V's Final British Case
By: Lufia
Note: I don't own Sailor V or Doctor Who.
Minako ambled down the narrow, slightly overgrown path through the garden at Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon, trying her best to look interested in what the tour guide was saying. She honestly couldn't care less. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the dashing young man who had saved her in battle the previous evening. She closed her eyes momentarily, remembering the quick flash of blue eyes she had seen behind his blood red mask, and promptly bumped into the young woman in front of her.
"Watch it, Sunshine," the woman said, turning around to glare at her.
Minako smiled and laughed sheepishly, cringing away from the loud woman. "Gomen nasai," she said.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Oops! I mean I'm sorry, miss. My mind was somewhere else completely."
The woman harrumphed and turned back to the tour guide, craning her head forward to hear better.
Minako sighed and fell back a bit, not wanting to cause a scene. She was royally bored. A class field trip had sounded like fun this morning. Anything to get them all out of arithmetic lessons and endless chanting of Latin verb conjugations. But this tour guide kept droning on and on about the most boring and trivial facts. Minako stifled a yawn and blinked. She glanced around, hoping something interesting would catch her eye. She blinked and turned to look behind the group. She was sure she had seen something out of place.
Glancing back at the tour guide to make sure he was preoccupied with something else, Minako quietly slipped away from her group and doubled back down the garden path. Her hand strayed to her skirt pocket, her fingers tightening around a small pen reflexively. She peered around a tree, and her eyes widened.
Two men stood a little ways down the path, engaged in a heated conversation. The stockier of the two leant forward, his arms flailing wildly as he spoke. His green sweater had a patch on the sleeve, one that Minako didn't recognize as being military, or anything else. The tall, gangly young man was cowering before the shorter, stockier man, nodding his head vigorously. Minako edged closer to the two men, curious as to what they were saying.
"Here it is, sir, here it is. I have it in me pocket, just like I promised," the gangly young man said. He dug into the back pocket of his jeans and withdrew a small metallic cube, which seemed to glow with its own light. He held it out on a trembling hand, and the stocky man snatched it off his palm. The stocky man held the Duplo-sized cube between his thumb and index finger, and squinted at it critically.
"That's it alright," he said, dropping the cube into a leather pouch that hung from his belt. "The Master'll be pleased, Grovsener. You've done well, this time."
"Yes sir, thank you sir," the gangly man said, stepping back a pace and jamming his hands into his jacket pockets. He glanced around nervously. "What's he want with that there thing anyway?"
"The Dalekenium?" the stocky man asked. "He's gonna use it as fuel for some kinda weapon. Don't worry," he laughed, noticing the gangly man's horrified reaction, "you'll be safe enough. The Master lets those live what help him out. How'd you get this stuff out the UNIT labs anyway?"
The gangly man grinned, though he still shook visibly. "I got a friend what works on the janitorial staff who let me in."
The stocky man laughed. "What'd ya do, go with him on his rounds and mop the floors?"
The gangly man nodded. "Security's off when he's in the room, so as he don't get zapped or nothin."
"Good work, lad." The stocky man clapped the gangly man on the back. "Now get out of here right quick, and don't let nobody see you. Be at the warehouse at midnight tonight, and the Master'll give you your next job, got it?"
The gangly man nodded. He glanced around furtively, then turned down the path and strolled away, whistling a small tune.
"Now to get this to the Master," the stocky man said, walking in the opposite direction, toward Minako.
Minako's eyes widened, and she ducked behind the tree, but caught her skirt on a bush. The stocky man saw her, and headed for her, puffing his chest out. "Wot 'ave we here then?"
Minako's eyes lit up as a plan came to her. She smiled brightly and waved at the man. "Ohayo!" she called loudly, laying on her Japanese accent as thickly as she could. "Watashi-wa Aino Minako desu!"
"What?" the stocky man asked, stopping and blinking hard.
"You help me, ne? I lost from group with school," Minako asked the man.
"You a foreigner?"
"Foureiyneru?" Minako asked, giving the man a confused look. "What does word mean? Gomen nasai, I speak the English chou badly. I new here."
"Oh," the stocky man said, relaxing visibly. He walked over to Minako and helped her untangle the hem of her skirt from the thorny bushes. "There you go, miss."
"Arigato!" Minako said, tossing the man a huge smile. She waved at him again, then skipped off down the path, shouting, "Sayonara!" over her shoulder. Once she had turned the corner, Minako dropped her charade of dumb tourist and peered around at the man. He turned and took a side path, toward the parking lot.
Minako paused, unsure of what to do. Something was definitely wrong with the two men. From the snippet of conversation she had heard, they were planning something very big and very bad. And who was this master they were going on about? "Could he be connected with the enemy?" Minako wondered softly. She had to do something. But, which of the two would be easier and more profitable to follow? On the one hand, she didn't want that lump of whatever they called it to be used in a weapon, but on the other, she'd probably have an easier time shadowing the gangly man, since he was not as high up in whatever gang they worked for. But the gangly man had left three minutes ago, and the stocky man only a few seconds ago. She would be able to follow him more easily at this point. Nodding resolutely, Minako turned back down the path, heading in the same direction as the stocky man had.
Minako crept through the bushes, keeping about fifteen seconds or so behind the stocky man. She held her penny loafers in one hand, her pen in the other, not wanting to make a lot of noise walking in the underbrush. The man emerged in the parking lot to the side of cottage, and crossed to a light blue sedan. Minako crouched down just inside the foliage, watching him intently.
The man took out a fat ring of keys from his trouser pocket and shook it, taking hold of one particular key. He stuck it in the trunk and opened it fully. He removed the pouch and dropped it inside. He turned away from the trunk and pulled a cigarette from beneath his sleeve, as well as a lighter. Minako tensed, preparing to rush forward. The man fumbled to light the cigarette, but dropped the lighter. It hit the pavement and bounced under the car.
"Bugger," he cursed, bending over to hunt for the lighter.
Minako leapt up and bolted, skidding to a halt just behind the man. She placed her shoes in the trunk, then climbed over the fender and into the compartment herself, lowering the lid carefully, and jamming the lock with her handkerchief. She held her breath, praying the man wouldn't have anything else to put in the trunk.
Outside, the man had retrieved his lighter, and stood, puffing his cigarette contentedly. He turned back to close the trunk and looked puzzledly at his car. "I could've sworn I left that thing open," he mumbled. "Oh well, time to get going."
Minako relaxed a bit. She turned her head inside the cramped space, following the sound of his footsteps heading away from the trunk. She heard the keys jingling again, and then the sound of a car door opening and closing. The car sank forward a bit, and Minako rolled her eyes. "He is heavy," she thought. She heard the sound of the engine starting, and quickly braced herself as best she could, not wanting to slam into a wall when they began moving. She lurched backward as the car backed out of the parking space, narrowly missing bumping her head on the back wall of the trunk.
Once the car started picking up speed, Minako heard a song blaring from the man's car stereo. "Not the Allman Brothers," she muttered. "This guy is nuts." She dug into her skirt pocket, fishing out her crescent-shaped compact, and flipped the lid open, letting the small light fill the trunk. Her eyes darted about, landing on the leather pouch the stocky man had dropped inside earlier. She retrieved it from the corner of the trunk and reached inside, withdrawing the cube of metal and pocketing it. She groped around for her shoes, and slipped one back on. From the other one, she withdrew a large gray stone, which she put into the leather pouch. She then slipped her other shoe on, and turned her attention to her compact.
"Artemis, come in," Minako whispered, staring at the small speaker on the lid of her compact. "And come in quietly."
"Minako-chan?" came a deep voice from her speaker. "What is it?"
"Shh! Not so loud! I stumbled onto something, and I'm following a lead."
"Where are you?"
"Inside the trunk of a car."
"Minako!"
"Quiet!" Minako whispered. "I heard two men talking about making a dangerous weapon, and using some kind of metal cube as fuel, and I followed one of them. I have the cube in my pocket. He's meeting his boss at some warehouse tonight, and if I didn't hide in his trunk, I would have lost him. I think it might be connected with the enemy."
"Do you know where you're going? I can meet you."
"No. When we stop, I'll get out to a safe hiding place and call you again. You can find me then. I don't want to risk being caught."
"You're right, Minako-chan. I'll be awaiting your call. Artemis out."
Minako smiled and closed her compact, tucking it back into her pocket. She clutched her pen in both hands tightly and waited.
The car stopped what must have been hours later. Minako blinked and shook herself awake. The rocking of the car had lulled her almost to sleep. She shifted her body in the small trunk, so she was almost in a crouch. Her fingers crept under the lid to the trunk, raising it a fraction of an inch. It was dark outside, and there were no lights around to signify a city. She hadn't heard the car door open yet, so she had time to escape, but wasn't sure if it was safe. She turned around inside the tiny trunk and peered through the crack in the rear of the trunk, squinting to see into the car itself.
The stocky man was leaning back in his seat, his eyes closed, smoking another cigarette. He had turned the inside light on, so Minako was able to see what was going on. To the side of the car, Minako could make out the shape of a large building, the warehouse probably. Casting one last glance at the stocky man, Minako raised the lid of the trunk and hopped out, landing on a dusty, gravel-paved driveway. She whirled around and lowered the trunk lid, glancing at the inside of the car. The man's eyes were still closed. Keeping low, Minako scurried around the side of the car and across to the warehouse. She spied a pile of discarded boxes near the entrance, and crept toward them, crouching low behind them.
Peering around the corner, Minako saw the man finally open his car door and step outside. He stretched, rubbing his back a few times, and ambled around to the back of the car, unlocking the lid to the trunk. Minako let out a small cry as she realized she had left her handkerchief in the lock. She tensed, watching the man anxiously. He opened the trunk, retrieved the leather pouch, and slammed it closed, turning toward the warehouse. He seemed not to notice the scrap of fabric. Minako let out the breath she had been holding.
The man held up the pouch, testing its weight in his hands, and grinned at it. "Now, to collect my reward," he said, striding into the warehouse.
Minako scrambled around the other side of the boxes once he had passed through the doorway, and peered in herself. Her eyes widened at what she saw. The warehouse was completely lit up with huge fluorescent ceiling lamps. At the center of the otherwise empty building stood an enormous contraption, with wires sticking out at all angles, and a huge tube pointing out at a far wall. The machine hummed softly.
"The weapon," Minako breathed, sticking her head a little further inside. She could see a figure standing on the other side of the weapon, bent over, as if tinkering with it. The person was dressed all in black, as far as Minako could tell. She watched as the stocky man strode over to the person, and stopped several feet from the weapon, waiting for whoever it was to look up and acknowledge him.
"You'll never get away with this, you know!" a high, squeaky voice trilled from the far wall. Minako peered further inside the door, and gasped. A young woman with carrot-red hair was seated on a pedestal against the far wall. She was tied down to the stool, and her hands were pinned behind her back, probably tied too. Minako blinked, the schoolgirl in her taking over for an instant, and she raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. The woman was wearing a pink and white striped jacket with puffed shoulders and wide lapels, and bright pink trousers and heels. She looked ridiculous.
The figure on the opposite side of the machine stood up, and Minako ducked back out of sight quickly. She peered around a bit, determined to see what was going on. The figure was a man wearing a strange black suit, and sporting a goatee. He glanced over at the woman and chuckled slightly. "My dear Miss Bush, who do you suppose is going to stop me?"
"I don't know, but someone will!" the woman said defiantly. "Maybe that strange tall chap with the Technicolor coat will stop you!"
"The Doctor?" the man laughed. "He has no idea that I am here, miss, I have made quite sure of that. Fitting, isn't it, that his would-be companion is to be the test victim of the time disrupter?"
Minako turned away from the door, scooting back behind the boxes. She had heard enough. She clutched her pen tightly, thrusting it into the air. "Moon…" A hand clamped down around her mouth. Minako froze, terrified.
"What in the world are you doing?" a man's voice hissed at her. "Do you want them to find you?"
Minako shook her head, her eyes wide.
"If I let you go, do you promise not to yell again?"
Minako nodded, and was rewarded with the removal of the man's hand. She whirled around, sticking her pen behind her back, and came face to face with a man who had to be the Doctor that the people inside were talking about. His coat, although mainly red, was covered in multicolored patches of fabric of various patterns. His trousers were yellow and black striped, and his purple shoes were clothed in bright green spats.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the tall, curly haired man asked.
"I could be asking you the same question," Minako retorted, her voice a whisper. "But there isn't time! Your friend is about to be zapped by that contraption!"
The Doctor's face paled. "Then they have the Dalekenium core? I'm too late!"
"You mean this?" Minako asked, producing the metallic cube from her pocket. The Doctor's face brightened instantly, and he snatched the block from her, popping it in one of his own voluminous pockets.
"Just a minute!" Minako whispered angrily. "What are you going to do with that?"
"Absolutely nothing, I swear. I'll return it to the UNIT labs once I've rescued poor Mel. But how did you get it?"
"Long story," Minako said. "And we don't have time for it right now."
"You're quite right. Now, get out of here, it's too dangerous for you."
Minako shook her head. "You're the one who should leave. I can handle myself, but you're not prepared for a fight."
The Doctor glared at her, then gave her a rough shove, sending her stumbling back a few paces. "I said go! This is no place for you! Let me get on with my job!"
"And you let me get on with mine!" Minako retorted.
"Did you hear voices?" the stocky man's question trailed out the door.
The Doctor and Minako looked at each other worriedly. Minako scrambled back behind the boxes, pulling the taller man with her, and crouched down low. She tried her best to keep them in the shadows. She heard footsteps coming toward them, and glanced up, meeting the eyes of the tall, gangly man she had seen this morning. Looking down, she noticed the barrel of a gun pointed at her heart. Minako gulped and stood, pocketing her pen and raising her hands so the gangly man could see them. She had a feeling playing the stupid tourist wouldn't work a second time. Beside her, the Doctor rose also, and positioned himself partially between the gangly man and Minako, so that the gun was pointed at his chest instead of hers.
"Right then, this way," the man said, flicking the gun toward the door of the warehouse.
Minako stepped forward hesitantly, and the man grabbed hold of her collar, dragging her along, while keeping the gun trained on the Doctor. She was marched into the warehouse, where the black-suited man opened his arms in a false greeting.
"I've been expecting you, Doctor," he said, directing a false smile at him. The man turned his ice blue gaze to Minako, who stared back at him defiantly. "And you have another delightful companion with you!"
"Let the girl go, Master," the Doctor said. "She just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. She's not with me."
"Do you really expect me to believe that, Doctor?"
"It's the truth." The Doctor inclined his chin.
The stocky man swaggered forward. "Hey, I know her," he said, pointing to Minako. "She was at the cottage today. Some dumb Japanese tourist, she claimed."
"Really?" the Master sniffed. "Then how, pray tell, did she get here? She must have recognized you somehow, and followed you here."
"But there were no cars or anything behind me, I swear! I checked!"
The Master strode over to Minako and looked down his nose at her in disdain. "How did you get here, my dear?"
Minako shut her eyes and turned her head, feeling a strange power coming from his ice blue eyes. He grabbed her chin in one of his black gloved hands and forced her head back around, repeating his question. Minako struggled against the grip of both the Master and the gangly man, trying to break free. She was very frightened. They didn't act at all like the enemy she fought. Her ideas about a connection had been wrong.
The Master hauled her away from the gangly man and shook her by the shoulders. "How did you get here?" he hollered.
"Leave her alone!" the Doctor said, his booming voice cutting through the Master's tirade.
"Yes, leave her alone!" the woman against the wall cried. "She's done nothing to you! You're frightening her, she's only a child!"
Minako opened her eyes, tears forming in the corners, and looked up at the Master through her blonde bangs. "I hid in his trunk, okay! I followed him here, because I thought he was up to something!"
The Master smiled, becoming immediately calm. His grip tightened on Minako's arms. "There, now, you see?" he said, addressing the stocky man. "What did I tell you?"
"But I don't know this Doctor person, honestly! I've never met him before tonight!"
"Then there are others who know of our plans," the Master said. "Who?"
"Just me!" Minako cried. "I let my curiosity get the better of me, and I'm sorry! Gomen, gomen!" Minako struggled to get away, dropping her compact in the process.
"What's that?" the stocky man asked, bending down and picking it up.
Minako's eyes widened. "Just my compact, that's all! Give it back, it was a present from my boyfriend!" She reached out a hand for it, her fingers opening and closing as she struggled to reach it.
The stocky man laughed and opened it up. "You could use some make up right about now, miss," he laughed. His expression changed as he looked inside. His jaw dropped, and he blinked. "Boss, this is a communications thing!" He held the open compact up for the Master to see.
"So you're not acting alone," the Master hissed. "Who do you work for?"
"No one, I swear!" Minako was crying as she struggled. Tears stained both her cheeks, and she turned to the Doctor plaintively.
The Doctor had taken Minako's distraction and used it to his advantage. He had edged away from the gun, and crept up behind the gangly man. With a cry, he launched himself at the man, wrestling the gun from him, and shoving him toward the Master. The Master was caught off guard, and staggered back a few paces.
Minako used the momentum to break free of his grasp, and ran toward the door. The stocky man barreled forward to intercept her. "I didn't want to do this with an audience, but I have no choice," Minako muttered. She fished her pen out of her pocket and thrust it into the air. "Moon Power Transformation!" she shouted.
A bright, blinding light shot out from the pen, stunning all the people in the room. When the light faded, Minako had changed. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a blue skirt with a red stripe along the hem, a sailor tunic that showed the barest portion of her midriff, a white choker with a moon symbol as the broach, white gloves, and blue heels. A red mask hid her eyes.
"What in the…" the lanky man said, struggling to get off the floor.
"Code name: Sailor V! The Soldier of Justice! The sailor-suited beautiful soldier, Sailor Venus! I cannot allow you to harm innocent citizens!"
"Sailor V!" the stocky man cried, alarmed. He turned to the Master. "She's the girl that's been stopping the crime wave in London! She's outwitted Scotland Yard for months at catching crooks!"
"She is just a girl, you imbecile. That is the same girl that came in with the Doctor. She can't do anything to us! Now, get her!"
The stocky man looked over at the Master, gulped, and nodded. He turned to Sailor V with a snarl, and advanced, drawing out a gun of his own.
Minako wasted no time. She leapt at the man, kicking the gun from his hand. "Sailor V Kick!" she cried, landing on the ground behind him. She spun around to face the machine and stuck her index finger up in the air. "Crescent Beam!" she shouted, pointing at the weapon. A golden beam of energy lanced out from her finger, striking the dead center of the machine, causing it to explode.
"Warn us next time!" the Doctor from a crouch by the far wall. He had managed to untie the woman, and was shielding her from the flying shrapnel.
"Gomen nasai!" Minako called. She turned to the prone body of the stocky man and held out her hand. "My compact, please."
The man fumbled with it a moment before managing to hold it out to her. Minako leant down and retrieved it, smiling. She straightened up to find the barrel of a strange gun at her throat. The Master's arm snaked around her waist, holding her fast.
"Doctor, don't move," the Master called. "Or else she dies." He tightened his grip on Minako, pressing the gun-thing further into her neck.
Minako looked over at the Doctor, her eyes wild behind her mask. He rose slowly, pulling the woman up with him, but stood perfectly still. "Let her go, Master," he said calmly. "She's only a girl." The woman beside him nodded, her curls bouncing with the movement.
"Oh no, Doctor," the Master sneered. "She's far to dangerous to let go. You saw what she just did to my machine. Raw power like that in the hands of a mere child? No. I am taking her with me. I will help her to mold that power, to use it to my advantage. She will be a very powerful asset, once she has been conditioned."
"Conditioned?" the woman said. "What do you mean?"
"He's going to brainwash her, Mel," the Doctor said quietly.
"Can't you stop him?" Mel asked.
"How? If we move, he'll use the Tissue Compression Eliminator on her, and reduce her to the size of a doll. She'll die instantly."
Minako gulped. That sounded painful. But, she couldn't afford to have her powers turned to evil. She thought for a moment. Wasn't this the right point for her dashing hero to swoop down and rescue her? Where was that mysterious man, whom she knew only as Ace? He had always come for her before. Time dragged on, and Minako felt the Master tugging at her, trying to get her to move. She planted her feet squarely on the ground and looked to the Doctor.
"Run," she told him. "Get away now. Let him kill me. It's better for me to be physically dead than to be a zombie of his. Go!"
The Doctor looked at her, and Minako could swear he could see through her mask to her tears. He nodded, grasped Mel's hand, and took a step forward.
"Doctor, you're killing her!" the Master warned, jamming the gun at her neck again.
"I know," he replied, bolting forward, Mel in tow. "Back to the TARDIS, quick! Our work here is done!"
Minako held her breath, waiting to feel her innards compacted. She felt the gun going warm against her neck, and tensed for the discharge. A growl from above reached her ears, and the Master cried out, shoving her away roughly. Minako whirled around and gasped.
"Run, V!" Artemis cried. He clung to the Master's head with his claws, and was swatting at the man's eyes.
"Artemis!" Minako cried, starting toward the little white cat. The Doctor grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him and Mel. She turned to him, struggling against his vise-like grip. "No, I have to help him, that's my partner!"
The Doctor ignored her and pulled her outside the warehouse. "We have to leave now, the time disrupter is going to go critical! The warehouse is going to explode!"
"Explode?" Mel said, alarmed. "But the Dalekenium wasn't installed!"
"No, but that energy attack of Sailor V's charged it. The energy has nowhere else to go but the core! It will recycle over and over until it reaches discharge levels. But with the gun destroyed, it has nowhere to go." The Doctor let go of Mel, who sprinted toward a tall blue box as fast as she could, and wrapped both arms around Minako, pulling her away by force.
"No, I have to help Artemis! Let me go!" Minako cried, struggling against the Doctor's strong arms as he pulled her to the box and shoved her inside, pushing Mel in after her. He leapt in himself and shut the door. He walked over to a large white console in the center of an enormous white room and flipped a switch. A panel on the wall slid away, revealing a screen. An image of the warehouse fizzled into view. Minako watched in horror as the building exploded from the inside, sending wood flying everywhere.
"Artemis!" she screamed, sinking to the floor of the white room, sobbing. She flung her mask to the floor beside her and buried her face in her gloved hands. Her blonde hair spilled out around her, forming a shell around her.
"Leave her for a few moments, Doctor," she heard Mel say. That only made her cry harder. She looked up at the Doctor, her blue eyes filled with hatred.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"You beast!" Minako cried. She leapt to her feet and rushed at the Doctor, beating his chest with her fists. "You let him die! I could have saved him! He was only a cat! He was my best friend, and you let him die!" Minako collapsed against the Doctor, exhausted. He put his arms around her tentatively, and rocked her back and forth slowly.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "I am deeply sorry. There was no time, Sailor V. If I had let you go back in there, you would have been killed too. And I couldn't let that happen."
Minako nodded into his shirt, sniffing. She hugged him tightly. "G-g-gomen," she hiccuped.
The Doctor stroked her hair softly, and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.
"Doctor, look!" Mel cried, pointing at the screen.
Minako turned with the Doctor, and looked up at the screen through tear-filled eyes. She sniffed, and took a step toward the screen, blinking. A white cat was staggering toward the blue box, bruised and scratched, but otherwise okay. "Artemis!"
The Doctor smiled, hugging Minako. He reached out and flipped a switch, opening the door. Minako broke from his embrace and ran to the door, scooping the injured cat up in her arms and cooing happily.
"Careful, V-chan," Artemis coughed. "I think I dislocated my front left leg."
"Oh, Artemis! Oh, thank the gods you're okay! I was so worried!" She cuddled the white cat close to her chest, smiling through her new tears. "How did you find me?"
"Your compact has a tracker, remember?" Artemis said.
"Oops! I forgot! You're so clever, Artemis!" Minako squealed. A polite cough from behind her stopped her mid-coo.
"I can take a look at that leg, if you like," the Doctor said, holding out his arms. "After all, I am a doctor, of sorts. It's the least I can do."
"Hai," Minako and Artemis said. Minako carefully spilled Artemis over into the Doctor's arms, and he disappeared through a door in the far wall, leaving Minako in the control room with Mel.
"I'm not just dreaming right?" Mel asked, walking forward. She clasped her hands behind her back and swung from side to side as she paced forward. "Your cat did just have a conversation."
Minako nodded. "Hai. Artemis is a very special cat. He and I are fighting the enemy together."
"What enemy?" Mel asked, curious.
"I don't know," Minako shrugged. "The Boss just calls us, and we act. The enemy is very powerful; they can suck the energy from people using magical devices. They use brainwashed humans in their schemes, and big plans. Usually there is some kind of legal crime involved, which is why I'm known as a crime-fighter."
"So it's just you and the cat against some mysterious foe?"
"No, there's a man who helps us sometimes. He usually shows up to rescue me in the nick of time. Then, he vanishes. He's very mysterious."
"Does he have a name?"
Minako sighed. "The only name he has told me is Ace. I don't know if that's his real name, or a code name, like Sailor V is for me."
"And what's your real name?" Mel asked.
Minako winked. "That's a secret."
The Doctor dropped Minako and Artemis off in London, just outside Marble Arch. Artemis was draped over Minako's shoulder, and she had changed back from being Sailor V.
"Are you sure you won't change your mind?" Mel asked.
Minako shook her head, adjusting her red hair ribbon. "The enemy is still in the city, I can feel it."
"Then goodbye, miss," the Doctor said, thumbing his nose conspiratorially.
"Sayonara!" Minako called cheerfully, racing toward the street and the nearest bus stop. She stopped on the sidewalk and looked back at Mel. "Aino Minako!" she called back. "It was a pleasure to meet you!" She fished out the bus fare the Doctor had given her from her pocket and stepped up onto a red double-decker bus, throwing one last wave at the fading TARDIS.
"Minako-chan, where have you been?"
"Gomen, mama. I got lost, and had to take a bus back to London."
Minako's mother sighed. "This is just the latest incident in a string of problems. Your grades have been dropping steadily, you show no interest in your activities, and you stay out all night! Minako-chan, this is ridiculous. This environment is obviously too relaxed for you. Luckily, we have a solution in mind."
"Mama?" Minako asked.
"Your father has been transferred back to the Tokyo office. We're going back to Japan. Hopefully, once you're back in your proper environment, you'll begin to take your studies more seriously."
By: Lufia
Note: I don't own Sailor V or Doctor Who.
Minako ambled down the narrow, slightly overgrown path through the garden at Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon, trying her best to look interested in what the tour guide was saying. She honestly couldn't care less. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the dashing young man who had saved her in battle the previous evening. She closed her eyes momentarily, remembering the quick flash of blue eyes she had seen behind his blood red mask, and promptly bumped into the young woman in front of her.
"Watch it, Sunshine," the woman said, turning around to glare at her.
Minako smiled and laughed sheepishly, cringing away from the loud woman. "Gomen nasai," she said.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Oops! I mean I'm sorry, miss. My mind was somewhere else completely."
The woman harrumphed and turned back to the tour guide, craning her head forward to hear better.
Minako sighed and fell back a bit, not wanting to cause a scene. She was royally bored. A class field trip had sounded like fun this morning. Anything to get them all out of arithmetic lessons and endless chanting of Latin verb conjugations. But this tour guide kept droning on and on about the most boring and trivial facts. Minako stifled a yawn and blinked. She glanced around, hoping something interesting would catch her eye. She blinked and turned to look behind the group. She was sure she had seen something out of place.
Glancing back at the tour guide to make sure he was preoccupied with something else, Minako quietly slipped away from her group and doubled back down the garden path. Her hand strayed to her skirt pocket, her fingers tightening around a small pen reflexively. She peered around a tree, and her eyes widened.
Two men stood a little ways down the path, engaged in a heated conversation. The stockier of the two leant forward, his arms flailing wildly as he spoke. His green sweater had a patch on the sleeve, one that Minako didn't recognize as being military, or anything else. The tall, gangly young man was cowering before the shorter, stockier man, nodding his head vigorously. Minako edged closer to the two men, curious as to what they were saying.
"Here it is, sir, here it is. I have it in me pocket, just like I promised," the gangly young man said. He dug into the back pocket of his jeans and withdrew a small metallic cube, which seemed to glow with its own light. He held it out on a trembling hand, and the stocky man snatched it off his palm. The stocky man held the Duplo-sized cube between his thumb and index finger, and squinted at it critically.
"That's it alright," he said, dropping the cube into a leather pouch that hung from his belt. "The Master'll be pleased, Grovsener. You've done well, this time."
"Yes sir, thank you sir," the gangly man said, stepping back a pace and jamming his hands into his jacket pockets. He glanced around nervously. "What's he want with that there thing anyway?"
"The Dalekenium?" the stocky man asked. "He's gonna use it as fuel for some kinda weapon. Don't worry," he laughed, noticing the gangly man's horrified reaction, "you'll be safe enough. The Master lets those live what help him out. How'd you get this stuff out the UNIT labs anyway?"
The gangly man grinned, though he still shook visibly. "I got a friend what works on the janitorial staff who let me in."
The stocky man laughed. "What'd ya do, go with him on his rounds and mop the floors?"
The gangly man nodded. "Security's off when he's in the room, so as he don't get zapped or nothin."
"Good work, lad." The stocky man clapped the gangly man on the back. "Now get out of here right quick, and don't let nobody see you. Be at the warehouse at midnight tonight, and the Master'll give you your next job, got it?"
The gangly man nodded. He glanced around furtively, then turned down the path and strolled away, whistling a small tune.
"Now to get this to the Master," the stocky man said, walking in the opposite direction, toward Minako.
Minako's eyes widened, and she ducked behind the tree, but caught her skirt on a bush. The stocky man saw her, and headed for her, puffing his chest out. "Wot 'ave we here then?"
Minako's eyes lit up as a plan came to her. She smiled brightly and waved at the man. "Ohayo!" she called loudly, laying on her Japanese accent as thickly as she could. "Watashi-wa Aino Minako desu!"
"What?" the stocky man asked, stopping and blinking hard.
"You help me, ne? I lost from group with school," Minako asked the man.
"You a foreigner?"
"Foureiyneru?" Minako asked, giving the man a confused look. "What does word mean? Gomen nasai, I speak the English chou badly. I new here."
"Oh," the stocky man said, relaxing visibly. He walked over to Minako and helped her untangle the hem of her skirt from the thorny bushes. "There you go, miss."
"Arigato!" Minako said, tossing the man a huge smile. She waved at him again, then skipped off down the path, shouting, "Sayonara!" over her shoulder. Once she had turned the corner, Minako dropped her charade of dumb tourist and peered around at the man. He turned and took a side path, toward the parking lot.
Minako paused, unsure of what to do. Something was definitely wrong with the two men. From the snippet of conversation she had heard, they were planning something very big and very bad. And who was this master they were going on about? "Could he be connected with the enemy?" Minako wondered softly. She had to do something. But, which of the two would be easier and more profitable to follow? On the one hand, she didn't want that lump of whatever they called it to be used in a weapon, but on the other, she'd probably have an easier time shadowing the gangly man, since he was not as high up in whatever gang they worked for. But the gangly man had left three minutes ago, and the stocky man only a few seconds ago. She would be able to follow him more easily at this point. Nodding resolutely, Minako turned back down the path, heading in the same direction as the stocky man had.
Minako crept through the bushes, keeping about fifteen seconds or so behind the stocky man. She held her penny loafers in one hand, her pen in the other, not wanting to make a lot of noise walking in the underbrush. The man emerged in the parking lot to the side of cottage, and crossed to a light blue sedan. Minako crouched down just inside the foliage, watching him intently.
The man took out a fat ring of keys from his trouser pocket and shook it, taking hold of one particular key. He stuck it in the trunk and opened it fully. He removed the pouch and dropped it inside. He turned away from the trunk and pulled a cigarette from beneath his sleeve, as well as a lighter. Minako tensed, preparing to rush forward. The man fumbled to light the cigarette, but dropped the lighter. It hit the pavement and bounced under the car.
"Bugger," he cursed, bending over to hunt for the lighter.
Minako leapt up and bolted, skidding to a halt just behind the man. She placed her shoes in the trunk, then climbed over the fender and into the compartment herself, lowering the lid carefully, and jamming the lock with her handkerchief. She held her breath, praying the man wouldn't have anything else to put in the trunk.
Outside, the man had retrieved his lighter, and stood, puffing his cigarette contentedly. He turned back to close the trunk and looked puzzledly at his car. "I could've sworn I left that thing open," he mumbled. "Oh well, time to get going."
Minako relaxed a bit. She turned her head inside the cramped space, following the sound of his footsteps heading away from the trunk. She heard the keys jingling again, and then the sound of a car door opening and closing. The car sank forward a bit, and Minako rolled her eyes. "He is heavy," she thought. She heard the sound of the engine starting, and quickly braced herself as best she could, not wanting to slam into a wall when they began moving. She lurched backward as the car backed out of the parking space, narrowly missing bumping her head on the back wall of the trunk.
Once the car started picking up speed, Minako heard a song blaring from the man's car stereo. "Not the Allman Brothers," she muttered. "This guy is nuts." She dug into her skirt pocket, fishing out her crescent-shaped compact, and flipped the lid open, letting the small light fill the trunk. Her eyes darted about, landing on the leather pouch the stocky man had dropped inside earlier. She retrieved it from the corner of the trunk and reached inside, withdrawing the cube of metal and pocketing it. She groped around for her shoes, and slipped one back on. From the other one, she withdrew a large gray stone, which she put into the leather pouch. She then slipped her other shoe on, and turned her attention to her compact.
"Artemis, come in," Minako whispered, staring at the small speaker on the lid of her compact. "And come in quietly."
"Minako-chan?" came a deep voice from her speaker. "What is it?"
"Shh! Not so loud! I stumbled onto something, and I'm following a lead."
"Where are you?"
"Inside the trunk of a car."
"Minako!"
"Quiet!" Minako whispered. "I heard two men talking about making a dangerous weapon, and using some kind of metal cube as fuel, and I followed one of them. I have the cube in my pocket. He's meeting his boss at some warehouse tonight, and if I didn't hide in his trunk, I would have lost him. I think it might be connected with the enemy."
"Do you know where you're going? I can meet you."
"No. When we stop, I'll get out to a safe hiding place and call you again. You can find me then. I don't want to risk being caught."
"You're right, Minako-chan. I'll be awaiting your call. Artemis out."
Minako smiled and closed her compact, tucking it back into her pocket. She clutched her pen in both hands tightly and waited.
The car stopped what must have been hours later. Minako blinked and shook herself awake. The rocking of the car had lulled her almost to sleep. She shifted her body in the small trunk, so she was almost in a crouch. Her fingers crept under the lid to the trunk, raising it a fraction of an inch. It was dark outside, and there were no lights around to signify a city. She hadn't heard the car door open yet, so she had time to escape, but wasn't sure if it was safe. She turned around inside the tiny trunk and peered through the crack in the rear of the trunk, squinting to see into the car itself.
The stocky man was leaning back in his seat, his eyes closed, smoking another cigarette. He had turned the inside light on, so Minako was able to see what was going on. To the side of the car, Minako could make out the shape of a large building, the warehouse probably. Casting one last glance at the stocky man, Minako raised the lid of the trunk and hopped out, landing on a dusty, gravel-paved driveway. She whirled around and lowered the trunk lid, glancing at the inside of the car. The man's eyes were still closed. Keeping low, Minako scurried around the side of the car and across to the warehouse. She spied a pile of discarded boxes near the entrance, and crept toward them, crouching low behind them.
Peering around the corner, Minako saw the man finally open his car door and step outside. He stretched, rubbing his back a few times, and ambled around to the back of the car, unlocking the lid to the trunk. Minako let out a small cry as she realized she had left her handkerchief in the lock. She tensed, watching the man anxiously. He opened the trunk, retrieved the leather pouch, and slammed it closed, turning toward the warehouse. He seemed not to notice the scrap of fabric. Minako let out the breath she had been holding.
The man held up the pouch, testing its weight in his hands, and grinned at it. "Now, to collect my reward," he said, striding into the warehouse.
Minako scrambled around the other side of the boxes once he had passed through the doorway, and peered in herself. Her eyes widened at what she saw. The warehouse was completely lit up with huge fluorescent ceiling lamps. At the center of the otherwise empty building stood an enormous contraption, with wires sticking out at all angles, and a huge tube pointing out at a far wall. The machine hummed softly.
"The weapon," Minako breathed, sticking her head a little further inside. She could see a figure standing on the other side of the weapon, bent over, as if tinkering with it. The person was dressed all in black, as far as Minako could tell. She watched as the stocky man strode over to the person, and stopped several feet from the weapon, waiting for whoever it was to look up and acknowledge him.
"You'll never get away with this, you know!" a high, squeaky voice trilled from the far wall. Minako peered further inside the door, and gasped. A young woman with carrot-red hair was seated on a pedestal against the far wall. She was tied down to the stool, and her hands were pinned behind her back, probably tied too. Minako blinked, the schoolgirl in her taking over for an instant, and she raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. The woman was wearing a pink and white striped jacket with puffed shoulders and wide lapels, and bright pink trousers and heels. She looked ridiculous.
The figure on the opposite side of the machine stood up, and Minako ducked back out of sight quickly. She peered around a bit, determined to see what was going on. The figure was a man wearing a strange black suit, and sporting a goatee. He glanced over at the woman and chuckled slightly. "My dear Miss Bush, who do you suppose is going to stop me?"
"I don't know, but someone will!" the woman said defiantly. "Maybe that strange tall chap with the Technicolor coat will stop you!"
"The Doctor?" the man laughed. "He has no idea that I am here, miss, I have made quite sure of that. Fitting, isn't it, that his would-be companion is to be the test victim of the time disrupter?"
Minako turned away from the door, scooting back behind the boxes. She had heard enough. She clutched her pen tightly, thrusting it into the air. "Moon…" A hand clamped down around her mouth. Minako froze, terrified.
"What in the world are you doing?" a man's voice hissed at her. "Do you want them to find you?"
Minako shook her head, her eyes wide.
"If I let you go, do you promise not to yell again?"
Minako nodded, and was rewarded with the removal of the man's hand. She whirled around, sticking her pen behind her back, and came face to face with a man who had to be the Doctor that the people inside were talking about. His coat, although mainly red, was covered in multicolored patches of fabric of various patterns. His trousers were yellow and black striped, and his purple shoes were clothed in bright green spats.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the tall, curly haired man asked.
"I could be asking you the same question," Minako retorted, her voice a whisper. "But there isn't time! Your friend is about to be zapped by that contraption!"
The Doctor's face paled. "Then they have the Dalekenium core? I'm too late!"
"You mean this?" Minako asked, producing the metallic cube from her pocket. The Doctor's face brightened instantly, and he snatched the block from her, popping it in one of his own voluminous pockets.
"Just a minute!" Minako whispered angrily. "What are you going to do with that?"
"Absolutely nothing, I swear. I'll return it to the UNIT labs once I've rescued poor Mel. But how did you get it?"
"Long story," Minako said. "And we don't have time for it right now."
"You're quite right. Now, get out of here, it's too dangerous for you."
Minako shook her head. "You're the one who should leave. I can handle myself, but you're not prepared for a fight."
The Doctor glared at her, then gave her a rough shove, sending her stumbling back a few paces. "I said go! This is no place for you! Let me get on with my job!"
"And you let me get on with mine!" Minako retorted.
"Did you hear voices?" the stocky man's question trailed out the door.
The Doctor and Minako looked at each other worriedly. Minako scrambled back behind the boxes, pulling the taller man with her, and crouched down low. She tried her best to keep them in the shadows. She heard footsteps coming toward them, and glanced up, meeting the eyes of the tall, gangly man she had seen this morning. Looking down, she noticed the barrel of a gun pointed at her heart. Minako gulped and stood, pocketing her pen and raising her hands so the gangly man could see them. She had a feeling playing the stupid tourist wouldn't work a second time. Beside her, the Doctor rose also, and positioned himself partially between the gangly man and Minako, so that the gun was pointed at his chest instead of hers.
"Right then, this way," the man said, flicking the gun toward the door of the warehouse.
Minako stepped forward hesitantly, and the man grabbed hold of her collar, dragging her along, while keeping the gun trained on the Doctor. She was marched into the warehouse, where the black-suited man opened his arms in a false greeting.
"I've been expecting you, Doctor," he said, directing a false smile at him. The man turned his ice blue gaze to Minako, who stared back at him defiantly. "And you have another delightful companion with you!"
"Let the girl go, Master," the Doctor said. "She just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. She's not with me."
"Do you really expect me to believe that, Doctor?"
"It's the truth." The Doctor inclined his chin.
The stocky man swaggered forward. "Hey, I know her," he said, pointing to Minako. "She was at the cottage today. Some dumb Japanese tourist, she claimed."
"Really?" the Master sniffed. "Then how, pray tell, did she get here? She must have recognized you somehow, and followed you here."
"But there were no cars or anything behind me, I swear! I checked!"
The Master strode over to Minako and looked down his nose at her in disdain. "How did you get here, my dear?"
Minako shut her eyes and turned her head, feeling a strange power coming from his ice blue eyes. He grabbed her chin in one of his black gloved hands and forced her head back around, repeating his question. Minako struggled against the grip of both the Master and the gangly man, trying to break free. She was very frightened. They didn't act at all like the enemy she fought. Her ideas about a connection had been wrong.
The Master hauled her away from the gangly man and shook her by the shoulders. "How did you get here?" he hollered.
"Leave her alone!" the Doctor said, his booming voice cutting through the Master's tirade.
"Yes, leave her alone!" the woman against the wall cried. "She's done nothing to you! You're frightening her, she's only a child!"
Minako opened her eyes, tears forming in the corners, and looked up at the Master through her blonde bangs. "I hid in his trunk, okay! I followed him here, because I thought he was up to something!"
The Master smiled, becoming immediately calm. His grip tightened on Minako's arms. "There, now, you see?" he said, addressing the stocky man. "What did I tell you?"
"But I don't know this Doctor person, honestly! I've never met him before tonight!"
"Then there are others who know of our plans," the Master said. "Who?"
"Just me!" Minako cried. "I let my curiosity get the better of me, and I'm sorry! Gomen, gomen!" Minako struggled to get away, dropping her compact in the process.
"What's that?" the stocky man asked, bending down and picking it up.
Minako's eyes widened. "Just my compact, that's all! Give it back, it was a present from my boyfriend!" She reached out a hand for it, her fingers opening and closing as she struggled to reach it.
The stocky man laughed and opened it up. "You could use some make up right about now, miss," he laughed. His expression changed as he looked inside. His jaw dropped, and he blinked. "Boss, this is a communications thing!" He held the open compact up for the Master to see.
"So you're not acting alone," the Master hissed. "Who do you work for?"
"No one, I swear!" Minako was crying as she struggled. Tears stained both her cheeks, and she turned to the Doctor plaintively.
The Doctor had taken Minako's distraction and used it to his advantage. He had edged away from the gun, and crept up behind the gangly man. With a cry, he launched himself at the man, wrestling the gun from him, and shoving him toward the Master. The Master was caught off guard, and staggered back a few paces.
Minako used the momentum to break free of his grasp, and ran toward the door. The stocky man barreled forward to intercept her. "I didn't want to do this with an audience, but I have no choice," Minako muttered. She fished her pen out of her pocket and thrust it into the air. "Moon Power Transformation!" she shouted.
A bright, blinding light shot out from the pen, stunning all the people in the room. When the light faded, Minako had changed. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a blue skirt with a red stripe along the hem, a sailor tunic that showed the barest portion of her midriff, a white choker with a moon symbol as the broach, white gloves, and blue heels. A red mask hid her eyes.
"What in the…" the lanky man said, struggling to get off the floor.
"Code name: Sailor V! The Soldier of Justice! The sailor-suited beautiful soldier, Sailor Venus! I cannot allow you to harm innocent citizens!"
"Sailor V!" the stocky man cried, alarmed. He turned to the Master. "She's the girl that's been stopping the crime wave in London! She's outwitted Scotland Yard for months at catching crooks!"
"She is just a girl, you imbecile. That is the same girl that came in with the Doctor. She can't do anything to us! Now, get her!"
The stocky man looked over at the Master, gulped, and nodded. He turned to Sailor V with a snarl, and advanced, drawing out a gun of his own.
Minako wasted no time. She leapt at the man, kicking the gun from his hand. "Sailor V Kick!" she cried, landing on the ground behind him. She spun around to face the machine and stuck her index finger up in the air. "Crescent Beam!" she shouted, pointing at the weapon. A golden beam of energy lanced out from her finger, striking the dead center of the machine, causing it to explode.
"Warn us next time!" the Doctor from a crouch by the far wall. He had managed to untie the woman, and was shielding her from the flying shrapnel.
"Gomen nasai!" Minako called. She turned to the prone body of the stocky man and held out her hand. "My compact, please."
The man fumbled with it a moment before managing to hold it out to her. Minako leant down and retrieved it, smiling. She straightened up to find the barrel of a strange gun at her throat. The Master's arm snaked around her waist, holding her fast.
"Doctor, don't move," the Master called. "Or else she dies." He tightened his grip on Minako, pressing the gun-thing further into her neck.
Minako looked over at the Doctor, her eyes wild behind her mask. He rose slowly, pulling the woman up with him, but stood perfectly still. "Let her go, Master," he said calmly. "She's only a girl." The woman beside him nodded, her curls bouncing with the movement.
"Oh no, Doctor," the Master sneered. "She's far to dangerous to let go. You saw what she just did to my machine. Raw power like that in the hands of a mere child? No. I am taking her with me. I will help her to mold that power, to use it to my advantage. She will be a very powerful asset, once she has been conditioned."
"Conditioned?" the woman said. "What do you mean?"
"He's going to brainwash her, Mel," the Doctor said quietly.
"Can't you stop him?" Mel asked.
"How? If we move, he'll use the Tissue Compression Eliminator on her, and reduce her to the size of a doll. She'll die instantly."
Minako gulped. That sounded painful. But, she couldn't afford to have her powers turned to evil. She thought for a moment. Wasn't this the right point for her dashing hero to swoop down and rescue her? Where was that mysterious man, whom she knew only as Ace? He had always come for her before. Time dragged on, and Minako felt the Master tugging at her, trying to get her to move. She planted her feet squarely on the ground and looked to the Doctor.
"Run," she told him. "Get away now. Let him kill me. It's better for me to be physically dead than to be a zombie of his. Go!"
The Doctor looked at her, and Minako could swear he could see through her mask to her tears. He nodded, grasped Mel's hand, and took a step forward.
"Doctor, you're killing her!" the Master warned, jamming the gun at her neck again.
"I know," he replied, bolting forward, Mel in tow. "Back to the TARDIS, quick! Our work here is done!"
Minako held her breath, waiting to feel her innards compacted. She felt the gun going warm against her neck, and tensed for the discharge. A growl from above reached her ears, and the Master cried out, shoving her away roughly. Minako whirled around and gasped.
"Run, V!" Artemis cried. He clung to the Master's head with his claws, and was swatting at the man's eyes.
"Artemis!" Minako cried, starting toward the little white cat. The Doctor grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him and Mel. She turned to him, struggling against his vise-like grip. "No, I have to help him, that's my partner!"
The Doctor ignored her and pulled her outside the warehouse. "We have to leave now, the time disrupter is going to go critical! The warehouse is going to explode!"
"Explode?" Mel said, alarmed. "But the Dalekenium wasn't installed!"
"No, but that energy attack of Sailor V's charged it. The energy has nowhere else to go but the core! It will recycle over and over until it reaches discharge levels. But with the gun destroyed, it has nowhere to go." The Doctor let go of Mel, who sprinted toward a tall blue box as fast as she could, and wrapped both arms around Minako, pulling her away by force.
"No, I have to help Artemis! Let me go!" Minako cried, struggling against the Doctor's strong arms as he pulled her to the box and shoved her inside, pushing Mel in after her. He leapt in himself and shut the door. He walked over to a large white console in the center of an enormous white room and flipped a switch. A panel on the wall slid away, revealing a screen. An image of the warehouse fizzled into view. Minako watched in horror as the building exploded from the inside, sending wood flying everywhere.
"Artemis!" she screamed, sinking to the floor of the white room, sobbing. She flung her mask to the floor beside her and buried her face in her gloved hands. Her blonde hair spilled out around her, forming a shell around her.
"Leave her for a few moments, Doctor," she heard Mel say. That only made her cry harder. She looked up at the Doctor, her blue eyes filled with hatred.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"You beast!" Minako cried. She leapt to her feet and rushed at the Doctor, beating his chest with her fists. "You let him die! I could have saved him! He was only a cat! He was my best friend, and you let him die!" Minako collapsed against the Doctor, exhausted. He put his arms around her tentatively, and rocked her back and forth slowly.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "I am deeply sorry. There was no time, Sailor V. If I had let you go back in there, you would have been killed too. And I couldn't let that happen."
Minako nodded into his shirt, sniffing. She hugged him tightly. "G-g-gomen," she hiccuped.
The Doctor stroked her hair softly, and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.
"Doctor, look!" Mel cried, pointing at the screen.
Minako turned with the Doctor, and looked up at the screen through tear-filled eyes. She sniffed, and took a step toward the screen, blinking. A white cat was staggering toward the blue box, bruised and scratched, but otherwise okay. "Artemis!"
The Doctor smiled, hugging Minako. He reached out and flipped a switch, opening the door. Minako broke from his embrace and ran to the door, scooping the injured cat up in her arms and cooing happily.
"Careful, V-chan," Artemis coughed. "I think I dislocated my front left leg."
"Oh, Artemis! Oh, thank the gods you're okay! I was so worried!" She cuddled the white cat close to her chest, smiling through her new tears. "How did you find me?"
"Your compact has a tracker, remember?" Artemis said.
"Oops! I forgot! You're so clever, Artemis!" Minako squealed. A polite cough from behind her stopped her mid-coo.
"I can take a look at that leg, if you like," the Doctor said, holding out his arms. "After all, I am a doctor, of sorts. It's the least I can do."
"Hai," Minako and Artemis said. Minako carefully spilled Artemis over into the Doctor's arms, and he disappeared through a door in the far wall, leaving Minako in the control room with Mel.
"I'm not just dreaming right?" Mel asked, walking forward. She clasped her hands behind her back and swung from side to side as she paced forward. "Your cat did just have a conversation."
Minako nodded. "Hai. Artemis is a very special cat. He and I are fighting the enemy together."
"What enemy?" Mel asked, curious.
"I don't know," Minako shrugged. "The Boss just calls us, and we act. The enemy is very powerful; they can suck the energy from people using magical devices. They use brainwashed humans in their schemes, and big plans. Usually there is some kind of legal crime involved, which is why I'm known as a crime-fighter."
"So it's just you and the cat against some mysterious foe?"
"No, there's a man who helps us sometimes. He usually shows up to rescue me in the nick of time. Then, he vanishes. He's very mysterious."
"Does he have a name?"
Minako sighed. "The only name he has told me is Ace. I don't know if that's his real name, or a code name, like Sailor V is for me."
"And what's your real name?" Mel asked.
Minako winked. "That's a secret."
The Doctor dropped Minako and Artemis off in London, just outside Marble Arch. Artemis was draped over Minako's shoulder, and she had changed back from being Sailor V.
"Are you sure you won't change your mind?" Mel asked.
Minako shook her head, adjusting her red hair ribbon. "The enemy is still in the city, I can feel it."
"Then goodbye, miss," the Doctor said, thumbing his nose conspiratorially.
"Sayonara!" Minako called cheerfully, racing toward the street and the nearest bus stop. She stopped on the sidewalk and looked back at Mel. "Aino Minako!" she called back. "It was a pleasure to meet you!" She fished out the bus fare the Doctor had given her from her pocket and stepped up onto a red double-decker bus, throwing one last wave at the fading TARDIS.
"Minako-chan, where have you been?"
"Gomen, mama. I got lost, and had to take a bus back to London."
Minako's mother sighed. "This is just the latest incident in a string of problems. Your grades have been dropping steadily, you show no interest in your activities, and you stay out all night! Minako-chan, this is ridiculous. This environment is obviously too relaxed for you. Luckily, we have a solution in mind."
"Mama?" Minako asked.
"Your father has been transferred back to the Tokyo office. We're going back to Japan. Hopefully, once you're back in your proper environment, you'll begin to take your studies more seriously."