Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, please contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. Sailor Sirius is the property of Sharon Williams. Any references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
The Adventures of Talia and Tanya:
The Logic of Romance
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Six
Rating: PG
The lights dimmed and the crowd screamed as one entity from unbridled delight as the curtains rose and three spotlights illuminated three handsome young men on the darkened stage. Sporting silk suits with waist long hair tied in severe ponytails, the performers stood in the center, their heads bowed. As one, the trio, holding wireless microphones raised their heads and the screams of adoration grew louder.
"Good evening. My name is Taiki," said the first man. Dressed in white, he was the tallest of the threesome with chestnut brown hair and deep green eyes.
"Good evening. My name is Seiya," said the man in the middle. Dressed in red, he was shorter than Taiki with jet black hair and dark blue eyes.
"Good evening. My name is Yaten," said the third man. A fraction shorter than Seiya and dressed in blue, he had snow white hair and crystal blue eyes.
Then, as one, the trio shouted: "We're the Three Lights! And we're here to entertain you!"
The stage lights suddenly came on, revealing a six piece band, and with guitars wailing, the Lights broke into a power packed rock song, bringing everyone in the audience to their feet.
Talia and Tanya, seated in the front row center cheered along with the rest of the sold out crowd in the arena. The pretty black girl glanced over at her friend, dressed in a sleeveless, red silk blouse with a mandarin collar and tight black pants, her face fully made up and was amazed at the Vulcan girl's transformation.
Tanya remembered how cold, detached and unemotional Talia was when she first met her little over a month ago. Despite that, Tanya was immediately attracted to Talia, she sensed right away that there was an entirely different side to the enigmatic girl, one that was warm, cheerful and loving, but her strict Vulcan upbringing kept that side of Talia's personality locked away.
From day one, Tanya considered it her mission to bring out Talia's hidden personality, to help the girl who, by the end of a long, perilous day, became her best friend discover her humanity and evolve into a more complete person. In short, to become a woman. Much to Tanya's delight, all it took to help Talia evolve was finding her a boyfriend and falling in love.
Seeing the once dour Vulcan girl so openly happy made Tanya happy. Feeling a warm glow all over, Tanya reached over and clasped Talia's hand in hers. Talia smiled fondly at her friend, enjoying the feeling of closeness she felt with Tanya. At that moment in time, no words needed to be said between the two girls.
Everything's just perfect. Now if we can only do something about this secret identity thing, the ebon beauty thought.
Twenty rows back from the stage, an overjoyed Aya, a huge smile on her face danced to the beat of the music as the Lights sang. Since she was much closer to the stage than she was Thursday night, Aya felt the music to a much greater degree, it's energy infused every cell of her body, filling her with tremendous power. Power she could use to do anything.
Power to make Seiya mine, and mine alone, Aya thought.
Bah! Such a small-minded creature, came a voice from inside Aya's head. It was a harsh, cruel, evil voice. You could do more, much more than fawn over some ridiculous celebrity! As you grow in strength, as the sound of the music multiplies your energy, I become more aware!
Aya was puzzled. Who....who are you?
I am....that I am! You harbor within your prison of flesh, a powerful warrior who once fought for a great and mighty ruler! Soon, very soon, I will emerge from my incarceration, strong and proud once more! And this world will be ground beneath my heel!
Whoever you are, I don't care about that! All I want is Seiya!
In time, my dear, you will have no choice! But for now, absorb the music, the sound that fills your body with power! Enjoys how it intoxicates you with its bliss! We both feel its force, surging through us! In time, you....and I will be a colossus among insects! And you know what happens to insects?
Aya nodded, a cold, menacing smile curled her lips. It made her look inhuman. They get crushed.
In the north parking lot of the arena, an unmarked car, leading half a dozen police cars and a large, black van, all running without sirens and lights screeched to a stop.
Fukoda and Junko climbed out of the unmarked car as the cruisers quickly emptied and a man in black combat armor and toting a Heckler-Koch MP-5 submachine gun exited from the van and walked up to the assemblage as the detectives handed out 8 X 10 glossies of Aya Misato to the dozen officers gathered around them. Each man toted a bulky gray case the size of a holster on their belts.
"Okay, gentlemen, this what the perp looks like. I want one pair of officers stationed at each exit. If you see the girl, she's to be sedated on the spot, Miranda rights be damned," said Fukoda. He held up a small, silver looking gun with an air cartridge extruding from below the barrel. "The battery powered air hypos you've been given pack tranquilizer darts strong enough to knock out a grizzly. Take absolutely no chances. Subdue her immediately. We'll worry about legal problems later. Understood?"
The officers all nodded.
Fukoda then turned to the man in black armor. "Lieutenant Iwazaki, you and your SWAT team will be on standby. You'll monitor our comms from the moment we leave. If this goes south, I want your men inside pronto to save our asses. Clear?"
Iwazaki cocked an eyebrow from puzzlement. "As glass. Pardon me for sounding skeptical, but our perp is a 16 year old girl. You're making it sound like we're looking for Hannibal Lecter. Is she that much of a menace?"
"Most definitely. Trust me, Keitaro. This kid is death on wheels. Literally," Fukoda replied.
"Okay. If we do rush in, are we authorized to use deadly force?"
Fukoda thought on that for several moments. "Yes, you are. But use your best judgement." He then looked hard at the men before him. "Gentlemen, our goal is to apprehend this girl, not start a riot. There are 20,000 people in that arena, including my daughter. Let's do everything we can to keep anyone from getting hurt. Set your radios on frequency number four and move out."
Once the officers left, Junko gave Fukoda a questioning look. "What will we be doing?"
"Playing a hunch. Judging from what you told me about Aya's bedroom, she might be a celebrity stalker as well as a killer," said Fukoda as he and Junko headed for the arena. "You and I are gonna stake out the Lights' dressing room in case she decides to drop by after the show to see the band."
"Just the two of us? Shouldn't we have someone with us?"
Fukoda shook his head. "No. It's more important that the exits be manned in case I'm wrong and she leaves the building. I don't want our forces diverted from where they'll be needed most."
"Meaning we're on our own. And if you're right?"
Fukoda held up his radio. "Then let's hope Iwazaki's men can get to us before we're reduced to goo like those thugs and Mrs. Misato. C'mon."
For nearly two hours, the Lights poured everything the had into their music, and for their wildly enthusiastic fans who cheered non-stop from the time the show began. But for a starry eyed Talia in the front row, her eyes fixed on Seiya, it was as if she were alone in the arena, and Seiya sang only for her. Every now and then, Seiya would sneak a look at his girlfriend and smile, leaving the Vulcan girl light-headed from bliss.
Twenty rows back from the stage, Aya, also enraptured by the dark haired singer felt the same way while she absorbed the energy of the music like a sponge. The power she felt was magnificent, making her feel godlike once more. All the while, that evil voice in her head cackled delightedly. Soon, the warrior would be free, free to conquer, free to kill. Aya did her best to ignore the voice. All that mattered to her at the present was her beloved Seiya. Tonight, he would be hers. For all time.
Once the show ended, Talia and Tanya, backstage passes draped around their necks left their seats and headed for the dressing room. Talia leading the way, was eager, even anxious to meet with Seiya. She ached to be in his arms and longed to be kissed by him. Nothing else in the world mattered to her. While the Vulcan girl considered such impatience to be illogical, her heart felt differently. Tanya sensed her friend's eagerness and smiled since she couldn't wait to be with Yaten.
Ahh, young love, thought the dark skinned beauty. Nothin' like it in the whole wide world!
Further back from the stage, Aya could barely hear anything around her. The energy she absorbed from the music roared through her body like a raging river. She felt many times more powerful than she ever had before. Every cell in her body burned from the power within her, begging, screaming for release. With a huge, malevolent smile on her face, Aya stood and headed for the backstage area. Seiya was waiting for her there, and no one was going to get in her way.
After several minutes spent signing autographs for happy young fans, the boys returned to the privacy of their dressing room, pleased with the performance they gave.
"That was a darn good show tonight, guys," said Taiki, wiping his brow with a towel. Over the din of the still cheering crowd, he and the others paid no attention to what sounded like a long scream just outside in the hallway. "You sounded great, Seiya."
"Thanks. I had some added motivation," said a grinning Seiya, pouring himself a glass of chilled water. "Seeing Tal in the front row gave me extra energy. After all this time spent singing to perfect strangers while searching for our Princess, it felt terrific to perform for one very special person."
Yaten chuckled. Seiya's experiences reminded him of the way he felt after having met Tanya for the first time, and how the ebon beauty forever changed his life. "I know the feeling, pal. Trust me, now that you're in love with someone, it's a feeling you'll never lose."
"I hope you're right, Yaten. I just don't know what I'd do without Tal in my life." At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Seiya broke into a wide grin. "Speak of the angel. That must be her."
Excited to see the girl he loved, Seiya rushed for the door and threw it open, intent on sweeping Talia into his arms. Instead, he found himself facing a slim girl with dirty blond hair who wore a Three Lights t-shirt. Right away, Seiya noticed the odd in the girl's eyes which seemed to glow.
"Uhh, is there something I can do for you?" Seiya asked, annoyed that the security guards let this mousy looking girl get by them.
"Yes. You can come with me, my darling," said Aya. "I love you, Seiya. I've always loved you. And now, I'm going to make you mine."
Seiya rolled his eyes and sighed. One of the fallbacks of stardom was having to deal with the occasional crazed fan who took devotion over the line into obsession. Seiya figured it was only a matter of time before it happened with him and the guys. "Yeah, right. I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm already spoken for. In fact, my girlfriend will be here any minute now."
"That doesn't matter. You're coming with me." Grabbing Seiya by the wrist, Aya pulled him out of the doorway and into the hallway with a strength Seiya hadn't anticipated. Once outside, Seiya gasped from shock at seeing the guards, stage workers and scores of fans laid out and unmoving on the floor, blood oozing from their ears and mouths.
"Holy shit!" cried Seiya who, as a warrior, knew death when he saw it. "Did you do this?"
Aya nodded. "I did. They stood in my way. Kept me from you. So I killed them. Now that we're together, my darling, no one will ever come between us. No one!"
"Don't bet on that, Aya!" shouted Fukoda, jumping out from around a corner, followed by Junko. The woman had her Glock trained on Aya while Fukoda had his hypo gun out. Both detectives, having been stunned by the force of Aya's sonic blast from their hiding place in another room were unable to stop Aya who blanketed the hallway with her deadly scream before she came into view. Fukoda was furious for having failed to stop Aya from taking more lives. "No more killing! You're going down!"
Fukoda squeezed the trigger on the hypo gun and, with a loud hiss, he fired a long, needle like dart that hit Aya squarely in the chest. The girl grunted from pain and dropped to one knee, yet she maintained her grip on Seiya as Yaten and Taiki came out of the dressing room.
As Fukoda and Junko looked on, Aya, shaking her head vigorously, shrugged off the tranquilizer and rose to her feet. With a grin, she pulled out the dart and flicked it away. "Nice try, asshole. But it's way too early for bed. I have a lot to do tonight."
"Oh, hell! Why am I not surprised?" Fukoda groaned. He pulled out his two-way radio to call the SWAT team but it was sizzling and crackling from burned out circuits. Aya giggled.
"Aww! Is your wadio bwoke, mister police officer?" she said in a child's voice. "Oops! Looks like my sonic scream fried your walkie-talkie. Now you can't call for help! What a shame!"
"So's this!" snarled Junko, leveling her gun at Aya's head. The girl, still grinning, grabbed Seiya by the throat and used him as a shield.
"I wouldn't if I were you, lady!" Aya growled, backing up. "Someone might get hurt!"
At that moment, Talia and Tanya rounded the corner from the far end of the hall and found themselves in the middle of a nightmarish scene with bodies strewn all over the floor and the detectives, one of whom the girls recognized from Friday in a Mexican standoff with Aya. When Talia saw Aya manhandling Seiya, she became angry.
"What is going on here?" she demanded.
Fukoda whirled around at the sound of Talia's voice. Gawkers. The last thing we need. "Get out of here, you two! Fast!" he shouted.
"Too late, clown! Too late for all of you!" growled Aya, her grip still tight on Seiya. The voice in her head was demanding that its true self be revealed. Aya decided it was time to do just that. "No one's leaving here alive! Let me show you what I'm really made of!"
As everyone looked on, Aya began to change. Her skin darkened to a steely gray in color while she grew at a rapid rate of speed, bursting out of her clothing, topping off at over seven feet tall while her ruined clothing was replaced by a silver, chain mail leotard and a spiked dog collar around her throat. Rail thin in stature, her arms reached below her knees and ended in abnormally long, pointed fingernails while her feet were clawed like a bird. Aya's face was the most hideous of all: an elongated head sporting eyes shaped like a cat with yellow pupils, long pointed ears, ratty blond hair that fell to her waist and a huge mouth with two rows of serrated teeth.
"Good God!" cried a horrified Junko. For a wide eyed Fukoda, it was like watching his worst nightmare unfold all over again.
"Not even close!" said the creature in a loud, echoing, ear piercing shriek of a voice. "Now you see my true form, puny humans! I am Siryn! A warrior of the Negaverse!"
"A what from where?" said a puzzled Fukoda.
"Son of a bitch! A youma!" snarled Yaten.
"But that's impossible! All the youmas on this planet were destroyed after Sailor Moon killed Queen Beryl!" said Taiki. "How is it you survived?"
"I belonged to an army of youma, secreted on this planet, living surreptitiously as humans while waiting for the call from the four Generals to be activated so we can fight and kill!" said Siryn. "Only those youmas who had already been activated were killed. I, like many of our slumbering brethren survived, but with my memory erased until the re-awakening of my power restored my mind! Now that I live again, I can destroy as I was meant to do!"
Siryn paused to look fondly at Seiya, helpless in the beast's unbreakable iron grip. "But, not all will die! I will keep Seiya! He stirs great feelings within my heart as he did Aya's! He will be my paramour! And I'll love him forever!"
"Over my dead body, monster!" snarled Talia, beside herself from rage as she raised her right hand high.
"Talia! NO!" yelled Tanya.
"VULCAN STAR POWER!"
As the boys, and the cops, all openly shocked looked on, Talia's fingernails turned purple in color. Then her transformation pen appeared in her hand and a triangle of golden light shot down from it, enveloping the angry girl from head to toe who spun within it like a ballerina, her clothes morphing into the purple and gold uniform of Sailor Vulcan, the Scout of Order.
"Good Lord! She's one of us!" said a stunned Taiki.
"Dammit!" Yaten whispered under his breath.
"That girl! She....she's a Scout!" cried a wide eyed Junko.
Seiya, having watched Talia's transformation was horrified. "Oh, my God! No! Tal! It can't be!"
"I am Sailor Vulcan, the enemy of chaos. The adversary of vermin like you!" Vulcan snarled, her fists repeatedly clenching and unclenching. The rage that dwelled within her, the fury that she strove to keep under tight control was unleashed at the sight of Seiya in danger. "If you hurt that man in your grasp, the man that I love, I will rend you limb from limb!"
Siryn, seeing Vulcan smiled her shark-like grin. "Well, well, well! A Sailor Scout! My Queen's most hated enemy! And the other woman it would so seem! This should make for a fine game!"
"This is no game! PUT HIM DOWN!" Vulcan roared.
"Sorry! I don't do requests!" Siryn opened her mouth well over a foot high and screamed, unleashing a widespread sonic scream that hit the assemblage with all the force of a runaway train, sending Vulcan, Tanya, the boys and the cops flying down the hall where they slammed hard against the wall.
"TALIA!" screamed Seiya.
"Hush, darling! Don't worry about her! You've got me now!" said a grinning Siryn. The creature pressed the fingers of her free hand against the base of Seiya's neck, rendering him unconscious. Aya's deep feelings for the dark haired singer had become her feelings, and she enjoyed them.
The creature felt weakened from having used much of her power to change into her true self, followed by her attack on her enemies. She would need to replenish her energy. "Come along! We're going to find a nice, noisy place to be alone!" Using the last of her power, Siryn blasted a hole in the wall where a fire escape door was with her scream and rushed off.
Vulcan, her superhuman stamina enabling her to recover first staggered to her feet as Siryn left with her hostage. Her eyes burning from rage, she ignored the others and moved to follow Siryn and Seiya. No matter where the creature went, Vulcan would follow her. And destroy her.
"Ohh! My aching everything!" Yaten groaned moments later. He turned to his left where Tanya and Taiki were stirring, then to his left where Fukoda and Junko were also waking up. He turned back to Tanya. "Ti! Are you okay?"
"Other than this godawful ringing in my ears and the mother of all headaches, I'm fine," said Tanya, her body throbbing. "What the heck happened?"
"I think we were hit by some sort of sonic energy blast," said a groggy Taiki. "That was what killed all these people. She must've been who those cops here were after. Hey! Where's Sailor Vulcan?"
Yaten saw the hole in the wall and scowled. "Oh, great! She's gone after that monster!"
"That wasn't smart of her. Nor was transforming in front of civilians," Taiki grumbled.
"What did you expect? The boy she loves was abducted by a monster!" an angry Tanya snapped back at Taiki. "I don't blame Tal one bit for acting crazy! How would you react if that happened to someone you care about?"
Taiki was silent for a moment. "Point taken. Let's change and get after them!"
Out in the parking lot, Siryn was elated. The sounds of chaos, people screaming from horror as they saw her, the energy she derived from the noise helped to restore her power.
The creature roared from laughter at how good it all felt. Siryn then looked at the unconscious Seiya and smiled. The feelings she had for him as Aya were equally as powerful. There was nothing the creature wanted more in the world than to love him. Even though it was wrong for a youma to love a human, Siryn didn't care. Seiya was her whole world.
Besides, it's not like Beryl's around to discipline me, she thought.
"Whoever you are! Freeze!" called one of the uniformed officers who gathered at the scene, hypo gun in hand as were all the others. Lieutenant Iwazaki and his SWAT team had their assault rifles trained on Siryn but held back from firing while she held Seiya in his arms. Vulcan, watching the scene was at a loss for action.
"Seiya! Wake up!" she muttered angrily, frustrated that she could do nothing to help her lover. "No one can do anything while you are still unconscious!"
"Sailor Vulcan! What's happening?" asked Sailor Sirius, trotting up to her partner with Sailor Star Healer and Sailor Star Maker close behind.
"A Mexican standoff, thanks to the unexpected appearance of a police tactical unit. As long as Seiya is in the line of fire, we can do nothing." She then noticed the two Starlights with Sirius and cocked an eyebrow. "And who are these women?"
"Uhh, friends of mine. I'll explain later," Sirius said nervously. "In the meantime, what can we do to rescue Seiya?"
"I have an idea!" said Fukoda, trotting up to the Scouts with Junko and another officer in tow. "My men all have hypo gun darts like me. Our plan was to trank that girl and take her alive. If one dart staggered that monster, a dozen more should put her down long enough to get your friend out of danger!"
"Unless you've got a better idea!" Junko added.
"I recommend we go with the detective's plan," said Vulcan. More than anything, she longed to kill the creature, but Seiya came first. "Once the creature has been distracted, I will rescue Seiya."
"Wrong, partner! We'll rescue him! Let's do it!" said Sirius.
"Everyone! Open fire with your hypo guns!" Fukoda shouted into the radio he took from the officer with him. "Make your shots count!"
All at once, a dozen tranquilizer darts were fired at Siryn, and all of them hit home. The creature screamed from the pain of the needle sharp darts piercing her skin. Suddenly, Siryn's vision blurred and she found it increasingly harder to stay awake. Her head spinning, Siryn's grip on Seiya loosened as she crumpled to the ground.
"Now!" shouted Vulcan. Moving in a blur, she and Sirius rushed forward and grabbed Seiya by each arm before the falling Siryn could crush him beneath her weight. The Scouts and Seiya tumbled out of the way, landing next to a parked car. Right away, Vulcan was concerned for her lover's safety.
"Seiya! Talk to me! Oh, please! Answer me!" Vulcan pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.
With a groan, Seiya slowly opened his eyes and stared up at Vulcan. "Is that you, angel?"
"Yes! Yes!" cried Vulcan, throwing her arms around Seiya. "I am so glad that you are well!"
"That makes two of us." Seiya then looked at Vulcan in confusion. "Tal? You're a Scout?"
Before Vulcan could reply, Siryn, fighting off the tranquilizers roared from fury. "Stinking tramps! Get away from my Seiya!" The creature opened her mouth and unleashed a sonic scream at the pair, but Vulcan leaped away with Seiya before the blast struck the car, causing it to explode while Sirius easily jumped clear.
"They're clear! Maker! Let's whack this witch!" yelled Star Healer.
"Roger that! Star GentleÉ.UTERUS!"
"Star SensitiveÉ.INFERNO!"
"SWAT team! Open fire!" shouted Fukoda into his radio.
The combined attack of the Starlights' energy blasts and sustained fire from a dozen assault rifles reduced Siryn to a charred, bullet riddled ruin amidst a cacophony of thunderous noise. As everyone looked on, Siryn's body shuddered violently as energy from the violent sounds of the battle saturated the creature with power. Power that restored it's form before their very eyes. Roaring like a wild beast, Siryn leaped to her feet, revitalized and furious.
"FOOLS! You cannot defeat me that way! Sound is my food! Any sound! The louder the better! It gives me the power I need to destroy!" Spinning in place, Siryn cut loose with a sonic scream that blasted and pulverized everyone around her, cars and all, blowing them off their feet and into unconsciousness save for Vulcan who pulled Seiya and Sirius behind a SUV, protecting them from the blast.
"HA! I win!" Siryn thundered. "I WIN!"
"Like hell you have, freak!" snarled a furious Seiya, rising to his feet before Vulcan could stop him. "As long as one of us still stands, evil's always gonna lose! And you've just pissed me off! Fighter Star Power....MAKE UP!"
Now it was Vulcan who's eyes widened from shock as Seiya's body glowed from a bright, golden light, then his body morphed into a curvaceous female shape, his face went from handsome to beautiful while his clothing changed into the scant, black leather uniform of a Sailor Starlight. Standing tall in her thigh high, spike heeled boots, Sailor Star Fighter assumed a fighting stance.
"Surrounded by the dark denseness of the night, Sailor Star Fighter, stage on!" she shouted. "And Siryn, for all the trouble you've caused tonight, your ass is mine!"
Vulcan wasn't the only one who was shocked. Siryn's eyes bulged wide and her huge mouth dropped open. "YouÉ.youÉ.you're a woman?"
"Surprise, freak!"
Vulcan, still sitting on the ground could only stare up the dark haired woman who, a moment ago, was a man, her mind reeling from confusion. "SeiyaÉ.?" She said in a whisper. "Is thisÉ.the real you?"
Star Fighter turned to look down at Vulcan. The look of horror she saw on her face nearly broke her heart. "For the most part. I'm sorry, angel."
Sirius, watching her friend was equally saddened. "Oh, Tal. I wish this hadn't happened."
"You're a woman?" roared Siryn, clearly incensed. "YOU'RE A WOMAN! DAMN YOU, HUMAN! DAMN YOU! I'LL DESTROY YOU!"
The maddened creature fired a sonic scream at Star Fighter, but she already dodged, picking up the still stunned Vulcan in her arms as she and Sirius avoided Siryn's blast. Star Fighter, aching for payback on the creature for forcing her to reveal her identity wasted no time getting to her feet.
"Nice try, freak! Now it's my turn!" she snarled. "Star Serious....LASER!"
At Star Fighter's command, stars surrounded her body before coming together in a massive energy beam that hit Siryn squarely in her chest, blowing her off her feet and slamming her into the side of a minivan, crumpling it like tin foil. "Sirius! Your turn!"
"Gladly! Sirius Infrared Laser....DISINTERGRATION!" shouted the Scout of the Stars, unleashing a power crimson energy beam from her left palm. But instead of firing at Siryn, Sirius aimed her beam at the minivan's gas tank and it exploded with a thunderous blast. Siryn screamed from agony as red hot flames consumed her flesh.
"Now, to end this game, creature!" growled Vulcan, her voice ice cold from rage. Hearing Siryn boast about how sound gave the creature power, the Scout of Order eschewed using her own sonic blast. Instead, she held her arms high and concentrated. In a flash of light, a seven foot long silver staff appeared in her waiting hands. At the end to her left which had a purple crystal imbedded at the top, a golden energy construct, shaped like a scythe blade flared to life. Vulcan then rushed the mortally wounded Siryn.
"Vulcan Deathscythe....DESTROY!" she yelled, bringing the blade of her weapon down on the creature. The scythe cleaved Siryn neatly in two at the waist and both sections instantly disinterested, leaving nothing behind, not even ashes.
All was quiet in the parking lot as the other Starlights, Fukoda, Junko and hundreds of passersby surveyed the destruction caused by Siryn. Star Fighter, seeing how Vulcan destroyed the creature whistled low in her throat. "Whew! I'm impressed. You whacked her good, angel."
Vulcan, still angry, whirled around and pinioned Star Fighter with a harsh stare. "Don't EVER call me that again!" she hissed. "You deceived me!"
Star Fighter lowered her head as her partners walked up to her. "Oh, yeah. That. Maybe we should talk about this in private."
"Perhaps we should."
Junko, remembering how the Scouts walked away from the incident on Friday morning was incensed. She pulled her gun on them. "Oh, no you don't! Not again! You're not going anywhere until we get some answers!"
Fukoda, bone weary from a day that was more perilous than he planned on put a hand on Junko's shoulder. All he wanted to do was go home, take a long, hot bath and go to bed, reports be damned. "That's enough, Junko. This can wait until tomorrow."
"No it can't, Lieutenant! I want to know what that thing was! And what these miserable vigilantes knew about it?"
"Goddammit, Inspector! I gave you an order! Stand down! NOW!" Fukoda roared.
Junko, stunned and crestfallen to have been dressed down, nodded then holstered her weapon. "Yes, sir."
Fukoda then turned to the five heroines, none of whom he'd ever seen before. "Tell me something. Are disasters like this commonplace when you people are around?"
"More than we'd like, sir," said Star Maker. "Call it bad karma. We always attract the monsters."
"I've heard that before," said the detective, remembering that terrible day on the Mitsumo's island. He then stared at Vulcan. Junko and I saw who this Sailor Vulcan really is. Food for thought. "Get out of here before I change my mind and have you arrested."
With a collective nod, the Scouts and the Starlights left. But their night was not over yet.
TO BE CONTINUED