Senshi Sabers

Chapter 53

"WHO is there?" Makoto Kino blurted.

"Hotaru Tomoe and a huge security team," Prizma whispered over her cellphone, having ducked into the bathroom.

"I'll get who I can and get there as soon as possible," Makoto said and hung up.

Setsuna Meiou answered on the first ring, "I know."

Makoto rolled her eyes, "Of course you do. What do we do, then?"

"Let Ami handle it," Setsuna surprised her by saying.

"Wait, what?" Makoto blinked.

"Hotaru went in there publicly, with multiple witnesses," Setsuna pointed out, "her trying ANYTHING would be stupid."

"... I don't trust her," Makoto said flatly. "She could just leave a bioboomer copy of Ami and abduct her."

"You think we wouldn't notice?" Setsuna pointed out.

"Well, I'm contacting Rei and Mina. Do what you want," Makoto hung up on her.

"She's WHERE?" Rei yelped once Makoto told her.

"How soon can you get here?" Makoto demanded.

Rei cursed softly. "The band I'm helping out has industry execs here," she said, "if I take off, questions will be asked."

"And Ami doesn't want us drawing attention," Makoto agreed. She added, "Get here when you can, then."

"If something ACTUALLY happens, call," Rei added, "fuck being covert."

Makoto then called Mina, and weirdly the phone JUST rang. "Yes?" an unfamiliar lady's voice finally answered.

"Uhm, could I speak with Minako?" Makoto asked dubiously, wondering who was answering her lover's phone. "And who's this?"

"Yaten Kou," the amused voice said. "Just a second."

'WHY IS YATEN KOU ANSWERING HER PHONE?!' Makoto wondered.

"Sorry," Minako finally answered, "I was helping test fit the new Starlight Suits. Yaten is here helping out."

'Guess that explains that,' Makoto noted. "I'm guessing you can't get away?" she asked, aware there were probably people very close by.

"I'm half in a suit, which is taking FOREVER to get into," Mina bitched. She raised her voice, addressing the techs, "And we had better be able to get into these fast once we get them! We need to mobilize FAST."

"I know, I know," Yaten called.

"There may be a situation with our Great Aunt,' Makoto used a code phrase for a low level emergency, "I'll call you back once I know more."

"... got it. I think the earliest I'll be out of here is in a hour," Minako admitted.

"Got it," Makoto hung up. She debated calling Haruka and Michiru, but she was nervous about having the two 'super bioboomers' near Hotaru.

"Guess it's just me," Makoto sighed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kaori Knight waited a bit nervously in the Silky Doll.

(WHY would someone as clearly intelligent as Ami Mizuno be running a LINGIRE SHOP?! Admittedly, as a cover it was brilliant. Certainly no one who didn't know her background would suspect a genius was running the shop. But it was so undignified.)

The security team, all female type high end bio-boomers, looked around with some amusement. Their heuristic programming was really very good... they really looked like business suited women in a sexy undies store.

"Uhm... you're kind of scaring off the usual customers," Avery noted, frowning as a young man saw the scary ladies and swiftly moved on.

"Miss Tomoe will compensate the shop," Kaori noted blandly.

Catsy was looking the bio-boomers over thoughtfully. "Other than sexaroids, do they even wear underwear?" she mused aloud.

"We could do a fitting," Prizma suggested.

"No," one bio-boomer said, fending her off.

"Please leave them alone," Kaori sighed, making the three young women pout.

"Do YOU need anything?" Catsy suggested, smiling at Kaori.

"WHAT," Kaori paled.

Seeing a weakness Catsy advanced as she purred, "Is there a man or woman you're trying to get the attention of?"

"I... er...," Kaori started.

Prizma held up a daring corset number, "You could wear this under your usual business wear, for a bit of extra umph."

"Or this panty and bra set," Avery held them up, "with some sexy stockings."

"You would look REALLY nice in these stockings and some heels," Catsy added.

"REALLY not interested," Kaori backed away.

"You might want to back off," a familiar voice noted.

Kaori looked up to see Makoto Kino, who looked amused at the shop girls cornering Kaori. Though why she was HERE was a question.

"So, resorted to intimidation tactics, now?" Makoto asked, looking pointedly towards the waiting bio-boomers. "What, exactly, do you want with my friend Ami?"

"Not intimidation," Kaori defended herself, "my employer just wanted a private word."

"With a small army?" Makoto growled as she advanced.

"Threat detected," a bioboomer moved to stop her.

"Wait," Kaori started.

As the bioboomer tried to grab her Makoto grabbed her arm and executed a expert judo throw, sending it crashing to the store floor.

"Shit," Kaori winced.

Then for good measure, Makoto stomped on the 'woman's' chest, got a solid grip on the arm, then dislocated it from the socket just to make SURE her opponent was down.

"PRIORITY THREAT," the other bioboomers chorused.

"STAND DOWN!" Kaori barked, and they stopped advancing.

Makoto stood up, releasing the damaged unit. "Not scared I won't rush you?" she asked flatly.

"I peomise, we are not here to start something," Kaori sighed.

Before anything else could be said, Hotaru and Ami emerged from the office.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hotaru Tomoe realized almost immediately she underestimated Ami Mizuno.

The older woman was pleasant, very polite, and incredibly evasive. Worse, Hotaru couldn't just admit she knew that the other woman was running the Senshi Sabers. She, basically, had no way to force Ami to admit her side of the situation.

'Wait, maybe I COULD just admit it,' Hotaru found herself thinking.

"HYAAA!" they heard outside.

"Shit."

THUMP. CRASH

"PRIORITY THREAT."

"STAND DOWN!"

"Come on," Hotaru jumped up and hurried out into the store.

"Oh dear," Ami said mildly as she followed.

Hotaru was impressed to see a (apparently) normal woman had actually downed a security bioboomer. As she got up, she recognized her as martial artist Makoto Kino, which certainly explained THAT. She had, of course, beaten a covert model in the past.

"Mako-chan?" Ami asked, blinking innocently.

Hotaru was pretty sure she had just sent a non-verbal signal to the fighter. 'One of her Senshi, I assume?' Hotaru thought.

"I'm terribly sorry we interrupted," Kaori apologized.

"Not your fault," Hotaru waved that off. "Miss Kino, you alright?" she asked dryly.

"Perfectly fine," Makoto answered.

"May I ask what happened?" Hotaru asked.

\

"I got a bit roudy, your machines didn't like it," Makoto said dryly.

"We'll need to improve their hand to hand skills," Hotaru noted mildly.

"Good luck with that," Makoto scoffed.

Hotaru turned back to Ami, "I'm sorry to intrude, but I hope we can put our past behind us...,"

"We'll see," Ami answered.

Hotaru sighed, then looked at Kaori, "Let's get going."

To be continued...