Disclaimer: I just own the idea, and not all of that. Sailor Moon and all of its characters are NOT mine. Wish they were though!
When the Senshi Are Away, the Cats Will Play
Chapter Nine
The Gaki sat, studying the architectural diagrams, and some photographs, of the fish cannery the ship he sat in was moored at. The plan was to let the police get their men 'In position' at the other warehouse, on the other side of the bay, then call and inform the detective of the change of meeting place, half an hour before midnight. Between the doors of the cannery being welded or nailed shut, with the exception of only two (Thanks to his men) and the very limited time the cops will have to react, the assassination and escape should be smooth. It actually was a good plan and might have worked, too.
Taro burst into the captain's office, which Gaki had taken for his own use. "Sir, the woman is gone!"
"What?" Gaki yelled, standing "How?"
"She got my keys, but I don't know how!" The younger man admitted, holding up his key clip ring. "I checked every time I went near her! I must have dropped them when that cat attacked me."
Gaki frowned, then stood and stomped into the cabin door at the back of the office. "Yes, the cat! Very cleaver Luna! Stealing Taro's keys!" He shook his head with a frown. "I should have suspected."
"I take it that Mrs. Shimaka is gone, then?" Luna, still hurting from the younger mans punch. She knew he was there with the assassin, but had stopped caring.
Gaki ignored the stunned Taro. "Yes, and I must admit, I'm impressed. None of my guards noticed her escaping, but she's had over an hour to run. I figure the police will be here soon."
"You should prepare to surrender then." Luna said with far more confidence then she actually felt.
"No. Just means plan B!" Turning to Taro. "Call Deke, and tell him to get ready for the cops, and tell Kanaka to drop the pier. "
"That cat TALKED!" The younger man head rocked back as the Gaki slapped him.
"Did you hear me? Tell them! The last thing you need to do is screw up my orders!" The Gaki kicked Koneko's cage when she started crying. "Do you want me to kill you?"
Taro stepped back, not sure if the assassin was referring to him or the girl. He quickly relayed the orders, and listened to the responses. "Done. Kanaka said there is a storm coming in, so the harbor patrol won't be a problem. I'll go prep the boats." Quickly he turned and started out of the captain's cabins.
"Good, good...Oh Taro?" The Gaki called. "I'll have Himako do that." His pistol coming up and pointing strait at Taros chest. Three shots rang out even as the younger man turned and tried to run, blood blossoming to coat the wall.
The Gaki pulled his own radio from his pocket, ordering the woman to prepare the escape vehicles. Turning to the crying Koneko and shocked Luna he shrugged. "What? He was unreliable."
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Artemis was barely across the middle stretch of the dock when a loud crack sounded. He looked up at the darkening sky, thinking it was thunder, then jumped in fear when the crashing and splash of the wood he had been walking on only a second before collapsed into the sea.
The white cat stepped away in fear, eyes wide and heart pounding. 'Whoa... To close!' He shook off the fear, and turned back to the ship, running for it with all speed. He didn't know what caused the collapse, but he was glad he had gotten across before it happened.
He reached, and passed, the gangplank even as the rain started coming down, running instead to a thick docking rope, and running up it using his claws to dig in for better footing. Even with that, the wind tried to send him to the brink twice. Even with that, though, he soon reached the deck.
He quickly ducked behind a set of oil drums, avoiding the armed man pacing at the top of the gangplank. Artemis watched him for two circuits hearing the crackle of a radio, and a mans voice giving orders. The wind stole the words but the tone was obvious, even at this range.
'Okay, Artemis my boy...' the white cat thought. 'They know about Luna, so the innocent cat routine is a bad idea. Guess I'll have to do this the hard way.' He carefully waited for the mans back to be turned, then did the flip to recover the disguise pen from his sub-space pocket. His paw was on the metal rod and he almost told it to make him a Tiger, like it did before...when he realized the doors would require hands to open.
'Hmmm...Ah ha!' He nodded to himself, and with a small prayer that the light show would go unnoticed, said "Make me a Tiger/man hybrid!"
After just a few seconds Artemis was looking down at himself, rather pleased with the results. While his form was basically human, he was covered in a thin white pelt, with cat like feet. His hands were like a humans, but they had retractable claws instead of fingernails. He also came equipped with a leather jacket, muscle shirt, and khaki "Cargo" shorts. He would stand only about five-foot even or so, but was otherwise quite satisfied. He even still had his tail!
The clothes he really didn't understand, but assumed it was from reading Minakos Manga. Slipping the pen into a pocket, he peeked from behind the drums once again. Seeing the guard with his back turned, towards his hiding place, he took off faster then thought straight at the man. His clawed hands grabbed his shirt and the waist of his pants and with one hard heave, he tossed the man into the bulkhead next to him, denting the steel with the force.
Artemis cursed, as the man crumpled unconscious to the deck. Partly because he couldn't ask him where Luna and Koneko were and partly due to the radio he dropped, apparently having been talking when Artemis attacked. The voice from the other end was yelling for the man to pick up.
"Who's there?" The voice called out, even as Artemis turned to walk away. "The cops would have called ahead, and the Senshi give pretty speeches from what I hear...whom does that leave?" The man chuckled. "Is that you, Artemis?"
The cat stopped, listening. He picked up the radio, figuring there was a chance he would let slip where he was. The cat started towards the bridge, only half-paying attention to the man talk.
"You know Luna hasn't stopped talking about you since she got here! Well, not until we kicked her across the room for it, at least."
"YOU BASTARD!" Artemis bellowed into the radio, then cursed, pausing in the rain to see if anyone was around. The already driving rain had luckily drowned out his cries.
"Hmmm... That pushed a button!" The radio chuckled.
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"Mr. Artemis! I must say your voice isn't as cultured as your fair mates! Still, it is nice to hear it." The Gaki smirked. He let up on the Mike key. "Seems your Artemis is a bit of a hot head."
"Go to hell!" Hissed Luna. Part of her was shocked at her language. The rest wanted to claw the mans eyes out!
"Not yet." The Gaki calmly replied. He leaned down, and opened Koneko's cage, grabbing her arm and pulling the now loudly crying girl from the cage. "Koneko-chan has missed you, too!" The assassin said into the radio.
"Leave them alone, you freak!"
"This from a talking cat?" The Gaki chuckled. "No, Here is the deal. You leave, and I don't kill them yet! Deal?"
The radio was silent. "Oh, Artemis?" The Gaki's voice was singsong. When the radio remained silent he shrugged. "He must have tossed the radio... Oh well."
Picking up Luna's cage, he put it into Koneko's arms, then grabbed her hair roughly. "You carry that, and don't you dare drop it!" He said in a far to cheerful voice. "We have to hurry and catch our ride!"
The Radio again came to his lips. "Himako, are they ready?"
"Yes Gaki."
"Good."
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Artemis had not tossed the radio. He actually had found another thug in the Bridge, and had been fighting him while the Gaki mocked him over the radio. He was looking at said radio now, sitting on the chair once occupied by the assassins Henchmen.
The henchmen wouldn't need it for a while, being out cold and half way out the glass window of the bridge.
"What is ready, hmmm?" He thought out loud. He looked out the unbroken glass, and spotted a flash of red off the side of the ship, opposite the gangplank. "Oh look, boats!" Artemis rose... Then winced in pain. During the fight, the thug had kicked him hard in the ribs, bruising them at the least.
Artemis shrugged off the pain, however, and started towards the door on that side of the bridge. "Well, it would be a shame not to see you off, Gaki!"
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The Gaki grinned as he kicked open the last door, peering out through the storm to the speedboat meant to serve as an escape vehicle. The woman he had been speaking to on the radio was waving, holding up the controls for the power winch that would lower it to the turbulent seas.
Gaki waved back with his gun hand, still gripping the scared Shimaka girl with his free hand, then gasped in surprise when a white blur slammed into the woman from out of no where. She had not warning, and stood no chance, and soon was bent backwards, Artemis holding her in a choke hold, his other arm trapping hers behind her back.
"Artemis! I thought you had left!" He said happily, while bringing his gun to Koneko's head.
"Not a chance, looser. Now let Koneko and Luna go, or I'll break this woman's neck!" Artemis yelled. He was bluffing, and knew it, but he couldn't think of what else to do, the gun pointed at the girl's head.
"Oh, very good Artemis! I think you actually mean that!" The Assassin smiled, a hard to see expression through the rain, but visible to the cats excellent vision. "There is just one thing you have forgotten!"
"What, pray tell, is that?"
"I'm the bad guy!" The gun whipped up, and two shots thundered, the bullets slamming into the woman in Artemis's arms.
Artemis, horror and blood on his face, let the woman drop dead to the deck. He looked down, just in time to notice the red dot on his chest.
"ARTEMIS LOOK OUT!" Luna screamed in terror, even as the Gaki's gun spoke for a third time.
AN: Cliffhangers. You know I love 'em!