THE SPECTER OF SUTŌKĀ
Chapter 6: "The Doll Cage"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
A helicopter touched down at Haneda Airport near the hanger assigned to it. The rotors were still winding down as Haruka Tenoh popped out of the pilot's compartment. The hangar attendant walked over and met her.
"Back early, aren't you?" he said.
"Got an emergency!" Haruka replied, headed at top speed for the hangar. "Check her over and get her stored! I gotta go!"
Moments later, a Lambourghini Reventon shot out of the hangar and blazed for the exit at the top legal speed.
"Artemis," Haruka said over her communicator as she drove. "I'm in Tokyo! Where did Michiru disappear?"
"Downloading directions," the cat replied. "The Queen and the Inners are headed there now. Maybe you can link up with them."
"I'll see how it goes down," Haruka replied. If the Inners were willing to help find Michiru, so much the better. If she had to go it alone, she would.
As a palace limousine pulled into the parking garage near the Minato-ku shopping district, a pair of shoppers getting out of their car glanced over. To their surprise and wonderment, Queen Serenity emerged from the limo, escorted by three of the four equally famous Sailor Senshi.
"I'm sorry, Queen Serenity," apologized the limo driver. "I couldn't get any closer. Traffic was too heavy. Do you want me to wait?"
"Yes, please," Serenity replied. She clearly had other things on her mind. "And thank you for the wonderful ride. I'm sure it won't be too much trouble walking to the book store."
"Are you Queen Serenity?" gasped one of the shoppers, a young woman dressed casually. "OHMYGOD, YOU ARE!"
"You were saying," Sailor Mars muttered.
"I can't believe I'm talking to you!" screeched her companion, another young woman. "You have done so much good for this country! I can't believe it!"
"Thank you," Serenity replied as graciously as she could. "I don't mean to be rude, but we are on an emergency call and I don't have time to visit with you."
"Oh," the first woman replied, deflated. Then the meaning of the words hit her. "OH! I apologize! Please don't let us keep you!"
Serenity smiled and the contingent of Senshi moved for the exit. The two women watched them leave.
"Sailor Venus isn't with them," said the second woman. "I wonder if she's in some sort of trouble."
"I hope not," the first replied. "I love her movies."
"The book store is down the block," pointed Sailor Mercury as the four emerged onto street level.
"Know it by heart?" chuckled Sailor Jupiter.
"It was a favorite hangout," Mercury admitted, "before tablet downloads were invented."
It took a little longer to arrive, since Queen Serenity and the Senshi tended to attract crowds. With Jupiter and Mars at the forefront politely but firmly parting the gathering mob, the four made their way to the book store. The manager moved to greet them, while the picture windows in the storefront filled with on-lookers.
"The palace phoned and said you were coming, Your Majesty," the manager said as deferentially as possible.
"Please, Serenity will do," the Queen grimaced.
"Where was Kaioh-San last seen?" Mercury asked, to the point.
"At this table in the back," the manager replied, leading them to the signing table. "We left if as it was on the advice of the police. The only thing missing is the stack of books she was signing - - and Kaioh-San, of course."
When they reached the table, Mercury instantly summoned her computer and, with her visor in place, scanned the area.
"Fingerprint evidence only shows Michiru and one other person," Mercury reported. "Was she being assisted by one of your employees?"
"Meihama-San," responded the manager. "I can summon her if you'd like."
"Yes, I have some questions for her," Mercury said, concentrating on her readouts. "Foot traffic in this area has been too heavy. I can't sort any specific footprints. I am registering an anomalous low-level energy residue in the vicinity. It's dissipating rapidly, but I have enough of a reading to catalog it. I'm not able to identify it, though."
"Could it be supernatural?" asked Mars. "I'm getting some faint supernatural vibes from this area."
"Was she attacked by a yurei?" Jupiter asked incredulously.
"It isn't likely, but I can't rule it out," Mars sighed. She seemed disturbed by the area. Serenity and Jupiter both noticed.
"Are you sensing something, Mars?" Serenity asked hopefully.
"Nothing specific," Mars murmured. "But I don't like what I am sensing."
"I see you have security cameras," Mercury observed, turning to the manager. "May we see the recordings?"
"Yes. Follow me to the security office," the manager nodded. "The police detectives are back there now."
The security room was only a five foot by five foot closet with a desk and monitors displaying every camera in the store. As such, Jupiter had to stand in the doorway. The two detectives were playing the recording of the signing desk.
"Sir, has this recording been edited?" asked Yamana.
"No. Why do you ask?" replied the manager.
Yamana replayed the recording. In it, Michiru was shown talking to a customer. His arm shot forward, holding a gray box in the black and white picture. The next instant, Michiru wasn't there.
"That's impossible!" gasped the manager.
"It's not an edit," proclaimed Mercury. "Look at the time stamp."
"Then how is it that she's there one moment and gone the next?" Yamana questioned skeptically.
"I can't make out what's in his hand," Mars said. "Is there any way to enlarge that picture?"
"Give me a moment," Mercury said. She pointed her computer at the monitor. "I'm recording the picture. Now enhance and enlarge." She turned the computer display to Mars. Mars went pale.
"Gods," whispered Mars, awestruck. "That's a Wawa Long!"
"A what?" asked Serenity. Mars went into the hall and everyone followed her.
"In ancient China, the Wawa Long was a mystical talisman used by mages as a tool of revenge against enemies and rivals. It translates roughly to 'doll cage' because it shrinks the victim down to two inches and imprisons that person inside the box."
"That's impossible!" protested Mercury. "A person who was only two inches tall couldn't properly ingest and process oxygen molecules. They'd suffocate in minutes."
"Mercury," sighed Mars, "we've discussed this. The laws of physics don't apply to the supernatural. A person imprisoned in a Wawa Long doesn't need air or food or water. The spell keeps them alive."
"For how long?" asked Jupiter.
"Unless they're released," Mars replied, "as long as the one who invoked the talisman lives."
Everyone grew quiet from the gravity of that statement. Just then Minako Aino entered the hallway leading to the security room.
"I'm here, gang! What did I miss?" she exclaimed.
When Serenity and the Senshi arrived back at the Crystal Palace, Endymion was standing by the elevator from the parking garage waiting for them.
"Did you find anything?" he asked. They all walked together, headed for the cats' office in the palace.
"Oh, Endymion, it's terrible!" wailed Serenity. "Some man turned Michiru-San into a doll! And he's holding her prisoner!"
"Do we know why? There haven't been any ransom demands or threats reported to the palace."
"Rival artist, maybe?" quipped Venus. Mars gave her a sour look.
"I have a copy of the surveillance video," Mercury told him. "I intend to run it through a facial recognition app on my computer to attempt to determine the suspect's name and residence. I'll provide Artemis with a copy as well, in case he has avenues of inquiry that I don't."
"Wouldn't put it past the little fur ball," Venus replied.
"Oh, Venus, I forgot to ask," Serenity said. "How did your meeting with Sakurada-San go?"
"Aside from a sex-crazed fourteen year old boy, I apparently don't have any stalkers," Venus said, "that we know of. Nat-San's still checking."
"A sex-crazed fourteen year old boy?" Jupiter remarked. "That really narrows it down. I don't know why boys are like that at that age - - except my Ichiro, of course."
"Yeah, because girls are so much different," mocked Venus. "Weren't you the one who thought every guy over twelve reminded you of 'your sempai'?" Mars was heard chuckling in the background.
"Just trying to keep up with you, Blondie," Jupiter smirked back. "You set the standard for 'boy-crazy teenager" in our day." Venus smirked back.
As the contingent entered the officer where the cats worked, Luna and Artemis began peppering them with questions. While Mars and Jupiter explained what they learned, Mercury extended a cord from her computer and jacked into one of the desk computers. Typing in commands, the computer began searching photo records while her computer had reference points displayed on the enhanced picture of their suspect. Serenity hovered nervously in the background, leaning on Endymion for strength. Finally the search ended.
"Nothing," Mercury said, disappointed.
"Well, facial recognition software can only work with the records at hand," Artemis cautioned. "If our man doesn't have a driver's license or a medical card, has never been arrested and doesn't work for the military or a large corporation, he may not be in the system." He padded over and began tapping on the computer. "Let me try."
"You go, fuzzy!" Venus cheered.
"It's not a very good picture, either," Mercury theorized. "I enhanced it as much as I could, but it's possible the program can't match it because there isn't enough detail to match."
After a few minutes, the search Artemis initiated ended, with no result. The white cat scowled.
"Nothing," he sighed.
"And after I cheered you!" Venus barked.
"Maybe it is the picture. Is this the best we have to work with?"
"His face is cut off by the frame while he waits in line," Mercury told them. "And after he captures Michiru, he exits very briskly and all the surveillance recordings show is the back of his head."
"Artemis, call up the traffic cameras for that area," Endymion suggested. "Maybe there's a shot of him leaving the book store."
Artemis complied and traffic camera recordings came up on the screen.
"Why is it so choppy, Endymion?" Serenity asked.
"The cameras are set to record every other second in order to save recording space," the King explained. He pointed to the screen. "Is that him?"
"The time stamp would indicate so," Mercury replied. "But there's no clear shot of his face. If it appeared at all to the camera, it must have been between intervals."
Just then Haruka entered the room. The woman was winded, but undaunted.
"You guys are hard to track down," she wheezed. "You have a line on what happened to Michiru yet?"
"She was imprisoned in a talisman that shrinks a person to two inches," Mars explained briefly.
"Why? By who?"
"We don't know why as yet," Mercury said. "We have a recording of the act, but have not yet identified the person in the recording."
Haruka bent in to look at the recording of Michiru disappearing. The woman tensed visibly.
"THAT'S HIM!" Haruka exclaimed.
"You know him?" Mercury asked.
"He was at Michiru's last concert!" Haruka declared. "I was getting really creepy vibes from him! He was just staring at her all night! I don't think he heard a note of the music! He was just staring at her like he was going to jump her any minute!"
"Great! Another stalker!" Venus grumbled. "I'm starting to wonder if being an entertainer is worth it anymore!"
"Artemis, pull up the street camera recordings from the concert hall on that date," Endymion ordered. "Concentrate on the main exit first. See if we can find our stalker there."
Everybody watched intently as the recording played. Artemis slowed the footage to half speed so it would be less likely he'd be missed. And yet, the screen was filled with patrons exiting the concert. It was like finding a black stone in a bed of dark gray ones.
"THERE!" Haruka said suddenly, pointing to the screen.
Artemis froze the frame. Mercury enlarged the picture, captured the person Haruka had pointed to and began enhancing the picture. Once she had as clear a picture as she could manage, Mercury engaged the facial recognition program. The program sped through hundreds of photos of faces in moments. Finally it displayed a photo from a driver's license, complete with address.
"Yami Inken," Mercury said, reading the displayed license.
"Creepy looking enough to be a stalker," scowled Venus.
"What are we waiting for?" demanded Haruka. She was half way to the door.
The other Senshi moved to follow. Serenity, though, was stopped when Endymion grasped her hand.
"Maybe you should sit this one out?" Endymion suggested.
"Endymion!" Serenity fumed, stamping her dainty foot. "If you're worried about my safety, come with us! But menace or no, Michiru-San needs us!"
Endymion sighed. But he followed his wife to the car. Luna turned to Artemis.
"Well I intend to inform the police," she stated. "What was that address again?"
The limo sped through Tokyo headed for the apartment occupied by Yami Inken. With the help of Artemis, traffic signals were altered so that the palace limo had a straight shot to its destination. Arriving at the building, Serenity was the first one out of the car. She started hurriedly for the building, but was held back by Sailor Uranus.
"Hold on, Dumpling," Uranus said. Serenity looked at her impatiently while Uranus surveyed the situation. "Mercury, you getting anything dangerous on that computer of yours?"
"Scanning," Mercury said. "I'm not showing any weapons or dangerous material in the building."
With that, Uranus was off like a shot. The others tried to keep up, but Uranus was legendary for her speed. She came to a stop in front of Inken's first floor apartment. Holding out her hand, the Space Sword appeared. Once armed, her foot lashed out and kicked open the door to the apartment. Uranus dived over the threshold, somersaulted on the floor and came up crouched in a defensive position. She looked around, searching first for Inken and secondly for Michiru.
Venus and Jupiter reached the door ahead of the others. They peered in using defensive crouches, for neither one knew what awaited them inside. But all they saw was Sailor Uranus crouched in the center of the room. After giving the room a quick look, Venus reached over and flipped the light switch.
"It's empty," Jupiter said, astonished.
"Yeah, whoever was here ain't anymore," Venus added. "I think stalker boy has moved and left no forwarding address."
"And it wasn't too long ago," Uranus said. She pointed to the dust still on the floor that had formed a pattern around a chair. "Look at that."
"Michiru-San?" Serenity exclaimed, bursting into the room. She glanced around the empty apartment with growing confusion. "I don't understand. Where's Michiru-San?"
"Not here, that's for sure," Uranus said bitterly. She turned to the others. "Anybody got any ideas?"
CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 7