DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi, Viz Media, Toei Animation. I'm just a fan.

A note on character names: Every main character in this story has a parallel to the characters that you know and love (Olugbeja::Mamorou; Galing::Ami; others pending) Look up their names in their native languages and you'll see the connection.

Act IV: Brilliant Disguise

It's just one thing after another! One sick jogger and now we have a whole new evil scheme to stop. The not-so-fun part is that we have to get into a secured building in order to stop the bad guys. I'm no good at things like this! Glad that I have a genius with me! Oh, the fun part? Well, you'll find out! Now, if you'll excuse me, there's evil around. And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish it!

Part 1

An ideal Saturday morning would have found Usagi nestled deep within her blankets until noon-ish. Unfortunately, an early-morning text from Galing threw that possibility off of the rails. Now, at 8AM, she sat at an empty outdoor patio waiting for Galing and Luna to show up. She didn't know everything that they wanted to talk about, but she was sent a link to The Negaverse's hottest story:

"Sailor V has allies! Multiple women in sailor outfits fighting crime in Tokyo!"

Usagi's empty tummy bubbled with nerves as she read eyewitness accounts from students at Crystal Seminar and the man from the Ghost Bride attack. There were also quotes from police officers: the one who interviewed Naru after the Osa-P incident, and some who saw the senshi depart after the Ghost Bride and Crystal Seminar battles. All of the statements verified that mysterious, magical women had appeared out of nowhere, defeated the evil forces, then disappeared without a trace.

In the midst of her worrying, an enervated Galing finally made her way to the patio with an equally frazzled Luna by her side. Usagi expressed her concern: "What happened to you two?"

Galing sat down heavily. "Believe me, there's a lot to talk about," she said. "First, how about the article that I sent you? Were you able to read it?"

Usagi nodded. "I'm reading it now. I'm kinda nervous! People might know who we are!"

Luna cleared her throat. "Apparently, you have not read the entire article."

Usagi cut her eyes at Luna, then returned to the article, picking up with the witnesses. Despite the senshi's exposure to all of these people, there was a strange thread that ran through all of the encounters…

"'…none of the victims or officers could offer a description of the faces of the women,'" Usagi read out loud. "'Students who saw two of these women, one in the main computer lab and one in a separate room, said that their countenances were obscured with "a beautiful enchantment…glamour"…The witnesses were even unable to recall skin color or hairstyles.'" Usagi laughed nervously. "Well, that's convenient!" Her eyes sparkled. "Hey! Does this have to do with that thing you were telling me after Crystal Seminar, Luna?"

Luna bobbed her head from side-to-side. "Kind of."

"What's this?" Galing inquired.

"I can use my transformation brooch to create disguises!" Usagi said joyfully. "Of course, Luna waited until after we were done to tell me!"

Luna looked at Galing. "Actually, I was going to tell her before she went in, so that she could have snuck in as a student or teacher. But she already had her plan. It's probably a good thing since I had to explain the whole process."

"Yeah," Usagi chimed in, "I guess since transformations and de-transformations are… 'automatic,'" Usagi used the bunny-ears air quote gesture, "they don't require a lot of effort on my part. But, if I concentrate, I can hold myself between transformations and change my appearance! Pretty cool, huh?"

"But, that's a somewhat advanced technique," Luna stated. "It's like flexing a muscle, so you can only do it for a short while."

"Right," Galing said. "So, this transformation-illusion power creates the 'glamour' somehow?" She pondered for a second. "But I was able to clearly see your face as Sailor Moon! How's that?"

"There is no perfect disguise," Luna stated. "There will always be someone who can see right through it. That's why it's important to be as careful as possible when in your senshi forms." She smiled at the young women. "But the 'glamour' will take care of you most of the time." She winked at Usagi. "Just don't transform around your family or Naru, ok?"

Usagi nodded again, thinking about Naru. Though she still felt bad about hiding her secret from her friend, she had at least been able to repair some trust. While Naru was at first skeptical of her Crystal Seminar story – her specific quote being: "You made a friend, who works as a tutor?" – once Usagi showed the disk still in her possession, Naru believed her.

Usagi's attention returned to the present. "So, what happened to you guys on the way over?"

Galing answered, "Luna and I were talking in the park when I noticed a runner looking very, very tired. Really, like her body was overheating. She collapsed just a few meters from us, so we ran over there and took care of her before the medics came. While I was working on her, Luna started acting strange with her fur flaring out. Once the runner was able to talk, she told me that she had been working out more often and that maybe she had overdone things today. As they took her away, I noticed that she had a monitor on her wrist. I've never seen that type or brand before."

"But that's definitely where that nasty energy was coming from," Luna added. "We need to get more information on that device."

Usagi thought about it for a moment, then sighed in a resigned manner. "I know someone that you can ask for help-"

"Umino?" Galing interrupted. "Already done! Luna gave me his contact info and I emailed him. I'm actually waiting for a reply now."

Usagi immediately became alarmed. "You gave Umino your contact info?! Luna, why did you let her do that? He's gonna be spamming you with-"

Galing waved her hand. "It's ok, Usagi! I have a trick to keep distance online. I just use my innocuous internet alias." Galing opened her laptop and showed Usagi the email that she sent. Usagi giggled.

"'Amy Anderson?' That's kind of cute!"

Coincidentally, as soon as Galing showed off the email, the response popped up in her inbox. Galing opened it as Luna and Usagi gathered around to read: "Hey Amy! Thanks for the tip! We'll add it to the database. To answer your question, it's tough to track faintings due to over-exertion. That's not usually a newsworthy event. However, I have found some talk in chatrooms about a new workout app. Give it a look! And don't worry! The Negaverse staff is always on watch!"

Usagi checked the time. "It's not even 8:30 on a Saturday morning! I know he's helpful, but he really needs a social life!"

"From what I've been told, you and Naru could really help with that," Galing commented as she navigated to the chatroom. Usagi turned an evil eye to a grinning Luna before returning to the screen. The link led them to a discussion about a new fitness app and wrist monitor called "Redline." At the top of the chat was a picture of the device.

"Is that it?" Usagi asked. Luna and Galing both nodded.

"Very interesting discussion going on here…" Galing said without taking her gaze from the screen. "'I'm losing weight, but this workout is really intense!' 'My phone has been doing weird things since I installed the app.' 'BEST THING EVER!' 'I got rid of all of it after my brother got sick.'"

"Sounds like it could be a regular app," Usagi said, scratching her head. "Some people love it, some hate it."

"But I know what I felt," Luna responded. "Something is going on with this Redline thing. We've got to look into it!"

As Usagi sighed, still hungry, Galing found the official website for the product. The page itself was intense with bright red streaks, fast changing photos of fierce workouts, blaring heavy metal guitars, and big, bold print, all centered around their logo.

"Wow. This is a rather busy page," Galing remarked.

"Yeah…it's kind of ugly," Usagi added. Her eyes searched the garish mess for anything useful, eventually falling onto the logo: a silhouette of a runner surrounded by flames…only the flames seemed to have a…smiling face?

A flash came to her consciousness: a living flame…with a sinister smile…there's…there's something that I know…something that I've seen…

Usagi stood up and moved to her original spot, directly across from Luna and Galing. She held her head as the image in her mind lingered. Luna took notice. "Usagi, are you alright?"

"Umm…yeah. I'm ok." She paused. "I just got a strange feeling from that website." She forced a small chuckle. "I guess you and I are more in tune that I thought!"

"It looks like there are only a few sellers here in Tokyo right now," Galing said. "The launch started in Russia and then moved into the States. The wider international expansion is just beginning." She pulled up a map. "There's a shop near my apartment that's selling the wristband. We can go get one and investigate." She continued to focus on her task.

Luna smiled. "Are you ready for another adventure, Usagi?"

Usagi, returning to recalcitrance, groaned, closed her eyes, turned her face to the sky and proceeded with well-worn protest. "Luna, do we have to? I mean, I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

The cat shook her head. "It's not my fault that-"

"Not your fault for what, Luna? Y'know, you have a habit of getting between me and food and sleep. Do you know how rude that is?" She opened her eyes and brought her head back down to look at her partner. Luna had a look of wide-eyed trepidation on her face. "What's that look for? I'm the one who should be upset here! Luna?" Usagi's face became curious. "Luna?"

"Does the cat talk back, Puff-Puff?"

Usagi's heart skipped a beat as her face froze in a terrified grimace. Slowly, she turned around to confirm that the voice did indeed belong to who she thought it did. Galing was now looking as well.

Smirking, the well-dressed young man offered his advice: "Be careful who sees you doing that! Someone might think that you're crazy!" His sly, rascally gaze kept Usagi rooted in place. A combination of fear, shock, and intrigue kept her from responding. She didn't even know how to retort in a manner that would defuse the situation.

"What makes you think that she was talking to the cat?"

Usagi, Olugbeja, and Luna all turned their attention to the quiet Aussie. The young man arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"It's rather presumptuous to say that she was talking to the cat. You were several meters away before she started talking. You don't know who she was talking to."

Olugbeja folded his arms. "And is your name 'Luna'?"

"Logic would tell you that either I or the cat is named Luna. But logic would further tell you that only one of us would have the ability to answer Usagi back. So, that should give you your answer"

The Nigerian gave a slight smile. "I've seen many illogical things in my day."

Galing batted her turquoise eyes innocently. "But we're talking about today, not your day. And today, there are no crazy people here talking to cats." She shrugged. "You'll have to find someone else to accuse if you want to amuse yourself."

With a victorious sneer on her face, Usagi turned back to Olugbeja to rub Galing's words in…only to have her face drop when she saw his big smile. He turned his view from Galing to Usagi.

"I like this one!" he said, wagging his finger towards Galing. "Make sure that you keep her around!"

Frustrated, Usagi stammered out a response: "I…you…What's up with you? I don't get you!"

Olugbeja shot her another mischievous look. "Really? Then perhaps we should remedy that!" With a flick of his wrist, he produced his business card. He untraditionally offered it to her between his middle and index fingers. Usagi still took it with both hands and read it.

"Em-Embassy of Nigeria?" She looked back to him. "You're an ambassador?"

"Assistant. That's one of the reasons why I'm here," he said.

"One of the reasons? In addition to…?" Galing asked.

"In addition to taking beautiful ladies out for lunch." He smiled. Usagi blushed. "Just give me a call or text when you're in the neighborhood." He nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Usagi yelled. "You're gonna wait for me to ask you to lunch?"

Without turning around, Olugbeja answered: "I think it best to follow the lead of the lady sometimes, Puff-Puff. More often, it's women who know exactly what they want."

Usagi let his words stew for a moment. "If that's the case, then stop calling me 'Puff-Puff!'"

The young man nodded once. "No problem." He took a few steps, stopped and turned back. "But just so you know," he locked his eyes to Usagi's, "puff-puff is my favorite dessert." With a final wink, he turned and headed towards his destination. "Goodbye," he said, finally moving out of earshot.

This time, Usagi caught it. He definitely wasn't speaking Japanese when he said "goodbye." The sound that she heard was clearly "o-da-a-bo." Yet, she unmistakably understood it…and knew how to respond if she wanted to. Freaky! Now she knew why Naru was so confused when they first ran into him.

"What a beautiful language."

Usagi turned to Galing. Once again, the words being spoken were that of this strange tongue, and once again, she knew exactly what was being said. Only this time the speaker was Galing! Needing a break, Usagi switched the conversation back to Japanese.

"You know how to speak…whatever it was that he was speaking?

Galing looked at Usagi and nodded. "It's Yoruba. Native to parts of Africa. I picked it up from a visiting doctor back home."

Hearing those words made Usagi think back to their meeting just four days ago. She had been wrestling with this feeling that something more than Luna's feelings had brought them together. Even something deeper than their connection as senshi. They seemed to have an instant bond…as if they had shared time and experiences. As friendly as Usagi was, even SHE didn't make things happen this easily! If she got a positive answer to her next question, maybe some more light could be shed on the situation.

"Galing," Usagi began, with a touch of anticipation in her voice, "have you…always been good at picking up languages?"

Galing's body language changed. "Yes. I have." She looked at Usagi with interest. "Have you?"

"Yeah. My whole life."

Galing sat in silent contemplation for a moment. A hopeful look flashed across her face. "Have you ever had a dream about a white castle? Maybe…like a vision?"

Usagi pursed her lips. "I've definitely had some weird feelings lately…but nothing about a castle." She giggled. "Well, not since I was a little girl and dreamed about being a princess!" She laughed a little harder. "A princess on the moon! Silly baby stuff, right?"

Luna swallowed nervously. The girls didn't seem to notice. "Ladies, this conversation has been interesting, but we need to get going! And, yes, Usagi, we can get breakfast first!"

Usagi rolled her eyes. "As if I were giving you a choice! And keep your voice down! We already got caught once! We don't need anyone other than that Olugbeja guy suspecting anything!"

Giggling softly, Galing put her laptop away, stood up, and looked at Usagi with a girlish grin. "Oh, I think that he suspects a little, blushing blonde bunny will be giving him a phone call!"

Usagi stumbled over her speech as Galing walked away with Luna in her arms. "Well…I…maybe…hey! What do you care?" She continued to rant as they made their way to breakfast.

Turning her key, Galing opened the door to her apartment in Ebisu. Luna and Usagi followed her in, the latter carrying the bag from the store.

"Galing…this is huge!" Usagi mused out loud as she took in the spaciousness of the living area. The room boasted a white leather couch/loveseat combo, a marble centerpiece table with a glass top and a chandelier. Built-in bookshelves were filled to capacity with extra books stacked neatly on the floor. The blue and white Persian rug tied the color scheme together with the rest of the assorted furniture and knick-knacks in the room. Only one thing hanging on the wall felt like it threw off the immaculate decor. Usagi walked towards it. "What's this?"

"Oh, that's the Australian Aboriginal flag," Galing answered as she set her computer up on the corner desk. "Ancestry from my father's side is from the Wiradjuri people." She looked to Usagi and smiled. "Black represents the people, yellow, the sun, and red, the earth. Do you understand?"

With a wide smile, Usagi responded. "Yes, I do!" Galing's explanation and Usagi's confirmation were both in the Wiradjuri language.

It warmed Luna's soul to see the two girls making a deeper connection. It immediately chilled her body when Galing removed the Redline wrist monitor from its packaging. "Will you need to take it apart?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Probably not," Galing said while hooking the monitor to her computer. "I can get into the code for both the app and monitor from here."

"Y'know, Galing," Usagi began, pulling up a plush office chair, "You're awfully good at all of this computer programming for someone who says that they just know the 'basics.'"

Galing answered while beginning to dig into the code. "Well, after our first encounter, I went and picked up a couple of books on coding at an intermediate level. I read them over the past few days."

Usagi and Luna couldn't help but exchange looks of bewildered admiration as Galing continued to work. After a few seconds, Galing stopped typing and exhaled deeply.

"It's very similar to what we saw with the Crystal Disk," she explained. "And Luna's feelings are spot-on: the wrist monitor is definitely used for storing energy, just like the disks. One difference with this software is that it's programmed to interact with other apps on a phone. Especially apps with some kind of an alarm or alert. It will cause them to go off randomly, at full volume."

"That doesn't seem too smart," Usagi said. "Wouldn't you just delete the app if it's causing so many problems?"

"Looks like they thought of that," Galing said while scrolling through the code. "The malfunctions won't activate until three to seven other apps have been downloaded to the device after the Redline app." She scrolled some more. "The whole thing is designed to drive you crazy! Ringing alarms, random malfunctions…even its default notifications are loud, aggressive, and invasive!"

"Using people's physical activity, raising their anxiety level…just more ways to create and capture energy!" Luna spat. "Galing, can you deactivate these devices?"

Galing turned a sad look to Luna. "The code got an update two days ago. It was made specifically against the code that I used on the Crystal Disks!" She shook her head. "I can't do it…" She paused and tilted her head, "…from here…"

Usagi furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

Galing opened an internet window. Some quick keystrokes led her to a company page. "This is the local distributor for the Redline monitor. According to what I've analyzed, it's also where all of the data flows through." She pushed herself away from the screen and turned towards Usagi and Luna. "If that much information is moving through one point, there has to be a main processing unit with several servers handling it. If we can get to the source, we can disrupt it! The same type of code should work, but it has to be delivered directly."

Luna looked optimistic. "Can you do that?"

Galing returned to the screen. "I think so, but I'd have to find a way to wire into the local network, plus watch data flow to and from the monitor to see how exactly the code is affecting it." Her mind immediately grasped a solution: "I'd need to be transformed!"

"Oh, wow," Usagi exclaimed, "this is gonna be like a full mission for you!" She smiled. "Hey! If you need some backup or a lookout, let me know!"

Galing fixed Usagi with a thoughtful look…one that wouldn't have been out of place if it were on Luna's face. "What are you thinking?" Usagi asked with caution.

"I need to navigate the mainframe for building security, including the cameras, pull up the blueprints and the floor layouts while trying to overlay the data flow, monitor the separate Redline data stream, ensure that the code is delivered, and try to compensate for any unforeseen anomalies. I need my laptop and my Sailor Mercury computer running at the same time. I can't do all of that, walk into the building, administer the code, and walk out nonchalantly." She laughed softly. "Especially while wearing a sparkly Halloween costume."

Usagi looked uncomfortable. "Am I going to like this?"

"It depends how adventurous you are." Galing smiled. "Based on what I know about you so far, I think you can do it! Especially with the new ability that you told me about."

Luna walked across the desk to Galing. "What's your plan?"

Galing did some more typing, bringing up a picture. Luna and Usagi took a look. "This might be our ticket inside," the Aussie stated. Luna smirked. Usagi groaned.

"You expect me to wear THAT?!"

Don't go too far! The Radiant Sailor Moon will be right back!

NOTE: The chapter titles have meaning! FF doesn't allow links to other websites, so if you go to YouTube and search "The Radiant Sailor Moon Playlist" you'll find the inspiration for the chapter titles! Can you catch the allusion to the songs in each chapter? Enjoy!