Chapter 5: Fight in the Factory
Among the couples walking down the street nobody could have known that two of the individuals were the famous celebrities Sailor Venus and Shawn "The Flake" Foley. In her regular guise as Mina Aino the scout of love could easily blend in. She was just another pretty blonde but nobody would be able to connect the face to the Sailor Scout. The disguise by Shawn Foley had held up well over the course of the day and to this point nobody had determined his true identity.
The pair entered the alleyway approaching the employee's side door of The Laff Factory. The door was slightly ajar, allowing the pair easy access to enter. Before opening the door fully Shawn looked through the crack apparently looking for something.
"Is something wrong?", asked Mina.
Shawn simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid here but we've had a security procedure throughout this tour not to leave any door open without a security guard present. "
Shawn opened the door calling out to his fellow performers. When nobody responded, he called out a second time. Again, the only response was that of silence.
"Something's wrong. Let's get out of here.", he quickly concluded.
The pair turned around to walk away when they saw three figures coming towards them within the alley.. In the darkness of the night with only the reflection of the moon giving off any light all they could see was the shadows of the approaching figures. Shawn held his hand above his eye's to cut down on the glare from the moonlight as he thought he began to recognize the figures.
"Brian? …..Susan? …..Terri?", he asked.
The figures didn't respond so without asking he grabbed Mina's arm and pulled her into the theatre backstage. Closing the door behind him the pair tried to make sense of what was happening. They could hear the loud banging of the door. Obviously whatever was out there was trying to get in and the pair had no inclination of wanting to be nearby if it were to happen. Together they made their way up the aisle ready to exit via the front door.
Swinging open the door to the outer lobby they were greeted by the hulking mass of Gator. At least what was before them possessed the size, mass, and physique of the gargantuan Australian. Yet his skin had taken on a moldy looking green color from head to toe. He moved towards the couple who without a moment's hesitation began to run up the staircase to the upper balcony. Luckily the Gator doppelganger didn't posses the speed of the Gator who wasn't the swiftest afoot to begin with so the pair knew so it was easy to outrun him up the steps. Once on top they were able to see towards the stage where the three figures that had caused them to enter the theatre in the first place had broken through the door. Each figure looking like a member of the Laff Factory entourage yet acquiring the same greenish body.
Seeing the fake Gator getting near the top of the steps Shawn signaled to Mina to follow him through another door. When the pair entered the room, he closed, locked, and barricaded the door by wedging a chair against the knob. They looked for a 2nd door to leave only to find that the pair had trapped themselves. The door clanged loudly as the sound of a fist came in direct contact with it.
"There's a crazy man in the Factory and it's no longer me.", responded Shawn.
Behind his attempt at bravery she could hear the concern of his voice. He was trying hard to keep Mina calm perhaps concerned of her reaction to the situation they were in. Her experiences told her instantly that this wasn't an ordinary foe. It had to be the negaverse and Shawn was out of his league in trying to fight them.
She could feel the transformation pen in her purse. If need be she knew there was an option available to her. She could change into Sailor Venus which would improve the deficit they were facing. Yet in the same moment she thought of this a second thought ran through her mind. How would Shawn react to the news? If the situation was normal there would be the natural shock of learning the truth, yet this time the situation was anything but normal. As Sailor Venus she had appeared to him on several occasions without admitting her duel personality. Would he feel betrayed? Would he feel like his emotions had being taken advantage of? She would have to hope that a situation would develop that would allow her to transform in secret.
During her thought process Shawn had found a tool box under the stool of the sound board. Opening it he hunted for something. Finding a wrench he held it in his hand as if it were a weapon that could be used to defend them. Mina wondered how such an item could possibly help them. Moving around her without conversation he approached a nearby window and began knocking the glass out with the wrench. He was clearing out a possible escape route but she looked out and realized that they couldn't jump out. They were on the equivalent of the 4th floor. She looked to see if perhaps there was a rope in the area for them to climb down. There was none that she could spot, yet there was obviously a plan going through the mind of her man even as the banging of the door became more frequent and thunderous..
"Mina, have you ever repelled before?", he asked quickly.
She shook her head negatively
Shawn reached underneath and began to pull out an extension cord. He tied one end around her waist and put her hands against the knot he made.
"Whatever you do hang on tight. This isn't as secure as a rope so I can't be certain of this knot. Whatever happens don't let go. I'll lower you down. You just walk backwards against the wall and if you're nervous for crying out loud don't look down."
"But how will you get down?", she asked
For a guy who has climbed mountains it'll be easy. All I need are some hand and foot holds. Building's like this will be a snap."
Shawn examined the extension cord and mumbled to himself. It appeared as if he was trying to determine if there was enough to do the job. His reaction indicated he wasn't certain but the continued banging of the door brought him to the realization that they were running out of time and that they had to act now. Removing his jacket he placed it over the window to give Mina a little extra protection as she climbed out from any glass he might have failed to miss in their opening.
As he held her hand to assist her out the window her worry for him was too much to bear. She thrusted forward kissing him as though if she might not get another chance. She was honestly scared of the position he was putting himself in. If there was any fear or concern in his body he hid it very well. He held her two hands tenderly in his own.
"It'll be all right. You're not getting rid of me this easily.", he shakily smiled.
Another slam against the door brought the pair back into the reality of their situation. Placing Mina on top of his jacket over the window he got a good grip on the extension cord and began the process of lowering her. When he couldn't see her anymore he called out to make sure she was doing all right and how far she was from the ground. The progress felt excruciating slow. She wanted to run down the side of the wall but she could only descend as fast as the extension cord was being fed. Even as she was being lowered she could continue hearing the slamming of the door. She prayed the makeshift barricade would hold just long enough for Shawn to get out of there.
When her foot struck street level she yelled up that she was safe. A second later the rest of the extension cord came falling out of the window. Her first reaction was one of panic in fear that Shawn had been captured after all. Then she saw a pair of legs protruding out of the window, followed by the other portions of Shawn's body. His legs looking for some comfortable foot holds before beginning lowering himself.
He found the holds he was looking for and removed his hands from the to some other bricks that would work for him. His jacket was pulled off and fluttered down to the ground. Another few feet to go and the scare would be over.
While double checking his feet for the next move a humongous hand came out of the window and grabbed Shawn tightly by his shirt and began to pull him upwards. From the opening the head of the greenish Gator was seen popping out looking with malicious intent on his prey. Shawn drew a hand back and swung with all his force towards the head but the angle of the blow and his inferior positioning made the pummeling jolts ineffective. Shawn wanted to let out a scream of panic but a hand now grasping his throat made such a move futile.
All Mina could do was watch helplessly as Shawn was being pulled back into the window, into the theatre, back into danger. Then she could hear his scream quite clearly and her response was immediate. Taking her transformation pen out of her purse she held it upwards and pronounced.
"Venus Power!"
From her position orange lights and stars blazed around the area allowing Mina Aino to convert into Sailor Venus. After the transformation she realized what a foolish thing she did. If anybody had seen what she did her secret identity would have been compromised. Looking around she realized that nobody could have seen her actions. She then grabbed her communicator and signaled the other scouts.
"It's Venus. Shawn's in trouble at the Laff Factory. Hurry."
Amy Anderson was the first to receive the signal. She had just finished cleaning up the house from the party for Artemis. When her mother would come home from her shift in the morning there would be no signs of any sort of social gathering having taken place in the home. She heard the communicator go off and quickly pressed the button
"It's Venus. Shawn's in trouble at the Laff Factory. Hurry."
Pulling out her transformation pen she held it above her head and proclaimed.
"Mercury Power!"
Rei Hino had returned to the Cherry Hill's Temple preparing for a bath. Sliding the door to her room she checked to make sure nobody would see her just in her towel as she made the trek to the bathroom. It bothered her a little bit when her Grandfather would spot her but her real embarrassment would be if Chad had gotten a look at her. While he was no peeping pervert it still was uncomfortable during the rare times their paths crossed in this manner.
Determining all was well she pushed the door all the way open when she heard the beeping of the communicator. Upon activation she heard the news.
"It's Venus. Shawn's in trouble at the Laff Factory. Hurry."
The bath would have to wait until later. Under her pillow she pulled out her transformation pen and raised it announcing
"Mar's Power!"
Lita Kino carried Artemis in her arms on the way back to the Aino residence when she got the call.
"It's Venus. Shawn's in trouble at the Laff Factory. Hurry."
The news struck fear into the heart of the cat. As often as she had thrust herself into danger and came out unscathed it always worried him. Something felt different this time. He had a disquieting feeling. Perhaps it was an imaginary misgiving on his part but he felt something in his guts that she needed him now.
Squirming mightily he escaped Lita's grasp and began running towards the Laff Factory with a frantic Lita chasing after him calling his name to come back. She came to realize where he was going and knew it was time for her to transform herself.
As Artemis crossed a street the blaring of a car horn and skidding tires scared the white cat away from the impact of tires from the oncoming car. He was so panic stricken that he didn't even notice the danger until it was almost too late. Lita finally caught up with him. Scooping him up in her arms she continued her rush to the Laff Factory stopping only long enough to transform into Sailor Jupiter.
Back at Serena's house the scout leader opened the door to Rini's room just a crack to allow herself a chance to check on the little girl who laid down in peaceful slumber. Ever since the knowledge that this little lady was the daughter of Serena and Darien in the future she had found herself doing many of the things her own mother use to do with her when she was that age. Sometimes she wondered if Rini was really asleep or simply faking it like Serena sometimes did when she knew her mother was checking on her. It didn't matter if the little one was faking it or not. Serena simply took the enjoyment of the moment.
The communicator began to beep and before it had a chance to wake up the future daughter Serena closed the door then making sure nobody could eavesdrop turned on the device.
"It's Venus. Shawn's in trouble at the Laff Factory. Hurry."
There was no time to lose. Sailor Moon was going to be needed this night.
With a mighty leap Sailor Venus reentered the broken window at the Laff Factory. She quickly inspected the area. The door that allowed entry into the sound booth had been smashed and was now lying bent and contorted across the entry access. The signs of a struggle were everywhere. There was damage everywhere.
Cautiously she went back through the doorway and gasped when she saw Shawn being carried effortlessly by the green Gator. Though he continued to struggle he had been bound thoroughly from head to toe and couldn't loosen the restraints. At the front of the stage he was dumped unceremoniously. The figures surrounded him and began to laugh in a most unpleasant manner. The acoustics of the theatre allowed the sound from the area to travel quite well to her position.
"Look how the mighty have fallen. Maybe you can get all your adoring fans to come and save your backside.", suggested the Susan Hawk clone.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen indeed. Perhaps now your highness you'll feel more compelled to spend a bit more time with us little people.", snidely remarked Brian Coe.
From her vantage point she could see Shawn's reaction. He was afraid of what these associates might have in mind. Worse that no matter what those plans involved that in his current status he was unable to do a thing to stop it. He couldn't fight so many and his incapacity was complete so he couldn't even run away from the situation as he looked for a way to unbind himself.
So intensely focused on the situation she didn't realize her own situation. It wasn't until it was too late that she felt the presence of another. She tried to turn around but before she could succeed she felt a thudding blow to the back of her head. In spite of her efforts she felt herself falling into a state of unconsciousness.
When she awoke again Sailor Venus found herself tied up, blindfolded, gagged and laid down. She could hear the voice of Shawn calling out if she was all right which meant he had to be nearby..
"Oh, isn't this just delicious. Not only will be able to do away with the 'prince of comedy' but I'll be able to throw a sailor scout into the bargain as well. This is certainly one of life's little bonus's. I bet you would love me to tell you what's going to happen next. Well I won't do that. Besides you'll figure it out fast enough. Not that you'll be able to stop it. Right Rancor?"
From the front row the greenish figures began to expand, then the moss rose upwards releasing the real Laff Factory performer's from their grasp. Now drained of their energy they collapsed into sleep which Venus knew would last a considerable amount of time.
"Yes, my mistress.", responded Rancor in a deep menacing voice.
The greenish figure shot flames from it's figures . The flames caught the bottom of the curtains catching them on fire. She could hear the whoosh and crackling of the fire. The thought horrified Venus. They were going to burn down the Laff Factory with the member's and her inside. She continued to thrash about looking for some way to loosen the binds that held her but to no avail.
As the flames starting growing and shooting up she could hear the coughs of Shawn right next to her. He was starting to choke on the smoke beginning to fill the area. It caused her to redouble her efforts to get free but it wouldn't happen.
Bound as she was Venus didn't see what took place next. Her ears though could plainly hear the crackling of the thunder. She wondered if the storms have returned until she heard a voice pronouncing,
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
It eased her fear. Jupiter was already here which meant that soon the other scouts would arrive as well. Still she needed to escape her confinement. Whoever had tied these knots were definitely an expert.
"Don't move. I'll get you loose."
The voice though whispered was quite familiar. It was Artemis. She wanted to say his name but with Shawn still nearby she didn't dare. She listened to hear his struggles to breath over Artemis's struggled grunts as his claws and teeth were ripping into the rope.
In the meantime Jupiter continued to battle the evil Rancor with a combination of long range thunder attacks and when she could get close enough hand to hand fisticuffs. The monster was a strong one. When it stuck Jupiter she could feel the blows. It took all her agility to avoid the fire attacks and sometimes its fists found its mark on her face and body. By herself she could only fight a delaying action, to stall for time until she could receive backup from the others.
Working as best he could Artemis couldn't cut through the entire rope so he worked to tear it apart thread by thread hoping to weaken it enough so that Venus's attempts to break it would be successful. With a loud popping sound the rope around her wrists snapped . She wasted no time removing the blindfold from her eye's to reveal a horrifying sight. The fire within the building was spreading at with alarming speed endangering all of them. Freeing her ankles she began to make quick work of the bindings around Shawn. When he was free Venus got right to the point.
"Get the hell out of here."
She didn't wait for him to acknowledge the statement before leaping into the battle with Jupiter. Shawn began to heed her words when he saw his fellow performers lying motionless. They would die if they stayed. Ignoring the reality of his situation Shawn jumped down and tried to grab Gator. Between his weight and his mass there was no way to hoist and carry the big man. Instead he raised the Aussie to a sitting position, put his arms around him in a Heimlich style maneuver and began to drag him backwards.
The next scout to arrive was Sailor Mercury. She saw the flames beginning to shoot through the woodwork and brick construction She looked around the outside ever so briefly to see if there was any indication of the fire department being nearby to fight the flames. There were no trucks visible and no wailing sounds of sirens that would signal their approach.
Seconds later Sailor Mars arrived on the scene. Without a second to waste she tried to break open the door to the Laff Factory entrance only to be blown back by the force of the fire. Mar's was lucky that Mercury was nearby to catch her before she tumbled too badly.
."Smooth move pyro.", sarcastically remarked Sailor Moon who had arrived just in time to see what had happened.
"Will you shut up! You heard Venus. We've got problems inside.", angrily retorted Mars.
"We need to find another entrance and fast. There is no way to get in through the front now.", surmised Mercury.
She looked to her partners to see if they knew another way in. Never having been here before Sailor Moon didn't know the area. For a moment Sailor Mars drew a blank until she remembered the blessing.
"I almost forgot. There is an employee entrance. Let's make contact there."
Moving swiftly Sailor Mar's directed her cohorts to the narrow alley at the side of the building where smoke was still billowing out but there were no flames to block their path. Instead to their horror a new complication arose inside the middle of the doorway laid the prone body of Gator while a pace beyond that Shawn had collapsed into unconsciousness. The pair weren't alone. Licking the face of his rival Artemis was trying to do what he could to revive the comic but to no avail. He looked almost relieved to see the scouts.
"You've got to help him. He's not breathing..', he explained.
Two of the scouts looked down on the situation knowing that they could do nothing. If the problem was spiritual Sailor Mars could have handled it easily. There was no power available to any of the scouts that could help in this situation. However while their was no way to help as a Sailor Mercury the knowledge and experience of Amy Anderson could save him. She kneeled down and checked the two men. Gator while unconscious was breathing on his own. Flake however had stopped breathing.
"How long has he been like this?", she asked.
"About a minute I think. He tried to drag the big guy out. He started coughing pretty bad and as soon as the two had come out the door he passed out. I've been trying to wake him up but he won't respond."
"That's all right. That's all I need to know. You two go inside. I can handle things here. I'll join you as soon as I can.", instructed Mercury.
The other scouts looked perplexed as their friend stuck her fingers into Shawn's mouth to clear any possible obstruction. Tilting the head back she pinched off his nose, then took a deep breath and blew directly into his mouth. Turning her head she listened for the exhale of the breath. She then moved down a little and placed her hands over the ribs where the heart would be located and proceeded to push down on the area 5 times before delivering another breath to him. Where scout power was ineffective Sailor Mercury relied on her knowledge and practice of cardio pulmonary resuscitation. For as long as she could remember she studied, watched her mother, and wanted to save lives as a doctor. Now was the time when she would learn in the most vital of moments if she would be worthy of her goal. The others realized that their presence would do nothing to improve the situation here and entered the theatre.
Inside the theatre the battle continued to rage among the flames. Though Venus and Jupiter were putting up a good fight Rancor was dishing out as much punishment as she was receiving. The pair had to be very quick on their feet or the monster might destroy them with the fire attacks. Even when the blow missed the target it caused the fire danger inside the theatre to worsen. Unable to fight for fear she would increase the hazardous conditions in which they were combating with her fire based attacks Sailor Mars worked to rescue the remaining members of the Laff Factory who in their unconscious states knew nothing of the peril they were in. One by one Mar's went into the fiery building grabbing each of the performers and brought them out to Amy who continued her efforts to revive Shawn.
Through
it all Artemis stood by watching Sailor Mercury continue the fight to
keep
Shawn alive. He felt the conflict of his emotions. He felt
more than a little guilty that there was a part of him who wanted
Shawn to lose this battle but when he started thinking that way his
thoughts reverted to Mina and how it would affect her. He realized
that even though both were competing for Mina's heart he couldn't
wish the death of his rival. He had to survive.
"Come on Shawn, live. Don't do this to her. Don't do this to me. I couldn't fight you as a memory, what chance would I have fighting you as a martyr?", Artemis finally spoke to the unconscious figure.
Sailor Mercury listened to the figure but didn't respond. Over and over she repeated the process of trying to breathe life back into the man. Even with her arms tiring from the effort she never wavered in her determination. After all one of the first things she learned was to never stop until a proper emergency team could take over. Also she didn't want to be the one to say to Venus later that she had stopped trying. She would continue until her arms would have fallen off her body before doing that. She empathize with the feelings Artemis was going through. .While she continued working Artemis continued addressing his adversary.
"Come on! Fight damn you. There is a lady out there who loves you! Show some fight! Fight for her! Open your eyes! Breath damn you! Open your eye's you son of a……"
"That's enough!", Mercury reproved
After a momentary pause to impart another breath into Shawn's body she continued in a calmer, sympathetic manner.
"Besides, I haven't learned how to let someone die yet. So I have no choice but to save him."
Within the burning auditorium Sailor Moon, Jupiter, and Venus fought valiantly against Rancor. However the unavailability of two of their members limited their options and the hostilities of the fiery environment they were in made the battle difficult. The ever increasing heat was taxing on their collective stamina while Rancor seem not only oblivious to it but actually seemed to draw additional strength from it.
The monster moved with amazing agility to avoid Jupiter's thunder attacks, and the ability to absorb the hand to hand blows from the largest of the scouts. Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus had an even more difficult time in dealing with their opponent. Sometimes it seemed like they were trying not to get in each other's way as opposed to fighting their enemy.
The heat inside the fighting inside the building for the sailor scouts oppressive. The breathing of all the scouts became labored in the fighting. Sweat rolled off their heads into their eyes making their vision at times blurry.. It was only a matter of time before one of the attacks from Rancor found its mark in the form of their leader Sailor Moon. A fireball struck their pig tailed leader with an impact that sent her crashing into the seats. Sailor Jupiter & Venus saw the whole thing and turned around long enough to give their opponent a better chance of attacking them. Before their attention could return to the monster each were struck. Jupiter caught the attack in its full amount. Venus was only able to deflect enough of the damage to allow her to brace herself for the impact against the front of the stage. Sailor Venus while still shaken up was at least conscious . She looked at the carnage around her. Sailor Moon and Jupiter were down for the count. Sailor Mars was now attempting to rescue their fallen comrades. She noticed movement and turned her head to see Mercury working on Shawn. Everyone she cared about had been hurt because of this monster.
Feeling the anger rising within her Sailor Venus found the strength to stand and began to snarl at the monster. Her teeth gnashing back and forth. Then came the anger, the rage, the pain, every emotion multiplied to the tenth power. With a Valkyries scream she kicked off from the stage towards the monster who found itself surprised that anybody could have survived her blows. The monster had not expected any further attacks to come from so close. Worse when Venus's fist caught Rancor on the jaw it was felt with more force than anything she had encountered .
No longer was she fighting like a sailor scout. No longer fighting with her brains more than brawn. Sailor Venus fought like a lovesick girl. After the initial blow to Rancor's jaw, she moved her knees in jackhammer fashion towards the gut taking the air away from her foe. Grabbing the monster by its arm with a mighty heave the blonde haired hero threw her opponent the length of the auditorium. Only the concrete and brick wall on the other side stopped the creature's progress.. With blood and fire in her eye's, Venus charged ready to finish the battle. The damage the monster had received made it unable to avoid neither the football tackle nor the flurry of fists raining down upon its head.
'I…..WON'T…..LET…..YOU…..DESTROY…..SHAWNS…..DREAM!!!!!"
Venus would have continues to physically trash the monster until it was little more than a spot on the floor if it wasn't for the actions of Sailor Mar's and Mercury. In her wrath she had ignored the fact that the building was starting to fall apart around her. Beams were crashing from the ceiling. The curtain were little more that tattered shells of their former glory. Yet Mars and Mercury had to struggle with all their strength to budge their friend away who was still on an adrenaline rush.
'We've got to get out of here. It is no longer safe.!", pleaded Sailor Mar's.
"You've done all you can here.', added Sailor Mercury.
However their words didn't seem to reach the consciousness of their cohort. It wasn't until a fateful rumbling was heard and the section of wall in front of them started to give way. The monster had gotten to its feet just in time to turn around and see the wall come down up it. The facility was beginning the process of imploding unto itself.
"We need to get you out of here. Shawn needs you.". Beseeched Mercury.
The mentioning of Shawn's name brought Venus back to her senses. Even though it had been buried until the rubble she knew better than to hope that the monster had been destroyed. Only the silver imperial crystal had the power to make that happen and only Sailor Moon had the power to wield it. Yet time was a commodity that they had run out of.
The trio ran out of the dying building just ahead of the debris through the employee entrance. They didn't stop scampering until they had reached the street. Only then did they turn around to see the firefighters fleeing out of the front of the structure. They had abandoned their efforts to save the building itself and were doing all they could to prevent the fire from spreading to the businesses on the block. .
Venus looked around to seek Shawn out however in the confusion of firemen, police, and the press with their vehicles making the task difficult. Then she heard the sounds of sirens, saw the swirling lights of an ambulance slowly entering the area and medical personnel exiting the vehicle with a stretcher. A few moments later she saw a sight that threatened to take her breath away. The medical team was pulling a stretcher with Shawn laid on top of it. His body was covered up in a blanket and a mask connected to an oxygen tank was around his nose and mouth.
"He's fine Venus.", Sailor Mercury tried to assure her, "He seemed to have suffered from smoke inhalation. They're taking him to the hospital simply as a precaution. He's expected to be fine."
Even with the promise of his being all right Venus wanted to run to his side. To be with him on the trip to the hospital. Yet she knew such a scenario would not be allowed. She was not family. Venus began to feel a rubbing against her leg. Looking down she saw her faithful companion Artemis doing his best to offer her comfort. She picked up her feline and held it close to her body as tears began to fall from her eyes. Her grip on him was stronger than usual almost threatening to squeeze away his own breath. For her though it was a sacrifice he'd be willing to make for her again and again.
She finally spoke to her feline companion whispering in his ear, "Thank you."
"Your very welcome.", was his only response.
After the stretcher was placed into the ambulance the other members of the group were placed into the vehicle under their own power. They looked a little disheveled, a little confused over what had just happened. Otherwise they appeared to be physically sound. Artemis looked at the scene and spoke to Venus.
"If I were Shawn I'd be going out of my mind right now worrying about Mina. I'm sure it would do a world of good for him to see that she's all right."
Looking at her companion she knew that the words had to be difficult for him to speak. It took little logic to know that this was more for her benefit than his own. She glanced down and smiled.
"Thank you for understanding how much he needs me."
Running into a crevice between two buildings Sailor Venus ran between a pair of buildings only long enough to transform before running out as Mina. She bolted towards the ambulance shouting Shawn's name. They were about to close the rear doors when Gator heard her calling out and prevented the driver from securing the vehicle. She was not allowed to get any closer than the temporary police barricade that had been set up yet Gator nudged Shawn's shoulder and pointed to where she stood. She wasn't sure of what she saw but Mina would have sworn she saw a smile come across his lips then working his arm free from under the blanket, with Gator's help he raised it up and gave a pinky salute to his date before the doors were finally sealed and the group taken away.
Farther back the other scouts surrounded Artemis who turned his back to the scene. He walked away unable to keep himself from getting emotional. A pair of hands belonging to Sailor Jupiter swept him up and held him close.
"That was perhaps the noblest thing I've ever seen anybody do."
His response showed the strain of emotions though his voice.
"Thanks. Just get me out of here before I decide to chase after that ambulance."
Most of the troupe members were released the very next day but Shawn was kept a few days longer. When he was released eventually Mina made certain she was at the hospital when he was wheeled out. In fact 'K' had sent his private limo to pick the girl up. His face beamed when the door opened up and he saw the fair haired maiden sitting there. The other members of the troupe were also in the vehicle yet his eyes never left her as he climbed in.
They drove away heading back to the hotel when Shawn asked the question nobody waned to talk about.
"How is the Factory. Is it as bad as I've been hearing?", Shawn inquired.
None of the other members of the troupe could face him. None would answer the question. Finally it was Mina who had to break the news. She wished there was a way to say it that would spare his feelings.
"It's a complete loss. They say they're going to bulldoze it down and start rebuilding from scratch. I'm sorry."
She saw Shawn's head drop a little as the impact of her words struck him. Then to the surprise of everybody he called out to the limo driver to take the group to the site so he could observe the damage for himself. The others tried in vain to talk him out of this course of action to no avail. As the limo pulled up to the curb across the street from the venue Shawn got out of the vehicle to see how bad the damage was.
The theatre was now little more than a wooden framed skeleton of itself. The clean up crew were tossing charred parts of bricks into a pile where a massive front loader scooped up the debris to transfer its contents into a truck to be hauled away.
Mina got out of the car too to stand by her man. She could see the quivering of his lower lip. His eye's closed tightly trying to keep the tears within its ducts. Placing her hand against his heart she could feel the increased beating and higher pulse rate. All signs of a man who was about to lose control and cry. However as the groups leader he would do his best to be strong in the face of this disaster. It would have been all right with Mina if he let it all out right now. After all there was a loss here. Not a loss in human terms but still a loss. The battle a few nights earlier had not produced a true winner but there were losers. The troupe survived yet it couldn't be called a victory because Rancor got away.
She knew there were plans in the works to rebuild the Laff Factory. In that moment she made a private vow that for as long as she lived this place would be under her protection. That what happened a few nights earlier would not be duplicated. That somehow the vision Shawn had for this place would be realized. That the Laff Factory would live again.