Rip Van Who?
5. A day at the zoo
"Good morning, girls." Amy's mother, Doctor Anderson, walked into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee machine. She poured herself a cup, leaning back against the counter, and savoured the bitter aroma of the beverage. Doctor Anderson could best be described as an older version of Amy, though her hair was slightly darker and slightly shorter. She was tall and elegant and dressed in refined-looking clothing.
Bra was surprised by this greeting, surprised that Amy's mother had so easily welcomed her. "How are my girls this morning?"
Huh? Bra blearily shook her head. Three days had passed since she first woke up in Amy's apartment. She still wasn't used to the fact that, for some reason, Amy's mother thought that Bra was her daughter too.
Three days had passed. Amy was trying her best to make Bra feel welcome and comfortable. The guest room had officially become Bra's bedroom, and had accumulated a few personal touches; somehow, and Bra was uncertain exactly how, she had come into possession of the entire line of Sailor Moon beanies, now colourfully arranged along the top of her dresser. Amy was trying her best to act as she thought a big sister should act, but it was evident that she was more comfortable with logic and mathematics, education in general.
Perhaps that was why Bra was now dressed in navy blue school uniform: a pleated navy blue skirt and a navy blue top with the now familiar sailor-like collar. Amy had registered her for school, thinking it was in Bra's best interests.
"I keep forgetting you're not a morning person," said Doctor Anderson cheerfully, smiling at Bra.
Bra half-heartedly played with her cereal. Her thoughts were still on her experience with the Negaverse. She couldn't remember much, and what she could recall, came to her in dreams, nightmares. The only concrete feeling she could hold onto was the feeling of being violated, invaded. It was enough to make her wake up in a cold sweat, scream like the world was coming to an end, quiver and sob like a child.
She was concerned with Pan. What had happened to her friend? Was she enduring the same kind of treatment? Was she even still alive? Try as hard as she could, she couldn't sense Pan's energy anywhere. She hoped – prayed – that it was because of a lack of training, unwilling to contemplate the other option. Bra started training, trying to overcome her limitation.
"I have a field trip today," Bra said distantly, aware that she should say something. "My class is going to the zoo, or the planetarium, or something."
"That sounds like fun," said Amy's mother.
"Not really. Who wants to look at a bunch of dumb animals in fake habitats?" Bra shrugged indifferently. What could she say? School was a waste of time. Whatever the children her age were learning, it was beneath Bra. She sometimes helped her mama fix the gravity room when papa overdid things. She went to school at the best private school in West City. Learning how to add and subtract and multiply and divide was just not on her list of priorities.
She wanted to train, to become stronger, so that she could find her friend, and together, they could find a way home.
"I'm sure there'll be an interesting assignment," said Amy.
"Something along the lines of 'describe what you like best,'" said Bra, almost laughing. "I guess it's better than going to classes though." She shrugged again, and returned her attention to her cereal.
***
It turned out that the field trip was to the zoo. On the bus on the way, the teachers all explained how it was imperative that the students all stay together while they explored the zoo, so, of course, the first thing that the students did was to disappear into small groups of twos and threes. Bra was left to wander around alone, not really knowing anyone all that well, and too distant most of the time for any of her peers to approach.
The zoo was a large labyrinthine concrete structure. The walls were a dull grey colour for the most part, except for a few overly colourful signs were painted to draw in children. There were large animal prints painted onto the smooth cement floor; Bra's small feet were tiny inside some of the larger prints. She tried to follow the gait on one of the animals, but stopped when she found herself jumping from one footprint to the next.
Most of the animals were housed inside for the winter, the harsh cold too much for tropical specimens. Bra somehow found herself staring at the monkeys.
"The monkey is a social animal," Bra read off a plaque embedded into the wall nearest the exhibit. She watched the monkeys and their young. They certainly did engage in a lot of social play. She wondered about her people, the Saiyans. They were certainly connected to monkeys, being able to transform into giant monkeys under the light of a full moon*, but they didn't seem nearly as social as these monkeys. Not if her papa's behaviour was any indicator. He could be quite scary at times.
She was so lost in thought that Bra didn't even notice the approach of two powers. "Relatives of yours?" Malachite sneered. Bra spun around, energy instantly gathered in her palm, fully intent on blowing the monster's head off. Her attack dissipated.
"Pan!" Bra threw her arms around her friend, not giving another look at the man who had offended her pride. "Pan! I'm so glad to see you!" She laughed, hugging her friend fiercely.
"That's good, Bra," said Pan, though her voice wasn't her own. It was as if something was speaking for her. Bra let go of her friend, a bad feeling in the bottom of her stomach. "We've come to take you back to the Negaverse."
Bra took an uncertain step back, looking at the two with new eyes. Pan looked like an ordinary six-year-old. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Her skin was pale, as if she hadn't been exposed to sunlight in a while. The girl's lean frame was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a black tee shirt, and a blue denim jacket.
Her eyes… Pan's eyes… they weren't her own. They were cold and dead.
Bra glanced up at Malachite. The man brushed his long platinum blond hair back, a smug look in his ice cold eyes that Bra longed to wipe from his face. He was dressed in what Bra instinctively knew was his uniform, a grey sort of jacket, matching pants, and a white cape trailing behind him.
"You should listen to your friend," Malachite said, his tone vaguely threatening. "You don't want to hurt yourself." He looked around at the zoo, and the other children scattered around at the exhibits. "Or others."
"There is more than enough power in this small frame to take you by force," said Pan. "Come quietly. It will go easier for you."
Bra growled angrily. Who was this thing kidding? Did it really believe that Bra wouldn't recognise her very best friend? Did it really believe that Bra would buy anything it said? It was an offence to her pride that this thing even try such an underhanded trick.
The ground started to tremble. Gently at first, then more and more violently as Bra pulled on more of her energy reserves. Malachite looked around, saw the other children, the teachers, the zoo staff, evacuating. He saw the cracks form in the concrete. The display windows, usually unbreakable fibreglass, shattered under the strain. Bra started to scream, the effort of powering up becoming evident. The wind picked up debris, hurtling it all around. It was all Malachite could do to remain standing in that one spot. He had no idea that the brat was capable of such power!
Abruptly, Bra stopped. "I'm not going to let you use Pan like a puppet. I'll destroy you before I let you hurt people using her. I know she'd do the same for me!" Suddenly, Bra shot forward, slamming a devastating blow across Pan's jaw. The little girl's body was thrown through a concrete wall. The fight had just started, the outcome uncertain…
***
The evacuation had gone surprisingly well, given that the students were all small children. The teachers had managed to account for every student, except for one. They were busy doing another headcount to identify the missing student, when the Sailor Scouts arrived.
"What's going on?" Sailor Jupiter demanded, in an authoritative voice.
"The Sailor Scouts!" One of the teachers exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're here! One of the students is still inside somewhere. We can't find her anywhere!" The teacher turned and pointed at the zoo.
The building had seen better days. A good portion of it had collapsed, and a great number of the exotic animals once housed inside had escaped into the freedom of the parking lot and beyond. Even as they watched, another part of the building collapsed. It was clear that something of titanic proportions was going on inside.
"I'll scan for life signs," Sailor Mercury said dispassionately. She reached for her small pocket computer. The visor abruptly appeared over her eyes. She typed something into the little keyboard. Sailor Mercury gasped.
"What is it, Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Malachite's in there," Sailor Mercury reported. "And he's not alone! Whatever is going on in there, he's behind it!" She showed them the readings on her little computer.
"Hey, isn't that…" Sailor Venus started.
"Yes," said Sailor Mercury, nodding. "Only it's much more powerful, like she's somehow found a way to boost it."
"We have to stop that Negacreep before he really hurts someone!" Sailor Moon said bravely. The girls nodded their agreement, and as one they turned and ran into the heavily damaged zoo.
***
Another thunderous explosion rocked the zoo. Roiling black smoke filled the building, leaking out from various holes that the structure had sustained. Bra descended from the smoke to hover over one of the exhibits, her opponent doing the same thing.
Both girls looked like they had taken a beating, bruised and bleeding from several small cuts all over, their clothing torn in various places, but Bra definitely appeared to have the advantage. She was a smart fighter after all, and whatever was controlling Pan didn't seem to know how to use the full range of her powers. What it did know how to use was slow and hindered, not smooth and polished, as though it was second nature, the way the real Pan would have moved.
"You're not on your game, whoever you are," Bra said. "Pan would've blocked half those shots! Just give her back, and I promise I won't destroy you!" As if to demonstrate that this was possible, Bra held out her hands, gathering her brilliant white-blue energy between her palms for the finishing blow, an attack that would knock Pan out and out of the fight, and hopefully destroy the creep controlling her.
The Sailor Scouts chose this moment to arrive. "Hey!" Sailor Moon said. "That's Bra!" They watched as Bra raised her hands over her head, bringing with her a sphere of energy twice the size of the small girl. "Uh, I think it's safe to say that it wasn't the thing controlling her that gave her those powers," said Sailor Moon, sounding like she was just about ready to turn tail.
"Let's end this!" Bra yelled, new confidence evident in her voice. Bra was about to throw her attack at the wavering Pan, but Sailor Moon ran forward.
"No! You can't do that!" Bra's attention flickered over to the Sailor Scouts, and in her moment of distraction, Malachite transported himself and his beaten warrior away from the scene.
"Darn it! They got away!" Bra yelled in frustration. She reabsorbed her energy attack, before turning to lecture Sailor Moon. Or she would have, but someone else caught her attention. "Amy, what are you doing here?" Bra asked, a confused frown crossing her young features. She was clearly looking at Sailor Mercury.
"She can see through our disguises!" Sailor Mars gasped.
"What disguises?" Bra asked, confused. "All you did was change your clothes, Rei." Bra allowed herself to descend to ground level, looking around at the devastation her fight with Pan had caused. "Oops. Guess we kinda overdid it again." Bra laughed nervously.
"Bra, we're going to have to discuss this," said Sailor Mercury.
Bra rolled her eyes. "By discuss, you mean lecture. Mama uses that word with Trunks all the time," said Bra. "And it means I'll get no say whatsoever in whatever you decide either. Just like the school thing." She kicked an imaginary pebble. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"We need to talk about this," Mars put in, supporting her fellow Scout.
"What's to talk about?" Bra asked, annoyed. "My best friend's being controlled by the bad guys! I had to try and snap her out of it, even if it meant fighting her." She glanced around at the Sailor Scouts. "I doubt there's anything you guys could have done."
"Bra, we're your friends," Sailor Mercury tried. Bra didn't respond.
Sailor Moon stepped forward and knelt down in front of the little girl, locking eyes with her. "Listen, kiddo," Sailor Moon started. "I know how hard this must be for you. What you're going through, well, nobody should have to go through something like this, least of all an innocent kid like yourself, but you have to trust in us as your friends."
"You know what I'm going through?" Bra asked. She tried to make her question sound indignant, but there was something so pure and sincere about Sailor Moon, that her question came out sounding more bewildered than anything. "How could you…?"
"That man that controlled you? His name is Darien. He and I were once… so I know how badly you want your friend back." Tears started to well up in Sailor Moon's eyes. She shook her head, regaining her resolved look. "That's not important right now, though. What is important is that you know we're your friends. You can count on us."
Bra nodded, mutely. There was just something about Sailor Moon. Oh sure, she was weak, but her sincerity and her purity gave her a strength that you saw maybe only once in a lifetime. She felt Sailor Mercury nearby, slipped her hand into her "older sister's."
*Believe it or not, having a tail is one of the defining characteristics of being a monkey, as far as I can remember. No apes have tails, hence a Saiyan transforms into a giant monkey. If Earth-bound scientific classification can really be applied to species foreign to this solar system, that is.