Chapter Eleven: Washington D.C. Bound!
The man started clapping
his hands. "Okay, people! Let's grab and move! Grab and
move!" he ordered. "It shouldn't thirty people thirty years
to find their luggage!"
"Mr. Blake! My suitcase has a big
slash in it!" called out a female student. Alvis looked over to
find another student already helping the girl with the few
articles of clothing that had fallen out.
Mr. Blake bent down
to investigate the slash. "It looks like a claw mark," he
commented with awe.
"Whoa!" exclaimed someone else.
A
fourth student looked at the opening to the conveyor belt. A
wolf-like creature was crawling out. "I think that's who did
it!" she screamed.
The wolf leapt for the girl whose luggage
it had ruined. She turned and screamed, frozen in place by her
own fear.
At the last second, Alvis tackled the monster in
mid-air. They both landed on the airport's hard floor and rolled
to a stop. Alvis quickly got to her feet. "You want some
action, freak? Follow me, then. I'll show you a good time."
The
wolf howled and chased Alvis though the airport, firing laser
beams from its eyes. Politicians, guards, and tourists of all
nationalities scrambled out of the way. Still, Alvis started
yelling, "Out of my way folks! I am a trained professional! I
know what I am doing!" To herself, she added, "I think."
She
led the wolf to an area of the airport that was being renovated.
The construction workers quickly evacuated the area.
Finally,
Alvis was able to stop running and face the wolf. She noticed the
security camera in the corner of the room. Just in case. . .
She snapped her fingers and the camera short-circuited. No
lookie-loos.
The wolf creature fired its eyebeams at her
again. Alvis rolled out of the way. She grabbed a nearby can of
blue paint and flung its contents at the creature. This
distracted the wolf long enough for Alvis to henshion. Tossing
the empty can aside, Alvis yelled, "Jupiter Prism Power! Make
Up!"
The wolf wiped the paint from its eyes and howled
again. "Is that all you can do? Dawg, get a life! Thunder
Clap!"
The wolf was hit, but not down. He ran towards
Jupiter; she readied herself. Then, from behind him, "Virginal
Protector Assault!" With that, the creature became a pink
gem.
Sailor Moon continued standing in the doorway, her arms
still posed in the way she had ended her attack. The gem attached
itself to Moon's bracelet. "I am tired of telling you. . ."
".
. .and I am tired of listening to you!" Jupiter
interrupted.
Moon narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Virginal
Protector Assault!"
Jupiter jumped out of the way. She
unclasped her belt. "You bitch. Jupiter Lighting!"
Moon
wasn't expecting Jupiter to fight back. At the very least, not
with this much power. The belt slashed Moon from her left armpit
to her right hip. She screamed and fell to her knees. "You
weren't suppose to do that," she told Jupiter.
"Sorry I
ruined your plan," Jupiter snapped sarcastically. "Next time,
though, you shouldn't attack me."
Moon stood up. "You
aren't leaving me any choice."
"Under who's terms?"
Jupiter asked.
"Mine!" Moon yelled. "Virginal Protector
Assault!"
"Thunder Clap!"
Moon's and Jupiter's
attacks met, were equal for a few moments, then Moon overpowered
Jupiter. Jupiter knocked off her feet and into a support beam.. .
.Slowly, she opened her eyes to find Lisa and three other
classmates hovering over her. "Do you think she'll be able to
hear us?" asked one of the girls.
"Why don't you just
ask me?" Alvis asked. "I mean, I'm hurt, not dead."
The
four looked down at her. "Hey! Alvis!" said the first
girl.
"How are you feeling?" asked Lisa.
"Is this
going to end up in next week's paper?" Alvis jokingly
asked.
"No," Lisa responded with a smile.
"Okay.
Then.. . . I feel like Robustin Dustin is sitting on my face,"
Alvis answered.
"Ooh!" replied the girls. "That's
bad," added the other girl.
"Hey!" objected the guy.
"I've lost weight since Grade 8!"
"It's a good thing
Sailor Moon saved you," the first girl commented. "It could
have been worse."
"Yeah. What were you thinking?" asked
Lisa.
Alvis slowly sat up in her hospital bed. "Wait. You
think I was saved by Sailor Moon?"
"We know you
were," answered Dustin. "She was the one who called 911."
Oh,
God. How long did I take to dehenshion? "Well, was she
there when the EMTs arrived?" she asked.
The four looked at
each other. "Well, no," Lisa admitted.
"She just said
she found an injured girl," said Dustin.
"So you don't
know for a fact that is was really her," concluded
Alvis.
"Well, who else could it have been?" asked the
first girl.
"Tori, there are other Sailor Senshi," Alvis
reminded her.
"Yeah, way to go, Tori," said the other
girl.
"Oh, shut up, Shania," mumbled Tori.
"Well, I
think that was brave what you did," said Dustin. "Leading
that monster away from us. It could have hurt a lot of people if
you hadn't done that."
"Well, that's why I did it,"
said Alvis.
Shania, Dustin, and Tori all raised their
eyebrows. "Really?" they asked together.
Alvis chuckled.
"I can be nice when people let me."
Mr. Blake helped Alvis out of the backseat of the taxi. Shania, Dustin, and Tori fell out the other side. "Wow. That was a tight squeeze," said Tori.
"Hey!" cried Shania. "Get off me!"
Lisa stepped out the front passenger's side door. "All I have to say is someone's deodorant stopped working in there."
"Well, it can't stop working if you never wore any to begin with," said Alvis.
The group stopped whatever they were doing and looked at her. "Are you serious?" asked Tori.
Alvis chuckled. "I'm just kidding," she assured them. "Let's get inside."
Tori sneezed. "No problem. It's a bit chilly out here."
The residents and tourists of Washington D.C were making their way to dinner. Some had to walk around a disguised Princess Beryl as she watched the group enter the hotel. "I will prove to Mother. . ." She dramatically removed her sunglasses. ". . .that I am worthy of the throne." She smirked, then disappeared, startling those around her.
Lisa caught this out of the corner of her eye. What in the world. . .?
She gestured for Him to join Her at the window. "I
think they might be on to me. One of them was right there. She
simply disappeared." She pointed to the spot Princess Beryl had
been earlier.
"I'll beef up security," He replied.
She
turned to face Him. "What are you going to tell them? That I
have evil space aliens following me?"
"Good point. But we
need to throw them off your track. Of course, we aren't
entirely sure they are on your track to begin with."
"True."
She gazed back out the window. "Let's just play this one by
ear."
The door opened. "Hey, girl? Aren't you hungry?"
asked the visitor.
"Sure am. Come on; let's go," She
told Her partner.
Taini sipped her hot chocolate. She had managed to sneak by her "SS" again. One of these days, they are going to catch on, she thought with a smile as she placed her mug back on the table. I just hope that day isn't anytime soon. She turned the page of her Wall Street Journal.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" Taini looked towards the entrance. Alvis was leaning her crutch against the counter as she read the menu board. "Uh, yes. I would like a large raspberry hot chocolate."
"Marshmallows?" asked the cashier.
"Why not?. . .Large, please."
The cashier made the drink, then brought it to Alvis. "It's, uh, it's on the house," he said slyly.
Alvis noticed the piece of paper he was sliding across the countertop along side her drink. Alvis scoffed in disgust. She took her drink and flung a five dollar bill at him. "Here's a tip; buy a clue," she told him before hobbling away to find a table.
Taini shook her head as she chuckled. "You could have just made up a number," she told Alvis as she sat down. "He probably wasn't going to call anyway."
"A little inappropriate, though, don't you think?" Alvis replied. "After all, he is on the clock."
"Well, it is two in the morning," Taini politely pointed out.
"Doesn't matter; it's still wrong," said Alvis as she prepared to take her first sip.
Taini put the Journal back together, then turned to Alvis. "Mind if I sit with you?" she asked.
"I don't see why not," said Alvis. "If we're both awake this late at night, we must have something in common."
"Possibly." Taini stuck her hand across the table. "My name's Taini. Pleasure to drink with you."
Alvis shook Taini's hand. "I'm Alvis. Back at 'cha. What flavor?"
"Raspberry. You?"
"The same."
"Cool. So, what's with the crutch?"
"Oh, I was at the airport when that monster ran through."
"Couldn't get out of the way fast enough?"
Under the table, Alvis rubbed her leg to relieve the pain. "You could say that."
Taini tool another sip of her drink. "So is that also why you're awake at two in the morning?"
"Somewhat. I spent most of the day morning sleeping," Alvis explained. "Now I'm wired. . .and drinking hot chocolate." The two chuckled. "What about you?"
"Felt smothered. Again. Had to sneak out to get my sanity back," Taini told her.
A man in a black suit and tie ran inside the café. "Speaking of which. . ." said Taini, taking another sip.
"Ms. Alexander! Why do you insist on giving me a weekly heart attack?" he scolded Taini.
"This is Mr. Estaban, head of my personal SS," Taini introduced to Alvis, purposely ignoring Mr. Estaban's question.
"SS?" Alvis asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"Secret Service," Taini explained.
"Um, hello?" Mr. Estaban was still waiting for an answer to his question.
"I do it because I can," Taini finally answered. "Besides, you're cute when you're worried."
"So, apparently I'm ugly when I'm not," he concluded. "Because you always have me worried."
"Bingo." Taini push her chair back. "Well, my late-night buddy, it was nice to meet you." She stood, then stuck out her hand to shake Alvis' again. "Take care now. I don't want to hear that you were involved in another monster attack."
Alvis gave Taini a friendly smirk. "Who knows? Maybe my problem is the airport."
"Ms. Alexander. . .before your father finds out. . ." pleaded Mr. Estaban.
Taini rolled her eyes. "Okay! I'm going!"
Alvis' hand
slipped off the railing, and she tumbled to the ground. "What
the fuck. . .?" Alvis pulled herself up as the lights in the
elevator continued to flicker. "Apparently, the ride shuts down
at three."
Alvis heard screaming from the other side of the
elevator doors. "Alright. Someone must have shown up without a
reservation. Jupiter Prism Power! Make Up!" She pushed the
"Door Open" button. As the doors opened, Jupiter slowly
looked up. "No way," she commented.
The elevator had
stopped between floors. Jupiter had to pull herself through the
small opening. As soon as she did, she heard a snap followed by a
crash. Jupiter looked down the elevator shaft. "Okay, if that
isn't creepy, I don't know what is."
Someone started to
run past her. Jupiter managed to stop her and her child from
falling down the shaft. "You two should probably take the
stairs. Just a suggestion," Jupiter told them.
An energy
ball flew down the hallway behind Jupiter; she, the woman, and
the child heard it slam into a wall. "You'd better leave
before that happens to the other side," Jupiter told
them.
Princess Beryl prepared to throw another energy ball.
"This should get the Princess to reveal herself and my
brother!"
"All that's doing is property damage." The
smoke cleared, giving Princess Beryl a better view of Jupiter.
She grabbed Princess Beryl's arm. "Let's take this outside.
Sailor Teleport!"
In a flash of light, thet appeared in West
Potomac Park. "Now, let's see what you've got," said
Jupiter.
"Uh, . . ." Princess Beryl looked around at her
new surroundings in shock. "This wasn't part of my plan,"
she finally admitted.
"Sorry. Didn't know," Jupiter told
Princess Beryl as she prepared to fight. "Hope I can help you
improvise."
The two stood facing each other for about a
minute. Finally, Jupiter relaxed. "Okay, this is the time where
you come back with something witty, then I reply with 'Bring it
on' or something, and then we fight."
"Uh. . ."
Princess Beryl began wringing her hands.
"You really don't
have anything, do you?" Jupiter realized.
"Nope. I was
just trying to get Princess Serenity."
"You are the most
incompetent villain I have ever seen."
"Yeah. . .What does
'incompetent' mean?"
Jupiter sighed. "Not able to do
what is needed; to be without enough skill or knowledge."
"Oh..
. .Hey!" Princess Beryl responded. She powered up. "Earth
Energy!"
"Thunder Clap!"
The attacks met, and Jupiter
easily defeated Princess Beryl. "That was just a warm-up,
right?" she asked.
"No," Princess Beryl sheepishly
admitted. "That's it."
Behind Princess Beryl, another
figure materialized. "Beryl!"
"I'm gonna go out on a
limb and say that you weren't suppose to tell me that," said
Jupiter.
"Well, that was stupid on her part," Queen
Metallia told Jupiter. "But the reason I'm here is because
SOMEONE. . ." Queen Metallia grabbed Princess Beryl's
ear ". . .left the house after being told not to!"
"But
Mother!" Princess Beryl squealed in agony.
"But nothing,"
countered Queen Metallia. "We are going home. But before we do.
. ." Without saying a word, she sent an energy wave that
knocked Jupiter off her feet. Then she tugged on Princess Beryl's
ear even harder. "When we get home, young lady. . ." The two
disappeared.
"Here. Let me help you up." Jupiter looked up
and found Sailor Moon offering her hand. Jupiter asked
suspiciously, "What's the catch?"
Moon smiled. "I'll
send you the bill."
"Mother! Please let me out!"
Princess Beryl continued to bang on the door. "I'm really
sorry!"
"Shut up!" Queen Metallia yelled back.
"Nephrite! Jadeite! Get those two!"
"My number is
zero," said Moon. "Next time. . ."
"Beryl was looking
for you," Jupiter interrupted. "I don't think it is a good
idea for you to be doing this at all, much less by
yourself."
"Look. You girls do not have any idea what you
are dealing with. . ." Moon started to say.
"If you would
just tell us, then we will. . ." Jupiter pointed out.
". .
.I am the only person with the power to stop this!"
". .
.The only way to win this is together!. . ."
Jadeite and
Nephrite materialized. Jupiter and Moon readied themselves. "This
would be a good example," said Jupiter.
"Too bad you
wouldn't show me." Moon slammed her hand into Jupiter's
stomach. The energy wave produced sent Jupiter flying into the
nearby shrubbery. Moon turned her attention back to the
Guardians. "Your turn." She placed her hands at her sides. As
they began to glow pink, she raised them towards the Guardians.
"Virginal Protector Assault!"
Jadeite and Nephrite fell
on their backs. Nephrite quickly got in a kneeling position.
"Earth Beam!"
Moon dodged the beam. . .but barely.
"Virginal Protector Assault!" she yelled again.
This time,
the Guardians were able to avoid being hit. Jadeite leapt at
Moon. She grabbed his outstretched arm and threw him over her
shoulder. Nephrite took advantage of this distraction. "Earth
Beam!"
Moon was hit squarely in the back. She cried out as
she fell to her knees.
"Thunder Clap!" Jupiter's attack
knocked Nephrite over. She gave him a cold, hard stare as she
told him, "This is the part where the two of you
retreat."
Nephrite growled and the two Guardians
disappeared.
Moon stood, appearing a bit humbled, but still
started with a stern, "Jupiter. . ."
Jupiter would have
none of it. "Princess. . .It looks like I showed you after all.
And now I'm the one that leaves you behind." Jupiter scoffed
and headed back to her hotel, leaving a pissed off Moon to stare
at her retreating figure.
Alvis managed to slip back into
her room unnoticed. . .except by Lisa. "Hey, what happened to
you?" Lisa whispered. She would have signed the question, but
she wasn't sure Alvis had enough light to see what she was
saying.
Alvis knew to watch what she said; of all the people
she didn't want to tell a secret to, Lisa was on the top of the
list. "I met someone in the café."
Lisa's ears
perked up, although not as much as they would have about Sailor
Jupiter. "Really?"
"A girl," said Alvis as she sat at
the table across from Lisa.
Lisa moved the lamp to her right
just enough to see Alvis' face "Love knows no
boundaries."
"There is one," Alvis corrected her.
"And
that would be. . .?"
"When there is no love to begin
with."
"Good point." Though Lisa was more into the "Big
News" stories, she never missed an opportunity to work on her
interviewing skills. "So, what is her name?"
"Taini
Alexander," said Alvis, knowing she would now have Lisa's
full attention.
She did; if Lisa's ears could have perked up
anymore, they would have ended up on the top of her head. "As
in Governor Tom Alexander's daughter?"
Alvis nodded. She
tried to think of any and every question Lisa would ask in order
to answer all at once. "She is just as friendly as they say.
Apparently, she likes to sneak away from her Secret Service. .
.Lisa?" Alvis had caught Lisa rubbing her stomach, grimacing in
pain. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Lisa stopped rubbing
and went back to her homework. "I wanted to play superhero with
you, but a luggage rack got in my way. I rammed right into one of
the luggage pieces."
Alvis remembered her chain slashing
Moon in the same area. "Really?" she asked in an effort to
learn more.
Lisa looked back at her nightstand. "Man, it's
late. We should get some shuteye." She extended her arm to turn
off the table lamp.
"Yeah. We should," Alvis automatically
replied as the room plunged into darkness.
