Episode 2: Just Call me Nemo-or, America gets Jealous of Japan

Sailor moon.

Rory's eyes shot open. That's right. The monster, the transformation, the magical gust of wind that looked like a glorified galaxy bath bomb. She had powers now.

What did that mean?

Reaching over, she unlocked her phone and cut off the quiet tone of her Sunday alarm.

6:00 AM.

Outside, crickets were chirping. The sun just barely peeked over the horizon. Rory slowly sat up, stripping her jacket from around her waist to throw it in the corner.

Scratch scratch.

Her eye flicked oven. At the window, just outside on the upper porch, Celene stood, pawing the doorframe. "Let me in!" Her voice was muffled by the glass.

Rory rolled out of bed, moving to lock her door before letting the cat into her room. "Celene."

The cat yawned, which, weirdly, sounded like a regular human yawn. "Good morning."

"Okay, you've got to explain things now."

Celene stretched. "That's why I'm here, at this early hour. Might as well talk, now they we're finally able."

Rory eyed the walls of her room—she usually didn't speak out loud this early, for fear of waking Tyrell or her mama. "How are you able to talk, anyways?"

"I have always been able to talk." Celene took a seat by the window. "You just couldn't understand, until we made a connection. Once you touched the insignia on my forward, I was able to use my magic to connect with yours."

"Why do I have magic? That thing yesterday—it said something about a Star Soul? What is that?" Still, something about it sounded familiar. Rory couldn't put her finger on it.

Celene stood, her expression becoming very serious. "You are a Sailor Soldier—a defender of the universe. The presence of those creatures—the pithos—awakened the power inside of you, allowing you to activate it."

Rory paced, her socks dragging against the worn carpet. "Why, though? I don't get it. Did I always have this power? Was I born on the second full moon when Aquarius was in retrograde, or something?" Question after question rose in her mind. She was afraid she was going to forget them before she was able to ask. She turned back, kneeling before the cat. "You gotta understand, I know absolutely nothing here. What do I have to do with Sailor Moon?"

America had considered Sailor Moon a hoax by Japan for a long time. She was a publicity stunt, an elaborate prank, or a hyped-up idol depending on who you asked. Still, the sheer amount of news footage of the skirt-toting super-heroine made her existence hard to dismiss. Rory thought that America was probably just jealous. The US had always wanted anything that anyone else had, and if they couldn't have a superhero, then they didn't exist.

Well…she felt into her pocket, pulling out the scepter (it looked more like a large, fancy pen than anything.) She guessed now they got their wish.

Celene's whiskers twitched. She looked almost ashamed. "That's a bit more complicated. For some reason, many of my memories are incomplete. I can picture the planets, but I can't recall their names. I remember that I was supposed to be guardian for a battalion of Sailor Soldiers, but I can't remember who." She peered out to the morning sky, sunrise bursting color in all directions. "When I saw you leaping across buildings, I thought you might be one of my charges, but I wasn't sure. It wasn't until I saw the symbol on your scepter I remembered what it was."

Rory smoothed a thumb over the β. "So there's a planet Beta out there somewhere?"

"No, actually. The name of a planet is not necessarily tied to its symbol. Unfortunately, the names of our battalion are lost to me right now. I suspect they may be planets those of this world have not yet titled."

Rory groaned. "So, I'm the guardian of a nameless planet? I'm just like Sailor…blank?"

The intensity in Celene's eyes hardened. "Just because this world does not know their names, it doesn't mean they don't have one. Earth is not master over all the universe."

Dang if Celene wasn't a serious cat. Rory held up her hands. "Okay, I got you." She could do without cat scratches, thank you.

The cat relaxed. "I suspect my memories will return with time, especially now that our connection is restored. For now, Sailor Beta will do." Celene's tail whipped restlessly, "You must understand: if your powers have awakened, it means that you are needed. There is a terrible threat to the universe, and only the Sailor Soldiers can stop it."

Rory let the news sink in. She smoothed her hands over her legs. An image flashed through her mind: that creature taking a swipe at her. "…You say soldiers. Are there others out there?"

The cat's ears stood straight. "Yes. Sailor Soldiers generally form squadrons based on a shared star system. The faster we can locate them, the more I suspect we will remember. Though, just as in your case, this activity is sure to prompt their powers to awaken."

Rory sighed, laying to stretch back on her bed. "So, we just have to wait, then."

"We still have work to do," Celene jumped up beside her, taking a seat on her comforter. "The pithos is still an imminent threat."

She turned to her. "What is the pithos, anyways?"

The cat narrowed her brow. "I'm not entirely sure why, but these creatures seem to be after your souls; that is, the souls of Sailor Soldiers, distinguished by their connections to star's satellites. These souls—your soul is extremely powerful. If they are seeking this power, and they are willing to steal living souls to get it, it can't be good." Celene tucked her head into her legs. Now that Rory knew she could talk, it seemed weird to see her do normal cat things. "The only reason I know what they are is because I overheard someone referring to them by that name. It must have been one of their leaders."

Rory rested her hand on her chest. "A powerful soul…"

She'd always thought of herself as pretty ordinary. Besides her free-running, she couldn't think of anything about her that was especially unique.

They were silent for several minutes. Rory sighed. "Why can't Sailor Moon handle this?"

"Aurora?"

Rory jolted when she heard her mama's voice from outside the door. "Yeah, Mama?" Quickly, she gestured Celene under the bed.

"It's time to get up. You need to shower for church. Why is your door locked?"

"Sorry," Rory jumped to the door, undoing the lock. "I just wanted some quiet last night."

She opened the door. Her mama stared back at her, squinting, as if trying to puzzle something out from her expression. "…that's okay. Just hurry and get ready." She turned and left down the hall.

Truth was, Rory didn't know how to be ready for this.

The agent peered down over the neighborhood, the streets full of holes, the houses breaking down on every side. "Truly pathetic." She kicked gravel over the edge, letting it fall to the ground beneath. They're rotting in their corruption.

Still, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

Raising the frequency stone on her wrist, she murmured the coordinates of the Moving Palace, then waited for the signal to go through.

"Desidia." Lady Pandorana regarded her from the throne, the guardian Elpis standing loyally at her side. Her commander grinned pleasantly. "I must admit, I'm surprised to hear from you first, of anyone."

Desidia grimaced. She'd had a pattern of reporting late (for totally reasonable reasons!) and her tardiness was often remarked upon. She was lucky, she thought, that she was allowed to continue serving the cause.

Her Lady folded her hands. "What have you to report?"

Desidia bowed her head. "My Lady. I discovered this morn that one of the pithos under my command has been destroyed. This would suggest that it successfully crossed the path of a Sailor Soldier." She looked away. Hopefully, the discovery would distract her commander from the fact it was, in fact, defeated.

Pandorana clapped enthusiastically. "Excellent!"

She folded her other hand behind her back, saluting. "I request your permission to create additional pithos, my Lady. I believe I have pinpointed the approximate location of the soldier here on earth; I just need a greater force with which take her down."

"Consider it done. The sooner we seize the star souls, the better. " The commander's eyes glittered. "And Desidia?"

She swallowed. She would follow her Lady's command unquestioningly, but there was something about that tone of voice that unsettled her. "Yes, my Lady?"

"Don't dawdle." She waved goodbye.

Desidia bowed as the communication died. Yikes.

The mid-day light blaring over her, she couldn't resist the yawn that rose up. Still, now that the soldier's location was found, there was no need to overwork herself. A peaceful existence was a pure existence, after all. The pithos could track their target; she wouldn't need to lift her finger.

Eyes scanning the streets below, it was only a matter of time. She watched a young woman exit one of the low-level hovels, continuing alone down the street. There could only be so many wayward girls in one neighborhood.

Rory pulled out her phone, pulling up Narma's name in her contacts. She glanced to where her mama and Tyrell were loading back into the car to go home. "Hey Mama, I think I'm going to hang with Narma. You guys can go without me."

Tyrell raised an eyebrow from the backseat. "Girl, weren't you just at her house yesterday?"

Luckily, her mama ignored the question. She narrowed her eyes from the driver's seat. "Okay. Try not to get home too late. You have school in the morning."

Rory resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I won't. See you guys later."

Their Buick turned, speeding down the street. Satisfied, Rory turned back to her phone.

I'm coming to u. u at work or something

Girl please the aquarium is dead

I was about to throw myself in the shark tank

Lol b right there.

Rory bit her lip, taking the turn towards Pier 59. She'd been thinking about it, and she hadn't gotten the chance to ask Celene. Was she allowed to tell anyone about her powers? Like, obviously she shouldn't "reveal her secret identity" or whatever, but that only mattered with strangers, right? She couldn't imagine letting one of her friends in on the secret would do any harm. She and Narma were tight; they had been ever since the girl had moved into her neighborhood three years ago. It wasn't like she was going to be ratting her out to the news or something.

Anyways, she probably wouldn't believe her. Who would?

She turned her gaze to the sky, where the afternoon sun was just beginning its descent. How did Sailor Moon deal with these sorts of problems?

The enormous teal building rose up in the distance. To anyone who didn't know it, it would have looked like some kind of warehouse, but the interior hosted huge, elaborate tanks. The Ocean Pavilion, where Narma had gotten a job the previous summer (thank god for work permits) was much more impressive: a cylinder of walkways surrounding a massive central tank, the buildings glass walls letting visitors get a peek at the goods. Sundays tended to be slow, though. Apparently, there were other events nearby that tended to pull potential customers away.

Whelp, Rory to the rescue!

The moment she came in the entrance, Narma yelled "Shukriyaa!" across the room from her position at the entrance desk. This got her a few odd looks from the wandering patrons, but she just rounded the desk and headed in a beeline for Rory, sticker in hand. "Nothing to see people, just a very special guest!" Narma slapped the sticker (VISITOR) onto Rory's church sweater without hesitation. (That was one advantage of having a friend who worked in an aquarium—free access.) Wrapping her arm around Rory's shoulder, she steered her back towards the desk. Under her breath, she hissed, "My manager is a psychopath!"

"Slow down." Rory shrugged her arm off, leaning on the desktop. "What happened?"

"The psycho woman started handing out these discount tickets for Monday afternoon. Now, there is no one here, and tomorrow we are going to be slammed and I am here by myself. Again." Narma dragged a hand through her hair.

Rory could see the silver fading to black at the roots where Narma had failed to re-dye it. She must really be stressed. "That's rough, girl. How much longer you got tonight?"

Narma fiddled with her nose ring. Rory subtle tugged her hand away from it. "Four more hours of this dead show. I'm dying inside. I need to be entertained, Rory."

Rory's eyes passed over the desk, noticing an open notebook. "Hey. You got some new designs?"

Narma followed her gaze to the notebook. "They're garbage. I keep trying to think up something new, then I realize I've done it before."

The page was covered in salwar suits this time. Most of the sketches were half colored in, strips of colors crossing the line drawings to test different combinations. The colors were mostly dark, Narma's punk aesthetic coming thru even in the traditional fashion she was creating. Narma always maintained a weird medium between passive-aggressively rebelling against her parents and leaning-in to their culture. Rory could respect that.

Most of the drawings had notes written in beside them. You did this in the fall! Boring. Switch these colors.

Rory ran a finger over one of the drawings. The figure was obviously modeled after Narma herself—straight, should-length hair and a dramatic pose. "You're too hard on yourself. These are nice."

Narma scoffed. "Nice on my Grandma." Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Hey, you had me play cover-up last night. What's the deal? You have to tell me."

She should have known this was coming. Rory scratched a hand over her sweater. "Honestly, it's pretty complicated. I'm not sure it would really be okay if—"

"Excuse me."

They both froze, Narma turning to look at the man who had come up to the table. "Yes? Can I help you?"

The man was unassuming. He smiled, though, in a sort of carefree way. Maybe it was just the fact that most people wouldn't start off smiling when they were asking for help, but something about him creeped Rory out.

He directed his attention to Narma. "I'm sorry to bother you, but—" he twitched. "I wanted to ask. How pure would you say you are?"

Rory cringed. Dang, she hoped this guy wasn't one of those creepy missionaries that asked way too personal questions to expose you as a sinner. They gave Christians a bad name. "Excuse you?"

Narma eyed the guy. "Okay, A, If you're trying to give me the good news, I'm Hindi, and B, if not, you come on too strong, buddy. Not interested."

The man twitched again. Was he on something? "You misunderstand." He gestured behind himself. "Me and my companions—"

Oh no, there were more of them. By the curve of the central aquarium, a trio of surprisingly incongruous men were standing around, deep in discussion. They… didn't seem like they belong together, in a way. One looked like a businessman, full suit and briefcase. Another was a construction worker, his graying beard spilling down his chest. The third was a punk rocker—he couldn't be much older than them. Weird.

"—merely wish to find purity in the world."

Narma leaned away from him. "O…kay. Well, you and your friends are going to need to pay to get into the exhibit."

The man stared back wordlessly, eyes glazed over. "You misunderstand—"

Just then, Rory caught movement in her periphery. Turning, she noticed a bright orange shape on the other side of the glass. Celene pawed at the window, trying to get her attention.

Rory shot an apologetic look in Narma's direction. She said "Sorry, be right back," before heading out of the building.

The paranoia of being seen talking to a cat was stronger than she would have anticipated. Walking quickly towards Celene, she scooped her up, the cat squawking in protest. Moving into a nearby alley, she dropped Celene back to the ground. "What's up?"

The cat shook out her fur. "I really wish you wouldn't do that." She narrowed her eyes. "There has been a spike of negative energy in this area."

Rory couldn't help it; her lip twitched upward. "What, are you a Feng Shui master now or something?"

Celene bristled. "This is serious! And I'm able to pick up on their malicious energy because you are. Don't you feel it?"

She paused, her stomach twisting. "Actually, yeah. Things were feeling off. I didn't know why."

The cat's tale whipped aggressively. "That's the star soul sensing a threat! It feels as though it has picked up a similar presence to the one we faced off with last night."

Tension shot up through Rory's shoulders. "So there's another one of those things here?" Her eyes flicked to the building behind them. Narma. "We need to come up with a plan."

Just then, screams erupted from the building behind them.

"There's no time," Celene cried. "You must transform!"

It was just Narma's luck. Her manager gives her the dead shift, and she still has to juggle a handful of creepers. She sighed, watching Rory run out of the aquarium with a sense of finality. There went her shot at salvaging her afternoon.

The guy at her desk was still looking like he had never heard of payment before. "I wish to seek out the purist here on earth, so that we may bring them to the heavens."

How many times did she have to tell him before this guy got the picture? She put a hand on her hip. "You still have to pay to enter the exhibits. You guys need to buy tickets. Otherwise, I will have to get security."

His mouth twitched. The smile never dropped from the guy's face, but for a second, it almost looked like a snarl. "You misunderstand."

He kept repeating the same phrasing over and over too, like a robot. Narma was seriously starting to think this man might be stoned. "Look, buddy, I don't make the rules."

"I have to know. How pure would you say you are? This is a corrupt world." The man leaned across the counter.

Alarms going off internally, Narma's fingers hovered over the security alarm under the counter. "You need to leave, sir."

"I have to know."

Narma's gaze shot to the space behind him when a shout rocketed through the building. The other guys—the three the man had come in with—something was wrong with them. Patrons ran for the door around them, the fluorescents above them flickering. Her eyes widened when she saw the smoke-like substance around their hands. Some kind of grenade?

She yelped when a hand shot out, grabbing her throat. Panic erupting within her, she grasped at the hand, trying to pry it off.

The guy—no, the creature's mouth stretched from one side of his head to the other. His eyes glowed, neon bright. "I have to know. Is your soul one of the pure ones hiding on this rotting world?"

What the hell? She gasped, nails clawing at his hand —his grip was too strong. Her chest burned.

"Put her down!"

The voice caused the creature to turn. Its loosened grip wasn't enough for her to tug herself free, but the spots in her vision cleared enough to see what was behind him.

It was a figure, with dark skin, braided hair, and a skirted silhouette. Squinting, Narma thought that the figure looked familiar, but for some reason, she just couldn't call up a name?

A symbol like a B shined from the figure's forehead.

The creature let go. Falling to the ground, choking against the throb of her injured throat, she heard it say, "Star soul detected. Engage collection."

The figure yelped as the other three men charged towards her. The figure cried out, "Four of them?" Before backing away. Narma pulled herself up. She had to get out of there. Screw Martha and her dead shifts; she didn't get paid for this.

But then the creature, no longer distracted, turned back to her.

Sailor Beta grimaced, dodging as one of the pithos gave a swipe at her with its enormous bear-claw. She was way outnumbered. Why did there have to be four of these creeps? Quickly, she tried for enough distance to pull the scepter back out. I need you to have a little more kick here, you got it? She pointed the wand. "Dire Stellar Gust!"

The wind whipped from behind her, as it had before. The rocker in front went down, crashing to the linoleum, but the other two further back were getting back up with a quickness.

Rory glanced back to the cat by the entrance. "Celene? A little help here!"

"Hang in there!" The cat called back. "Don't let them corner you, Sailor Beta!"

Rory gritted her teeth. "Girl, that is not helpful!" Out of the corner of her eye, her stomach dropped when she saw the Creep-in-Charge advancing back on Narma, grabbing her by the collar. "Why are they after her?"

Jumping back, she moved towards Narma. She needed to take out that guy ASAP. As the businessman hissed and grabbed for her, she saw a light burst into being on her right.

From Narma's direction.

Looking over, she gasped. The creature appeared to be reaching into Narma's chest, pulling out a blue crystal-like object. "Hey! Let her go!"

"Sailor Beta!" Celene darted between them. "She has a star soul! You mustn't let the pithos capture it!"

No way.

Narma?

But that thing was reaching into Narma's chest! What if she hurt her getting him off?

But there wasn't time. "Dire Stellar Gust!"

The attacked rushed towards the pair, Rory directing it as much away from Narma as she could. It wasn't a direct hit, only enough to dislodge the pithos. He snarled, getting back up. Glancing back, she could see a small cut on her friend's face—sorry, Narma—but the crystal sank back into her chest.

Her friend groaned, trying to get up.

"Hurry," Rory yelled as over her shoulder she saw the other two crowding in. "It's coming back!"

Celene rushed forward. As Rory evaded the pithos (the big one was going to be on her any second) she heard the cat address her friend. "Miss, take this!" She didn't see it, but she caught the tell-tale light of Celene using her forehead pocket dimension.

Narma screeched. "You're talking."

"Do what she says!" But Rory cried out as the construction worker's massive bear claw nailed her across the torso. The force knocked her back to the opposite wall.

"Quickly! Raise it to the air. Say, Crystal Power Epsilon, make-up!"

Epsilon.

Dazed, Rory struggled to stand. It was an odd but persistent pain, as if the claws had not cut but dragged across her entire body. A dull, aching burn. The construction worker stomped towards her.

Blacklight filled the building.

The creatures winced, the brightness blinding. Squinting against her arm, Rory peering to the other side of the room, where the dimming light revealed Narma, suited up in periwinkle and violet. She stared at herself. "What is happening." She turned her gaze up, meeting Rory's with a shock. "Rory?"

"You've got superpowers," Rory yelled to her as she crawled out of the way of the construction worker's next blow, only for the businessman to come in on her other side.

She needed to hurry. The leader, who had initially gotten the worst blinding, was coming to his senses, his gaze re-focusing on Narma. Or, Epsilon, apparently.

"The power is within you," Rory heard Celene say as she shrunk in on herself, the pithos getting in each other's way above her. "Let it come to you!"

The pithos businessman finally managed to shove the construction worker out of the way with his briefcase, and he swung back, aiming his claws right for the center of Rory's chest.

She heard a stuttered phrase. "T-typhoon Strikedown!"

Whoosh. Heavy rain poured down on the businessman as if a geyser had just opened in the ceiling. He crumpled, the pithos construction worker jumping back in surprise.

On the other side of the room, she saw the leader fall under the same deluge.

Rory knew an opportunity when she saw one. While the construction worker was distracted, she directed one more gust straight into his chest. He smacked back into one of the aquarium's support pillars, the supernatural smoke evaporating off his limbs.

The room was finally silent. Panting, Narma stared over at her, eyes wide.

Rory rose to her feet, still clutching her aching middle. "Okay, as I said, things got crazy last night."