15: "Research and Development"
"Well, that's a first," Rei said, noticing Ami rush through the café door, beleaguered and gasping for breath. "Honestly, our first Senshi meeting in years, and you, of all people, show up late."
"Hey, we've all been there before," Minako said. Rei grumbled and drank her tea.
"You and the other blonde seem to make a habit of it, though."
"Are you kidding? Usagi got here almost the same time that I did!—and need I remind you, I was first."
"This argument again?" Ami sighed, laying her belongings on the counter, taking a deep breath as she settled in. Rei was trying to be the all-important monitor again, showing calm and composure as she criticized everything with passive-aggressive cool. Minako's smile told everyone she honestly couldn't care less, but at the same time, she was proud to be the rule and not the exception. Usagi wasn't paying attention; she was drawn to a stack of papers, studying and scribbling with quiet passion. This in itself was bizarre; having Mizuno arrive late to the meeting made things stranger still.
"I'm just teasing," Rei said, offering a smile before she drank again. "Minako's right. Statistically speaking, we're all entitled to deviant behavior."
"But since we normally met at your shine, someone never had to worry about being late." Rei gazed levelly at Minako, stoicism turning to sympathy.
"Look, that's not the reason why Usagi and I called this meeting. I just thought that since—"
"Wait, this was Usagi's idea?" Ami shirked back in her chair, not bothering to feign surprise. She knew her best friend could be lax when it came to her duties, but seeing her become proactive, well…
"She has been at this a little longer than we have," Rei said, smiling as she focused on her friend. Usagi still seemed inattentive; Ami wondered if she was working on police business or compiling more abnormal reports. Ami cleared her throat, nudging Usagi's foot with her own. The off-duty officer silently laid a paper on the center of the table and went back to scribbling.
"I don't have the sort of time to go to the library or look anything up on the internet," she said, eyes flitting around her papers, "but I did write down a few things regarding our nemeses. Look over this and see what you think."
"If anybody's got time around here, it's me," Minako said as she glanced at the paper. Usagi had scrawled a few key words she had picked up from their various battles over the past few weeks: Usmu, Apkallu, Nasu, Ninurta, Nanna, Ea, Anu… Minako thought she recognized a few names from a mythology book she picked up on a whim, but couldn't make much out of it.
"I think a few of these are Mesopotamian gods—you know, from around the Middle East. I think Anu and Ea are part of a triumvirate, like Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu, but I don't know anything about the others. Also, that, uh, rotting fly-monster thingy—"
"Nasu," Ami said.
"Right, that Nasu chick called me Inana's pupil or something."
"We told you about Usagi and I running into that man Usmu," Rei said. "He called us 'Apkallu'. If we could find out what that meant, maybe we could get an idea of what's going on."
"I'm on it," Ami said, flipping open her smart-phone. She tapped and slid her fingers across the screen; meanwhile a waitress came by, dispensing drinks, taking orders. She asked them what they were doing; Minako answered honestly.
"Research. Say, you wouldn't happen to know what an Apkallu is, would you?"
"Some kind of African shrub?"
"I hope not," Usagi muttered. Rei smirked and told the waitress not to worry about it. Eventually, Ami's search engine came up with something, and she read it aloud:
"Well, it wasn't easy, but I think I have a lead. According to this article, it's definitely a Mesopotamian concept, so we should start focusing on that. Not that any of us know very much about that pantheon…"
"Ahem," Minako coughed. Ami smiled.
"Yes, I know. Anyway, Usagi, I don't think you have anything to worry about. The one calling himself Usmu was paying you a very high compliment. Apkallu is a 'wise man' or 'sage'. Babylonian tradition says that there were seven Apkallu who lived at the beginning of time before the flood. Well, there are four of us here, and if you count Makoto, Setsuna, and maybe Haruka and Michiru, that would be seven. The Apkallu were sent by the god Ea—there's that name again, Mina—sent by him to teach wisdom to humans and are shown as humans with wings. He must have seen the decorations on your hair-buns, Usagi."
"I'm sure he could distinguish between fashion and actual wings," she muttered. Ami swallowed and turned green as she read the rest of the article.
"Hmm, interesting. It says that some Apkallu have the head of a bird, while others don't have wings and are dressed in the skin of a fish."
"Like a mermaid?" She shrugged.
"The Apkallu protected people and purified evil. That's basically Sailor Moon in a nutshell. No wonder he got confused."
"I dunno about being a 'wise woman' or a sage, though," she smirked. "What about Nasu? Can you find anything on her?"
"Somehow I doubt that a creature obsessed with turning the whole world into a single decaying mass will be on the same side as a group of gods," Rei reasoned. "I mean, if these are gods we're dealing with. Maybe they're just ordinary people who have unusual abilities."
"Like us," Minako said, looking over Ami's shoulder as she skimmed through web pages. "I suppose if we went a few thousand years back in time, people would think we were gods, too."
"I think you mean goddesses," Ami muttered. She was trying not to blush: having Minako lean in close to her was making her rather nervous. She could feel Minako's sweet minty breath on her shoulder, could smell the subtle, flowery designer perfume she wore (a rather expensive birthday gift, and the last one Mizuno had given her in person), and if she moved to just the right angle, her skin shuddered as long silky strands of golden hair brushed against it. Ami's resolve was strong, but Minako always found a way to break it.
Something beeped, momentarily breaking her focus. She looked up, saw Usagi check her phone, punch in a few letters, and put it away, an anxious expression on her face. She hastily concluded what she had been writing, put the rest away, and asked the waitress for a to-go bag.
"Leaving already?"
"Yeah, break time's over. The city's a huge mess; I'm working ten-hour shifts trying to get everything back to normal. I'm surprised both of you could make it here."
"It wasn't easy," Rei sighed, "but you know how I feel about all this."
"I should probably get going as well," Ami said, glancing at her wristwatch. "They're relocating all the staff and patients to Juban Primary General Hospital. Oh, Usagi, before I forget, I have to give the police a statement about my experience at the hospital. Could you…?" She smiled and winked.
"Sure, I got it covered. Sorry I have to bail so soon."
"It's fine, I should probably head back to the office as well," Rei said, standing up and gathering her belongings. "It seems with all the recent attacks, my importance as a senator's intern has just skyrocketed. Mina, I really hate to burden you with all this research—"
"Don't be absurd!" she exclaimed, slapping the table vigorously. "I told you, I've got nothing but time on my hands! Besides, Makoto and Motoki will be there to help me."
"Just be careful who overhears you," Rei said, giving Minako a hug before parting. "Wouldn't want anyone to think you're crazier than you already are."
"Thanks, sweetie, you take care, too." She gave Rei a polite peck on the cheek and waved to Usagi, telling her they'd meet again at home. Usagi spared Ami a glance as they walked out of the café together, overburdened with dual duties.
"Um, is it just me, or are you and Minako…avoiding each other?" Ami stopped to think about it for a moment, tittering nervously as she reassured her friend.
"Don't be silly, Usagi; we just have a lot on our minds. We'll keep in touch."
"Hey, you better," she smiled, drawing Ami in for a half-hug. "I'd hate to think we only got together again because of a crisis."
"I think you know full well who's responsible for our reunion," she said, smiling sweetly as she leaned in and gave Usagi a brief kiss on the nose.
…
Even though Makoto said she had left her days as a Senshi behind, and had moved to another city, Minako still felt obliged to let her in on what was going on. Despite her stance, Makoto seemed concerned, and looked like she was wavering on her decision a little, but ultimately she brushed it off, confident Minako, Usagi, and the others could handle it. Still, she admitted, she was surprised it was "really real"; at first she had believed it was another round of delusions on Usagi's part.
"Out of all of us," she said during Minako's most recent visit, "I think she was the least fulfilled. I mean, we all seem to be satisfied with what we've chosen to do with our lives, but the way she carried on, you'd think there was nothing but regrets in there. I think part of that was the void left when all of the evil in the universe left us alone. I know she hated that part of her duty as a Senshi, but I can't help but think she liked it, too. I know I certainly felt that way at times."
"Ah, but was it the empowerment we were given, the thrill of the battle, or the camaraderie?" Minako had posed. Makoto smirked; it seemed a rhetorical question. Minako became a little more serious when she added, "So you really didn't believe her?"
"I did and I didn't. I love Usagi with all of my heart, and I've always thought of her and the rest of you like extended members of my family, but sometimes she lets her imagination get away from her. And sometimes she puts bogies in places where there are none. Then again, I guess if I had a dead-end job, I'd probably stretch my mental muscles a bit past their breaking point, too."
"So you trust me more?"
"Two reliable sources are easier to believe than one. But mostly…I guess part of me didn't want it to be real. I wanted an honest, lasting peace, where I could be my own person and work with my own schedule, rather than submit myself to the whims of some diabolical creature from another world."
"Speaking of whimsy," Minako grinned, referring to herself. They shared a smile; Makoto promised to "keep an eye out" for suspicious activity; Minako left, heading for the commuter train like she always did after work…but on that day, she stopped herself, stricken with an epiphany. Usagi was bogged down with police work; Ami had her hospital duties to consider; Rei was climbing the political ladder. All of the active Senshi were being directly affected by the disasters, the creatures, and the bizarre phenomenon that came with them, all except for Minako, who had bragged about her freedom. If another enemy attacked, she'd be the only one who could stop them without seriously affecting her livelihood. Minako knew she promised to research these strange creatures, but she felt vigilance was more important. Surely her friends would rest easier if they knew one of their number was out there, keeping tabs on everything so they wouldn't have to split their focus. Besides, Minako was technically the leader: wasn't that her job?
As always, it was late when the train returned to Shibuya—the perfect opportunity for crime, criminals, and maybe the occasional trans-dimensional rift in the spatial planar flux…capacitor…thingy (she was still working on a proper description. Ami would certainly know how to identify it). Minako would have to become Sailor Venus if she hoped to confront these evils, but therein was a problem. Being a former world-famous model with roots deep in Tokyo, Minako had to watch out for swarms of fans amassing. She made sure to wear her hair up, in complex braids and knots (or underneath a hat), dressed in drab clothes even the least self-respecting model wouldn't be caught dead with. Sunglasses were too obvious; regular glasses, however, completed the disguise (even though they screwed up her vision a little). But that wouldn't be enough: Minako needed to find a secluded place if she wanted to completely disappear.
Right. Secluded. In a city packed with millions. In a culture where everyone is in everyone else's business. And she had a very famous face, disguise or not.
Unfortunately for Minako, the only place she could be truly alone was Usagi's apartment. Thankfully, Usagi still wasn't home yet, so Minako took this opportunity, called out to her guardian planet, and was incorporated into a stream of light that rearranged her entire being, from the lowest whirling atom in her cell to the pink gloss smeared artfully across her lips. What emerged from this cascade of blinding flashes and colors was a living embodiment of love, and everything it implied and stood for: adoration, lust, devotion, generosity, pride, respect, loyalty, charity…
And maybe a little vanity. Sailor Venus couldn't help but pirouette a little in front of Usagi's bathroom mirror.
"Lookin' sharp there, V!" she exclaimed, saluting with her traditional "V" sign. She was about to climb out the window in typical superhero fashion when nostalgia took hold of her and drew her back. Stuffed inside of the care package Setsuna had kindly forwarded was a small rectangular box (orange, of course), which Minako had kept with her for nearly fifteen years. She had not opened it nor even thought about it in all that time, but something about coming back to Tokyo, back to her friends, and back to the entity that was Sailor Venus, made her reminisce. Call it sentimentality, but she rummaged around for that box, opened it, and fixed the domino mask to her face one more time.
It would not be Sailor Venus patrolling the streets of Shibuya tonight. It would be Sailor V.
"I'm surprised this uniform still fits!" she remarked as she soared through the air. Usagi's apartment building wasn't particularly tall, but it was loosely connected to other structures that offered better perspective. Sailor V called out for her Love Me Chain and extended it so that it attached to the closest building, then swung out, whooping for joy as the world whirled by. She let go at the apex of her ascent, streaking through the sky like a comet, or a dove, stretching her golden rope again to loop around the next structure, and the next, until she spotted a broad, level roof to rest on. Landing, she reached into her purse, pulling out binoculars and a special Bluetooth headset. The earpiece could tune in to police, radio, television, and even telephone broadcasts, while the binoculars could pan, zoom, pick up heat signatures, and even see through a few surfaces. Minako had never divulged where she got all this technology as Sailor V (not even to Ami); her friends had joked that she must've had some friends in the British secret service.
"Aino," she whispered to herself as she scanned the city, "Minako Aino, agent double-oh twenty-two. Licensed to love, shaken and stirred…" She trailed off, picking up enormous heat signatures. At the same time, her headpiece alerted her to a fire alarm. Shibuya had an excellent emergency department, but with all the recent attacks and disasters, even their best and bravest would be stretched thin. Sailor V decided to help them out, so she stretched her chain out again, took a running leap off the rooftop, shot the rope out, and swung through the air. Sailor V easily crossed halfway through the city in this manner, and came to the scene of the fire before the fire department.
Rioters and looters were attacking an electronics store, destroying anything they couldn't steal, while a few armed people had formed a perimeter around the scene. If the fire department arrived, they would be attacked and likely killed. Sailor V knew she had to stop them, but it was more important to warn the SFD about the other dangers. Her headset fed into Shibuya PD (Usagi, in other words); she placed the tip anonymously, and hung up before she could give her word not to get more involved.
"Sorry, I don't want to lie to you, but I don't want to break a promise, either. Hopefully they'll get Usagi in on this." With that out of the way, next came more visual heroics. Secluding herself on another nearby rooftop, she adjusted her binoculars to discern between human heat signatures and regular fire, to see whether there was anyone trapped in the burning buildings. There were, but what else did she expect?—and there were hostages, too.
"Great," she drawled. "Fires, people trapped, hostages, looters, rioters, people with guns, the fire department running into this death-trap… Same song and dance, different day, eh Mina?" She took a deep bracing breath and smiled, then linked her rope to the burning building. The people trapped inside were her first concern, and if she knew anything about structures on fire, she knew its integrity would be weakened. That meant making an entrance should be an easy affair. It would have to be subtle, though: she didn't want to alert the armed guards or the looters of her presence. No telling what they'd do when cornered by a gorgeous vigilante with super-powers.
Swoon, hopefully, she thought to herself. Sailor V withdrew to the rear of the building, peeking down to see if there was another entrance. Like most major retail stores, this one had an emergency exit; unlike most stores, however, this one had an armed looter standing watch over it. So these people weren't entirely incompetent, but they had never dealt with a Senshi before, either. Sailor V lassoed her Love Me chain around his gun first, yanking it out of the man's hands before he knew what hit him. As he jerked around to see who was behind him, Sailor V struck, leaping on top of him with a ferocious kick to the forehead. She wrapped her excursion up, literally, by hog-tying the man with her chain.
"Don't move, sweetie," she grinned, pinching his cheek. Stretching tape over his mouth so he couldn't call for help, Sailor V turned to the security door. It was, of course, locked from the other side, but a well-aimed Crescent Beam on the hinges solved that. An alarm went off, but that was moot considering the fire had already taken care of that. Sailor V strapped her binoculars to her face and zeroed in on the hostages. Her heroine's instinct compelled her to turn on the sprinkler system and let that take care of the blaze, but this was an electronics store: adding a few metric tons of water to the equation would make the situation much, much worse.
She spotted four people huddled in an employee break room, six scattered around the store, one immobile (wounded, she hoped), and about ten corralled together by armed looters; the burglars themselves numbered twenty or so. Sailor V crouch-walked behind empty shelves, keeping tabs on the closest looters as she slinked over to the break room. The place was left unguarded; she tried pushing against the door and found it barricaded. Not wanting to risk exposing herself by calling out to the people inside, Sailor V reasoned they'd be safe for now, so long as the break room had a number of extinguishers. She searched for the immobile one next, and found her lying down, partially trapped under a shelf, the flames slowly spreading towards her. Sailor V rushed as fast as her concealed position could take her, but had to stand up in order to burst through a capricious wall of fire.
Unblemished (and thankful she had forgotten to uncoil her hair), she knelt down, feeling for a pulse. The woman was alive but unconscious; Sailor V pressed her entire body against the shelf and gradually pushed it out of the way. As for the flames, she searched around for another extinguisher, and found one latched onto a nearby support pillar. Hoping it was the correct grade, she coiled her golden chain around it, gave it a yank, caught it, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was Type C, the sort used on electronic equipment. Out went the fires; she hoisted the woman on her shoulders and headed back for the break room, but nearly tripped and dropped her when a shot went off.
"Found someone! Trying to be a hero, huh? Everyone, over here! Execute the intruder—no witnesses!"
"Crap!" she scowled to herself. Sailor V was still trying to balance the woman as seven of the armed robbers picked their way through the burning rubble to her location. She kept her cool, though, shouting "Venus Shimmering Delight!", throwing up an impenetrable wall of blinding light. The looters yelled in pain and started shooting in her general direction; she called out "Venus Glittering Barrier, activate!", putting up a light-shield, and carried shield and hostage with her to the break room. There was no time for diplomacy, so she forced the door open with a Love and Beauty Shock attack. The employees trapped inside panicked, begging for mercy.
"Calm down, I'm here to help! I found this woman outside; there are about sixteen others, I think. Just stay in here and I'll be back for everyone else!"
"Who the hell are you?" one man demanded. "More importantly, what're you gonna do about our door? That was the only thing keeping us safe from the burglars!"
"I'm sorry, it couldn't be avoided. The whole building's going up in flames, and you would have died if you had stayed in here. I'm going to grab the others, then we can leave together."
"But if you're gone, won't the looters just come after us?" a woman shrieked. Sailor V smiled at her.
"I got all that covered, lady! Just leave everything to Sailor V and don't step outside the orange barrier!" Blowing a kiss, Sailor V focused her energy on that spot, leaving the protective bubble behind while she headed back into danger. She could keep her shields up and running like that while she was focused on other matters, but it was difficult splitting her attention, and she wouldn't be able to protect herself. The men she had blinded were slowly recovering, and on the lookout for her. Sailor V could theoretically manipulate spectral wavelengths to divert from her physical form, thus giving off the illusion of invisibility, but it put considerable strain on her ability to move around, and would ultimately tax her to the point where she must release it and rest. Cloaking herself behind a hundred trillion shards of mirrored light was not an option with that barrier in place, so she'd have to sneak around the burning building the old-fashioned way.
Zipping up to the rafters, Sailor V studied her surroundings, looking for weak spots in the looters' defense or stray hostages she could rescue on the fly. Two armed men had just found one of the strays, and were assaulting him physically and verbally, threatening worse if he didn't comply. They were alone, though, so Sailor V stretched her rope to span over to their area, waited for the right moment, and dropped down quiet as a feather. Cautiously she snuck behind the armed men (it helped that they were loud and distracted), and in a single fluid motion, grabbed their heads and bashed them against each other, knocking them out. She looped her Love Me Chain around all three of them, swung over to the break room, deposited her findings, and went back for more.
"So far so good," she muttered. She picked up three more hostages without trouble, but was spotted by a wandering looter when she went for the fourth, and was fired upon. Sailor V couldn't get out of the line of fire without endangering the hostage, and she couldn't attack fast enough to disarm the man. She smothered the hostage with her body instead, avoiding most of the blast but getting a fine scar along her back. Feeling desperate, she grit her teeth and lifted her skirt, flashing her underwear at the attacker. The diversion flustered him long enough for her to fire off a Crescent Beam, severing his weapon. A follow-up knock to the jaw sent him spiraling; both were back at the break room in no time.
"Thank you, Sailor V," the man exclaimed breathlessly. Sailor V was surprised he knew who she was.
"You remember me?"
"Of course I do! I'm one of your biggest fans! I still have all your manga and most of your games!" She was flattered, and kissed his cheek for his devotion.
"It's people like you that keep me going, you know. And here I thought everyone had forgotten."
"How could I? But where have you been all these years, Sailor V? Umm, is it all right if I call you that, ma'am?"
"It's fine," she chuckled. "I've just been, you know, around. Fighting crime here, doing charity work there… I had actually retired for a few years—"
"Hey, Sailor Blabbermouth! While you're gabbing away, the rest of the people out there are burning to death!"
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I'll be back later, sweetie! In the meantime, make sure nobody leaves this room, unless it's a matter of life and death!" Sailor V burst out of the room, almost getting incinerated as a back-draft licked her. The barrier held off most of the blaze, but she had to bear the rest of it. Her fans were important to her, but saving lives took highest priority. She found one more hostage without trouble, but the ones being guarded by the looters would be an issue.
As she soared back up to the rafters to formulate a strategy, Sailor V's headset went off, picking up a police dispatch. From her misspent days as a much younger Sailor V in England, she could pick up a few codes and deduced Shibuya's finest had the place surrounded. The fire brigade was already on the scene, but thanks to the police, the looters had other matters to worry about. She was idly wondering if Usagi was there when the support beam she was perched on gave way, spilling her down into the midst of the looters. The armed men jerked back in surprise, leveling their guns at the figure as she staggered.
"What the hell? Who the hell is this? Where did she come from?"
"Who cares? Another stupid hostage just made herself available." Sailor V felt the double barrel of a shotgun press to her head, and froze. While her Senshi persona empowered her with heightened speed, strength, and defenses, it certainly wouldn't protect her from a point-blank blast to the skull. She was forced to remain stationary as two other men cuffed her and pressed her to the floor, digging their heels into her back. Her cheek was scrunched up against the filthy linoleum; she snorted at the dust and grit gathered round. She could see the hopeless expressions of her fellow hostages, as well as the approaching flames. There was certainly a way out of this mess—Sailor V was positive—she just hadn't thought what it was yet.
"The police are already here, you idiots!" she shouted. "They're going to send special teams in to finish what I started! You'd better surrender now if you don't want a bullet in your brain!" The butt of a rifle crushed against her face, and a heavy hand pressed the wound until she flinched.
"Listen, hero, we see one badge and we start plugging. We hear one shot that ain't our own and people die. You first."
"So just take your stupid merchandise and leave. The whole place is burning down anyway, no thanks to your dumb asses."
"I got news for ya, babe: ALL of the city's crumbling. There's anarchy from Nakano-ku to Ichikawa-shi. One little store with seven or eight loser people won't mean nothing. Do you think we're the only people rioting right now? Or did you think your stupid-ass heroics actually meant anything?"
"Gotta start somewhere, right?" she said tensely. There was an idea forming in her head, and a rather reckless one at that (and considering this was happening in Minako's mind, that was saying something). The electronics store was in terrible shape, and might collapse at any moment if she didn't do anything. Sailor V knew her efforts here wouldn't count for much—that if she wanted to truly bring back the hard-fought peace she had helped achieve so long ago, she'd have to strike this evil at its source—but she was a Senshi, and a victory was still a victory, regardless of its impact.
"Besides," she said, taking a deep breath, "they sure as hell mean a lot to the people here!" Storing up all of her remaining power, Sailor V broke her chains and erected a second protective dome around her, expanding it to force the bad guys away. The shield dropped the moment she stood back to her feet; numerous Crescent Beams shot out of her fingers as she twirled around wildly, trying to disable as many of them as she could during the confusion. Once the last of their guns had been severed, she looped her Love Me Chain around the lot, looters and hostages, soaring back to the break room with a full load.
"Okay, I'm back," she exclaimed, diving under the protection of her first shield. "Is everyone accounted for? Good. We need to get out of here now. Everyone stay close to me; I'll try and hold this barrier up as long as I can. It'll protect you as long as you stay inside, so whatever you do, don't leave it!" She expanded the orange dome until it stretched outside the break room, and gestured for everyone to follow. Two or three of the hostages complied, but the others stared nervously at the unconscious looters.
"Why did you have to save them, too? Can't you just leave them? It's their fault everything ended up the way it did."
"Come on, now, I'm not the police. That's not my call to make. The deal is that we're either leaving with everybody or we're not leaving at all." The hostages hesitated for a moment, but eventually realized their savior was serious, so they found a few rolling chairs and perched the looters on them so they could be moved easily. The electronics store was definitely on its last legs as Sailor V led everyone outside, bearing the weight of her enormous shield on very weary shoulders. Keeping it help up this long was exhausting enough; forming a second, and diverting her energies to the fight pushed her to the breaking point. She often stumbled and knelt gasping for air. The man who recognized her touched her back, smiling in support, and even hoisted her arm over his shoulder. Gradually, the group came closer to the front entrance, which the police had cleared. The fire department was busy containing the flames, but the building was pretty much a lost cause at this point. A few officers and firefighters were making their way inside the building, stunned by what they saw, but adhering to their duty with remarkable stoicism. Sailor V stopped a few meters away from the entrance, unable to walk any further. She held the barrier up and implored everyone to go ahead, so one by one the police and fire department escorted them out of the building. Her barrier dropped completely before they could all make it out, though, and as she fell to her knees, she saw the startled expression of a woman clawing at the burning interior.
"My little boy!"
The woman roared hideously as she was forced out by firefighters; meanwhile Sailor V threw caution out the door and sprinted through the raging inferno without the slightest thought to her safety. She saw the boy at once; he had climbed up on a high shelf, miraculously out of the looters' sight—but also out of Sailor V's. If that mother hadn't called out to him…
The ceiling caved in just before she could reach him, but Sailor V made a running leap, narrowly missing the rubble. She snatched the boy in midair, tumbling to the ground, holding him tight as if he was her own son. Then, though her body objected to it, she stood up, burned and bruised and wounded, the bloody scar on her back singing, her lungs aching with smoke, her eyes red and her clothes charred.
"Hang tight, kid!" she exclaimed, smiling despite it all. "This could be a little rough!" She went back through the blaze just as the flames reached their apex, and the whole building fell upon itself. Outside, a few members from Usagi's unit, including the bunny-girl herself (in police uniform, of course), finally arrived, arresting the looters and taking statements from the hostages. Wild stories of a heroic glowing goddess spread around, a beautiful creature of light that flew like an angel, fearless and daring. Usagi overheard a lot of it and fought hard to not snicker; she knew exactly who they were referring to. One man swore he had seen the legendary Sailor V in action, and might have been dismissed as a nut, but for the mother bawling for her son. Usagi's heart went out to her, and feared for both unaccounted lives.
The rubble shuddered. She stood attentive as a figure crawled out of it, covered in soot, coughing and stumbling, a squirming burden in her arms. The child was released, terrified but in good health; the wondrous phoenix who had emerged from the flames stood on shaky legs, flashing a weak grin and a jittery thumbs-up.
"Success," she gushed. "All in a day's work." Her eyes met Usagi's briefly, and they exchanged a knowing look, though neither outwardly showed signs of recognition. Before anyone could crowd Sailor V with praise or questions, she shot a glowing yellowy light out of her hand, and flung herself into the air, yawping for joy. Usagi smiled beautifully as her friend disappeared into the night.
"Thanks, Mina," she whispered. One deep breath later, and she was ready to do her part to save the day.
Quite happily, one might add, as Usagi Tsukino.
Author's note:
Ian Fleming references aside, why does Minako (jokingly) refer to herself as Agent Double-Oh Twenty-Two (0022)? Well, make a number "two" with both hands. This is the universal peace sign AND the letter "V" (only double). V is also the twenty-second letter of the alphabet. Coincidence?
Speaking of Sailor Venus, I'm sure somebody must be wondering why I'm giving her all these additional powers (mainly the flash of light, invisibility, and the shield). Honestly, I wonder why it hasn't been done before (or why it's not being done enough). I've always hated the stagnancy of the two or three special attacks the Senshi performed (up until Sailor Stars, then it skyrocketed to a whopping four or five). I figured that since they have control over these elemental or energetic abilities, they should be versatile (while still remaining true to the source). Sailor Venus using a flash of light to blind people, or manipulating it so it doesn't reflect off her body, is certainly within the realm of possibility; as for the barrier, it may not be so unique. After all, a wall of fire (Mars) or a wall of ice (Mercury) is just as effective as a dome of energy.
Finally, for those of you wondering, Hotaru will definitely make an appearance—though when, where, and HOW must be left for another time. She will obviously be much older (mid-twenties, I'm guessing). And yeah, Minako's definitely never played Batman: Arkham City in her life. Nope, never.