Chapter 9: "The Missing Link"
by Bill K.
Everyone watched as silver energy radiated out from the Moon Tier and blanketed the charging squadron of guards. It was a scene they'd all witnessed dozens of times, of Sailor Moon bringing her phenomenal power to bear to once again overwhelm dark and evil thoughts with her shining, pristine soul.
But, to the amazement of all, there was no effect. The security guards charged onward.
"It didn't work!" cried Sailor Moon. Anxiously she turned to Luna. "What happened, Luna?"
"They're not human!" Sailor Mars snapped. "They're more of Viluy's androids!"
"That must be it, Sailor Moon!" Luna told her. "Your power is restorative! It heals the evil in the human heart!" She whirled and glared at the androids. "And those monstrosities have no heart!"
As the cat spoke, Mars held a ward up to her forehead. Finishing with the chant that energized it, the senshi flung it at the lead android. The paper ward slapped against the machine's forehead and stuck like glue. The android stumbled forward and collapsed, then was trampled by the on rushing hoard behind it.
"Well if they're just machines, then I'll fry their circuit boards!" Jupiter shouted to the others. The lightning rod rose from her tiara. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
Deadly bolts of electricity arced down as Jupiter became a human lightning rod. Energy arced blue between her extended hands until it built up to critical pressure, then leaped out from her. Attracted by the metal in the androids, Jupiter's lightning lunged hungrily for the squadron. It no sooner made contact with one then it seemed to jump to the next and the next. In a moment the entire squadron was involved.
Then the lightning leaped back at Jupiter, reflected by an unseen force. Taken by surprise, the senshi had no time to prepare herself. The lightning struck her, holding Jupiter rigid, then jumped from her to the other senshi. Each one, including the cats, received a massive jolt of electricity. When the charge dissipated, they all slumped to the ground, unconscious and helpless.
Then the androids moved in.
- - - -
Dietman Hino sat in the office of Dietman Toguro and tried to contain his elation. They
were due to meet with Shinji Tanaka and Yukihito Takamoto, two giants of the Japanese
business world and heavy contributors to the ruling political party. It was natural that the two
would meet with Dietman Toguro. Toguro was party chairman and the de facto head of the
Japanese government. Anyone who wanted legislation fast-tracked through the Diet came to
Toguro first.
The fact that Toguro had asked Hino, as a third term representative a mere babe in the woods, was a tremendous honor. It demonstrated that Toguro had noticed the young Dietman's work and looked on it with favor. The possibilities this conjured up for Hino were vast and it was all he could do to contain himself.
"Toguro-san," Tanaka said, bowing to the old political war horse. Takamoto bowed, then the three elders shook hands. "You're looking extremely fat and bald," Tanaka joked.
"Always so blunt," Toguro grinned. "I wish I could say the same, but you've never looked so fit and energetic. Are you part machine?" The pair chuckled. "This is one of my junior party members, Shinjiro Hino. He's a rising star in the diet. You'd better get used to dealing with him."
"I'm honored to meet you both," Hino said, bowing crisply.
"Learn all you can from him," Tanaka told Hino. "He's a crafty old lion."
"So what's on your mind?" Toguro asked.
"Do you know what an android is?" Tanaka inquired. Toguro looked puzzled.
"It's a mechanical human of some sort, isn't it?" Hino ventured. "A robot that looks and acts human?"
"Simplified, but correct," nodded Tanaka. "We've recently had a breakthrough in design and production that could make mass production of androids a distinct possibility. With government funding, androids could be in every business and agency within five years."
"Really?" Toguro asked, keeping his own counsel. He noticed Hino seemed to have a question and nodded to him.
"Would this mean androids in the workforce?" Hino asked. Takamoto nodded. "How would that impact the employment rate?"
"Android workers would impact at most the lower one to five percent of the labor force," Tanaka said, visibly displeased with the question. "But displaced workers could be retrained to work in android production and maintenance."
"And androids could perform functions deemed too dangerous or arduous for human workers," Takamoto added. "They could supplement police and civil defense forces without government expense for wages, benefits, retirement - - the only cost would be the initial purchase and maintenance expenses."
"This is the beginning of the next revolution in technology," Tanaka told them. "Japan can be on the ground floor, pioneering things before some American company swoops in and takes it from us. This could lead to a new economic boom in Japan. But we need government assistance or we'll never complete the project before some other country does - - if at all."
They both looked at Hino, daring him to challenge them.
"I merely tried to point out potential dangers to the project," Hino told them humbly. "The unemployment rate is still a problem. Further job displacement, particularly by a project funded in part by the government, could whip up political instability and threaten the very project you hope to succeed with. The public will be skeptical initially, even fearful. We'll have to sell them on the benefits to neutralize any groundswell of opposition."
"Well said," Toguro said calmly. Tanaka and Takamoto deferred to him. "Thank you for your input, Hino-san. Gentlemen, this is a treacherous path, but one that will lead to much reward for Japan and her people. I admit it's all beyond me, but we have to greet technological advances with an open mind. Still, there is the public sentiment to consider."
"We all trust in the leadership of yourself and your party, Toguro-san," Tanaka smiled. "That's why we've contributed so much and will continue to do so in the future. Your leadership is what Japan needs."
"Your faith in me is humbling," Toguro nodded greedily. "Draft what you'll need and Hino-san will turn it into a proper bill."
"Thank you, Toguro-san," Tanaka said. He and Takamoto rose and bowed. "We will not keep you waiting. The more swiftly we act, the more likely Japan will be in the forefront of this new industry."
The two left. Hino turned to Toguro.
"Thank you for your trust in me, Toguro-sama," Hino said.
"I like the way you look at things, Hino-san," Toguro smiled. "You're smart and you're
glib. You're the perfect point man on this. And it's simple politics. If you author the bill and
the proposal draws too much negative reaction, I will be free and clear to act in other ways to
minimize the damage and still rescue as much of the measure as I can. If it succeeds, we both
benefit
- - politically and monetarily." He looked squarely at Hino, with a steely gaze. "You are
willing to assume the risk?"
This was a large step for Hino. He had no doubt that he could sell the public on the idea, but he himself had reservations about androids in the workforce. And he felt that Tanaka hadn't been entirely forthcoming during his visit, quickly resorting to buzzwords like "jobs" and "campaign contributions" to ward off closer inspection. Still, Toguro wanted the bill passed, or at least the monetary benefits from it, and an ambitious politician with little clout didn't buck Dietman Toguro when he had decided something.
"Yes Sir," Hino nodded, knowing samurai didn't question their lord.
Toguro nodded with satisfaction.
- - - -
Sailor Mercury stared down at the advancing androids. They were human
in appearance, human in speech and action, human in every way visible
to the naked eye. Only her visor could
spot them as artificial, for the androids lacked human body heat and
the traceable
electromagnetic aura all living things emitted.
"Human!" the android in the lead called up, looking directly at Mercury. "Surrender yourself to us! There is no logical means for you to resist!"
"What do you plan to do to me if I surrender?" Mercury called back down. The more she could keep them talking, the longer she had to think her way out of this situation.
"You will be exterminated!" the android replied.
"Why?"
"All humans are to be exterminated! Humans are illogical! Humans are emotional! Humans are erratic! They impede the logical order of existence and deter progress!"
"Humans invented progress!" Mercury argued back. "Humans invented you!"
"Irrelevant! Humans impede progress! Humans impede the orderly function of life! Humans must be eliminated!"
"You can't do that!" Mercury shouted. "Asimov's Law forbids an android from harming a human being!"
"Current android systems have not been programmed with Asimov's Law!" the lead android said, his human face emotionless as stone. "Asimov's Law is irrelevant! You will surrender yourself!"
"I refuse! This is not logic! This is murder! Genocide! Genocide is not logical!"
"If the survival of the superior race is dependant upon the elimination of a competing race, this makes genocide logical!" the android replied coldly. "Natural selection implies the eliminating of competing species to perpetuate the survival of the dominant species."
"FALSE PREMISE!" roared Mercury angrily. "You assume superiority, but you've yet to demonstrate it!"
"Then we shall demonstrate," the android replied.
The androids looked over the thick coating of ice on the side of the rocky incline beneath Mercury's position. They seemed to be analyzing the ice, the incline and all other environmental factors. Mercury did a quick scan of the area, in case there was something she missed. There was nothing. She did an analysis of the android's artificial skeletal and muscular structure. There was nothing to indicate that they could leap up to her position. She estimated the highest one of them could jump from a standing start was about three meters.
Then the lead android thrust his hand into the ice cover. The impact chipped off shards of ice and imbedded the hand knuckle deep into the ice. The android repeated the process with his left hand about a half meter higher. Removing his right hand and replacing it with his right foot, he repeated the process about a half meter above his left hand.
"He's chiseling into the ice with his bare hands!" Mercury thought. "Of course! An android doesn't feel pain unless it's programmed to do so! And the metal skeleton is sturdier than one of bone, so its more able to withstand such an impact!"
She looked down. The android had already covered half the distance to her position in seconds. Mercury acted quickly.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" she called out.
The android looked up just in time to be hit face first by Mercury's burst of freezing water. Flung backwards by the impact, it toppled to the ground five meters below and skidded to a stop. The android was encased in a thick coating of ice, immobile.
A fleeting moment of triumph was all Mercury got to experience. Five more androids began climbing up the side of the incline in the same manner as the first, each one moving as quickly as possible. Mercury looked down at her computer, thinking for a moment that she could hack into the androids and deactivate them. However, she quickly abandoned this strategy as too dependant on finding a broadcast wavelength that could link with the androids. Physical means were the order of the moment.
She wondered if she'd be able to get them all before they reached her position.
- - - -
Sailor Moon was suddenly aware of where she was. She was on a table, held down by
some unseen force. The table was tilted at a 75 degree angle so that she was nearly upright. She
was in a completely white room. Even the counters and tables were white, and no doors or
windows could be seen. She shook her head in confusion, because this clearly wasn't her
bedroom.
Then she remembered the assault on the compound, the squadron of androids and the stinging electricity that enveloped her.
Looking around her, Sailor Moon found Mars and Jupiter held to tables next to her. Mars looked at her with a concern she could only recall Mamoru or her parents having. Jupiter was beside her and was concerned as well. There were silver bands around their throats. Beyond them, Venus was struggling with the unseen force that held them down, trying to somehow slip out of it. At the end, Neptune was examining the room with that all-encompassing stare she had that always made Sailor Moon uncomfortable. Shifting her gaze, Sailor Moon spotted Luna and Artemis. They were on a table, inside a plastic cube that was about half a meter tall and wide, strapped down with woven nylon straps over their necks and back haunches. Anxiously Sailor Moon called out to them.
And heard nothing. Seized with alarm, the senshi tried again. When nothing again came out, panic began to swell in the breast of the future queen of Crystal Tokyo. The only thing that kept her from collapsing into total panic was the sudden entry of Viluy.
All eyes went to Viluy, for this confident, statuesque adult resembled the Viluy they knew, but wasn't her. Aside from her physical growth, there was an air of superiority to her that now had the backing of knowledge and experience instead of youthful arrogance. Sailor Moon watched her every move with wary unease.
"I'm glad you could finally join us, Sailor Moon," Viluy said, her manner icy and aloof. "I was about to administer a stimulant."
Sailor Moon tried again to speak, as if her voice would somehow work this time. Again it produced only silence.
"Don't bother to speak," Viluy replied, her tone colored with a hint of contempt. "The bands around your throats neutralize your vocal cords - - and you really don't have anything to say that I wish to hear. You're also held down by a localized magnetic field, so there's no restraints to break or slip."
Viluy walked over to where Luna and Artemis were imprisoned. She studied the cats for a few moments, then turned to Sailor Moon.
"You had the right idea," she said. "Attack an android with a massive burst of electricity in order to burn out its cybernetic circuitry net. It is the most efficient means of dealing with an android when lacking an ethernet connection." She noticed Sailor Moon struggle to keep up with what she was saying and allowed herself to enjoy it. "The one flaw was that I knew how and when you were going to attack and I could prepare a defensive field around the androids that would reflect the electricity back onto its source." Viluy smirked. "Knowing the future can be quite the advantage."
The senshi nervously glanced at each other.
"I will give you credit for being able to surprise me," she smiled, her eyes dancing with her superiority. "Imagine my incredulity when I saw this black cat actually speak as I monitored your attack. And later on I found a sophisticated computer link in the possession of the white cat." She casually walked back to Sailor Moon as she spoke. "How was it done? Genetic engineering? Cybernetic implants? Or are they part of an extraterrestrial race?" Sailor Moon stared at her fearfully. "Don't bother to answer. I'll find out when I dissect them."
Sailor Mars watched helplessly as Sailor Moon screamed in impotent silence.
"As for the rest of you," Viluy announced, "today is the day you all die so you do not further interfere in my plans - - except for you, Sailor Moon. You have a destiny to fulfill in my plans for the future. You need to be alive in order to fulfill it. Of course you don't have to reach that future unscathed."
The others were watching Viluy's every move, waiting for some slim chance to exploit and prevent the grim sentence she'd just pronounced for them. Sailor Moon flung her head back in frustration and pulled at the invisible force that held her to the table. She could tell by the tone of Viluy's voice that she meant to execute her friends in mere seconds, but there was nothing she could do to stop what to her would be the greatest of tragedies. She had no means to fight, no way to appeal to Viluy's good nature, not even a whisper of a voice to beg with.
"The true measure of intelligence is not how much is known," came a man's clarion voice from the other end of the room, "but how much good is done with that intelligence. You have miserably failed this test and must now face the judgment of Tuxedo Mask!"
Sailor Moon's heart leaped even as Viluy and the others turned to the sight of the tall. lean, dark man cloaked in a tuxedo of the night and a flowing cape standing atop a table on the far end of the room. For a second she'd doubted him - - never again!
"Let's not stand on formality, Tuxedo Mask," Viluy smiled confidently. "You see, I knew you were coming, too."
Viluy threw a small projectile at Tuxedo Mask. The dark hero leaped over the path of the projectile and executed an impressive somersault onto the floor. Even as he turned in midair, Sailor Moon could see a rose appearing in his hand ready to strike.
But the moment his feet made contact with the floor, Tuxedo Mask was seized by a jolt of electricity. He stiffened and a howl of agony was wrenched from his slim form. When the current ended, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Yes, knowing the future can come in quite handy," Viluy smiled as Sailor Moon screamed silently once again. "Now where was I? Oh yes, I was trying to decide which one of you to kill first. Which shall it be? Should I decide myself, Sailor Moon, or should I let you choose?" Sailor Moon was awash in a sea of tears and ignored her. "It doesn't matter what either of us say, because I already know which one it will be. But what do you think? Which should it be: Mars or Jupiter, Venus or Neptune or . . ."
The sudden stop of Viluy's monologue of cruelty drew everyone's attention. She was staring just beyond where Neptune was imprisoned. Viluy's eyes were saucer huge and her mouth was agape, formed into a small 'o' of horror.
"One of them is missing," Viluy whispered her sudden realization.
continued in Chapter 10