CHAPTER FIVE: THE DEFINITION OF JUSTICE!
The tension could be cut with a knife! Ten Policemen with their weapons trained on a Senshi brandishing one of the most perilous weapons in existence! Two other Senshi stood ready to jump in if the situation continued to descend out of control!
Jed stared at the pistol in his hand. The barrel was cut cleanly and diagonally off with but a flick of the Silence Glaive! His heart hammered in his chest. He looked again at the woman who but a moment ago identified herself as "Executioner". Now that he could get a close look at her she did have a stark resemblance to Hotaru. She just looked older. Jed knew nothing about this "Mistress Nine" who Neptune and Uranus called her. He didn't like being confused or afraid, and right now he could not deny he was more than a bit of both.
"I will tell you one more time," Executioner grated. "Lower your guns and release me!"
"Please, Saturn," Neptune put her hands together in a gesture of nonviolence. Her face was filled with conflicting emotions: anger; sadness; fear; worry. "We don't want to hurt you. We just want to know why. What is your purpose in killing all these people? Why have you returned from the dead once again?"
Executioner's dark eyes were wild. She looked like a cornered animal. She focused on Neptune. "Yes… I was dead," she replied. "I remember… a battle… a woman in black with an iron claw… Dark Mercury was her name… And I also see your faces in my mind's eye…" she looked at Jed. "And you… I think I remember you."
There was nothing kind about her gaze. Yet for a second Jed thought he'd seen the symbol of Planet Saturn flicker on her forehead.
"You know me," he said through dry lips. "You saved my life once. I think… at the same time you saved my soul."
Executioner narrowed her eyes. "I have memories I do not understand. I have no connection with them. I feel as though they happened to someone else. Regardless of whether or not I had a previous life, she is not the person I am now." She looked again at Sailor Neptune. "Of this I am certain. I am a Sailor Senshi! I am a fighter for justice! I do not appreciate being accosted in this manner, nor do I feel it is right that you have deceived me thus! Your conduct is unbecoming a Senshi!"
"No, Executioner. YOUR conduct is what is unbecoming!" Uranus accused her. "Senshi do not kill for any reason unless it is absolutely necessary. Particularly not Human beings!"
"My duty is to rid this city of crime!" said Executioner. "People are taking advantage of the chaos this city has fallen into in order to line their own pockets at the expense of others. The only purpose a Criminal serves is to hurt innocent people. It doesn't matter what the crime is. Unless these people realize that there is but one penalty for their evil they will never learn, and the endless cycle of violence and disrespect for the law will continue forever!"
"So your answer is to commit murder yourself?!" Jed spoke up. "The law does not give you the right to bend it to your will! You are not a Judge! According to the laws of Japan you have no right to deal death to criminals!"
"I answer to a higher law than Japan!" Executioner turned back on him. "Your laws are weak… unable to handle the chaos. Your penalties do little to nothing to discourage violence and hate. Every Human being fears mortality. Unless you deal out death to EVERY Criminal, regardless of the crime, they will not fear you. FEAR is what will keep Human beings in line!"
"That's BULLSHIT!!" Jed exploded. "History will prove that even the harshest measures of punishment have done nothing to curb evil! There will always be someone killing, stealing, lying, selling crack on the street, or prostituting others! Criminals fear NOTHING!!"
"THEY WILL LEARN TO FEAR ME!!!" Executioner's Glaive glowed hot again with her anger. "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! THIS CONVERSATION IS OVER!! RELEASE ME NOW OR I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO JUDGE YOU!!!"
"FIRE!!" Jed shouted to his men.
Ten guns went off. Neptune screamed and had to be restrained by Uranus. It didn't take long, however, to discover that bullets would not solve this problem. Executioner didn't even bother to move from where she stood. A watery looking bubble of energy materialized around her. Every last bullet fired from the Policemen's guns splashed off the shield and ricocheted somewhere else.
"You'll regret this…" Executioner said when the firing stopped. "For attempting to slay a Senshi, I judge you now… GUILTY! Under pain of death!!"
"URANUS PLANET POWER!"
"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER!"
"EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE!!" Jed shouted to his men. He grabbed the nearest Officer to him and took off at a run.
Executioner raised her Glaive and jammed it into the floor. A great explosion rocked the foundations of the Ichinose Bank! The floor heaved and knocked the fleeing Cops off their feet!
"Stop this!" Uranus ran in and restrained her arms. "A Senshi does not attack Officers of the Law! Not under any circumstances!"
Executioner snarled and broke free from the hold. Uranus was clearly unprepared for her strength. With deadly swiftness, Executioner held out her hand, palm upward, fingers spread at Uranus' midsection. An invisible force flung the blonde Senshi across the room and into the far wall, cracking the masonry.
"HOTARU PLEASE STOP THIS!!" Neptune grabbed the Silence Glaive and tried yanking it away. Tears were flowing freely down her face.
Executioner hesitated, looking at her face and seeing how upset she was. But then she hardened up. "Forgive me, Sailor Neptune. But you two are clearly not in your right minds. If you were… You would let me do my job!" Executioner gripped the rod with both hands and the whole staff began to glow white hot. Neptune yelped and released the staff, her gloved fingers smoking. Executioner spun and her boot smacked nicely across Neptune's face, sending her spinning to the floor!
"MICHELLE!!" Jed got up and charged at her. "YOU'RE NO SENSHI YOU IMPOSTOR!!"
Executioner held her hand out again and Jed ran right into an invisible wall, bouncing off of it like a rubber ball. All he could do was sit on his ass, holding his bleeding nose in one hand, as Executioner crouched down, leapt skyward, and flew out the way she'd come through the skylight. Some Cops squeezed off a few meaningless shots as she escaped, but none came close.
Seconds later a S.W.A.T. team burst through the doors, screaming for everyone to be still. They pointed automatic weapons at the people they thought were Robbers. Jed got up in exasperation and showed them his badge. "Put your guns down! We're all Officers! There was no actual robbery taking place!" He looked back up at the skylight. "The real Criminal is already escaped." He felt angry at himself for being so overconfident earlier. They were even more unprepared to fight this Senshi than he thought.
Neptune had gotten up and run over to her girlfriend, peeling her off the wall gently.
"Uranus!" she said worriedly.
Uranus shook her head groggily. "Ugh... That hurt… a lot. Hotaru was… never that good… with her powers."
The leader of the S.W.A.T.'s was obviously befuddled. "Can… Someone explain what's going on here?" he asked, scratching his head under his cap.
"Well I'd say that could have gone better." Morimura was rightfully pissed at the report sitting on his desk the following morning. Once again Jed, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus were in his office. Morimura's indignation was directed mainly at Jed. "I have a few grand worth of damage to a Bank Building, one injured Officer, three angry Police Chiefs screaming down my neck, and the entire city of Tokyo being exposed to our humiliating screw-up! And we… have NOTHING… to show for it!" Morimura pounded the desk with his fist. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't have you fired right here on the spot!!"
Jed nodded. "I'll admit things didn't go as I'd planned. There was no way any of us could have been prepared for her power. We thought we knew our opponent and we were caught with our pants down. But on the other hand we now have a full profile on our Vigilante. It's no longer a question of who is killing these criminals, it's only a question of how long before we capture her."
"Who are you trying to kid, Tokiba?!" Morimura silenced him. "I trusted you with the information you had that you would bring an end to this fiasco. Now this… Executioner… knows we're after her. We have no idea where she goes when she's not fighting crime. We have no idea what her pattern of attack is, if there is any. And most importantly, from what your fellow Officers are telling me, we don't have a single weapon that can even TOUCH this girl! So how in perdition are we going to capture this woman?"
"As with Dark Mercury, our only choice is to rely on the Senshi," Jed reasoned.
"YOUR SENSHI FRIENDS DID JACK-SQUAT BACK THERE!!" roared Morimura.
"Hey!!" Uranus barked.
Morimura looked at her. His face was bright red with fury.
"Now you listen up, buster!" Sailor Uranus leaned on his desk until her face was inches from his. She would not be intimidated by this old Cop. She wasn't easily intimidated by anyone. "We might not have exactly covered our butts in glory back at Ichinose, but I'll tell you one thing! You really have no choice over whether we take over at this point or not! Because if the Police continue to badger this woman, she will turn this fiasco into a catastrophe very, very quickly! WE are going to handle Executioner… so that no Police Officers are hurt or killed! We're doing this for YOUR protection, Inspector! At this point, now that we have her gauged, I can safely say the Sailor Senshi are ALL that stands between this city and her iron fist!"
"Even you have to admit, sir," Neptune said more diplomatically, "this situation has elevated far beyond the control of the Tokyo Police. We will not be responsible for any deaths she may cause this or any other Department."
"In other words, Inspector," Jed finished. "You can fire me if you want to… But that won't change the situation we're in."
Morimura's anger seeped away slowly. He reached into his pocket and slowly lit a cigarette, taking a long, hard drag before sitting back down. He suddenly looked tired and for the first time since Jed first saw him, he looked truly old and out of touch. Morimura shook his head, inhaled some more smoke, and looked at the three of them. "This is ridiculous…" he said heavily. "I never thought I'd see the day the Police would become obsolete. I'm getting too old for this. I don't… I don't know what to do anymore."
"The Police are not useless, Detective," Neptune, of course, took pity on the old man. "You're the most valuable asset this city has left. The only reason we have to exist is to protect Tokyo from those threats that are beyond your ability to safely remove. We shouldn't be at odds with one another. We should be helping one another. The people of Tokyo are what's important! It's time to put away your pride. I'm begging you, sir… Let us take care of this!"
There was a heavy silence for quite some time after that. Morimura seemed to shut down completely. Jed could tell he was deep in thought. Finally he looked at the two Senshi. "Let's hurry and give Sailor Moon and the others a call," he suggested. "Once we're all together we'll figure out our next move."
"Jed… Are you staying involved even after all we just told him?" asked Michelle.
Jed nodded. "There is no force on Earth or in Heaven that can stop me from coming along with you girls! Executioner… no… Hotaru… recognized me. I could see it! Sailor Saturn is buried somewhere deep inside of her. I want to… I NEED to see her again!"
The three of them left Morimura alone in his office. He didn't even seem to notice they were leaving.
"The poor man. It's not that he hates us. He just feels… useless with us around," said Neptune sympathetically.
"I guess a lot of old Cops feel that way," Uranus shrugged.
"They're going to have to get used to it," Jed said. "I did."
"Well let's give the girls a call," said Uranus. She looked at Jed. "Since Senshi don't carry cell phones, we'll be counting on you to make the call."
"Start heading over to Cherry Hill," Jed instructed them. "That's your usual meeting place, isn't it? I'll direct the other girls over there."
"Got it." Uranus started to leave. Neptune, however, looked at Jed seriously. Jed met her eyes and then looked away. He already knew what she was thinking. "Get going," he said quietly.
Neptune put a hand on his shoulder and then followed Uranus. Her partner gave her and Jed a curious look, but Neptune shook her head. The two of them talked quietly as they walked out the door.
Jed shook his head. He walked over to his desk and reached for the phone to make the call to Serena and Darien's new Apartment.
"Officer Tokiba! You got a call on Line Four!" somebody up front shouted.
Jed looked for the source of the voice and saw a Secretary at the front of the room with the receiver from the phone at the main desk. She waved the receiver at him. "She says her name is 'Hotaru'!" she called out.
Jed felt his heart skip a beat! What did she just say?! He looked down at his phone and saw the 'Line 4' light blinking. He quickly picked up the receiver and pushed the line button. "This is Tokiba." he said, leaning down and keeping his voice low.
"Jedite?" the voice on the other end was unmistakable and painfully familiar. It wasn't the assertive, authoritative voice of Executioner either. It was the sweet, watery, innocent voice he'd heard Hotaru Tomoe speak with the day she died! He didn't know why tears filled his vision just then. He dug his thumb into his eyes to wipe them away and sat down in his chair. "Hotaru?" he managed to get out.
"Jedite… Help me!" Hotaru's voice begged him. "Meet me in the park! I have to talk to you!"
Jed nodded. His thoughts were all in a jumble. His heart was hammering in his chest. "I'm coming! I'm coming, Hotaru! Stay right there, okay?!" He slammed the phone down and bolted out the door.
Shiba Park was one of the few more beautiful areas left in the greater Tokyo area. Its trees and lake had escaped much of the destruction, despite its central location in the city. It stood pretty much as it had for the past several decades since its construction. The only new feature about it was the new Cemetery being built on the east side of it so that victims of Dark Mercury could be properly buried there.
Jed screeched his car into a narrow space next to the sidewalk across the street from the park. He didn't even bother to feed the parking meter as he slammed his door and took off at a run across the road. Passing vehicles honked their horns and screeched their tires as he ran. Jed ignored them.
Something bid Jed to run toward the lake. Hotaru never told him where to meet her in the park, but he felt certain he would find her there.
He got to the edge of the water. He must have looked funny running around in his uniform, all sweaty and breathless, not really knowing where to look, only who he was looking for. Passersby gave him furtive glances and quietly slipped away.
"HOTARU!!" he called out all of a sudden. He began to feel a bit stupid. Was somebody playing a prank on him? But why? And who? Few people knew his connection to Hotaru. It couldn't possibly be a false lead or a joke… could it?
"Jedite..." Hotaru's voice rang out.
Jed turned and saw her standing at the water's edge. She was dressed as Sailor Saturn, minus the Glaive. She looked to be about sixteen years of age. Her dark hair was short, coming only to the nape of her neck. Her dark eyes were as wide and innocent as he remembered them so vividly from his dreams. It was her!
"Hotaru…" Jed felt the strength leave his legs. He fell down on his knees and unashamedly began to cry.
"Oh… Jedite." Hotaru walked up to him. "Why are you crying?"
Jed looked up at her and gripped her small hands. "Hotaru… I… I never got… to thank you… for saving my life…" he choked out.
Hotaru, whose face had looked haggard and pinched with worry, broke a small smile. "Oh, Jedite…" she said. "You don't need to thank me."
"No… I MUST thank you!" Jed insisted. "Because your sacrifice… it changed me inside. My eyes were opened for the first time in a very… very long time. And I remembered the man I used to be. And I never got… the chance to say… how very… SORRY I am!"
"This is the real you, Jedite," Hotaru knelt down to his level and gave him her most caring smile. It was that same smile he remembered from that day. The smile he fell in love with. "I called you because… because you are the one who reached me as well."
Jed looked at her. "What do you mean?"
Hotaru's smile fell away, passing with the Summer breeze. Her dark eyes became fearful once more. "It's because I saw you… your face… in that Bank… that I am here now."
Jed didn't quite understand at first, until he thought about it. "It was you?"
"Jedite, You must kill me!" Hotaru suddenly pleaded with him. "Take your gun and kill me with it! Do it before she takes over again!"
"I don't understand," Jed stammered. "She's part of you? Who is she?! Who is Executioner?!"
"She is the Curse of Saturn," Hotaru told him. Sweat began to bead on her forehead and her breathing started to deepen. "Once she was called 'Mistress Nine'… the Messiah of Silence! She has always been part of me!" Hotaru took a deep breath and gulped. She was sweating profusely now. "Please, Jed… She's stronger than me! Kill me now… And you can stop… Executioner!"
Jed didn't know why he even reached for his gun in the first place. But when he did, he felt he didn't have his gun belt on. He'd left it at the Station! "I don't… have it!" he said. "And even if I did… I couldn't kill you! There must be another way!"
"You don't have your gun?!" Hotaru looked pale and haggard. "You… You FOOL!" Her small body spasmed and she curled up on the ground painfully. "K-kill me! Please! Even… if you must… strangle m-me!"
"Hotaru! What's wrong with you?!" Jed yelled.
A purple aura suddenly sprang up around Hotaru. The sky darkened overhead and the air itself seemed to fill with dark energy! Jed suddenly came to a horrifying realization! She was going to transform!
"No! NOOOOO!!!" Jed screamed.
Hotaru's hair came alive, growing right before his eyes! It snaked its way down her back and spilled onto the grass around her! Her voice, groaning in agony, became deeper and stronger! The muscles in her back, arms, and legs thickened! Her body as a whole filled out and matured as it aged about ten years in a matter of seconds!
Jed back-stepped, getting ready to run, but he didn't look where he was going. His left foot caught the edge of the embankment running down into the water, and he tumbled into the shallow water.
Hotaru lifted up her head and her eyes were again cold and powerful! She wasn't Hotaru any longer!
"Executioner!" Jed gasped, scrambling to his feet.
Executioner stood up and the Silence Glaive appeared in her hands again. "You did the right thing, Jedite," she snickered. "Attempted murder is a highly deplorable crime, don't you agree?"
"You!" Jed felt angry, but he was also rooted to the spot by fear. Fear was not something he was used to feeling. "Bring her back! Bring Hotaru back to me, you bitch!!"
"Hotaru, Hotaru, Hotaru!" Executioner spat contemptibly. "The girl who called herself Sailor Saturn doesn't have the strength to do what's right! She doesn't even have the strength to hold me back! She had her chance to make things right, but she blew it! If she had any idea of her true powers she wouldn't have needed to sacrifice her life to Dark Mercury!! It's MY turn now!"
"You're wrong! At least Hotaru saves lives!" Jed found the strength to speak back upon hearing her trash-talk Hotaru. "You're nothing more than a mockery of justice! You just want an excuse to kill!"
Executioner began to rise off the ground. "A mockery of justice? You just wait and see how quickly I'll have this town under my control. Your precious Police will never make this city safe from the Parasites who infest it! The time has come to declare Martial Law! MY LAW!!" And with nothing more than a bitter laugh, she flew above the tree tops and vanished from sight.
Jed fell to his hands and knees, feeling more helpless than ever. He screamed in frustration and pounded the muddy bank with his fists until the bones ached!
"Do you really love her that much?" asked a familiar voice behind him.
Jed spun and saw her… Sailor Pluto. She stood atop the surface of the water, in full uniform, holding her Garnet Rod. Her face was sad and her expression pitiful.
"Oh, God!" Jed felt ashamed of himself. "Where have you been?! What have you been doing all this time?! Did you know…?"
"Yes… I knew," Pluto replied. "I knew you loved her. It may have been selfish of me but I hoped that with her death you'd soon forget about her. But it seems the power of her love has brought her back yet again."
Jed stood up slowly. "What… is going on?" he demanded her.
Pluto sighed. "But you must believe me, Jed… I never thought it would get this bad." she said. "I will tell you everything you need to know. You and everybody else. Come on now, get out of the lake… before you get sick."
TO BE CONTINUED.........
NEXT CHAPTER: THE CURSE OF SATURN!