Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected]. 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.
Girls Just Want To Have Fun
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Part Two: Working Girls
Rating: PG-13
Sailor Sirius was puzzled as she confronted a terrified Sailor Moon.
"Heartsnatcher? What in blazes is that?" she asked her friend. "Talk to me, honey! What are we up against?"
Moon, her eyes wide from horror opened her mouth, but no sounds came out. Sirius became worried. "Oh, no! Sailor Moon's in shock! What'll we do?"
"Get her to safety, Sirius," Sailor Vulcan ordered, her eyes locked on the android which tumed it's attention to the Scouts. Even without being in physical contact with Sailor Moon which initiated the telepathic link she had with the Scout leader, Vulcan could feel the near overwhelming force of her friend's mind numbing fright. "Sailor Moon is of no use to us in her current condition. I will cover your retreat."
Sirius felt a sliver of fear in her heart. "But you saw what it did to Moon's tiara! You can't fight that thing alone!"
"I intend to try. Hurry! Get Sailor Moon out of here!" Vulcan commanded, crossing her arms over her chest and a golden sphere of light enveloped her torso as the power quickly built up within her.
Sirius did as she was told, but didn't like the notion of abandoning a teammate. The Star Scout grunted as she hefted the immobile Moon into a fireman's carry and struggled to her feet. "Damn, girl! You need to lose some weight!" she muttered to Moon. "Vulcan! Don't you dare get yourself killed! Not when we've just become friends!"
"I will endeavor to stay alive. Now go!"
With a nod, Sirius turned and fled with Moon, albeit reluctantly. Once her friends were safely away, the Scout of Order attacked. "Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!"
Vulcan thrust her arms outward and released her sonic energy blast. The sphere screamed at the android at dizzying speed, rippling the ground as it grew in size before impacting with the robot which held up it's arms with an ear piercing boom, slamming it through the wall of a nearby building like it had been hit by a speeding train. From the safety of a rooftop across the street from the scene, Sirius let out a low whistle after watching Vulcan in action.
"Now that's what I call power!" Sirius then turned to face Moon who was still silent and shaking. "Sailor Moon! Serena! Snap out of it! What kind of monster is Talia fighting?"
Moon, lost in her own mind didn't hear her friend. She was drowning in memories she tried for months to purge, but couldn't....
A new enemy had come to Tokyo for the Scouts to battle against. Bizarre monsters that stole the heart crystals of innocent people for reasons then unknown to the heroines.
From the very first battle against the enemy, the creatures proved too powerful for the Sailors to fight when they received an unexpected assist from two never before seen Scouts, Sailors Uranus and Neptune. However, the newcomers had no interest in fighting with the Scouts, if anything, they regarded the girls with barely concealed contempt as they were on a mission to find pure hearts which could then form a holy weapon to prevent a cataclysm that threatened the universe.
Moon remembered being shocked at the chilling ruthlessness Uranus and Neptune showed as they were callous enough to sacrifice the lives of anyone to stop the apocalypse they said was coming. After several encounters with the creatures who came to be known as heartsnatchers, Moon was next to experience the incredible horror of having her heart crystal removed. The incident happened on her birthday, with a creature morphing from, of all things, a pair of shoes Serena had bought.
In the two years she had been Sailor Moon, Serena had experienced more than her fair share of physical pain, but this had been different. Much different. Broken bones, lacerations, beatings, concussions, burns, internal injuries, not even the suffering Moon endured when she died at the North Pole compared to the agony she went through when her heart crystal was removed. The torment seemed to last for years, the pain was unending, like billions of red hot needles having been driven into her chest.
Even after her crystal had been returned, Serena wasn't the same. The memories of the pain haunted her constantly. She had nightmares as did the other girls after their crystals had been removed. Only the Scouts' desperate battle against the heartsnatchers, the Witches Five and the cosmic menace of Pharoah 90 kept Serena from having a complete breakdown. Saving the universe, and the soul of young Hotaru Tomoe, reincarnated as the dread Scout of Destruction, Sailor Saturn ultimately saved Serena's own sanity.
But the memories of the terror, of the pain when her heart crystal was taken remained, though not as persistent as before. Then came today....
Patience was no more a virtue to Sailor Sirius than it was to Tanya Cambridge. And with Vulcan fighting the android alone, the Star Scout needed to learn all she could about their enemy if she was to help her newfound friend, and only Moon had that information. Sirius did the only thing she could think of under the circumstances. She reached back and slapped Moon. Hard.
Moon cried out from the sharp sting of the slap, but it served it's purpose, snapping Moon out of her trance. She blinked and stared up in confusion at Sirius. "Ti? What's wrong? What happened?"
"In a word, everything!" Sirius snapped, her guts churning from worry over Vulcan. "You spaced out on us! And Tal's down there alone, fighting that robot! What's a heartsnatcher?"
"A nightmare I thought was long gone. Oh, God! I can't believe it's back," Moon moaned. She hugged herself and shivered.
Furious, Sirius roughly grabbed Moon by her shoulders and hauled her to her feet. "I don't have time for your whining, Serena! Talk to me! How do we beat this thing?"
Moon, still frightened, shook her head. "You can't. It's too powerful. And I don't have the Grail anymore. There's no way we can win."
"Bull! I don't buy that!" Sirius yelled back. "We're Sailor Scouts! We'll find a way! C'mon! Tal needs our help!"
Moon shook her head again, frozen in place from fear. "I....I can't! Ti, I'm scared! It hurt me! Stole my heart crystal like those people down there! You can't imagine what that's like! I can't face that again!"
Scowling, Sirius glared at the cowering Moon. For the very first time since having met her, Sirius was disgusted with her friend. "Fine! Stay here, you gutless coward!"
Tears streamed down Moon's face as she looked at Sirius. "Tanya! Please! You don't understand....!"
"You got that right! What's more, I don't want to!" the Scout of the Stars snarled viciously. "I've wasted enough time with you! I'm gonna help my friend!" Without saying another word, Sirius turned on her heel and leaped off the roof, leaving behind an anguished Moon who slumped to her knees.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered pitifully. "I'm sorry...."
Much to her consternation because she always strove for accuracy, there were times when Sailor Vulcan didn't know her own strength.
It was her aim to disable the robot with her sonic blast, not blow it through the wall of the building. But the terror she felt from Moon angered her and the alien Scout used more power than she intended. As she picked her way through the rubble, Vulcan was alert for any sign that the android survived the blast. She needed to learn how the machine incapacitated that man, and the crystal like object that was pulled from his body.
With rubble crunching beneath her feet, the Scout of Order cautiously approached the android as it lay motionless on the floor, it's chest caved in. The visor was dark, it's moving red light seemingly extinguished. Vulcan cocked an eyebrow, figuring the machine should have been reduced to scrap metal from the force of her blast. Vulcan stopped when she was five feet away from the robot, eyeing it with an almost human like suspciousness. Just then, the red light in the visor flared to life, the robot lifted an arm which extended outward with blinding speed, clamping a hand around the throat of a surprised Vulcan.
Vulcan tried to break the robot's death grip on her throat as it climbed shakily to it's feet, but couldn't. Sinking to her knees, Vulcan desperately gasped for air, losing consciousness as everything began to go black.
"Sirius Scepter....ILLUMINATE!" shouted Sirius, firing her pure light energy blast from her scepter at the robot's head. When the blast struck the robot's head, a shower of sparks flew and it went into a spastic series of convulsions, resulting in Vulcan dropping to the ground. Sirius rushed in and, grabbing Vulcan, managed to pull her away from the wildly flailing robot before it crashed to the ground.
"Sailor Vulcan! Talia! Wake up!" cried a frantic Sirius, tears stinging her eyes as she shook the unmoving alien Scout. "Please! Oh, please! Don't die! You can't die! I haven't gotten to know you yet!"
"You need not concern yourself about me, Sailor Sirius. I am still functional," said Vulcan, opening her eyes and slowly sitting up.
Sirius let out a sob, then threw her arms around Vulcan's neck and hugged her tight. "Thank Allah! I was so worried about you!"
"Really? Might I ask why?"
"You pointy eared doofus! Because you're my friend! That's why!" growled Sirius after breaking the embrace. She wiped her eyes and gave Vulcan a fond smile. "You've grown on me, stone face. And I'd hate for anything bad to happen to you."
Much to Sirius' surprise, the Vulcan Scout's lips curled into a small but warm smile. "I greatly appreciate your concern, Tanya. Thank you."
Sirius smirked. "I thought you said you don't smile."
"As I mentioned earlier, it is not something I do regularly." Vulcan's face then returned to it's rock solid impassiveness. "Where is Sailor Moon?"
Sirius' face tightened into a dark scowl. "She chickened out on us. I'll explain later. What about Robby the robot? Is it down for the count?"
No sooner had those words left Sirius' lips did the android sit up, sparks flying about it's head.
"Oh, boy," the Star Scout muttered.
"I agree," said Vulcan, quickly standing up. She gave Sirius a hand to help her to her feet. "We must vacate immediately. Our maneuverability is severely limited while in this space."
Sirius, watching the android rise to it's feet felt a chill run down her spine. Suddenly, she wasn't in a hurry to let go of Vulcan's hand. "You don't have to tell me twice, partner! Let's book!"
The two Scouts made a mad dash back out into the parking lot, already filling with onlookers, police and ambulance crews. The Sailors scowled at what they saw.
"Terrific!" Sirius grumbled. "Everyone! Get out of here! There's a monster hot on our heels!"
Just then, the android rumbled through the hole in the wall, firing it's laser beam which incinerated a dozen bystanders before anyone could move. Chaos erupted as people ran screaming from the lot, policemen drew their wepaons and fired at the robot, but their rounds bounced harmlessly off the machine's hide, then it trained it's laser on them and fried them on the spot.
"You tin-plated monster! I'll destroy you!" yelled a frenzied Sirius, heartsick and enraged at the bloodshed she just witnessed. Far too many times in her young life had Sirius watched innocent people die, and this proved too much for her to handle. With tears spilling from her eyes, the Star Scout's body glowed from a bright red aura and she lifted her left hand. "You won't kill any more innocents! Sirius Infrared Laser....DISINTERGRATION!"
At her command, a massive, crimson beam of energy shot out from her open palm and screamed at the robot at lightning fast speed. Just before the blast hit the robot, it was intercepted by a silvery beam of energy and the resulting collision resulted in a huge explosion that blew everyone off their feet. When the smoke cleared, only two figures were left standing: the robot, and Moon, holding the Cosmic Moon Scepter in her trembling hands.
Moon, eyes wide, still shaking from fright stared down the robot who stood motionless while the other Scouts and the bystanders, sprawled on the ground looked at them. After what seemed like an etemity, the android tumed and left. Once the robot had gone, Moon dropped her head. Sirius, gripped by a monstrous fury after realizing what had happened jumped to her feet and charged Moon, roughly grabbing her by her tunic.
"You freaking IDIOT!" she screamed, violently shaking Moon. "That robot was good as toast! What did you do that for?"
"I....I couldn't let you destroy it," Moon murmured. "You would've killed seven people if you had."
"Killed seven people? What on Earth are you babbling about?"
Vulcan placed a firm hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Not here, Sirius. We are attracting far too much attention."
"Who cares? I wanna know what's going on!" Sirius shouted back.
"I said: not HERE!" Vulcan snapped, her voice rising in intensity.
Sirius looked around her at the people staring at her and the other Scouts. With a sigh, her shoulders slumped and she slowly nodded. "Okay! Okay! I get the message. Let's take this someplace else."
The crowd stood silent as the Sailors left the devastated scene. No one, not even the police stopped them from leaving.
"That was abominable! Positively abominable!" a furious Cletus Bagwell shouted after the android, heavily damaged retumed to the laboratory. "The idea of this field test was to gather heart crystals, not get into some inane brawl with those ridiculous female vigilantes!"
"Aww, c'mon, Bags! Give it a rest, dude!" grumbled Scott Ramsey, examining the innards of the robot as it lay smoking on a metal table. "Like it was my idea to have the tin can run into the Sailor Scouts?"
"But did it have to kill so indiscriminately?" Bagwell wanted to know.
"The android has a programmed defensive sphere, Cletus. Any energy coming into contact with that shpere is subject to attack," said Masaharu Okada, assisting Ramsey with the exploration of the android. "It's circuitry must have been damaged in the battle with the Scouts, thus the random firing on the crowd. Considering the incredible power those teenagers wield, it's a wonder the robot wasn't destroyed."
"Then we're fortunate that Ramsey builds to last," said Reginald Hawthorne. "What about the crystals?"
"We shall soon find out," said Okada. A trace of a smile briefly curled his lips as he turned to Ramsey who was also smiling and nodded at the younger man. The Japanese scientist then carefully removed a honeycomb like structure from the android's chest, glowing from seven crystals encased within. Okada displayed the structure for Bagwell and Hawthorne to see.
"Gentlemen, we were successful," he said proudly. Bagwell and Hawthorne were transfixed by what they saw.
"Remarkable!" exclaimed the rotund black scientist, his eyes wide from awe. He stared closer at the encased crystals. "My father, God rest his soul, owned a jewelry store in upper Manhattan, and he would show me some of the most exquisitely cut diamonds in the city. These crystals however are more beautiful than any gem I've ever seen in my life."
"Not to mention practical," said Hawthorne, openly fascinated with what he saw. "A pity those annoying brats showed up, or we could've gotten more than these. How soon can we send the android back out for additional tests?"
"I'll need a few hours to check it's systems and repair the exterior damage," said Ramsey. He pulled the glass tube that held the seed pod, but it had been reduced to black dust. He frowned, then handed it to Okada. "The tin can may be tougher than week old steak, dudes, but those sailor chicks gave it a real pounding."
"Just as well. After today's incident, we'll need to lay low," said Okada, stroking his chin at the residue in the tube. According to the Professor's notes, this wasn't supposed to have happened. Could a mistake have been made in the cloning process for the seeds? He would have to investigate. "Take as much time as you need, Scott. I want the prototype back in good working order before we proceed to phase four of Operation Liberate."
Ramsey grinned and gave Okada a thumbs up. "You got it, boss!"
"Okada, what happened to the seed pod?" Hawthorne asked.
"I'm not sure. An anomoly of some sort. We shall have to look into this while Scott repairs the android."
The Briton snorted. "Why bother? We have more machines ready to go."
Okada sighed. "Because, Reginald, we need to assess the damage the prototype suffered in it's battle with the Scouts and learn just how much punishment our robots can withstand, should we face them again."
"Do you think that'll happen?" Bagwell asked.
"There's a very good chance we will. We must be prepared for that eventuality," Okada replied. "The success of our endeavor depends upon both the seeds and the androids. And, if everything works as planned, civilization itself will ultimately benefit. Come, gentlemen. We have much to do."
After leaving the scene of the battle, the Scouts ducked into an alley where they changed back to human form. After retrieving their packages from the bistro, the girls retreated to Tanya's house which was closest to the downtown area.
With Tanya's father at work, the girls had the house to themselves to discuss the events that had so traumatized Serena. In the living room, Tanya stood at the window while Talia sat in the Lotus position on the couch, watching and waiting for Serena, slumped in the loveseat to speak. Marco, a golden retriever who was Tanya's guardian sat near the couch and studied Serena intently. He had never seen her look so haunted before.
For fifteen long minutes, Serena was silent as she stared unblinking at the floor. Tanya then walked up to Serena, knelt in front of her and clasped her hands. "Sere, it's time to talk. Tal and I need to know the score. What's the deal with that thing we fought? Why did it spook you like it did?"
Serena took a long breath, then raised her head. "Like I said, it's a nightmare I thought was dead. That thing was an artificial lifeform the girls and I called a heartsnatcher because that's what they did, they removed the heart energy of victims and turned them into crystals. The creatures were created by Professor Shoichiro Tomoe as part of a plot to destroy the universe."
Talia raised an eyebrow from curiosity. "Tomoe? As in Hotaru Tomoe?"
Serena nodded. "Yeah, her father. He created those creatures to seek out pure hearts that could be used to create the Holy Grail, a device of ultimate power that could summon Pharoah 90, an all-powerful demon from another dimension to ours so he could destroy everything. That was how we met Uranus and Neptune. They were searching for the Grail too. To make a long story short, I came into possession of the Grail, and with Hotaru who became Sailor Satum, the Scout of Destruction, we defeated that monster."
Once Serena had finished, there was a short period of silence. Then, Tanya gave a low whistle. "Wow. That's some story. But how come we never heard of this before?"
"Yes. Luna or Artemis never told me about this. And we always share information about Scout missions," said Marco.
"Because it's something we don't like talking about. It's too painful. And we told Luna and Artemis to keep quiet about it. We all had our heart crystals removed, and believe me, it's a horror I wouldn't wish even on Queen Beryl," said Serena. "Imagine the worst torture possible, then multiply it a thousand times and you've got what we went through when we were attacked by the heartsnatchers. I couldn't sleep for weeks afterward."
"What happened to the creatures?" Talia asked.
"They were defeated in our final battle with Pharoah 90 at the Mugen School which was destroyed."
"Whoa! Hold it! Full stop! The press said a natural gas main exploded, destroying the school and the neighborhood around it!"
Serena snorted. "Gas explosion. Yeah, right. What a load of crap. That's what the police fed the press who bought that b.s., hook, line and sinker. No one wanted to believe what survivors told about our fight with the creatures. All those stupid, small minds were too afraid to accept the truth."
Tanya and Talia quickly exchanged glances, openly concerned over Serena's dour behavior. They, like the others and Darien well knew, Serena Tsukino was a creature of wildly changing and unpredictable moods, but they had never seen her look or sound so grim before, a world apart from the sunny and cheerful spirit they were with only an hour ago.
"But how could those monsters still be alive?" Tanya wanted to know.
Serena shrugged. "Beats me. Science isn't my strong suit."
Talia frowned. "Most troubling. If these heartsnatchers have indeed returned, we should summon the others immediately."
"We can't. They're not here," said Serena. "Lita and Mina are at a weekend volleyball camp, Amy's out of town visiting her sick grandmother, and Raye's at some Shinto retreat in the countryside. Even Darien's away."
"What about the Outers?" Tanya asked.
"Pluto's been missing ever since the battle at the Mugen School, and I don't know how to contact Uranus and Neptune. Even if I did, I wouldn't call them. From the start, we never saw eye to eye with Amara and Michelle because they were so coldblooded," Serena explained, her face stormy from memories of her unpleasant experience with the Outer Scouts. "They were all too willing to sacrifice our lives, Darien's, Reenie's, anyone's during the search for the Grail. After the crisis ended, they tried to kill me because they didn't think I was worthy of ruling Crystal Tokyo as Neo-Queen Serenity. In short, we didn't part on the best of terms. I'm afraid we're it."
"This is not good. I can't believe Luna and Artemis allowed the girls to leave the city limits," said a grim faced Marco. "Not when a crisis like this could pop up. That was grossly irresponsible of them."
Serena shot the guardian a nasty look. "Listen! Luna and Artemis are our advisors, Marco, not our keepers! And what we do when we're not in uniform is none of your goddamn business!"
"Hey! Watch your mouth, Tsukino! You're outta line!" a suddenly angry Tanya snarled, jumping up to her feet.
Serena bolted up and glared at Tanya. "Screw you, Cambridge! Do something about it!"
"ENOUGH!" shouted Talia, standing up to step between the girls who looked ready to come to blows. "This is not the time for some foolish emotional outburst. We are faced with a potentially grave threat to the populace. I strongly suggest the two of you grow up and confront this dilemma. Now!"
The cold sharpness in Talia's voice got through to Serena and Tanya instantly. Shame faced, the girls looked at each other.
"I'm sorry, Ti, Marco. Seeing that heartsnatcher did a number on my head," said Serena. "I guess I'm still not over what happened to me back then. Maybe I'll never get over it."
"Apology accepted, Serena," said Marco. "No doubt that put you under a lot of stress."
"I'm sorry too, Sere. I should've been more patient, seeing how you've been suffering," said Tanya who took Serena in her arms and hugged her. "I must've been tripping when I called you a coward. Considering all you've done to protect this world, you're the bravest person I've ever known."
Serena giggled as she returned Tanya's hug. "Me? Brave? Don't kid yourself. I'm still one heck of a scaredy cat. I just hide it well."
Now it was Tanya who chuckled. It sounded like the old Serena was back, and that pleased her no end. Breaking the embrace, she looked at Talia. "Thanks for knocking some sense into our heads, Tal. In the meantime, you're right, we do have a problem. A big one. With Amy unavailable, that makes you the resident big brain. Any ideas?"
Talia nodded. "Yes. Our first course of action should be to determine who might have been responsible for today's incident. And since Professor Tomoe first created the heartsnatchers, that makes him our primary suspect. Could he still be working on his monstrosities?"
"Nope. He was seriously injured in the fight at the school and lost his memory. I don't think he's behind this," Serena replied. "And I'd just as soon not involve him in this, Tal. Believe me, he's suffered enough already."
"Well, maybe someone who knew Tomoe stumbled onto his research," Marco suggested.
"A logical conclusion, Marco. The next step would be to leam just who that individual might be."
"Easier said than done, stone face," a pouting Tanya grumbled. "Only Silicon Valley has more eggheads per square mile than Tokyo. Finding a needle in a haystack would be child's play compared to this."
The Vulcan girl stared hard at Tanya. "Since you have only known me for a scant few hours, you would not be aware that I do not accept defeatism. No problem is unsolvable, Tanya, regardless of how difficult it might be. We will find the person behind this horror. Failure is not an option."
Tanya was impressed. What she saw in Talia's steely blue eyes was an unmistakable human stubbomess and a refusal to accept any sort of compromise. Tanya could actually feel the Vulcan girl's rock solid confidence and it brightened her mood. The ebon skinned beauty broke out in a smile. Suddenly, the task at hand didn't sound quite as daunting as it once was.
"Okay, stone face, you've won me over. What's the first move?" Tanya asked her newfound friend whom she was fast growing to appreciate.
"We will need to perform a thorough check on any and all acquaintances or associates Professor Tomoe has in the field of academia," Talia replied.
"But how?" Serena asked.
The room was silent for a moment. Then Tanya broke out in a wicked grin as an idea came to mind. "How do you guys feel about breaking and entering?"
Serena and Talia looked at each other in open confusion.
The emergency room of Tokyo Memorial Hospital was a scene of barely controlled chaos as seven unconscious people, their eyes open but glassy were wheeled in by paramedics for immediate attention following the attack in the parking lot a short time ago.
Inspector Tadamichi Haneda, assigned to the case waited at the entrance to the E.R. while doctors feverishly worked on the victims. A dour faced veteran of twenty years on the force, he furiously chewed on several sticks of peppermint gum----a nervous habit since his rookie days----as he watched the activity before his eyes.
A uniformed female officer with short, flame red hair strode up to Haneda, stood sharply at attention and saluted the detective. "Inspector! I've just come from the crime scene, sir!"
Haneda turned to face the petite, youngish officer, standing ramrod straight. He scanned the patrolwoman's name plate which read 'Shidou'. "At ease. I'm just a cop, not the Prime Minister. What do you have?"
Shidou hastily removed a notepad from the breast pocket of her shirt and flipped it open. "According to eyewitness accounts, sir, six of the victims were standing in line outside the building when they were attacked. The seventh was assaulted after the Sailor Scouts arrived."
Haneda slowly stroked his chin, another habit of his. "What was the building the first victims were standing in front of, Shidou?"
"The new city services annex building that processes homeless people. It's only been open for a couple of weeks."
"And the assailant?"
Shidou, looking nervous, tugged at her collar. "That's where things get a little crazy, sir. Reports claimed the attacker was some sort of....er, creature dressed in combat fatigues that overtumed a car and shot laser beams from a visor on it's face. Eyewitnesses said it was some sort of robot"
Haneda frowned as he digested what he had been told. "A robot, eh? Not what I wanted to hear. That's just the sort of madness that attracts the Scouts. How many of them showed up?"
"Three, sir. Sailor Moon was among them, but the other two were new. One was short and black, the other was tall with, um....pointed ears."
The veteran detective pinched the bridge of his nose. "It gets better by the minute. I've heard rumors that the Scouts were multiplying like rabbits. To tell you the truth, I don't know if that's a good thing or not."
At that minute, the head doctor of the ER., a harried looking older woman with graying hair tied in a bun came over to talk to the police officer. He looked at Haneda. "I'm Doctor Nagoya. Are you in charge?" she asked.
The detective nodded. "Inspector Haneda. How are the patients, Doctor?"
"Hanging by a thread, Inspector. Literally. They're all comatose and on life support. Brain activty is practically nonexistent, pulmonary functions are at bare minimum, body temperature is down to only eighty-six degrees, and here's one for Sherlock Holmes. The hearts of each victim were reduced in mass by seventy-five percent."
The officers were startled. "Their hearts? Reduced in mass? I....don't understand," said a stunned Haneda.
Nagoya wagged an index finger at the law officers. "That makes two of us, Inspector. Come with me."
Haneda and Shidou followed the physician into an office and flicked on a series of light tables attached to the wall. Pinned to the tables were six x-rays, each showing a smallish sized heart.
"Incredible. How could this happen?" Haneda asked.
"I have no idea," said a grim faced Nagoya. "I've been in medicine for twenty-five years. In fact, I started out as a cardiologist, and, as God is my witness, I've never seen anything like this before."
"Are they going to die?" a worried Shidou asked.
"Almost certainly. We can keep them alive for five days, a week tops, but eventually they'll die from coronary failure," Nagoya replied. "There's no way a heart reduced to one quarter it's normal size can pump enough blood to keep those poor people alive. In time, those overworked hearts will give out. I have no idea how this could've happened, or what can be done to help them."
Haneda rubbed his chin. "Maybe the Scouts know. They were last seen fighting whatever incapacitated those people."
"But finding them won't be easy, sir. They only show up when some disaster happens," Shidou pointed out.
"I know. I know. I read Hideki Tanaka's report on his experience with the Scouts a year ago. Danmdest thing I had ever seen." Haneda reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out a business card which he handed to Nagoya. "Thank you for your time, Doctor. If anything develops with the patients, you can reach me at the number on this card."
Nagoya nodded as she accepted the card. "I don't know if anything will, other than to notify you when they die, but I'll keep you informed."
"That's all I ask. Good day."
As the officers left, they failed to notice that they had been carefully observed from just around the corner. The observer was a tall, long legged and gorgeous woman with waist long, straight black hair. She was dressed in a sleek, form fitting black leather suit with a tight, incredibly short skirt, fishnet stockings, black spike heeled pumps, black gloves and sunglasses. She wore a hearing aid like device in her left ear which she removed while holding a tiny, parabolic mike in her right hand.
Despite the stares the woman got from both her unusual attire and her shapely figure, she continued to observe the cops until they had left the building. She then turned and left the hospital from another exit. Walking around the corner, the woman got into a black BMW 740iL, pulled a cell phone from her purse, punched four numbers on the keypad and waited for a response.
"Go ahead," said a female voice on the other end.
"This is Midnight. I've just left Tokyo Memorial Hospital. There's been a sighting of a robot. Our targets have conducted their field test."
"Did it work?"
"Yes, ma'am. It incapacitated seven victims. The procedure worked just the way it had been described to you."
"Well I'll be damned. Didn't think those good for nothin' polecats coulda pulled it off, but they did," said the voice on the other end in a twangy Southern drawl. "Looks like we'll have to track those boys down and take 'em out after all. Is your team in place, darlin'?"
"Yes, ma'am. I have them strategically placed at key locations throughout the city searching for Okada and his people, including the University of Tokyo. But there's another problem."
"What sort of problem?"
"The Sailor Scouts. Three of them fought the creature and may have disabled it. If we're to go into action against Okada's machines, there's a good chance we'll lock horns with those vigilantes as well."
"I see. You're my military expert, Midnight. Think those Sailor chippies present any sort of danger to our little hunt?"
"I'm afraid I do, ma'am. The Scouts aren't your run of the mill costumed freaks like Batman, they're superhumans, possibly extraterrestrials. I have nine agents on my team, but that won't be nearly enough."
"Don't worry them gorgeous black locks of yours about it, darlin'. I'll be flyin' in from Hong Kong tonight. But I'm sending ten more soldiers right away, and they'll be totin' the special guns. That should even the score."
Midnight took off her sunglasses, revealing dark green eyes widened from surprise. "You mean, the rail guns? But, they haven't been tested in combat."
The voice on the other end chuckled. It sent a chill down Midnight's spine. "Well, now's a good a time as any, honeybunch. I mean to stop those nerds from finishing their work that's gonna threaten my partners. And nothin', not even them Sailor Scouts are gonna get in my way!"
NEXT: Spying Girls