Well, in this version the FBI Director was a man, Clarence McBride. Not a particularly important character.

CHARLES SUMPTER thought "music" meant "country and western." An evening at the White House built around three classical musicians did not entice him, but he didn't realize how much trouble he was in for until the day arrived. First up, there was a last-minute cancellation by the Assistant FBI director's husband--and the substitution of a Special Agent Sumpter had never heard of. Of course, the Agent would check out, but it was disturbing because it almost certainly met that the Assistant Director was going to use the occasion to get something to the President--it was a tactic she had used to get around the Attorney General and the Chief of Staff before, and the President would know.

It was something that happened all the time, but it also made for a disrupted routine--and mistakes were most likely to be made during that routine. Truthfully, Sumpter really worried about some political shenanigans that the Secret Service might be asked to testify about than an assasination attempt--but there was always the chance that the President would want to get away from Secret Service protection and possible Secret Service agent testimony, and that was always an opportunity for danger.

The second surprise was that the guests arrived with an alarming number of small children, including many babes-in-arms. It was certainly a great source of photo ops, but children were always more work for the detachment.

Michiru seemed to be the complete image of herself, except that those photographers familiar with her reputation were surprised how maternal she was--it was the first time she had ever been openly photographed with her children, and it was clear she was not putting on an act for the President and her husband.

Once she began to perform, however, she was all "green fire," especially when she was performing only with Descartes--she was clearly performing to show him up, and while he did not falter, the strain was obvious to anyone watching the performance, whether in the drawing room or on Television. Even Kimi noticed it, though she didn't say anything to her father . . .

Jack Crawford wasn't paying a great deal of attention to the performance. He was busy assimilating the discovery that Michiru was intimately associated with Mrs. Chiba, her daughter, and everyone else he had met in the Kensington mansion, except the late Mr. Kevin Jones . . . the widow of a Blue gang-banger was sitting no more than six feet from the President of the United States, who was sitting between Dr. Alvarson and her husband.

Victor Ballin waited to for the intermission and the chance to meet the President of the United States. He also waited for a break for applause to tell the Assistant Director something. When it came, he said, "I recognize that man in the second row."

"You do?"

"Martin Tiggs. He was with the Bureau, but he left. What is he doing here?"

"I don't know . . . Tiggs? Undercover?"

"Yes."

The Assistant Director thought for a moment. "It can wait. But thank you for having an eye open."

The next piece was short, and then it was intermission.

"You're sure about this?" asked the President.

"Yes," said Ballin, picking up the archive disk. "If I could have a little time, I will show you the critical evidence."

"That can wait . . . Annie, stay after the performance. Chet, get Rostov. We'll discuss this after our little event here. Which, need I remind you, is on live television? We have to get back. We're late already."

So, the President came back to the drawing room, on live television. And people across the nation--albeit a rather small proportion--saw Albert Ballin blanche and grab Annette Kerkorian, the assistant FBI director, and whisper something in her ear.

"What is it now, Ballin?" asked the Assistant Director

"There--look, in the first row! Three of the suspects are sitting in the first row! And the girl with Michiru, talking to the President--that's Sarah Uer! From the Sauvage video!"

There was one pair of ears across the room who noticed the whispering and had ears keen enough to tune in on the conversation. Nereid was holding onto her mother's hand and Chibi-Usa's. Instinctively, she lent her ears to them . . .

Annette Kerkorian froze for just a moment--but it was long enough for her to decide on caution. She whispered to Ballin, "Go to Sumpter, over there, and warn him there are armed people among the guests. I'm going to try to get the President away from them."

Michiru caught Annette Kerkorian remarks. She gave the crystal in her left earring a quarter-turn, activating the alert.

Sarah, who really was an almost-fifteen-years-old All-American girl, reacted instinctively as soon as she understood the words. She transformed, extended her wings around the President, her mother, and her baby sisters, and teleported to a safe place. The safest place in her world . . . the room where papa watched over Kimi. As soon as she had done that, she teleported back, ready to fight whatever bad men had sneaked in to her White House, pausing only to hand off Chibi Ikuko to papa.

Chibi Moon's transformation more or less triggered everyone else's, and the cameras caught about five seconds of this process before power failed--one of Sailor Jupiter's mature tactics was damping power grids by absorbing electrical energy. She not only soaked up an enormous charge at little cost in fatigue to herself; she also threw the unknown enemies into darkness. And in her winged forms, she could see quite well in the dark . . .

None of the Ayakashi's had winged forms, though, and the shrill, harsh voice of Cooan was soon heard . . .

For the first time in history, guns were drawn and triggers pulled in the White House. There would have been a lot of casualties if Chibi Mars was not using one of her best powers--the ability to suppress fire. Including gunfire--the Secret Service men and the Marine guards pulled back operating bolts and slides in vain. In fact, this was the worse for them, because the Sailors, who could all see in the dark, quickly moved to them and knocked most of them out. McBride, the Security Chief, one agent, and one marine withdrew from the room. Radios ineffective, McBride sent the Agent outside to alert the perimeter guards and send out the alarm, while he ran to the West Wing to get reinforcements and see if he could find a working phone

"Chibi Moon," shouted Sailor Venus, command instincts activated to the full. "Where did you take them?"

"I left them with Papa."

"Everyone, we must get the children out now! Naru, sleep spells! Put everyone else out; we don't know who to trust."

No recorders were working then, but one of the cameramen was Japanese . . .

The agent sent by Sumpter successfully alerted the perimeter, but their phones were dead, too. The Secret Service puts a lot of thought into contigencies, though, and they had colored flares to signal the other gates. The agent still ran for the next one, though. He noticed that cars on Pennsylvania Avenue were stalled, and that the lights were out for several blocks. Passing a police car, he stopped to clue the officers in on the situation. One of them started running toward the nearest lighted area while the agent started again for the next gate . . .

Sumpter found his way into the West Wing with great difficulty--even the emergency lights were barely glowing, but he noticed that they got a little brighter as he got further from the drawing room. Knowing that phones actually use very little current, he kept checking each one he could find as he worked his way back, and spread the word for others to do the same. He was eventually rewarded by a shout from down the dim hallway: "Chief McBride! We've got the DC Police!"

He sprinted to the voice, falling painfully once but getting up instantly. Once at that phone, he said in his most commanding tone, "This is White House Security Chief Sumpter. We have a hostile takeover in the White House. Seal off the White House District immediately! The President may be a hostage at this time and an attempt may be made to take him from the vicinity! I don't know how long this connection will last, so inform the Treasury Department, the Attorney General's Office, the Department of Defense, and all the Armed Services. And call the Vice President! The Emergency Number for the Vice President today is . . . "

"Auntie Naru," said Chibi Moon, "You shouldn't have put this lady to sleep. She is the one who knew about the bad men. I can't read her thoughts when she's asleep like mama can."

"I am sorry, Chibi-Usa, I am tired now. I don't have enough energy to work the wake-up spell."

"I will take her back to Mama, then."

"Wait, will you run out of energy? We need you for the big teleport, I think."

"I'm not sure . . . but Mina-chan is right, we must get the babies back first."

"It is impolite for you to call her that. She is your Auntie."

"I am sorry, Auntie."

"I can't hold the power off any longer," said Sailor Jupiter, "And if we don't jump soon, I will have to discharge."

"Senshi!" cried Sailor Venus. "Form up for the teleport! Naru, get in the circle!"

"But I haven't--"

"Naru, now! Everyone! Twenty seconds! Nineteen, eighteen . . .

Sumpter felt an immense rush of relief--the lights came on. But they flickered, then flashed, and he heard the pop! of exploding bulbs. But not all of them. The power surge smoothed out, and the West Wing seemed close to normal.

"Twelve, Eleven . . ."

Sailor Zara had noticed that the man in uniform with the briefcase handcuffed to his arm seemed to be close to the President all the time. The case must be important for the President. So, she used her power to move things with her mind to unlatch the handcuff, and took the case with her as she ran to join the circle.

"Eight, Seven . . ."

At this point, the security cameras in the Drawing Room and the surrounding rooms were working again . . .

Zara saw men with guns coming in a hall, so she slammed all the doors shut and locked them--a trick she had learned long ago, because it was a wonderful way to joke with people.

Zoe was on the other side of the doors, but she walked through them--that was the first power she had found, probably because her adoptive sister locked her inside places so much. That is also why she didn't notice the bullet that passed through her as she was dematerialized--the first one successfully fired in the whole incident.

A mixed squad of Secret Service, White House Guards, and Marines bounded into the drawing room. Seeing that the President was nowhere in sight, they went to the door which the last angel had just walked through. They smashed the door open with rifle butts, and burst into the next room--and found it empty.

Sailor Venus looked first for Chibi Moon to ask if she could still teleport, but he saw that she had transformed back, and was staggering. She moved to catch her. Then she heard Olivia's voice from amid the crowd in the chamber they used for teleporting in the second basement.

"Venus! Venus! The Moon Lady says the President is with her at the hospital! Someone has to go get her before the hospital people find out!"

"Is she on the phone now?"

"Yes!"

"Give it to me!"

The crowd parted to let tiny Olivia through. Venus took the phone. "Where are you?"

Usagi answered from the other end, "Down the hall from Kimi's room. I put the President to sleep, and Mamoru put her in my wheelchair."

"What are you using?"

"I am on a gurney now. Can Chibi-Usa teleport?"

"No. No, none of us can, we are all drained."

"Even Dr. Alvarson?"

"Yes. He is asleep. My mother is carrying him like a child."

"Aaaah. Then bring my van. And a spare wheelchair, if you can get it in a hurry. Please, hurry. I am using my power to disguise myself and the President, and it is getting very painful."

"This is White House Security Chief Sumpter, General. The hostiles have possession of the War Emergency Directives. This is definite. The hostiles have possession of the War Emergency Directives."

"Right. Stay on the line, if you please." General Clayborn put Sumpter on hold, and said, "Major, send this: Looking Glass Priority One Alert. Defcon Three, Situation Blue Nine Charlie. All commands. Lieutenant, warm up the hotlines. Flash that there is a critical domestic situation and that we are putting our strategic forces on maximum alert as a precautionary measure . . . "

"Naru-chan!" exclaimed Haruka, managing Hecate with one hand and her husband with the other, Why did you put Roland to sleep, too?"

"I didn't," said Naru. "Your handsome, brave husband fainted. Gorio-chan, I had better go with the van. I still can throw a spell or two."

"Who is this?" asked Olivia.

"That is the lady who was talking about the men with weapons," explained Michiru. "Chibi Moon dragged her into the circle."

"That lady meant us, maman," said Nereid sleepily. "The man she was whispering with said Sarah's name and said she was a suspect for something. I don't think I let you hear that part, did I?"

Charles Sumpter's term as, effectively, the Acting President, ended when contact was established with the Vice President, but he remained in control of the situation at the White House itself. As more help arrived, he organized a painstaking search of the building and the grounds. Martial Law went into effect in the District of Columbia twenty minutes after the Vice President took over, and within the hour, a local National Guard unit was beginning building searches of the perimeter around the White House.

At about the same time, the President of the United States was being wheeled into a mansion in Kensington, California, about three thousand miles away. Usagi was in such great pain from using her powers for so long that she woke up Ishtar, who came down and used her powers to soothe Usagi to merciful sleep.

Naru used her last reserves of energy and one of the little man's special books to work a spell that would keep the President from leaving the house voluntarily, while Olivia gathered up all the phones and hid them in the second basement. The only one she allowed to remain was her own cellphone, an ultra ultra-light she wore on a cord around her neck. Then, like everyone else, they went to bed.

Naru could cast sleep spells more or less effortlessly by this point in time, and they lasted a good 24 hours, unless she got a little fancier and went for finer control. Victor Ballin, failing to respond to stimulants, was taken to Bethesda along with the other sleeping victims.

Chief Sumpter had no idea what Ballin and Kerkorian's business with the President had been, and Chet Atkinson, his Chief of Staff, was one of the sleepers. He had cell-phoned Dr. Rostov, the National Security Advisor, and mentioned information from the FBI. So, a little after seven in the morning, Eastern time, Rostov asked if the President had had a recent communication with the FBI. McBride remembered that Agent Ballin had pulled out an envelope from his coat--and the gate guards mentioned that the envelope had contained a memorandum and some kind of disk for a computer.

Just before eight, the memorandum and disk were found. Rostov found it interesting--and naturally sent it straight to the NSA, because he was well aware of GALATINE and was one of the foremost proponents of keeping it a secret. But he possessed a sharp memory, and when McBride was reading off a list of the missing persons at the press conference at 11:00 am Eastern, he realized that five of them were on the suspect list--Sarah Uer, Ami Mizuno, Hotaru Tsukino, Shingo Tsukino, and Minako Jones.

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