The Magic Force Moon Crystal Reunion

by Shirley Ann Burton

After Amy Mizuno wins a trip anywhere in the world, she chooses Electro City, California. However, the Scouts have no idea of the danger to come when they arrive in Ace Cooper's city...

3. Danger Arises in Electro City

The Magic Force
Moon Crystal Reunion
Part 3: Danger Arises in Electro City

Captain Friedrichs entered his office at police headquarters. He was ready to take on another day arguing with Lieutenant Derek Vega about proper procedures.
The minute he sat at his desk, he already noticed a report. "What is this? I'm not here even five minutes, and something is already going on…" He looked at the report and saw some strange photographs. "I'm almost certain Ace Cooper has something to do with this."
Pressing a button on his intercom, he shouted, "Vega, my office now!"
In his own office, a gruffy gentleman sat at his desk and was about to enjoy his morning coffee when he heard his supervisor's voice loudly, which caused him to spill the coffee on the floor. "Did that alarm clock go off in his ear this morning?" he growled. "Every morning…"
He stood up and started walking out when a woman stepped in at the same time, causing them to bump into each other. "Oh, Miss LeSage."
The bespectacled woman looked at him and smiled. "Let me guess, Lieutenant; the captain wants to see you, right?"
"You've read my mind," Vega chuckled. "Listen, I hope you don't mind cleaning up the mess on the floor."
"I'm used to this by now. I can handle it."
The lieutenant then made his way to Friedrichs's office. Upon entering, he asked, "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Your response time's getting slower, Lieutenant. Perhaps you need to drink more of that coffee of yours."
One of these days, Captain, just one, Vega thought angrily to himself. "What's going on?"
"I've received a strange report of dead animals all over Keaton Park, along with these photographs." Friedrichs handed the report and the photos to Vega. "What's strange is the scene investigators reported no physical injuries on any of the creatures."
Vega examined the photographs very carefully. "They all look pale, as if they had no energy left."
"That's exactly what the prelim report said. I want you to take charge of this investigation, Vega, and the first person I want you to see is Ace Cooper."
"What? Come on, Captain, there is no way Ace Cooper could be involved in any of this."
"Vega, Cooper is capable of things that no one else can understand. There's no one else I can even think of who has this kind of ability."
"And I say you're wrong, Captain. I'll question him, but I know he's in the clear on this matter."
"You think I'm wrong, Vega!?" Friedrichs shouted as he stood up. "Just keep in mind who the boss around here is."
"Yeah," mumbled Vega, "but you're an incompetent idiot."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, sir, nothing."
"Here's the report. Now get out to Cooper's residence and question him, understand?"
"Yes, sir." Vega took the report and walked out of the room with a look of anger in his eyes. "Ace, I hate to bother you like this, but I've got no choice."
Friedrichs felt like he had a headache. "Mmm…lousy timing. I'm under enough stress as it is."
Back in his office, Ms. LeSage cleaned the mess off the floor as she saw Vega march in. She noticed the look on his face. "Uh-oh, he wants you to investigate Ace Cooper again, doesn't he?"
"I'm afraid so. I'd better call Ace about this thing."

In the Magic Express, Angie had already completed her morning meditation and then put a robe over her nightgown. "How to feed a crowd in under 30 minutes… I know, plenty of scrambled eggs and toast. From last night's dinner, it seems Serena really is the big eater, so I'll make sure she gets three helpings. It's also a good thing I got the cat food for Luna, Artemis, and Diana."
As she walked past the other rooms quietly, she made her way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "Ah, here are the eggs, two cartons worth. And now for the bread." After finding the bread, she quickly got started on the task of making breakfast for everyone.
In the room with Serena, Luna, Mina, and Artemis, Luna quickly awakened to the smell of Angie's eggs. She left the room to see Angie in the kitchen. After a long yawn, Luna finally said her first words since the group's arrival in Electro City. "Good morning, Angie."
The female magician turned and saw her walking in. "Morning, Luna. I'm glad you finally got a chance to speak. It must've been difficult not to, especially since Rini and Diana came along on the trip."
"You have no idea," Luna replied with a laugh. "So, making breakfast for everybody?"
"Yeah, and I have to remember to give Serena at least three helpings, after what she ate last night."
"It may be more like four helpings, knowing her incredible appetite."
"So, Luna, how have things been at your end, with the Scouts and all?"
"Very active since we last met, Angie. We had to deal with dark forces twice. First, there was a group looking for pure heart crystals, in the hopes of locating the legendary Holy Grail. As it turned out, three new Scouts had all the hidden treasures needed."
"Really?"
"Yes. Sailor Uranus had the Space Saber, Sailor Neptune possessed the Magic Mirror, and Sailor Pluto owned the Crystal Orb. The three pieces together created the Holy Grail."
Sailors Uranus and Neptune…Haruka and Michiru. "What happened next?"
"Sailor Moon was able to use the Holy Grail to become Super Sailor Moon, as our enemies got stronger. The true threat finally emerged when Mistress Nine and Professor Tomoe tried to destroy the Earth. Amazingly, Mistress Nine was trapped in the body of a little girl named Hotaru Tomoe. However, another spirit was within little Hotaru…Sailor Saturn, Scout of Destruction. Sailor Saturn used her Silence Glaive to destroy Pharaoh 90, the biggest threat of them all. In doing so, however, she sacrificed her own life."
Sailor Saturn? The spirit Ace and Raye both saw. Hmm, this could be important, but I promised not to say anything about this. "Wow, that must've been scary."
"Oh, that's nothing compared to the Dead Moon Circus. Led by the powerful Queen Nephrenia, the forces of that circus were seeking the Pegasus, who would fly through beautiful dreams. Pegasus turned out to be a being named Helios, guardian of the world of Elysian and the Golden Crystal. Nephrenia wanted to use the crystal to obtain her beauty forever, but another change for us created Super Sailor Moon for good, and Super Sailor Chibi-Moon."
"Chibi-Moon?" Angie asked with great curiosity.
"Yes. You know Serena is Super Sailor Moon, but Rini is also a Scout herself, Super Sailor Chibi-Moon. She had the power to call upon Pegasus with the Twinkle Bell."
"I had no idea. So, what did you do to defeat Nephrenia?"
"Chibi-Moon was able to use the Golden Crystal to communicate with all people who had beautiful dreams."
"Wait a minute. I remember hearing this voice inside me not too long ago. She said, 'Moon Cosmic Dream Action.'"
"That was Rini all right. All the dreamers energized the crystal and defeated Nephrenia."
"That's a relief. I'm just glad things are peaceful back in Japan."
"Yes, but Rini and Diana have no idea you know the truth about Serena and the others."
"I know. In the best interest, though, it's best they don't know for now. If there's a crisis at any time, and we're all needed, we'll let them know then." And I suspect we may all be needed soon.
"Now it's your turn, Angie. What has happened with you since we last met?"
"Oh, nothing much," she answered, slightly nervous. How should I answer this one?
You don't want to tell the whole story yet, thought her darker shadow. Just tell her about the new powers you have, like your telemetry.
Hey, good idea. Thanks.
Anytime, Ange. Anytime.
After a couple of seconds, she added, "I discovered some new abilities and facts about myself. One gift I have is telemetry, where I touch an object and can learn of its past, like the owner and the history behind it. I learned of it not long after we returned from Japan. We helped a little girl's ghost find her missing arm."
"That's incredible," said Luna in awe. "How can you tell when your telemetry is working?"
"It depends on what I touch sometimes. If the object has something good behind it, it feels warm. A bad history leads to a 'flare,' and it can feel rotten."
"Interesting. Anything else?"
"Yes. I read up in Ace's library and learned I'm what's called an empathic mage." Noticing the confused look in Luna's eyes, Angie chuckled. "Relax, Luna, it's nothing bad. Because I'm an empathic mage, I feel the magic within my heart and soul, and my emotions tap into the powers."
"Oh, okay. For a moment I thought something may have been wrong with you."
"No, Luna, I'm fine, really. Ace has been the best teacher in terms of understanding my powers."
"That's good to hear. How long before breakfast is ready?"
"I should have it done in about 15 minutes. As for you, Artemis, and Diana, I've got the cat food. I don't know if you'll like it, though."
"We haven't eaten any food since we boarded the plane. I am ready for anything at this point."
"Okay, Luna. Since you're here first, I'll serve up a bowl for you."
Angie gave the tabby a bowl full of cat food. When Luna took a bite, she was thrilled. "Mmm! This is terrific!"
"Hold it down, Luna," Angie gasped. "The secret, remember?"
"Oh, uh, sorry, I forgot."
"It's okay, Luna. We just have to be careful, that's all. Everybody else should start smelling the eggs and toast about… now."
The first person to get a smell of Angie's cooking was Serena in her room. She quickly jolted from her bed and said, "Mmm, something smells sooooooo good!"
Mina barely had her eyes open when she heard Serena's words. "You've got a great nose for food, but nothing else."
"Not funny, Mina. I guess it's Lita doing the cooking."
"No way. Lita's not a morning person. The only person who could be doing that is Angie."
"And you think you know better, boy-crazy pal?"
The two friends started exchanging verbal blows on each other with enough noise to wake everyone else in the Express.
"Figures," said Raye annoyingly. "Leave it to Meatball-Head to start something again."
Rini agreed. "No kidding. When is she ever gonna learn?"
Amy, though, took a sniff in the air. "Smells like scrambled eggs."
"How can you think food at a time like this?" asked Rini.
Lita also noticed the egged aroma. "Mmm, she's right. It is scrambled eggs. Angie's cooking."
Darien had an idea. "Let's go to the kitchen and eat now before they realize what's going on."
"Good idea," said Rini. "If they miss breakfast, it's their own dumb fault."
Everyone proceeded to the kitchen, but Ace magically made a note appear and slipped it under the door for Artemis.
Artemis was already upset at having to hear them argue about food, but then he saw the note go under the door. Jumping off the dresser, he ran to the door and quickly opened the note, which read:
Artemis,
The rest of the group is in the kitchen awaiting Angie's scrambled eggs and toast. You can leave the room if you wish. Something tells me Serena and Mina will keep arguing for a while, and I don't want you to get hungry. Cat food will be waiting for you.
Ace
"I'm coming," said Artemis quietly as he slipped out the door.
Joining the others in the kitchen, he noticed everyone already enjoying the scrambled eggs and toast, while Luna and Diana had their cat food.
Using only her meow signal, Luna motioned for Artemis to join them in the cat food.
Lita liked the fluffiness of the scrambled eggs. "Angie, how do you do it so well? This is so good."
"Thanks, Lita. I usually just keep working on the eggs until they're extra fluffy. Also, you told me you're not exactly a morning person, so I'll handle breakfast duty, you take lunch, and we'll team up for dinner."
"You got yourself a deal, but I'm not sure I can cook lunch today, seeing we've only been here for a few hours yet."
"It's okay, Lita. You won't have to do lunch today. Ace, Cosmo, and I have arranged a tour of Electro City for all of you. Unfortunately, the cats can't come with us. I'm sorry, Rini. I know how much you love Diana, but rules are rules."
"Even for Zina?" Rini asked.
Ace nodded. "Even for Zina. The only animals allowed inside the DNA Mall are the pets for the pet store and guide dogs for the blind." He then spoke into air. "Angel, please notify Serena and Mina they're missing breakfast."
"I shall do so immediately, Ace," said the computer voice.
In their room, Serena and Mina were still arguing when the purple-pinkish dodecahedron made its appearance. "Ladies, you are missing Angie's scrambled eggs and toast. I suggest you get to the kitchen before the food is gone."
"What!?" they both yelled at the same time.
The two scrambled to get to the kitchen to make sure they could eat Angie's homemade breakfast.
Rini was first to speak. "About time you two got here. Mr. Cooper and the others are going to give us a tour of the city, including a shopping spree at the DNA Mall."
"That's perfect!" shouted Serena. "And Darien will be coming with me."
"Let's wait and see on that first, Serena," Amy suggested. "In the meantime, Angie made four helpings just for you."
Serena gave Angie a rather nasty look. "Trying to fatten me up so Darien won't love me anymore?"
"Get real, Serena. I'm not after Darien. I'm almost 27 years old, and Darien's just 18. It wouldn't work out for either one of us, since I've got my full-time jobs being a magician and the chef of the Magic Express."
"You're seriously being a ditz again," said Raye. "All you ever think about is Darien this, Darien that, Darien, Darien, Darien! It gets so annoying after a while!"
"Oh, and you're telling me this, the one who won't show her true feelings for the rocker living at the temple?"
"That's got nothing to do with it!" Raye shouted.
"It's got plenty to do with it!"
Darien stood up and shouted, "That's enough! We are all here as guests of Ace Cooper and his friends, and remember that Amy was the one who won the trip to get us here." He then turned to Ace. "Mr. Cooper, I'm so sorry about this. If you want us to go to the hotel, we'll be more than happy—"
"No, Darien, don't. Disagreements among friends are normal. It's good to let things out now before we go on the tour of the city. Now, everyone finish eating and get dressed. We've got a city to show you."
Rini asked, "Will Miss Malone be going, too?"
"Nope, 'fraid not," answered Cosmo. "Mona's working on her newest song, and she's supposed to debut it next week at the Croesus Palace."
"That name sounds like it's a castle," Amy noted.
"It could almost be. It's really a nightclub and casino."
Ace added, "When you see the building, there's no way you can ever miss it again."
"Okay, I say we go for it. Now, if Serena and Mina can hurry up, we can get going."
Serena started eating like the end of the world had come while Mina completed her meal.
Seeing Serena's eating habits felt embarrassing to the others. "Why did she have to come?" mumbled Raye.
After a few minutes, everyone was ready to go. Even Serena managed to get herself ready in time. "I'm ready to go with my muffin."
"Whatever," said Lita. "Let's go already! I'm ready to see the sites of the city."
Angie decided to allow Serena to be with Darien, only on the condition Rini be sitting with them.
Serena grew increasingly spiteful of the female magician. "What are you trying to do? Break us up or something?"
With a sigh, Angie responded, "Look, Serena. I don't want to carry the argument into the trip, okay? Can we please call a truce and get going?"
"Fine!" said a visibly upset Serena. "But when we get to the mall, Darien and I go alone."
Darien turned to her and snapped, "We can't, Serena! We don't know our way around the mall, so we have to go with either Angie, Cosmo, or Mr. Cooper. We'll determine that when we get there. Now be quiet and let's go before we're behind schedule."
Ace drove the first van carrying Angie, Darien, Serena, and Rini while Cosmo took Raye, Mina, Amy, and Lita, who sat next to Cosmo in the front seat of the van.
Throughout the morning tour, Serena and the others looked at the Sinsun Hotel, the Sunset Casino, and the oddly-shaped Croesus Palace, which impressed Amy and Raye.
"Mr. Cooper was right," Amy stated. "There's no way I can miss it with the upside-down triangle or the huge statue at the top."
"That's also where Mona does most of her performing," Cosmo added.
Raye said, "Wow, that's one awesome place to perform."
"Yeah, it's part nightclub, part casino. Unless Mona's performing, we're normally not allowed in there."
"Oh, because of the casino part?"
"Right. No one under 18 is allowed there or at the Sunset Casino. The DNA Mall is a different story, though. There, it's a mall by day, and then nightclub and casino at night. Fridays and Saturdays allow teenagers to come out to the club, since DJ Mickus plays the best music all around."
"Sounds like a DJ we have in Japan named Miko. He delivers some of the hottest beats over there."
"Hmm, maybe we could have a kinda exchange program for DJs. Trade the sounds?"
Lita said, "Cool idea, Cosmo. It'd be a cool world sound to it or something."
"Well, we'll be heading over there anyway, so it'll be cool to see the mall part."
In the other van, Serena kept seething because she was stuck in the same van with Rini and Darien. She only took a partial look at the sites, making sure Rini did not do anything to steal Darien away from her. That little brat, she thought, Darien is mine! And as for Angie, I don't trust her anymore. It's like she's out to have him for herself, too.
Angie looked at Ace. "Listen, Ace, when we get back, I need a little help. The dragon I've been working on won't quite develop correctly."
"The one you're doing for our next performance? Okay, we'll return to the Express after lunch and see what's wrong with the dragon."
"Dragon?" asked Rini curiously.
Ace answered, "That's right, Rini. Angie's been practicing creating a dragon from fire. Something's not coming out right on it, so when we return to the Magic after lunch, we'll show you what she's trying to do, okay?"
Darien nodded on the idea. "Sounds cool. I like it."
"Sounds pretty dangerous to me," Serena noted.
"It is," said Ace seriously. "When I practice, sometimes I need Cosmo and Angie's input to see if I need to make improvements. The reviews we give each other help us make our tricks better."
"Oh, so what you tell Angie could improve her dragon illusion?"
Angie nodded. "Right. This is one of the most effective ways we all work together as a team, and more importantly as a family."
Family, thought Serena. Maybe…I'm despising Angie for no good reason. She's very popular, yet she never brags about it or anything. I still remember the great lengths she took to save Mr. Cooper from the Dark Princess. She was willing to risk her own life to rescue him, and I can at least understand how close they are, like a real brother and sister. I don't want to leave anything to chance, though. I just need to be sure she isn't after Darien.
"That's something Serena doesn't understand," chuckled Rini.
"Watch it, you little snip."
"Girls, stop!" Darien snapped. "Or would you both rather be back at the Express?"
The two of them finally stopped and looked away from each other.
"We're coming up on the DNA Mall," said Ace. "There it is, standing out near the Grand Canal."
Serena was very impressed with the architecture. "Man, this city has so many structural designs. I've never seen anything like it."
"Wait until you see the inside, Serena, I think you'll like it."
Both vans soon were parked near the front of the mall, and soon everyone walked from the vehicles and into the mall.
"Okay," said Angie, "This mall is very big, and I know not everyone wants to hang together, so we'll split up into three groups: two groups of three and one group of four. Ace, Cosmo, and I will be the group leaders. Now, since Ace is the oldest, he gets first choosing."
"All right, I'll take Raye."
As the process continued, Angie ended up with Darien and Rini, Ace eventually had Mina and Amy, and Cosmo had Raye and Lita. Serena was the only one remaining.
"I want to be with Darien and Rini," she demanded.
Angie had an idea. "Let's draw straws, boys. The shortest one gets Serena in the group."
Cosmo and Ace both agreed, with Ace making straws appear in his hand. "Okay, here they are. Three straws, all the same color, no special marks on any of them."
Angie went first, then Cosmo, and finally Ace, with Cosmo getting the shortest straw. "Sorry, Lita, but it looks like Serena's with us."
"Not fair!" Serena wailed. "I want to be with Darien!"
"Just do it, Meatball-Head!" yelled Raye. "You're embarrassing all of us."
"You'd better not do anything with him, Angie," said Serena with a mean look in her eyes.
"Trust me, Serena, I won't. Now, we'll all meet back here at exactly 2:00. If anyone gets hungry, there are a lot of places to eat where all stomachs can be satisfied."
The three groups split up and walked in different directions.
Serena stayed in the rear of her group, as she wanted desperately to be with Darien. If Angie's done anything, I'll bash her head in so hard.
Raye noticed her face. "C'mon, ditz. Cosmo's showing us around the shops, and you haven't paid attention once!"
"Since when did you become the boss around here!?" Serena barked. "I want to know where Angie is right now!"
Lita said, "I usually don't like to yell at my friends, but can you tell why you were the last person chosen period? Now do us all a favor and knock it off!"
"So, my friends are turning on me? Figures." Serena then went on to cry loudly.
Cosmo had to cover his ears. "If she keeps this up, she'll break every window in the mall!"
A security guard soon walked up to the group of four. "Excuse me," he said, "is there some kind of problem here?"
"Uh, sorry, sir," said Cosmo, shaking his head. "I'm giving these three a tour of the mall, but one of them would rather be with her boyfriend, currently with another group. I'll try to get her under control," he said as he looked at Serena with a nasty look, "because if she doesn't stop, we'll be thrown out of the mall."
Raye and Mina both looked at Serena with the same mean look, which finally made Serena stop her bawling.
Looking at the security guard, Cosmo added, "If she does scream and cry like that again, we'll leave the mall ourselves. We don't want to give you any more trouble."
The guard smiled. "And here I was thinking all teenagers were rebellious against authority. I appreciate that, young man. In addition, I think the other two girls with you want to make sure she stays in line."
"Don't worry, sir, we'll make sure the rest of the tour goes peacefully." He led the girls away from the security guard.
Raye was the first one to react. "You peabrain! You almost got us kicked out of the mall! You and your stupid obsession with Darien!"
"Look, I have every right to know what he's up to with that brat and that magician!"
Cosmo and Lita looked at each other with a sigh.
"This is downright hopeless," said Cosmo in defeat.
Lita nodded. "Yeah, those two don't know when to quit, and Serena's too boy-crazy to think about anything else."
At another end of the mall, Rini noticed a certificate store. "Hey, can we go in here?"
"Sure," said Angie happily. "You could get a great souvenir here for your family."
"Yeah, that would be nice for them, a gift for Mommy, Daddy, and Sammy back home."
The three entered the shop, where the owner greeted them. "Hello, all. Welcome to my certificate shop. I'm currently working on a certificate now, and my partner's on lunch break, so if you want a custom-made one, it may be a little while."
"That's okay," said Rini. "I think I spotted one I would love to give to my family back in Japan."
"Japan? You've come all the way from Japan for a certificate?"
Angie laughed. "Not quite. Darien and Rini are guests here from Japan, and they want to find some souvenirs to take home to families."
"Okay, okay, I was only kidding. Now, take a look around the shop and see if there's a certificate you'd like to take home."
Rini and Darien spent time looking around the shop, until Rini spotted one just fitting for a souvenir. "I like this one: 'This certifies that I have a family of love, nurture, and hope. There is no other family like the one with which I am part. I will always love you and never forget what you have all done for me in my life.' Wow, did you do this, sir?"
The shop owner blushed. "Yes, I did. My partner and I have done all of these by hand. If you want that one, I'll get it framed for you for an extra five electrodollars."
Angie said, "Deal. I'll pay for it."
Darien said, "No, don't. Let us pay for it."
"Darien, please, it's okay."
Angie paid for the certificate and frame, and soon she and the others walked out of the store, with Rini very happy.
"Thank you, Angie. That was nice of you to do that."
"Well, I know you wanted a nice souvenir for your family back home, and sometimes a simple certificate can make a big difference."
Darien heard his stomach growling. "Oops, I think it's time for lunch."
Angie concurred with him. "We're near Barry's Burgers, so let's go for it. Besides, you'll love the burgers. He and his employees cook the burgers themselves instead of using heat lamps."
"Oh, it's not like the typical fast food restaurant, is it?"
"Not by a long shot. Trust me."
"Want to give it a go, Rini?"
"You bet!"
The three made a stop at Barry's Burgers, with Barry working on the grill. "Angie, hello. The usual well-done with onions and lettuce?"
"Yes, and a couple of more orders for my two friends, please. I'll let them decide."
After a couple of minutes, the group of three sat at the nearest table and started eating.
Angie then started an interesting conversation. "Darien, has Serena always been that possessive of you?"
"Yes, unfortunately. I can't think or talk about her every few minutes like she can. It sometimes drives me crazy."
"No kidding," added Rini after swallowing her bite. "When she always talks about Darien, she believes she's above everybody or something."
The female magician shook her head. "I know she's still a teenager and all, but she needs to be careful about that, especially when she hits the real world and gets a job. She won't be able to think about you as much."
While the three of them carried on with the conversation, a mysterious man suddenly came up from behind Angie and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Quickly reacting, Angie grabbed the man's hand, stood up, and faced him.
"Relax, Angie," the man said, "it's only me." He had the same black hair and blue eyes as Darien, which could easily mistake him as Darien's twin brother if he actually had a twin.
"Oh. Victor, I'm so sorry," Angie said regretfully. "I thought you were someone else, particularly someone's possessive girlfriend."
"Don't worry about it."
The pair closed their eyes and locked their lips in a warm kiss - in front of Darien and Rini. Rini had a widening smile while Darien's eyes enlarged in obvious shock.
After ten seconds, they finally released the kiss.
"Better?" asked Victor.
"Much better."
"Ahem," interrupted Darien.
Angie and Victor looked at the very surprised pair, with Angie doing the blushing. "Oops, I think I've got a little explaining to do, so I may as well make introductions. Darien Chiba, Rini Tsukino, I'd like you both to meet Victor Raven - my boyfriend."
"Your boyfriend?" said Darien and Rini at the same time.
"That's right. We've been together officially for a year-and-a-half."
Darien struggled to get words out of his mouth. "You mean—you have—why didn't you tell us?"
"First, no one asked, and second, I was a little concerned the others would give him the third degree or something."
"Oh, when they find out about him, they will give him the third degree."
Victor sat at the table and joined in on the conversation. "Let me guess, Darien. You have a girlfriend who isn't too fond of you being with anyone else, right?"
"How did you know that?"
"One of the security guards reported that a girl with extremely long blonde hair started making a scene with her loud crying."
"Yup," said Rini with a blush, "that was Serena all right."
"Cosmo was very cooperative with him, and the guard felt a bit relieved. You'd be surprised how many teens rebel against the security guards in this place."
"You know about the security of this place?" asked Darien.
Angie quickly answered, "He should; his father Bob owns the DNA."
"Whoa," Rini gasped. "Your boyfriend's father is the owner of the entire mall?"
Victor nodded. "That's correct, Rini."
"Mr. Raven, do you talk about Angie every five minutes?"
Darien said, "Rini, that's not a nice question to ask."
"No, Darien, it's okay. I don't have time to talk about her every five minutes because I'm tied up with two jobs: part-time head of security, and trying to finish up the last seven hours to receive certification to start my horse-riding school."
"A horse-riding school?" the little girl questioned with curiosity.
"Right. Horse-riding tends to be forgotten with modern technology, but it would help both people and the environment to use horses to get around. I'm just a few hours away from receiving official certification. Dad said as soon as I get that certification, he would buy good horses to start the school with, and there's an area of land just on the outskirts of Electro City that would be absolutely perfect to use as the school."
"That's great," said an excited Darien. "I assume you want Angie as your first student?"
"Of course. Angie's been so patient about the whole thing, too. I mean, she's tied up with being the Magic Express chef and performing magician."
"That's true. If only Serena can understand this."
Angie gasped and said, "Darien, you've just given me an idea, one that just might make Serena listen. Now, the only ones who will know the whole story will be you, Rini, Victor, and Ace."
She then spoke with the other three carefully about her daring prank plan on Serena.
Ace, Amy, and Mina were walking toward the front when Ace received a call on his wristwatch communicator. "Excuse me, ladies." He then spoke into his watch. "Yes?"
"Ace, it's Vega. I tried to reach you at the Magic and didn't get anything. What are you doing right now?"
"I'm giving a couple of visitors a tour of the DNA Mall. Why, is something wrong?"
"It could be. Friedrichs said you're more than likely involved, but I know he's wrong. I need to talk to you in the Express alone when you get back."
"Okay, but we may have to do it outside, because the two visitors are part of a group visiting us from Japan."
"Sure. When do you want us to meet?"
"We'll be back at the Express by 2:30. I'll see you then."
"See you there, Ace."
Ace looked at Amy and Mina. "Sorry about that. I constantly get calls from Lieutenant Vega."
"Is he part of the police?" Mina questioned.
"Yes, and a good friend of mine for the past 20 years."
"That's great," said Amy. "At least you've got someone in the police department as a friend."
"Believe me, Amy, in this city, good friends and good people in the police department are very hard to come by. Now, let's have lunch over here at Grillers and then go meet the others. It's already after 1:00."
After they were complete with lunch, Ace and the others found Darien, Rini, and Angie waiting patiently at the front door.
"Good," Ace said with a smile. "Now all we need to wait on is Cosmo and his group, and we'll be ready to go home." He then sent Angie a telepathic message. Angie, we may have to hold off on your dragon. Vega needs to see me about something.
I understand, Ace. And there's something I need to tell you by thought only. She then explained about her plan to get at Serena's possessive nature toward Darien.
Good thinking, Angie. I think your plan will work. Now, what's happened to that group?
According to Darien, Serena can't make up her mind when it comes to shopping for stuff.
This could be a little while.
Cosmo, Raye, and Lita grew impatient because Serena could not decide whether to get a pink t-shirt or a blue t-shirt.
"You're going to get us left behind," said Raye. "Will you please hurry up?"
"Knock it off, Raye. I want to get the pink shirt, but I think blue is prettier."
"Wait a sec," Cosmo noted. "The blue one is for a boy. Why not get the pink shirt for yourself and then the blue for your brother Sammy?"
"Good idea, Cosmo. Why didn't I think of that?"
Raye retorted, "Because you were too busy thinking about yourself. Besides, there will be more chances to shop while we're here anyhow."
"But I want to get this stuff now."
"Then get it already! We're supposed to meet the others in 20 minutes!"
While Cosmo waited for Serena to make her purchase, Captain Friedrichs himself walked through and noticed Cosmo with the girls.
"So, leading them into trouble, too?" the captain asked impatiently.
"No, Captain Friedrichs. A friend of ours is making a purchase in this store. She'll be out in a minute so we can go meet Ace and the others."
"What!? Cooper's here!? How come Vega hasn't questioned him yet!? I'm going to have his badge and his hide for not doing his job!" Friedrichs then stormed off.
However, something within Raye set off a warning. What the—? I'm sensing an evil presence, and it's close. Could it be the threat Sailor Saturn was talking about? Has it arrived already without any of us knowing? She then looked at the others. "Um, listen, I need to use the bathroom. Cosmo, where's it located?"
"You go past Lizards' Pet Shop, and you'll see it on the left."
"Thanks, Cosmo." She then walked until she was out of their sight. "I'd better catch up with that man, because he's where the presence is coming from."
Friedrichs went up into the main security office to meet with Bob Raven. "So, you want me here to help in testing the efficiency of the newest security system?"
"Yes, I do," said Raven. "After Angela's kidnapping last year, I do not want to take any unnecessary chances. This is the latest technology, but I need you to help me determine if there are any flaws."
"Of course, Mr. Raven. We do not want a repeat of what happened to Miss Jacobs."
Little did they know that Raye, standing outside the door, had listened to the entire conversation. "Angie was kidnapped last year? Why didn't she say anything about it before?"
"The problem right now," Raven noted, "is I don't want to test this while the mall, club, and casino are open. I know this is a stretch, but could you be here tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. for a formal test?"
"Yes, I can arrange that. I will bring a few officers from the night shift along to see how effective the security system really is. I need to head back to the office because one of my officers isn't doing his job."
Raye heard Friedrichs approaching the door and quickly ran downstairs and out of sight.
When he did leave the office, Raye's sixth sense for evil became much stronger than ever. "That's it!" She took out a small piece of paper and shouted, "Stop!"
Friedrichs turned around quickly. "What do you want? Oh, you're one of Cosmo's little friends. Come to cause trouble?"
"No, but you have!" She then jumped high into the air and shouted, "Evil spirits…begone!" She then threw the small piece of paper at Friedrichs's forehead, which paralyzed him and made him fall to the ground.
Friedrichs was extremely furious for what she had just done. "Arrest this girl immediately and charge her with assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon!"
Suddenly, a group of officers rushed into the scene and pulled their guns on Raye.
Not knowing how to deal with this effectively, she had no choice but to surrender to the authorities. She put her hands into the air and said, "Okay, I give up."
One officer asked her to put her hands down and behind her, so he could place handcuffs on her wrists. He also read her rights as he completed the cuffing.
The officers then escorted her out a side entrance and to one of the police cars, where she would be taken to jail.
Raye thought to herself, Great. Now what can I do? I've never been in trouble with the law before.
Friedrichs took the sheet of paper off his forehead and said, "How can this little sheet paralyze a person?" He then felt unusually tired. "Goodness, that took more out of me than I thought. Maybe I'm just hungry. I'm going to eat lunch and then get back to the station to question that freaky girl."
Not too far away, a young lady, with light brown hair in braids and darker-color skin with green eyes, noticed Raye being arrested. Wearing her beige outfit of cut-off tank top, goggles, pants, and shoes, she said, "I'd better find Cosmo and fast. I think that girl's in trouble for something she didn't do."
She ran through different parts of the mall to locate Cosmo, and when she finally saw him she noticed Cosmo with Lita. When the two held hands, her eyes started to fill with surprise. "What is this? Who's that girl with Cosmo? I'm gonna see what's going on around here…"