CHOODOBESHE
(Monster)
Hmmmm..interesting.
Your planet is a treasure trove. Of people, of resources..of power.
It's much like our homeworld, actually. Just more humans. We called them Overlanders. Their origins were obscure. But you, you have figured them out. You say that you evolved from monkeys.
Well, we know how we evolved too. We evolved from races with names that are long lost to antiquity. Slime, then the unknown races..then us. We, like you, were first.
And you, like us, have a hidden source of infinite power, which you know nothing of.
But I see in your eyes, humans, that you wish to be more. You want to have the power to wipe away old age. You've been studying it, and you find that a certain gene, if left unbroken, could constitute the Fountain of Youth. You also want to clone your people to find cures for certain diseases. You find that certain plants which spell death to others can spell life to you.
That is where we differ. Perhaps in life I thought that all were privileged to such qualities. But such desires will come to a bad end. They have started wars on our planets. They have killed millions of people.
And, from the look on your face, Mr. Secretary, that is exactly what you want.
Oh, the Death of your world, and its name is Atrava. And Death's reaper, his name..is the Green Monster which plagues Tokyo.
Ata Nakitsu, Meian Haru, Naru Osaka - you are not the last to be attacked.
-----------------------------
The night was dim and cloudy in Tokyo. The moon was covered by a murky sheet of nimbus clouds. The forecasters had predicted that there would be thunderstorms that night - an unusual thing in November, for normally, it snowed.
But it was exactly what he wanted.
"Is everything ready?" he asked with a Russian accent.
"Yes, sir."
"Good." The man turned to his right. "Are you ready?"
The short, cloaked figure looked up at his owner. From the hatred in his cloudy green eyes, the man could tell that his servant was ready to go.
"Good." The man looked at their target building. "Remember my signal."
"Da." The men nodded. The cloaked figure only stared at the building.
"This could be the place. Remember, he said himself that there was an unusual amount of energy here in this country. Which means our friend might be here by now." The man's eyes flashed at his last sentence. "Remember - take no prisoners. Knock everyone out. Let's go!!"
With that, everyone quietly stormed the building, taking their positions in wait for the big prize. A crash of thunder rumbled as the man quietly composed himself, raised his umbrella, and walked into the building.
--------------------------
The party was small in comparison to some of the ones held in recent weeks, but with consideration to recent events, the Second Juuban Museum of Natural History inauguration party still hit it off with its invitees. Not even the thunder and lightning outside could really deter anyone's attention away from the exhibits.
"Wow!!" Usagi poured over the natural gems. "This is beautiful! Like a treasure trove!"
"Usagi seems to be enjoying herself." Mamoru looked at Michiru. "I guess you were right. This cheered up her spirits."
"Well," Michiru replied. "I thought it would."
"Hey! Usagi!" Rei pulled on Usagi's arm. "Those aren't the only things in here, you know!!"
"But they're so preeeeeettyyyy.."
"Isn't it a little dangerous?" Hotaru turned her head towards the northern point of the room.
"What do you mean?" Setsuna looked over. "I suppose it is."
Near the corner of the room was a brown-haired man, wearing a simple two piece suit with a tie. Hotaru nodded.
"Killing two birds with one stone. And he doesn't even know it yet."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The organizer of the event held his hands up. "Please! I would like your attention. We are about to start the launching of our new facility. First, a word on the importance of our natural history from our guest, the esteemed American, Mr. Kyle Resnick, who was delayed because of the thunderstorm."
From another side of the room came a black-haired man, who almost leaped up onto the podium at the same time that he began to talk. Everyone quickly sat down in their seats.
"Thank you." He said in halted Japanese. "I apologize for the delay. I would first like to thank the Exchange Program for allowing the city of Tokyo to found such an important museum."
"His tie seems to be a little tight, don't you think?" Hotaru whispered to Setsuna.
"The natural history of our planet is incredibly important," the man continued. "We are only beginning to understand the importance of using rocks and gems deep in the earth to determine the vast history of the world that we have grown to love. The AAS, the American Archeological Society, has made several interesting discoveries pertaining to the earliest Egyptian civilizations..and their use of emeralds. The emeralds shown here at the Museum are among several hundred thought to belong to the earliest of the Egyptians, dating back from 4,000 BC. Yet, as you can see, they are in perfect condition."
Most of the crowd ooohed and aaaahed at the fact. Usagi looked around her to notice that the brown-haired man was coming to sit next to her.
"And there are many other incredible things you will find in the museum. For example," Resnick pointed to a large ruby sapphire, "that right over there was a part of the Czar's collection of special occaision jewelry. It was a part of his special coronation armor, and was worn the night of his coronation to promote the longevity of his reign. It was a part of a little- known ceremony called the noch vyelichestvennay - 'Imperial Night.' We estimate that it was in the Romanov family since about 1709, and it is now priceless."
The crowd oohed and aahed again. Usagi felt a nudge from the brown-haired man as he sat down.
"And this one, from the Rus era."
"Very interesting."
"Huh?" Usagi turned to see that the brown-haired man was talking to her.
"I said it was very interesting." The brown-haired man shrugged. "Most of this seems to come from Russia."
"Oh." Usagi looked back towards the speaker.
Usagi felt struck by the way that the man next to her talked. It wasn't so much what he said, but it was the voice. There is something familiar about this man.
She turned to talk to him again, but found that he was looking at the speaker. Once again she was struck, only now she was struck by the familiarity of his face. No. I've met this man before. And it was recently. I just can't quite point out.
"And now."
The brown haired man gave a loud yawn and rubbed his eyes. As he did, however, he sneezed.
"Eeee!" Usagi gasped. Some of the snot had fallen on her.
Suddenly, the lights were turned out. People began to murmur nervously as the American stopped.
"What...is going on?" Resnick finally murmured. "This doesn't look right."
Suddenly, the windows shattered, and smoke began to appear in the room.
"AAAAAAAAH!!!!"
The people suddenly jumped up in their chairs. The brown-haired man and Resnick were among the few who were able to leave and escape, before several black-suited figures closed the door on them.
"Teshena!!" The figures took out some guns and pointed them at the guests. "Teshena!!"
"Usagi!!"
Usagi, though she suddenly felt sleepy, felt her arm tugged, then her body dragged to the floor by another guest. The shrieks of the other guests, meanwhile, began to die.
"Huh?" Usagi rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"
"An attack," Rei hissed.
"They sound Russian." Michiru looked around as guests began to collapse. "They're using sleeping gas."
"Shhhhhhhhh." Setsuna put her finger up.
The cries of the guests finally died as the guests finally collapsed. The soldiers under the seats stayed completely quiet.
I hope Mamo-chan, Haruka and Minako are all right.
"(????????w?§¥Ø?.)"
All of the sailors' heads went up when they heard the strange sound from up on the balcony.
"What was that?" Michiru turned to Setsuna.
"....A language unknown to human ears."
Indeed, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows, floating down gently to the ground in front of the troops. It slowly stepped up onto one of the unconscious guests and chuckled.
"A man." Usagi looked the figure up and down and began to sweat. "Albeit.a short man."
"Do you know what language he's saying?" Rei asked.
"No." Setsuna shook her head. "It's too complicated. I don't know what he's saying."
The short figure began to speak again in the incomprehensible language, and the men stood at attention. Usagi looked up, straining her ear.
"These men. Don't they sound familiar?" she whispered.
"They should."
Usagi's heart froze at Setsuna's words. The feeling became worse when she saw the short figure bring out its hand and do something similar to a thumbs-up. The hand was green.
"The green monster from Naru's house!!" she whispered fearfully.
"Indeed." Michiru quietly took out her transformation pen.
"Wait."
The men began to search out the jewels as the short figure watched them, slowly seeming to scan the room. Finally, one man shouted in Russian as he brought forth the first jewel - the emerald from Egypt.
"He said, 'I found it.'" Michiru watched.
The short figure took the emerald and thoroughly examined it. After a moment, the short figure's free hand came up and pointed towards the man who brought it over. Usagi could see the terror in his eyes.
"Ne!!" The guilty party screamed. "NE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The man's pleading was suddenly cut off by a loud scream, which was also suddenly cut off. The soldiers gasped as the man was suddenly overwhelmed and encased in an outer shell of pure emerald.
"My God.." Setsuna muttered.
"That's not the end." Hotaru's eyes squinted.
The statue that had been a man suddenly began to crack. Within seconds, it suddenly collapsed, turning into dust as it did. The figure did not even seem to flinch as he ended his servant's life.
"Gaspaden." Another man shook his head. "Chiem kamen na Felosofeya."
"(?ÿ?®????u??IöDK???tz?fLGNa.)"
Setsuna looked up to see that the men were coming over towards them.
"Damn. He must have seen us."
"Huh?" Rei couldn't believe it. "How?!"
"Hello!!"
The Russian accented salutations froze everyone. Usagi's heart began to accelerate.
"We are not here to hurt you!" Even as he said this, she could hear him loading a round of ammunition on the barrel. "We simply wish to know something."
"A semi-automatic Seroykov." Michiru muttered. "We don't stand a chance."
For several moments, the sailors somberly quieted themselves as they heard the man finish loading his gun. They could hear the sound of the lock clicking out of check, and the bullets as they slid into place.
"(|Æügø¨Ù?????????*çî?--)"
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Without warning, a flash of light appeared in the room. The cloaked figure whirled around to face the origin of the scream, but it was too late. One deft stroke to his cheek. He grunted as he fell to the ground, holding his cheek as it bled, his eyes glaring at the attacker.
"Gaspaden!!"
The men ran to intercept the surprise attacker, but was suddenly restrained by a bright yellow chain, which wrapped around them.
"Now!" Uranus jumped up, the tip of the Space Sword stained with blood. "Space Sword...Blaster!!!"
"URANUS!!!"
The monster's eyes bore into Uranus with a full hatred she had never seen in anyone before. Even when her sword swiped what was the monster, even when the monster disappeared into thin air, which caused her to slice into the floor, she still saw the hatred.
"Damn!!" Uranus saw the men as they struggled against the chain. She pointed to the chairs. "Guys! Venus can only hold out so long!"
"Right!!" Rei took out her pen. "Mars Crystal Power!"
"Neptune Crystal Power!"
"Pluto Crystal Power!"
"Saturn Crystal Power!"
"Moon Eternal!"
"Make-Up!!"
The men finally broke through the chains, and they began to charge towards the soldiers, guns ready.
"PALE!!"" One shouted.
"PALE!!" More began to shout as they cocked their guns and fired.
"Silent Wall!!"
Saturn held her glaive. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of the invisible force field. Still the men charged. From the corner of Sailor Moon's eyes, she could see more men climbing into room through the windows.
"Aw man!!!" Sailor Moon turned to the other soldiers. "We've got to do something!"
"Can't." Uranus' teeth grit. "These guys are normal humans. We can't kill them!"
"WHAT?!!?"
The men began to close in on the soldiers. Sailor Moon could feel the air become stale as she tightly shut her eyes.
It can't end like this. I must save Naru from that green monster that I have seen!!!
One man suddenly grabbed Sailor Moon's hair and began to pull it. With a scream, the girl attempted to get away, but was unable to, dropping her tier in one of her attempts.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"PRINCESS!!"
Uranus attempted to get to her, but was surrounded by the men. The others shared the same dilemma. Even Tuxedo Mask, who had been hiding in the shadows, was unable to get into the large crowd of men and fainted guests.
"Damn!"
"Let's see." The Russian menacingly spoke in halted Japanese as he put a knife to Sailor Moon's throat. "How many of you can we kill?"
CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Suddenly, the glass ceiling above them shattered as a black mass appeared above the group. The room, its excellent acoustics now exposed to the outside elements, rumbled as the thunder roared above them. The menacing tone of Sailor Moon's captor suddenly changed. The knife flew away from Sailor Moon's throat, and her hair was released.
" !!!" he screamed. "BEG!!!!"
He himself began to run, but the figure was far too quick. Twirling a staff in its hand, it hit the man before it landed on the ground, sending the attacker flying. The fact that it was now raining into the room caused him to also slide several feet
"NE!!!"
One of the attackers jumped to attack Sailor Moon. With a scream, she threw her hands up.
"NOOOOOO!!!"
Instead of feeling another man on her, she suddenly heard the sound of a man grunting, then a loud bang as something hit the floor. She opened her eyes to see that the man had been struck in the head by the figure, and was now lying on the floor, unconscious.
"BEG!!!!!" The black-smocked men were in total chaos as they ran for the exits. "BEG!!"
--------------------
After several minutes of confusion, the only one left were the soldiers, the unconscious guests, the unconscious attackers...and the mysterious man who stood in front of Sailor Moon, clutching his staff.
"I.....don't know how to thank you." Sailor Moon finally found her voice in the face of the stranger. "You saved my life."
The mysterious man turned to Sailor Moon and began to walk towards her. He was a strange sight to behold. Along with the wide-brimmed hat, which covered his face but only partially covered his incredibly long red hair, he wore a long brown overcoat of some sorts, which covered a white karate top and slightly baggy brown trousers. Under the white top was a black turtleneck - which also had long arms, as they covered his hands all the way up to his knuckles. Upon learning this last fact about her savior, Sailor Moon noticed that his hands, and his fingers, were unusually large and knobby, with a slightly large gap in between the middle finger and the index finger.
"Th-thank you." Sailor Moon repeated herself.
The man bent down and simply brought his lips to Sailor Moon's ear.
"No. Thank you."
Sailor Moon's eyes grew wide as the man stood back up. She looked at him, her face pale. The other soldiers looked on, their faces paling from shock. Tuxedo Mask was most shocked of all, though he forced himself to only widening his eyes in anger.
"Hey!! Uranus finally spoke. "What do you think you're doing, kissing her!! We'll have you know she's engaged."
"Kiss her?" The man finally spoke to the other soldiers. "Is that what you think I did?"
"What?"
"Anyways," Neptune finally stepped forward, silencing Uranus' angry replies. "Thank you for helping us. We thought for certain we were going to lose."
"You're welcome."
The man suddenly turned around and began to get to the door.
"Wait!!" Uranus turned around and pointed her sword at the man. "Stop!! Who are you?!"
The man turned towards Uranus. He seemed angry as he spoke.
"You have no need to know of my identity. I am....anonymous to you." The man turned back around. "All you ever need know is that I here to complete a mission that you have no business in. I have been on this mission for a long time, and I normally do not spare those who get in my way."
"What is that?!" Uranus became visibly angrier.
"You get what I mean. May we..not meet again," The man looked up at the window above him. "Or else we will not part on such friendly terms."
To everyone's shock, the man gave a jump, and flew up to the balcony window, where he disappeared from sight.
What did he mean.. Sailor Moon looked at Tuxedo Mask, who looked back at her. His face was visibly worried. He didn't kiss me, Mamo-chan. But...'Thank you'? What in the world...
Police sirens could be heard in the distance as Uranus dropped her sword.
"I don't get it." Uranus' teeth were clenched. "'Anonymous'? I wonder what his problem is."
"They were after the Philosopher Stones."
Uranus turned to Pluto.
"Philosopher Stones? What do you mean?"
"The Russian man who was talking to the leader." Pluto looked at her Garnet Orb. "They were discussing the Philosopher Stones."
"And they thought that one of those were here?" Neptune's eyes grew wide.
"Yes." Pluto nodded.
"But what are they?" Venus asked. "Is there something about them that makes them so important?"
Pluto gave no reply.
-----------------
Smoke filled the room as vodka filled the glasses. It was an extremely hectic night for the two men as they had anxiously awaited the news that they were expecting. As one of the men, a younger, muscular man, walked back into the room, he handed the paper to his partner, a man who was a decade or two older, and slightly thinner, with slight grey at his temples.
"The report is in."
"You're positive that it's in Japan?"
"Positive." The younger man nodded. "I've got confirmation on that. Our friend isn't as intelligent as we thought. Or he's more than we thought."
"I'm not so sure." The older man turned to him. "It seems that you have failed each time you set a trap for him. And the last Chaos Emerald doesn't seem to be in Japan as previously thought."
"There is a power there. My man on the job confirmed it. But he can't quite point out exactly what the power is."
"Your man?"
"That's right."
At the snap of his fingers, the hooded creature appeared.
"Your man, eh?" The elder man chuckled. "He looks more like one of those jilted animals from your place."
"Oh, but I think he's been of great use to us, don't you? He's been with me since I've started. He's everything you'd need from a servant. He's smart, he's cunning, he's got some power behind what he does."
"Anything else?"
"He's got a stake in getting our friend. It's one that's just as large as mine, or yours."
The elder man looked at the hooded figure closely.
"Take off your hood."
"(The boss wishes to see your face)", the younger man quickly translated into the impossible language.
The hooded figure slowly took his hood off. A large red mark was visible on his green cheek.
"(Eh?)" The younger man was surprised. "(Where did you get that mark?)"
"(From a girl.)" The green monster looked up at the younger man. "(During the attempt at the Second Juuban, a tall girl came and swiped me with a sword..Sailor Uranus. That was her name.)"
"(Sailor Uranus?)" The question this time came from the older man. "(Are you certain?)"
"(Yes..)" The green monster turned to the older man. "(Papu Atrava. You seem to know those sailors well.)"
The older man, Atrava, gave a slight start before laughing. He circled the green monster.
"(Interesting. Interesting!!!)" Atrava turned to the younger man and spoke in Russian. "Umyenya vedyetyul valshebnay aden prarok ez Volnost."
"You know how I am with Russian, Atava."
"Indeed, Vanguard, indeed." Atrava spoke in Japanese again. "He seems to have some use if he can pull my name out from nowhere. Unless you told him."
"You know me. I would do no such thing!" Vanguard laughed. "My men are the real thing. Especially this one. He'll get you what you ask."
"Indeed." Atrava turned to the door. "If he is as good as you say, then dispatch him against those..sailors.and our friend. If he is as good as you say he is."
With that, the door slammed. Vanguard turned to the green monster and nodded.
"(You understood him well enough, right?)"
"(Yes.)"
"(I suggest you do it, then.)" Vanguard laughed. "(Wouldn't want to anger him. He holds all the cards in his hands.)"
"(He seems well.)"
"(Then you know nothing about Papu Atrava.)"
"(I know him well enough.)" The green monster disappeared.
Vanguard gave a sigh as he opened another door, which led to a stairwell. He went down to the bottom of the stairs, where several men were carrying a large crate.
"Svepch tuda." he said to the men carrying it. "It has something of great importance to me, and Heaven forbid it gets disturbed."
TBC
(Monster)
Hmmmm..interesting.
Your planet is a treasure trove. Of people, of resources..of power.
It's much like our homeworld, actually. Just more humans. We called them Overlanders. Their origins were obscure. But you, you have figured them out. You say that you evolved from monkeys.
Well, we know how we evolved too. We evolved from races with names that are long lost to antiquity. Slime, then the unknown races..then us. We, like you, were first.
And you, like us, have a hidden source of infinite power, which you know nothing of.
But I see in your eyes, humans, that you wish to be more. You want to have the power to wipe away old age. You've been studying it, and you find that a certain gene, if left unbroken, could constitute the Fountain of Youth. You also want to clone your people to find cures for certain diseases. You find that certain plants which spell death to others can spell life to you.
That is where we differ. Perhaps in life I thought that all were privileged to such qualities. But such desires will come to a bad end. They have started wars on our planets. They have killed millions of people.
And, from the look on your face, Mr. Secretary, that is exactly what you want.
Oh, the Death of your world, and its name is Atrava. And Death's reaper, his name..is the Green Monster which plagues Tokyo.
Ata Nakitsu, Meian Haru, Naru Osaka - you are not the last to be attacked.
-----------------------------
The night was dim and cloudy in Tokyo. The moon was covered by a murky sheet of nimbus clouds. The forecasters had predicted that there would be thunderstorms that night - an unusual thing in November, for normally, it snowed.
But it was exactly what he wanted.
"Is everything ready?" he asked with a Russian accent.
"Yes, sir."
"Good." The man turned to his right. "Are you ready?"
The short, cloaked figure looked up at his owner. From the hatred in his cloudy green eyes, the man could tell that his servant was ready to go.
"Good." The man looked at their target building. "Remember my signal."
"Da." The men nodded. The cloaked figure only stared at the building.
"This could be the place. Remember, he said himself that there was an unusual amount of energy here in this country. Which means our friend might be here by now." The man's eyes flashed at his last sentence. "Remember - take no prisoners. Knock everyone out. Let's go!!"
With that, everyone quietly stormed the building, taking their positions in wait for the big prize. A crash of thunder rumbled as the man quietly composed himself, raised his umbrella, and walked into the building.
--------------------------
The party was small in comparison to some of the ones held in recent weeks, but with consideration to recent events, the Second Juuban Museum of Natural History inauguration party still hit it off with its invitees. Not even the thunder and lightning outside could really deter anyone's attention away from the exhibits.
"Wow!!" Usagi poured over the natural gems. "This is beautiful! Like a treasure trove!"
"Usagi seems to be enjoying herself." Mamoru looked at Michiru. "I guess you were right. This cheered up her spirits."
"Well," Michiru replied. "I thought it would."
"Hey! Usagi!" Rei pulled on Usagi's arm. "Those aren't the only things in here, you know!!"
"But they're so preeeeeettyyyy.."
"Isn't it a little dangerous?" Hotaru turned her head towards the northern point of the room.
"What do you mean?" Setsuna looked over. "I suppose it is."
Near the corner of the room was a brown-haired man, wearing a simple two piece suit with a tie. Hotaru nodded.
"Killing two birds with one stone. And he doesn't even know it yet."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The organizer of the event held his hands up. "Please! I would like your attention. We are about to start the launching of our new facility. First, a word on the importance of our natural history from our guest, the esteemed American, Mr. Kyle Resnick, who was delayed because of the thunderstorm."
From another side of the room came a black-haired man, who almost leaped up onto the podium at the same time that he began to talk. Everyone quickly sat down in their seats.
"Thank you." He said in halted Japanese. "I apologize for the delay. I would first like to thank the Exchange Program for allowing the city of Tokyo to found such an important museum."
"His tie seems to be a little tight, don't you think?" Hotaru whispered to Setsuna.
"The natural history of our planet is incredibly important," the man continued. "We are only beginning to understand the importance of using rocks and gems deep in the earth to determine the vast history of the world that we have grown to love. The AAS, the American Archeological Society, has made several interesting discoveries pertaining to the earliest Egyptian civilizations..and their use of emeralds. The emeralds shown here at the Museum are among several hundred thought to belong to the earliest of the Egyptians, dating back from 4,000 BC. Yet, as you can see, they are in perfect condition."
Most of the crowd ooohed and aaaahed at the fact. Usagi looked around her to notice that the brown-haired man was coming to sit next to her.
"And there are many other incredible things you will find in the museum. For example," Resnick pointed to a large ruby sapphire, "that right over there was a part of the Czar's collection of special occaision jewelry. It was a part of his special coronation armor, and was worn the night of his coronation to promote the longevity of his reign. It was a part of a little- known ceremony called the noch vyelichestvennay - 'Imperial Night.' We estimate that it was in the Romanov family since about 1709, and it is now priceless."
The crowd oohed and aahed again. Usagi felt a nudge from the brown-haired man as he sat down.
"And this one, from the Rus era."
"Very interesting."
"Huh?" Usagi turned to see that the brown-haired man was talking to her.
"I said it was very interesting." The brown-haired man shrugged. "Most of this seems to come from Russia."
"Oh." Usagi looked back towards the speaker.
Usagi felt struck by the way that the man next to her talked. It wasn't so much what he said, but it was the voice. There is something familiar about this man.
She turned to talk to him again, but found that he was looking at the speaker. Once again she was struck, only now she was struck by the familiarity of his face. No. I've met this man before. And it was recently. I just can't quite point out.
"And now."
The brown haired man gave a loud yawn and rubbed his eyes. As he did, however, he sneezed.
"Eeee!" Usagi gasped. Some of the snot had fallen on her.
Suddenly, the lights were turned out. People began to murmur nervously as the American stopped.
"What...is going on?" Resnick finally murmured. "This doesn't look right."
Suddenly, the windows shattered, and smoke began to appear in the room.
"AAAAAAAAH!!!!"
The people suddenly jumped up in their chairs. The brown-haired man and Resnick were among the few who were able to leave and escape, before several black-suited figures closed the door on them.
"Teshena!!" The figures took out some guns and pointed them at the guests. "Teshena!!"
"Usagi!!"
Usagi, though she suddenly felt sleepy, felt her arm tugged, then her body dragged to the floor by another guest. The shrieks of the other guests, meanwhile, began to die.
"Huh?" Usagi rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"
"An attack," Rei hissed.
"They sound Russian." Michiru looked around as guests began to collapse. "They're using sleeping gas."
"Shhhhhhhhh." Setsuna put her finger up.
The cries of the guests finally died as the guests finally collapsed. The soldiers under the seats stayed completely quiet.
I hope Mamo-chan, Haruka and Minako are all right.
"(????????w?§¥Ø?.)"
All of the sailors' heads went up when they heard the strange sound from up on the balcony.
"What was that?" Michiru turned to Setsuna.
"....A language unknown to human ears."
Indeed, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows, floating down gently to the ground in front of the troops. It slowly stepped up onto one of the unconscious guests and chuckled.
"A man." Usagi looked the figure up and down and began to sweat. "Albeit.a short man."
"Do you know what language he's saying?" Rei asked.
"No." Setsuna shook her head. "It's too complicated. I don't know what he's saying."
The short figure began to speak again in the incomprehensible language, and the men stood at attention. Usagi looked up, straining her ear.
"These men. Don't they sound familiar?" she whispered.
"They should."
Usagi's heart froze at Setsuna's words. The feeling became worse when she saw the short figure bring out its hand and do something similar to a thumbs-up. The hand was green.
"The green monster from Naru's house!!" she whispered fearfully.
"Indeed." Michiru quietly took out her transformation pen.
"Wait."
The men began to search out the jewels as the short figure watched them, slowly seeming to scan the room. Finally, one man shouted in Russian as he brought forth the first jewel - the emerald from Egypt.
"He said, 'I found it.'" Michiru watched.
The short figure took the emerald and thoroughly examined it. After a moment, the short figure's free hand came up and pointed towards the man who brought it over. Usagi could see the terror in his eyes.
"Ne!!" The guilty party screamed. "NE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The man's pleading was suddenly cut off by a loud scream, which was also suddenly cut off. The soldiers gasped as the man was suddenly overwhelmed and encased in an outer shell of pure emerald.
"My God.." Setsuna muttered.
"That's not the end." Hotaru's eyes squinted.
The statue that had been a man suddenly began to crack. Within seconds, it suddenly collapsed, turning into dust as it did. The figure did not even seem to flinch as he ended his servant's life.
"Gaspaden." Another man shook his head. "Chiem kamen na Felosofeya."
"(?ÿ?®????u??IöDK???tz?fLGNa.)"
Setsuna looked up to see that the men were coming over towards them.
"Damn. He must have seen us."
"Huh?" Rei couldn't believe it. "How?!"
"Hello!!"
The Russian accented salutations froze everyone. Usagi's heart began to accelerate.
"We are not here to hurt you!" Even as he said this, she could hear him loading a round of ammunition on the barrel. "We simply wish to know something."
"A semi-automatic Seroykov." Michiru muttered. "We don't stand a chance."
For several moments, the sailors somberly quieted themselves as they heard the man finish loading his gun. They could hear the sound of the lock clicking out of check, and the bullets as they slid into place.
"(|Æügø¨Ù?????????*çî?--)"
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Without warning, a flash of light appeared in the room. The cloaked figure whirled around to face the origin of the scream, but it was too late. One deft stroke to his cheek. He grunted as he fell to the ground, holding his cheek as it bled, his eyes glaring at the attacker.
"Gaspaden!!"
The men ran to intercept the surprise attacker, but was suddenly restrained by a bright yellow chain, which wrapped around them.
"Now!" Uranus jumped up, the tip of the Space Sword stained with blood. "Space Sword...Blaster!!!"
"URANUS!!!"
The monster's eyes bore into Uranus with a full hatred she had never seen in anyone before. Even when her sword swiped what was the monster, even when the monster disappeared into thin air, which caused her to slice into the floor, she still saw the hatred.
"Damn!!" Uranus saw the men as they struggled against the chain. She pointed to the chairs. "Guys! Venus can only hold out so long!"
"Right!!" Rei took out her pen. "Mars Crystal Power!"
"Neptune Crystal Power!"
"Pluto Crystal Power!"
"Saturn Crystal Power!"
"Moon Eternal!"
"Make-Up!!"
The men finally broke through the chains, and they began to charge towards the soldiers, guns ready.
"PALE!!"" One shouted.
"PALE!!" More began to shout as they cocked their guns and fired.
"Silent Wall!!"
Saturn held her glaive. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of the invisible force field. Still the men charged. From the corner of Sailor Moon's eyes, she could see more men climbing into room through the windows.
"Aw man!!!" Sailor Moon turned to the other soldiers. "We've got to do something!"
"Can't." Uranus' teeth grit. "These guys are normal humans. We can't kill them!"
"WHAT?!!?"
The men began to close in on the soldiers. Sailor Moon could feel the air become stale as she tightly shut her eyes.
It can't end like this. I must save Naru from that green monster that I have seen!!!
One man suddenly grabbed Sailor Moon's hair and began to pull it. With a scream, the girl attempted to get away, but was unable to, dropping her tier in one of her attempts.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"PRINCESS!!"
Uranus attempted to get to her, but was surrounded by the men. The others shared the same dilemma. Even Tuxedo Mask, who had been hiding in the shadows, was unable to get into the large crowd of men and fainted guests.
"Damn!"
"Let's see." The Russian menacingly spoke in halted Japanese as he put a knife to Sailor Moon's throat. "How many of you can we kill?"
CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Suddenly, the glass ceiling above them shattered as a black mass appeared above the group. The room, its excellent acoustics now exposed to the outside elements, rumbled as the thunder roared above them. The menacing tone of Sailor Moon's captor suddenly changed. The knife flew away from Sailor Moon's throat, and her hair was released.
" !!!" he screamed. "BEG!!!!"
He himself began to run, but the figure was far too quick. Twirling a staff in its hand, it hit the man before it landed on the ground, sending the attacker flying. The fact that it was now raining into the room caused him to also slide several feet
"NE!!!"
One of the attackers jumped to attack Sailor Moon. With a scream, she threw her hands up.
"NOOOOOO!!!"
Instead of feeling another man on her, she suddenly heard the sound of a man grunting, then a loud bang as something hit the floor. She opened her eyes to see that the man had been struck in the head by the figure, and was now lying on the floor, unconscious.
"BEG!!!!!" The black-smocked men were in total chaos as they ran for the exits. "BEG!!"
--------------------
After several minutes of confusion, the only one left were the soldiers, the unconscious guests, the unconscious attackers...and the mysterious man who stood in front of Sailor Moon, clutching his staff.
"I.....don't know how to thank you." Sailor Moon finally found her voice in the face of the stranger. "You saved my life."
The mysterious man turned to Sailor Moon and began to walk towards her. He was a strange sight to behold. Along with the wide-brimmed hat, which covered his face but only partially covered his incredibly long red hair, he wore a long brown overcoat of some sorts, which covered a white karate top and slightly baggy brown trousers. Under the white top was a black turtleneck - which also had long arms, as they covered his hands all the way up to his knuckles. Upon learning this last fact about her savior, Sailor Moon noticed that his hands, and his fingers, were unusually large and knobby, with a slightly large gap in between the middle finger and the index finger.
"Th-thank you." Sailor Moon repeated herself.
The man bent down and simply brought his lips to Sailor Moon's ear.
"No. Thank you."
Sailor Moon's eyes grew wide as the man stood back up. She looked at him, her face pale. The other soldiers looked on, their faces paling from shock. Tuxedo Mask was most shocked of all, though he forced himself to only widening his eyes in anger.
"Hey!! Uranus finally spoke. "What do you think you're doing, kissing her!! We'll have you know she's engaged."
"Kiss her?" The man finally spoke to the other soldiers. "Is that what you think I did?"
"What?"
"Anyways," Neptune finally stepped forward, silencing Uranus' angry replies. "Thank you for helping us. We thought for certain we were going to lose."
"You're welcome."
The man suddenly turned around and began to get to the door.
"Wait!!" Uranus turned around and pointed her sword at the man. "Stop!! Who are you?!"
The man turned towards Uranus. He seemed angry as he spoke.
"You have no need to know of my identity. I am....anonymous to you." The man turned back around. "All you ever need know is that I here to complete a mission that you have no business in. I have been on this mission for a long time, and I normally do not spare those who get in my way."
"What is that?!" Uranus became visibly angrier.
"You get what I mean. May we..not meet again," The man looked up at the window above him. "Or else we will not part on such friendly terms."
To everyone's shock, the man gave a jump, and flew up to the balcony window, where he disappeared from sight.
What did he mean.. Sailor Moon looked at Tuxedo Mask, who looked back at her. His face was visibly worried. He didn't kiss me, Mamo-chan. But...'Thank you'? What in the world...
Police sirens could be heard in the distance as Uranus dropped her sword.
"I don't get it." Uranus' teeth were clenched. "'Anonymous'? I wonder what his problem is."
"They were after the Philosopher Stones."
Uranus turned to Pluto.
"Philosopher Stones? What do you mean?"
"The Russian man who was talking to the leader." Pluto looked at her Garnet Orb. "They were discussing the Philosopher Stones."
"And they thought that one of those were here?" Neptune's eyes grew wide.
"Yes." Pluto nodded.
"But what are they?" Venus asked. "Is there something about them that makes them so important?"
Pluto gave no reply.
-----------------
Smoke filled the room as vodka filled the glasses. It was an extremely hectic night for the two men as they had anxiously awaited the news that they were expecting. As one of the men, a younger, muscular man, walked back into the room, he handed the paper to his partner, a man who was a decade or two older, and slightly thinner, with slight grey at his temples.
"The report is in."
"You're positive that it's in Japan?"
"Positive." The younger man nodded. "I've got confirmation on that. Our friend isn't as intelligent as we thought. Or he's more than we thought."
"I'm not so sure." The older man turned to him. "It seems that you have failed each time you set a trap for him. And the last Chaos Emerald doesn't seem to be in Japan as previously thought."
"There is a power there. My man on the job confirmed it. But he can't quite point out exactly what the power is."
"Your man?"
"That's right."
At the snap of his fingers, the hooded creature appeared.
"Your man, eh?" The elder man chuckled. "He looks more like one of those jilted animals from your place."
"Oh, but I think he's been of great use to us, don't you? He's been with me since I've started. He's everything you'd need from a servant. He's smart, he's cunning, he's got some power behind what he does."
"Anything else?"
"He's got a stake in getting our friend. It's one that's just as large as mine, or yours."
The elder man looked at the hooded figure closely.
"Take off your hood."
"(The boss wishes to see your face)", the younger man quickly translated into the impossible language.
The hooded figure slowly took his hood off. A large red mark was visible on his green cheek.
"(Eh?)" The younger man was surprised. "(Where did you get that mark?)"
"(From a girl.)" The green monster looked up at the younger man. "(During the attempt at the Second Juuban, a tall girl came and swiped me with a sword..Sailor Uranus. That was her name.)"
"(Sailor Uranus?)" The question this time came from the older man. "(Are you certain?)"
"(Yes..)" The green monster turned to the older man. "(Papu Atrava. You seem to know those sailors well.)"
The older man, Atrava, gave a slight start before laughing. He circled the green monster.
"(Interesting. Interesting!!!)" Atrava turned to the younger man and spoke in Russian. "Umyenya vedyetyul valshebnay aden prarok ez Volnost."
"You know how I am with Russian, Atava."
"Indeed, Vanguard, indeed." Atrava spoke in Japanese again. "He seems to have some use if he can pull my name out from nowhere. Unless you told him."
"You know me. I would do no such thing!" Vanguard laughed. "My men are the real thing. Especially this one. He'll get you what you ask."
"Indeed." Atrava turned to the door. "If he is as good as you say, then dispatch him against those..sailors.and our friend. If he is as good as you say he is."
With that, the door slammed. Vanguard turned to the green monster and nodded.
"(You understood him well enough, right?)"
"(Yes.)"
"(I suggest you do it, then.)" Vanguard laughed. "(Wouldn't want to anger him. He holds all the cards in his hands.)"
"(He seems well.)"
"(Then you know nothing about Papu Atrava.)"
"(I know him well enough.)" The green monster disappeared.
Vanguard gave a sigh as he opened another door, which led to a stairwell. He went down to the bottom of the stairs, where several men were carrying a large crate.
"Svepch tuda." he said to the men carrying it. "It has something of great importance to me, and Heaven forbid it gets disturbed."
TBC
