Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. Batman and all related characters are the property of Bob Kane and DC Comics. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
To Live And Die In Tokyo
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Two: Monsters In Our Midst
Rating: PG-13
Amy was struck dumb by the incredible irony of the situation.
After having survived countless battles as Sailor Mercury against all manner of aliens, monsters, other dimensional threats and would-be world conquerors, the notion of being knifed to death on a dark side street by a common thug was almost laughable. However, Amy found nothing even remotely amusing about the deadly predicament she was in.
As the lead thug called Tanaka leered at her, Amy considered her options and knew she was doomed. She couldn't call for help, not that the others could get to her before she'd be left dying in a pool of her own blood. Amy couldn't reach her transformation pen to change into Mercury who could wipe the street with the goons without raising a sweat. And since Amy eschewed physical confrontations, either in human guise or as a Sailor Scout, she had no idea how to escape from the iron grip ofthe thug who held her tight.
Sarah was frantic. "Tanaka! Please! Don't do this!"
Tanaka shook his head. "Sorry, babe. I've got no choice. Your gal pal saw us deal. And I've got a rap sheet longer than my arm. I have to ice her." He then glared harshly at Sarah. "Don't even try to be a hero, otherwise I'll waste you too. Or worse, I'll see to it you never get another gram of blow in this town again. For a junkie, that'd be a fate worse than death."
Sarah slumped, looking beaten. The boy standing next to her was terrified. Tanaka then turned to Mace who held Amy in an inescapable grasp.
"Do her," the lead thug growled.
Now it was Amy who was terrified as the blade scraped against the flesh of her throat. Oh, God! I'm going to die! Somebody! Anybody! Help me!
"Let her go!" a cold, hard and menacing voice snarled from above.
Tanaka and his hoods looked up and saw a large black shape descend from a rooftop in a blur and slam into the chest of the goon standing next to Tanaka who rolled out of the way as did his other henchmen. As he and the others looked on, the shape rose to it's full height, over six feet tall. They saw that the shape was broad shouldered, had white slits for eyes and what looked like points on the sides of it's head. As the shape silently came into the dull light of the streetlamp, the hoods were shocked at who it was.
"Holy shit!" cried a wide eyed Tanaka. "Batman!"
Everyone, including Amy who's seen more than her fair share of incredible sights were stunned at the sudden appearance of the fearsome Dark Knight. After gently pushing Sarah aside, Batman took all of five seconds to assess the situation, determine the threat level of his opponents and the precise amount of force he would need to subdue them. He then locked eyes with Tanaka whom he immediately discerned to be the leader of the toughs.
"Since you know who I am, then you know what I can do to punks like you," Batman growled. "I'm not going say this again. Release the girl----NOW!"
Tanaka chuckled and sidled up to Mace who now looked a little shaky, his eyes wider than they were a moment ago. "And what if we don't?"
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll make you wish you were never born."
"Hey, boss! Maybe we should give it up," said Mace, noticeably rattled. "Goin' toe to toe with that dude ain't in my job description."
Amy, having overcame her fright was now puzzled. Even though she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially one who was about to rescue her, she couldn't help but wonder what Gotham City's infamous scourge of the underworld was doing halfway around the world in Tokyo.
Disgusted, Tanaka, snatched Amy out Mace's grip and locked a hand around her throat. "I'll keep the kid company! You and Tank off that freak!"
Mace and Tank, the other thug with a tattoo of a tank on his bald head and a length of thick chrome chain around his neck head mustered up all the courage they had and charged Batman, already prepared for an attack.
Mace, still weilding his knife was first to come into range, thrusting the blade at the cowled face of the Dark Knight, but that face had moved with quicksilver like speed as Batman easily blocked the thrust with a forearm, then drove a knee into the goon's solar plexus like a piston. Mace doubled over in agony, but his pain was short lived as Batman put him down with an elbow smash to the back of his neck and Mace slumped unconscious to the ground.
With a snarl on his lips, Tank, charged Batman like a maddened bull, swinging the chain over his head in a wide arc. The Dark Knight stood his ground and waited for the behemoth to come closer. Roaring, Tank brought the chain down on Batman like a sledgehammer, but missed as his target leaped high then connected with a powerfiul snap kick to the goon's head. Tank tumbled to the ground with a grunt of pain, but didn't stay down long as he quickly scrambled to his feet, a look of blind fury on his face.
"C'mon, Tank! Kill him!" Tanaka yelled. Caught up in the battle, the leather-clad thug eased his grip on Amy's throat. She saw the opening and took it. Praying this maneuver wouldn't get her killed, Amy stamped her foot down hard on Tanaka's with all her strength, the broad, flat heel of her loafer impacting fully on the hood's toes as he had on black running shoes. Once free of Tanaka, Amy bolted from him like a scalded cat.
"AAARRGGHHH! Little bitch! I'll kill you for that!" Tanaka roared, his face twisted from a combination of pain and anger.
"Boss?" said Tank, distracted by Tanaka's shouting. That proved disastrous as Batman moved in fast, driving a fist into the goon's stomach, followed by a haymaker to Tank's jaw, then a spinning wheel kick to his head for good measure. Tank wobbled on braced legs then collapsed.
Ignoring the fight, Amy looked for Sarah but she was gone. Spying the frightened boy, huddled and shaking against the wall, Amy knelt down and grabbed his shoulders.
"Sarah! The girl who was with you! Where did she go?" Amy demanded.
"She....she ran off!" said the boy in a high pitched whine. "Said she didn't want to get caught and lose her stash!"
Her fear gone, Amy became angry. Angry with the boy who disgraced the Brighton uniform she had been so proud to wear by getting caught up in drugs. In her mind, he deserved to be frightened out of his wits. But, most of all, Amy was angry with Sarah, not just for corrupting the boy, but for callously abandoning her while Tanaka and his goons threatened her life.
Sarah left me to die, Amy mused darkly. The more Amy thought about Sarah's betrayal, the angrier she became. How could she do that to me?
Meanwhile, Tanaka, hobbling on his bad foot had his own problems as Batman glared menacingly at him.
"The floor show's over, dirtbag. Now we're going to have a little chat," the Dark Knight growled. "I want to know who your boss is. I don't mean the lieutenants or your suppliers. I want the top dog. And the gaijin from America that's in bed with him. Talk, and I won't put you in traction."
"Screw you!" Scowling, Tanaka reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with a glowing, greenish liquid. Before Batman could stop him, Tanaka jammed the needle into his chest and pushed the plunger in all the way. The hood instantly started screaming from terrible pain, his cries were so loud, it caught Amy's attention twenty feet away.
Batman, thinking the hood was overdosing on whatever it was he had taken moved in to help him but stopped short and recoiled when he saw Tanaka's body change. His flesh darkened to a mottled green as his body grew scales and expanded, bursting out of his clothes. Tanaka's body was now brutishly muscular with arms ending in razor sharp talons while his head took on a reptilian shape with a long snout, eyes like a snake and two rows of long, pointed teeth. The grisly final touch was a thick, elongated tail that whipped behind the transformed hood, now standing nearly eight feet tall.
"What the devil?" a startled Batman said.
"Close, but no cigar, tough guy!" said the monstrous thug, his voice a sinister hiss. A cruel smile curled his lipless mouth while a dark red, forked tongue flicked in and out, adding to his already malevolent visage. "Gimme a minute, and I'll send you to meet him!"
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. But, in some cases, their ugliness is greater on the inside than the outside.
Even though Carlo Falcone was a roguishly handsome man, he was in his own way, very much a monster. A career gangster, Falcone, elegantly garbed in a steel gray Versace suit was every bit as violent as any street hood, eager to kill at the drop of a hat. However, as the boss of Gotham City's most powerful Mafia family, Falcone reluctantly had to relegate the bloodletting to his private hit teams which he kept on call whenever needed.
For over two decades, Falcone reveled in his life as a mobster, climbing the ranks from run of the mill hood to his lofty position as Capo, ruthlessly building his empire through the thousands of addicts who depended on the drugs his organization provided. While Falcone enjoyed destroying lives for his own gain, running the city's mob was not always easy, thanks to the Batman, thus his being here in Tokyo earlier than he planned.
Sitting on an Italian leather sofa in the living room of a spacious, elegant condominium in downtown Tokyo, Falcone, nursing a gin and tonic tried to keep his ferocious temper in check as he waited for his counterpart in the Yakuza to arrive. Tomba was an hour late, and if there was anything the volatile Falcone hated was being made to wait.
The sound of footsteps caught Falcone's attention and two men entered the room. The first man, wearing an ill-fitting blazer and slacks was short, slightly stooped over and looked to be in his early sixties with graying hair and a weathered face creased in a perpetual scowl. The younger man who followed was extremely tall for a Japanese and had a casual, yet highly confident air about him. Wearing a black silk suit , the man, lean and wiry had jet black hair severely slicked back to where it made him look like NBA head coach Pat Riley, large, dark eyes and a wicked sneer on his lips. Upon seeing Falcone, the man's sneer changed into a close approximation of a smile.
"Carlo. It is good to see you again, my friend," said Hiroyuki Tomba in Japanese, extending a hand to the Sicilian. Falcone rose from the sofa and shook Tomba's hand. Falcone had known Tomba for almost a year now, and every time he shook the man's hand, it was cold like a corpse from a morgue. In the gangster's eyes, Tomba was unnerving. The two men sat down.
"Genryu, scotch on the rocks. And freshen Carlo's drink, please," Tomba said to the older man. He then faced Falcone and grinned. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to greet you personally when you arrived from Gotham, but I was in Thailand, procuring our next shipment of....merchandise. In fact, my plane only just landed a short time ago. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting you for another four days when the conference begins. Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. You could say that, Hiro," Falcone growled back in Japanese. Falcone went on to explain how Gotham's Assistant District Attorney stumbled upon evidence linking Falcone to the Mafia-Yakuza marriage he was brokering, and that he had to eliminate her. When Falcone finished, Tomba frowned slightly as Genryu returned with their drinks.
"Why didn't you use your men instead of one of my people?" Tomba asked after taking a sip from his tumbler. "I greatly value my commodities."
Falcone downed half his drink in one gulp before he replied. "I couldn't. My hit team's either in the slammer or intensive care. I needed pros to whack her."
"Were your men done in by rival mobs?" the older man asked in a snarl.
Falcone shook his head. "No. Something much worse. Batman."
Tomba stroked his chin. "Interesting. Even here, the Dark Knight is quite legendary. Does he suspect you were involved in the woman's assasination?"
"Oh, yeah. He does all right. That's why I had to leave town early. If I got nabbed, the merger would've gone down the toilet. Those paranoid geezers in New York won't trust anyone but me to speak for them on this deal."
"I see. Considering Batman's vaunted reputation for tenacity, do you think he'll come after you?"
For the first time since leaving Gotham, Falcone felt nervous. He finished his drink then nodded. "As sure as stink follows shit. Hell, that nutcase would sneak into the Pope's bedroom if he thought I was hiding there. Nothing stops Batman when he's after someone. And I'm in his sights."
Genryu, standing behind Tomba became furious. "Gaijin fool! If you're right, then our grand plan is in jeopardy! How could you be so stupid as to allow this to happen?"
Falcone, already in a bad mood exploded. He bolted up and grabbed the old man by his throat. "Shut up, you old fart or I'll kill you right here and now!" the Sicilian roared. "If it weren't for me, there wouldn't be a fucking grand plan in the first place! Don't ever talk to me like that again! Understand?"
With an eerie calmness, Tomba stood up, looked the maddened Falcone in the eye and smiled. "Please, Carlo. Let Genryu go. My aide spoke out of turn. He will not repeat that mistake. You have my word on that."
Falcone, snarling, released Genryu who collaspsed gasping to the carpeted floor. "Okay, Hiro. I'm cool. But we've still got a problem on our hands. If Batman comes to town, it'll only be a matter of time before he finds me and screws up everything like pops said."
Tomba did something that took Falcone by surprise. He chuckled.
"I wouldn't worry, Carlo. Batman might be a most formidable adversary, but he's only human. And I've got something up my sleeve for the Dark Knight, should he interfere in our plans."
Falcone, puzzled, scrathed his head. "Yeah? Like what?"
"Oh, you could call it something....monstrous."
Once overcoming his initial, though extremely brief shock at seeing an ordinary street thug transform into a snarling, reptilian beast, Batman, no stranger to battling superhuman opponents calmly stood his ground and readied himself for combat.
"Oh, yeah! This is great! Now I've got the power, tough guy! And I'm gonna waste your ass!" growled the lizard creature.
"Wishful thinking," said the Dark Knight, removing a batarang from his utility belt and hurling it at the monster's face. Caught off-guard by Batman's speed, the beast could only stand mutely as the batarang hit him flush across between the eyes, drawing blood. Blinded, the beast failed to see Batman launch himself like a missile, slamming an ebon booted foot into that already pummeled face.
With a grunt of pain, the creature fell to one knee while Batman landed cat-like on his feet. Without breaking stride, he moved in, thrusting a fist into the monster's midsection, followed by a two-handed uppercut to it's jaw and a spinning wheel kick to it's head. The swift combination of blows would've crippled an ordinary human but only staggered the creature who lashed back with a swipe of his tail that sent the Dark Knight flying into a row of trash cans.
"Not bad, tough guy," said the brute, staggering over to where Batman lay. "Let's see if you can take it as well as you can dish it out."
The monster hefted a nearby dumpster over his head with frightening ease and hurled it at Batman who rolled out of the way before it struck the spot where he lay only a moment earlier. Without breaking stride, Batman produced another batarang, this one had a small button which he pressed before he threw it. As the batarang whizzed at the creature, it gave off sparks and when it struck the beastial Tanaka, he cried out from pain as a strong but non-lethal electrical current surged through his body.
Amy, watching the battle frowned. Batman saved my life, now it's time I return the favor, she thought, pulling out her transformation pen. Then she remembered the boy. Amy looked his way but saw he had fainted. Steeling herself, Amy rose to her feet and held the pen high.
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"
Amy's body flowed and shimmered like an ocean's waves and, an instant later stood Sailor Mercury, the Scout of Water.
Both Batman and the transformed Tanaka heard Amy shout, and when they looked to their left, they saw the blue skirted heroine, a hard, angry look on her lovely face.
The beast laughed out loud. "Oh, this is rich! And what the hell are you supposed to be, girlie?"
Mercury shifted into a defiant pose. "I am Sailor Mercury! My intelligence, and my power will stop you cold, creature! Mercury Bubbles....BLAST!"
At Mercury's command, a thick, freezing fog settled into the alley. While Batman's insulated costume afforded him protection from the sudden cold; the effect it had on the creature was drastic.
"ARRGGHH! The cold! Feel so sluggish!" the bestial Tanaka cried out.
Batman lunged forward like a linebacker on a blitz, driving a shoulder into the monster's midsection and bowling him over. A series of two-fisted blows to Tanaka's jaw left the creature dazed and semi-conscious on the ground. As Batman removed a small, heavy duty hypodermic gun, pre-filled with a powerful tranquilizer from his belt, Tanaka, drawing on reserves of strength overcame his sluggishness and slammed a foot into Batman's chest, bouncing the Dark Knight off the far wall.
Moving slowly, still shaking from the cold as the fog dissipated, the creature rose and staggered towards Batman, scrambling to his feet.
"Shine Aqua....ILLUSION!" cried Mercury. A soft blue light enveloped her body and, from out of thin air, a wide column of water materialized, hardened into ice and then rammed into the monstrous Tanaka with brutal, bonecrushing force, finally putting him down. Batman, retrieving his hypo gun pumped Tanaka full of tranquilizers. As Batman and Mercury looked on, the monstrous Tanaka returned to human form. The two heroes then locked eyes with each other.
"What are you doing here?" Batman asked Mercury. The harsh tone of his voice made his question sound more like a demand.
Mercury defiantly returned Batman's stare. "Saving your life."
"I didn't need saving. Again, what are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you, Batman. In fact, I have more of a right to know your reason for being in Tokyo since I live here and you don't."
"Sorry, but I'm not in the habit of discussing my business with children."
Mercury, incensed over being patronized was about to lash back when she remembered Sarah. "Fine. Have it your way. I've got more important things to do than argue with a lunatic in a Halloween costume."
Without waiting for a response, Mercury spun on her heel and dashed off. Batman frowned as he watched Mercury speed away, bounding across the street in a single leap. A soft moaning from behind Batman made him turn around and he saw the boy stirring. The Dark Knight's frown deepened as he recognized the boy as Yoko Nakamura's son, Keisuke.
Batman knelt beside the boy and pulled up his sleeves and saw no needle tracks in his veins. Taking out a penlight, Batman examined Keisuke's nasal passages and found them undamaged, as would not be the case with a cocaine user. Finally, Batman shined the light in the boy's eyes and saw his pupils were normal. Satisfied the boy was clean, Batman rummaged through the boy's pockets and removed a bag of snow white powder as Keisuke opened his eyes. Predictably, he was horrified at being face to face with the Dark Knight.
"Relax, son. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gruffly, yet the boy was still frightened. Seeing this, Batman decided to use that to his advantage. As Bruce Wayne, he promised to talk to Yoko's son, but now he figured a well applied dose of fright would work far better than a kindly chat.
"Was it your intention on using this garbage?" Batman demanded, holding the bag in front of the boy's face. Keisuke nodded. "Do you have any idea what drugs can do once you get hooked? It becomes your entire existence! Tums you into a zombie who'll do anything short of murder for the next fix! It'll cost you your family, your friends, your life! Tell me, boy! Is that what you want?"
"No, sir!" Keisuke cried, his heart pounding.
"Good. Go home now. And stay away from this poison."
"Yes, sir!"
"One last thing. Don't tell anyone you saw me. If you do, I'll find you, then make your life a living nightmare. Understand?"
''Yes, sir!''
The boy scrambled to his feet and ran out of the alley like his life depended on it, never once looking back. Batman allowed himself a small grin, positive he had scared Yoko's son back onto the right path.
Putting the boy out of his mind, Batman quickly went to work as he could hear sirens in the distance. And the last thing he wanted was to be seen by the Tokyo Police. After opening the bag of cocaine and dumping it into a trash can, Batman bound the wrists and ankles of Tanaka and his goons with strong, plastic riot cuffs. The Dark Knight then used his penlight to search for the discarded hypodermic Tanaka used.
Finding it, Batman picked it up and saw that the tube was nearly empty. He put it in an empty compartment on his belt. As police cars pulled up to the corner, Batman quickly ascended to the rooftops. Once above the street, the Dark Knight scowled from annoyance. What was supposed to have been a simple mission to hunt down a mobster and break up a marriage of two international crime organizations had just become more complicated than he planned. A thug who turned into a monster, compounded by an appearance by one of Tokyo's infamous Sailor Scouts.
A gut feeling told Batman there was a connection between the two, and he meant to figure out just what it was. Any chance the Dark Knight had of interrogating Tanaka about the solution that mutated him had just been lost as cops rushed up to the bound hoods, so he would have to go somewhere else to get the answers he sought to this mystery. Dismissing the thugs, Batman swung off. He had another stop to make before the night was over.
"Ooooh! Talk about gorgeous!" squealed Serena, laying on her bed as she gazed lovingly at a poster of The Backstreet Boys from a teen magazine she bought on her way home. "Wow! I'd love to hang out with these mega-hotties!"
Luna, sitting next to Serena made a face of disgust. "Really, Serena. Why do you waste your time ogling pre-packaged pretty boys when you have the real thing in Darien?"
"Because I'm a girl. And I'm expected to drool like a fool over cute studmuffins," Serena replied happily. "It's all part of our mystique."
"Hmph! If you ask me, it's nothing more than immaturity."
"So sue me. Weren't you young once, puddy tat?"
Luna blushed. Not a small feat for a cat. "I can't remember that far back."
"Serena! Telephone! It's Amy's mother!" Mrs. Tsukino called to her daughter from downstairs.
"I wonder what Dr. Anderson could want at this hour? It's almost nine o'clock," said Luna.
"I'll find out," Serena replied, rising from the bed and leaving the room.
Jogging downstairs, Serena picked up the phone. "Hiya, Dr. Anderson. What's up?"
"I'm sorry for calling so late, Serena, but is Amy with you or the girls?" asked Dr. Claire Anderson, her voice ragged from stress. "She hasn't come home yet. And I haven't heard from her."
Serena was stunned. "What? Golly! We broke up our study session three hours ago! I can't imagine where Amy could be!"
"I'm worried, Serena! Amy's never done anything like this before! I don't know what to do!"
"Take it easy, Dr. A! I'll see if I can find her!"
Feeling the coldness of worry tightening her chest, Serena hung up the phone and dashed back upstairs. Rushing into her room, she immediately rummaged through her dresser.
"What is it, Serena? What's wrong?" Luna asked.
"It's Amy! She never made it home after leaving the temple!"
"Good heavens! What could've happened to her?"
"I dunno! But I mean to find out! HA! Here it is!" Serena cried, pulling out her Scout communicator which she always removed before taking her bath. She pressed a stud and spoke into it. "Amy! Ames! It's Serena! Come in! Please!"
Nothing. Dead air.
"Now I'm worried, Luna! Amy never turns off her communicator! Not even when she goes to bed! What are we gonna do?" a frightened Serena asked.
"Call the others! Quickly!" ordered Luna. "Amy must be in danger!"
Sarah sat at her kitchen table staring at the bag of cocaine on the table, thinking about the price she paid for it. Not in money, but in a person's life.
Amy. I left her behind for this, she thought glumly, gently hefting the bag. God only knows what happened to her after I split. But I had no choice. I had to leave! I couldn't risk losing my stash! I----I need it so much!
Sarah remembered how she meekly refused to help Amy under the threat from Tanaka to be cut off from getting any more drugs. Friends were one thing, but the drugs, they were her lover, her passion, her reason for living. And nothing, not even her former best friend could keep Sarah from it.
Suddenly, Sarah felt that awful, gnawing pain in her belly, the sign that it was time to feed her need. Putting Amy out of her mind, Sarah opened the bag, emptied over half the bag's contents, exhibiting a slightly greenish tint onto a mirror, then used a razor blade to expertly separate the powder into six, two inch long lines. Sarah's mouth watered at the prospect of getting her rush as she tightly rolled a twenty dollar bill into a tube. Placing one end of the makeshift tube into her right nostril, Sarah inhaled one line, then the second, the third, the fourth and the rest.
Almost immediately, Sarah felt the incredible rush as the cocaine slammed her system, setting her nerve endings on fire while dulling her brain, helping her to forget the world with it's pain and the obligations it demanded of her. This time though, the rush was incredibly powerful, unlike anything she ever experienced before, and the euphoria it created was mindboggling to her. In her delirium, Sarah giggled. Tanaka was telling the truth. This blow is strong.
Just then, someone knocked at the door. Annoyed that someone was calling at this hour, Sarah hid the bag under a newspaper and staggered drunkenly to the door, determined to quickly get rid of whoever was on the other side. When Sarah opened it, she gasped loudly at who it was.
"Amy!" she cried, staring at her friend who glared back at her.
"You remember my name. Good," said Amy, her voice sharp and hard from anger. "For a while there, I thought you had forgotten all about me."
Sarah's head begun spinning wildly. "How'd you find me?"
"That's not important. I'm more concerned with what you did back in that alley," Amy replied, keeping a secret how she used her mini-computer to hack into the database of the Gateway School to get Sarah's address. Without asking to be invited, Amy barged in. She noticed right away that Sarah looked odd, disjointed, as if she were on another world. Amy walked into the kitchen and lifted the paper that hid the bag of cocaine. It didn't take a genius to see her old friend had just gotten high.
"I see you just couldn't wait to pump that poison into your body," Amy snapped. "Where's your father? I can't believe he'd let you do this here without his knowledge."
"Daddy's not home. He's working late tonight. Computer maintenance or something. I forget which."
"Just like you forgot about me back in that alley? You abandoned me, Sarah! You left me to die!"
Sarah, totally euphoric, her heart starting to race, giggled. "Aww, c'mon, Bookworm. You're getting carried away. Batman saved you."
"That's not the point! If he hadn't come, and it's a miracle he showed up at all, I'd be dead right now! And my blood would be on your hands! Doesn't that matter to you?"
Sarah thought on that for a moment. As much as she wanted to feel remorse over leaving Amy behind, the euphoria wouldn't let her. Her heart continued to pound. "Sure it does. Look, I'm sorry about what I did, but hey! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. No way was I gonna let ol' Batboy snag my blow! That stuff costs money, ya know!" She giggled again.
Even though Amy knew it was the cocaine that made Sarah act so irrationally, her rage over her friend's cavalier behavior took control and she slapped Sarah across the face with all her strength, sending the girl to the floor. The pain of the blow stunned Sarah back to a semblance of normalcy.
"Dammit, Amy! That hurt!" she growled, her face red and stinging.
"Considering how intoxicated you are, I'm surprised you felt that at all!" Amy shot back. "Is this what you've been reduced to? Getting high so you can escape being responsible for your life? For God's sake, stop being childish and grow up! I want to help you, Sarah, but you have to help yourself!"
"Maybe I don't want any help! Maybe I don't want to be saved! I told you before, I hate people expecting things from me that I can't give them!" Sarah shouted. Her heart was pounding harder than ever now. "Who needs people when I've got my coke to lean on? Hell! You're no better than I am, you self-righteous cunt! You use books as your crutch, your escape valve when you can't handle the real world! You said as much to me last night!"
Amy was stunned, Sarah's harsh words staggering her. Was she right? Were books my drug of choice? Am I no different from Sarah?
"Perhaps you're right. I won't deny that I hid behind my books because I couldn't deal with people," said Amy in a low voice. "From when I was young, I was tormented by my peers because they were jealous of how smart I was, and, as a result, I grew up emotionally scarred. I'm still nursing those wounds, Sarah, I still feel the pain, every single day, but I have kind, loving friends who are helping to bring me out of my shell and become a whole person. Maybe books are my crutch, but I know they won't kill me like drugs can!"
Amy then knelt in front of Sarah and clasped her friend's hands. Her anger dissipated and tears poured from her eyes. "Please, Sarah! Let me help! I don't want to lose you a second time!"
The anguish Sarah saw on Amy's face somehow cut through the fog of Sarah's joyful delirium, made her forget the terrible pounding in her head and chest and brought her back to her senses.
"Bookworm, you're crying. For me?" she asked softly.
"Of course I am! I still care about you, and it's killing me to watch you self-destruct before my eyes!" said Amy in a broken voice. "You were like a sister to me when we were at Brighton! You made me smile, made me laugh, made me feel like a human being instead of just a brain with legs!"
Sarah, her throat tight, gently wiped the tears from Amy's eyes. "I never knew you felt that way about me."
"That's because I didn't know how to tell you. Back then, I was horribly inept when it came to expressing my feelings," Amy replied. "You were the first person who ever befriended me, that touched my heart. Still does. That's why you've got to beat this addiction! If not for me, then for yourselfl"
Sarah, openly ashamed, dropped her head. "No, I can't. I'm not strong enough, Amy. Never have been. Never will be. You saw what happened back in that alley. I caved in to Tanaka when he threatened to cut me off. Then I left you behind because I didn't want Batman to grab my stash." Sarah paused as a sob caught in her throat. The pounding in her head and chest resumed, stronger than ever while her skin tightened and grew desert dry.
"Even now, all I can think about is finishing off the rest of my blow. You can't possibly imagine what it's like to be an addict, obsessed all the time with getting drugs and getting high. It's like a hunger that never goes away, no matter how much you feed it, it's always gnawing at your gut, day in and day out, so much that it actually hurts. I'm not worth your compassion, Amy. If you try to help me, I'll only drag you down into the gutter I'm already in."
Amy smiled and gently placed a hand on Sarah's cheek. "I'll take that chance, because you're worth the risk. Besides, I've grown a lot since we parted two years ago. I'm a lot stronger than you realize. I'll do everything I can to pull you out of the abyss. Now that you're back in my life, Sarah, I'm not going to let you go. Not ever!"
Sarah, bursting into tears crushed Amy in an embrace. "Oh, Bookworm! I love you!"
"I love you too, Carrot," said a sobbing Amy, returning Sarah's embrace with all her strength.
All at once, Sarah's body stiffened as the pounding in her head and chest intensified to the point where she cried out from pain, broke away from Amy and writhed on the floor.
"Sarah? What is it? What's wrong?" a worried Amy demanded.
"The pain! The pain! It feels like I'm being tom apart!"
Amy, schooled in first aid thanks to her mother hurriedly checked Sarah's vital signs. Her friend's breathing was labored and her heart was pounding like a triphammer. Fearful Sarah was overdosing on the cocaine she had taken, Amy rushed to the phone to call for an ambulance when Sarah screamed from mortal agony. Amy whirled around and gasped from sheer horror at what she saw before her eyes.
Sarah's flesh turned a mottled green as her body grew scales and rapidly expanded, bursting out of her clothes. Just like with Tanaka, Sarah was now brutishly powerful, her head reptilian in shape with a long snout filled with two rows of long, pointed teeth while a thick, elongated tail completed the gruesome transformation.
Rising to its feet, standing over seven feet tall in front of a wide-eyed and horrified Amy, Sarah was gone, replaced by a monster.
Next: Full Moon, Dark Knight