
Sister Therese was reduced to incoherence. "/B--but--/"
Aurelia stepped in front of her. "/Please. Just go./"
Sister Therese retreated down the steps as Aurelia closed the
trapdoor behind the nun.
"I didn't know you spoke French," Merry said.
"It's been a while," Aurelia replied. "But it's slowly coming back
to me."
Lucia was staring into Tori's eyes. "/Are your eyes really red?/"
"What'd she say?" Tori asked Merry.
"She wants to know if your eyes are really red."
"Why would I get red contacts?" Tori grumbled. "Yes, of course
they're real. And I think I can see why she was ostracized."
Lucia's eyes were the same shade as her hair--a bright sunny yellow.
"/Sit down,/" she said. "/I will tell you my story./"
"/I was left on the doorstep of this orphanage shortly after I was
born. I was left alone growing up, too--I guess, like my parents, my
classmates couldn't bear my yellow eyes./" She sighed. "/All that changed
when I go this crystal. It--somehow, it gave me the gift of foresight--
precognition, I think it's called. Before, the other girls just left me
alone, but after I got the crystal they turned violent. That's why I was
moved up here./"
Merry was quickly translating for the others, so Aurelia asked the
questions. "/Do you know why they were angry?/"
"/My--precognition--is uncontrollable, especially if someone is
going to be hurt that day, by following whatever course they may say. One
of the other girls said she was going to sneak out--and I told her not to
go; or at least the crystal did. She--she was arrested and was beaten up
in the jail. The others thought I told on her./" She shrugged. "/It's no
fun fighting nine girls at once./"
Gail snorted. "Don't I know it."
"/How did you get the crystal?/" Aurelia asked.
"/I'm not sure,/" Lucia said. "/I left my window open one night,
and it just--appeared--on my bed the next morning. When I picked it up, I
saw all of you. That was the first time I had a premonition--and the first
time I sensed my destiny./"
"/So you knew we were coming?/"
"/Yes,/" Lucia said, grinning as she reached under her bed and
pulled out a couple of suitcases. "/I even packed before you arrived./"
Merry laughed. "/Well, come on, since you're ready to go. We've
got to catch a flight to Tokyo./"
Lucia dropped the suitcases and pressed her hands to her temples in
pain. "/Destruction--death,/" she said in a barely recognizable voice.
"/Terrible future.../"
"/We'll go home instead, to San Francisco,/" Merry quickly said.
Lucia's trance ended as soon as it had begun. "/You see what I
mean?/" she said, a trifle weakly. "/It just--happens./"
Adopting a child was a lot like buying a car, Merry thought. You
paid your money, signed a few forms, and took your purchase off the lot.
Of course, greasing a few palms didn't hurt in this case. While she
didn't like to do it, Merry had to admit that it did make certain things a
lot easier.
Like leaving no paper trails to follow.
Merry took Lucia's file from the Mother Superior and walked from the
office without looking back.
"Incorruptible, my--"
"Ask her," Gail said.
"Did you get it?" Tori asked.
"Yes," Merry said, brandishing Lucia's file.
"Do I want to know what you had to do to get it?"
"Probably not."
Tori sniffed. "Cabs are outside."
Merry turned to Lucia. "/Are you ready to go to America?/"
Lucia smiled, a little wanly. "/Anyplace except Tokyo./"
The seven girls walked outside to the cabs--and to something that
they had half expected to see.
The cabdrivers were unconscious and lying sprawled on the ground. A
caricature of a French artist--beret, striped shirt, scarf, jacket and all--
stood over them, with the gem in his palm raised to the sky. He released a
white beam into the heavens.
"Indigo Crystal Power!" Gail screamed, angry with herself for not
sensing the monster earlier. Like an ancient Viking berserker, she held on
to nothing but the anger, forcing everything else from her mind--including
her Sailor powers.
The Indigo Sailor charged the monster, fists flying. She hit it
twice in the midsection, but it ducked her right cross and landed a punch
solidly in her ribs. The Indigo Sailor went down without a sound.
"/Don't worry, everyone,/" Lucia said, holding up her crystal. "/I
know what to do./" She raised her crystal to the sky. "/Yellow Crystal
Power!/"
A ball of light changed her into the Yellow Sailor.
"/Like a bright ray of light, I am the Yellow Sailor!/" she shouted.
Her hand glowed a bright yellow.
The monster looked at the new distraction. That was its first and
last mistake.
"Lumiere!" the Yellow Sailor yelled, punching toward the monster
with her right fist. "Eclat!" she shouted as she opened her fist.
Like a flashbulb, but millions of times brighter, the ball of light
sped from her hand and into the monster. A few seconds later, nothing was
left of it but ashes and a gray gemstone.
"/Something's wrong,/" the Yellow Sailor said. "/That was too
easy./"
Coral spun happily in her chair. So what if all the crystals had
been activated? Her plan would be that much easier to pull off with all
of the crystals found.
Sending the energy-draining monster had been a stroke of genius.
True, it had been stopped much sooner than she would have liked, but the
energy collected was enough. More than enough.
Coral fired the thrusters and smiled as the spaceship began to move
under its own power again, instead of coasting by gravitational pull.
A red planet came into view in front of the ship. Coral's grin
grew wider.
Next stop: Earth.
Hi, it's me again. Here are the notes...
* As mentioned before in the notes for previous chapters, foreign
languages are offset with "/"s, except for Lucia's attack phrase. They're
left in French for emphasis (besides, I think it's cooler that way.)
* Brian Hawkes' name is a tip of the hat to Terri Hawkes, the second
(and best) English voice of Sailor Moon.
* The quote "The French hate everybody" is adapted from a Warner Bros.
voice tour featuring the voices of Pinky and the Brain, Rob Paulsen and
Maurice LaMarche. (They were asked about the _other_ famous mouse in
animation and the failure of his theme park in France.) If there _are_
any French people reading this...take it up with them...
* There is some controversy as to whether or not Darien is Sailor
Earth, but I still claim that all the Scouts are female.
* The idea that the yellow crystal gives its bearer psychic powers is
based on Amy's maybe-boyfriend Greg from NA episode 23. Presumably the
other crystals have similar powers (such as the indigo crystal's ability to
sense evil.)
* The Yellow Sailor's introduction speech is more or less lifted from
a couple of rarely used ones in the manga, for a couple of the Outers.
(
geocities.com/tokyo/bay) (
geocities.com/tokyo)