CHAPTER TWO: WHO IS THAT MASKED MAN?
"You look like Hell," said Robert as Amy sat down across from him at Breakfast.
"I didn't sleep at all last night," Amy admitted, stifling a yawn. "I kept having nightmares about monsters and being chased through the Garden."
Robert poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. "Nightmares? What could have caused you to have dreams about monsters?"
Amy sighed. "You know that bush out in the Garden that was all burnt up?"
"Yeah I passed by it this morning. I was wondering what happened," said Rob.
"I was there when it happened," said Amy, sipping her coffee. "I was being chased… By a Youma. A monster so to speak. She was trying to kill me. She'd already killed Josef and Heinrich."
"Those two missing students?" asked Robert. "And why do you say 'Youma'?"
"Forget it. You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Amy looked out the window of the Dining Hall.
"There you go, being all evasive on me," said Rob. "You shouldn't do that. What happened to you last night? Were you hurt?"
"No," Amy shook her head. "Somebody rescued me. A man… Dressed in a flight suit with a large gun. He spoke perfect Japanese. He told me he would protect me."
"Sounds like quite the stud," said Robert, taking a drink from his own coffee.
"Not really, he dropped his Pistol on his foot while he was talking to me and hurt himself once he was done saving me. It was quite silly," said Amy with a slight smile.
Robert seemed to choke for half a second on his drink and he sat there coughing. For some reason his cheeks seemed to flame up red. "Is that so…?" he gasped.
"Is something wrong?" Amy asked him.
"No! Nothing!" Robert waved her off. "I just found it a little funny, that's all."
"I don't blame you if you don't believe me," said Amy, looking down at her cup.
"Hey, that's not true at all," Robert leaned forward earnestly. "I've only known you for a month, but I know you wouldn't make up crazy stories or try to lie to me. You're too honest for that."
Amy smiled at him. "Thanks. But you don't have to patronize me. By the way, you spilled the rest of your coffee."
When he leaned forward, Robert had knocked over the cup he'd quickly set down after his choking fit. He jumped out of his seat. "Oh, shit! I better get some napkins." He made as if to grab some napkins from the next table, but apparently a little of the coffee had spilled onto the floor from the table. Next thing Amy knew, Robert's foot was pointing toward the ceiling and he was flat on his back with stars circling his head.
Amy couldn't help but laugh to see him bumble around like that. "Oh, Rob… You're so clumsy…" she chuckled. Suddenly a thought occurred to her just then. Clumsy… Just like him!
She remembered the gun incident again and then she looked down at Robert, who was just now recovering from his fall. The two of them are clumsy, have brown hair, are fairly tall. Could he be…?
Robert stood up and looked at his shirt sadly. "Darn. This was a new shirt too. Coffee stains take forever to get out," he noticed Amy looking at him intently. "Um… Do I have something on my face?" he asked.
Amy felt a little color come to her face and she sat back down. "No, not really," she lied. "I was just wondering, where were you last night around nine o'clock?"
"Huh? Oh, I was in the Library just finishing up a paper on Aerodynamics," said Robert. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh nothing," Amy finished the rest of her coffee and looked at her watch. "I have another class in a half hour so I should go. See you at lunch?"
"Sure, wouldn't miss it," Robert sat down and watched Amy leave the room. "Why does she always do that? She starts to open up to me and then again she doesn't," he wondered after she left.
sssss
Amy slowly walked back through the Garden toward Nurnburg Hall, where her eight o'clock Statistics class was. On the way, as she knew she would, she passed by that scorched bush again. There were two people, a man and a woman, standing next to the burnt shrub, looking at it. Both of them looked rather displeased about it. The man was nearly bald, with a small mustache above his lip and a blue blazer on. He had to have been the Head Dean of Munich University, Herr Kornheiser. The woman next to him was much younger looking than he. She had long brown hair braided French style from her neck to the end of her hair in one long tail with a small green ribbon at the end to tie off the tip. Her dress was a light blue and oddly enough she had no shoes or socks on her feet at all. She was very beautiful as well.
Amy paused to listen to them talk about the bush. Something about that woman made her want to hear her voice.
"This is such a mess!" Herr Kornheiser said. "Those damn students are getting more and more wild every year! Now we have vandals running about! Look at all the unsightly ashes on the paths too!"
"Do not worry, Monsieur Kornheiser," the woman apologized to him in an odd mixture of German and French. "I will have this mess cleaned up immediately and I shall plant a new bush here."
"You're the best Gardener we have, Diana," said the Dean. "I trust you'll manage it perfectly. I for one shall hunt down who did this and push for their immediate expulsion!"
"Diana, huh?" Amy began walking again. That name strikes a chord. Of course… The only 'Diana' I've ever known is Rini's little kitten. Luna's daughter.
Amy felt a pair of eyes on her back and she turned her head over her shoulder to look back at the bush. Herr Kornheiser was stalking off and the Gardener Diana was still standing next to the bush. However she was looking directly at Amy with a warm smile on her face.
Amy quickly averted her eyes and increased her pace, blushing. Something about that woman reminded her of the past, but why? And why was she looking at her so oddly?
She might be an agent of the enemy for all I know, Amy thought as she hurried along. I'd best keep on my toes from now on.
However, Amy was so deep in thought that she didn't realize she was being watched by others as well. If she had only looked up she might have spotted the unusual Gargoyle-like creature that was perched atop a Lamp Post, keeping its eyes intently on her. Once Amy turned the corner and disappeared from sight, the Gargoyle cawed like a crow and took off into the sky.
sssss
The creature flew away from the University, past the famous Frauenkirche, and across downtown Munich, all the way to the outskirts of the city, where the Cemetery sat. Once it entered the Cemetery, it swooped low over the grave stones and headed for a lonely Burial Vault dug into the side of a hill overlooking the Graveyard. It landed on the floor, tapped a hidden switch in the wall, and waited for the stone seal to slide open before venturing inside. The door slid shut behind it.
The Gargoyle took off into flight again and glided down a low, narrow passageway in the pitch darkness. The passage seemed to go deeper and deeper into the earth, until it opened up into a wide spacious chamber with a throne at the far end of it. The Gargoyle cawed again as it flapped its way over to its Mistress, who sat in the throne made out of human bones. She had a black dress on that exposed much of her upper body, yet ended in a thick billowing skirt around her legs. She looked very much humanoid, except for her pointy ears and her dark blue skin. Her hair was black and straight, and came to a sharp 'V' on her forehead. She had black eye shadow over yellow predatory eyes and black lipstick on her lips.
The woman extended her arm and let the Gargoyle perch upon it. Even though it was made of Granite, its weight did not bother the Queen in the slightest.
"So, Heidi failed us," Queen Lucia said softly. "Was it Sailor Mercury?"
The Gargoyle crowed again at length. "I see…" Lucia replied to it. "My foray into her mind the other day revealed much of the same thing. She no longer has any power. She left her Henshin Stick behind in Tokyo. How foolish of her, and how fortuitous toward us. Still… This stranger with the gun has once again set us back a bit. Perhaps we need to target him as well."
The Gargoyle snorted.
"You don't know where he is? Well, no matter. He'll appear again eventually given proper motivation," Lucia whistled sharply and one of her minions melted from the walls. A slender Reptilian Youma with the head of a Cobra appeared and bowed before her.
"Since he came to her rescue last night, there's no reason he won't do so again. So here's what I want you to do," Lucia told the Youma. "Possess another student at the University and get close to Princess Ami. Don't forget to steal some Spirit Energy while you're at it. But when the time is right I want you to destroy Ami. If the boy and his toy appear again to stop you… Destroy him with everything you have. Understand?"
"Yesssssssss…." The Youma hissed like a snake with a tongue flickering out. "My Venom ssssshall more than sssssuficcccce."
"Your Venom can kill even a Sailor Senshi at full strength, so I expect results," the Queen commanded. "Go forth. Bring me back Princess Ami's head so that I may display it proudly next to her Mother's." The Queen laughed wickedly at the conclusion of her last sentence. The Youma bowed again and left the chamber.
sssss
Several days passed since the incident with Heidi's Youma. Amy stayed as alert as she could, but no one else was displaying any weird behavior in any of her classes. The weekend came and went with no incident either. By Monday morning Amy was just about ready to stop hunting for Youmas. Her alertness was cutting into her sleep and even starting to ruin her appetite.
Robert, for his part, said nothing during all this, but now and then he would keep trying to pry.
"So do you think you'll see this 'Solar Pilot' character again?" he asked one day.
"I suspect only if trouble starts up again," said Amy. "You still don't believe me, do you?"
"How many times do I have to tell you I believe you, Amy?" Robert sighed. "You think I'm being sarcastic or something, but I'm actually not."
"I guess I just can't believe that you believe me," Amy admitted at last. "Most normal people would call me crazy and keep their distance from me."
"Well you're not exactly a normal girl, I could tell that about you from the start," said Rob.
Amy stopped. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that there's something special about you," said Robert. He put an arm behind his head nervously and averted his eyes as he talked. "Ever since I first saw you, you just seem to have so much more presence than normal girls. You're so smart. Almost unnaturally smart if you ask me… And you… Remind me of another girl I knew a long time ago."
Amy didn't know why that statement made her heart increase in tempo, but she found that this time it wasn't all that unpleasant to hear him say that. She smiled at Robert. "That was a very kind thing of you to say, Robert. Thank you."
"Well… D-don't mention it," Robert grinned awkwardly.
For some reason Amy imagined he was going to tell her flat out he knew she was a Senshi. But that was ridiculous. Why would he say that? There's no way he'd know. Still, it was an acute fear of hers… That someone would find out her secret. She felt more vulnerable toward that since she'd quit. She didn't want to jeopardize her friends. She'd already cost them so much. She still was nervous about this 'Solar Pilot' guy knowing her identity. He'd told Amy her secret was safe with him, but she didn't know that for certain. Sure he'd saved her life, but that didn't take away from the fact he was still a stranger. He could just be a ruse sent by the enemy.
Amy shook her head of those thoughts. Bah! Why would the enemy go through all that trouble for someone like me? I have no powers anymore. Stop this, Amy! Another week and you'll begin to question your own allegiance!
There was a commotion up ahead that caught her attention. A bunch of students were running toward it and there were some fearful voices amid the gathering crowd around the Central Fountain.
"Let's go see what's up," Robert suggested, curious about the event also.
Amy nodded and jogged with him over to the fountain. The students stepped aside as the two of them pushed their way to the edge of the marble fountain. Amy gasped when she saw what was in the water.
The body of another student was laying in the water, leaning against the centerpiece of the fountain. His head was slumped to the side. It was obvious from his skin color and posture he was dead! The side of his neck was exposed and Amy could barely make out two little puncture marks in his neck. There was no blood, but the skin around the two holes was a sickly green color.
Everyone murmured amongst themselves nervously. Finally, Herr Kornheiser and a bunch of other Professors pushed their way into the mix and their faces mirrored their horror when they saw the body.
"Somebody call the Police and the Ambulance!" Herr Kornheiser shouted. "Everybody please back away from the fountain and don't touch anything!"
The students grudgingly backed away. Amid the whispers in German, Amy could barely make out a few exchanges of 'Vampire,' being tossed around. Amy looked again at the body. It would seem like a Vampire was certainly responsible, but Amy knew better. It was a Youma. There was no doubt about it.
Robert's face was grim. When he caught Amy looking at his face, he smiled. "I'll tell you what I'm thinking if you tell me what you're thinking," he offered.
"Nice try," Amy replied.
"It was worth a shot…" Robert shrugged.
sssss
That night Amy received another mental broadcast from Queen Lucia. At least that was who she thought it was.
Did you like my little gift today? she asked.
That's not funny, Amy thought back. I assume you're taking more Spirit Energy with this Vampire thing you've got running around?
Vampire? Now that's funny, the woman laughed back in her head. You may have gotten lucky the first time, but we'll be expecting your friend the next time he shows up to save your ass. So don't get too cocky this time. I know now that you don't have your powers and you're as helpless as the rest of these Humans.
Then why are you so anxious to kill me? Amy challenged. Is there something about me that worries you particularly?
The voice didn't answer back for several seconds. Amy wondered smugly if she'd hit the nail on the head. Finally, her reply came: I think your ignorance in this case works more to our advantage. I will not allow you to become an obstacle to me or my plans, daughter of Chastity.
Amy narrowed her eyes. What do you know about my past?
Let's just say that you and I are a lot closer to one another than you think, the voice said. Stay alive long enough and you'll find out the truth. I don't suspect you will, however. Like I said before… You won't be getting lucky twice. Consider going back to Tokyo and I'll leave you alone.
I may no longer be a Senshi, but I'm not a chicken, Amy thought. I'm not going anywhere.
The woman simply chuckled in her head. Very well. Game on… Princess Ami.
After that there was no more exchange. Amy began to get an uneasy feeling in her mind that this enemy was going to turn out to be a bit more personal than she first thought. I wish I could talk to my Mother again, she thought. She didn't tell me nearly enough about the Dark Syndicate it seems.
sssss
The next day two more bodies showed up. One turned up down in the lower level of the Library. A girl slumped over her computer, with the same two bite marks in her neck. The second victim was found in her Dorm Room, apparently taken in her sleep. The window was broken, but other than that there was no other evidence of foul play other than the clues left on the student's body.
The Police got involved in the case, but none of them could make any sense of the bodies. Each autopsy came back with the conclusion that these students had been bitten by some kind of Snake. They had massive amounts of venom in their bodies at the time of the murders.
Amy considered these things as she heard the news. Whatever Youma the Dark Syndicate had unleashed on Munich University it was using its venom to paralyze or cripple its victims in order to steal their Spirit Energy, that much was for certain. Heidi had seduced her victims into willingly giving up their energy. This one simply made them unable to fight back.
On the third day of the killings, Amy was sitting in her Statistics Class, musing over the victims. She couldn't concentrate on her studies while all this was going on. The thought of other students getting killed was weighing too heavily on her mind. Solar Pilot says he's fought them before, she thought. That means that they've been operating on trying to raise this Demon from the Underworld since before I arrived. But I still can't help feeling like all these deaths are my fault.
Once class was over, Amy decided to take a walk around the school Garden. She went first to the place where the burned bush once stood. Already the Gardener had removed the bush and only a blank patch of dirt remained where it once was. Amy assumed it would be replaced shortly. The rest of the Garden stretched on for about half a mile and was blooming with all sorts of different colored flowers. Geraniums and Tulips appeared to be the most common. They were all artfully arranged in various designs. Some of the bushes were trimmed to look like animals and other objects. One hedgerow was planted in such a way as to spell out MU, the initials of the University, large enough for Jets flying overhead to see them.
What a very clever job this Gardener did, Amy thought. And her artistic talent is impressive. Diana I think her name was… Amy recalled passing by her last week and getting a very funny feeling about her. Plus, she was certain Diana had looked directly at her and smiled. The smile itself was friendly enough, but did it have some hidden meaning to it? Maybe Amy could find the next Youma if she went to investigate this Diana person. Of course, she would be in some trouble if the Youma tried to kill her again. Would Solar Pilot come to her rescue again or would she die?
One way or the other, Amy made up her mind to try anyway. She couldn't go on living with people dying around her and not do anything. Senshi or no Senshi, she would make the effort to put a stop to this regardless.
"I guess saving the day really has become a habit," said Amy wryly.
TO BE CONTINUED...
NEXT CHAPTER: THE MYSTERIOUS GARDENER, DIANA.