S.I.U. - The Sailor Investigation Unit
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME (Mark A Page)
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?
^_^
--------------------------------------------------------------------
He was here, somewhere. She could SMELL him. Smell his
sweat, his flesh, his blood.... It drove her on to find him, to
catch him.... To KILL and EAT him.
He had pursued her for years, like some object. She WAS the
object of his affections. Too much affection. There had been times
when he had tried to snatch her away from the Sacred House....
Kidnap her. She had fought him off each and every time, and
sometimes even tried to eat him. The thought of biting into his
throat, tearing it out....
She fell to her knees and stared at her surroundings. She was
in the middle of a factory yard. Cement and warehouses and tanks...
She could hear the sound of machinery. To her left, a building
belched steam through short stacks. She could smell others in the
area. They smelt delicious, too.
She held her throat and retched. She couldn't let those
instincts take over.... But even as she thought this, she knew it
was too late, and it was all her own fault.
Rain fell on her back, and she slowly sat up, resting against
the side of the steel shed where she had found herself, eyes closed.
The sound of shiphorns echoes across the yards, and she remembered
the day she arrived in Tokyo, searching for her younger sister....
"What is this? Giving up already?" She heard the voice in
her mind. She opened her eyes. "It's not like you, Sherrie. I
thought you were made of sterner stuff."
"I haven't given up, you bastard...." She said it so softly
that even she didn't hear it. But the thoughts that produced the
words traveled across the large distance between herself and the
origin of the voice. "I can smell you out, wherever you go."
"I don't think so. Besides, I have people coming to my aid.
You are but one. Three, if you include your less than useful
partners who are searching for you even at this moment."
"Heh, and if they are, they'd have called for backup as well."
A sneer crossed her face. "You smell as good as always, Pagan."
She licked her lips and stood, slowly....
"Have we been taking our medication, like a good little girl?"
The mocking tone in the thoughts increased. She shook her head and
ended the conversation, peering around the corner of the shed.
Across the vast, empty yards, she could see another series of
factory buildings. She sniffed the air, and began the long dash
across the yards, running at near inhuman speeds. Not surprising,
as she was only half-human to begin with.
----o
Part Eleven
Nature of the Beast
----o
Usagi had known Minako for a long time, now. They had shared
many moments, many adventures, together. But there was something
about Minako that neither she nor Usagi knew....
It came to a head within the coffee shop above their favourite
game arcade. One moment, Minako was sitting next to her, quietly,
if not in something of a daze.... Usagi had been a bit worried
about her physical state when Setsuna had guided her to the table,
but apart from that, she'd shown no outward signs of what was to
come.
And then....
"GET AWAY FROM HER! SHE'S DANGEROUS!" Usagi, Setsuna
and Hotaru, who had been talking to each other about their
precarious situation, turned as a young girl in a dark kimono, Tani
Naoko, charged through the entrance of the coffee shop, making for
their table.
Suddenly Minako made a growling noise in her throat, and she
gripped the table.
With a bestial cry, she wrenched it clean from its mountings,
displaying inhuman strength. The tabletop dropped on top of the
unfortunate pair of outer senshi, who had been sitting opposite
Minako and Usagi. They both sprawled on their seat below it to
short and pained cries of distress.
Other patrons of the coffee shop, who had gone silent through
this display, were frightened out of their seats as Minako let out
a screeching roar that shattered every glass object nearby,
including the windows.
"NO!" Naoko cried as she reached out to grab Minako, but was
bowled back by the patrons of the coffee shop, who were desperately
trying to get away from the increasinly monstrous figure.
"Mi.. Mina-chan..." Usagi had backed up against the wall,
staring at her friend. Minako turned to her, and Usagi let out a
short gasp of shock. Her friend's complexion had changed to a
ghastly pale, and her eyes.... Had gone a steel grey, the whites
bloodshot.
With frightening speed, Minako grabbed Usagi by the throat
with a clawed hand, and lifted her from her seat. Usagi let out
choked cries of distress as Minako dragged her forward, and opened
her fanged mouth, ready to tear out her throat....
Then Usagi heard silence. A silence so pure that it was
almost painful to hear. The sudden division from the noise of the
previous events to what she was experiencing now was so great that
she thought she had to be dead....
Then the chanting began. Soft and resonant at first, but
increasing, with a musical quality to its tone. "Jacquie...." She
heard Naoko say. Tentatively, she opened her eyes.
Minako was still holding her up off the ground by the throat,
but her face had lost the savage expression it had had only moments
before. Slowly, Minako's hand weakened, and she let her go. Usagi
fell onto the seat, then rolled to the floor, gagging and coughing
as she gasped for air.
She turned and looked back. Behind Naoko, Jacquie Madendjirra
was standing straight, eyes closed and hands clasped together, as if
praying. The middle and forefingers of both hands were pointing
upwards, and her thumbs were pressed together. It was from her
mouth the chanting had emerged. It was in a strange, almost musical
language Usagi had never heard before. But she could feel the waves
of power emanating from the young woman.
She turned to her right as the tabletop was gently placed
beside her. Setsuna rose from behind it, watching Jacquie
carefully.
"Wh... Who are they? What's going on?" Usagi whispered to
her." Setsuna put up a hand and hushed her.
"A pacification song...." Setsuna whispered. "One of the
oldest magical spells in recorded history. Also one of the most
effective." Usagi ahhed as if that was supposed to make sense.
Deep within the recesses of her memory, she had heard of the spell
before.... One practiced by the peoples who populated the southern
continent.
"Are they...?" Usagi pressed up against the tabletop, trying
to get as close to Setsuna as possible so she wouldn't be overheard.
Setsuna raised her eyebrows and looked at her.
"Are they the people we have been worrying about? Yes. I'm
very afraid they are." Usagi's heart sank at the reply as Setsuna
looked back at Hotaru. The girl's eyes were spiralling and she was
letting out a short moan of disorientation.
"Hotaru, get up...."
"Aww, another five minutes, mom."
Great, thought Setsuna. That's two down, two to go.
"What are we going to...." Usagi tugged on Setsuna's arm as
Naoko stood behind Minako, holding her hands out, ready to catch the
girl. Setsuna hushed Usagi again.
"We wait our opportunity, then we make a run for it."
"What do you mean? What about Mina-chan?"
"It's already too late for her...."
Before Usagi could ask Setsuna what she meant, Jacquie's chant
reached a crescendo. With a flourish of her hands and arms, she
stopped. Minako fell back into Naoko's arms. Grabbing Hotaru's
hand Setsuna let out a bark.
"NOW!" Setsuna leapt from her seat, dragging the recalcitrant
Hotaru with her. Usagi blinked in surprise and stood, following her
out at great speed.
Jacquie had just enough time to open her eyes when Setsuna
bowled through her. The young woman fell back against the counter
of the coffee shop, sliding down and landing on her rear end rather
painfully, letting out a little gasp of pain and surprise. Naoko
also watched the trio depart.
"Hey.... Wait, what are...." She looked at Jacquie
helplessly, unable to do anything with the pacified Minako in her
arms.
As Setsuna and Hotaru flew through the doorway, Usagi stopped
and turned, looking back at Minako. "Mi.... Mina-chan..." She
stood, shivering, not wanting to leave her old friend behind. This
gave Jacquie enough time to stand and turn to her....
A few moments passed between them. It was enough time for
Jacquie to see what lay beyond Usagi's ordinary exterior... and
for Usagi to feel the probings. Stunned by the revelation, Jacquie
stood and watched as Usagi turned and followed the two Outer Senshi
through the door.
Naoko gently lifted Minako in her arms and lay the girl on
the seat by the broken table. She then turned and walked across to
where Jacquie was leaning against the counter. She saw the look in
her companion's eyes and tugged her on the sleeve.
"Hoi.... What's gotten into you?"
"S... Sailor...."
"What? What is it?"
Jacquie turned to Naoko. "That girl.... The blond one. She
was Sailormoon...."
"Eh?" Naoko's eyes opened wide. "How.... How do you know?"
"My powers broke through her magical shielding.... She left
herself open wide to mental probing...." She turned to the prone
Minako. "That one is also a Sailorsenshi...."
Naoko shook her head. "That would explain something, then."
"What?"
"Her age. She's too old to go through the normal process of
becoming. Something has been holding the process back."
"Sailorsenshi powers."
Naoko nodded. "It appears we have one in our hands, at last."
She smiled. "Good thing my nose is so keen, eh?" Jacquie bopped
her one over the head.
"Silly. You could have gotten yourself hurt. I'd be in a
hell of a strife with your father if that was to happen."
"Biiiiiida!" Naoko stuck her tongue out at Jacquie. "You're
just thinking of yourself."
"Ano...." The pair turned to the counter attendant, a young
woman not much older than Jacquie, as she rose up from behind the
cash register. "I hope you don't mind paying for the table. The
owner of the shop will be real mad with me, otherwise...."
----o
Akizuki stared out of his front window at the street beyond,
holding the cordless phone to his right ear.
"I see."
There were children.... What were they doing out of school?
They were kicking through the water that ran freely along the
gutters.
"And that was all he said?"
There had been a time in his life where he could do that and
not be looked upon as being strange in the head. There were things
people could forgive you for doing because you were a child. At his
age, however, kicking through puddles or running water in the street
would be contrived as a sign of encroaching senility.
"So, what do you want me to do about it? Punish her for this?
I don't think it shall do us any harm...."
But there were times, since his retirement from the police
force, when he really wanted to just do something utterly juvenile
and stupid. How many years left did he have? probably less than
twenty, if that.
"Well, if you're so sure he is such a problem, I shall see to
it that she gets a good talking-to for her actions. Relax, my
friend. This won't blow open the existence of the Coven to the
general populace or anything...."
You are given just so many years to enjoy your life. He found
that out when his older brother died ten years ago. He was in his
late fifties at the time.... Early in the expectations of some.
"Yes, I may not know the kind of person Fitchner is, but look
at the situation, my friend. He was about to commit the act of
suicide upon his person. Michelle's link to her father is extremely
strong. She would have known of his intended actions, and reacted
accordingly. Now, if you wish her to be punished for this, then I
shall be happy to oblige. But I really don't think it is as
desperate a situation as you seem to make it."
Too early in his expectations. He and his brother had shared
a close relationship. The sudden passing had left him damaged
within, in a way many could not even begin to understand.
"Very well. I shall hear from you later on this matter, yes?
Good. Goodbye." Akizuki hit the off button of the phone and
glanced through the window one more time. The children were gone,
now. He sighed and stepped away....
----o
"Where are you taking me?"
"Shutup and you might just find out." Aoi dragged Ami through
the corridors of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police building by the arm.
A couple of times the girl had protested about the rough handling,
so Aoi would reply by squeezing her nails into her arm. Well, it
was enough to shut her up, for a while at least. "Now, if I know
Kaji, he'd be playing around in the forensics department." She came
to a lift and pressed the button to go up.
"Please..." Ami looked imploringly at her "I came here to..."
"..Confess to the murder of your friend, yes yes yes.... Give
me a break girl. I can read you like a book." Aoi sighed, rolling
her eyes.
"It's the truth." Ami clenched a fist at her side,
determinedly.
"Oh yeah? And what did she die of, then, eh?"
Ami determination evaporated, and she became flustered. "She,
ah.... I had the pair I sent to.... Uh.... They were going to...
drug her, overdose her.... Umm... That failed to do the job, so
they shot...." Ami turned away, trying to hide her pained
expression. For a few moments, Aoi thought the girl might even be
sick. It passed.
Aoi inwardly shrugged. The girl certainly knew the basics of
what happened. But still, whatever it was that had given her the
ability to see through the magic, that disguised the Sailorsenshis'
identities, was also seeing through the pretence of the confession.
This girl, Mizuno Ami, was LYING, and she wanted to know why.
The lift doors opened, and Aoi silently dragged Ami in,
pressing the button for the next floor. Ami looked at her as she
stared at the closing doors.
"Well, was I right?"
"Hmm?" Aoi turned to her, lost in thought.
"Was I right? Is that how she died?"
"You tell me. You're the one confessing."
Aoi turned away as Ami looked at the floor, red faced. A
smile crept to the corners of Aoi's mouth. She asked such a
question! It had been like reciting something she was told to
say.... However, this girl's social skills weren't exactly top
notch. In fact, right from the start, Aoi detected an element
of.... She couldn't define what it was.... A psychological
condition, maybe? Or perhaps an intellectual dysfunction? Whatever
the case, the girl was not at ease with the company of others, but
was trying EXTREMELY hard to emulate a semblance of normal social
behaviour.
She sighed. This was pure speculation on her part. Her keen
senses were mixing with her psychological training, creating a
crossbred diagnosis that was 50% intuition, 50% educated opinion.
Pity she didn't have these senses earlier, she could have avoided
the need to join the police and jumped straight into psychiatric
practice. Of course, if there was anywhere in Japan that was worse
than the Police Force with its attitude to women, it was the medical
profession.
Aoi smiled again. The girl had a mother who worked as a
doctor. She had to meet her when they called her in and ask her
what it was like for her. Aoi was putting money on finding a woman
with exactly the same kind of personality as Ami.
A socially stilted intellectual. An autistic savant.
Aoi shook her head. "Stop it, for Kami's sake." She mumbled
to herself. All this thinking was giving her a headache. She
turned to Ami, who had been staring at her after her mutterings.
The girl shied away, quickly, as if afraid to look her in the eye.
The lift doors opened, and Aoi dragged Ami into the corridor
beyond, turning left. After a short distance, she arrived at a set
of doors which lead through into another corridor, painted a pale
green. The Forensics department....
Aoi shivered. She always hated walking into this part of the
building. More than once, she had been given practical lessons on
internal human physiology here, by being made to watch through
several autopsies. Of course, she had nobody but herself to blame
for that.... It had all been part of her attempt to get into the
Major Crime department.
That it failed made the shade of the walls all that more
unpleasant.
They arrived at the end of the corridor, where a door lead in
to a small office. She peered through the small window set above
the handle of the door. As she expected, Kaji was chatting away to
one of the pathologists, Honeaki. She opened the door and strode
in, causing the pair to turn as she took Ami by the shoulders and
made her sit on one of the chairs that lined the near wall.
"Stay!" She waved a finger in Ami's face. Ami nodded mutely.
Aoi then turned and stepped over to Kaji and Honeaki.
"Uh, hi, Kiko-san. Finished your little search...." Kaji
blinked uneasily as Aoi stopped in front of him.
"Yes, if it is of any interest to you. Hi Kumada. You two
talking about anything I should be hearing."
"Who's the chick?" Kaji thumbed Ami.
"Don't you worry about her. You don't normally spend this
amount of time hanging around the forensics department unless there
is something to interest you."
"Ah yes." Kaji smiled, and gestured to Honeaki. Aoi turned
to the pathologist.
"Well, we've been researching the batch numbers for the
prescription drugs found near the body of the sailorsenshi."
Aoi half turned to Ami and saw the girl wince. She turned
back and put up a hand. "A little more... quietly, if you don't
mind." Honeaki and Kaji looked at each other a moment.
"Who is she?" Kaji frowned. "This girl.... Is she...?"
"Yeah, well, she's come in to help us with our search for the
Sailorsenshi. She apparently knows who they are." Aoi smiled at
the two men sweetly. "So a little shutting up in her presence won't
go astray, okay?"
"Alright, alright...." Kaji sighed.
"So..." Aoi continued. "What about these batch numbers,
then?"
"Well... You see, all prescription drugs, their packaging and
whatnot, are stamped with their particular batch number, so if there
is any problem with them, or if they are stolen and turn up
somewhere they shouldn't be, they can be traced back to their point
of origin."
Aoi nodded. "I know that much."
"We traced the origin of these drugs.... They had been sold
to a hospital. A MAJOR private hospital, with a lot of influential
people within the medical profession working there...."
"Shit." Aoi blinked.
"Shit, indeed." Kaji chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be the
one to charge in there and start asking questions...."
"Wait a minute..." A thought came to Aoi's mind. "Is this
hospital near the Juuban area?"
"Well, it's close. I wouldn't say that it was nearby, but
it's not that far away." Honeaki shrugged. "Is this relevant to
the case?"
Aoi turned and looked back at Ami. "A mother who works as a
doctor." She said to herself, softly, then turned back to Honeaki.
"Can you call them and ask to arrange an interview with a Doctor
Mizuno...."
----o
Carey West stared through the large panel of windows, that
looked down upon the operations centre of the Sacred House, which
had the appearance of a kind of space program ground control, with
the same air of icy unemotionality that followed her wherever she
went.
She was lost in thought.... Working over the possibilites of
losing control of someone like Sherrie Meehan, of having a Becoming
incident in a public place, involving a Sailorsenshi, no less, and a
few other things besides....
Her gift, of being able to deal with such affairs without it
flustering her in the slightest, was what had seen her gain the
position as Chief of Operations, despite being so young.
She wasn't even surprised by the entrance of Tani Genzaburo
into her private domain, the large viewing room she used as her
office. Even before he had thought of seeing her, she knew the
precise moment he would step through her office door.
She turned a fraction of a second before the door opened, and
watched as he stepped in. A few moments passed between them as Gen
realised he had been expected. He cleared his throat, nervously.
"I hear my daughter was involved in an incident outside the
bounds of the Sacred House."
"A Becoming incident, yes."
Gen blinked a couple of times, and tried to smile. "I shall
not disturb your thoughts for long. Can you tell her to see me when
she returns."
"Hai." Carey nodded. Another uneasy silence passed between
them, then he turned and stepped out of the office, closing the door
behind him.
Carey sighed and shook her head. He was worse than usual,
today....
Gen shivered. He'd always had trouble dealing with women.
One of the reasons he liked the air of conformity and structure that
existed within the Sacred House. Here, relationships were more
formal and predictable. But he still had trouble with some. Like
Carey West. She had never been easy to fathom. Of course, that had
a lot to do with what she was.
The less thought about that, the better.
----o
Sherrie sniffed the air within the warehouse. Despite its
dilapidated nature, it was still being used by the company that
owned the factory yards. Boxes and crates were piled in long rows,
only just barely lit by what little light shone through the high
windows. Water dripped through holes in the roof, and the entire
place was enveloped in a cacophany of aromas.... Of must, rust,
wet cement, wet earth and rotting wood.
She smiled. Pagan wasn't stupid. If there was anywhere he
would hide from her, it would be in a place where her sense of smell
would be severely limited....
But not limited enough. She could almost taste him in here.
The wondrous aroma of his flesh. Her hand rested against the edge
of the door, gripping the wooden frame so hard that it began to
crack. She stared at the hand, removing it from the frame. Her
fingernails had begun to curve inwards, becoming clawlike. For a
few moments, she held the hand, closing her eyes....
Then she licked her lips, and disappeared through the
doorway....
END OF PART 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------
DDFA ayanami@internode.on.net
2nd Apr 1998
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME (Mark A Page)
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?
^_^
--------------------------------------------------------------------
He was here, somewhere. She could SMELL him. Smell his
sweat, his flesh, his blood.... It drove her on to find him, to
catch him.... To KILL and EAT him.
He had pursued her for years, like some object. She WAS the
object of his affections. Too much affection. There had been times
when he had tried to snatch her away from the Sacred House....
Kidnap her. She had fought him off each and every time, and
sometimes even tried to eat him. The thought of biting into his
throat, tearing it out....
She fell to her knees and stared at her surroundings. She was
in the middle of a factory yard. Cement and warehouses and tanks...
She could hear the sound of machinery. To her left, a building
belched steam through short stacks. She could smell others in the
area. They smelt delicious, too.
She held her throat and retched. She couldn't let those
instincts take over.... But even as she thought this, she knew it
was too late, and it was all her own fault.
Rain fell on her back, and she slowly sat up, resting against
the side of the steel shed where she had found herself, eyes closed.
The sound of shiphorns echoes across the yards, and she remembered
the day she arrived in Tokyo, searching for her younger sister....
"What is this? Giving up already?" She heard the voice in
her mind. She opened her eyes. "It's not like you, Sherrie. I
thought you were made of sterner stuff."
"I haven't given up, you bastard...." She said it so softly
that even she didn't hear it. But the thoughts that produced the
words traveled across the large distance between herself and the
origin of the voice. "I can smell you out, wherever you go."
"I don't think so. Besides, I have people coming to my aid.
You are but one. Three, if you include your less than useful
partners who are searching for you even at this moment."
"Heh, and if they are, they'd have called for backup as well."
A sneer crossed her face. "You smell as good as always, Pagan."
She licked her lips and stood, slowly....
"Have we been taking our medication, like a good little girl?"
The mocking tone in the thoughts increased. She shook her head and
ended the conversation, peering around the corner of the shed.
Across the vast, empty yards, she could see another series of
factory buildings. She sniffed the air, and began the long dash
across the yards, running at near inhuman speeds. Not surprising,
as she was only half-human to begin with.
----o
Part Eleven
Nature of the Beast
----o
Usagi had known Minako for a long time, now. They had shared
many moments, many adventures, together. But there was something
about Minako that neither she nor Usagi knew....
It came to a head within the coffee shop above their favourite
game arcade. One moment, Minako was sitting next to her, quietly,
if not in something of a daze.... Usagi had been a bit worried
about her physical state when Setsuna had guided her to the table,
but apart from that, she'd shown no outward signs of what was to
come.
And then....
"GET AWAY FROM HER! SHE'S DANGEROUS!" Usagi, Setsuna
and Hotaru, who had been talking to each other about their
precarious situation, turned as a young girl in a dark kimono, Tani
Naoko, charged through the entrance of the coffee shop, making for
their table.
Suddenly Minako made a growling noise in her throat, and she
gripped the table.
With a bestial cry, she wrenched it clean from its mountings,
displaying inhuman strength. The tabletop dropped on top of the
unfortunate pair of outer senshi, who had been sitting opposite
Minako and Usagi. They both sprawled on their seat below it to
short and pained cries of distress.
Other patrons of the coffee shop, who had gone silent through
this display, were frightened out of their seats as Minako let out
a screeching roar that shattered every glass object nearby,
including the windows.
"NO!" Naoko cried as she reached out to grab Minako, but was
bowled back by the patrons of the coffee shop, who were desperately
trying to get away from the increasinly monstrous figure.
"Mi.. Mina-chan..." Usagi had backed up against the wall,
staring at her friend. Minako turned to her, and Usagi let out a
short gasp of shock. Her friend's complexion had changed to a
ghastly pale, and her eyes.... Had gone a steel grey, the whites
bloodshot.
With frightening speed, Minako grabbed Usagi by the throat
with a clawed hand, and lifted her from her seat. Usagi let out
choked cries of distress as Minako dragged her forward, and opened
her fanged mouth, ready to tear out her throat....
Then Usagi heard silence. A silence so pure that it was
almost painful to hear. The sudden division from the noise of the
previous events to what she was experiencing now was so great that
she thought she had to be dead....
Then the chanting began. Soft and resonant at first, but
increasing, with a musical quality to its tone. "Jacquie...." She
heard Naoko say. Tentatively, she opened her eyes.
Minako was still holding her up off the ground by the throat,
but her face had lost the savage expression it had had only moments
before. Slowly, Minako's hand weakened, and she let her go. Usagi
fell onto the seat, then rolled to the floor, gagging and coughing
as she gasped for air.
She turned and looked back. Behind Naoko, Jacquie Madendjirra
was standing straight, eyes closed and hands clasped together, as if
praying. The middle and forefingers of both hands were pointing
upwards, and her thumbs were pressed together. It was from her
mouth the chanting had emerged. It was in a strange, almost musical
language Usagi had never heard before. But she could feel the waves
of power emanating from the young woman.
She turned to her right as the tabletop was gently placed
beside her. Setsuna rose from behind it, watching Jacquie
carefully.
"Wh... Who are they? What's going on?" Usagi whispered to
her." Setsuna put up a hand and hushed her.
"A pacification song...." Setsuna whispered. "One of the
oldest magical spells in recorded history. Also one of the most
effective." Usagi ahhed as if that was supposed to make sense.
Deep within the recesses of her memory, she had heard of the spell
before.... One practiced by the peoples who populated the southern
continent.
"Are they...?" Usagi pressed up against the tabletop, trying
to get as close to Setsuna as possible so she wouldn't be overheard.
Setsuna raised her eyebrows and looked at her.
"Are they the people we have been worrying about? Yes. I'm
very afraid they are." Usagi's heart sank at the reply as Setsuna
looked back at Hotaru. The girl's eyes were spiralling and she was
letting out a short moan of disorientation.
"Hotaru, get up...."
"Aww, another five minutes, mom."
Great, thought Setsuna. That's two down, two to go.
"What are we going to...." Usagi tugged on Setsuna's arm as
Naoko stood behind Minako, holding her hands out, ready to catch the
girl. Setsuna hushed Usagi again.
"We wait our opportunity, then we make a run for it."
"What do you mean? What about Mina-chan?"
"It's already too late for her...."
Before Usagi could ask Setsuna what she meant, Jacquie's chant
reached a crescendo. With a flourish of her hands and arms, she
stopped. Minako fell back into Naoko's arms. Grabbing Hotaru's
hand Setsuna let out a bark.
"NOW!" Setsuna leapt from her seat, dragging the recalcitrant
Hotaru with her. Usagi blinked in surprise and stood, following her
out at great speed.
Jacquie had just enough time to open her eyes when Setsuna
bowled through her. The young woman fell back against the counter
of the coffee shop, sliding down and landing on her rear end rather
painfully, letting out a little gasp of pain and surprise. Naoko
also watched the trio depart.
"Hey.... Wait, what are...." She looked at Jacquie
helplessly, unable to do anything with the pacified Minako in her
arms.
As Setsuna and Hotaru flew through the doorway, Usagi stopped
and turned, looking back at Minako. "Mi.... Mina-chan..." She
stood, shivering, not wanting to leave her old friend behind. This
gave Jacquie enough time to stand and turn to her....
A few moments passed between them. It was enough time for
Jacquie to see what lay beyond Usagi's ordinary exterior... and
for Usagi to feel the probings. Stunned by the revelation, Jacquie
stood and watched as Usagi turned and followed the two Outer Senshi
through the door.
Naoko gently lifted Minako in her arms and lay the girl on
the seat by the broken table. She then turned and walked across to
where Jacquie was leaning against the counter. She saw the look in
her companion's eyes and tugged her on the sleeve.
"Hoi.... What's gotten into you?"
"S... Sailor...."
"What? What is it?"
Jacquie turned to Naoko. "That girl.... The blond one. She
was Sailormoon...."
"Eh?" Naoko's eyes opened wide. "How.... How do you know?"
"My powers broke through her magical shielding.... She left
herself open wide to mental probing...." She turned to the prone
Minako. "That one is also a Sailorsenshi...."
Naoko shook her head. "That would explain something, then."
"What?"
"Her age. She's too old to go through the normal process of
becoming. Something has been holding the process back."
"Sailorsenshi powers."
Naoko nodded. "It appears we have one in our hands, at last."
She smiled. "Good thing my nose is so keen, eh?" Jacquie bopped
her one over the head.
"Silly. You could have gotten yourself hurt. I'd be in a
hell of a strife with your father if that was to happen."
"Biiiiiida!" Naoko stuck her tongue out at Jacquie. "You're
just thinking of yourself."
"Ano...." The pair turned to the counter attendant, a young
woman not much older than Jacquie, as she rose up from behind the
cash register. "I hope you don't mind paying for the table. The
owner of the shop will be real mad with me, otherwise...."
----o
Akizuki stared out of his front window at the street beyond,
holding the cordless phone to his right ear.
"I see."
There were children.... What were they doing out of school?
They were kicking through the water that ran freely along the
gutters.
"And that was all he said?"
There had been a time in his life where he could do that and
not be looked upon as being strange in the head. There were things
people could forgive you for doing because you were a child. At his
age, however, kicking through puddles or running water in the street
would be contrived as a sign of encroaching senility.
"So, what do you want me to do about it? Punish her for this?
I don't think it shall do us any harm...."
But there were times, since his retirement from the police
force, when he really wanted to just do something utterly juvenile
and stupid. How many years left did he have? probably less than
twenty, if that.
"Well, if you're so sure he is such a problem, I shall see to
it that she gets a good talking-to for her actions. Relax, my
friend. This won't blow open the existence of the Coven to the
general populace or anything...."
You are given just so many years to enjoy your life. He found
that out when his older brother died ten years ago. He was in his
late fifties at the time.... Early in the expectations of some.
"Yes, I may not know the kind of person Fitchner is, but look
at the situation, my friend. He was about to commit the act of
suicide upon his person. Michelle's link to her father is extremely
strong. She would have known of his intended actions, and reacted
accordingly. Now, if you wish her to be punished for this, then I
shall be happy to oblige. But I really don't think it is as
desperate a situation as you seem to make it."
Too early in his expectations. He and his brother had shared
a close relationship. The sudden passing had left him damaged
within, in a way many could not even begin to understand.
"Very well. I shall hear from you later on this matter, yes?
Good. Goodbye." Akizuki hit the off button of the phone and
glanced through the window one more time. The children were gone,
now. He sighed and stepped away....
----o
"Where are you taking me?"
"Shutup and you might just find out." Aoi dragged Ami through
the corridors of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police building by the arm.
A couple of times the girl had protested about the rough handling,
so Aoi would reply by squeezing her nails into her arm. Well, it
was enough to shut her up, for a while at least. "Now, if I know
Kaji, he'd be playing around in the forensics department." She came
to a lift and pressed the button to go up.
"Please..." Ami looked imploringly at her "I came here to..."
"..Confess to the murder of your friend, yes yes yes.... Give
me a break girl. I can read you like a book." Aoi sighed, rolling
her eyes.
"It's the truth." Ami clenched a fist at her side,
determinedly.
"Oh yeah? And what did she die of, then, eh?"
Ami determination evaporated, and she became flustered. "She,
ah.... I had the pair I sent to.... Uh.... They were going to...
drug her, overdose her.... Umm... That failed to do the job, so
they shot...." Ami turned away, trying to hide her pained
expression. For a few moments, Aoi thought the girl might even be
sick. It passed.
Aoi inwardly shrugged. The girl certainly knew the basics of
what happened. But still, whatever it was that had given her the
ability to see through the magic, that disguised the Sailorsenshis'
identities, was also seeing through the pretence of the confession.
This girl, Mizuno Ami, was LYING, and she wanted to know why.
The lift doors opened, and Aoi silently dragged Ami in,
pressing the button for the next floor. Ami looked at her as she
stared at the closing doors.
"Well, was I right?"
"Hmm?" Aoi turned to her, lost in thought.
"Was I right? Is that how she died?"
"You tell me. You're the one confessing."
Aoi turned away as Ami looked at the floor, red faced. A
smile crept to the corners of Aoi's mouth. She asked such a
question! It had been like reciting something she was told to
say.... However, this girl's social skills weren't exactly top
notch. In fact, right from the start, Aoi detected an element
of.... She couldn't define what it was.... A psychological
condition, maybe? Or perhaps an intellectual dysfunction? Whatever
the case, the girl was not at ease with the company of others, but
was trying EXTREMELY hard to emulate a semblance of normal social
behaviour.
She sighed. This was pure speculation on her part. Her keen
senses were mixing with her psychological training, creating a
crossbred diagnosis that was 50% intuition, 50% educated opinion.
Pity she didn't have these senses earlier, she could have avoided
the need to join the police and jumped straight into psychiatric
practice. Of course, if there was anywhere in Japan that was worse
than the Police Force with its attitude to women, it was the medical
profession.
Aoi smiled again. The girl had a mother who worked as a
doctor. She had to meet her when they called her in and ask her
what it was like for her. Aoi was putting money on finding a woman
with exactly the same kind of personality as Ami.
A socially stilted intellectual. An autistic savant.
Aoi shook her head. "Stop it, for Kami's sake." She mumbled
to herself. All this thinking was giving her a headache. She
turned to Ami, who had been staring at her after her mutterings.
The girl shied away, quickly, as if afraid to look her in the eye.
The lift doors opened, and Aoi dragged Ami into the corridor
beyond, turning left. After a short distance, she arrived at a set
of doors which lead through into another corridor, painted a pale
green. The Forensics department....
Aoi shivered. She always hated walking into this part of the
building. More than once, she had been given practical lessons on
internal human physiology here, by being made to watch through
several autopsies. Of course, she had nobody but herself to blame
for that.... It had all been part of her attempt to get into the
Major Crime department.
That it failed made the shade of the walls all that more
unpleasant.
They arrived at the end of the corridor, where a door lead in
to a small office. She peered through the small window set above
the handle of the door. As she expected, Kaji was chatting away to
one of the pathologists, Honeaki. She opened the door and strode
in, causing the pair to turn as she took Ami by the shoulders and
made her sit on one of the chairs that lined the near wall.
"Stay!" She waved a finger in Ami's face. Ami nodded mutely.
Aoi then turned and stepped over to Kaji and Honeaki.
"Uh, hi, Kiko-san. Finished your little search...." Kaji
blinked uneasily as Aoi stopped in front of him.
"Yes, if it is of any interest to you. Hi Kumada. You two
talking about anything I should be hearing."
"Who's the chick?" Kaji thumbed Ami.
"Don't you worry about her. You don't normally spend this
amount of time hanging around the forensics department unless there
is something to interest you."
"Ah yes." Kaji smiled, and gestured to Honeaki. Aoi turned
to the pathologist.
"Well, we've been researching the batch numbers for the
prescription drugs found near the body of the sailorsenshi."
Aoi half turned to Ami and saw the girl wince. She turned
back and put up a hand. "A little more... quietly, if you don't
mind." Honeaki and Kaji looked at each other a moment.
"Who is she?" Kaji frowned. "This girl.... Is she...?"
"Yeah, well, she's come in to help us with our search for the
Sailorsenshi. She apparently knows who they are." Aoi smiled at
the two men sweetly. "So a little shutting up in her presence won't
go astray, okay?"
"Alright, alright...." Kaji sighed.
"So..." Aoi continued. "What about these batch numbers,
then?"
"Well... You see, all prescription drugs, their packaging and
whatnot, are stamped with their particular batch number, so if there
is any problem with them, or if they are stolen and turn up
somewhere they shouldn't be, they can be traced back to their point
of origin."
Aoi nodded. "I know that much."
"We traced the origin of these drugs.... They had been sold
to a hospital. A MAJOR private hospital, with a lot of influential
people within the medical profession working there...."
"Shit." Aoi blinked.
"Shit, indeed." Kaji chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be the
one to charge in there and start asking questions...."
"Wait a minute..." A thought came to Aoi's mind. "Is this
hospital near the Juuban area?"
"Well, it's close. I wouldn't say that it was nearby, but
it's not that far away." Honeaki shrugged. "Is this relevant to
the case?"
Aoi turned and looked back at Ami. "A mother who works as a
doctor." She said to herself, softly, then turned back to Honeaki.
"Can you call them and ask to arrange an interview with a Doctor
Mizuno...."
----o
Carey West stared through the large panel of windows, that
looked down upon the operations centre of the Sacred House, which
had the appearance of a kind of space program ground control, with
the same air of icy unemotionality that followed her wherever she
went.
She was lost in thought.... Working over the possibilites of
losing control of someone like Sherrie Meehan, of having a Becoming
incident in a public place, involving a Sailorsenshi, no less, and a
few other things besides....
Her gift, of being able to deal with such affairs without it
flustering her in the slightest, was what had seen her gain the
position as Chief of Operations, despite being so young.
She wasn't even surprised by the entrance of Tani Genzaburo
into her private domain, the large viewing room she used as her
office. Even before he had thought of seeing her, she knew the
precise moment he would step through her office door.
She turned a fraction of a second before the door opened, and
watched as he stepped in. A few moments passed between them as Gen
realised he had been expected. He cleared his throat, nervously.
"I hear my daughter was involved in an incident outside the
bounds of the Sacred House."
"A Becoming incident, yes."
Gen blinked a couple of times, and tried to smile. "I shall
not disturb your thoughts for long. Can you tell her to see me when
she returns."
"Hai." Carey nodded. Another uneasy silence passed between
them, then he turned and stepped out of the office, closing the door
behind him.
Carey sighed and shook her head. He was worse than usual,
today....
Gen shivered. He'd always had trouble dealing with women.
One of the reasons he liked the air of conformity and structure that
existed within the Sacred House. Here, relationships were more
formal and predictable. But he still had trouble with some. Like
Carey West. She had never been easy to fathom. Of course, that had
a lot to do with what she was.
The less thought about that, the better.
----o
Sherrie sniffed the air within the warehouse. Despite its
dilapidated nature, it was still being used by the company that
owned the factory yards. Boxes and crates were piled in long rows,
only just barely lit by what little light shone through the high
windows. Water dripped through holes in the roof, and the entire
place was enveloped in a cacophany of aromas.... Of must, rust,
wet cement, wet earth and rotting wood.
She smiled. Pagan wasn't stupid. If there was anywhere he
would hide from her, it would be in a place where her sense of smell
would be severely limited....
But not limited enough. She could almost taste him in here.
The wondrous aroma of his flesh. Her hand rested against the edge
of the door, gripping the wooden frame so hard that it began to
crack. She stared at the hand, removing it from the frame. Her
fingernails had begun to curve inwards, becoming clawlike. For a
few moments, she held the hand, closing her eyes....
Then she licked her lips, and disappeared through the
doorway....
END OF PART 11
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DDFA ayanami@internode.on.net
2nd Apr 1998