CHAPTER FIVE – ONE NIGHT OF SIN

Matt Sneider nearly choked on his mouthful of noodles as fellow analyst Alex clapped him very hard on the back. "What's the matter man, had a bit of a rough night?" He and the others joined in a round of laughter, and Matt found himself joining them.

"I'm telling you, that's the last time I'm drinking that much tequila in one sitting," Sneider said through his food. He swallowed and wondered how it was possible that his friends had all been out just as late as he had, and yet somehow showed up to work and still managed to be productive? He had known they would pay for their night of revelry, but not this hard.

The analyst crew had commandeered a conference room at the office and ordered dinner before they started the night's work. After 6:30pm was actually when they got the most work done. The pointless meetings Jim had pointed out to them took up a lot of the day, which meant that the work had to be pushed later and later.

Some guys partied hard their whole lives and knew how to handle themselves the morning after, or least found ways not to show it. Matt Sneider was not one of those people. He felt terrible and his head pounded, though it was not as bad as the first meeting of the morning, when he had managed to keep himself awake only by jabbing himself in the leg with a pen.

"Dude, you can barely even lift your chopsticks," laughed Jeremy.

"Man, don't even—I heard people say stuff last night that would get them arrested back home," Matt retorted.

"True that, Sneider. We ain't in Kansas anymore."

"No kidding, Captain Obvious."

By the time the meal had ended and everyone had vented at everyone else, Matt dragged himself back to his desk, intending to shotgun the last can of Red Bull he had brought with him to power through the day (he had started with four).

He certainly wasn't expecting to see the white cat from last night's dream sitting on his desk with two guns next to it.

Matt couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed them frantically, wondering, whether the lack of sleep was causing him to hallucinate. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he whisper-shouted. "You're not even real! What the—"

"Don't speak; listen," said Artemis. "Last night wasn't a dream; it was real. These guns are yours. I'm putting them in your briefcase. When you leave work tonight, I'm going to follow you. There's something you need to do, and I'm not going to leave you alone until you do."

"Sneider, who the hell you talking to?" Jeremy called from down the hall. He poked his head into the room. "You okay man?"

Matt turned to him. "There's a—" as he turned to point at the cat, he saw that Artemis and the guns had disappeared. "Never mind," he said quickly. "I guess the lack of sleep is getting to me, huh?" he chuckled.

Jeremy nodded. "Damn straight. You gotta power through these last few hours, and maybe we'll get to go home early—and by early, I mean between 12:30 and 1:00 in the morning." He turned and left to work on a pitch book.

Matt sat down shakily at his computer and realized he had never felt more tired in his entire life. What was going on? Talking cats showing up at his office? Overpowered girls fighting monsters? Magical guns from the moon? It was like a giant psychedelic mind trip. He glanced down into his open briefcase, where the metal barrels glinted in the glare from the office lights. And just what exactly was he supposed to do tonight, anyway, other than make his best attempt at getting some work done?

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Five hours later, Matt Sneider closely resembled a zombie as he exited the building at long last. His computer had been shut down, the spreadsheets checked and encrypted, the necessary emails all sent. A typical night for a banking analyst, except for the extra weight in his briefcase that was two Moon guns that a friggin' talking cat had given to him to help in some mythical struggle for love and justice.

"God, how'd I get into this?" he muttered.

"You'll know by the end of the night," came a voice from near his feet. Sneider looked down and saw Artemis walking silently by his side. The analyst sighed. He was too tired to even think straight, let alone respond. He continued walking home, taking his usual route. The streets of Tokyo's financial districts were usually pretty empty at this time, but Matt knew that the party was probably just getting started in some of the other areas.

The feline went over his plan for what felt like the thousandth time in his head. Putting one of the Senshi in danger was a risky plan indeed. He thought about how to steer Matt toward the appropriate situation. In his over-exhausted state, the poor guy would probably listen to anything.

"You know, I took a few different side streets when I went to your apartment the other night," he said cautiously. "It'll probably get you home faster so you can get some shut-eye."

Matt shook his head slowly. "Fine, whatever," he muttered, turning to follow Artemis off the main drag. He could barely lift his feet, his loafers ever so lightly dragging along the ground.

Only a few blocks away, Sailor Mars was fighting for her life.

She leapt out of the way of a youma blade strike that took a big piece out of the concrete wall behind her. The monster had sleek green armor, with a thin, metallic body and spinning scythes instead of hands.

Rei rolled left and jumped to her feet, readying an ofuda as she did so. She flung the spell at the beast, only to swear as it easily sliced away the charm with its blade.

The Senshi of Fire reacted quickly, lashing out with her other hand containing an ofuda, trying to tag the monster while it was caught off guard. But the youma moved quickly. Soon, her second paper was sliced in half, falling harmlessly to the ground. Rei grunted in annoyance and dodged frantically backward as the monster hacked and swiped at her vulnerable body.

The youma took a big cut at her head; Sailor Mars dropped to the ground and kicked out with all her strength, hitting the armored youma in the knees. It staggered back a few steps, giving her time to charge up a fire attack.

"Mars Fire—IGNITE!" A screaming blast of fire hurtled toward the beast, who took a swipe at it with one of its claws, as if trying to hit a baseball. Flames engulfed it, making Rei smirk in satisfaction.

Her grin disappeared as she saw the monster emerge from the flames, its armor blackened but otherwise untouched by her attack.

"Where the hell are the other Senshi?" she muttered angrily. "I need help here, dammit." She had put out the alert signal as soon as she saw the youma, but none of her comrades seemed to be in the area. It looked as if she was on her own, at least until help arrived.

Looking to hold back the youma from advancing, Rei withdrew even more ofudas and flung them as fast as she could, trying to aim for a different spot each time, hoping that just once she'd catch the beast off guard. But the youma seemed to read her mind, carelessly cutting aside each one in seconds.

Rebounding to her basic attack, Rei launched another fireball at the monster, which it blocked. She grabbed a nearby garbage can lid and hurled it at the monster like a discus. "Too bad this isn't a tiara," she grunted as the lid left her hands.

The monster refused to go down lightly. With a high-pitched shriek, it hacked through the projectile, splintering the metal into several pieces that fell around the alley with a loud clang. The youma grinned sadistically and rubbed its blades together with a horrid scraping noise. It knew that Rei's attacks were useless against it. Its menacing blades gleaming, the monster advanced on the helpless Senshi of Fire.

"What was that noise?" Artemis asked Matt as they continued walking.

"Who cares?" came the tired, irritated reply.

The cat ignored him and darted toward the noise. "I think it's coming from over here," he said pointedly, trying to steer the analyst toward the commotion.

"Nope. I'm not following you," Sneider said automatically, continuing to walk away.

"But…but someone's in trouble!"

Matt Sneider grimaced and stopped walking. He sighed and lowered his head. Couldn't he possibly get a break tonight? Artemis was standing near the entrance to a wide alley, where Matt could hear the sounds of fighting. "I don't want to get involved," he reiterated.

"Might I remind you that you have two magical guns at your disposal?" Artemis said. "Look, you don't have to intervene, just come over here and take a look, and then if you want to walk away, I promise I won't stop you."

With every step feeling like an angry stomp, the analyst joined the cat at the alley entrance. He had never seen such a strange sight in his life.

A pale girl in a red skirt was trying to beat the crap out of a blade-toting monster! And it didn't look as if the fight was going in the girl's favor. In fact, it didn't look good at all. The monster had a height advantage and was slashing away with two massive blades; the girl was dodging every which way to avoid being cut. Her attacks, meanwhile, seemed to do little or nothing against the monster's heavy armor.

Matt stared in incomprehension. "What the…what the hell is going on here? This can't be happening," he said.

"I assure you Sneider, it is happening," said Artemis. "Now look. You have two magical pistols in your briefcase. You are free to use them or not. If you do, you will have saved her life. Or you can walk away, and she'll die. I leave it up to you."

"Is this what you wanted me to do when you came to my office?"

"All I ask is that you make a choice." With that, Artemis fell silent and watched Matt Sneider. He had done this so many times; everyone was different. Seeing what someone would do when faced with a situation like this would give him a true sense of the man's character. Sure, it was a drastic way to do it.

The thought process was always so interesting to watch; it was visible on the person's face as they considered what to do. He could almost always tell from the person's body language.

"The first part is always denial," Artemis thought. "That has happened already. I've told him it's real, and he can see it, touch it, and hear it. That means he goes straight to part two…"

Artemis could see Matt's face contort in thought and knew that the analyst was considering running away. The "fight or flight" option, the impulse humans have had since the days of cavemen. Self-preservation tended to be the first thing on the person's mind. And why not? As far as Matt was concerned, he had nothing to gain from this fight. Usually Artemis could tell, as the person would glance around looking for exits, as Matt was doing now. Yes, fleeing the problem was as tempting as it ever was. Nevertheless, his feet didn't budge.

That wasn't a bad thing, but not necessarily a good thing, either. It could mean indecision, which was the worst possible outcome as far as Artemis was concerned. Just stand there. Freeze. Do nothing. No matter how much he stressed that that was never an option, so many people were content to do it anyway. Can't be held responsible if you just do nothing, right?

He watched Matt's face as the analyst considered the second option: intervene. He did have the guns close at hand. A look of calculated worry was on Sneider's face now. "Obviously, he's weighing the risks, whether it's worth it to risk his own life for that of a complete stranger," the cat observed mentally. "It would be easier if it was a close friend or relative, but a complete stranger…now that is a true test."

Artemis continued to watch his suspect's body language. Matt's fingers were twitching. He was blinking furiously; his breathing had sped up. He clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. He understood the gravity of the situation—someone's life was in danger. The adrenaline was pumping. Good signs that he was about to take some kind of action…but would it be for the better, or worse?

All this took place over the course of about half a minute. Artemis fought the urge to cry out in joy as Matt reached down into the briefcase and withdrew the black and white guns. He stared at the shiny, otherworldly steel, feeling their weight in his hands. The night pressed in around him, eager to watch what would happen. Sneider kept the guns at his sides, staring at the fight scene before him.

"Ah, yes," Artemis thought to himself. "The last-minute second-guess. Having come to a decision, there's always that last little hint of distrust…usually not a problem, but every so often…"

Artemis' thoughts ended as the crack of both guns filled the air and blinding white bullets shrieked toward the unsuspecting youma, who was preparing to strike at Rei. The lunar ammunition struck home, penetrating the green fireproof armor just below the waist. The monster roared in pain and surprise, whirling around to see its attacker.

Sneider fired again, hitting the monster in the shoulder and dropping it to the floor. Damn, he was really out of practice. Not quite the dramatic, "BOOM HEADSHOT" he had wanted. Uncle Ken would have smacked him for such inaccuracy! Nevertheless, the green youma collapsed the ground and, so it seemed to Matt, melted into the floor and disappeared. He realized he had been holding his breath; he released it in a heavy puff. "What the hell did I just do?" he wondered out loud.

"The right thing," Artemis told him gladly. "Now, let's go see if she's okay."

They ran down the alley towards a shaken Sailor Mars, who had collapsed to the ground with her back to the wall, as if resting. Her uniform was torn, and she had several large cuts. Rei's head was bent between her knees, and her breaths were heavy.

"Uh…hi," said Matt awkwardly when he reached her. He had heard stories about Japanese girls before, but this was beyond anything he had imagined. "What the hell is she wearing?" he wondered.

"Matt Sneider, Goldman Sachs," he introduced himself with his standard business greeting. He reached out to help her up, his eyes trailing downward along her bruised legs. "Nice skirt," he observed. Sneider couldn't help himself—he was a dude, after all.

The girl didn't take too kindly to that. She angrily slapped his hand away and heaved herself to her feet. "Could you have waited any longer before saving my neck?" she snapped at him. "What, did I have to get skewered like a stuck pig before you stop staring at my thighs and take some action?"

Matt let his hand fall to his side. "What's your problem?" he asked. "I just saved your life. What was that thing?"

"The less you know about it, the better," said Mars. "You need to forget about what you saw here and don't breathe a word to anybody else."

"Uh, Sailor Mars…maybe you shouldn't be so harsh," Artemis cautiously observed. The Senshi of Fire glared at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Matt glanced between the two of them. "You two know each other?" he asked innocently.

"We…we're…" Rei seemed to struggle to find a complete sentence. She looked at Artemis, then at Matt, then back to Artemis. A look of comprehension dawned on her face.

"You SON OF A BITCH!" she roared at Artemis. "You planned this, you idiot! You and the others leave me on my own to face an overpowered monster just so some jackass in a business suit can have some target practice?"

Matt glanced pointedly behind him and saw nobody who fit that description. Was this a setup?

"Well…I…l-look, it worked, didn't it?" Artemis defended himself.

"Don't give me that, you furball! This is ridiculous! I could have died! And you—" she turned to Matt. "What exactly is so difficult about helping someone in need? What could you possibly have to think about before saving someone's life, huh?"

Sneider had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he had just saved this girls life, and all she did was yell at him. He couldn't believe he had foregone half an hour of sleep for this. So he gave back as good as he got.

"A nice, 'thanks for keeping my ass from being clawed to pieces' might be more appropriate…skank," Matt snapped at the Senshi of Fire. He eyed her sailor fuku again with something akin to disgust.

Sailor Mars' balled fists erupted into flames. The crackling heat of the fire painted flickering shadows on her face, making it appear genuinely eerie. "Call me that again, and I'll incinerate you where you stand, you bastard," Rei threatened.

"So this is 'love and justice,' huh?" Matt sneered at Artemis, who was frantically trying to come up with a plan to neutralize the situation. "Please tell me it isn't always like this."

"No, trust me, it isn't," said Artemis. "She just insists on being difficult."

"In that case, why don't you just take my card and call me when you're ready to talk sense," Matt snapped, flinging one of his business cards at the two of them. "It's been a long day, and I have better things to do than listen to this crap. Good night."

He turned around and stalked out of the alley, heading back to his apartment for some sleep.

Before Rei could round on Artemis, the cat ordered, "Call the other Senshi, right now. We need to tell them what happened so we can make a decision. Meet at the temple in ten."

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"So that's it," said Rei, sipping herbal tea from a traditional white cup while her friends looked on.

"Rei, that was kind of heartless on your part," Usagi frowned. "He passed the test, didn't he?"

"Y-yes, he did," said Artemis bravely, lightly leaping onto the table. "I can see that he has great potential for good."

"And just why, exactly, did you find it necessary to put my life in mortal danger to prove it?" asked Rei tiredly.

Luna took over. "Like Artemis said, he could have done anything at that point. He could have dropped the guns and run away, leaving you to your fate. He could have missed. He could have done anything—and yet he chooses to risk himself to save the life of a complete stranger. I think it's enough to give him at least another chance."

Makoto yawned and stretched. "I'm with you, Luna. I'd just like to meet him before we let him on that Mina is missing."

"I think it would be better, if there's still any doubt," Ami put in, "to ask him to help us find some leads. In a panic situation like that when someone's life is in danger, his action could have just been a fluke. But if we fill him in on what exactly we're looking for, we can see whether his intentions are truly good."

"Good plan, Ami," said a yawning Usagi. "Rei, give him a call so we can all get out of here and go back to bed."

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Matt Sneider had heard stories about analysts who didn't want their bosses and managing directors to know that they had Blackberrys, because that would mean they would be called into work at anytime, even if it was the middle of the night.

So, after he had gone to sleep and was woken up by his ringing Blackberry, Matt wasn't all that surprised. It was still dark outside as he rolled over on his bed with his eyes half shut and answered it.

"Hello?" was his low, sleep-muffled voice.

"Hello, Matt Sneider. Do you know who this is?"

Sneider's eyes snapped open. He bolted upright in his bed, the blanket falling off his bare chest. "Sailor Mars," he said with a combination of recognition and anger. When he had said to give him a call when she was ready to talk sense, he didn't think it would happen so soon.

"Apparently the other Senshi have decided that you've made a good first impression," said a very tired Rei on the other line while her friends gathered around her.

"Well, I'm glad someone appreciates it," he said defensively. "Wait…other Senshi? There are more of you? Why are you calling me at…4:27 in the morning?"

"You're going to have to get used to it. The Senshi work odd hours. Evil never takes a break, and neither do we," she explained. There was a pause, during which Usagi motioned for her to continue.

"Based on your…performance tonight, we're going to take you up on your offer, because we need your help with something," said Rei, struggling to keep her tone civil. "The youma…the thing you killed tonight, it has friends, and they've taken one of our friends prisoner."

"Sucks to be her."

With a monumental effort, Rei composed herself and said, "Now that you've killed one of the youma, there's a good chance you'll run into some more. When you do, we want you to find out from them exactly what they're planning to do with her. They're planning something big, and we don't think it's going to stop with kidnapping one of us."

"…you want me to interrogate a monster? With what? Are you fuckin' kidding me?" a confused, sleep-deprived Matt could only reply.

"What we need is information," Rei snapped. "I don't care how you get it, Matt Sneider. Just get it." She would have hung up then and there, had Usagi not grabbed the phone from her hand, stood up, and walked outside with it.

"Matt? This is Usagi Tsukino; I'm the leader of the Sailor Senshi," she explained calmly. "Don't mind Sailor Mars; although she can be pretty abrupt, she always means well. I don't know you, but I want you to know that you have saved the life of one of my sisters tonight, even if it was kind of a setup, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Which I'm sure deep down she appreciates—don't you, Rei?" she called expectantly into the room.

"…sure," came Rei's reply through gritted teeth.

"What I mean is, I think you are a good person," Usagi continued kindly. "It's just that, given what has recently happened with our friend disappearing, we have to be careful who we trust." The future Moon Princess glanced up at the Tokyo skyline over the temple railing; the sun was just starting to rise.

"Matt, have you ever seen sunrise from a Shinto temple in the middle of Tokyo?" she asked, her blonde hair waving in the morning breeze.

"No."

"Well, maybe soon you'll get to see it…it's a sight to behold," she said in wonder as the sunrise bathed her face in its glow. "If you can help us find Sailor Venus, we'd love to have you work with us."

Something about her tone seemed to calm Matt's nerves. He relaxed and lay back in bed. "Should I send you my resume?" he asked half-jokingly.

"No," Usagi chuckled. "I think we live…two lives. One secret, one public. No one can know about this. Do you understand?"

"Yes…Miss Tsukino." Matt automatically used his businesslike way of addressing strangers.

"Thank you so much for doing this. Have a good…day at work." The Moon Princess said goodbye and watched the sun rise for a few minutes while her friends joined her on the top of the temple steps. They may have been one less in number, but it seemed as if they were on their way to a recovery.