Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse
a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover
Chapter 26: In Plain Sight
4-15-2018
by Grey-X
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.
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When Usagi got up in front of that camera, now just a week ago, she had no idea what it would do. If it would even do any good. It was little more than a desperation move, scrambling to find ANYTHING to blunt Kizachi's momentum. She had been closer to completely giving in to despair than Haruka would ever know. After everything she saw, after witnessing so many people vent such hate at Naru after saving that monorail car, Usagi found it hard to imagine enough people would rally behind her. Did these people really know Sailor Moon, understand what she stood for? Would they really be willing to put things on the line for someone who was essentially a stranger to them?
Usagi had never been happier to see how wrong she was. In just one week, the dynamic within the whole country had changed. People who agreed with her, but had been too uneasy and thus remained silent, were out there in force. Hundreds of thousands, letting everyone else know they would not let Japan shame itself by repeating the mistakes of other countries. And with each passing day, their numbers grew.
Already, the Sailor Senshi had an impressive coalition behind them. Usagi looked around the subbasement level of the corporate headquarters still under construction, graciously lent to them by its owner. It was bustling with activity, especially in the days after the Sailor Senshi and their 'recruits' freed all those incarcerated mutants.
Many of them were swiftly relocated here. It had been gloomy before, the construction not quite finished. Hardly any lighting had been installed, and the subbasement had an overall skeletal feel. In this part Usagi and Chibiusa were walking through, lamps were set up in what was essentially a hastily-assembled infirmary.
Thanks to Professor X relaying them his findings with Cerebro, they could easily find mutants in the general area of Tokyo. It was a race, getting to them before mercenaries and cops armed with Kizachi's scanners could. The X-Men were essentially in a battle of wits with Kizachi too, and Usagi was determined to help them win. It went well beyond the enemy of an enemy being a friend.
Oftentimes, however, they weren't quite in time, leading to skirmishes with police and these mercenaries claiming to specialize in fighting super-beings like mutants. That led to an infirmary like this being necessary, to check up on the mutants brought out of tough spots, refugees in their own country.
Usagi watched as this chiropractor, from the Nerima ward if she remembered right, examined one patient. A statuesque, beautiful nurse, who had been working at Tomobiki High School before this, was preparing an injection for another.
I still can't believe so many people trust Sailor Moon enough to do this, Usagi mused. Some of them putting careers on the line, just because Sailor Moon begged them too. But we're getting more and more mutants, too. Can we keep them safe here long enough? It'll be some time before we can expose Kizachi and these people can safely go...
Usagi felt Chibiusa tug her hand. Looking down, Usagi saw it in her eyes. She was worried about the same thing. The Sailor Senshi were in this for the long haul, just like with all their old enemies. But Sentinels were unlike any monsters their old foes had at their disposal, and Kizachi had an entirely different endgame in mind. In a way, Usagi found it more horrifying than anything Beryl and the others had cooked up.
The pair left the infirmary, heading for the stairs leading up. The subbasement parts around the stairs at least looked completed. As Usagi turned a corner and the stairs came into view, someone approached from another direction. A boy of high-school age with brown-hair, though now it had frost encrusted in it, as did his face.
A laugh echoed within the room. Usagi saw that pigtailed redhead girl from the other night's raid, leaning on a pillar with arms folded. Though now, she had clothes that looked like they belonged on a guy instead, and fit loosely.
"I see it was your turn to babysit Little Miss Blizzard Breath, huh?" she jeered.
The boy glared at her while wiping frost from his face. "Actually, I shouldn't complain too much. It's actually an improvement over getting hit with flame breath in the face all the damn time." He then glared down at something else. A little toddler had followed the boy out, one with a weird tiger-print diaper and a baseball cap covering poofy, turquoise hair. He just pulled down his eyelids and blew the boy a raspberry.
Some of these people aren't exactly getting along, Usagi realized as she walked up the stairs. Yet they're still willing to help total strangers all the same, just because I asked them to...
The notion was still an uneasy one for Usagi. Did she really deserve such trust? Kizachi had made a point of emphasizing how much of this was her fault, that Sailor Moon had ignored the ticking time bomb for so long. After how Naru turned on them all, she had to admit Kizachi had a point.
Naru... Where was she now? What was she doing with Umino? Well, Usagi had a suspicion, but... No, she still had to prove to Naru she had more than just him, that her old friends refused to give up on her, and plenty in Japan had shown they were willing to forgive her. Was Naru's heart so dark now, she'd refuse to forgive anyone?
Unfamiliar voices from behind the door atop the stairs snapped Usagi out of her troubled thoughts. "Sakura, don't push things, OK?" came a young boy's voice. "Dash was never meant to be used that way. If something went wrong when a bunch of guys with GUNS were around..."
Curious, Usagi opened the door just as a group of four kids barely older than Chibiusa walked by. The one who spoke was the only boy among them. She recognized him from that initial meeting at the manor house, and two of the girls with him. But there was a third girl Usagi had never seen before. Usagi would remember if she had, given how her black hair was done up in odangos like hers.
"I had to get those people away, and fast!" the girl with short, brown hair protested. "So I went for fast. It was the only thing I could think of!"
"Well, at least they're safe, now that Tomoyo's mother is letting the Sailor Senshi use this place," said the boy sternly. Usagi wondered if he had any clue Sailor Moon herself was watching them walk down the hall.
"Mother was happy to let it be used for such a good cause," said the girl with long, black hair, no doubt Tomoyo Daidouji, the company's heir. "But Sakura, if she knew you were taking such risks... Please be careful, Sakura. After all, your new battle costume isn't quite finished."
"Yeah, I bet even YOU have trouble finding Kevlar plates in just the right shade of pink," quipped that new girl. "Oh well, I'm here to watch Sakura's back until then. Just glad I flew in from Hong Kong before I missed the good stuff."
The brown-haired girl scratched her head nervously. "Uhh, Meiling... You DID hear about how a Sentinel showed up trying to catch Eclipse, right? And there'll probably be more of them. Ugh, of all the enemies of those superheroes from overseas... Why couldn't it have been something easier? Like that goblin on the rocket platform, or the guy with the rings?"
"Hey, please do NOT take that guy lightly, Sakura!" the boy cried. "Trust me, the Mandarin is bad news, and..."
He stopped suddenly and rounded on the spot, staring right at Usagi. There was a... stoniness to the boy's gaze that made Usagi uneasy. The girl called Sakura then stopped and looked over to her and Chibiusa, as if she suddenly realized something as well. The way these kids talked... These clearly weren't ordinary kids, and Haruka even told her as much. Did they sense something about the two of them as well?
The boy stared at the two of them a moment longer, then finally turned and motioned for the other girls to follow him. Usagi didn't know why that kid made her so anxious, but she let out a sigh of relief all the same.
"I wonder what their deal was?" said Chibiusa once the kids were out of earshot.
"If they helped us get mutants here for protection, and got the CEO of the Daidouji toy company to lend us this place, does it matter?" Usagi hissed under her breath.
"Daidouji's company, the Ryuuzakis, the Mendou conglomerate..." Chibiusa whispered back. "Well, it's good that Sailor Moon won over so many people with deep pockets. REALLY deep pockets."
"Anyway, I think we've wasted enough time here," said Usagi. "Everything looks OK here. Haruka and Michiru are coming to give us a lift, and it sounded like they had some news they wanted to give us in person."
There wasn't much activity on the ground level. Sonomi Daidouji had ordered construction halted, and her employees had yet to even begin moving their operations to this new building. This would give the Sailor Senshi plenty of time to sort things out, or so Usagi hoped.
Soon enough, Usagi and Chibiusa found the front entrance, a wondrous display of windows. The front doors were glass as well. As Usagi hoped, Haruka's Ferrari was parked right up front.
"Well, Usagi says you two got some big news for us," said Chibiusa as the two of them climbed into the back seat. "Unless someone's figured out where Kizachi's slapping together those toys of hers, I don't see what could be so important."
Instead of looking chastised, Michiru looked back to them with a wry smile. "Funny you mention that, Chibiusa..."
Usagi could hardly believe it. "Y-Y-Y-You mean... W-W-W-We got her!?"
"Pretty sure we got her," said Haruka, unable to keep a hint of cheeriness out of her voice. "Just like Minako said, it was something connected to Nephrite's Masato Sanjoin identity. A bit of property he left behind on the outskirts of Tokyo. We'll need to do a bit of recon, but underneath this place... An ideal spot to clandestinely slap those things together, right in plain sight."
"Sounds like you want to hit it tonight," said Usagi.
"There's not really any rush, now that our little insurrection's thrown the country into chaos," said Haruka. "It's not like we'll be seeing scores of them marching down the streets tomorrow morning, but with how Kizachi was cleared to send one after Naru... A reminder that we've only bought so much time."
"If only we could locate Naru and Umino as well," said Michiru. "But she's proven as elusive as ever."
Michiru looked down at something. Usagi wondered what it was, but then Michiru brought up her Deep Aqua Mirror. And then Michiru did something Usagi never expected to see. Michiru began smacking the side of it, like one would slap around a piece of equipment not working quite right.
"Ugh, this thing always starts to act funny when we... come around..." Michiru fell silent as she slowly turned to look out her window.
"Michiru, what are..." Haruka began, but when she looked out the left side of the car, she stopped as well. Also, a hurt, horrified look was etched on her face.
"I don't get it. Just where..." Usagi began, but then she looked out the window herself. They were driving past where Mugen Academy once stood. Most of the disaster area was still there, cordoned off with gates and yellow tape. But the otherworldly, evil aura that probably still permeated the place...
"You two thinking what I'm thinking?" Chibiusa asked suddenly.
"What are you thinking?" Usagi demanded.
Chibiusa shot her an annoyed, disapproving look. Michiru simply said, "Probably that there's still so much lingering evil energy, it'd be perfect camouflage for someone with dark power teleporting in and out."
"That's the answer. Some of the Death Busters' old headquarters must have survived the decimation of Mugen Academy," said Haruka. "This could also be why Cable and Xavier couldn't find Umino with telepathy. They would be scanning above ground, not below it. And there's probably enough of their equipment still functioning, screening out telepathic intrusion. Clever, clever girl."
"Just like Kizachi's Sentinels, then. Hiding in plain sight, right under our noses!" Chibiusa spat.
Usagi stared out at the huge crater still sitting in the middle of the city, her heart suddenly heavy. The site of one of the Sailor Senshi's victories, but also one of their greatest tragedies. They lost Sailor Pluto and Hotaru that day. But now they knew Naru had fled back there...
"And we're going in, to finally talk some sense into her," Usagi said resolutely.
"But Usagi, the Sentinels! We've got to go after them first!" Chibiusa protested.
"We can go in and smash those up anytime now. For the moment, they're going nowhere," said Usagi. "But Mugen Academy... Once we let something get a foothold there and grow out of control, and it cost us. Just like how doubt and anger festered in Naru's heart, and I didn't see it until it was too late. No, not this time."
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The strain was getting to him, so Charles Xavier powered down the Blackbird's Cerebro unit. He took a moment to steady his breathing before removing the helmet. For days, he had helped Sailor Moon's bid to keep Japan's mutants safe until she could expose Erina Kizachi. And given how Cerebro was unable to locate all the incarcerated mutants for them, that was further proof that Kizachi was working with Magneto, as if the X-Men needed any more.
It went well beyond how helping the Sailor Senshi was in the X-Men's best interests. What Usagi Tsukino was doing now... Nothing in their agreement demanded this. It was as if exposing what Kizachi Technologies was up to was secondary to her. Even finding a way to reach Naru, as important as that was to her, took a backseat to her desire to keep mutants safe. Xavier didn't even need telepathy to know this desire would burn within her even if she wasn't this reincarnated princess, born so radically different. No, that was just how big Usagi's heart was. And it helped rekindle hope within him in turn. Very few things could do that these days.
"Have you located any more mutants within Tokyo and its neighboring wards, Professor?" Hank suddenly asked. He lumbered over to his console, tinkering with something, but the relative darkness of the Blackbird's interior made it hard for Xavier to make it out.
"A few more," said Xavier. "But let's face it, most of them have either been scooped up by the Japanese government or the Sailor Senshi. With the latter constantly taking them back from the former. Fortunately, you've insured the reverse will not happen anytime soon."
Hank chuckled. "For now, at least. The two locations the Senshi are using to hide these young mutants have devices to jam those sensors Kizachi handed out like Halloween candy. However, it's no guarantee that will keep the authorities in Japan in the dark forever."
"Then the sooner we find Kizachi's Sentinels, and expose how she's been manipulating the Japanese this whole time, the better," came a stern voice from below. An instant later, Luna hopped up onto Cerebro's console.
"There is no need for impatience. The Sailor Senshi have already accomplished more than even they realize, Luna," said Xavier.
"The Professor is quite right, my dear," Hank added. "Given how Kizachi is working so closely with Magneto, one can surmise that she sought to manipulate the authorities into initiating this crackdown. Just so he could later liberate these young mutants. Such a power play would ultimately aid him politically. Instead, the Sailor Senshi have done so, thus stealing Magneto's thunder."
"And all that will go down the drain once those Sentinels launch!" Luna spat. "I mean, another one already has! And I wouldn't put it past Kizachi to have that Sentinel throw the fight to make everyone even MORE scared of Naru, and mutants in general! She's been manipulating Naru for her own ends from the beginning. Why stop now!?"
Silence lingered in the Blackbird for a moment, eventually broken by Hank. "She does have a point, Professor. I overheard Logan talking with Minako, swapping notes... It sounds like they are quite close to tracking the Sentinels down. It might be more prudent to move in on them as soon as possible, to ensure the Sailor Senshi's momentum isn't halted."
"All too true, Hank," said Xavier. "But Luna, I suspect there's much more to your anxiety than fear of another Sentinel attack."
The cat glowered at Xavier. "You wouldn't be peeking inside my noggin now, would you?"
"Please, Luna. I need not rely on my powers to get a feel for what others are thinking," said Xavier.
"Something tells me, though, that your experience with sapient felines capable of speech is a bit limited," Luna shot back.
"Considering all the information on the X-Men's exploits we have freely shared, can you confidently make that wager?" Hank said coyly.
"In any case, Luna, although our teams got off to a rocky start, I would like to believe we've earned a bit of trust by now," said Xavier. "If there's something else about our joint operations that's troubling you, please tell me. One mentor to another."
Luna looked over to him strangely. Luna was right in some respects. Namely, it wasn't all that easy to judge the facial cues of a cat.
At length, Luna looked away and sighed. "Isn't it obvious? The inheritor of the Moon Kingdom... This isn't what she's supposed to be doing! There will come a day when she will ascend and become queen of this world. But right now, fighting against the peacekeepers we have now, basically starting an insurrection threatening to tear Japan apart!? Is this really going to make things better!? How do we know this isn't exactly what Erina Kizachi wanted for her endgame to shatter Usagi completely!?"
"As Hank said, one of Kizachi's aims was to arrange this crackdown so Magneto could position himself again as mutantkind's savior," said Xavier. "I doubt either Kizachi or Magneto is happy with what Sailor Moon's started."
"So I guess as long as Sailor Moon's doing the dirty work sticking it to your old friend, all is well, huh?" Luna snapped.
"That's a little harsh, Luna," said Hank dangerously. "Ms. Tsukino made this decision herself, and the rest of the Senshi chose to stand behind her, including yourself. To now insinuate the Professor manipulated her and is happy to watch her stick her neck out..."
"That's enough, Hank," said Xavier sharply. "Luna has every right to think that. Let's face it, I deserve the scrutiny these days."
Luna actually looked a little surprised by that. "Which means... what, exactly?"
"I'm sure you haven't forgotten the Onslaught incident," said Xavier. When Luna nodded, he went on. "What you may not know is that I was responsible for spawning that monstrosity."
Luna's eyes widened in horror. "Y-Y-Y-You created that thing!?"
"Not intentionally, to be sure," said Xavier quickly. "A psychic entity fueled by all my entombed negative emotions, festering until it broke free and wreaked havoc. And as a result, so many countries agreed to let Bastion initiate Zero Tolerance, Japan included. In a way, I'm partly responsible for things getting to the point the Japanese are close to launching their own Sentinel program. So I must do what I can. If Sailor Moon insists it's best the X-Men assist from the shadows, I will respect her wishes. But my willingness to follow her initiative goes even further."
Curiosity now mingled with Luna's horror. "I'm listening," she said at length.
"These days, it's hard to remain hopeful. It was one of the reasons Onslaught grew so strong," said Xavier. "All these years I've struggled to achieve a lasting peace between two species, and having precious little to show for it. But now, I see this girl taking up the cause, simply because she feels it's the right thing to do. I can't remember the last time I've felt genuine hope like this. And she's supposed to reign as a queen one day, looking over a peaceful kingdom? I've long accepted I may not see my dream become reality. But perhaps now, I have hope another may finish what I've started."
Luna just sat there on the console, not sure what to say next. The silence went on until something beeped on the console. "Hmmm, an incoming transmission," said Xavier. "Luna, if you would..."
Luna stepped aside so Xavier could answer. Both were a bit surprised to hear Usagi's breathless voice on the other end. "Professor Xavier, are you there!? There's something we need..."
"Nice to see Kitty got around to having the Senshi's communicators patch into our systems after all," Hank noted.
"We're receiving your transmission, Tsukino," said Xavier calmly, hoping it would calm Usagi in turn. "Is there something the matter?"
"Other than Sentinels ready to launch somewhere and half of Tokyo is screaming for the blood of your kind? Peachy," said Usagi snarkily. "But right now, I got a suspicion... I need you to lock onto my head, then try to see if your power can scan this one underground area near us."
Xavier and Luna looked to each other again. The cat's look made it plain she had no idea what the girl was up to. Yet Xavier saw no harm in her request.
"Very well, Ms. Tsukino. Please wait as I recalibrate Cerebro." Xavier fiddled with the controls as swiftly as he could, then put the helmet back on and concentrated.
In a flash, Cerebro let him focus his power. He probed the city for her mental signature. Despite the millions of minds within Tokyo, hers stood out like a beacon now. The way Usagi still confused Cerebro's sensors, reading her brainwaves as those of a possible mutant, certainly helped, too.
When his mind touched hers, at first the girl's dread and anxiety flooded into him, yet he could still sense her capacity for love and hope. What he had told Luna was not a lie. Usagi had come to him for help, viewing him as her last hope. Now she served to rekindle his own hopes.
Given his years of experience, it didn't take much effort to screen out Usagi's emotions and do as she asked. Usagi looked out to this cordoned-off disaster area. Xavier began to probe under the site, but soon found some strange force interfering with his power. He tried harder, but only succeeded in making his head hurt. "Ms. Tsukino, I... I'm sorry, but even my psychic probes are proving useless."
"Then the others were right. That's the perfect place for Naru to hide," Usagi replied.
"What's the perfect place!?" Luna demanded.
"If I recall the information from the shared files, the site where the Senshi took down the Death Busters and Pharaoh 90," said Xavier, finally understanding.
"Then Ms. Osaka is using parts of their old base, where the lingering dark power disrupts telepathic scans done underground, and camouflages her own dark energies," said Hank. "Quite ingenious, actually."
"Exactly what Haruka and the others were thinking," said Usagi. "So the Sailor Senshi are going in, tonight..."
"I... may be able to rig something that will keep Osaka from teleporting away via dark energy, so long as she stays within the area of effect," said Hank. "But with no way to test such a device, I cannot make any promises."
"But Usagi, can you spare any time going after Naru?" Luna protested. "You've still got Kizachi and her Sentinels to deal with."
"Luna has a point, Ms. Tsukino," Xavier said in agreement. "Even if Hank's devices work, there's no guarantee your friend will be any more willing to listen this time around."
Usagi fell silent for a moment. "Professor... If you could go back, take one last chance to make Erik Lehnsherr see reason before he became Magneto, wouldn't you do it?"
Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair, defeated. Luna gaped at him, astonished Usagi could cut him to the quick like this. "Very well, Tsukino. I'll have the X-Men suit up and prepare to join the Sailor Senshi tonight."
"That's... not really necessary, Professor," said Usagi. "If Dr. McCoy can slap together something to keep Naru from teleporting, that's great. But like I told the others, it's best if the X-Men don't jump into uniform for a while."
"I understand your logic regarding the X-Men not being seen as the Sailor Senshi safeguard mutants here in Japan," said Xavier. "This will be quite different, Tsukino. This center of operations for some of these Death Busters must be underground, so there's no risk of being seen. Furthermore, what's going on with your friend... It's our struggle as much as yours. Besides, I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it."
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The sounds of machines hissing and clanking noisily drowned out most everything else. It didn't help that the facility was mostly underground, hidden in plain sight on the city's outskirts. Thus, the din echoed and reverberated off the thick walls. Given how rich Erina Kizachi was, though, her employees assigned here were probably paid enough to keep from complaining. That, and to maintain utmost secrecy.
This was where her Sentinels underwent construction and modifications. Huge robotic arms removed parts from some and refastened components to others, occasionally showering the ground below with sparks. Thus, hard hats and goggles were a requirement. Well over a score of these Sentinels were stationed here now. At the moment, they were not activated, but were connected to the facility's systems. This was evidenced by the dim, sallow glow from their eyes, refracting ominously through their faceplates.
Most of the engineers assigned to Kizachi's secret facility paid no mind to the chaotic working conditions. And being human, they certainly didn't feel any anxiety from having these mutant-hunting monstrosities looming over them. This was especially true of Erina Kizachi herself. She strode through the heart of her secret facility, one of her lead engineers walking by her side.
"We are running out of time," Kizachi told her. Meanwhile, she was punching something into a PDA. "I know there's hardly been any opportunity to analyze the new data from the fight with Eclipse, but things are at a critical stage. Worse, these new... recruits of Sailor Moon's that have appeared..."
"But these Sentinels are meant to go after mutants!" her engineer protested. "The Sailor Senshi and X-Men are both known entities, variables that can be planned for. But this new batch of freaks..."
"Exactly. Too little data to make further upgrades and modifications, and even less time. I'm glad you appreciate the scope of the problem," said Kizachi airily before slipping her PDA into her lab coat's pocket. "Put as many engineers as you can to work on prepping the Sentinels for deployment. I'll approve whatever overtime is needed."
"You really think the company will get approval from the government to turn these Sentinels loose?" the engineer asked incredulously. "I mean, you barely were able to get the go-ahead to send ONE after Eclipse, and it failed! This'll set us way back!"
"Will it?" Kizachi asked in a singsong voice. "Or will it convince the rest of the House of Councillors that my husband was right all along, that you can't take chances with mutants like Eclipse? My husband and I can press the need to deploy more. Not just to deal with Eclipse, but the Sailor Senshi and these newest additions to their ranks. No, a little more patience. Opportunity will knock. We simply need to be ready when it does..."
As they walked by, someone else with dark goggles, a jumpsuit and a hard hat watched from behind a stack of cargo crates. However, though she currently sported raven-black hair like Kizachi, it was much shorter. No wonder the Senshi and X-Men figured I was actually Erina Kizachi at first, Naru thought as she observed Sailor Moon's newest enemy from the shadows. But it's a wonder no one's given me a second look, given how I look so much like my old Eclipse disguise. I can't risk too much more time casing this place...
It had taken Umino working nearly a day straight, but after Naru carefully pried open that Sentinel's head, he eventually brute-force hacked into its data core. As she had hoped, there was enough uncorrupted data for Umino to piece together, leading her here.
So for the last couple of days, Naru teleported in and out of Kizachi's secret facility, taking pictures, getting down the workers' schedules and movements, cobbling down maps. Basically doing everything she could think of in preparation for when she and Umino showed up to claim the Sentinels for themselves.
Naru looked up at one of the Sentinels looming over everyone. Despite herself, she shuddered a little. In a few days, thanks to Umino, they'd be working for her instead. Sailor Moon was committed to helping mutants now, was she? What good did it do, rounding up mutants before mercenaries and the police could, when these things were dangerously close to being deployed? And it didn't matter how many in Japan her old friend convinced to look past their fear. Far too many others were scared witless by the mere mention of her, or of Magneto.
No, I won't be safe as long as humans keep building weapons like this. None of my kind will be, Naru realized. The Sentinel was staring straight ahead. Despite how Umino had reverse-engineered some of that Death Buster tech that blocked scanners and miniturized it for her, Naru half-expected those sallow eyes to look down at her any second.
Fortunately, Sentinels were just machines, and could be reprogrammed. They could be used to help mutants out for a change. Or at least keep the Sailor Senshi and fearful humans off her back.
Naru was so lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear footsteps heading her way. Ducking back into the shadows, Naru saw Kizachi walking back, alone. Naru still wasn't sure what to make of this maniac who had designed these Sentinels, originally for Nephrite of all people. But now she had her own agenda, pitching her Sentinels as a solution to Japan's 'mutant problem', all the while playing her own kind for fools by plotting something with Magneto. Not to mention, she managed to play the Sailor Senshi and X-Men for fools so far.
Got to admire someone willing to take on a demigoddess with only her brains and whatever she can slap together, Naru grudgingly admitted.
That was when Naru realized it might be tougher to pull this off than she thought. Kizachi was nobody's fool. She had to be ready for X-Men and Sailor Senshi to barge in here, aiming to wreck her work. It stood to reason she had countermeasures for someone conspiring to reprogram her Sentinels, too. Any extra edge would be welcome.
As Naru watched Kizachi go by, she noticed the bulge in the pocket of her lab coat. Her PDA... Umino could easily bust through whatever encryption it had.
Kizachi's engineers weren't looking, too busy toiling on her Sentinels, while Kizachi herself seemed to feel at ease in her element. Deciding to take the risk, Naru raised an outstretched hand. It was so easy now, creating a thin tendril with her oil slick. In no time, it lanced out a dozen meters or so across the facility's ground level, slipping into Kizachi's coat pocket.
The thin strand wasn't as strong as the tendrils she usually formed, but still easily picked that PDA out, with Kizachi none the wiser. Naru slung the PDA over her way, grinning as she caught it. Not wanting to press her luck any farther, Naru slunk back into the shadows around the cargo crates. With a flash of black flames, she teleported away.
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Rei squinted at the computer Ami had set up near the middle of her shrine. Rei typically never bothered with computers. They could be such a waste of time, and besides, she always felt they clashed with the look and ambience of a Shinto shrine.
Still, for the moment, it was probably necessary. According to Minako, they were close to finding where the Sentinels were housed. The plan was to barge in before Kizachi could activate them. In case they couldn't, however, it would pay to know their weak points.
Squinting again, Rei zoomed in on a readout of the head of a Kizachi Sentinel. There were also notes McCoy and Ami left about possible ways to attack its head. Besides sending out Fire Bird Soul, that was.
As Rei scrutinized it, she found it a bit hard to concentrate. Grumbling, she glared over her shoulder. "Must you hover, Minako?" she demanded irritably.
In stark contrast to Rei, Minako was absolutely beaming as she stood over her. Her old investigative skills were close to bearing fruit. "What? You had the pleasure of tackling one these suckers before, I haven't. I need to learn all I can before we rain on Kizachi's parade."
Rei sighed. Minako did have a point. "True. There's no telling how many more she's got built. We had so much trouble with just one..."
"Maybe we can even the odds," said Minako. "Some of the people who answered Usagi's call... The Sailor Senshi've got powerful allies hre in Japan we never even knew about. If we can get them in on this raid..."
"We can't ask people who are more or less complete strangers to help with something like THAT!" Artemis snarled, who was nestled in Minako's arms. "It was a bit much asking them to help keep all those mutants from the authorities. But to go up against giant killer robots that even the Sailor Senshi and X-Men have trouble with!?"
Artemis also had a point, but Rei could sense something else in the cat's voice. "It's not just that, is it Artemis?"
Artemis gave Rei a strange look. "Maybe it's wrong to be so suspicious after the X-Men turned out OK, but... We hardly know anything about some of these recruits of Usagi's, or what they can do."
"You're right, it is a bit wrong-headed when the fiasco with the X-Men should've taught us all to not be so paranoid," said Rei. "But if this worries you so much, you could slip into 'safehouses' to spy on some of them."
It was Artemis's turn to sigh. "I did. On this redhead with a pigtail. But when she saw me, she flipped out and threw everything that wasn't nailed down at me. And I mean EVERYTHING. Filing cabinets, truck tires, pallets... You name it, in her hands it became a deadly weapon barreling at me at Mach 3." Rei couldn't help but snicker as she tried to picture that. Minako also failed miserably at keeping a straight face. In fact, she burst out in laughter. "Go ahead, go ahead! Get it out of your systems!" Artemis spat irritably.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Artemis," said Minako, wiping away some tears. "But maybe you're right. These new guys might not be up to taking down Sentinels."
"Then we keep studying this scan data, so we can do it ourselves," Rei added.
Just as she was about to turn back to the computer, however, she saw McCoy, Xavier and Luna enter the room. McCoy was carrying this weird metal briefcase. Rei wondered was what in it. He had already slapped together devices to hide mutants from Kizachi's scanners. What else could he be working on?
"I'm afraid your leader might ask for that to be delayed, Ms. Hino," said Xavier. "The Sentinels' location isn't the only thing some of the Sailor Senshi may have deduced today."
Rei blinked in surprise. "Professor, I don't understand... Now that we've got most of Tokyo's mutants under our protection, what could be more important?"
"Not all the mutants," said Luna. "There's still one eluding us."
Rei finally understood. "Naru!? Where did Usagi find her?"
"The Outer Senshi believe Osaka has taken residence in what remains of the headquarters of their old enemies, the Death Busters," said McCoy. "And now, Sailor Moon wishes for us to go in and retrieve her."
"Wait, there's enough of it still standing!?" Minako asked incredulously.
"Even if there wasn't, the weird aura of darkness and nothingness that'll linger for eons... Naru must've figured it would mask her powers," said Rei, finally understanding. "But guys, is this really the best time? Not only do we have Sentinels to deal with, Naru's still probably in no mood to listen."
"At least there's no need to still worry about her legal problems. We've got enough of our own, given how the Sailor Senshi took her place as Japan's most wanted," said Minako gloomily. "By the way, is that lawyer still on her way? Not only could the Senshi sure use her for our own legal troubles, but she might be the only one strong enough to knock some sense into Naru for us."
"Unfortunately, Ms. Walters will still be unavailable for quite some time," McCoy said regretfully. Then he held up that weird briefcase. "But as for that last part, I just may have something, provided by another old friend, that could..."
The sounds of frantic footsteps coming up the shrine's steps cut McCoy off. Everyone turned to see Usagi dash into the shrine, out of breath.
Rei didn't hesitate. "Usagi, I heard it's your idea to go after Naru before the Sentinels," she said in a disapproving tone.
Once her breathing steadied, Usagi looked up to glare at her. "Why not? The Sentinels aren't going anywhere, not with the political headaches we've caused."
"Except one did, Usagi," Artemis pointed out. "The one sent to hunt down Naru."
"All the more reason to make sure we get to her first, then," Usagi retorted. "She's been a pawn of Kizachi's long enough."
"You do have a point," said Xavier. "It's entirely possible that Kizachi intentionally had that Sentinel lose, as part of some other scheme."
"I am also in favor of retrieving Ms. Osaka first," said McCoy. "Even if Minako and Logan are right about the Sentinels' location, we still need to survey the site to draw up a plan of attack. As Thucydides said, the two things most opposed to good counsel are haste and passion. Haste usually goes hand in hand with folly, while passion usually goes with coarseness and narrowness of mind."
Rei glared at McCoy. Unsurprisingly, Xavier backed him up. "I believe Hank is right. Attacking where the Sentinels are housed is still premature. In the meantime, we have an opportunity to do what led Ms. Tsukino to us in the first place."
"I guess Xavier has a point," Luna conceded. "Let's not forget why Usagi has us all doing this in the first place, how this started."
"Truer words were never spoken, Luna," came Michiru's voice. Rei turned to see her, Haruka and Chibiusa step into the shrine. One look at all their faces told Rei that Usagi had already convinced them.
Still, Rei had her doubts. "OK, so there's still a day or two until we're ready to lay waste to wherever these Sentinels are. Is this really the best way to spend that time? Again, Naru's probably still in no mood to listen. You didn't see her on that roof, Usagi, how unhinged she got..."
"She smacked me around with a tree about an hour before that, Rei," Usagi reminded her. "I think I have a good idea."
"OK whatever, not the point," Rei said quickly. "Even if we all corner her, what's to stop Naru from just teleporting away again? Or trying to splatter us into soy sauce? We didn't have time to make any more of that chemical, and the two X-Men who can outmuscle Naru went back to America. If we run into her and Storm, Makoto or Ami aren't around..."
"For the former concern, as I already told Ms. Tsukino, I believe I can construct a series of devices that can keep Osaka from teleporting away via dark energy," said McCoy. "As for the latter, an old friend gave me permission to utilize his designs to construct this."
McCoy walked forward and popped open that metal briefcase. Rei stood up to look into it, and gasped in shock.
"Is... Is that...?" Minako began, just as incredulous.
"That can't be..." Michiru muttered.
Rei looked again to make sure McCoy was serious. It looked like some sort of metal gauntlet, gleaming with a scarlet shade. "So... Just how did you come up with something that looks not unlike what goes with an Iron Man suit?" Rei demanded.
"As I said, an old friend," said McCoy, beaming. "I used to be an Avenger, don't forget. Unfortunately, this is all I had time to build thus far."
"So this thing can give someone the muscle power to stick it to Naru if she's unwilling to listen to reason?" Usagi asked, not sounding all too eager to go that route. "Don't you need a WHOLE Iron Man suit for that?"
"Quite true, Ms. Tsukino. Tony's battle suits have what is essentially an onboard fusion reactor, situated in the chest area," said McCoy. "However, I do believe you possess something that would be more than suitable as a substitute."
Usagi stared at him for a moment, perplexed, then reached into her skirt pocket to pull out her brooch. She stared at it for a moment, then at Iron Man's gauntlet. Rei wondered just what Usagi was thinking. She was clearly determined to go after Naru, tonight. But now, the reality of what it might take to be prepared was sinking in.
Eventually, Usagi sighed and said, "Well, let's give it a try. Moon Crisis Makeup!" Light flooded the shrine, and moments later Sailor Moon stood in the middle of it. McCoy wasted no time, helping Sailor Moon slip the gauntlet onto her left forearm. Sailor Moon hesitantly flipped open the brooch, exposing the Ginzuishou, allowing McCoy to connect the gauntlet to this new power source with a series of cables.
"This will be delicate work," said McCoy. "Given everything I have read about the Ginzuishou, it is liable to burn out the gauntlet's systems if we are not cautious."
Rei watched with trepidation as power suddenly flowed into the gauntlet. She could hear a faint hum as Sailor Moon held it up and made a fist. Her expression was unreadable. Rei guessed Sailor Moon probably FELT a whole lot stronger, but she didn't look all that enthralled about it.
Minako noticed Rei's unease. "Rei, what's wrong?"
"Oh nothing, Minako. It's not like I'm wondering if it's a good idea to give Usagi something from Tony Stark's toy chest or anything," Rei grumbled.
Sailor Moon turned to glare at Rei. "Hey, I think I can handle..." she began. But as her left palm faced the floor, a repulsor blast suddenly went off, propelling Sailor Moon toward the ceiling with a wail. Sailor Moon was flattened against it for a moment, before crashing back down with a painful thud. "OK, maybe an hour or two to practice before we go," she croaked while everyone else just stared down at her. Well, except for Rei. She simply facepalmed.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The bus lurched again, making Ikuko gasp, nearly dropping the sacks of groceries she was carrying. Every little thing made her jittery these days. It didn't help that Usagi had told her the truth about the disappearing bus passengers along the route going by Hikawa Shrine. Of course, Usagi and her friends had already defeated the ones behind that some time ago. No, now Ikuko had to worry about the bus being hoisted up by magnetism and ripped open.
As if he sensed her anxiety, Ikuko felt her husband's hand over hers. Kenji had insisted on coming along on her shopping trip. It was silly, really. If Magneto or any of his mutant cronies attacked the grocery store, there wasn't much he could do. It also amazed Ikuko. Kenji had seen firsthand what Magneto could do, yet he seemed to keep his fear in check.
Ikuko felt herself drawing some strength from Kenji's resolve as she looked in his eyes. She then turned to look out the window. The sun was about to set, its orange glow washing over the Juban district. She was late getting back to prepare dinner for her family. Yes, just a quiet evening, looking after the people she loved. Some would see it as hard work, but for Ikuko it was a welcome respite.
A rude reminder came of why that was so important. The passenger in the seat right in front of Ikuko had a radio, and the evening news was broadcasting. "There has now been an official statement released," came a female reporter's voice. "The Sailor Senshi have now been declared public enemies, wanted on charges related to hindering and assaulting law enforcement, aiding and abetting fugitives, and breaking and entering. Meanwhile, the search continues for the mutants the Sailor Senshi and their loyalists broke out of confinement..."
It finally happened. Her daughter, all of the Sailor Senshi, they were now enemies of the state. If Ikuko hadn't been holding onto those bags, she would have buried her face in her hands, sobbing. As it was, she could barely keep her eyes dry. Ikuko's only solace was that, if Usagi had to be branded a criminal, she was doing all this for something she believed in.
The evening's nasty surprises did not end there, unfortunately. A man in the seat across from Ikuko's also heard the radio. "Finally, they just come out and say it. I sure hope they throw all those skirts, along with them mutant freaks, back in the slammer."
The woman holding the radio rose, incensed. "Why you... My daughter was one of those kids that went missing on this bus over a year ago!" she spat back. "If it wasn't for the Sailor Senshi, who knows what would've happened to my little girl!"
"Yeah, and now Sailor Moon would've been fine with your girl going to school with that walking oil spill!" the man snarled. "You still trust them, after they've sided with those freaks of nature!? And now others blindly loyal to them seem to think everything's peachy with that oil-stained mistake of nature! Even proud to show it... Like those idiots boarding right now!"
The rude man pointed to the front of the bus. Indeed, the passengers getting on had streaks of black goop over their faces. After that one chaotic march through the streets, where Usagi's old teacher spread oil thrown at marchers over her face, the trend had spread like wildfire. People everywhere who supported what Sailor Moon was doing openly showed their defiance this way.
Unfortunately, at the moment, it did more harm than good. A shouting match erupted, egged on by that rude man. Many took his side, but plenty others rose to the defense of those new passengers. Ikuko could only look on in horror as things got dangerously close to fists flying. She heard stories like this on the news, but to SEE such a fight break out...
Kenji grabbed her shoulder. Looking toward him, Ikuko saw Kenji tilt his head toward the door in the middle of the bus. Getting the hint, the two of them slipped out before the fighting got worse.
Thankfully, they only had to walk a couple of blocks before reaching Hikawa Shrine. The pair walked on in silence, Ikuko still feeling numb from what she just saw. Usagi believed she was doing what was best for Japan, but at the moment, all it seemed to do was exacerbate the divisions.
The sun had fully set by the time they were ascending the stone steps. Well past dinner time. Ikuko would have to hurry. She picked up her pace, set on getting into the kitchen and getting to work.
But as soon as she climbed the steps, Ikuko knew something was up. Logan was standing a good distance away from the shrine, puffing on a cigar. What caught Ikuko's eye, however, was that he had on a black uniform. Ikuko had never seen him in one of those uniforms before, except briefly on television. He came off as the drifter of the group, and the clothes she always saw Logan in helped solidify that image. Now, Logan was clearly falling in line. Something was very wrong.
He turned to them, as if he knew they were approaching. "Good, you're back," said Logan, putting that cigar away in a tube. "Get that stuff in the fridge, and get ready to roll out."
Ikuko stared back at him quizzically. Sworn to protect her or not, she didn't exactly care for being ordered about.
"What's this about, Logan?" Kenji asked. "You're in uniform... What's going on?"
"The three of you can't stay here tonight," came Kitty's voice from the shrine. Ikuko turned to see the girl in uniform as well, that dragon on her shoulder. Also, she was dragging Shingo out by his arm. He looked flustered and confused. "The X-Men are moving out with all the Sailor Senshi on a mission. You'll have to stay at the Ryuuzaki mansion with the Professor, at least for tonight."
"That super-rich family? Why would we be as safe there as we would with Senshi and X-Men hanging around us?" Ikuko demanded.
"Not AS safe," said Logan. "But the Mendou conglomerate's pitched in by having private security assigned to the place. More like a private ARMY, actually. And yes, they have some plastic guns. Also, the Senshi seem to have new... friends that can stand in for them, or so they claim."
"I still don't understand," said Kenji. "It was my understanding that Usagi wanted the X-Men to stay out of sight. What's changed? Did you find the Sentinels?"
"Pretty much. But your daughter's determined to go after Naru first. The Sailor Senshi claim they've figured out where she is, and the X-Men have agreed to help them go get her," said Kitty.
Naru Osaka... Usagi may not have given up on her old friend, but Ikuko couldn't forget how she threatened to rip her arm off. How she flattened her daughter with a tree. That was one of the crazier things going on. Sailor Moon was doing all this in the name of a girl who now hated her guts!?
"Haruka's got her Ferrari here. You can use that to get to the Ryuuzakis' place," Logan went on. "You'd better hurry. We're movin' out soon."
"Then I'd better act fast, if I'm to talk some sense into my daughter," said Ikuko coolly, shoving the grocery bags into Kenji's arms. "Where is she?"
"In the forest out back, practicing with..." Kitty began, but Ikuko simply marched past her. Hearing that Usagi was still this hung up on Naru, that fight on the bus... Ikuko had finally had enough. These last few days, her world had turned upside-down. It was long past time to try to restore some sanity to it.
After stomping through the shrine to reach the back, Ikuko could hear a strange noise. A sort of blasting, whooshing sound. Following it, Ikuko could see the bright white of a Senshi's fuku stand out in the nighttime gloom. The blond hair done up in odangos let Ikuko know she found her daughter. How had she never noticed Sailor Moon had her little girl's hairstyle before!?
Ikuko marched forward, only to stop when a bit of moonlight reflected off something on Usagi's left arm. Something red covering it. Usagi placed her right hand over it, and if to steady it. Suddenly, some sort of bright, white blast shot out of her palm, giving off that strange noise. Ikuko looked to see Usagi had set up a series of bottles along a fence, and was blasting each one off.
It took a moment for Ikuko's mind to register what she was seeing. Sure, now my daughter's been given stuff from Stark Enterprises, of course, she thought angrily. Just one more bit of insanity piled upon the rest. "Usagi!" she cried out, finally fed up.
Usagi let out a wail of surprise as she whirled around. "Uh, oh, hi Mama," she said sheepishly. "Uh, back from shopping so soon? I was, well, practicing, and..."
"With some new toy the X-Men lent you?" Ikuko demanded. "Is that... REALLY something for Iron Man!?"
Usagi stared at her for a moment, then reached down to sink her left hand into a tree stump. A second later, Usagi ripped it right out of the ground. "Sure works like it is," said Usagi simply.
Ikuko couldn't help but gape at that display of strength. On top of her daughter practically being a demigod, that Ginzuishou could power such machines!? "So I guess the X-Men figured this evens the playing field with Naru, strength-wise."
Usagi tossed the uprooted stump away, looking crestfallen. "Oh, they told you where we're going tonight..."
"So you were going to keep this from me, too!? That you're going to try to reason with that psycho!? Usagi, I'm sorry, but enough is enough!" Ikuko shrieked.
Usagi could only stare at the ground, mortified. "I guess... this is why I never told you before. I-I-I just didn't want you worrying all the time..."
"Well, now that I DO know, I'd appreciate being left in the loop!" Ikuko cried. "Bad enough I have to live with the knowledge you're going after these Sentinels in the coming days. You're doing something THIS crazy in the meantime!?"
"I've done even crazier for friends," said Usagi. "Mamoru and Chibiusa when they were brainwashed... Mama, please don't make it sound like I'm still keeping secrets! We only figured out where Naru is a few hours ago!"
Xavier's words flooded back to Ikuko. Instead of having him wipe her memory, her daughter chose to come clean about everything, as awkward and painful as it was. Usagi deserved some respect for that tough choice.
Still, Ikuko wanted to shout back, but now knew it would be pointless. Like it or not, things could never go back to the usual mother-daughter dynamic. How could you threaten to punish a child who was basically a reincarnated demigoddess?
"I'm sorry, Mama, but I've got to do this," Usagi went on. "Even if we can expose Kizachi and everyone sees how she played Japan... It won't matter if I can't reach a friend I ignored for too long."
"Forget about Naru for a minute," said Ikuko. "What about what's going on in the rest of Japan!? Tokyo's liable to tear itself apart before Magneto decides he wants to! Fights are breaking out everywhere, those protest marches are getting uglier and uglier... Is this want you wanted, Usagi!?"
Tears formed in Usagi's eyes as she looked into Ikuko's. "Mama... You know I don't! B-B-But if we just ignored the problem, pretended nothing was wrong, what good would it do? How can the Sailor Senshi call themselves guardians of love and justice if they don't stand up for those things when it really counts!?"
"Is there really any guarantee you can change enough minds when all this is over?" Ikuko asked. "Even if you expose Kizachi, will things really change?"
Usagi shrugged her shoulders. "By the time the Silver Millennium comes, maybe," she said nonchalantly. "But I've got to try, now. I've got to do something. The X-Men showed me that."
Ikuko buried her face in her hands. "Ohhh, I knew your father's worship of the X-Men would cause trouble one day..."
"It wasn't just that. It was seeing them for real, especially Professor Xavier," said Usagi. "Seeing what they do every day, both in that school of theirs and when they're out fighting bad guys like Magneto... The world's full of people that hate and fear them, but they do it anyway. I guess it showed me the Sailor Senshi have to step it up and do the same. Do what's right, even if people in Japan hate us for it."
Ikuko shook her head. "When I kept saying I wish you'd take initiative... Be careful what you wish for, huh?"
"I've had those moments," said Usagi. "I mean, right before I learned I was Sailor Moon, I thought being like Sailor V would be cool. Guess I learned fast how being a superhero has its downsides, huh?"
"Then why ask for more punishment!?" Ikuko shrieked. "Going after the girl who beat you senseless... I-I-I-It's madness! I-I-I... As you mother, I forbid it!" she finished weakly, pointing at Usagi.
For a moment, it looked like that might actually work. Usagi stood there, eerily silent, a sad look in her eyes. Then, she shook her head, sobbing. "I guess I was right the first time. After what you said about mutants that morning, I figured you couldn't ever be trusted with knowing I was Sailor Moon. But I told you anyway... Maybe it was a mistake!"
Tears in her eyes, Usagi pushed past her. Far more forcefully than she intended to, thanks to that bit of Stark tech. Ikuko hit the dirt hard, but Usagi didn't even look back as she charged back into the shrine. For many moments, Ikuko didn't bother to get up, simply crying herself.