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 Six: Turmoil in the Streets
Rating: PG-13
Bystanders entering and leaving the hospital were shocked to see the Sailor Scouts rush their way. To most of the populace, the teenaged heroines were nothing more than an urban legend. To see them in the flesh was startling.
"Move! Get out of the way!" Sailor Moon shouted to the crowd and they dispersed. She looked up at the monster clinging to the wall several stories above her. "Mars! Jupiter! Toast that freak!"
"Wait! Don't!" yelled Sailor Venus. "Too many open windows! A fire blast or lightning bolt could kill someone inside! This calls for pinpoint accuracy! And that's my specialty!"
Pointing her index fingers up at the monsters, the Scout of Love called upon her power. "Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!"
Twin crescents of brilliant light enveloped her hands and a pencil thin laser beam shot out from them. True to her word, Venus hit the creature in the chest with marksman like skill and it fell, crashing onto parked cars below. It lay still for several moments, then, much to the surprise of the Scouts, it struggled to it's feet, it's face twisted in an expression of sheer hatred as it's wounds rapidly closed and healed.
"Something's funny here!" Sailor Jupiter growled, her eyes narrowed. "This sucker can heal itself!"
"That doesn't matter! Get him! Now! We can't risk civilians being attacked!" ordered Moon. She activated her communicator. "Sailor Vulcan! Come in! Dammit, Talia! Answer me!"
"No need for profanity, Sailor Moon. I am here," came the always reserved voice of her teammate on the other end. Moon breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God! What's going on in there? Mars sensed you were in trouble!"
"And she is correct. I am on the seventh floor. Two of the lizard creatures have invaded Tanaka's room. I will need immediate assistance." The connection then terminated, but Moon saw the directional finder switch on.
"Go ahead, 'Rena! Help Tal! We'll handle things here!" said Sailor Mars, putting a hand on Moon's shoulder. Moon placed her hand on Mars', then, with a nod, she rushed inside as fast as she could run.
The lizard beast snarled at the Scouts. "That hurt, fleshbags!"
Jupiter grinned like a shark, feeling a berserker fury welling up inside her. With a mental command, the antenna shot up on her tiara. "Chump, you haven't even begun to feel pain yet! Let me show you what I mean!"
Sailor Vulcan quickly considered her options as she stared down two of the creatures who faced her and the police officer across the narrow expanse of Tanaka's hospital room.
She knew she had to keep the creatures from breaking out of the room where they would cause untold chaos with their frightening strength. Even though Sailor Moon was on her way, the Vulcan Scout knew she could not afford to wait for her teammate. She had to act now.
Closing her eyes, Vulcan placed the first two fingers of both hands on the gem of her tiara, then concentrated with all her might. All at once, she felt a sudden and powerful surge of energy in her mind. It took a great deal of discipline to keep from grinning at how good the new power felt to her.
"You will harm no more innocents. Vulcan Mindstorm....ENGAGE!"
As Vulcan yelled the command, a ball of violet light expanded from the jewel on her tiara which quickly became a nimbus that enveloped her head. Before the puzzled creatures could act, twin rays of light shot out from the jewel and the beasts clutched their heads and dropped to their knees as they roared from unimaginable pain.
The cop was amazed by what he had seen. "You're a Sailor Scout!"
Vulcan nodded. She still felt the anger from having failed to prevent Tanaka's death. "Yes, I am. I apologize for the deception." Her eyes narrowed as she saw the beasts stir to consciousness, their faces twisted from the pain of her telepathic force blast. "I strongly suggest that you leave. I will keep these monsters from escaping into the hall."
"By yourself?"
"I will not be alone for long. One of my teammates will be along soon. Go! And close the door behind you!"
The cop weighed his options. After having seen how ineffective his gun was against the beasts, he had no choice but to run, and hope the Scout was good to her word. "Good luck! I'll call for help!"
After the cop left, closing the door behind him, Vulcan was alone with the creatures. "Foolish human. We have orders to kill the hoodlum, and make sure no witnesses are left behind. This is where you will die!" said one of the beasts.
Vulcan, scowling, crossed her arms over her chest. "I beg to differ, creature. If anyone is to die, it will be you! Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!"
A sphere of golden energy enveloped the Vulcan Scout and before the creatures could react, the heroine thrust her arms outward and unleashed her sonic energy blast. In the close confines of the room, the blast hit one of the beasts at point blank range, blowing it out the wall as if it had been shot out of a cannon, leaving behind a large hole. The second creature, having barely dodged the blast plowed into Vulcan, slamming her through the door and into the hallway where she crashed hard against the wall, startling doctors, nurses and patients, horrified at seeing the monster.
Despite her powerful constitution, the force of the impact through the door and against the wall left Vulcan barely conscious and completely helpless as the beast hefted her by her tunic. It raised a clawed hand above it's head, a demonic smile on it's face.
"As my comrade said, fleshbag, this is where you die!"
"Over my dead body!" shouted an angry Moon, planting a booted foot squarely in the center of the creature's face from a flying kick, sending it tumbling down the hallway.
Moon knelt by her battered teammate. "Sailor Vulcan! Are you okay?"
Vulcan opened her eyes and nodded. There was an ugly bruise on her right cheek and green blood trickled down her chin from a split lip. "I am....functional. Deal with the creature."
Moon stood, feeling a white hot rage wash over her. "With pleasure!" she growled. Seeing the creature scamper to its feet, Moon glared at it. "Hey! Lizard lips! You hurt my friend! That was your worst mistake! And your last!"
The creature laughed. "Oh, really? You are so ridiculous, child!"
"DON'T LAUGH AT ME!" roared Moon, whipping off her tiara and willing it into her powerful energy disc. "No one laughs at me! I'm Sailor Moon, the Champion of Love and Justice----and you're history! Moon Tiara....MAGIC!"
With a strength bome of anger, Moon hurled the disc which hit the beast in the chest. In an instant, the creature had been disintegrated, reduced to a pile of smoldering gray ash on the floor. The hallway was silent, save for the click-clack of Moon's high heels as she strode up to the pile, then, in a rare display of vulgarity, Moon extended the middle finger of her right hand at it.
"Laugh that off, sucker!" she shouted.
"Really, Sailor Moon. Such a crude display of emotion is highly uncalled for while in public," said Vulcan, walking up to her friend.
Moon gave Vulcan a smirk. "That's what you think." Her expression then changed to one of deep concern. "How about you? Will you be all right?"
Vulcan nodded. "Other than some bruising which my healing powers are already working on, I will soon recover."
"What about the guy you came in here to do a mind meld with?"
Vulcan's face hardened into a scowl. "Tanaka is dead. The creatures caught me off guard and murdered him. Fortunately, I know where he appropriated the chemical that mutated him."
"Good! Let's get cracking!" Suddenly, Moon's communicator beeped and Jupiter's angry face appeared on the tiny screen. "What's up, Jupe?"
"Trouble! If you and Vulcan are done screwing around, we could use a hand!" the Scout of Thunder rumbled. "We've got two of those horrors to fight! And they're tougher than Sarah!"
Moon looked at Vulcan who nodded. "Hang tight! We're on our way!" As the Scouts headed for the exit, Moon grinned sheepishly at the crowd.
"Sorry about the mess, folks. Fighting bad guys is dirty work. Literally."
At the far end of the lot, a sleek, black Lexus LS400 slid quietly into a parking space and five hard faced men climbed out. Dino 'Rocky' Pasquale, the driver looked around him, his eyes narrowed.
"Alright, boys. Here's what we'll do," said Pasquale to his men. "We'll spread out and wait for Bats to show. When he does, we whack 'im. Got it?"
Charlie 'Big Chuck' DiGregorio, a hulking, barrel-chested mountain of a man happened to look up and gasped when he saw a huge, dark form hurtling down at he and his partners.
"Oh, shit! Incoming!" he yelled, already running for cover. The others looked up just in time to see the large form slam onto the roof of the car, crumpling it like tinfoil as the gangsters dove out of the way. The Mafiosi looked on in stunned amazement and what had destroyed their car. A hideous, lizard like creature with a long, thick tail. The gangsters quickly whipped out their handguns and leveled them at the beast as it lay unmoving on the roof, greenish blood oozing from several ugly wounds.
"What the hell is that?" Arnold 'Nero' Romano wondered aloud, the gun he held shaking in his hand. "It looks like something out of a horror movie!"
"Who cares what it is! Is it dead!" said the fourth gangster.
"Why don't you take it's pulse, Joey?" said a fifth mobster.
"Up yours Al! I ain't goin' near that thing!"
Just then, they heard a growl from deep in the creature's throat and it began to stir. Pasquale and his men instictively pulled their weapons and backed up severla paces. Before their startled eyes, the lizard beast rolled off the roof of the demolished car and rose shakily to it's feet, it's eyes blazing with hatred for the humans it glared down at.
"Sonofabitch! It's still alive! Blast it!" shouted Pasquale.
The mobsters unloaded with their guns, punching ugly holes in the creature which oozed green blood. The creature howled from pain and anger as the rounds slammed it against the car, yet, it wouldn't go down. Big Chuck, seeing gas leaking from the car's ruptured gas tank got an idea.
"Get back! Way back!" he shouted as he fired his .44 magnum Desert Eagle at the rear of the car near the spreading pool of gas. The others, seeing what Big Chuck was doing ran for cover behind other cars as a bullet hit it's target and the mangled vehicle detonated with a thunderous explosion, instantly enveloping the beast in flames, followed by a series of smaller secondary explosions. The death screams from the creature as the flames consumed it were horrible to hear, even for the hardened Mafiosi. Finally, the creature slumped to the ground and didn't move.
"What the hell was that?" a rattled Joey wanted to know. He wrinkled his nose at the foul smell of roasted flesh. "Was it workin' for the Bat?"
Pasquale shook his head. "No way! Bats couldn't have known we were coming here. And he don't work with rejects from Jurassic Park either."
Big Chuck heard sirens in the distance. "Cops are comin', Rocky. And all our spare ammo was in the trunk. We'd better blow this dump."
Before Pasquale could order his men to retreat, he heard a growl from behind him. He whirled around to see another lizard beast, oozing blood from wounds all over it's body lumber up to the thugs. It saw it's comrade on the ground beside the burning hulk of the wrecked car, it's body a blackened husk. The beast roared in anger.
"You killed Arod!" the beast snarled. "Humans! You will pay for that!"
"Up yours, Godzilla!" Pasquale snapped. He raised his gun and pumped two rounds between the beast's eyes, knocking it to the ground. But it didn't stay there long as it struggled to it's feet. Pasquale turned to his men. "Don't just stand there! Blast him!"
"Hold it! He's mine!" shouted Jupiter, slamming a shoulder into the creature, sending it crashing into a car. As the beast rose to it's feet, blinded by blood in it's eyes, Jupiter, the antenna already up on her tiara summoned her power. "Jupiter Thundercloud... .ZAP!"
Jupiter hurled a ball of lightning at the beast, scorching it where it stood. It dropped to it's knees, yet it wouldn't fall, grimacing from the great pain it felt. Jupiter paused to eye the monster as Venus ran up to her partner.
"These suckers are sure tough!" Jupiter said to her best friend.
"Yeah, but we're tougher!" growled the Scout of Love who then concentrated on her power. "And this time, we don't have to hold back! Venus Crescent... SHOWER!"
A dazzling display of golden light erupted all around Venus who then directed an array of energy beams that mercilously pulverized the creature, causing it to scream from agony. "Hit him again, babe! Finish him off!"
"Gladly! Jupiter Thunder....DRAGON!" a large bolt of lightning descended from the night sky, briefly embracing Jupiter's body before forming into a huge and terrifying dragon construct that consumed the mortally wounded creature in it's crackling maw, incinerating it and blowing up the car it was hunkered up against as it touched off the gas tank. The Scouts, breathing heavily from the exertion of battle stared at the roasted corpse of the beast as it lay unmoving amidst the flaming remains of the wrecked car . The heroines then turned to face the Mafiosi, stunned silent from what they had just witnessed.
"Who the hell are you? And what's with the guns?" Jupiter demanded.
Venus, eyeing the men, instantly became suspicious. "Wait a minute! Jupiter! Fall back! They're gaijin! American gangsters!"
Pasquale, fed up with the situation, leveled his gun at the blonde. "Aww, nuts! I've had it! Waste 'em, boys!"
It took Batman a full five minutes to melt the ice shrouds Sailor Mercury encased the two police impound officers in with his portable acetylne torch. During that time, the Dark Knight experienced a feeling he wasn't used to and didn't at all like.
He was impatient.
The longer it took for him to free the cops, the further away Mercury got after having left the yard. Batman was also angry with himself for having underestimated Mercury because of her age. But the fact that she purposely, and cold-bloodedly endangered innocent lives to help effect her escape proved she was every bit as dangerous as the adult villians the Dark Knight battled on the streets of Gotham.
No. Sailor Mercury's not a psychopath like the Joker or Two-Face, thought Batman as he cracked open the shrouds and checked the pulse of both men. Satisfied they were all right, he strode quickly to Tanaka's SUV and examined the cargo area. Amy's beside herself from guilt and rage over Sarah's death. Just like I had been after my parents were murdered. But I didn't have super powers when I was her age. And she's obsessed enough from revenge to kill. I have to stop her before it's too late!
Batman noticed slight traces of a powdery white residue on the floor of the cargo area almost immediately. Scraping it up with an index finger, the Dark Knight brought it to his lips then spat it out. Salt. The waterfront, he mused? Just then, his communicator softly beeped. Removing it from his belt, Batman punched a key and spoke into it.
"What is it?" he growled.
"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but something just came in over the police band regarding our nautically attired adolescents," came back Alfred's perpetually calm voice. "There's been a report of a melee between the Sailor Scouts and several of those lizard creatures outside Tokyo General Hospital."
Batman's eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth from barely concealed frustration. "Damn! The Scouts found Tanaka, along with whoever's creating those mutants."
"That would seem to be the case, sir. What is your current status?"
Slamming shut the liftgate of the SUV, Batman moved for the fence. The Dark Knight scowled as this entire situation was close to spiraling out of his control. And the one thing Batman hated most of all was not being in control.
"I know where the mutagen's being processed, Alfred. Somewhere down on the waterfront. I'm headed there now."
"And what of the Scouts?"
"If they found Tanaka, it figures they'll know about the waterfront as well," said the Dark Knight. "Those kids are smarter than I gave them credit for. I'm going to shut down this nightmare, once and for all. First things first! I've got to make sure the Scouts don't get in my way!"
Much to Sailor Mercury's frustration, she found she still had a conscience. And it was tormenting her.
Curled in the fetal position on a rooftop some three miles away from the impound yard, Mercury softly sobbed as her humanity, thought to have been buried by rage resurfaced, brutally reminding her of the evil she had committed.
You left those innocent men back there to die, the human part of her psyche, the part that was Amy Anderson coldly accused.
"I had to! Or Batman would've stopped me! I can't let him, or anybody stand in the way of my revenge!" Mercury shouted to the voice in her head.
Revenge? That's not what you, not what we stand for. Talia was right. If you continue on this path, you'll destroy yourself.
Mercury pulled a forearm across her eyes and continued to hug herself. "I don't give a damn what happens to me. I have to kill the people responsible for Sarah's death."
And then what? Like Batman said, that won't bring your soul any peace. And what of the others? How will they react if you succeed in commiting murder? How do you think Serena will react? You'll break her heart.
Mercury thought about Serena, the one person she loved more than even her own mother. Her mind drifted back her first day at Crossroads Junior High, of how terribly alone she felt, the awful, bottomless ache in her heart from the whispers behind her back from students who jokingly called her the 'Brighton Brain Farm Reject'. But Serena had been the very first person who befriended her, who eased her barely hidden pain by offering her the gift of companionship. Just like Sarah had done another lifetime ago, and more....
Amy had just turned fourteen. What was supposed to have been a happy day immediately started off on the wrong foot when her mother somberly told her she had to leave town that day on a medical conference and wouldn't be able to throw a birthday party for her.
As was her custom, Amy hid her disappointment behind her usual impassive demeanor, but inside, she was crushed. With her father absent, the idea of being alone on her birthday all but broke Amy's heart, yet she put on a bold front and refused to let her pain show.
When Amy arrived at Brighton for classes, the first person she ran into was Sarah who instantly saw her friend was troubled. Amy tried to keep a tight rein on her emotions but couldn't, collapsing into Sarah's arms and crying non-stop for ten minutes after explaining that she'd be alone on her birthday.
Sarah, holding Amy tight and gently stroking her hair felt for her friend and the despair she was in. With a loveably goofy grin, Sarah told Amy that she'd treat her to a fun filled outing after school as a birthday present: shopping at the mall, taking in a movie, topped off by, in Sarah's words, a gorge-a-thon where they'd eat pizza until 'tomato sauce pours out of our ears!'
Breaking out in a smile, Amy hugged Sarah, thanking her for caring, and for being her friend.
"You're my best bud, Bookworm. I'll always care about you," Sarah said.
Before the final class of the day, Sarah walked up to Amy in the hall and told her she'd be ten minutes late in leaving as she promised to help her teacher with some filing and told her to wait outside in the park across from school. With a nod, Amy agreed to wait.
Once the final bell rang, Amy left school and walked across the street to the park to wait for Sarah. When fifteen minutes had passed and Sarah hadn't shown up, Amy decided to go back in when someone approached her.
Paul Atkinson, tall, blond and lanky was a seventeen-year-old upperclassman from a wealthy family who had a reputation around school for being an arrogant and egotistical womanizer. Most of the girls swooned at the sight of Paul as he strutted through the halls like a peacock, but Amy thought he was smarmy and purposely kept her distance from him, thinking him to be dangerous. But now Paul was right in front of her, flashing his trademark cocky grin that made him look slimy to her.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Genius," said a smirking Paul in greeting. "How's it hanging, Amy?"
"Fine. Excuse me," said Amy, starting to walk past Paul, but he grabbed her by the arm.
"Whoa there, girl! Where are you going? Don't you want to talk to me?"
Amy tried not to wince from the pressure Paul put on her arm. "No, not really. I'm waiting for someone in school, but she hasn't come out yet."
"Too bad. Maybe I can fill the time until she gets here."
The tone of Paul's voice worried Amy. "I'd rather you didn't, Paul. Please, let me go."
Paul responded by roughly pulling Amy towards him. His sneer menaced her. "Not yet, kiddo. All the chicks in school fall at my feet, but you won't give me the time of the day. Why is that?"
"Because you don't appeal to me," answered Amy, hoping her answer wouldn't enrage Paul who also had a reputation for having a short temper.
Paul's sneer turned into a scowl. "What's your problem, Anderson? You a faggot? Don't you like boys?"
In spite of herself, Amy grew annoyed. "Yes, I like boys, Paul. I just don't like you."
The instant those words left Amy's lips, she regretted them as Paul's eyes briefly burned from anger. Then, he chuckled at her. "Is that a fact? Well, we're just going to have to do something about that, won't we?"
Before Amy could cry out for help, Paul clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her violently thrashing deeper into the park and into small clearing near a large boulder where kids from school etched their initials and other grafitti into it. Paul backhanded Amy across her face, knocking her to the ground. He then straddled the dazed girl and ripped her blouse open down to her navel, exposing a plain white cotton bra. Leering hungrily, Paul held Amy down by her throat with one hand and kissed her hard on her lips while hiking her skirt and caressing the inside of her thigh with the other.
"Don't fight it, baby, just relax. I guarentee you're gonna enjoy it," he said in a throaty whisper.
"Like hell she will!" a voice roared from behind him. Paul felt hands grab him from behind and he was roughly pulled away from Amy. He whirled around to face an enraged Sarah, her fists clenched, her teeth bared like a wolf. He grinned sheepishly.
"Oh, hey! Sarah! What's new?" he asked nervously.
"How about your name on tomorrow's obituary page? Get away from Amy! NOW!" Sarah yelled. With a nod, Paul stepped aside. Sarah quickly knelt and cradled her friend who was wide eyed from fright and trembling like a leaf. Sarah grew angrier at the red welt on Amy's right cheek and her torn blouse. She then glared at Paul. "You scumbag! I've heard rumors that you like to play rough with girls, but this is beyond low!"
Paul chuckled. "C'mon, Sarah. Don't be such a wet blanket. I was only having some fun."
Sarah stood up and stalked Paul. "Well, why don't you have some fun with me? I'll show you a really good time while I put your sorry ass in traction!"
"Hey! Hey! There's no need to get all hot and bothered," Paul said nervously while backing up. "It's no big deal, Sarah. Really."
"No big deal?" With a roar of anger, Sarah, no stranger to fisticuffs leaped at Paul, her eyes blazing from rage. Before the boy could react, Sarah drove a fist into Paul's stomach, doubling him over, then follwed up with a right uppercut to his jaw, tumbling him him against the boulder. "You sick bastard! You tried to rape my best friend!"
"So what? You'll never prove a thing," said Paul, his smirk back in place. "It's your word against mine, darlin'. And no one will believe an honor roll student like me would do something like that."
Snarling like a wild animal, Sarah clamped her fingers around Paul's throat and squeezed with all her strength.
"You're....making....a big mistake," Paul croaked. "My parents have....the best lawyers....in town! Hurt me....and you're finished!"
"Sarah! Don't!" cried Amy, finding her voice. "He's not worth getting in trouble for! Let him go! Please!"
Sarah stared down at Paul who was turning blue, nodded. "You're right, Bookworm. He's not worth it." With a sigh, Sarah let go of Paul who collapsed coughing and gagging to the ground. She then glared disgustedly at him. "For all your money, Paul, you're nothing more than a weasel. Amy, you want me to tell the Principal about this? We could put boy toy here in a world of trouble."
Amy, hastily buttoning her blazer to cover herself shook her head. "No. I don't want to go through that. Please, Sarah, just take me home."
Sarah, though slightly disappointed, nodded. She then fixed Paul a baleful glare. "This is your only warning. Stay away from Amy. If I find you even breathing the same air she is, your new address will be Tokyo Cemetery. Got it?"
Paul nodded slowly.
"Good boy," said Sarah, patting Paul on the head like a dog. She spun on her heel and began to walk back to Amy when she stopped, turned around and smirked at him. "Must've been galling to have had your ass kicked by a girl. Wait'll I tell your bimbo brigade about that."
Now it was Paul who grew enraged at having been humiliated. Spying a rock nearby, Paul grabbed it and charged Sarah. Amy screamed a warning.
"SARAH! Behind you!"
Sarah whirled around to see the maddening Paul charging her, a rock in his hand to use as a weapon. She was unimpressed.
"Moron," she snarled before unleashing a devastating spinning wheel kick that connected with Paul's jaw, striking him with such force that it propelled him backwards and he struck the back of his head hard on the boulder. Both Sarah and Amy could hear the sickening crack of skull against stone as Paul slumped unconscious to the ground. Sarah approached Paul and scowled at the blood oozing from Paul's head. Amy, nervously walking up behind Sarah was horrified at the sight.
"Dammit!" Sarah growled. She then turned and took Amy, who almost fainted into her arms. "Hell of a way to spend your birthday, huh, kid?"
Mercury's thoughts then returned to the here and now. But her pain never left. Nor did the memories.
Sarah calling for help....Paul spending nearly a week in a coma...Sarah arrested for assault and thrown in jail....Amy, too traumatized from the incident to testify at Sarah's hearing which ended with her expulsion....the shell of isolation Amy crawled into after Sarah was thrown out....all those grim memories which Mercury kept buried in the back of her mind bludgeoned her soul, compounded by Sarah's death which she was helpless to have prevented. The guilt Mercury felt was an agony beyond words.
Sarah saved me from being violated. Yet, I couldn't save her when she needed me most, she thought, her mind deep in anguish. Rising to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, Mercury looked up at the night sky.
"Sarah! If you can hear me, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't save you!" she screamed.
After several moments, Mercury let out a weary sigh. Then, she felt the coldness of her rage reassert itself as the memories of Sarah's death continued replaying in her fevered mind. Standing up, she dismissed her humanity once again, her heart hardening, she focused solely on her driving need for revenge. "But I will destroy the bastards who turned you into a monster, Sarah. Each and every one. I promise you that," she whispered.
Mercury leaped off the roof and resumed her trek to the waterfront.
"Mars Fire....IGNITE!" yelled Sailor Mars, hurling a fireball at the last of the lizard creatures who caught the blast head on, crumpling to the ground in a fiery heap. It lay still for several moments, then its healing powers repaired it's charred skin. The beast rose snarling to its feet.
"Damnation! What'll it take to destroy you?" a frustrated Mars growled.
"Power that you don't have, puny human!" shouted the beast as it leaped at the Fire Scout. "Now it's my turn! DIE!"
"Not today, monster. Not ever. Vulcan Shockwave... STRIKE!"
The creature, already in mid-air had no chance to dodge Vulcan's sonic energy blast as it hit the scaly horror head on, pulverizing it's bones and slamming it against the wall of the hospital as murderous velocity. Alive, but seriously injured, the beast, running on adrenaline struggled to stand. It could feel its healing powers repairing it's many wounds and broken bones. In a matter of seconds, it would recover and be ready to fight, ready to kill.
Moon didn't give it those precious seconds. Whipping off her tiara, she willed it into her poweiful energy disc. "Bye-bye, scaly! Moon Tiara....MAGIC!"
The Sailor Scout leader hurled her disc, which sped at the beast with lightning fast speed. The creature could see death coming right at it and knew it was doomed. The creature let out one last roar of defiance before the disc reduced it to ashes.
"Moondusted!" Moon proclaimed as the disc returned to her waiting hand and morphed back into her tiara. After replacing it on her forehead, she looked at Mars. "You okay, Mars?"
Mars, breathing hard nodded. "I'm cool, 'Rena. But Venus and Jupiter took off after another of those monsters."
"Then let us go to their assistance," Vulcan suggested.
Venus and Jupiter ducked behind a car as bullets whizzed over their heads. Despite the enormous powers all the Scouts possessed, they were still flesh and blood and could be killed by gunfire just as easily as any human being.
"Thanks for the warning, babe!" said Jupiter. "How'd you know they were gangsters?"
"Easy. Given Japan's draconian gun laws, only American hoods would have the balls to sneak weapons into the country, then blast away in public," Venus explained. "My guess is they're Mafia. But it's embarrassing to pinned down by common thugs. Let's end this stalemate!"
Jupiter grinned wolfishly at her partner. "Roger that, girlfriend! You distract 'em, I'll zap 'em!"
Venus nodded and smiled. "Works for me, love! Go on three! One....two....three! Venus Crescent....SHOWER!"
The Scout of Love pointed her hands into the air and released her energy burst, which lit up the night sky like a fireworks display. The Mafiosi, unprepared for the light show were distracted long enough for Jupiter to make her move. Dashing out from behind the car, she summoned her power.
"Jupiter Thunder....CRASH!"
A bolt of lightning descend from above, danced about Jupiter's body for a millisecond before she hurled it at the gangsters who all cried out from pain as the electrical surge impacting against the metal in their guns stunned them into unconsciousness.
"Aced them!" the Thunder Scout proclaimed. She then turned to Venus who emerged from hiding. The girls smiled broadly and high-fived each other. "We are the team supreme!" Jupiter cried proudly.
"You got that right, honey!" said Venus as the others ran up to them. She gave her teanmiates a V sign and a broad smile. "No need to worry, guys. We've got this situation over control."
Mars rolled her eyes. "That's under control, doofus! Hey! Who are those clowns?"
"Gangsters from the States. Don't ask what they're doing here," Jupiter replied. "They toasted one of the lizards while Venus and I wasted the other."
"Along with two others Sailor Moon dispatched, that makes four," Vulcan said. "Apparently, the mastermind behind this madness wanted to make sure Tanaka revealed none of the secrets he possessed."
"Speaking of Tanaka, did you get anything out of him?" Venus asked.
Vulcan nodded. Anger still smoldered within her from her failure to save Tanaka's life. "Our adversaries are secreted in a warehouse on the waterfront."
"Then let's get moving! It's time we shut down that freak factory!" ordered Moon. Before the Scouts turned to leave, a voice called out to them.
"Scouts! Wait!"
The heroines turned to see Luna and Artemis run up to them. The expressions of worry the Sailors saw on the faces of the familiars concemed them. "Luna? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Moon asked.
"We've got trouble!" a distraught Luna said directly to Moon. "I overheard your mother talking to Mrs. Anderson who called the house twenty minutes ago! Amy's missing again!"
The Scouts felt a collective coldness clutch at their hearts from the news. "Oh, hell!" Jupiter groaned. "Guys! You don't think....?"
"That Amy is in pursuit of the miscreants responsible for Sarah's mutation? Yes," said Vulcan with a nod, her face taut. "Unfortunately, it would appear my suspicion about her frame of mind has been validated. Time is short, my friends. We must get to the waterfront immediately."
Without saying a word, the Scouts and familiars dashed off. In their desperation to get to the waterfront, the Scouts left the cats far behind. When they entered the city park which was on a straight line to the piers, the Sailors had just entered a clearing when someone blocked their path and they skidded to a stop. That someone was Batman.
"Good evening, ladies. I figured you'd come this way," said the Dark Knight. "I also know what you're up to. But I'm afraid this is as far as you go."
Next: Hunting Down The Devil