CHAPTER TWO: MERCURY AND VENUS
High up above Tokyo, suspended in low Earth orbit, cloaked to hide itself from Human military satellites, drifted a titanic Starship. If it could be seen with the naked eye, it would have been a ship of significant dimensions. It was ovoid, with smoothed over bumps on the surface of it. The lateral bump extended out much farther than the other bumps and held all the important decks and machinery. This was where the bridge was located as well. On the port side of the bow was an intricate symbol involving a planet icon with a ring mark overlaid on the front, and a star that was attached to that ring. Overall its design looked vaguely like a giant Zeppelin.
No one on Earth who could have seen that mark, or this ship, could have guessed as to where it was from or what the intent of its crew was. Were the ship visible to the people of Earth, Galaxia pondered, they would likely erupt in panic borne from a lack of understanding. Thus the secrecy was necessary. Besides, they were on a mission that needed to be carried out without a hitch.
"Sailor Galaxia," the ship's Captain said. "We have settled into low Earth orbit, well within range of the surface to conduct debarkations safely. We await your next order."
"Thank you, Sailor Jade Fire," Galaxia acknowledged. She turned to her trusted seconds, the Nova Senshi. "You know what to do, Novae," she said. "Move as quietly and as secretly as you can. We don't know whether taking the Sailor Scouts will create an uproar or not on the surface. Don't, I repeat, DON'T do anything that will draw attention to yourselves. Understood?"
The Nova Senshi nodded. "Understood, Senshi Prime," Sailor Nova Proxima affirmed, using the title as a gesture of respect. "We will not fail you."
"Go then," Galaxia turned away and a world map came up on the screen showing the seven continents.
"Like we discussed, Senshi," Nova Proxima commanded. "The five of us go to Tokyo and pick up the designated targets. Don't let their companions or their teammates get together as a single unit. Sailor Rainbow Prism has just secured the target in Germany and is en-route. Make no attempt at communications with one another until your own targets are secure."
"Roger!" the other four Novae said at once. The hull beneath their feet melted away and the five Nova Senshi dropped downward toward the surface of the Earth.
At almost the same time a shimmering light of many different colors washed over the bridge of the 'Colossus'. Galaxia turned once more to face the source of the light as it faded and revealed Sailor Rainbow Prism with Sailor Celestia slumped over her shoulder unconsciously.
"Good show, Prism," Galaxia said. "I hope that attack of hers didn't harm you too deeply."
"I've got a few lumps, but otherwise I'm fine. Still, her powers are impressive as you suggested, Galaxia. With a little more experience she could be a force to be reckoned with in this Universe."
"Take her to her quarters then. You may stay with her when she wakes up if you wish. I'm sure she'll need some explanation as to why she's been abducted. Call me if you need help."
Prism bowed. "Thank you, Senshi Prime. I'll take my leave now."
Sssss
"This is WSKA Radio, 93.9 FM, the 'Cherry Blossom'; playing today's hottest hits and yesterday's favorites right here, live. It's a beautiful day in downtown Tokyo. The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky, and our Meteorologists tell me that today's high will be a gorgeous 85 degrees! This is a perfect day for all of you to hit the beach or go out in a boat on Tokyo Bay. To all you students out there… Summer break is only a week away. Don't forget to call in with your plans to spend your two weeks of freedom. The student who calls in with the most outrageous Summer adventure will win one hundred thousand Yen toward that vacation, courtesy of our staff! And now, our 'Song of the Week', "Funny, how I long for you!" By Asuka Saotoru."
The soft, silky voice of Saotoru wafted into the car of Birdie Ayakashi as she waited in traffic at a stoplight deep in the heart of downtown Tokyo. The buildings all around her towered overhead and cast a shadow on the street she was on. For once a few of those skyscrapers looked free of scaffolding and construction equipment. Some of the large Supercranes had come down as well.
Looks like they just finished with the Sunsoft Building, Birdie thought as she swayed slightly to the music on her radio and peered upward out her side window. That's the most recent fix around here. Slowly but surely this city's coming back together. It's amazing what a difference a year makes.
Yes, what a difference. Birdie passed through the light as it turned green and took a right down Yoshida Avenue toward her destination. As she did she passed by a billboard sitting atop a squat looking brick building about three stories high. The billboard had the picture of a blonde cutie, winking and blowing a kiss at passersby. Next to the giant face stood a skinny orange bottle with a white spray cap. The flowery Kanji writted on the left side of the billboard read: "V-Fragrance. The essence of independence. From the labs of Fournier International Cosmetics."
Of course Birdie's eyes were more fixated on the blonde model in the billboard. It was the face of one of her best friends. Mina Aino had found herself a rather illustrious niche in the Modeling industry about six months ago and her fame had exploded. She was in five magazines already and had recently become the showcase model for Fournier International. 'V-Fragrance' was to be her signature fragrance. Of course, no one but her closest friends knew what the 'V' stood for.
Birdie sighed. She would have loved to be a Model herself, but had gotten turned down enough to know when to call it quits. Mina was a much prettier girl apparently and had what a lot of young men these days wanted. There was just something about the color blonde…
Of course not everything was peaches and cream for Mina. Hence the reason Birdie was now on her way to Shijima Studios, where Mina did most of her photo shoots in the city of Tokyo. She'd gotten a call just an hour ago from Mina. She sounded upset and wanted to know if Birdie could swing by and pick her up. Apparently a few others were too busy with their own things. Katsie was working at the Shrine. Lita was at Culinary School. Amara and Michelle were unreachable. Birdie was free, so she came.
Birdie had a hard time finding a parking spot near the studio. When she finally got one she opened up her Cell Phone and dialed for Mina's number. The phone was picked up after one ring.
"Hello?" said a familiar voice. There appeared to be raised voices behind her but were too far out of earshot to make sense of the words.
"Mina. It's Birdie," she replied. "I'm right outside. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a little pissed off," Mina said with a huffy voice. "I'll explain to you in the car. Wait just a minute…" Mina then yelled at someone in the room with her. "Listen, you freak! No means NO! GOT IT!" the phone went dead after that. Birdie closed the cell and put it down. Another argument with her Manager it seemed. She wondered what the big deal was this time?
It didn't take her long to find out. Mina tromped out the front door of the studio and looked around. Her hair was tied in a long ponytail in back. She was wearing a red pleated skirt that hung to her knees, matching red pumps, a pink blouse and a tiny white overcoat that barely reached the bottom of her ribcage. Her face still had makeup on it and she drew stares from a few amorous men on the street.
Birdie honked her horn and waved out the window at her. Mina spotted her vehicle and began stomping toward it. Her face was twisted in anger.
Suddenly a skinny man with sunglasses and a gray blazer ran outside and fell on his knees next to her. "Darling! Sweetheart! Angel! Don't do this to me! Have I not gotten you everything you wanted these past six months!" he pleaded with her. It was obviously Kyle, her Manager. He didn't look so bad himself, but he was pathetic the way he openly begged for Mina.
"I won't do it! I told you when I started, no HENTAI!" Mina screeched at him before brushing him off and sliding into Birdie's car on the passenger side.
Kyle ran up to the open window. "But this is huge money, Mina! And you and I both know this could launch you into the virtual stratosphere of marketing your image!"
"Yeah, and turning me into something I'm not!" Mina barked back. "I'm not going to become some Porn-queen for millions of lifeless perverts to drool over! I want my fans to love me for a different reason! I want them to love my face, not my body! Until you find another job for me, this is goodbye!" Mina pressed the button on her door and the automatic window began sliding up.
"But Mina darling!" Kyle protested, sticking his face past the threshold. "I'm only thinking of yoURK!" his face was squished in the window from the sliding glass. His lips were pinched into a pucker and slurred painfully to her.
"Get your face out of the window, moron," Mina said, sliding the window back down with a huff. "Don't talk to me until much later. You'll be lucky if I don't take my services elsewhere!" The window clamped shut all the way this time with no incident.
"Where to?" asked Birdie, slightly amazed at this conversation.
"Just drive. I don't care where," Mina said impatiently as Kyle knocked futilely on her window. "Anyplace I don't have to look at this stupid face."
Birdie pulled out of her parallel park and sped down the street about a block or two in silence. Then she popped the question. "So what happened back there?"
Mina was looking at herself in the passenger mirror with scrutiny. "Kyle came up to me after my latest fashion shoot with a new job. Apparently 'Doujin-girl Monthly' called his office, asking if I could pose for their cover model job."
"But that's great isn't it?" Birdie asked. "That would have been your first cover appearance since you started, right?"
"Bird… 'Doujin-girl' is a Hentai Mag for middle-aged men," Mina said, still looking in the mirror and making faces.
Birdie gasped and nearly swerved out of her lane. "That's horrible!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah. And Kyle just wouldn't get it when I told him no," Mina griped. "I didn't become a Model to fulfill old men's fantasies. I became a Model to share myself with the wealthy young men of this world, to show my gorgeous face to everyone and display my elegant side. There's nothing elegant about porn…. Oh, darn. I think I'm getting a wrinkle," she muttered that last part to herself.
Birdie smiled awkwardly and sweat-dropped at Mina's explanation. There was certainly nothing wrong with this girl's ego, that was for sure. Still, she sympathized with Mina, shuddering at the notion of her nude form being shown to every man in the nation of Japan and possibly beyond. "Do you feel like food then? Let's go eat somewhere," she offered.
Mina snapped the visor upward and leaned back in her seat. Her blue eyes turned on Birdie in determination. "Yeah, sure. Take me to the 'Rikishu Soda Fountain'. I need a triple fudge milkshake with all the trimmings this time!"
Birdie nearly fell out of her seat at the mention of that notoriously high-calorie shake. That sounded like something Serena would order, she thought. But Mina didn't look to be in the mood for arguing about anything anymore, so she decided to take her there. She could get a Cherry-flavored soda and a light salad while she was there at any rate…
Sssss
As promised, Mina indulged herself at the Soda Fountain to just what she wanted. She looked rather odd sitting there in pretty clothes and makeup, wolfing down her shake with a spoon because it was too thick for a straw. Birdie quietly endured the staring from the other customers, mostly teenagers, and drank her soda.
They finished in half an hour and Mina graciously took the bill. She had the money after all.
"Wow. You certainly got yourself a good job overall," Birdie remarked. "How many people actually get to have the job they always wanted and be successful at it."
"Well it was a long hard road," said Mina, laying a tip down and standing up. "And actually I wanted to be a Pop Singer more, but my agent said my voice was positively atrocious and my body was far more marketable."
"Wow. He told you right to your face you suck, huh?" Birdie got up and walked with Mina out the door. "What was your reaction."
"I fired him," Mina shrugged. "Then I met Kyle about six months ago and got me this gig with the Studio. At first it was penny-ante stuff, but now I've become their leading Model so I get some respect nowadays."
"You don't think your job is in trouble with you turning that offer down?" asked Birdie. The two began walking back toward the car.
"Even if it is I wouldn't take it. And I have enough of a resume now to make a splash at some other Modeling places if need be," Mina paused as she stared at something directly ahead.
Birdie almost walked into her. "What's up?" she asked.
"Is that girl signaling to us?" Mina pointed ahead.
Birdie followed the point and saw a redheaded teenaged looking girl with short shoulder-length hair that was bright red. She was dressed in a white blouse and a green plaid skirt with thigh stockings and black buckle shoes. In fact she looked just like the perfect little school girl. She was waving to them and when she got both of their attention she held up a finger and crooked it as if beckoning them to follow.
"Who, us?" Mina pointed to her chest.
The girl nodded and took out a Cell Phone from her pocket. At least at first that's what it looked like. She hit a button on the device and put it to her mouth. Mina's cell beeped and vibrated all at once, causing her to answer it. "Hello?"
"Are you Mina Aino and Birdie Ayakashi?" The words moved in time with the mysterious red head's mouth.
"Yes," Mina narrowed her eyes. "How did you get this number?"
"That's not important, Sailor Venus," the girl replied. "It's very important, however, that you follow me."
Mina nearly dropped her phone at the sound of her Senshi name being casually thrown out over the air. The girl smirked, closed her device, and pointed skyward. A second later she disappeared around the corner into an alley.
"This looks bad," Birdie said. "She's no ordinary schoolgirl."
The two of them ran around the bend to where the girl had gone and saw that she'd vanished. "Nope. Definitely not ordinary."
A stone hit Birdie on top of the head and she looked up. There at the top of the building overhead was the girl, tossing another pebble up and down in her right hand and waving at them. "There she is!" Birdie exclaimed.
"Well let's not disappoint her," Mina said, taking out her Henshin Stick. "If she wants to provoke me, she's pretty much succeeded."
"Venus Planet Power!"
"Mercury Planet Power!"
The transformation took seconds, but still, their quarry simply opened her mouth and waved her fingers as if yawning. She smiled again and disappeared from sight. Venus and Mercury jumped up into flight in order to catch her. They landed on the rooftop and looked around. A whistle caused them to look left and see the girl standing on the next adjacent rooftop. She waved again at them and skipped off in a carefree manner.
"She's playing with us, the cocky bitch," Venus gritted, taking off after her.
"Don't be hasty, Mina," Birdie followed her and activated her Computer Visor. "Let's have a look at her first." Something was wrong, however. Her computer couldn't home in on the fleeing girl at all. She couldn't get an accurate reading at all.
They chased her across a wide area of the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop to try and corner her. However she was always one step ahead of the two Senshi. They'd get to one roof only to see her one or two roofs away, skipping this way and that. Sailor Venus got the distinct sensation they were being seriously toyed with and it was continuing to burn away at her tattered remnants of patience.
"You realize of course this could be a trap," Birdie mentioned as they arced out over an old Railroad Yard near the Industrial section of Tokyo.
"I'd be pretty disappointed in her if it wasn't," Mina replied, spotting her standing still for a change on one of the abandoned Railcars. "And it looks like now's the time to meet her up close. Call for backup."
The two Senshi landed one either side of the girl. Birdie spoke into her wristcom. "Calling all Senshi. This is Sailor Mercury. We've got trouble in the abandoned Railroad Yard in Kobayashi. Drop what you're doing and come join the fun if you can."
"Sorry, I'm afraid I just won't allow that," the girl replied to Mercury. "I jammed your signal. I have no interest in fighting a whole team of Senshi by myself. But two should be just enough to keep me entertained."
Birdie listened to the static come back at her from her communicator and sighed. "Yup… It's a trap…"
"So who are you really? Other than extremely confident in yourself?" Sailor Venus said.
"I would have thought you'd recognize me, Sailor Venus," said the girl. "Let me show you…" Her disguise seemed to burn away in a column of fire, leaving a Senshi fuku with no straps that left her shoulders and back completely bare. Her chest bow was flared to resemble red flames. Her primary color was the same red as her hair. "I was one of the Nova Senshi who followed Galaxia here last year against Dark Mercury. I am Sailor Nova Sirius."
"You mean those five Senshi who all wore the color red?" Venus asked. "You all look the same to me."
Sirius clucked her tongue. "Touche, Venus. It would seem there's at least half a wit underneath that blonde curtain."
"Why you!" Sailor Venus pointed her finger at Sirius. "Venus Crescent Beam!"
"Touchy today aren't we?" Sirius leapt straight up over the beam and took out what appeared to be a Gymnastics Ribbon. She twirled the ribbon around in a spiral pattern directly at Venus. All of a sudden the ribbon seemed to catch fire and a cone of flame danced outward toward Mina.
"Watch it, Mina!" Sailor Mercury dove in and sprayed the flames with a blast of ice water. The two colliding attacks disintegrated one another and created a thick curtain of steam all around them. "You're getting hot-headed like Amara. If she's one of Galaxia's Senshi that could mean she's extremely dangerous."
With a cracking whip sound the red ribbon darted out of the mist and curled around Mercury's wrist. Birdie was yanked off her feet with only a tiny yelp and slammed into a nearby Railcar hard enough to tip it off its tracks and onto its side!
"Mercury!" Sailor Venus followed the ribbon to its source and cocked her fist back. "Why you!"
Mina punched and kicked at her foe. Sirius sidestepped, dodged and blocked her moves with smooth ease. Venus went for a right cross, but hit nothing but air. Sirius had ducked and was sliding through her open legs. Mina turned, only to have Sirius' ribbon snap out and wrap around her throat. Mina managed to get one fist up next to her throat to prevent strangulation.
"Not bad, but how good are you one-handed?" Sailor Nova Sirius moved in and struck with open hands in chopping motions. Venus blocked the first two with her free hand, but couldn't quite deflect the third. Only enough to keep the hand from striking a vital area.
Sailor Mercury climbed out the toppled car and jumped back up to where the other two were fighting. She got behind Sirius and punched her in the back of the head. Sirius stumbled a bit, then adapted. She kicked Venus in the midsection to stun her and turned to strike at Mercury's face.
Birdie somersaulted away and aimed. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" She strummed a string on her Lyre and a stream of water blasted at Sirius.
The Nova Senshi bent backwards to avoid the blast, only to see too late that Venus had loosened herself from the ribbon and was sweeping a kick straight at her face. What was intended to be a trip fortuitously struck Sirius in the side of the neck and sailed her directly into another Railcar. Her trajectory carried her through both wooden walls and into the hard gravel ground.
"Let's finish her!" Sailor Venus jumped into the air. "I'll distract her high! Go low!"
Sailor Nova Sirius spun to her feet and grabbed her ribbon. She danced out of the way of Venus' flying kick, snapped the tape around her ankle, and this time sent Mina for a ride. Birdie, who was running along the ground with her increased speed in order to circle around her blindside, ended up running directly into Venus as her body arced around out of control. The two Senshi, now sandwiched together, were carried hard into the old Station.
"A tandem attack was a good plan, except my specialty is breaking up tag-teams," Sirius announced. "Sirius Spiral Flare!" She once again twirled her ribbon and set the Station on fire with her fire cone.
Venus and Mercury leaped out of the inferno out near some old oil drums. Sirius grinned wickedly as she snapped her ribbon again and used it slice one of the barrels in half. Mina and Birdie found themselves soaked in fuel. Just a split second too late they figured out what was coming next, and with a snap of her fingers Sirius ignited the fuel, causing a massive explosion that blew both Senshi sky high!
When Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury landed they were both unconscious and their clothes were badly tattered. Sirius checked both of them and didn't find any serious burns or lacerations. A normal mortal would have been blown to bits or burned to a crisp. Still, she was mildly worried that she might have overdone it just a bit.
"Mission accomplished," Sirius said. "Sorry about this, Venus and Mercury. But business is business and all that. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." She raised her communicator to her mouth again. "This is Sirius. Three to transport up to Galaxia's ship. I'm sending my coordinates."
In thirty seconds a bright beam of light shot down from above and washed over the three Senshi's bodies. When it cleared the fire was out and the Senshi were all gone from the Railroad Yard.
TO BE CONTINUED...
NEXT... CHAPTER THREE: PLUTO AND SATURN
