SAILOR MOON 2: EXECUTIONER'S LAW!

PREVIOUSLY ON SAILOR MOON………

On July 23rd, 1999, the lives of Sailor Moon and her Senshi changed forever! A being of terrible power and hatred descended from the far distant future, harboring a vendetta against Sailor Moon! She called herself Dark Mercury, and she was soon revealed to be the future destiny of Sailor Mercury… The Fallen Senshi!

Regardless of her origins, it was clear she meant business! Dark Mercury was completing a conquest of Time, wherein she murdered thousands of versions of Neo-Queen Serenity simply by going back in Time each previous day. Her conquest might have been completed at one critical juncture: The Wedding of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion.

However, before Dark Mercury could complete the killing blow to the object of her worst hatred, Sailor Pluto intervened and sent Neo-Queen Serenity hurtling backward through time to the last days of the 20th Century. Dark Mercury followed, determined to finish her revenge in the distant past!

The Sailor Scouts of 1999 hadn't used their powers to fight evil since the battle against Galaxia four years ago. Now they were young adults and beginning to make their own way in the world as normal people, but once again their destiny was thrust upon them by the sudden arrival of Serenity… Battered, broken, and bleeding!

While Dark Mercury solidified her hold on the Time Stream, Sailor Pluto moved to gather powerful allies for the Senshi of 1999. Meanwhile, on Earth, Sailor Jupiter discovered the identity of Serenity and learned from her the dark destiny of Amy Mizuno!

But before she could warn her friends Dark Mercury appeared and tried to finish off Neo-Queen Serenity. Sailor Jupiter fought back, buying time for the rest of the Senshi to gathered toward the chaos. The fight became bogged down in an old abandoned Refinery, and Sailor Pluto and her allies came to the rescue. But even the likes of General Jedite were unable to fell her, and Dark Mercury simply absorbed his power to make herself much stronger than before.

All seemed lost, but Sailor Saturn moved in and prevented Dark Mercury from killing Jedite by sacrificing her own life in her Ultimate Attack: Death Reborn Revolution! The two were apparently killed in the huge blast and for a time peace returned. Jedite was moved by Saturn's actions and vowed to devote his heart and soul to good from then on. Sailor Pluto revealed the story of Dark Mercury to everyone and a great deal of soul searching commenced among the Senshi, who have never dealt with any situation this personal before.

But Dark Mercury was not dead! She returned, this time at the head of a massive Fleet of Starships to lay waste to 20th Century Earth! But help arrived once again, this time at the hands of Sailor Galaxia, a former enemy, and five new Senshi! While a massive battle occurred in Outer Space between the Senshi and the Nemesis Fleets, the final showdown between Dark Mercury and both Sailor Moons was joined.

In the terrible fighting that followed, Sailor Mars was tragically taken from the Senshi! In a fit of rage, Neo-Queen Serenity finally lost control and went all out against Dark Mercury! In the battle that subsequently flattened nearly half the city of Tokyo, Serenity managed to wear down Dark Mercury enough for her past self to take over. But even the combined power of the Sailor Scouts was not powerful enough to vaporize Dark Mercury… Not without Sailor Mars!

Enter Katsie Ayakashi and her Sisters, apparently the perfect replacements for the fallen Senshi. Katsie reluctantly took up the responsibility of Sailor Mars and added her powers to Sailor Moon's, completing the Senshi Ring, and destroying Dark Mercury even as Serenity, holding her down, died as well! In one Earth-shattering explosion the threat of Dark Mercury was ended forever!

But though the Senshi won the battle, they now face another war on the Horizon. Tokyo is broken, its citizens weary and angry over losing their homes and families. Crime is on the rise as chaos takes over, and the Sailor Scouts have found themselves thrust into the public eye, where everything they do is scrutinized and criticized. They now have to prove themselves to Tokyo that they are a force of good and help erase the shadow of Dark Mercury that looms in people's memories. The battle will begin on the streets of Tokyo, against the common Criminals who seek to take advantage of Tokyo's shattered state………

CHAPTER ONE: THE SILENCE GLAIVE!

"This is the Tokyo Police Department!" said the Officer into his megaphone. "We have you completely surrounded! Come out with your hands in the air!"

The place was a small, decrepit Department Store in what was left of downtown Tokyo. The time was nearly midnight. There was a half Moon hanging over the street, adding its pale glow to the meager city lights. The store was one of only a few buildings not damaged in some way, save for the broken glass door. The lights within were on. The place was currently occupied, but not by its owner.

The reply to the Police's warning was a hail of bullets from within. Several large plate glass windows shattered as ammunition smashed through. The Cops hit the deck, hiding behind their vehicles. The ringing of metal could be heard as bullets bounced off the vehicles.

"They're not your average petty thieves," said Sergeant Martin Gotoh to his partner, Jed Tokiba.

"They seem determined to hold their ground against us," Jed said emotionlessly, crouched behind the rear tire. As the bullet fire lessened he peeked over the trunk of the '95 Toyota Corolla. "There are eight of them inside," he said as he came back down again.

"How do you figure that? There was no confirmation over the radio of the number of perpetrators," Martin looked skeptical.

"There's no need," Jed remarked. "I could tell from the bullet holes and the angle of fire. Two from four different windows. Plus, there's a difference in the sizes of the holes in the cars. I count maybe as much as five different calibers. A couple appear to be Shotguns judging from the sounds they make."

"And you had the presence of mind to pay attention to that while you were ducking back here?" Martin gaped. "You're either lying through your teeth or you're some kind of freakin' genius!"

"Something like that," Jed loaded his pistol and clicked off the safety. "In any case they don't appear to be too willing to surrender."

"Screw yourselves, you Police bastards!" shouted someone from the Department Store. "We got enough ammo in here to keep you out for days!"

"Wonder why they'd want such a small insignificant store so bad?" Martin wondered.

"There's more to that store than meets the eye," Jed said simply. "Perhaps at an earlier date they left something here that was of value to them. Drugs maybe, or some loot from a previously committed crime."

"You amaze me, man," Martin shook his head. "You've only been in this department a month and you got all the makings of a Detective. You should try out for the program sometime. We're hurting for Investigators right now."

"Surrender or we'll be forced to enter the building!" the Captain shouted back through the megaphone.

"Not likely," Jed muttered.

A shot rang out from inside the building. All of a sudden the megaphone shattered and the Police Captain, whose name was Jidai, fell back on the ground with blood coming out of his mouth and the back of his head.

Jed felt a rush of indignation as he coolly stood up from behind his car, took aim at the origin of the shot, and fired. A painful scream from inside told everyone he hit the mark.

The rest of the Officers cheered as the Criminals opened fire. But by then Jed was back behind his wheel. Martin looked at him in awe. "You say you've never been a Cop before, but I don't buy it. You have brains and the deadest freakin' aim I've ever seen a blue suit fire!"

"I was telling the truth, I wasn't ever a Police Officer," Jed responded amidst the rain of bullets ricocheting off cars. "But I used to be a Soldier… A long time ago. That's all you need to know about me."

All of a sudden the firing ceased! From the top of a building across the street flew a long object, like a giant arrow! The object pierced one of the few remaining unbroken windows of the store and lodged into the tiled floor.

"What was that?!" Martin exclaimed.

Then, without warning, the entire building rocked on its' foundations as a gigantic, fiery explosion blew out its walls and lifted its ceiling off! Every Cop in the area stood up in shock as they stared at what was just a moment ago a standoff! The standoff was apparently over now!

Jed looked back up at the opposite roof. Before he thought he'd seen someone up there right before the missile flew overhead, but he'd passed it off as just a spectator. Now he wasn't so sure. In any case the person wasn't there any longer.

"What the hell was that thing?!" Martin shouted, shielding his face from the heat of the fire. "A Rocket Launcher?!"

"Perhaps," Jed answered, a little stunned himself. "But who would launch it at a bunch of crooks and why?"

"Whoever did it certainly took care of the problem," said Martin.

"Don't pat whoever it was on the back. He may have ended a siege, but he also committed murder," Jed growled. He watched as the Firefighters advanced and unleashed their hoses on the fire. Lights turned on in surrounding Apartment Complexes and people leaned out their windows to look. In minutes the entire city would be trying to find out what the explosion was about. He sighed heavily. Here came the Media.

"You don't suppose it was the Senshi girls, do you?" Martin asked.

Jed shot him a hard look. He generally didn't care about people, but about the Senshi he always got defensive. If it wasn't for them, he wouldn't be alive right now. He'd still be frozen in a block of ice for all eternity. "The Senshi would not do something like this. They don't need weapons for crime fighting for one thing. For another thing they aren't the type of girls who kill people."

"Oh, and I suppose you know all about them," Martin laughed.

"Let's just say I have a feeling," Jed replied. He shook his head. There were many ignorant people, some of them, sadly, Police Officers who thought the Senshi were the cause of Tokyo's recent problems. It was ridiculous that they get blamed for Dark Mercury's devastation, but that was just human nature to find a scapegoat. "I mean, you've seen them on the news," he continued. "Try picturing those pretty young girls in miniskirts toting weapons and artillery pieces. Doesn't fit, does it?"

Martin chuckled. "I dunno, have you seen some of that Anime?" he laughed. "So you do have a human side after all. 'Pretty young girls'… That was a good one coming from you."

Before too long the Firefighters had the fire under control and subdued. It was strange how quickly they gained the upper hand on the blaze, however. It seemed as though the fire died down on its own. Finally, an hour after it started the fire was out and Investigators began to rummage through the rubble.

Jed expected the Investigators to find maybe a spent shell casing or shrapnel from a bomb that had caused the sudden explosion. However, from within the burned out shell of the store, there arose a collective exclamation. Some of the scene leaders got called in and the noise grew louder as the news spread. A weapon had been found alright, but it was unlike anything they had ever seen!

Jed furrowed his brows together when the word 'Senshi' began to get thrown around by the rumor mill. He left Martin's side and walked toward the building. He was stopped by another Lieutenant. "Sorry, Jed. I can't let you in unless you're part of the Investigative Team," he said apologetically.

"What are they talking about?" Jed insisted. "What did they find in there?"

"They're bringing it out right now," the Lieutenant pointed.

One of the Investigators, surrounded by a group of Officers, emerged from the wreckage with the object. It was a long staff, about six feet in length from the butt of the shaft to the tip of the blade at the end. The blade itself was fishhook shaped, and though it had been at the center of an explosion it bore no blemish or damage that could be seen!

Jed gasped. "I know that weapon!" he accidentally blurted out.

"Huh?!" the Lieutenant looked at him funny. Several Cops around the area looked at him too.

Jed pushed past the flustered Officer and charged into the midst of the I-Team. Several surprised and angry shouts went unheeded as he snatched the weapon from the team leader, an old salty Detective named Harry Morimura.

"Tokiba!" he barked. "What are you doing?! Do you want your badge taken away?!!"

Jed ignored him. He inspected the weapon closely, trying to find out if it was a fake. Of course he had no way of knowing for sure, but the fact he'd seen this weapon before made his heart pound. It couldn't possibly be HER! There was simply no way!!

Morimura gave him a long look. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Tokiba," he said more calmly. "I get the feeling you know something about this thing that we don't."

Jed snapped out of his shock and looked around at everyone. All the Cops either looked at him accusingly or curiously. For once he was at a loss for words. He handed the weapon back to the Detective. "Here," he croaked before turning to walk away.

One of the other Officers made a move as if to stop him, but Morimura restrained him. "I'll get to him later. He knows something but let's get the scene cleaned up first. He'll fess up when he's ready to."

Martin was waiting at the car with his arms folded across his chest. "What was that all about?" he asked. He actually sounded worried.

Jed got into the passenger seat. "Let's get back to the Station," he said. "There's nothing for us here."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Martin asked, getting behind the wheel.

Jed shook his head. "I have an idea, but I'm not jumping the gun on this one. I have to consult an expert in the business first."

Martin smirked and started up the car, shaking his head. "You're never this evasive. It must be serious."

"More than you could ever know," Jed whispered as they took off down the street.

Trista Meioh was waiting for him out in front of the Police Station. Jed was surprised, but then again perhaps he wasn't altogether shocked she was here. He said a quick goodnight to Martin and walked up to her.

"I take it you know what I'm about to ask you," he said.

"You may find it hard to believe but I probably know less than you do," Trista replied coolly. "I'm here because I've felt a great disturbance in the Time Stream. And it's centered around Tokyo."

Jed shook his head and laughed sardonically. "What is it with this town? It's like a Black Hole sucking evil toward it."

Trista wasn't laughing. "Tell me what happened tonight. Because tonight I felt a huge spike in that disturbance. And this time you were near the locus of it."

Jed sobered up. "Something very disturbing did happen. I saw something I don't think I should have seen. What was the name they gave to Sailor Saturn's weapon?"

"The Silence Glaive."

"That's the one," said Jed "Tonight I was part of a Police Standoff around Yoko's Department Store. We were pinning down a bunch of trigger-happy Criminals who were hiding a stash of Crack somewhere inside. They had us at a disadvantage somewhat until that very weapon came flying from across the street and speared straight through the store window. Seconds later it blew up, killing every man inside. The Police found the Silence Glaive after the blast and now they're holding it in custody even as we speak."

Trista became distant, as if processing what he was thinking. Her expression was unreadable. Finally she came back to him. "The possibilities are very few," she explained cryptically. "Only one being in existence could wield the Silence Glaive, but she's dead."

"Well unless I'm being deceived it looked very much LIKE the Silence Glaive," insisted Jed. "Maybe someone else found a way to use it."

"Impossible," Trista shook her head emphatically.

"Then what? Saturn's back from the dead?" asked Jed. He didn't know why just saying that made his heart pound. Sure she'd sacrificed her life to save his, but he only knew her a few minutes.

Trista shrugged. "I don't know. Your news is just as much a shock to me as it is to you. And without the Time Stream intact I cannot see things with clarity, only feel. It may be Centuries before I can be as powerful as I was before Dark Mercury."

"Don't let it get you down," Jed put an arm around her waist and kissed her on the neck. "Just look at it this way. That doesn't make me love you any less. I just wish you'd come around more often and not just for some emergency or problem."

Trista smiled at him. "You're sweet."

"I know, don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold," Jed joked without even cracking a smile.

That made Trista laugh, which was his goal all along. She reluctantly kissed him on the lips and then backed away. "I'd love to come home with you tonight, but I have some investigating to do. I'll be back in a few days at least."

"Yeah, what else is new?" Jed griped.

"I promise," Trista poked him gently on the nose, "after this is solved I'll spend more time in the real world. So please don't be bitter?"

Jed pretended to consider it. "Just one more question."

"Yes?"

"What do I do about letting the others know about this?"

Trista paused. "Don't tell them anything. Not until we know for sure what's going on. Let's not jump the gun. This would be a very delicate issue for all of us."

Jed nodded in agreement. "That's what I would have said. Very well then. I'll see what I can do from my end about finding things out."

The two of them kissed one more time and then Trista melted into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.

When Jed reported back to work that evening, the entire Police Station was in an uproar. Everyone was talking to someone and most of the conversation wasn't happy. Fortunately he didn't even have to ask what was going on. Detective Morimura was waiting by his cubicle. He didn't look pleased.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked Jed, taking his brown coat off and hanging it on the back of his chair.

"You and I need to have a little chat right now. Whatever you got lined up for this evening can wait."

"Actually I have some time. I always come to work a half hour early," said Jed. "Your office then?"

Morimura led him to an office toward the back of the building. It was relatively quiet in his corner of the Station. He had a reputation for being a snappy old man, and most of the younger Cops stayed out of his way unless they had business with him. Once the door was closed the silence was deafening. Jed was fairly certain he was going to get a vigorous interrogation, but he didn't care. He'd known fear before and someone like Morimura didn't even come close to the terrors he'd dealt with most of his life.

"Something happen today I should know about?" Jed started out.

"I don't know, Tokiba," said Morimura, lighting a cigarette. "Perhaps you can tell me."

"Well if you want to know how my day went, I got home at about eight in the morning, slept until about two o'clock, got up, showered, shaved, watched some CNN, ate some dinner, put on my Uniform and came here to work just five minutes ago. How was your day, Inspector?" Jed answered without the slightest tone of sarcasm.

Morimura snorted. "You're clever, Tokiba. Perhaps a little too clever. I know full well what you did during that Dark Mercury fiasco and everyone around here might think you're quite the hero. But what everyone seems to have forgotten I have not. You're a friend of those Senshi girls, or at the very least an acquaintance. I know you know a lot more than you let on, in fact you may know exactly what I need to in order to solve this case! What do you know about the weapon that was stolen today?!"

Jed's heart froze, though he didn't so much as show it on his face. "It's gone?"

"Disappeared not long after you checked out," said Morimura, sitting back in his chair. "We had it in the Clean Room as evidence. The Forensic Tech left it alone sometime around ten this morning. An hour later, he returns, the weapon is gone. Investigations inspects the room… No sign of forced entry; no fingerprints; nothing else in the room was disturbed, and the surveillance tapes have a two minute gap in their playback. Here's the real ass-kicker: the tape wasn't erased, it simply did not record those two minutes during the time the weapon got taken."

"Impressive," Jed nodded.

"The person who took the weapon was more than a professional. In fact it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out it was the person whom the weapon belonged to that took it back. Now I think you know who it is, Jed… I can call you Jed, can't I… Because this person obviously wasn't a normal person," said Morimura.

The man was sharp for his age, no doubt about it. "I know what you're trying to get at," he said to the old Detective. "You want me to tell you it was a Senshi, don't you?"

"Did I say that?" Morimura shrugged benignly.

Jed laughed. His mirth must have taken the old Cop by surprise because Morimura raised his eyebrows. Finally, Jed stopped laughing. "Trust me, sir," he said, "I don't know a single Senshi who's clever enough to pull this off."

Morimura wasn't amused. "Cut the crap, Jed! I know you know more about that weapon than you let on! I could see it in your eyes last night! I didn't call you out then out of professional courtesy, but if you don't start spilling the beans I'll have your badge resting on my pine before lunchtime!"

Jed's smile vanished and he leaned forward onto Morimura's desk. "The weapon is called the 'Silence Glaive'," he said. "And you're right… It is a Senshi weapon. But that Senshi died in defense of this city! On July 23rd, 1999! She died so that you and twenty million other people could live! And if you so much as breathe a bad word about the defenders of this city and those who gave their lives to save it one more time… YOUR badge will be resting nicely up your ASS!!"

Morimura stood up to full height. His jaw was clenched tightly in anger. "What would anyone want with a Senshi weapon?!" he demanded. "If it's not a Senshi as you so adamantly put it… then who the HELL is it, Jed?!"

"I don't know!" Jed finally raised his voice. "But I will get to the bottom of this!"

"You?! What do you want to be a Detective all of a sudden?!" Morimura scoffed.

Jed smirked wryly. "I'm the key to solving this case, sir. And I will be involved, because whoever stole the Glaive and murdered those criminals last night has made it very personal for me. I want to catch this person as badly as you do and make him pay for using a sacred weapon to kill! And if this person does turn out to be extraordinary, you're going to need my connections with the Senshi to bring him down."

Morimura was obviously not used to being outdone, but he couldn't argue against Jed's words. Deep down inside he knew he was right. He sat back down and stubbed out the butt of his smoke in the overflowing ash tray. "Alright then. We have no evidence, no eyewitnesses to either the murders or the burglary, and no clues to go on. Where do you suggest we start?"

"We wait for him to make another move… and we contact the Sailor Senshi. As much as that might stick in your craw, they will be on the playing field for this little game, as this may be very personal for them as well," Jed moved toward the door. "And as for the investigation it is already begun, I assure you. So just stay put and handle things here and I'll keep you posted as to my progress."

"Wait! What do you mean stay put… JED!!" Jed shut the door before Morimura could protest any further. He tried to stifle the triumphant grin on his face as he lifted up his coat and walked out the door of the station.