SMST 5E : Sailor Moon and the Journey to El Dorado! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST, Indian Jones (and the rest of the franchise) and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Special note: Though this is "flashback" heavy, the start of the story takes place during the events set in "A Thanksgiving Carol". C&C are welcomed.
Part 1
While the ghosts of Thanksgiving Past, Present and Future (somewhat) are helping Usagi deal with her latest "crisis of faith", the party at the Tendo household in Nekomi Prefecture is getting well underway…
"Hey!" yells Ranma, as he greets his cousin Tenchi and his entourage. "I'm glad you guys could make it."
"Well, I'm not a fan of American football, but I do appreciate the invite," Tenchi says.
"Lord Ranma," Ayeka says as she bows.
"I wish you wouldn't do that, Ayeka," Ranma replied. "We're family."
"That's because Ayeka is always stuck in her stuck-up ways, Ranma," Ryoko says with a smirk.
"How dare you insult me in front of our host?" Ayeka replied furiously.
"Ayeka," Tenchi whines a bit. "Please?"
"Okay, insult withdrawn…for NOW."
"Can't take them anywhere," Washu says to Ranma, as she carries her confection.
Ranma spies on this platter of food that he swore he just saw moving.
"Is that food?"
"Of course it is," Washu says with a smile. "It's extra fresh."
Ranma heard a gurgling sound underneath the tin foil.
"Er, right. Just take it into the kitchen-"
"Dad!"
Ranma turns to see his son Naruto running up.
"What?"
"Sasuke says I'm really a girl trapped in a boy's body!" Naruto says.
"Hey, I'm not the one who likes doing perverted things, like your 'Sexy no Jutsu'," Sasuke says with a smirk.
"But you have the same curse that I do now. So why am I different?"
"Because you ARE. And I only tolerate my 'condition' because it helps me to perfect my Art, not strut around like a pervert, loser."
"Why don't you two entertain your friends out in the yard or something?" Ranma says to his son and younger cousin. "I still got people coming over."
"Whatever," Sasuke says, before turning around to leave for the yard.
Naruto scoffs, before turning towards his father.
"Dad, is Mom coming?" Naruto asked.
"Um, sure," Ranma says with unease. "She's just late, that's all."
"Oh. Well, I better check on Sakura and the others, before Sasuke causes any more trouble."
And with that, Naruto leaves for the outside.
Ranma sighs, as he heads for his study. He needs a chance to collect his thoughts…
Meanwhile, Gina and her sisters Brittany and Brianna are in Ranma's study, admiring the artifacts that were on the shelves.
"This is amazing," Gina says, as she examines a Rune dagger in her hands. She then turns to Brittany, who was sipping her beer.
"Did you know that only a handful of these were actually made?"
"Did you know that Ranma knows how to acquire the best beer around?" Brittany replied.
"You're unbelievable, you know that?"
"Yes, yes I am."
"…"
"Hey, guys, check this out," Brianna says, as she thumbs through a photo-album.
"What is it?" Gina says, as she sets the blade down.
"Find something interesting?" Brittany asked, as she and Gina gather around Brianna.
"Remember when Usagi kind of indicated that she knew Dad?" Gina asked.
"Yeah, so?" Brittany asked.
"So, take a look at this," Brianna says, as she points to photo featuring a young Theodore Diggers, as he sits with on some stone architecture with a few other people.
"THAT…is Father, with Ranma and Usagi."
"Who's that?" Brittany asked, as she points to the other men—one of whom was as young as her foster parent—and the brunet.
"Wait, that's Professor Henry Jones of Empire State University in New York," Gina says, as she points to the younger male. "My, I didn't know he was a greaser back then."
"And the old couple?" Brittany asked.
"Not sure…"
"And the area?" Brianna asked.
"Hmmm," Gina says, with an examiner's eye while looking at surrounding area. "That area looks…Incan."
"What IS that place?"
"Akator," Ranma says, as he enters the study. "Or what's left of it."
"'Akator'?" Brianna asked.
"'Akator'…wait," Gina says with excitement. "You mean you found 'El Dorado'?"
"Yeah," Ranma says, as he pulls out a beer from his mini-fridge.
"Isn't that where the lost city of gold is?" Brianna asked.
"Yeah. And, there was a lot of it. Gold bars…gold coins…gold dust. Ugh."
"Sounds like you don't particularly care for gold, Ranma," Gina asked.
"It's not that, but it's how it affects people that is a complete turn off. Many men died trying to find such a place. For once, I'm glad that Usagi's 'associates' had the sense of sealing that area off from further scrutiny…as a safety precaution."
"What do you mean?"
Ranma plops down on his easy chair.
"Akator contained enough gold to feed the world ten times over. However, the real value was not the gold itself, but rather was buried underneath that matterd."
"Okay, what is more important than gold?" Brittany asked.
"Knowledge."
"Yeah, right!"
"Ranma, we were looking at you photo album, and came across this," Brianna says, as she shows the picture her father and companions to Ranma."
Ranma looks at the photo, and chuckles.
"Ah, yes," Ranma says. "It's me, Usagi, her apprentice Theo, Indiana, Miriam and their son 'Mutt'. Man, that guy was a piece a work before he got settled…"
"Ranma, 'Theo' is our father, Theodore Diggers," Brianna says.
"Yes, I know."
"So you knew who we were?" Brittany asked.
"Yeah."
"But why didn't you say something?"
"I didn't see the need, I guess," Ranma says with a shrug.
"…"
"So, what were you and Dad doing in…El Dorado anyway?" Brittany asked.
Ranma sat and looked at his beer, as he accessed the memories he shared with his wife Usagi. Every so often, the two participate in the 'Mind Meld' ritual, as a precaution in case some enemy of either one of them suddenly pops up for some revenge scheme. That's how Ranma would be able to tell the Diggers sisters exactly what had happened, for the most part…
"Well, the journey to 'El Dorado' actually began during World War II, when Nazi Germany were on the verge of taking Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg…
FlASHBACK!
1942 (ce): Leningrad, USSR.
BOOM!
The heavy bombing continued, as a little girl and her lone mother ran through the streets, trying to seek shelter.
"Come on, Irina!" says the mother. "We have to get to safety-!"
BOOM!
One of the bombs managed to knock over some ruined building, causing the structure to collapse onto the woman.
"Mama!" the little girl says, as she rushes over to her mother's side. She lay very still.
"Mama!"
BOOM!
More of the structure began to collapse, as the brick and mortar fell onto the little girl-
Or, it would have, had it not been for the intervention of a certain 'Moon Princess'…
"Huh?" the girl says to herself, as she turns to see Usagi with her outstretched hands. She glowed slightly, as Usagi willed the debris away.
"And angel…"
"Girlie, are you okay?" Usagi says in fluent Russian. She was on a courier escort mission, ferrying German tactical information to the Allied Powers, when the siege began under to auspices of the American "Office of Strategic Services" (or "OSS"), the forerunner of the future "Central Intelligence Agency" (or "CIA"). It was only by coincidence that Usagi went down a different street than her intended path…
"I…Mamma…"
Usagi turns to see the mother's broken body. She touches the mortar, hoping that it was made with simple means, since 'earth bending' can only affect natural materials.
FWOOSH!
The bricks turn dust, allowing Usagi to pull the mother to her.
"It's okay," Usagi says. "I'll take you to safety-"
And then, the mother grabs Usagi's hand.
"Please…take care of my Irina…"
"Wait-!"
Usagi could sense the snuffing of the woman's life force.
"Damn…"
"Is Momma going to be okay?" the girl asked Usagi.
Usagi looked at the little girl. She didn't have much time before she had to travel to Normandy, France, in a timely fashion.
"Where do you live?" Usagi asked.
"My house is on fire," Irina says. "My Daddy…"
Usagi saw that the girl was about to cry…
"Shhh, it's okay," Usagi says, as she comforted the girl. "Do you know where your grandparents live?"
"They live in Ukraine."
"Then we'll go there."
The girl takes one last look at her deceased mother, before Usagi took the child south…
1957 (ce): Roswell, New Mexico.
On a single, stretch of road, a car speeds down towards the military facility miles outside of the town of Roswell.
"Professor, I don't see why we have to interrupt MY training to fulfill YOUR obligation," says the young man, as he plops his feet up on the side door while reading the latest edition from "Tobin's Spirit Guide". "We could be visit the ancient sorceress Medea as planned."
SKREEE!
Usagi speeded pass a military truck. The car, a gift from the so-called "Electrodyne Engineers" known as "The Sons of Ether", was fueled by the so-called "fifth element" known as Ether.
"Theo, I'm sorry for interrupting your studies, but this is something I have to do," Usagi says. "And if it hadn't been for a call from a good friend of mine, I probably wouldn't have gotten to it in time."
Theodore Diggers sigh, as he closes his book. He knew that taking on a rather unorthodox instructor like the Moon Princess had its risks, but he wished that she devoted to his needs more so than to the needs of these 'mundanes'…
"Okay, I'm turning off to this access road," Usagi says, as she suddenly veered to side of the road. "Hang on-!"
Unfortunately, neither Usagi nor Theo knew that nuclear bomb testing was about to commence that day…
A short while later, Usagi rammed one of the vehicles that was leaving the military facility.
BAM!
"Professor, do you mind?" Theo yelled.
"No, no I don't," Usagi says, as she hops out of the car.
Meanwhile, the lead car stops for a moment.
"Colonel, we should help our men!" says one of the agents.
Colonel-Doctor Irina Spalko looks at the scene behind her.
'So, you've re-entered my life, after all this time," Irina says to herself.
"Colonel?"
The short-haired, dark-haired beauty refocus her thoughts on the present.
"Drive," Irina says.
"But Colonel-"
"We have what we need, now GO!"
"Yes, ma'am," the Russian says.
As Irina makes her escape with the rest of her men and her precious cargo, she wonders if this incident will force her path to cross paths again with her mother-figure...
Meanwhile...
As Theo hops out of the car, the two of them could hear the sounds of guns being cocked.
CHK!
Men in American military uniforms piled out of the damaged truck. However, some of them were shouting in Russian.
"Soviets," Theo says with disgust. Mages typically despised communism, since this political doctrine, on principle, denies the existence of mysticism.
"You take the ones on the right, I'll take the ones on the left," Usagi says, as she brushed her poodle skirt.
"Yeah, yeah," Theo says.
"You!" says one of the soldiers in Russian, as he points his machine-gun at Usagi.
"Yes, me." Usagi replied likewise. "And I would suggest that you surrender, before it's too late."
"It's too late for YOU, woman!" the Russian says, as he discharges his weapon.
RATATATATATATATATATAT-!
The rounds left the gun. However, Usagi merely holds up her palm, and uses an invisible force slow and then suspend the rounds in mid-air.
"Guh?" the Russian says with alarm.
Meanwhile, Theo sees a few crates nearby. Quickly, he says a few incantations, just as he was about to be shot.
Suddenly, the crates that he was looking at suddenly move, and then slam into the remaining Russians.
BAM!
"Crude, yet effective," Theo says.
The Russian that was still standing, the one who tried to shoot Usagi, suddenly looks scared. He then drops his weapon, and raises his arms in surrender.
"Where is Doctor Jones?" Usagi says.
"He…he fell on top of a rocket, and sped away!" the Russian says.
"Okay," Usagi says, as he walks up to the man. "Sleep now."
Usagi snaked her hand to pinch a key nerve in the Russians neck, knocking him out instantly.
"There," Usagi says, as she looks around. "Hanger 51" was where "recovered" paranormal artifacts—both terrestrial and extraterrestrial—was being kept. And with this breach, everything will have to be moved.
"Professor?" Theo asked.
Usagi turns around to look at her latest apprentice.
"Yes?"
"Is that what I THINK it is?" Theo asked, as he points to one crate.
Usagi looked.
"Yeah, it is," Usagi says, as she went to cover up the exposed "Ark of the Covenant" with a drop cloth.
"How did you-?"
"Recovered it in '36 with my friend, Dr. Jones," Usagi says. "And speaking of which, we better go and find him fast, before he gets into more trouble."
And, with that, Usagi takes off to find the command center.
"Wait up!" Theo called back, as he runs after Usagi.
Tbc.