Chapter 1- On the Road Again


Robert Jones was happy. Sure, he owed some money, and sure, his brother had gotten into trouble for throwing a baseball through a window. But the family that owned the house was a friend of his fathers, and the money was really a sting for the FBI. Yep, everything was fine. That's why he was called to the Oval Office for a briefing. "Never fails," he thought. "I have a good run and then I'm called up."

Walking to the front gate, he went through the normal screening process. First, show your badge. Second, pat-down search. Third, show badge again to marines at the door. Fourth, second pat-down search. Fifth, answer a barrage of questions that hardly anyone knew the answer too. Sixth, walk down a long corridor packed with Secret Service, all armed with guns and trained in martial arts. And finally, a retinal-DNA scan of your person, complete with voice identification.

The whole thing took five minutes. Walking into the office, Bob first saw General Eastwing, USAF, sitting on one of the couches in the office. Next, he saw the Director of the FBI, Peter Kelling. The new director of the CIA was also present, but Bob had distanced himself from the "farm" for quite a while now. "Mr. President," he said crisply, saluting.

The president turned away from the window and looked at Bob. Time had not been kind. There were more wrinkles on the man's face than when he started his first term. More gray had cropped up, causing a great conundrum for his handlers. To dye or not to dye, that was the question. "Hello, Robert. Please, sit down," said the president, motioning to an empty chair.

Eastwing spoke first. "Robert, we've been reviewing some statistics and we are…satisfied." His face held a stern look. "Your last few operations were not against primarily military figures in Iran and N. Korea, correct?" Bob shook his head, not knowing where this was going. "You also did not participate in the Tehran uprising against the Islamist government, or the Sudan conflict?" Another shake.

Kelling went next. "You also didn't partake in several FBI undercover operations involving domestic terrorists, religious sects, or organized crime, correct?" Shaking his head, Bob began to grow anxious. What if they were going to kill him to keep their secrets safe?

The president looked dead in Bob's eyes. "Son, you have never been ordered to eliminate leading figures in the Iraq conflict, most notably a man named 'Al-Sadr'?" Another shake. The president smiled, and soon, the other men in the room smiled as well. "Thank you."

Bob was confused. "Wait…what's this all about?"

Eastwing chuckled. "Bob, you've been working almost as hard as our boys in Iraq. Maybe even harder! That's why we're giving you a break."

Kelling stuck out a plane ticket. "Your flight leaves tomorrow at five pm. Just tell us what you want taken with you, and we'll do what we can, alright?"

The president got up. "I'm giving you an order; relax. You need to work off some steam. Go to Tokyo, meet back up with the others. We'll discuss Operation 'Starlight' another time. Until then, get some rest."

Smiling broadly, Bob got up and saluted. As he walked out of the room, the president said, "And try not to get into trouble, alright?"

Bob turned, and, with a roughish look, replied, "I'll do my best sir."


The commander opened the dossiers and looked into the first. At first, he was skeptical. Kidnap teenagers? But no one disobeyed a direct order from the central committee. To do so would mean death, or worse. He read each one carefully, making mental notes on weaknesses, strengths, and who would be the best target. He decided on the blonde and the man with black hair. Not only would they be together during the capture, but the blonde would be the easiest to take. After, the file said she was clumsy, a glutton, and none to bright. "This may be easier than I thought."

One of his men came up behind him. "Comrade commander, we are approaching Tokyo." Nodding, the commander got up and left his cabin. Going to the railing, he looked out to the city that held his targets. "They will serve a greater purpose," he thought. "That is why I'm kidnapping them. They will help me accomplish what no one else back home can do."


Three street punks walked down the deserted alleyway. "So," said the smallest. "What we gonna do tonight? There ain't no one to mug since the fighting!"

The largest one, who wore a ratty leather jacket, grunted. "Well, why not stop thinking with your wallet and start with your head. All we need is a break."

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in their way. "You want a break? I can give you one."

The big thug whipped out a switchblade. "Hey, man, who the hell are you?"

The shadow came out, revealing itself to be a man wearing an expensive suit. "Oh, I'm just a good Samaritan helping out those in need." He slowly walked towards the punks, as silent as a cat on the prowl. "I overheard you saying you needed a break. Well, I have a task for you, and in reward," he took his hand out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a handful of gold and jewels. "And there's even more in store should you accomplish this task."

The trio looked hungrily at the treasure. Each imagined the happiness they could buy with it. "S…ssss…sss…yeah!" The leader blurted out. "Yeah, we'll help! Just tell us what to do!"

The man made let no emotion onto his face. "No, not 'what', but 'who'," he said, producing with his other hand a stack of photos. "I need you to eliminate each of these people here."

They each took the pictures. There were mostly girls, and only one guy. "Wait, you want us to take out some bitches?" the small one asked. "What the hell? You gotta be kiddin! This'll be the easiest job evah!"

The man spoke again. "Do not be fooled. Each of them is more than they seem, so we will have to give you some things in order for you to defeat them."

The leader laughed. "Alright, give us what you want."

Finally smiling, the man snapped his fingers. Suddenly, dark shapes appeared from the shadows, engulfing the three. "Hey, what the hell is this?" the smallest said, before he started screaming.

The man laughed a little. "Enhancing you. Simple thugs like you could never win against these girls, so I'm simply giving you an advantage."

The next to go was the silent second man. One of the shadows went in through his mouth, cutting off any chance of him screaming. The leader was the last to go. He swung away at the shadows, and for a minute, it looked like he was winning. However, the parts that were cut reformed almost instantly. Soon, he lost focus. He couldn't focus on one single shadow. Within seconds, he was overrun, falling to his knees in silence.

The man smiled at his newest creations. "Perfect. You three will do well in advancing our plans."


Luna and Artemis were stretched out on Serena's bed, basking in the sunlight from the open window. "This is living, isn't it Artemis?"

Her white counterpart meowed. "Yeah, it sure is, Luna. Maybe now we can finally have some quiet around here…"

Luna's communicator rang. "That's odd," she said. "All of the girls are in school, aren't they?"

Artemis nodded. "Yeah, and Darien and Maxwell are busy with the TV news. I don't know who it could be." Walking over, they touched the on button. "Hello? Who is this?"

The voice on the other end was instantly recognizable. "Hey, is that Luna there?"

Both cats smiled broadly. "Bob!"

"Hey, its good to hear from the both of you! Where is everyone?"

Artemis took over. "They're all at school Bob, but they should be back soon. What's up? Why are you calling us?"

"Well, the president said I deserved a break, so I'm taking one. Spread the word, you two, I'm coming back to Tokyo!"


AN-That's right! We are back to Tokyo! And "retinal" means "eyeball". Just in case anyone thought the other end is being scanned. Sick bastards!