LEGAL DISCLAIMER OF THE DAY: If you haven't figured out yet by reading these legal notices, Naoko Takeuchi created Sailor Moon, this is just my personal interpretation of it.
SAILOR MOON: 1987
FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA
NOVEMBER 28, 1986 6:30 PM
"So why did we have to leave all of a sudden?" Sailor Moon asked, as they left and went back to their new hangout.
"When Jackrabbit Slim mentioned the name Zoicite," Golden Hawk said, "I felt Luna shudder. I have a feeling she knows a little something about Zoicite, and my gut's telling me to assemble the team for a little meeting."
EPISODE 6: THE FOUR LORDS OF HELL
"I was hoping I would never hear that name again," Luna said.
"Why?" Sailor Moon asked.
"What is it about him that has you so rattled?" Golden Hawk asked.
"I'll tell you once we assemble the rest of the team," Luna said.
"This is Golden Hawk," he said, into his communicator.
"Sailor Mars here," Rae said into her communicator.
"Is everyone else still there?" Golden Hawk asked.
"Yes," Rae Hinowski said. "Me, Mina, Mary Ann, and Ami. Artemis is here as well."
"Good," Golden Hawk said, "Sailor Moon and I will be there momentarily."
"I thought you two were on patrol," Ami Andersen said, when Golden Hawk, Sailor Moon, and Luna arrived back at the auxiliary unit attached to Rae's house the team was using as their headquarters.
"Something I heard talking to one of my homeless friends got Luna rattled," John McCoy said, transforming from Golden Hawk.
"And it wasn't just someone named Zoicite harming the homeless," Usagi Tsukino said, transforming from Sailor Moon.
"Did you just say Zoicite?" Artemis asked, concerned.
"Would you two mind filling us non-felines in on this Zoicite character?" Mary Ann Kino asked.
"All I know is that hearing that name has poor Artemis spooked," Mina Webb said, picking up Artemis, and sitting down with him in her lap."
"Zoicite is one of our deadliest enemies," Luna said.
"Word on the street is he's looking for something, although my informant doesn't know what it is," John said.
"Word on the street?" Ami asked.
"I use the homeless as my eyes and ears on the street," John said. "They know what's up, and using them to keep a lookout for trouble gives them a sense of purpose. Anyways, from what my informant told me, this Zoicite character has been assaulting the homeless. One of my friends wound up with a broken arm, and a nun named Elizabeth Hayes was killed."
"Oh no," Mina said, putting her arm around Rae and squeezing. "Not Sister Betty."
"I take it you know her as well," John said. "She helps the homeless out when she can. She gives them things like food and hygiene products, in winter, she gives them socks, gloves, and hats, and at least once a month, she makes a huge pot of stew for them. She didn't deserve what she got."
"Sister Betty worked at Rosary," Rae said, crying.
"Everybody there loved her," Mina said, her eyes tearing up.
"Zoicite is one of the Four Lords of Hell," Artemis said.
"If they're here, that means they're after one thing," Luna said.
"And what's that?" Usagi asked.
"The Legendary Silver Millennium Crystal," Luna said.
"And we're supposed to keep these Four Lords of Hell from getting their hands on it," Usagi said.
"Correct," Artemis said. The Four Lords of Hell are the ones behind the attacks that caused us to recruit all of you. Except for John, of course. His involvement was purely by chance, but we welcome his help all the same."
"And if the Four Lords of Hell are involved," Luna said, "we're going to need all the help we can get."
"It might not be much," John said, "but I can get us some help."
"What can you do?" Luna asked.
"Like I said," John said, "I use the homeless as my eyes and ears on the street. For the most part the homeless are good people who just caught a few bad breaks. Anyways, I can go out and put the word out on the street to be on the lookout for these Four Lords of Hell. I know one of them is named Zoicite."
"Zoicite, Kunzite, Nephrite, and Jaedite," Luna said. "They all wear military style uniforms, although they all wear eyeliner, earrings, and have long hair."
"I'll be back in a bit," John said. "I'm going to have a little talk with my friend Jackrabbit Slim. If I know him, he'll be more than happy to help, especially if he helps us get the person who murdered Sister Betty."
"Mina and I want to go with you this time," Rae said.
"If we run into Zoicite," Mina said, "We each want to give him one for Sister Betty."
45 MINUTES LATER, DOWNTOWN FULLERTON
After stopping at Wendy's and the liquor store next to it, John, Rae, and Mina transformed, and returned to Jackrabbit Slim's "campsite". "Jackrabbit Slim," Golden Hawk said.
"Golden Hawk," Jackrabbit Slim said. "Thank God it's you. I see you brought a couple more friends. With pretty girls like them and Sailor Moon, I can see why you haven't been around as much in the last couple weeks."
"Anyways," Golden Hawk said, "The blonde is Sailor Venus, and the one with black hair is Sailor Mars, and the cat is Artemis. They were friends of Sister Betty's. Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, this is Alex Phillips, otherwise known as Jackrabbit Slim."
"Sister Betty was one of the kindest, most compassionate people I've ever met," Sailor Mars said.
"We want to find whoever killed her and make him pay," Sailor Venus said.
"That's sort of where you come in," Golden Hawk said. "I need you to do me a little favor. I want you to do it for Sister Betty."
"I'll do anything for Sister Betty," Jackrabbit Slim said. "It's just a damn shame what happened to her."
"I need you to spread the word for me that my friends and I are looking for the guy who murdered Sister Betty," Golden Hawk said. "We're also looking for three others, as well. Their names are Kunzite, Nephrite, and Jaedite. They look similar to Zoicite, long hair, eyeliner, earrings, and military style uniforms. The item they're looking for is called the Legendary Silver Millennium Crystal. Get on the grapevine and spread the word that if anyone sees or hears anything about Zoicite, Kunzite, Nephrite, Jaedite, the Legendary Silver Millennium Crystal, or the Four Lords of Hell, to get word to the Mailman. He knows how to get in touch with me. Speaking of which, I'm going to see the Mailman right now."
"I'll get on the grapevine on the double," Jackrabbit Slim said.
"I know I gave you a sack lunch earlier," Golden Hawk said, handing Jackrabbit Slim one of the bags he was holding, "but I bet you're still hungry. Here's a double with cheese from Wendy's, along with a bag of chili cheese Fritos, a Milky Way, and a bottle of Faygo Redpop."
"God bless you, Golden Hawk," Jackrabbit Slim said.
A few minutes later, Golden Hawk, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Venus found themselves in a back alley, in front of a makeshift cabin, made of whatever scraps of wood the occupant could find. "Anyone home?" Golden Hawk asked, knocking on the door of the cabin.
"Who is it?" the occupant, a red haired man in his mid 30s, asked.
"Golden Hawk," he said.
"What are you doing here?" the man asked. "I was just about to make love to Kate Jackson when you so rudely interrupted me."
"So that's what you're calling your right hand now," Golden Hawk said. "Last week, it was Susan St. James, the week before that, Cheryl Tiegs, and before that, it was Sheena Easton. Anyways, I'd like you to meet a couple friends of mine, the blonde's Sailor Venus, her friend is Sailor Mars, and the cat is Artemis. They were friends of Sister Betty's. Girls, this is Ethan Queen, aka the Mailman."
"Nice to meet you, ladies," the Mailman said. "You too, pussycat."
"I need you to do me a favor," Golden Hawk said. "I just had Jackrabbit Slim put word on the grapevine that if anyone sees or hears anything involving Zoicite, Kunzite, Nephrite, Jaedite, the Four Lords of Hell, or the Legendary Silver Millennium Crystal, to let you know. If you hear anything about what I just told you, or if someone comes to you with information, I don't care what time it is, get on the radio right away and give me a buzz. Anyways, you hungry?"
"Starving," the Mailman said. "I wasn't able to get to the Mission or the soup kitchen today, and today was when Sister Betty was supposed to make stew."
"I wish I could give you more," Golden Hawk said, handing the Mailman the other bag he brought with him. "Double with cheese from Wendy's, a bag of crunchy Cheetos, a Whatchamacallit, and a bottle of Pepsi."
"Thank you, and God bless you," the Mailman said, hugging Golden Hawk. "And don't worry, if I hear or see anything, I'll give you a buzz right away. Anyways, before you go, do me one little favor, will you? Say a little prayer for Sister Betty with me?"
We'd be honored to," Sailor Venus said, as she, Sailor Mars, and Golden Hawk kneeled, and Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars crossed themselves.
"Amen," the Mailman said, after a minute of prayer.
"One last thing," Golden Hawk said, leaving the sack lunches he made earlier in several large shopping bags he brought with him. "Hand these out for me, please, and take one for yourself."
"God bless you again," the Mailman said.
"The first lesson of Street Level Surveillance," John said, once he, Mina, and Rae had transformed back to their civilian identities, "A burger or a sack lunch is one of your most effective recon tools. Like I said earlier, I use the homeless as my eyes and ears on the street. I treat them with kindness and dignity, and some people may think I'm exploiting them, but way I see it, I give them purpose. And some might see it as a handout, but I see giving them food as payment for services rendered. I wish I could do more than occasionally passing out sack lunches or buying someone a burger, but..."
"You're doing more than a lot of people," Rae said.
"From what I understand," Artemis said, "some people hold the homeless in the same regard as they hold what I leave in my litterbox."
"You at least treat them like they're human beings," Mina said.
"Well, if anyone has any information," John said, "they'll go to the Mailman, and he'll contact me."
"And you'll contact us," Artemis said.
"Of course," Golden Hawk said. "Any chance of me bailing out on you went out the window when I found out whoever it is you're supposed to be fighting was messing with the homeless. But killing Sister Betty, Zoicite made it personal. Trust me, out of respect for her, I won't tell the two of you what I want to do to him right now, but I'll say it won't be a pleasant experience for him. And trust me, you'll learn very quickly just how many friends Sister Betty has on the streets. Once word gets out I'm looking for the man who murdered her, every eye and every ear will be open. Anyways, let's go back, I'll let the other girls know I put word out on the street."
When they got back to their base, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, and Golden Hawk transformed back to their civilian identities. John briefed them on having put word out on the grapevine. "Anyways," John said, "I'm going home to get a good night's sleep."
"We can use this place as a headquarters," Rae said.
"Perfect," John said. "Like I said, I'm going home to get a good night's sleep. Everyone be here tomorrow morning around 8, have a short meeting, and then I'm going to hit the streets, and taking anyone who wants to join me."
8:00 THE NEXT MORNING, SAILOR SOLDIER HEADQUARTERS
"I brought breakfast," Ami Andersen said, setting a couple large McDonald's bags on the table. "Sausage biscuits, with cheese added, I got a dozen, that's two each. Luna, Artemis, I didn't forget about you two, I got each of you a sausage patty by itself."
"There's sodas in the fridge if anyone wants any," Rae said.
The team ate breakfast, and while they were eating, John briefed them on what they were going to do. They decided to split up into teams of three. "I'll take Ami and Mina, along with Artemis. Usagi, Rae, Mary Ann, you take Luna, and spread the word you're friends of mine, and we're working together. Like I said, these people are my eyes and ears, if they know you're on my side, they should trust you enough to talk to you. Anyways, now let's get into character."
"Pretty Soldier of the Moon, Make-Up!"
"Mercury Power, Make-Up!"
"Mars Power, Make-Up!"
"Venus Power, Make-Up!"
"Jupiter Power, Make-Up!"
John briefly disappeared, and returned as Golden Hawk. He, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Venus took Artemis, and took off one way, while Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter took Luna and went off in another direction. "Keep your eyes and ears open," Golden Hawk said. "We don't know what we'll run into."
Golden Hawk, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Venus, along with Artemis, went to downtown Fullerton, exploring the back alleys, and places where the homeless lived. He talked to several of his acquaintances, and learned nothing he didn't already know. However, he was heartened to know that his instructions to the homeless had been passed through the grapevine. He had also introduced Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury around, as friends and partners of his, people they could count on if they were in trouble.
Meanwhile, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Luna had found out that word on the street was that Golden Hawk had partnered with "some super powered girls in sailor suits". "You three Golden Hawk's new friends?" a young Hispanic boy of 13 asked Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter. "My name's Miguel."
"Yeah," Sailor Moon said. "Nice to meet you, Miguel. I'm Sailor Moon, these are my friends Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter, and my cat Luna."
"If you see him, tell him this bad man named Zoicite is hurting the homeless," Miguel said.
"Golden Hawk already knows about Zoicite," Sailor Mars said. "That's why we're out here, we're looking for him."
"Does Golden Hawk know about Sister Betty?" Miguel asked.
"Yes," Sailor Jupiter said.
"Everybody loved Sister Betty," Miguel said.
"She was my friend, too," Sailor Mars said.
"Anyways," Miguel said, "I need you to give him a message from me. I'm guessing you know that this Zoicite isn't working alone. I overheard people talking, he mentioned something or someone named Metalia."
"I should have known," Luna said. "If she's involved, things just went from bad to worse."
"Did your gato just say something?" Miguel asked.
"Yes, she did," Sailor Moon said. "Luna's not your average, everyday, garden variety feline."
"Hey guys," Sailor Jupiter said into her communicator, "Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Luna, and I are talking to this boy named Miguel, and he has some information for us. He said that some people heard Zoicite mention someone named Metalia. I don't know anything about this Metalia, except for the fact Luna thinks she's bad news."
"Tell Miguel I said thanks for the intel," Golden Hawk said.
"Hola Golden Hawk," Miguel said. "You're welcome. When I heard that name, for some reason, I thought it was important enough to tell you."
Meanwhile back with Golden Hawk, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, and Artemis, met up with Brad Caldwell, who went by the street name of Bear. "I know you're busy trying to find this Zoicite character who killed Sister Betty," Bear said, "But you have a few minutes to come to my palace and have a cup of coffee?"
"Only if my friends can come too," Golden Hawk said.
"Of course," Bear said. "Any friends of yours are friends of mine."
"Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury, this is Bear. Bear, these are Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury," Golden Hawk said.
"Nice to meet you," Sailor Mercury said.
"Ditto," Sailor Venus said. "And this is my cat, Artemis."
They walked to a motor home that was up on blocks(which was just as well, as the last time anyone ran the engine, it seized up). When they entered, Bear poured a little saucer of cream, and set it on the floor for Artemis. "Here's some cream for your kitty," he said. "So how does everyone like their coffee?"
"Cream and sugar," Sailor Mercury said.
"Just a little sugar," Sailor Venus said.
"Black," Golden Hawk said, taking his mask off(but leaving the hood of his T-shirt up), and sitting with his back to the door, so nobody could see his face. ""Don't worry," he said. "Bear knows my secret identity, I can trust him. Anyways, he makes the best coffee in Orange County."
"Coffee will be ready in a minute," Bear said. "While we drink it, I have some intel for you, stuff I got off the grapevine."
"Bear knows everything that happens on the street," Golden Hawk said. "If you were to drop dead, he'd know about it before you did."
As Bear was pouring the coffee, someone started pounding at the door to his "palace". "Bear!" a man in his late 20s, who was out of breath from running, said.
"What is it, Candyman?" Bear asked.
"Trouble at Jackrabbit Slim's place," Candyman said, between breaths. "Someone's roughing him up bad. From the looks of it, he's one of those Four Lords of Hell they're talking about on the grapevine."
"Call the others!" Golden Hawk said, putting his mask back on. "Tell them to meet us at Jackrabbit Slim's place."
"Maybe some other time on the coffee," Bear said, joining Golden Hawk, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, and Artemis, as they went to Jackrabbit Slim's camp.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
OUR NEXT EPISODE: JAEDITE