SAILOR SCOUTS IN GOTHAM (Part 2)
Serena looked deep into Tuxedo Mask's eyes. "Ohhhh..." she moaned
happily. "Is it really you, Darien? Have you come back to me?"
"I love you and only you, Sailor Moon," the hunky hero declared.
Slowly, he reached up to his elegant white mask, while Serena stared on with
starry eyes. The mask floated away in the wind, and Serena faced a stunning
Dick Grayson!
She smiled and leaned toward him, but a voice from behind her called,
"Wait!"
She looked around. "I love you more, Sailor Moon," said Robin,
walking towards her. "Wait till you see who I really am!" His voice sounded
like Andrew's... and he began to take off the mask...
"Se-re-NAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Eyes bulging and head pounding, Serena shot up like an arrow from her
comfortable position on the bed. Once she saw that it was Rei, she snapped
back into bed like a rubber band, pulling the covers over her head. "Go
away."
"It's eleven o'clock, meatball head! You told me you would get up by
nine!"
Serena snuggled in closer to her pillow sleepily. "Now when did I
tell you a thing like that?" she yawned.
Rei, standing impatiently over Serena's bed, retorted, "The first
three times I woke you up, genius!"
"And you BELIEVED me?" Serena said incredulously. "Okay, okay, I'm
up, I'm up." She lazily slipped out of bed, and gave a tremendous yawn,
stretching out her arms (and nearly knocking Rei over.) After blinking her
eyes several times, she finally was able to make out the figures of Ami and
Lita, sitting on a bed, all dressed and ready to go. "Ohh. Hi guys."
"Hi, Serena," said Lita, grinning. "We have some good news for you.
We've finally found someone more annoying than you are in the morning!"
"Oh yeah?" yawned Serena, rubbing her eyes. "Who?"
As if on cue, Mina came out of the bathroom, waltzing with a towel,
whirling around the room. She collided with Serena, but faced the grumpy
lazybones with a disarming smile. "Oh, hi there, Serena, you're up! I had
the most wonderful dream last night... about the Traffic Light Knight! Da da
da..." She danced away, blonde hair and pink bathrobe flying.
Serena looked at her, then at her friends. They nodded knowingly to
her. "Scary stuff," Serena said. Then a look of total panic crossed her
face. "Oh no! We're gonna waste the entire day!" She began a whirlwind path
around the hotel room, tossing clothes everywhere and bumping into walls and
doors. "Ack! It's almost noon, and we haven't even gone out yet. Why'd you
let me sleep so late, Reiii? Ack..."
Rei, Ami, and Lita, as they were so used to doing, just looked at each
other and shrugged.
**
"Where do we even go FIRST," murmured Mina, starry-eyed. Five
Japanese girls were very, very lost in giant Gotham city, and loving every
minute of it. Steep walls and sharp angles rose in every direction into the
smoggy sky, while gleaming white and brown automobiles, left over from a
half-century ago, chugged along the wide streets. Three-card-monte dealers
tempted naove tourists with a wicked smile and a flick of the finger, while
harried executives hurried into office buildings. A glistening skyscraper
bore the huge placard, "Wayne Enterprises." Not far away squatted a gritty
brick building with glass doors.
"Police headquarters," Ami said suddenly, and promptly got four very
confused looks.
"Wha--? Where did that come from?" Serena wondered, following Ami's
gaze to the building. Then she saw the strange cauldron-like spotlight
positioned on the top. "Ohh," she breathed.
"Besides," grinned Ami, "there's a donut shop across the street."
Artemis, tucked in Mina's bag, stifled a snicker.
"Let's remember where that is," said Rei matter-of-factly. "We may
have to return there tonight. Come to think of it, we should be on our guard
today. No telling when things may start to get ugly."
"But Rei, I want to go shopping!" Serena wailed, then fumed, "Oh, I'm
gonna make that Negatrash pay for spoiling my vacation....."
Her expression changed for the third time in five seconds when she saw
a passing box of donuts. She followed the retreating sweets with hungry eyes
until they had disappeared behind the trenchcoat of a short and overweight man
with an air of slobby arrogance. He was walking alongside a tall, lanky
Spanish woman in a police uniform, and turned to her with a mouth full of
donut. "Hey Montoya, you hear the word 'bout those girls last night?"
"Yeah, before we picked up the Riddler again," she answered briskly.
"I dunno, I heard a bunch
of stories, but the Commissioner can't seem to get any confirmation from...
you-know-who."
"Probably parta the wrestlin' show. Either that, or those jerks got
so drunk they couldn't see straight. Yeesh, lady superheroes, Batgirl was bad
enough..." His voice faded as the two turned the corner.
The five girls looked at each other and giggled. "Do you think we
made the news here?" Lita said. "Bet they've never seen anything like the
Sailor Scouts before. Should be a hot story, don't ya think?"
"Let's go see," answered Rei, approaching a nearby newsstand. The
group crowded around a copy of the Gotham Gazette, reading the cover story
about the Riddler's capture. Then they let out a collective "Awwww," of
dismay, for nowhere in the article did it mention Sailor Scouts. The man
behind the counter looked up briefly from his tabloid, squinted through his
glasses, and munched on his cigarette confusedly.
Serena looked up, coughing. "Ugg! Smoke! Hey Mister, if I get lung
cancer I'm gonna-- hey!"
Before any of her friends knew what was happening, Serena had made a flying
leap, reached across the counter, and snatched the magazine from the man's
hands. At first everyone was bewildered as to what had just happened, but the
girls finally snapped out of it and began a barrage of screaming at Serena.
Moments after, the fellow behind the stand kicked his chair out from
under him, reaching across the counter at the eager girl. "Hey! You gotta
pay for that, kid!"
Serena looked at his furious face, then at the embarrassed glares of
her friends. "Hee hee hee," she giggled, humiliated. "I'll give it right
back, I promise!" She broke into another fit of nervous giggles, while the
rest of the group just groaned.
"So what's it say?" Rei asked anxiously, craning her neck to see
above Lita's tall figure. "...Hey, that's disgusting!"
Lita grabbed the paper and threw it across the counter. It collided
with the angry man's face, sticking fast. "Honestly. Sexy wrestler girls
team up with Batman?"
"Forget that," Rei growled. "We're stuck in the corner of page one,
taking second place to a story about alien babies with human mothers?"
"Oh well," lilted Mina, shrugging. "What do you expect from a paper
called the Gotham Inquisitor?"
"ForGET it," rang out a voice from behind them suddenly, and they
whirled. Serena was perched atop a mailbox, looking as if she was about to
leap into battle. "Fear not, my friends," she cried, as they looked on in
surprise. "If this town doesn't know enough to acknowledge the Sailor Scouts,
that's their loss! As for us, we have more important things to do!" She
raised her arm high above her head, pointing to the sky. "When the going
gets tough-" Her pointing finger swerved towards a huge building decked with
"Sale" banners and display windows. "-The tough go SHOPPING!"
**
Gotham Fifth Avenue suddenly burst with the sounds of girlish
laughter. A perfume clerk dove underneath his counter as a blonde girl in
long pigtails made a mad grab for a bottle behind him. "Oooh, yummy," she
said, spraying herself generously and giggling. Serena sat on the glass
counter, basking in her new elegance.
Ami walked by and took a good whiff of that very elegance. It sent
her into a coughing fit. "Whaddaya think?" Serena said luxuriously, tossing
her head and whipping the hapless clerk with the end of one pigtail. "Only
fifty nine ninety nine! Hmmm... how much is that in yen?"
After recovering her breath, Ami took out her tiny blue computer.
After some calculations, she said briefly, "Too much. Considering it's the
same stuff they sell at the drugstore back home for cheap."
Serena looked put out. "Well... could we fight the Negaverse with it?
Stink bombs maybe?"
"Well, *I* like it," said a cheerful voice from behind them, and
Serena hopped off the counter. A blonde college girl stood there, leaning
idly on the glass, her purse swaying vaguely. "My name's Cindy."
Ami could see that two kindred spirits had met. She slinked off as
the two other girls gabbed. "Nice to meet ya, Serena. You know, there's this
guy who I am kinda interested in. He's really hot and he's around here
SOMEwhere..."
Shrugging, the short-haired girl put the small aqua machine back in
her pocket and strolled on. Craning her neck to see above the rows and rows
of fancy clothing, she smiled at the sight of Lita's familiar ponytail, a
beacon in the midst of the men's section. Ami wriggled her way through, and
found Lita and Mina comparing men's shirts. Lita looked around and waved
hello to Ami.
"These suits are way cool," the tall girl grinned enthusiastically.
"Just my size, too. I wish I could wear one of these jackets to school
instead of those awful uniforms."
Ami laughed. "But if you came to school in one of those, people would
think you were a teacher!"
"Wouldn't that be something?" Mina giggled. "I bet you'd give the
whole school a day off..."
Her daydreaming was interrupted by a trumpeting voice. "Honestly!!!
Bruce WAYNE!" The three girls poked their heads through a rack of jackets to
spy on the society folks.
A red-haired lady, dressed elegantly in a smart suit and a huge hat,
was standing by a three-way mirror, looking critically at the man in front of
it. He was tall, solidly built, with a handsome (but vapid) face and a
twinkle of clueless embarrassment in his eye. "So that's the guy who
sponsored our trip here!" Lita whispered.
"I wonder if we should go thank him," Ami wondered.
"Naw. It'll be much cooler to just spy on him and see what he's
like!" answered Mina mischievously.
Bruce put up his hand in a mild gesture of protest. "Now, Veronica,"
he said mildly, "there's no need to make a scene. It's just a suit."
"In that thing, Brucie, you'd make a scene without me!" retorted
Veronica, going up to him. "Tell me, when are you going to learn the way a
jacket is SUPPOSED to hang? It's not as if you have anything better to do
with your time." Annoyed, she fussed over his clothes like she was swatting
away a pesky fly. "You seem to enjoy wining and dining, you might as well
learn how to impress the ladies with your looks as well as your checkbook..."
"Brucie" just stood there and blushed, taking Veronica's lecture as if
it were a dose of bitter medicine, and listening as if he were a naughty
six-year-old caught making mud pies by his mother. Mina laughed softly at the
comical scene. Then, she turned at the sound of a brisk young voice behind
her. "Veronica Vreeland. Something, isn't she? Looks to me like Mr. Wayne
needs to be rescued."
Leaning against the coat rack was a red-haired girl with a sassy smile
and a green backpack. Stray sheets of paper were popping out of the
overstuffed pack, surrounding a gray teddy bear with one eye. The girl
straightened up, sending her hair flying behind her in one red whoosh, and
extended her hand with the grace of a ballerina. "I'm Barbara Gordon. You
must be new here. Everyone who lives in Gotham is used to Veronica and
Bruce."
"Yes, we're on exchange from Japan," said Ami, and the three girls
introduced themselves to the radiantly friendly young woman.
"Oh, really?" Barbara's eyes widened at the mention of Japan. "Wow,
I bet my friends would love to meet you." She propped herself up on a post,
rising gracefully above the rows of racks. "Hey, Cindy!" she called. Ami
giggled knowingly.
As if on cue, two blonde girls emerged from the forest of fashion, and
uttered a synchronized "Hiiii!" that streaked up into the stratosphere.
"You guys already know each other?" Mina said incredulously.
"Aw, c'mon," Lita grinned. "Is it really a surprise?"
"Barbara, this is Serena. She's also part of our exchange," Ami said
pleasantly.
"Nice to meet you," Barbara said, extending her hand to Serena.
"But... if you don't mind me asking, what IS that thing on the back of your
head?"
The other girls looked around and promptly burst into a fit of
giggles. Serena pouted and said, "It's a hat. C'mon. I've seem them in all
the magazines, they're supposed to be totally cool!"
"I dunno," shrugged Mina, "Why anyone would want to wear a cauliflower
on their head is beyond me."
In reply, Serena's melodramatic mode kicked into full gear. "It
represents the beauty of nature!" she crooned, posing like an avant-garde
performance artist.. "Mother Nature provides us with beauty and loove, so if
you wear one of her creations, you will be beautiful tooo!" She finished in
the coluratura of a diva, shrieking, "Ta-daaaa!" and flinging her arms up in
triumph.
Diva Serena's final downbeat came too soon, though, when her hand flew
into a face behind her and provoked an annoyed "Oww!" She hastily drew back
her hand and began to turn around, when the male whine of pain turned into
brash laughter. "Wow! Guess you got some salad to go with the main course,
Meatball Head!"
Serena whirled. It was Dick Grayson again, standing there with the
same arrogant grin and with the same irresistible twinkle in his eye. Her
clumsy hands fumbled to lose the gaudy hairpiece, and at the same time she
caught a sideways glimpse of Cindy, who was staring at Dick, enraptured. So
this was that guy she was talking about! Great minds think alike...
Serena's face alternated between wrath and embarrassment, and finally
decided on the latter. "I ... I was just trying it on 'cause it was so
silly!" she grinned hastily, clapping her hand to the back of her head to mask
the offending vegetable.
Dick shrugged, nonplussed, and began to walk away, but Serena wasn't
about to let him. Snatching the creation from atop her head, she hurled it
with a powerful motion at the retreating figure. He turned before it hit, in
time to see the discus wheeling towards him at lightspeed, and the girl behind
it following through with her toss, her arm and hand outstretched.
Instinctively, his hand whipped out and snatched the makeshift weapon securely
between two fingers. Dick's eyes locked with Serena's, and something
flickered between them, something between suspicion and recognition. The
hapless hat, meanwhile, slipped through Dick's fingers and fell to the floor.
Cindy didn't like this wordless connection that seemed to be
developing, so she was the first to break the silence. "You two know each
other?" she asked in an incredulous tone.
"We met at the airport," Dick explained. "And I see you and your
friends have met up with Babs and Cindy..." He looked around. "Hey, where's
that friend of yours, the one you said I shouldn't trust? Her name was, uh...
Rei?"
"Over here, Dick," called a throaty female voice, and sequins flashed
as a figure moved into Dick's line of sight. Rei sauntered out of the
dressing room and towards the flabbergasted bunch, decked out in a
form-fitting gown that seemed in danger of slipping off any minute. Her
dazzling smile glittered above the red sequins, and she reached up to toss her
black-violet hair flirtatiously behind her shoulders. "What do you think?"
she said, fixing her eyes on him.
Dick hesitated and cleared his throat, while two blondes growled like
angry bulldogs. "Uh, Rei, hi," he stammered uncomfortably. "You look...
nice." Rei threw a smug grin to Serena and Cindy, who stood there turning red
and green.
Mina, the only one who wasn't flustered or doubling over laughing,
came to Rei's side and put her arm around her friend's bare shoulders. "Hon,
it was a great idea," she counseled quietly, "but I'm not sure you have the...
er... willpower to hold that dress up." Rei looked down at herself, and
adjusted the dress embarrassedly. "And it's bunching a bit down here..."
Mina kneeled down to tend to the dress, and Dick took the opportunity to
squeeze his way out of the corner. He turned and shrugged to the others, who
were having quite a laugh at Rei's expense.
"Pretty direct, isn't she," grinned Dick. "I don't think I'll ever
understand the fairer sex..."
"Who are ya calling fairer?" Lita retorted jokingly.
"Could have been worse," Barbara shrugged, smiling. "He could have
called us the weaker sex, but I know you wouldn't do that Dick, RIGHT?" He
shrugged innocently. "Anyhow, what are you going to do, we'll never
understand each other... For the record, though, I think Rei wanted to stand
out, and not just be one of the girls from Japan."
"Barb, you're the best," said Dick. "What would I do without you
explaining these things to me? You're a real Oracle, ya know that?"
Barbara waved away the praise. "No, it's just common sense. You know
what they say, Men are from Mars and women are from Venus..."
Mina looked up, startled, and Rei began to protest angrily, but
checked herself and just stood there with flaming red cheeks. Lita smiled
knowingly and said, "I don't know about that..."
**
The girls returned to their hotel later that afternoon for a
much-needed nap. Serena was pooped from shopping, and the other four knew
they needed to build up their strength. After all, tonight would be a Sailor
night, if anything Batman said was true...
After dinner, the girls held a conference with Luna and Artemis in a
crowded arcade. Ami briefed the others on each villain that Batman had named:
Harley Quinn, the bubbleheaded wacko who had a thing for the Joker; Two-Face,
the ex-D.A. with a fixation for twos, doubles, and absolute randomness; Poison
Ivy, a deadly temptress who loved plants more than people; and the Penguin, a
sneaky criminal underlord and the only sane one among the group, but still a
figure to be reckoned with.
"What about the Joker?" asked Rei. "If Harley Quinn is on the loose,
could the Joker be too?"
"Possibly," said Luna. "And even I've heard stories about him, so you
girls had better be careful."
"Right, Luna," continued Ami. "The Joker is by far the most
dangerous criminal in Gotham. While the other psychoses at least have
patterns, the Joker is completely erratic and unpredictable."
"If anybody runs up against him tonight," Luna warned, "you are to
call the rest of us before getting involved. Nobody is to handle the Joker
alone."
"Speaking of getting involved," said Artemis, licking his paws
leisurely, "What is the plan for tonight? I thought we should split the girls
up and have them each investigate different parts of town, and notify each
other if there's any trouble."
"Right," the other cat nodded. "Artemis and I will do our own
investigations, and report back to you tomorrow morning." She glanced at
Artemis, who had now begun rubbing his own back, ruffling the white fur. "Do
you HAVE to take baths in public?" she blurted out.
"Well, I'm ready to go," said Rei impatiently, standing up and nearly
knocking over a nearby pinball machine. "How bout the rest of you?"
"Right!" called four voices in unison, and the girls dispersed into
the crowd. Luna made a scoffing noise and leaped up onto the windowsill, with
Artemis grumbling behind.
**
Ami made her way uptown, towards the Gotham Museum of Fine Arts.
After all, thieves were more likely to go after expensive targets in the
upscale portions of town, right? Oh well, it was a good enough answer for the
rest of the group. As for Ami, she just knew she had endured Serena's
shopping sprees all day, without ever getting time to visit what SHE wanted to
see. Finally, she was alone and free to soak up some American culture.
If only Serena wasn't such an airhead! Ami thought angrily, stamping
her foot. She had just reached the museum, and it looked very closed. The
building, designed like a Greek temple gone bad, had shrouded itself in
shadows as black as the windows. Now she would never get to go inside!
Frustrated, she jogged at full speed up the steps, and sat on the cold stone
patio outside the entrance. Her blue skirt folded around her knees with a
rustle, and the windy night got chillier. Ami looked around. Sparkling stars
lit up her eyes from the glitter-lined trees across the way. "It must be the
plaza in front of the opera house," Ami said to herself. "And down the street
there, that park with the dim lights... must be the zoological gardens." Ami
smiled... perhaps the promise of adorable bunnies would entice Serena to let
them visit the zoo tomorrow. Then Ami might have a chance to see their
collection of rare and exotic birds.
A low and guttural sound rolled weakly from behind a pillar. Ami
turned in surprise toward the black shadow. The sound repeated, and this time
it was clearly a groan. Worried, Ami got up cautiously and approached the
column. "Who's there?" she asked timidly.
Slowly and painfully, a seated figure moved itself into the light. It
was a security guard, probably a night watchman for the museum. A dart jutted
out from his coat, undoubtedly piercing his skin. Ami bent down and held the
man's shoulder still while she removed the dart. He grabbed her shoulder in a
feeble motion. "Drug on the tip... knocked me out," he groaned. "Just woke
up... so weak." Ami began to promise she'd call the police, when the poor
guard uttered one final phrase before leaning back against the stone column,
exhausted. "It was... the Penguin."
The guard was still watching this petite nymphlike thing, who seemed
to be tinted in shades of blue. (No police. This is Sailor business.)
Surprised, he saw her expression change abruptly and her eyes make a
determined dart towards the front doors. Wasn't she going to call the cops?
(I better transform. This guy is too out of it to remember what I looked
like, and who knows what new power the Negaverse has given to the Penguin.)
The girl looked straight at him and said in a strangely firm voice, "Don't
worry. I'll take care of it." Then, as if by magic there was a blue rod in
her hand, and the guard's eyes widened as she thrust it into the air and
yelled, "MERCURY POWER!"
Waves of blue color enveloped the girl, melting her clothes and
obscuring her form into blue sashes and stars. The guard was dazzled. The
air seemed to turn to water, and ripples distorted the morphing figure. With
an explosion of tiny bubbles, the girl's shape came back into focus. Only now
it was not that timid little thing, but a young woman in a sailor suit, skirt
and boots, the jewel in the center of her gold tiara just as blue and flashing
as her eyes. She drew her arms to her sides in a sharp pose.
As the poor befuddled guard looked on, not sure if he was underwater
still, the sailor-suited warrior touched the side of her tiara. A blue visor
materialized over her eyes, and she scanned the building with piercing eyes.
"I thought so," she said in a satisfied tone. "The alarms have been turned
off. Don't worry, sir. Sailor Mercury is here!" Bursting the doors open
with a powerful kick, she rushed into the museum. The guard gave up trying to
understand, and fell unconscious again.
Sailor Mercury heard her footsteps echo in the huge marble lobby.
There were no lights, but her visor bathed everything in a dim blue glow.
"Scan for life," she said softly, and a white blip flashed against the right
corner of her visor, pointing to a nearby hallway. Mercury hurried into the
corridor.
Once there, she traded the loud clip clops of her boots for stealthy
tiptoes. The Penguin could be anywhere, and she'd rather see what he was up
to, then take him by surprise. She followed the muted blinkings of her
computer, and stopped short outside a huge, airy gallery. Inside, a drill
whizzed and an intellectual voice barked orders. Sailor Mercury touched her
tiara again, and her visor retracted itself into nothing. She slipped into
the room, staying to the shadows, and discovered happily that there was a
balcony a floor above, lining the four walls and looking down on the gallery.
With a single fluid motion, she leapt up.
The second floor foyer, in daylight, provided a sensational view of
the gallery's main attraction: the prow of the Viking Eagle. Viking ships
were not known for their adornments-in fact most were bare masses of dark
wood-but this craft had become legendary for its jeweled prow and intricate
etchings of birds in flight. In fact, most historians weren't sure if the
so-called Viking Eagle was real or mythical. So its recent discovery sparked
interest everywhere and led to a whirlwind world tour, sponsored by the Wayne
Foundation.
"Ah, my magnificent seabird," mused a voice with a quirky mechanical
ring. The sparks from his drill lit up the Penguin's face, the light
reflecting viciously off of his monocle. "With you in my talons, I will have
conquered the elements. As a bird I am master of the air; as a thief I own
the earth. As for fire..." He gave a low chuckle. "Well, let's just say
this bird has never been hotter. And now, my lovely eagle, we'll have
triumphed over the aquatic realms as well."
One of the heavyset buffoons on the job, after waiting to make sure
the Penguin had finished his soliloquy, asked hesitantly, "Uh-boss, what are
ya gonna do with it? I mean... yer gonna sell it, right?"
"Fool!" One rap of the Penguin's umbrella on the marble floor
silenced the clueless stooge. "You may be interested in mere monetary gains,
but not I. My ambitions fly much higher than your feeble brain may
comprehend. Indeed it is not the promise of mere wealth and luxury. As
Hamlet once said, 'I could be bounded in a nut shell and count myself a king
of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.' And so would I, for
if I live in a penthouse or in a penitentiary I shall still be the criminal
emperor of Gotham City!"
"It will never happen, Penguin!" a valiant young voice declared in
the darkness.
Cut short in mid-rant, the melodramatic miscreant looked up in alarm.
"...Batman?" he said, peeved. "Who taught you to sing soprano?"
His gang laughed raucously-it had been a girl's voice!-- but they were
blinded into silence when all the gallery's lights lit up, filling the place
with a dramatic glow. All eyes turned toward the second floor balcony, where
a small figure stood poised on the railing.
"You have abused the great works of Shakespeare by quoting them with
evil intent!" cried Sailor Mercury forcefully. "I will not stand for this!
I am Sailor Mercury, protector of all great works of art. In the name of the
planet Mercury, I will not allow you to get away with this!"
"Won't you?" said the Penguin patronizingly. "You love pretty words
as much as I do, my dear, but I doubt you're even out of kindergarten. In
fact, I don't think you even know what it is you're trying to protect."
"It's the Viking Eagle," answered Mercury calmly as she made a giant
leap down to the main floor. "And you'd be surprised how much I know." She
assumed an angry battle stance.
"Really?" The Penguin was mildly surprised, but nonplussed. "Do you
know..." His pointed beak nodded at the waiting heavies. "...how to break out
of a headlock!?"
They rushed at her, three lumbering hulks intent on grabbing the small
girl. But Sailor Mercury moved as fast as her planet's namesake. Between
dodging punches and slipping out of awkward grabs, she called out to the
Penguin, "I know who broke you out of prison. And I also know that they gave
you new powers." With a series of swift kicks, she knocked her assailants to
the floor. "And here's something you don't know," she went on as the mooks
lay stunned on the floor and the Penguin chomped on his slender pipe in
frustration. "As a Sailor Scout it is my destiny to fight the Negaverse.
Which means you're going down." She scowled determinedly.
The Penguin had begun to realize he'd underestimated the girl, and he
took a nervous step back. Sailor Mercury advanced towards him, but suddenly
the crook brandished his umbrella and opened it wide. Behind his shield of
canvas, the Penguin snickered. "Perhaps, my dear... Sailor Mercury, or
whoever you are... you are smarter than you appear. But I still know one
thing that you don't." He walked a tight circle around her, and she pivoted
slowly to face him at every moment. "You know I have a new power, but you
don't know what it is. Maybe I can fly or turn invisible or bend steel bars
with my bare hands. Or maybe I can just catch a mean fish." He wrinkled his
nose and the monocle glinted dangerously behind the open umbrella. "But just
to be fair, I'll give you till the count of three. If you can stop me in
time, Miss Mercury, then good for you. But you won't."
"Ready?" She nodded. "One..."
Without a moment's hesitation, Sailor Mercury leapt into the air,
folding her arms over her chest. Buoyant on a sudden stream of rushing air,
she spun round as if she were underwater. And just like in water, bubbles
foamed in her wake and hovered around her in thick clusters. She flung her
arms outward. "Mercury Bubbles.... Blast!"
The cascade of bubbles streamed forth just as the Penguin had cried
"Three!" In an instant, he gripped his umbrella tighter as its tip let out a
gigantic ball of fire! He cackled in triumph, but it was short-lived, as
Mercury's bubbles enveloped the fireball and quenched its flame with a loud
hissing sound. The bright light burned out and disappeared, and suddenly it
became very quiet. A heavy fog settled over the room.
The Penguin gave an incredulous cry of outrage. "What! ! How did you
know to do that?" With another grumble, he attempted to look around the room.
"Where did you go? What's going on here?" His eloquent speeches had been
reduced to awkward stammers of disbelief. Groping around the gallery and
trying vainly to clear away the thick mist, he coughed and called out angrily.
The only response came from his henchmen, who were complaining of the intense
cold. "Shut up you buffoons," growled the Penguin. Then, abruptly, he felt a
rope tighten around him.
Holding her lasso of energy tight around the felon, Sailor Mercury
approached from behind the Penguin. "You claimed to have conquer the
elements. The only one you hadn't explained in your speech was the power of
fire. Too bad Mercury controls the power of water, and I was able to short
you out. Now come on, you have an appointment with the Gotham City Police
until my friend Sailor Moon can cleanse the Nega-energy right out of you."
*********
Serena looked deep into Tuxedo Mask's eyes. "Ohhhh..." she moaned
happily. "Is it really you, Darien? Have you come back to me?"
"I love you and only you, Sailor Moon," the hunky hero declared.
Slowly, he reached up to his elegant white mask, while Serena stared on with
starry eyes. The mask floated away in the wind, and Serena faced a stunning
Dick Grayson!
She smiled and leaned toward him, but a voice from behind her called,
"Wait!"
She looked around. "I love you more, Sailor Moon," said Robin,
walking towards her. "Wait till you see who I really am!" His voice sounded
like Andrew's... and he began to take off the mask...
"Se-re-NAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Eyes bulging and head pounding, Serena shot up like an arrow from her
comfortable position on the bed. Once she saw that it was Rei, she snapped
back into bed like a rubber band, pulling the covers over her head. "Go
away."
"It's eleven o'clock, meatball head! You told me you would get up by
nine!"
Serena snuggled in closer to her pillow sleepily. "Now when did I
tell you a thing like that?" she yawned.
Rei, standing impatiently over Serena's bed, retorted, "The first
three times I woke you up, genius!"
"And you BELIEVED me?" Serena said incredulously. "Okay, okay, I'm
up, I'm up." She lazily slipped out of bed, and gave a tremendous yawn,
stretching out her arms (and nearly knocking Rei over.) After blinking her
eyes several times, she finally was able to make out the figures of Ami and
Lita, sitting on a bed, all dressed and ready to go. "Ohh. Hi guys."
"Hi, Serena," said Lita, grinning. "We have some good news for you.
We've finally found someone more annoying than you are in the morning!"
"Oh yeah?" yawned Serena, rubbing her eyes. "Who?"
As if on cue, Mina came out of the bathroom, waltzing with a towel,
whirling around the room. She collided with Serena, but faced the grumpy
lazybones with a disarming smile. "Oh, hi there, Serena, you're up! I had
the most wonderful dream last night... about the Traffic Light Knight! Da da
da..." She danced away, blonde hair and pink bathrobe flying.
Serena looked at her, then at her friends. They nodded knowingly to
her. "Scary stuff," Serena said. Then a look of total panic crossed her
face. "Oh no! We're gonna waste the entire day!" She began a whirlwind path
around the hotel room, tossing clothes everywhere and bumping into walls and
doors. "Ack! It's almost noon, and we haven't even gone out yet. Why'd you
let me sleep so late, Reiii? Ack..."
Rei, Ami, and Lita, as they were so used to doing, just looked at each
other and shrugged.
**
"Where do we even go FIRST," murmured Mina, starry-eyed. Five
Japanese girls were very, very lost in giant Gotham city, and loving every
minute of it. Steep walls and sharp angles rose in every direction into the
smoggy sky, while gleaming white and brown automobiles, left over from a
half-century ago, chugged along the wide streets. Three-card-monte dealers
tempted naove tourists with a wicked smile and a flick of the finger, while
harried executives hurried into office buildings. A glistening skyscraper
bore the huge placard, "Wayne Enterprises." Not far away squatted a gritty
brick building with glass doors.
"Police headquarters," Ami said suddenly, and promptly got four very
confused looks.
"Wha--? Where did that come from?" Serena wondered, following Ami's
gaze to the building. Then she saw the strange cauldron-like spotlight
positioned on the top. "Ohh," she breathed.
"Besides," grinned Ami, "there's a donut shop across the street."
Artemis, tucked in Mina's bag, stifled a snicker.
"Let's remember where that is," said Rei matter-of-factly. "We may
have to return there tonight. Come to think of it, we should be on our guard
today. No telling when things may start to get ugly."
"But Rei, I want to go shopping!" Serena wailed, then fumed, "Oh, I'm
gonna make that Negatrash pay for spoiling my vacation....."
Her expression changed for the third time in five seconds when she saw
a passing box of donuts. She followed the retreating sweets with hungry eyes
until they had disappeared behind the trenchcoat of a short and overweight man
with an air of slobby arrogance. He was walking alongside a tall, lanky
Spanish woman in a police uniform, and turned to her with a mouth full of
donut. "Hey Montoya, you hear the word 'bout those girls last night?"
"Yeah, before we picked up the Riddler again," she answered briskly.
"I dunno, I heard a bunch
of stories, but the Commissioner can't seem to get any confirmation from...
you-know-who."
"Probably parta the wrestlin' show. Either that, or those jerks got
so drunk they couldn't see straight. Yeesh, lady superheroes, Batgirl was bad
enough..." His voice faded as the two turned the corner.
The five girls looked at each other and giggled. "Do you think we
made the news here?" Lita said. "Bet they've never seen anything like the
Sailor Scouts before. Should be a hot story, don't ya think?"
"Let's go see," answered Rei, approaching a nearby newsstand. The
group crowded around a copy of the Gotham Gazette, reading the cover story
about the Riddler's capture. Then they let out a collective "Awwww," of
dismay, for nowhere in the article did it mention Sailor Scouts. The man
behind the counter looked up briefly from his tabloid, squinted through his
glasses, and munched on his cigarette confusedly.
Serena looked up, coughing. "Ugg! Smoke! Hey Mister, if I get lung
cancer I'm gonna-- hey!"
Before any of her friends knew what was happening, Serena had made a flying
leap, reached across the counter, and snatched the magazine from the man's
hands. At first everyone was bewildered as to what had just happened, but the
girls finally snapped out of it and began a barrage of screaming at Serena.
Moments after, the fellow behind the stand kicked his chair out from
under him, reaching across the counter at the eager girl. "Hey! You gotta
pay for that, kid!"
Serena looked at his furious face, then at the embarrassed glares of
her friends. "Hee hee hee," she giggled, humiliated. "I'll give it right
back, I promise!" She broke into another fit of nervous giggles, while the
rest of the group just groaned.
"So what's it say?" Rei asked anxiously, craning her neck to see
above Lita's tall figure. "...Hey, that's disgusting!"
Lita grabbed the paper and threw it across the counter. It collided
with the angry man's face, sticking fast. "Honestly. Sexy wrestler girls
team up with Batman?"
"Forget that," Rei growled. "We're stuck in the corner of page one,
taking second place to a story about alien babies with human mothers?"
"Oh well," lilted Mina, shrugging. "What do you expect from a paper
called the Gotham Inquisitor?"
"ForGET it," rang out a voice from behind them suddenly, and they
whirled. Serena was perched atop a mailbox, looking as if she was about to
leap into battle. "Fear not, my friends," she cried, as they looked on in
surprise. "If this town doesn't know enough to acknowledge the Sailor Scouts,
that's their loss! As for us, we have more important things to do!" She
raised her arm high above her head, pointing to the sky. "When the going
gets tough-" Her pointing finger swerved towards a huge building decked with
"Sale" banners and display windows. "-The tough go SHOPPING!"
**
Gotham Fifth Avenue suddenly burst with the sounds of girlish
laughter. A perfume clerk dove underneath his counter as a blonde girl in
long pigtails made a mad grab for a bottle behind him. "Oooh, yummy," she
said, spraying herself generously and giggling. Serena sat on the glass
counter, basking in her new elegance.
Ami walked by and took a good whiff of that very elegance. It sent
her into a coughing fit. "Whaddaya think?" Serena said luxuriously, tossing
her head and whipping the hapless clerk with the end of one pigtail. "Only
fifty nine ninety nine! Hmmm... how much is that in yen?"
After recovering her breath, Ami took out her tiny blue computer.
After some calculations, she said briefly, "Too much. Considering it's the
same stuff they sell at the drugstore back home for cheap."
Serena looked put out. "Well... could we fight the Negaverse with it?
Stink bombs maybe?"
"Well, *I* like it," said a cheerful voice from behind them, and
Serena hopped off the counter. A blonde college girl stood there, leaning
idly on the glass, her purse swaying vaguely. "My name's Cindy."
Ami could see that two kindred spirits had met. She slinked off as
the two other girls gabbed. "Nice to meet ya, Serena. You know, there's this
guy who I am kinda interested in. He's really hot and he's around here
SOMEwhere..."
Shrugging, the short-haired girl put the small aqua machine back in
her pocket and strolled on. Craning her neck to see above the rows and rows
of fancy clothing, she smiled at the sight of Lita's familiar ponytail, a
beacon in the midst of the men's section. Ami wriggled her way through, and
found Lita and Mina comparing men's shirts. Lita looked around and waved
hello to Ami.
"These suits are way cool," the tall girl grinned enthusiastically.
"Just my size, too. I wish I could wear one of these jackets to school
instead of those awful uniforms."
Ami laughed. "But if you came to school in one of those, people would
think you were a teacher!"
"Wouldn't that be something?" Mina giggled. "I bet you'd give the
whole school a day off..."
Her daydreaming was interrupted by a trumpeting voice. "Honestly!!!
Bruce WAYNE!" The three girls poked their heads through a rack of jackets to
spy on the society folks.
A red-haired lady, dressed elegantly in a smart suit and a huge hat,
was standing by a three-way mirror, looking critically at the man in front of
it. He was tall, solidly built, with a handsome (but vapid) face and a
twinkle of clueless embarrassment in his eye. "So that's the guy who
sponsored our trip here!" Lita whispered.
"I wonder if we should go thank him," Ami wondered.
"Naw. It'll be much cooler to just spy on him and see what he's
like!" answered Mina mischievously.
Bruce put up his hand in a mild gesture of protest. "Now, Veronica,"
he said mildly, "there's no need to make a scene. It's just a suit."
"In that thing, Brucie, you'd make a scene without me!" retorted
Veronica, going up to him. "Tell me, when are you going to learn the way a
jacket is SUPPOSED to hang? It's not as if you have anything better to do
with your time." Annoyed, she fussed over his clothes like she was swatting
away a pesky fly. "You seem to enjoy wining and dining, you might as well
learn how to impress the ladies with your looks as well as your checkbook..."
"Brucie" just stood there and blushed, taking Veronica's lecture as if
it were a dose of bitter medicine, and listening as if he were a naughty
six-year-old caught making mud pies by his mother. Mina laughed softly at the
comical scene. Then, she turned at the sound of a brisk young voice behind
her. "Veronica Vreeland. Something, isn't she? Looks to me like Mr. Wayne
needs to be rescued."
Leaning against the coat rack was a red-haired girl with a sassy smile
and a green backpack. Stray sheets of paper were popping out of the
overstuffed pack, surrounding a gray teddy bear with one eye. The girl
straightened up, sending her hair flying behind her in one red whoosh, and
extended her hand with the grace of a ballerina. "I'm Barbara Gordon. You
must be new here. Everyone who lives in Gotham is used to Veronica and
Bruce."
"Yes, we're on exchange from Japan," said Ami, and the three girls
introduced themselves to the radiantly friendly young woman.
"Oh, really?" Barbara's eyes widened at the mention of Japan. "Wow,
I bet my friends would love to meet you." She propped herself up on a post,
rising gracefully above the rows of racks. "Hey, Cindy!" she called. Ami
giggled knowingly.
As if on cue, two blonde girls emerged from the forest of fashion, and
uttered a synchronized "Hiiii!" that streaked up into the stratosphere.
"You guys already know each other?" Mina said incredulously.
"Aw, c'mon," Lita grinned. "Is it really a surprise?"
"Barbara, this is Serena. She's also part of our exchange," Ami said
pleasantly.
"Nice to meet you," Barbara said, extending her hand to Serena.
"But... if you don't mind me asking, what IS that thing on the back of your
head?"
The other girls looked around and promptly burst into a fit of
giggles. Serena pouted and said, "It's a hat. C'mon. I've seem them in all
the magazines, they're supposed to be totally cool!"
"I dunno," shrugged Mina, "Why anyone would want to wear a cauliflower
on their head is beyond me."
In reply, Serena's melodramatic mode kicked into full gear. "It
represents the beauty of nature!" she crooned, posing like an avant-garde
performance artist.. "Mother Nature provides us with beauty and loove, so if
you wear one of her creations, you will be beautiful tooo!" She finished in
the coluratura of a diva, shrieking, "Ta-daaaa!" and flinging her arms up in
triumph.
Diva Serena's final downbeat came too soon, though, when her hand flew
into a face behind her and provoked an annoyed "Oww!" She hastily drew back
her hand and began to turn around, when the male whine of pain turned into
brash laughter. "Wow! Guess you got some salad to go with the main course,
Meatball Head!"
Serena whirled. It was Dick Grayson again, standing there with the
same arrogant grin and with the same irresistible twinkle in his eye. Her
clumsy hands fumbled to lose the gaudy hairpiece, and at the same time she
caught a sideways glimpse of Cindy, who was staring at Dick, enraptured. So
this was that guy she was talking about! Great minds think alike...
Serena's face alternated between wrath and embarrassment, and finally
decided on the latter. "I ... I was just trying it on 'cause it was so
silly!" she grinned hastily, clapping her hand to the back of her head to mask
the offending vegetable.
Dick shrugged, nonplussed, and began to walk away, but Serena wasn't
about to let him. Snatching the creation from atop her head, she hurled it
with a powerful motion at the retreating figure. He turned before it hit, in
time to see the discus wheeling towards him at lightspeed, and the girl behind
it following through with her toss, her arm and hand outstretched.
Instinctively, his hand whipped out and snatched the makeshift weapon securely
between two fingers. Dick's eyes locked with Serena's, and something
flickered between them, something between suspicion and recognition. The
hapless hat, meanwhile, slipped through Dick's fingers and fell to the floor.
Cindy didn't like this wordless connection that seemed to be
developing, so she was the first to break the silence. "You two know each
other?" she asked in an incredulous tone.
"We met at the airport," Dick explained. "And I see you and your
friends have met up with Babs and Cindy..." He looked around. "Hey, where's
that friend of yours, the one you said I shouldn't trust? Her name was, uh...
Rei?"
"Over here, Dick," called a throaty female voice, and sequins flashed
as a figure moved into Dick's line of sight. Rei sauntered out of the
dressing room and towards the flabbergasted bunch, decked out in a
form-fitting gown that seemed in danger of slipping off any minute. Her
dazzling smile glittered above the red sequins, and she reached up to toss her
black-violet hair flirtatiously behind her shoulders. "What do you think?"
she said, fixing her eyes on him.
Dick hesitated and cleared his throat, while two blondes growled like
angry bulldogs. "Uh, Rei, hi," he stammered uncomfortably. "You look...
nice." Rei threw a smug grin to Serena and Cindy, who stood there turning red
and green.
Mina, the only one who wasn't flustered or doubling over laughing,
came to Rei's side and put her arm around her friend's bare shoulders. "Hon,
it was a great idea," she counseled quietly, "but I'm not sure you have the...
er... willpower to hold that dress up." Rei looked down at herself, and
adjusted the dress embarrassedly. "And it's bunching a bit down here..."
Mina kneeled down to tend to the dress, and Dick took the opportunity to
squeeze his way out of the corner. He turned and shrugged to the others, who
were having quite a laugh at Rei's expense.
"Pretty direct, isn't she," grinned Dick. "I don't think I'll ever
understand the fairer sex..."
"Who are ya calling fairer?" Lita retorted jokingly.
"Could have been worse," Barbara shrugged, smiling. "He could have
called us the weaker sex, but I know you wouldn't do that Dick, RIGHT?" He
shrugged innocently. "Anyhow, what are you going to do, we'll never
understand each other... For the record, though, I think Rei wanted to stand
out, and not just be one of the girls from Japan."
"Barb, you're the best," said Dick. "What would I do without you
explaining these things to me? You're a real Oracle, ya know that?"
Barbara waved away the praise. "No, it's just common sense. You know
what they say, Men are from Mars and women are from Venus..."
Mina looked up, startled, and Rei began to protest angrily, but
checked herself and just stood there with flaming red cheeks. Lita smiled
knowingly and said, "I don't know about that..."
**
The girls returned to their hotel later that afternoon for a
much-needed nap. Serena was pooped from shopping, and the other four knew
they needed to build up their strength. After all, tonight would be a Sailor
night, if anything Batman said was true...
After dinner, the girls held a conference with Luna and Artemis in a
crowded arcade. Ami briefed the others on each villain that Batman had named:
Harley Quinn, the bubbleheaded wacko who had a thing for the Joker; Two-Face,
the ex-D.A. with a fixation for twos, doubles, and absolute randomness; Poison
Ivy, a deadly temptress who loved plants more than people; and the Penguin, a
sneaky criminal underlord and the only sane one among the group, but still a
figure to be reckoned with.
"What about the Joker?" asked Rei. "If Harley Quinn is on the loose,
could the Joker be too?"
"Possibly," said Luna. "And even I've heard stories about him, so you
girls had better be careful."
"Right, Luna," continued Ami. "The Joker is by far the most
dangerous criminal in Gotham. While the other psychoses at least have
patterns, the Joker is completely erratic and unpredictable."
"If anybody runs up against him tonight," Luna warned, "you are to
call the rest of us before getting involved. Nobody is to handle the Joker
alone."
"Speaking of getting involved," said Artemis, licking his paws
leisurely, "What is the plan for tonight? I thought we should split the girls
up and have them each investigate different parts of town, and notify each
other if there's any trouble."
"Right," the other cat nodded. "Artemis and I will do our own
investigations, and report back to you tomorrow morning." She glanced at
Artemis, who had now begun rubbing his own back, ruffling the white fur. "Do
you HAVE to take baths in public?" she blurted out.
"Well, I'm ready to go," said Rei impatiently, standing up and nearly
knocking over a nearby pinball machine. "How bout the rest of you?"
"Right!" called four voices in unison, and the girls dispersed into
the crowd. Luna made a scoffing noise and leaped up onto the windowsill, with
Artemis grumbling behind.
**
Ami made her way uptown, towards the Gotham Museum of Fine Arts.
After all, thieves were more likely to go after expensive targets in the
upscale portions of town, right? Oh well, it was a good enough answer for the
rest of the group. As for Ami, she just knew she had endured Serena's
shopping sprees all day, without ever getting time to visit what SHE wanted to
see. Finally, she was alone and free to soak up some American culture.
If only Serena wasn't such an airhead! Ami thought angrily, stamping
her foot. She had just reached the museum, and it looked very closed. The
building, designed like a Greek temple gone bad, had shrouded itself in
shadows as black as the windows. Now she would never get to go inside!
Frustrated, she jogged at full speed up the steps, and sat on the cold stone
patio outside the entrance. Her blue skirt folded around her knees with a
rustle, and the windy night got chillier. Ami looked around. Sparkling stars
lit up her eyes from the glitter-lined trees across the way. "It must be the
plaza in front of the opera house," Ami said to herself. "And down the street
there, that park with the dim lights... must be the zoological gardens." Ami
smiled... perhaps the promise of adorable bunnies would entice Serena to let
them visit the zoo tomorrow. Then Ami might have a chance to see their
collection of rare and exotic birds.
A low and guttural sound rolled weakly from behind a pillar. Ami
turned in surprise toward the black shadow. The sound repeated, and this time
it was clearly a groan. Worried, Ami got up cautiously and approached the
column. "Who's there?" she asked timidly.
Slowly and painfully, a seated figure moved itself into the light. It
was a security guard, probably a night watchman for the museum. A dart jutted
out from his coat, undoubtedly piercing his skin. Ami bent down and held the
man's shoulder still while she removed the dart. He grabbed her shoulder in a
feeble motion. "Drug on the tip... knocked me out," he groaned. "Just woke
up... so weak." Ami began to promise she'd call the police, when the poor
guard uttered one final phrase before leaning back against the stone column,
exhausted. "It was... the Penguin."
The guard was still watching this petite nymphlike thing, who seemed
to be tinted in shades of blue. (No police. This is Sailor business.)
Surprised, he saw her expression change abruptly and her eyes make a
determined dart towards the front doors. Wasn't she going to call the cops?
(I better transform. This guy is too out of it to remember what I looked
like, and who knows what new power the Negaverse has given to the Penguin.)
The girl looked straight at him and said in a strangely firm voice, "Don't
worry. I'll take care of it." Then, as if by magic there was a blue rod in
her hand, and the guard's eyes widened as she thrust it into the air and
yelled, "MERCURY POWER!"
Waves of blue color enveloped the girl, melting her clothes and
obscuring her form into blue sashes and stars. The guard was dazzled. The
air seemed to turn to water, and ripples distorted the morphing figure. With
an explosion of tiny bubbles, the girl's shape came back into focus. Only now
it was not that timid little thing, but a young woman in a sailor suit, skirt
and boots, the jewel in the center of her gold tiara just as blue and flashing
as her eyes. She drew her arms to her sides in a sharp pose.
As the poor befuddled guard looked on, not sure if he was underwater
still, the sailor-suited warrior touched the side of her tiara. A blue visor
materialized over her eyes, and she scanned the building with piercing eyes.
"I thought so," she said in a satisfied tone. "The alarms have been turned
off. Don't worry, sir. Sailor Mercury is here!" Bursting the doors open
with a powerful kick, she rushed into the museum. The guard gave up trying to
understand, and fell unconscious again.
Sailor Mercury heard her footsteps echo in the huge marble lobby.
There were no lights, but her visor bathed everything in a dim blue glow.
"Scan for life," she said softly, and a white blip flashed against the right
corner of her visor, pointing to a nearby hallway. Mercury hurried into the
corridor.
Once there, she traded the loud clip clops of her boots for stealthy
tiptoes. The Penguin could be anywhere, and she'd rather see what he was up
to, then take him by surprise. She followed the muted blinkings of her
computer, and stopped short outside a huge, airy gallery. Inside, a drill
whizzed and an intellectual voice barked orders. Sailor Mercury touched her
tiara again, and her visor retracted itself into nothing. She slipped into
the room, staying to the shadows, and discovered happily that there was a
balcony a floor above, lining the four walls and looking down on the gallery.
With a single fluid motion, she leapt up.
The second floor foyer, in daylight, provided a sensational view of
the gallery's main attraction: the prow of the Viking Eagle. Viking ships
were not known for their adornments-in fact most were bare masses of dark
wood-but this craft had become legendary for its jeweled prow and intricate
etchings of birds in flight. In fact, most historians weren't sure if the
so-called Viking Eagle was real or mythical. So its recent discovery sparked
interest everywhere and led to a whirlwind world tour, sponsored by the Wayne
Foundation.
"Ah, my magnificent seabird," mused a voice with a quirky mechanical
ring. The sparks from his drill lit up the Penguin's face, the light
reflecting viciously off of his monocle. "With you in my talons, I will have
conquered the elements. As a bird I am master of the air; as a thief I own
the earth. As for fire..." He gave a low chuckle. "Well, let's just say
this bird has never been hotter. And now, my lovely eagle, we'll have
triumphed over the aquatic realms as well."
One of the heavyset buffoons on the job, after waiting to make sure
the Penguin had finished his soliloquy, asked hesitantly, "Uh-boss, what are
ya gonna do with it? I mean... yer gonna sell it, right?"
"Fool!" One rap of the Penguin's umbrella on the marble floor
silenced the clueless stooge. "You may be interested in mere monetary gains,
but not I. My ambitions fly much higher than your feeble brain may
comprehend. Indeed it is not the promise of mere wealth and luxury. As
Hamlet once said, 'I could be bounded in a nut shell and count myself a king
of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.' And so would I, for
if I live in a penthouse or in a penitentiary I shall still be the criminal
emperor of Gotham City!"
"It will never happen, Penguin!" a valiant young voice declared in
the darkness.
Cut short in mid-rant, the melodramatic miscreant looked up in alarm.
"...Batman?" he said, peeved. "Who taught you to sing soprano?"
His gang laughed raucously-it had been a girl's voice!-- but they were
blinded into silence when all the gallery's lights lit up, filling the place
with a dramatic glow. All eyes turned toward the second floor balcony, where
a small figure stood poised on the railing.
"You have abused the great works of Shakespeare by quoting them with
evil intent!" cried Sailor Mercury forcefully. "I will not stand for this!
I am Sailor Mercury, protector of all great works of art. In the name of the
planet Mercury, I will not allow you to get away with this!"
"Won't you?" said the Penguin patronizingly. "You love pretty words
as much as I do, my dear, but I doubt you're even out of kindergarten. In
fact, I don't think you even know what it is you're trying to protect."
"It's the Viking Eagle," answered Mercury calmly as she made a giant
leap down to the main floor. "And you'd be surprised how much I know." She
assumed an angry battle stance.
"Really?" The Penguin was mildly surprised, but nonplussed. "Do you
know..." His pointed beak nodded at the waiting heavies. "...how to break out
of a headlock!?"
They rushed at her, three lumbering hulks intent on grabbing the small
girl. But Sailor Mercury moved as fast as her planet's namesake. Between
dodging punches and slipping out of awkward grabs, she called out to the
Penguin, "I know who broke you out of prison. And I also know that they gave
you new powers." With a series of swift kicks, she knocked her assailants to
the floor. "And here's something you don't know," she went on as the mooks
lay stunned on the floor and the Penguin chomped on his slender pipe in
frustration. "As a Sailor Scout it is my destiny to fight the Negaverse.
Which means you're going down." She scowled determinedly.
The Penguin had begun to realize he'd underestimated the girl, and he
took a nervous step back. Sailor Mercury advanced towards him, but suddenly
the crook brandished his umbrella and opened it wide. Behind his shield of
canvas, the Penguin snickered. "Perhaps, my dear... Sailor Mercury, or
whoever you are... you are smarter than you appear. But I still know one
thing that you don't." He walked a tight circle around her, and she pivoted
slowly to face him at every moment. "You know I have a new power, but you
don't know what it is. Maybe I can fly or turn invisible or bend steel bars
with my bare hands. Or maybe I can just catch a mean fish." He wrinkled his
nose and the monocle glinted dangerously behind the open umbrella. "But just
to be fair, I'll give you till the count of three. If you can stop me in
time, Miss Mercury, then good for you. But you won't."
"Ready?" She nodded. "One..."
Without a moment's hesitation, Sailor Mercury leapt into the air,
folding her arms over her chest. Buoyant on a sudden stream of rushing air,
she spun round as if she were underwater. And just like in water, bubbles
foamed in her wake and hovered around her in thick clusters. She flung her
arms outward. "Mercury Bubbles.... Blast!"
The cascade of bubbles streamed forth just as the Penguin had cried
"Three!" In an instant, he gripped his umbrella tighter as its tip let out a
gigantic ball of fire! He cackled in triumph, but it was short-lived, as
Mercury's bubbles enveloped the fireball and quenched its flame with a loud
hissing sound. The bright light burned out and disappeared, and suddenly it
became very quiet. A heavy fog settled over the room.
The Penguin gave an incredulous cry of outrage. "What! ! How did you
know to do that?" With another grumble, he attempted to look around the room.
"Where did you go? What's going on here?" His eloquent speeches had been
reduced to awkward stammers of disbelief. Groping around the gallery and
trying vainly to clear away the thick mist, he coughed and called out angrily.
The only response came from his henchmen, who were complaining of the intense
cold. "Shut up you buffoons," growled the Penguin. Then, abruptly, he felt a
rope tighten around him.
Holding her lasso of energy tight around the felon, Sailor Mercury
approached from behind the Penguin. "You claimed to have conquer the
elements. The only one you hadn't explained in your speech was the power of
fire. Too bad Mercury controls the power of water, and I was able to short
you out. Now come on, you have an appointment with the Gotham City Police
until my friend Sailor Moon can cleanse the Nega-energy right out of you."
*********