Eternal City Crystal Tokyo

Truth and Dare

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rei demanded, the black haired woman gesturing wildly as she paced in front of her daughter.

Ami sighed, the blue haired woman sitting calmly on the couch. "What she means is we're very proud of what you've done," she said, "but we're a bit confused."

Ran Mizuno flashed a smile at her mother, then faced her other mother, Rei. "I probably should have told you earlier, but..."

"We weren't talking at the time," Rei conceded, the white robed woman deflating a bit. Both she and Ami were in casual, toga like garb for relaxing around the house, a popular design from the latest Daidouji collection.

Ran was dressed in her off duty clothes, a simple trouser and shirt combo. "I could have used your advice, honestly," she admitted.

"I saw the images of you in action," Ami noted, "you can control temperature extremes?"

"Ice and fire," Ran shrugged, "I figured I inherited powers from both of you."

Rei nodded, but Ami looked a bit more dubious about the idea. "We really don't understand how powers are inherited," Ami said with a frown, "I mean, look at Erica. She's not even related to Endymion yet she became Tuxedo Mask."

"Which means...?" Ran asked.

Ami looked at her beseechingly, "Would you mind going to the lab for a bit?"

Ran sighed, "Oh well..."

They quickly corralled Erica too, and the group trotted off to the labs to try to run some tests. The biobeds ran scans of human and transformed states, while Ami made clucking sounds as she reviewed the data.

"Can we get dressed now?" Erica asked at one point, "Your lab is cold, doc!"

Ran snickered, "You're just thin blooded."

"This from the girl that can generate fireballs," Erica sighed. She looked over at Rei who was hiding a smile, "Don't laugh."

"I'm trying my best not too," Rei noted, but her lip was twitching up into a smile.

Erica sat back. "You should drag Usagi in here too," she noted, "she is the daughter of Endymion and Queen Serenity."

"I actually did extensive testing on Usagi both before and after her time jumps," Ami noted as she checked some readings, "I wanted to make sure she was fine."

"You just wanted to make Usagi freeze her ass off too," Ran noted to Erica.

Erica sighed, "Yes, damn it."

Rei bit back a laugh. The older woman said, "You should be fine, girls." She looked at Ami, "How much longer?"

Ami checked her control panel as she said reluctantly, "I think I have enough scans to start with, anyway." She quickly added, "I may have to call you back, though!"

Erica quickly jumped off the table even as a robot passed her a robe. "Thanks," she said, pulling the robe on around her even as Ran did the same. "How soon do you think you'll have a result?" she asked curiously.

"No idea," Ami said cheerfully then muttered to herself, "in fact I may have to call in Luna and Artemis on this. And maybe the Arume too..."

"Curious?" Ran asked quietly as both young women fled the lab, emerging from the sterile field and going out into a regular changing room.

"Well, yes," Erica admitted as they both got dressed. "I always thought Ami was kind of winging it when she explained how I became Tuxedo Mask."

"You have to remember my mom is a doctor," Ran pulled up her trousers and then her t-shirt, "she has to at least look like she knows what she's doing, even if she doesn't. It's something they teach in medical school I think."

"I guess so," Erica admitted, pulling on the more atypical summer dress she had showed up in earlier. Tying on the sandals she asked, "How long until she gets a result, you think?"

'I think she meant it when she said no idea," Ran shrugged slightly. "I mean, this isn't normal genetics and biology here. Our families have superpowers from reincarnated spirits from millennia in the distant past."

"When you think about it that way, it's a miracle Ami's figured out everything she has," Erica mused as they left the medical wing of the palace.

"Okay, I have to ask," Ran grinned as they walked to the lift, "what's with the toga?"

'I will be so glad once the neo-roman fad passes," Erica laughed, "Michiru-momma likes me to at least try to wear the stuff she buys me."

"While you prefer Haruka's style," Ran noted with a grin, "sucks to be you."

"Your sympathy overwhelms me," Erica sighed. She hesitated, "Did you get a request to go see the chief of police, too?"

"Chief Ozaka, yeah," Ra nodded. She smiled slightly and asked, "Want me to come along with you this afternoon?"

"I wouldn't mind," Erica admitted.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Police Chief Leona Ozaka often wondered how a tank jock from one of the worst cities in Japan had made it to her current position. A lot of it had been luck, of course. Say what you will about Newport City during the reconstruction period, but it had a effective police force. When the Sailor Senshi began rebuilding she and her comrades had been pulled along for the ride, and had become a major part of the army.

They fought petty warlords and pulled the country together, even as they gathered some odd allies. She had never expected the Puma sisters to reform, nor did she expect Baku to sacrifice himself. You could just never tell, she supposed. And after all the chaos, she found herself a senior officer here in Crystal Tokyo.

"Leona-sama!" Anna Puma waved, the blonde android smiling cheerfully as she stuck her head in the office.

"Chief, remember?" Leona sighed.

"Chief Leona-sama!" Anna grinned. She added warmly, "The girls are here."

"Send them in," Leona said with a tired sigh.

The brown haired woman watched the kids come in, thinking about how young they all looked, like children really. The volunteer Hard Suit pilots, Ran Mizuno, Erica Tenoh, Princess Usagi the younger, Hotaru Tomoe, Alicia Testarossa and Natsuki Tokhia, all standing rather nervously around the small office.

"Ladies, gentlemen, I wanted to thank you all personally for your help," Leona said as she got up and went around the desk to start shaking hands. "We're also planning a public ceremony to honor those that helped out," she said as she shook Princess Usagi's hand.

"Our mothers didn't put you up to this, did they?" Ran asked wryly.

Leona shook her hand next as she said, "Actually it was reports from Detective Cyber Six, Officer Honey Kisaragi and Natsuki Tokhia of the shore patrol that caused this."

"Good,' Usagi smiled, her pink hair shimmering. She coughed slightly, "Uhm, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do the ceremony, though."

"Your security squad will have fits," Leona conceded, "I understand."

"Thank you ma'am," Catrine squeaked nervously as Leona shook her hand.

"Don't worry, I'm not as scary as my reputation implies," Leona said to her gently.

Alicia was younger than the rest, yet the blond teen met Leona's eyes calmly. "I'm glad I was able to help," she said gravely.

'I wonder what this kid's been through?' Leona wondered as she moved on. Hand shaking and chatting took a few more minutes, then Leona sent the Pumas for refreshments.

The reaction of the boys to the Pumas was as amusing as ever, and the girls were nearly as funny. As cool as Ran tried to play it she clearly noticed the skimpy uniforms the android catgirls were wearing. Poor Erica got a smack from Catrine for noticing, while Usagi just shook her head and grinned.

Leona kept a straight face as she noted, "For those of you who asked for punch, I can't promise it's not spiked."

Ran took a sip, "Yup, it's spiked."

Leona shrugged helplessly, "What do you do?" More seriously she said, "You all saved a lot of lives, and I feel the city owes you all." Wryly she added, "Sadly, doing a good job usually means being offered a harder one."

Princess Usagi raised a eyebrow, "I'm listening."

"The city is pretty well defended," Leona said, "we had efficient police, emergency and police forces. But when a unexpected, unplanned crisis struck, a team of volunteers jumped in and handled it before most forces even got moving."

"Get to the point," Ran said briskly, much like a military woman would.

Leona nodded, "The point then. I'd like you to stay together as a informal group to protect Crystal Tokyo."

"But you just said there's the police etc etc," Erica tilted her head to the side, keeping any excitement out of her voice, "why do you need us?"

"Because it takes time for them to deploy," Hotaru noted thoughtfully, "correct? While police and rescue was mobilizing, we were there."

"Exactly," Leona nodded. She grinned, "Not that I'm not planning on drilling my people on faster response. I think we really fell down on the job this time... but I also think a group like you might be very useful."

It was Princess Usagi who took the lead, of course. "I would be interested in trying this," she said to the others, "who would like to join me?"

"I'm in, of course," Hotaru said gravely, putting her hand on her lover's shoulder. Quickly the majority of the group chimed in, clustering around the princess eagerly.

"Does this make us the Justice League of Crystal Tokyo?" Erica quipped.

"Don't even think about it," Catrine told her, laughing.

To be continued...

Notes: As Ran hadn't told her mothers before she went VERY public, I thought I should show the aftermath. Poor kid.

I mentioned Leona was Chief way back in chapter 2 or 3, I think. Heh! Finally followed up on it. No idea how much this group of volunteers will appear, nor do I know what I'll ultimately call them. Champions of Crystal Tokyo? Knights? Suggestions eagerly accepted.