"I'm sorry about the late hour, everyone."
Seated in a rough semicircle, the five of them smiled, shook their heads and used their hands – or paws – to ward off any such concerns. "Don't be silly, Ami-chan," Minako assured her, before raising a hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn. Grinning apologetically, she continued. "Besides, it's not like we're not used to it."
That much was true. In the two years since they had awoken as Sailor Soldiers – guardians of love and justice whose mission was to defend the Earth from evil – they had seen no small number of days, evenings and weekends dominated by monsters and villains. Ami, like the rest of them, had learned to accept that it was a part of her life that would never change. Nor would she want it to. Few had the chance to exercise such power to help and do good, and she could not deny that her role as a soldier had served to make her a stronger, more confident person. On top of that, it had united – or was it reunited? – her with friends that she could only have dreamt of during her childhood.
"Would you like some tea?" asked Makoto thoughtfully. Owing to the time, they had decided to meet at her apartment. As the only member of the group who lived alone, it saved them the trouble of explaining their presence to bemused parents. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a pleasure to spend time there. An accomplished cook, Makoto always seemed to have a treat or two waiting in the kitchen for them. Sharing a plate of freshly baked cookies, their warm aroma mingling with the scents of the plants arranged generously around the spotless surroundings was nothing short of heavenly. Ami had spent many a lazy hour in such a way, and looked forward to many, many more.
Tonight, however, every moment was precious.
"No, thank-you," she replied.
"Now, you said this was about Shynkon?" asked Artemis from atop a nearby chair.
Nodding, Ami quickly relayed Shynkon's confession and subsequent plea for help to them. They listened in attentive silence, faces taut with perturbation, until she had finished.
"'A scientific research building in the centre of the city'..." mused Luna.
"Do you know where that might be?" asked Rei, directing her question at Ami, who shook her head sadly. While she had a keen interest in science, she couldn't think of a particular facility in a place as large as central Tokyo.
"I'm sure I have a guidebook from when I first moved here," realised Makoto. "It had maps of all the wards in Tokyo. I'll see if I can find it." Ami smiled gratefully as she did just that, and within moments the little book had been located. More than ever, Ami was thankful for Makoto's pride in neatness. The same book in Minako's room would be the needle in a haystack otherwise stuffed full of teen magazines and abandoned articles of clothing.
"Thank-you, Mako-chan," she said as the book was placed in her hands. The others crowded around her, the cats each occupying an arm of her chair and the girls standing at her shoulders. Opening the book, Ami scanned the index and wondered where to begin their search.
"I'd say Chiyoda-ku is the most likely," she proposed. "It is the very centre of the city, and it does house the NACSIS."
The National Centre for Science Information Systems was a research institute created to advance the study of informatics – the science of information – and to spread that information to the general public. Ami had used their databases a good many times to aid in her studies.
"Do you think he might be there?" asked Makoto. Ami considered the idea before shaking her head. "I don't think so. From what he told me, it seems Shynkon is being coerced into doing a dangerous job by dangerous people. I can't imagine anything like that happening at the NACSIS, but there might be other, smaller research facilities nearby."
Beside her, Minako's eyebrows lowered into a contemplative frown before leaping back up like a pair of blonde dolphins. "Artemis!" she cried, startling him by placing a hand firmly on his spine. "Yes, Mina?" he asked, his rapidly flicking tail belying his unruffled voice. Minako appeared not to notice. "Do you remember a couple of weeks ago, when you were reading the newspaper? There was a page about Chiyoda and I kept annoying you because I wanted to read the bit about Akihabara?"
"I remember," he replied after a pause.
"Didn't you say something about a science lab back then?"
He thought about it. The movement of his tail slowed. Then it suddenly stood bolt upright and he sprang to all fours. "That's right!" he exclaimed excitedly. "A research building in Ōtemachi that had been closed down due to a lack of funding! The paper didn't go into any more detail, but it did have the name. DenTech."
"DenTech?" Rei said the name aloud. "Perhaps something to do with electricity?"
"Whatever the case," said Luna, "It's a good candidate. Ami-chan, can you use your computer to scan that area? If Shynkon's captors are indeed alien life forms, then you should be able to pick something up."
Ami nodded and reached into her pocket, retrieving the handheld supercomputer that she had received when she had awoken as a Sailor Soldier. Among other things, it was capable of scanning areas for anomalies of a supernatural or otherwise unusual nature. Ami flipped it open and quickly tapped a series of commands into the keypad.
They waited as the small device began a thorough scan of the district.
Fingers and feet tapped impatiently.
"Got something," announced Ami as a result flashed up on the screen. "An unidentifiable signal coming from a building in Ōtemachi. Let me check the registry." More commands, and finally a triumphant smile lightened her dour expression. "The building is registered to a DenTech, Inc.."
Rei was already heading for the door. "Well, what are we waiting for? We can be there in no time if we take the subway." She stopped, turned and smiled reassuringly at Ami. "Come on," she said. "Let's go rescue your boyfriend."
After the cats had wished them good luck and warned them to be careful, as they always did, the girls quickly headed out. At first their conversation had been light and cheerful and mostly aimed at Ami, a kind attempt to keep her from worrying too much about Shynkon. As the journey neared its end, however, they lapsed into a restless silence. They were not afraid, their experience in hundreds of battles giving them a strong confidence in themselves and each other, but the threat of impending danger was something they never could – nor would – ignore.
I wish Usagi-chan were here, thought Ami. She'd keep our spirits up. That was what made Usagi so special: her effortless ability to make the impossible seem feasible and to give them hope when they had none. It wasn't the same without her.
"Least we haven't got Usagi with us," came Rei's voice from the seat opposite her. "We might actually get something accomplished."
Ami looked over at her and knew she was thinking the same thing.
The DenTech building was a tall rectangle of concrete and glass, unremarkable among a district known for large corporate buildings. Following its closure as reported by Artemis, the entrance had been sealed off and bore a notice proclaiming that entry was prohibited and punishable by law. Completing a circuit of the building and finding no alternate means of entry, the foursome sat on a nearby wall and considered their options.
"I say we just smash the doors down," suggested Makoto, slapping a clenched fist into an open palm. Ami disagreed. "This area is pretty busy, even at night. Somebody would report us, the police would get involved. There has to be another way."
"Is the police getting involved such a bad thing?" wondered Minako. "If we explained the situation to them they might help us take down the bad guys, rescue Shynkon. They're used to hostage situations, right?"
"Bad idea," judged Rei. "You know they wouldn't believe a word we said. Besides, how would you explain property damage to your parents?"
"There must be a way to get in without using the front doors," reasoned Ami.
They all fell silent, considering.
"What about the Sailor Teleport?" asked Minako, referring to their combined ability to transport themselves magically from one place to another. Ami frowned thoughtfully. "In theory that would be perfect, but there are only four of us. I'm not sure it would work without Usagi-chan."
"I dunno," said Makoto, fiddling distractedly with her ponytail. "It's not like we're going to Antarctica or outer space. We only need to get beyond those doors."
"It's worth a shot," decided Rei, and everybody agreed.
The plan decided, the girls retreated around to the side of the building where they were hidden from the street. With luck they wouldn't be spotted by anybody, although any would-be passer-by would probably not believe what they were about to be witness to.
"Okay, everyone," Ami announced. "Transform!"
As one, they reached into their pockets and pulled out their Crystal Change Rods. Resembling elaborate magic wands, these talismans were tipped with large round crystals and golden stars. Each crystal was a different colour, and within them glowed the symbols of the guardian planets from which they drew their power. Minako's crystal was orange and displayed the hand mirror of the goddess of love, Venus. Makoto's was green and showed a thunderbolt, representing Jupiter. Rei's red crystal burned with the spear and shield of the god of war, Mars, and Ami's blue crystal shone with the winged cap of Mercury.
"Mercury Crystal Power!" called Ami, raising the rod high above her head.
"Mars Crystal Power!" shouted Rei.
"Jupiter Crystal Power!" boomed Makoto.
"Venus Crystal Power!" yelled Minako.
"Make-Up!" they cried as one.
And then, the unbelievable happened.
Bright, colourful waves of energy flowed from their crystals and suffused their bodies from their heads to their toes. Together they shone with a heavenly light that melted away their clothes as if they were ripples on the surface of a pond. The light began to take shape, forming new clothes, and with a flash the garments became real. Tight white shirts were decorated with heart-shaped bows and sailor collars; white panties were covered – barely – by pleated miniskirts from which long, extravagant ribbons fluttered. Their hands were covered by white gloves that extended to their elbows, their feet by heeled boots or shoes. On their heads, earrings glinted and golden tiaras set with coloured gems sparkled like newborn stars.
Ami had transformed countless times before, but the experience was never anything less than wondrous. Closing her eyes, she felt her body fill with radiant, protective power until she felt she could burst with joy.
When she opened her eyes, she was no longer Ami.
She was Sailormercury.
Smiling with renewed confidence, Mercury stepped towards the others, heeled boots clicking on the paved ground. The evening breeze toyed with the hem of her short, royal blue skirt and cooled her bare legs. "Everybody ready?" she asked.
"I'm ready," replied Mars in the red uniform, dark eyes focused and calm.
"Me too," agreed Jupiter, stretching preparatively in her green uniform.
"And me!" sang Venus, sweeping back her lustrous golden hair and smoothing her orange skirt.
Without another word, the quartet formed a circle and joined hands. Bowing their heads and closing their eyes, they concentrated on the power within them. Power that could transport them into the building. The power to rescue Shynkon. Mercury could feel it all around her, growing in intensity, joining her with her friends and fellow soldiers.
"Sailor Teleport!" they called in unison.
And with a flash of light, they were gone.
"Not a bad plan, eh?" said Jupiter with a smile as they examined their new surroundings: the entryway of the DenTech building, just beyond the sealed doors. "Take a bow, Venus." Venus did just that. "Ta-da!"
"Keep the noise down," warned Mars. "They might be expecting us."
Venus clamped a gloved hand over her mouth. "You think?" she asked, the words trickling through her fingers. Mercury nodded. "It's possible. They might have discovered Shynkon's communication with me." That was the most likely explanation for his sudden disappearance. If so, she deeply hoped his captors hadn't punished him, or worse. She pushed the thought aside and focused on the immediate problem. "We might be walking into a trap."
An unlit corridor stretched away from them, vanishing into darkness before its end. "We'll just have to be on our guard," said Jupiter. Mercury stepped forward. "I'll take the lead," she volunteered. "If they do have something lying in wait for us, I should be able to see it coming." She touched a fingertip to the first of three tiny blue studs that lined her earlobe. As she did so, a pair of transparent goggles appeared from nowhere to cover her eyes. Scanning the corridor with them, she could now see a web of crisscrossing red lines: infrared beams invisible to the naked eye.
"Laser beams," she informed the others. "Lots of them."
"Can you disable them?" asked Venus hopefully.
Pulling out her miniature supercomputer, Mercury correlated the data from her goggles to its interface and attempted to do so. The technology in her computer was light years ahead of anything the human race had ever created and should have theoretically been able to break through their defenses.
It couldn't. More proof they were dealing with a threat that wasn't human.
"No luck," she reported. "We're going to have to go through them." Putting away the computer, she placed her hands together and directed her power into them. "Shabon!" she commanded. A soap bubble appeared between her palms and rapidly swelled in size. She threw her arms outwards and the bubble burst. "Spray!" A fine white mist quickly filled the corridor, as did the pleasant aroma of soap. Amidst the mist, the thin red beams could now clearly be seen by all.
"Boy," said Mars, looking wistfully at their complex, overlapping patterns. "It really is a good job Usagi isn't here."
Mercury led their slow advancement down the corridor, her visor still equipped in case of any further surprises. Mars and Venus followed, with Jupiter at the rear. As the tallest, she was finding it particularly difficult to step over or crawl under the beams without accidentally touching one. "What actually happens if we trip one of these?" she wondered aloud as she gingerly lifted a booted foot clear of danger.
"If we're lucky, the alarm will be raised," replied Mercury, sidling carefully between two vertical beams. "And if we're not lucky?" Venus had to know. Mercury didn't know for certain, but the alternatives were not good. She said nothing, and nobody repeated the question.
They continued on, stepping over and rolling under beams until finally the end was in sight. Beyond the last few obstacles the outline of a staircase could be seen, leading up to the next floor and, Mercury hoped, to Shynkon.
"Aino's heading for the finish line," Venus was saying, narrating her own journey through the lasers. "She's keeping neck and neck with rival Kino, the betting man's favourite," – a wink across at Jupiter – "but can she pull ahead at this critical time? Her fans think so!"
"This isn't a race!" protested Jupiter, but she couldn't help smiling.
Mercury looked back at them arguing playfully and smiled too.
And then gasped.
It was then that Jupiter found out the answer to her question.
It hadn't occurred to Mercury that the lasers might not be in fixed positions: that they might change their patterns from time to time to further thwart any attempt at intrusion. Unfortunately, that was exactly what they did. As a beam high above sank towards Venus like a weighty stone, Mercury opened her mouth to warn her, but it came too late.
The beam passed right through her. Venus looked down at it emerging from her chest like a futuristic kebab skewer and sighed.
"Aw, man."
They waited for the inevitable piercing sound of the alarm, but it didn't come. Instead they heard a harsh groan, like the sound of metal gears coming to life. Unfortunately, that was exactly what it was. As they watched helplessly, thick steel shutters began to descend from the ceiling, arranged at intervals along the corridor and clearly designed to lock out – and imprison – anybody who tripped the lasers.
"RUN!" yelled Jupiter, before shooting off down the corridor like a speeding bullet. Jerked free of their temporary apathy, the others chased after her. They had come too far to return to the entrance, even if they had wanted to. The only option now was to beat the shutters to the stairwell, assuming that was where they ended.
Mercury was a good runner, with healthy lungs and muscles honed from years of regular swimming, but keeping up with Jupiter was impossible. In no time at all the big girl had pulled ahead of them, her long, powerful legs propelling her towards Venus' imaginary finish line. The shutters continued to descend, now threatening to separate them. Running side-by-side, Mercury, Mars and Venus pushed themselves further. Together they ducked beneath the penultimate shutter and sprinted towards the final one.
But it was too late. As they reached it, it had already lowered to their knees. If they tried to crawl beneath it, they would be crushed.
Then, it stopped. Gloved fingertips curled around its edge. The gears complained noisily, their progress impeded. "I suggest you hurry up," came Jupiter's strained voice through the heavy steel. "I can't hold this thing all day."
Without a thought for the dangers, the trio dropped to their bellies and crawled through the tiny gap. The metal floor was cold through the thin cotton fabric of their uniforms. Just as they pulled their feet clear, Jupiter released her grip on the door and it slammed to the ground with a metallic clang that bounced back and forth between the walls.
"Thank-you, Jupiter-chan," said Mercury, standing and patting her friend on the back. The others did the same. Jupiter nodded wordlessly, taking deep breaths and rotating her aching shoulders. Mercury didn't want to consider how much the shutter had weighed.
After a moment to collect themselves, the four turned to make their next move. In addition to the staircase, there was an elevator the darkness had rendered invisible from afar. Venus headed for the neighbouring panel with its alluring round buttons. "Finally, a break," she exhaled. "I don't want to walk anywhere ever again."
"Not so fast, Elsa," said Jupiter, grabbing one of the long orange ribbons that trailed from her skirt and tugging on it. Venus turned to her, a pitiful whining sound building in her throat. "She's right," Mercury told her apologetically before the noise could come to fruition. "If they weren't expecting us before, they will be now. If we take the elevator, we risk getting trapped."
"Fine," huffed Venus. "But I'm not happy!"
"Somebody's coming," said Mars suddenly, silencing them all. In the quiet, they could hear something descending. Not the rasping screech of another unseen blockade, but a low, insistent hum that grew louder by the second. The elevator! Venus whirled around, any petulance immediately forgotten. "I'll take the stairs with Mercury," she said quickly, addressing Mars and Jupiter. They each nodded once. "We'll buy you as much time as we can," Mars promised. Jupiter smiled at Mercury. "Go and find Shynkon," she said. "We'll be waiting for you."
Mercury smiled around at them. "Thank-you, everyone." Then she was charging towards the staircase, Venus by her side. Mars' voice lapped at her heels: "You owe us a parfait when we get back to Crown!" And then they were gone, just as a loud ping accompanied the opening of the elevator doors.
"Oh," said Mars.
"Huh," said Jupiter.