PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE

Chapter 19: Interception

A week had passed since the attack at Mizuno Clinic, and things had quieted down since. Life went on as usual for everyone at the apartments. However during that time, Midori managed to slip in one of her listening bugs within a figurine of all of Earth's Sailor Soldiers – which were popular gifts in Tokyo – that she gave as a present for PallaPalla's birthday. Midori then used her 'gift' every day to listen in on Chibi-Usa and the Yoeda sisters for any potential conversations regarding their previous battles. So far nothing had turned up other than some excitement about CereCere and a 'contest', but she figured she would get something worthwhile eventually.

Of course, she hadn't forgotten to listen for anything at Crystal Palace either. Some interesting developments were occurring in the computer lab this evening as she heard Sailor Mercury typing furiously on her keyboard. This had been happening for the entire week, but no one had yet asked her what was going on, which both puzzled and annoyed Midori. Tonight though, Neo Queen Serenity took the time to enter the lab and check out what her friend was doing.

"What are you working on, Mercury?" Serenity asked. "You've holed yourself up in here for the past week. Zoisite's worried that you aren't getting enough sleep."

"Tell him I'm sorry for making him worry, and that I'm almost done here. This is something that might help us combat the people who are leaving the Apples of Discord for us to fight. It might be a little difficult for you to understand, but it'll use the satellites we already have in Earth's orbit. I'm programming them with the energy emitted from an apple seed I found from our last battle. Hopefully the satellites will attack anything that emits the same energy signature. If we're really lucky, we could target Eris or her servants as well and force them to retreat."

"Wow, that's brilliant! I figured you would come up with something like this!"

"Well, it not really that big of a deal…"

"You're always so modest, Mercury."

Midori thought about the basis behind Mercury's new technology – using information in a computer database to locate someone – and realized that it greatly mimicked her research paper. She scoffed a bit and thought, So that must be why she wanted to photocopy my thesis last week.

The two women continued chatting for a bit, then Serenity left Mercury to continue working on her project. Midori was about to turn off the listening device when she heard the Soldier murmur something under her breath. Although difficult to discern at first, she figured out that Mercury had said, "It's really thanks to Midori…"

The girl paused, wondering what to make of this. It wasn't often that she got to hear such an indirect compliment. Ultimately, she just decided to leave it be. It wasn't like Mercury was plagiarizing Midori to get the credit for herself; she just wanted to make something useful that could help them fight the Erisians. Midori certainly wasn't going to complain about that. She just shrugged and turned her device off, then got ready for bed.

Two days later, thick clouds blanketed the sky and provided the people of Tokyo a brief reprieve from the scorching summer heat. It wasn't going to rain, so CereCere took Chibi-Usa out for a day of shopping (although it was more like 'dragged her along'). Earlier this morning, the duo had gone around asking their fellow tenants for makeup to borrow. CereCere wasn't ashamed of being so intrusive, but Chibi-Usa always apologized for the unusual interruption.

Midori had been in the middle of her work when Chibi-Usa stopped by and asked, "Sorry for bothering you, but you wouldn't happen to have some cosmetics that CereCere can use?"

"I'm not particularly fond of superficial beauty care. I am satisfied with proper hygienic maintenance, and nothing more," Midori replied. "Besides, knowing her, my items would vanish in a proverbial black hole of forgetfulness and lame excuses."

"Eh heh heh… We've been going around bugging people for such stuff."

"Why would she want to borrow others' beauty supplies anyway? Is she not inclined to purchasing her own collection of high-class products?"

"That's true, but something's come up. If we can't find anything, then we're going out shopping anyway. I see you're busy, so I won't bug you about it," Chibi-Usa said and left Midori be.

The green-haired girl scratched her chin and thought, This must be related to the 'contest' that CereCere was celebrating about before. There is the potential of an Erisian strike during their purchasing excursion. If that's the case, I should casually stake them out and discern what their plans are.

CereCere and Chibi-Usa had left the Ginza apartments and took the bus to Azabu-Juuban, with Midori tailing well behind them and boarding a different vehicle to not raise suspicion. She fetched her ring out of her pocket and inspected it carefully, noticing that the gem was slightly loose on the band.

I cannot afford a malfunction when I need to transform at a critical moment. Hopefully I will not need it today, but I must address this issue immediately. From my recollection, Chibi-Usa mentioned to me that her mother was good friends with a jeweler in Azabu. I should pay this woman a visit and see what she has to offer.

In Crystal Palace, Serenity's four guardian Sailor Soldiers examined the large computer monitors in anticipation for someone to show up. Mercury had finalized her Erisian Rogue Interceptor Satellites (ERIS) and activated it, hoping that her efforts were not in vain. She had spent many sleepless nights finishing it out of fear that one of Eris' minions would show up before she was done. She could allay those concerns now, but there still needed to be concrete results from her work. Would it succeed? Or would it fail?

Luna and Artemis darted into the room, and the former asked, "Any luck?"

"Not yet," Mercury said. "But it has to happen soon."

"They can't remain silent forever. We must remain on guard," Mars added.

"Regardless of what happens with the satellites, we'll be ready to take them down!" Jupiter punched her palm with determination.

Venus tapped her foot repeatedly and groaned anxiously. Artemis asked her, "Are you getting nervous?"

"Well, there's that. But Kunzite promised me he would help me with fitting into my costume for the contest. I don't want to stand him up…"

"Ah, Minako…" the white cat lowered his head. "Always one to have her priorities out of order."

"I'm serious! CereCere bragged about being accepted too! Even if we're in the middle of a crisis, there's no way I'm going to let her walk all over me because I was absent! Mmmmngh, just show up already, you stupid villains! I'm a busy girl here!" Venus grumbled and smacked her fist against the console.

"Ah-!" Mercury panicked, making sure that nothing would malfunction.

"Venus!" Jupiter pulled her irate friend away. "Calm down already!"

"I'm sorry! But-!"

Just then, deafening klaxon alarms blared within the room! Venus cringed and muttered, "Is it my fault…?"

Artemis muttered under his breath, "I'd be surprised if it wasn't."

"Look!" Mars shouted, darting their attention to the screen. "Something's coming!"

Indeed, the familiar golden comet streak shot for Earth from the distance. Mercury used a remote camera to zoom in, confirming that it was an Apple of Discord. To her delight, the ERIS system flared to life automatically in response to the apple's energy signature, and all of the satellites turned their lasers toward it. When the malevolent fruit reached firing range, thousands of red lasers sliced the air like flailing knives and chopped it into pieces. The Sailor Soldiers witnessed the evil spirit inside the apple dissipate as its body became nothing more than tiny fragments. Once the threat was gone, the satellites resumed their regular positions.

"It… It worked!" Luna shouted in sheer joy.

"You did it, Mercury!" Mars hugged her fellow Soldier.

"Eh heh…" the blue-garbed woman blushed, embarrassed from the attention.

"Phew! That was excitement and a half, wasn't it?" Venus wiped her brow. "Well! Now that that's taken care of, I can-"

"Not yet!" Jupiter called out.

"Aww, what now…?"

"Mercury, zoom in with Camera 15!"

"What?" Mercury uttered and did as Jupiter told. To their collective amazement, they spotted someone in red robes wearing a vulture mask floating above the field of satellites.

Luna gasped and shouted, "Who is that!?"

Mars rushed to a nearby platform and exclaimed, "Let's find out!"

The other Sailor Soldiers joined her and held hands in a circular formation. Mercury called out to Luna and Artemis, "Please take care of things here until we get back!"

"Leave it to us!" Artemis replied.

The women closed their eyes and concentrated on summoning their energy. Auras in each of their theme colors surrounded their bodies and they felt a strong wind lifting them.

"Sailor Teleport!" they chanted together. Within seconds, the quartet vanished out of sight.

Gyps appeared before planet Earth the same way her partners did. This time however, she had witnessed Sailor Mercury's ERIS system make mincemeat out of the Apple of Discord she had flung from far away.

"Hey, hey, hey, what the hell is going on here!? Apis never mentioned anything about this!" Gyps growled while panning her eyes across at the field of very threatening looking satellites. "Hmph… Well, if I get rid of these things, it won't be a problem."

She was about to unleash a flurry of claw strikes at the machines when a surprise female voice shouted, "Stop right there!"

"What-!?" Gyps gasped, astounded that there was someone else in deep space with her! She looked around and found four Sailor Soldiers surrounding her in a square formation, each within an energy bubble in their respective colors.

You've got to be kidding me! When the hell did they show up!? The Camarilla clenched her teeth furiously.

"You sure have a lot of nerve sneaking up on us and leaving those Apples of Discord behind to wreck chaos upon our fair city," the red-skirted woman exclaimed. "I don't know who you are, but we won't let you get away with this any longer. Sailor Mars!"

"Sailor Mercury!"

"Sailor Jupiter!"

"Sailor Venus!"

"We will be your opponents now!" they shouted in perfect unison.

"The Sailor Soldiers…" Gyps growled. Her scowl then turned into a smug grin. "Not too shabby for a bunch of hicks. Your technology is just barely enough to catch on to us."

"Whatever! It's thanks to you that I'm late meeting up with Kunzite!" Venus pointed at her.

"Uh, Venus…" Jupiter groaned in annoyance.

"'Us', you say?" Mercury questioned firmly, cutting off the silly argument before it could begin. "So there's more than just you and that figure we caught a photo of before?"

Gyps tapped her chin in a condescending manner. "Oh, definitely. It might have been either Apis or Varan you saw. This is my first time coming to this world."

Mars demanded, "Who are you, and what do you people want with Earth?"

"Nuh uh uh! I didn't come here to have a friendly chat with my enemies. I've come here for two things, and I won't leave until I get them!" the Camarilla exclaimed, her long red robes flowing aside to expose her limbs in a jewel-studded black bodysuit. "You guys will be my opponents then? How fantastic! It's been a long time since I've shed some blood!"

She brought forth her enlarged blackened hands which had sharp, ruby red, bony protuberances for fingers, and taunted the Sailor Soldiers by gesturing them to come at her. "Come on then, girls! I, the Vermillion Vulture Gyps, will fight you to the death!"