1.1.1 The Scouts Are Stalked - Chapter 2

"Hey Tam!" said Ami as she walked out of a coffee shop. "I didn't expect to see you here! I thought you were at dinner with Lita!"

"Yeah." said the blue-eyed girl as her long strawberry blonde hair waved in the wind. "We went to a store she called Mickey D's."

"Really?" said Ami with a short laugh, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" asked Tamara. "Is it a bad place to eat?"

"Well," started Ami, "It's not my kinda place. It's okay, though."

"I got a cool machine!" said Tamara as she displayed a small elephant- shaped toy. "It makes a cool sound when you blow into it!"

"I'm glad to see your having fun here." said Ami with a big smile. Then her communicator went off.

"Ami here, Tamara's with me too!"

"There's a monster," said Lita as she gasped for air, "Come. . . to. . . . Arcade!"

"We're there!" said Ami with a look of concern as she dragged Tamara into the nearest alley. "Come on, Tamara, Lita needs our help, let's transform!"

"You go ahead!" said Tamara as she grabbed Ami's wristwatch. "I'll call the others and catch up with you later!"

"Sure you'll be okay?" asked Sailor Mercury.

"Yeah!" said Tamara as she started playing with the small tool. "It's all good!"

'Boy!' thought Sailor Mercury as she ran towards the Game Center. 'For only having been here for two weeks, she's already adapted pretty well!'

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"Thanks for coming!" said Lita who had obviously regained some of her strength.

"The others are coming!" said Mercury as she ran over to her friend.

"Good!" said Lita with a faint smile, "Being the only crime-fighter is tough work!"

"We'll take care of him!" said Venus as she kicked open the door. "Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

Sailor Iris came running in. "Are you okay, Lita? I'm sorry I'm late!"

"Don't worry about it!" said Sailor Mars as she clasped her hands together, "Mars Fire Ignite!"

"I'll take it from here, guys!" said Sailor Moon. "Moon Scepter Elimination!"

The monster screamed and faded away as the scouts cheered.

"All right!" said Venus! "Yet another victory for the Sailor Team!"

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"They don't seem to have any trouble with my monsters." said a dark feminine figure on a throne in a storage room.

"Queen Mysteria?" asked a monster as it peeked into the dark room.

"Yes, #236?"

"It would be an honor if you would allow me to take the next assignment." said the monster with an eager smile and a bow.

"Very well." said the Queen in an apathetic tone. "You may slay the next scout." then she added so the monster couldn't hear "Look out, Sailor Mars. You're next!"

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"So, Luna," said Serena later the next day at Rei's temple. "Why did you call this emergency meeting?

"Well," Luna hesitated, "I don't know if Sailor Iris can be trusted." Then she quickly defended her theory. "I know she existed a long time ago during the Silver

Millennium and all, but it just seems as though she isn't trustworthy. Okay, so how many of you have seen her transform?"

* silence *

"Okay, who can name even one of her powers?" asked Luna.

* more silence *

"What do those have to do with anything?" asked Mina. "So she's not perfect, who is? All I know is that she's a nice person. That's all that really matters! Just because we haven't seen her transform doesn't mean she can't be trusted!"

"All I'm saying," said Luna, "is, just be careful around her."

"Hey, guys!" said Tamara as she ran up the steps to Rei's temple. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh nothing much." said Rei while trying to conceal her furious tone.

"We're discussing boys!" said Serena as a means of cover-up.

"But we're done with all the good, juicy stuff," said Rei as she started to lead

Tamara down the stairs then added, "Serena hasn't gone yet!"

"I heard that Rei!" said Serena as she stood up and shouted after them.

Rei turned around and stuck her tongue out at the blonde-haired juvenile as she and Tamara left for the movies.

"I'll tell her what we finish discussing later." said Ami.

"Lita," said Artemis, "I want you to tell us again what happened yesterday."

"Okay," began Lita, "After I went to dinner with Tam, I told her I'd catch her later because I was gonna go to the Arcade for a while. After I got there, a monster showed up and started attacking me! I couldn't fight back and I couldn't transform because people were watching. Fortunately, someone threw something at it and I managed to duck between two games and call Ami. Then after a while, you guys showed up to save my butt!"

"Hmm." thought Artemis aloud.

What's up, Artemis?" asked Serena.

"When Lita told Tamara that she was going to the arcade, the monster was practically waiting for her! It then managed to single her out of all of the other people there as if it know she was a Sailor Scout!" he said with an 'I told you so' look at the girls.

"Your point being. . . . ." invited Serena.

"Tamara probably relayed the massage that Lita was going to be at the arcade to the monster!" he said trying to get them to understand.

"Artemis!" said Lita "You always have to suspect everyone! Did it ever occur to youthat maybe, just because someone is different, they aren't evil? Maybe, for once, we're dealing with a normal person!" but she was cut off by a scream coming from not that far away.

"That's Rei!" said Ami.

"Transform!" said Luna as she ran towards the scream.