LIVING A LIFE FORETOLD

Chapter 9: "Betrayal"
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Rei Hino, dressed in a matching navy jacket and tight knee length skirt and heels over a pink pastel blouse, marched up to the secretary in her father's office in the Diet. Looking every bit the professional woman in her ensemble and turning heads with her striking image, she managed to get right up to the desk before the woman recognized her as Dietman Hino's daughter. The secretary's stomach dropped with anxiety. Whenever Dietman Hino's daughter came by, things inevitably degenerated into a heated shouting match between the Dietman and his daughter. But she forced on a pleasant smile to greet the woman as she mentally inventoried how many aspirin she had in her purse.

"I need to see my father, please," Rei requested. Her tone was restrained, which was a good sign. Usually she was either hesitant or seething.

"I'm sorry, he's in conference right now," the secretary replied. Rei looked at her with that unnerving stare the woman had. In the past, when she'd given Rei an excuse at the Dietman's behest, Rei always seemed to know it was an excuse. This time, after a moment, Rei nodded, which seemed to further unnerve her.

"May I wait?" Rei asked.

"If you'd like. I don't know how long he's going to be."

"That's fine," Rei said and took a seat.

Forty-four minutes later, the door opened to Hino's office. Out of the office came an older man in a dark suit, giving off vibes of power and prestige. Rei looked at him as he passed. He seemed deep in thought, slightly confused, as if he'd just been handed something unexpected and he was mentally looking for the string attached. Then she recognized the man. He was Prime Minister Arashi.

"Miss Hino," the secretary prompted and shook Rei from her concentration. The woman was on the phone. "The Dietman will see you now. Please be brief. He has a DLP meeting at five." Rei glanced at the clock and saw it said 4:42. Anxiously she entered the office.

"Come in, Rei," Hino said. He sat behind an overly ornate desk framed by law volumes. Her father was guarded as he usually was around people, particularly her, but he seemed too preoccupied with other things to recall their typical animosity. "I was just about to call you. I've got some more information for you."

He started to speak, then stopped. Rei observed that he was genuinely reluctant to say what he intended, that the news tortured his soul. It was an emotion she didn't think him capable of. Finally, he summoned his strength and became the father she'd always known.

"This isn't easy for me to say," he admitted reluctantly, loathe to show weakness. "I've come across information on the plot to assassinate the Prime Minister . . ."

"His name is Seita Taguchi," Rei told him flatly. "He was hired by Hiroki Tadano, possibly under orders from ex-DLP Chairman Toguro."

"How . . .?"

"Jupiter and Venus picked him up about two hours ago after Mercury identified him. I interrogated him a little over an hour ago. He's locked up at Hikawa Shrine this very minute."

Hino's hand went to his head. He rested on his elbow for a moment while he digested this, then brought his hand up through his slick, thick black hair as he released a sigh of fatigue. Rei could see this was not welcome news. She could also see it wasn't unexpected.

"I was afraid of this," Hino whispered. "I prayed I was wrong."

"Political setback?" Rei asked pointedly.

"Toguro-San was my mentor!" her father replied sharply. "It was through him that I'm where I am today. I'd hoped this wasn't possible. I'd hoped - - but obviously the need burned too intensely within him."

"What need?"

"For revenge," Hino answered. "Toguro-San was very bitter about being toppled from the Diet by Arashi. Apparently that bitterness overwhelmed his better judgment." He sighed again in frustration. "It was a stupid thing to do. He's only made it worse for himself, even if he escapes jail time."

Sensing truth from her father, Rei put her suspicions aside.

"How will this affect you?" Rei asked. "You were his protege."

"I've already seen to that," Hino frowned. "Before you came, I was meeting with Arashi. I turned over everything I knew to him. Practically handed Toguro to him on a platter. Now that you have the actual assassin, I'll phone the National Security Force and have him picked up. That should just about seal things tight - - and should distance me from Toguro-San even more. And, in the public's eyes, I'll be seen as a man who puts the public trust above partisan politics. It'll be a good plank to run on in the future."

"I should have known you'd think of your career first," Rei sneered.

"I did what was right," Hino replied. "What's right for the nation and what's morally right." Then he shrugged. "If I happen to benefit politically from it, so much the better."

Scowling, Rei turned and left.

Mamoru tore down the streets of Tokyo, weaving in and out of traffic like a man insane. The safety of his car was of no importance, nor was what explanation he might have to come up with for leaving work with over an hour left in his shift. The safety of the other people on the road registered dimly, fighting for attention with the primary concern on his mind: getting to his wife in time.

He'd felt her distress explode in the back of his brain like a blow from a hammer. The urgency of it still resonated. She was in pain and she was scared. And that was all he needed to know.

The car careened around a corner, then barreled down the street. Passers-by and drivers pointed, stared and shouted angrily after him. It didn't matter. He'd always wondered what he would do if he got that feeling during working hours. Now he knew.

Now he just had to get there in time.

Ami walked into Ryo Urawa's Intensive Care Unit room to find Dr. Yamamura there. He glanced at her and nodded when she entered.

"Glad you managed to pry yourself away from his side long enough to get a hot meal and a change of scenery," Yamamura needled. "People were beginning to talk."

"How is he?" Ami asked, the fatigue of the situation beginning to show.

"Well, the sutures are holding," Yamamura reported. "BP and respiration are nominal, but not as strong as I'd like. His kidney functions are down slightly and I'm hoping that's not a sign of infection. If only he hadn't been in such poor shape before the shooting, he might not be having so hard a time now. I guess right now it's up to him. All I can do is keep pumping him with fluids and proteins and keep an eye out for signs of infection."

Ami remained silent, but Dr. Yamamura could see she, as a fellow professional, knew the implications that were staring her in the face.

"Don't underestimate will to live, Mizuno," he told her. "It can move mountains sometimes. And I've seen the way he looks at you. The longer you're here, the more will to live he'll have." He smiled when he saw Ami's cheeks color. "You on shift soon?"

"No," Ami sighed. "I'm off seventy-two," meaning she had three straight days off.

"Good. You could probably use the break. Just try not to spend the whole time here. The food's lousy."

"Yes, Doctor," Ami smiled.

"Please, Yamamura - - or Gon, if you like. Any friend of Chiba's is a friend of mine. Besides, I want to be able to say I knew Doctor Wonder Girl when she was just an intern." He gave her a cocky wink and strolled out. "Oh, and remind Chiba that he still owes me a bottle of saki."

Ami settled into the chair next to Ryo's bed. She glanced up at the vital sign monitor. It still wasn't as healthy as she'd hoped.

Ryo opened his eyes. He found Ami sitting by his bedside, just as she had been when he fell asleep.

"Was I out very long?" he asked.

"A few hours," Ami replied.

"You haven't been waiting here that whole time, have you?"

"Don't worry about me," Ami told him. "If I have someplace else to go, I'll go there."

Ryo smiled weakly. "Yes, Doctor. I have to admit, it is nice waking up to your face."

Ami felt her cheeks coloring. "You've gotten a little more bold than what I recall."

Ryo sighed. "A lot of my shyness was - - not wanting to get too close to someone."

"In case you saw something terrible?"

The man averted his eyes.

"I can only imagine how hard it was for you." Ami thought silently for a moment. "Perhaps," she began cautiously, "when you're better, I can try to find some way to - - to silence the visions." Ami searched his face for reaction. "So you can lead a more normal life."

"Do you think that's possible?" Ryo whispered.

"I do. So many things that I felt before were impossible are now things I know to be possible. I know so much more now than when you knew me last. And if I can't find something, perhaps Rei or Sailor Pluto might know of something. And of course there's Usagi. Time and again she's made the impossible happen just by believing hard enough." Ami gazed intently at Ryo. "But it's your decision."

"I would give anything to be free of these visions," Ryo exhaled. "I don't know if you can possibly succeed, Ami. That's ironic; me not knowing something that's coming. If anyone could do it, it would be you." Ryo reached out weakly and Ami grasped his hand. They both seemed grateful for the intimate contact. He seemed to grow introspective for a moment, then was seized with alarm. "What time is it?"

"Um," Ami answered, glancing at her watch. "Four forty-nine pm."

"Usagi needs you," he told her with the clarity of vision of someone who had actually seen what had happened. "She's at the Kujawa Heavy Industries complex - - Plant C, Lab 2."

Instantly Ami got up to leave, because she believed Ryo unwaveringly. Then she stopped and turned back to him. The woman was clearly torn over whether to leave and they both knew why.

"I'll be here when you get back," Ryo reassured her. "I guarantee it."

"You saw it?" Ami asked, needing reassurance.

"Yes," he smiled weakly. "Do your duty."

Forced to believe him, Ami raced out of the ICU and down the hall, headed for the parking garage.

Haruka took a sip from the can of juice, then set it down in the basket sitting between the two front seats in her blue Fiat. Knowing they might be there a while, Michiru had packed a basket of food and drinks for them. She had rationed herself to one sandwich and a bottled water during the stake-out that was now entering its third hour. Haruka, on the other hand, seemed to be constantly nibbling on something. Her mate's hand slithered back into the basket and Michiru's eyes narrowed.

"You're going to get fat nibbling like that," she warned her mate.

"That just means there'll be more of me to love," Haruka smirked.

"You're assuming I'll love you when you're fat," Michiru countered with a smirk of her own.

"I can't help it. I get bored just sitting here. You remember what it was like when we were staking out heart crystal victims. I've got to do something with my hands." She leered at Michiru. "And you won't let me do THAT."

"One of us has to stay focused," Michiru replied, recalling with a glint in her eye the memory of those days.

"I wish you'd brought potato chips," Haruka scowled.

"Potato chips are disgusting," Michiru fussed while she kept watch on the Kujawa Plant. "It's like eating flavored grease. That's the trouble with when you race in America - - you pick up too many bad habits."

"I thought you didn't like it because I pick up too many bad girls there," Haruka joked. Michiru shot him a playful grin, but her eyes contained a warning that Haruka was skating on thin ice.

A shadow passed over the car's windshield and caught their attention. Peering up into the fall sky, they each saw an object flying over them descending toward the plant. Michiru studied it intently as it neared the grounds.

"Is that some sort of plane?" she asked.

"Too small," Haruka noted with her authority on all things mechanical. "Looks vaguely human size. Almost like some sort of mobile armor suit or small robot."

"That sounds like something out of an anime," Michiru mused.

"So does a mad scientist making daimons in his oven," her mate countered. "Should we go in and check it out?"

"On what grounds?" the artist asked. "If it's just some experimental tech they're putting through some trial run, we'd be tipping our hand by rushing in there. Still, I would like to get a closer look at that."

Pondering for a moment, Michiru decided and extended her hand. Her henshin stick materialized and seconds later Sailor Neptune sat in the car. Her hand remained extended and the Deep Aqua Mirror materialized next. Wordlessly, she passed her hand over the glass. As Haruka looked on, Sailor Neptune studied what only she could see in the glass.

A sound caught Haruka's ears. She turned and saw an older model crimson sports car, much like the one she knew Mamoru drove, pull up to the plant gate in a big hurry. Bounding out of the car was Tuxedo Mask. As Tuxedo Mask blew past the guard at the gate and leaped over the fence, Haruka's hand closed around Neptune's wrist.

A few minutes earlier, inside the fence around Kujawa Plant C, Lab 2, Dr. Nishimoto stood staring up into the sky as if he were waiting for something. His anxiousness was soon rewarded by the sight of his Mobile Armor appearing in the west sky headed for the plant. The gleaming brass-colored armor reflected the sun and almost seemed to sparkle with verve and energy. So intent was he on his arriving creation that Nishimoto didn't hear the approach of another.

"More tests, Dr. Nishimoto?" Hikaru Ishii asked. Nishimoto gave him a cursory glance and noted that Ishii seemed as superior and condescending as ever. Then Ishii spotted what was approaching and lost some of his superior attitude. "Isn't that the Mobile Armor prototype? Should you be testing it so - - publicly?"

"I thought the idea was to impress people," Nishimoto said, unable to fully conceal his glee.

"You should have told me," Ishii sputtered. "Financing isn't set yet. We're still trying to get the Diet to vote. If our competitors get wind of this . . ."

"It won't matter," Nishimoto replied. "I doubt anyone could manage to duplicate this, anyway. Nobody has ever managed to duplicate anything I've ever created." He glanced back at Ishii. "They only manage to exploit it."

The Mobile Armor fired its heel thrusters and achieved a soft landing in the center of the lot. Nishimoto ran up to it, Ishii on his heels. When he caught up, he found Nishimoto caressing the armor like it was his child. The grin on Nishimoto's face, though, seemed anything but paternal.

"Still, I really wish you'd consulted me on this, Doctor," Ishii persisted. "Public tests like this can leak out. Premature publicity, if not handled correctly, could sabotage our efforts in the Diet. Without proper funding, this entire project could be torpedoed."

But Nishimoto wasn't listening. Frustrated, Ishii came closer. That's when he saw a pair of terrified eyes in the armor's view plate.

"There's a pilot in there?" Ishii gasped. "I didn't authorize this! What if something had gone wrong? The insurance costs alone . . .!"

"She's not a pilot!" Nishimoto snapped. Clearly he was tiring of Ishii snapping at his heels. "The Mobile Armor is so sophisticated that it doesn't need a human pilot! She's a power source!"

"What?"

"And this isn't a prototype," Nishimoto said, whirling on Ishii with a look of triumph because he'd duped the financier for a change instead of being duped. "It's a master unit! It's capable of controlling a thousand, a million server units just like it! It broadcasts power to them,
then it broadcasts control commands, processing what each and every one of them sees and hears! One single person can use this unit to sit back and control battlefields and sorties around the globe! Armies would become obsolete! Generals would become unnecessary!" Nishimoto stopped and stared out at nothing, as if making a realization for the first time. "One man could control everything. All he'd need is enough units."

"Nishimoto, this is crazy!" Ishii gasped. "This isn't what we agreed on!"

"But something on this scale," Nishimoto whirled on him, ignoring his protests, "would need a power source greater than anything humanity has ever developed! Greater than anything! I knew that! I searched for it, and I found it! I have it! The greatest single source of power in the known universe!"

The engineer whirled and pointed at the Mobile Armor and the terrified eyes visible in the view plate.

"SAILOR MOON!"

Continued in Chapter 10