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[ Chapter 2: Sailors and "Soldiers" ]

John didn't know just what he and his men would encounter on this particular mission, but young women in seriously short miniskirts and high heels wasn't something he expected. Let alone being attacked by... whatever the hell those thing were.

Just who were these girls and just how/why in the would were they here? More importantly, just what the hell were those things that were attacking earlier?

But of course, the Colonel and his men were not the only ones that were confused at that moment. As the Senshi were equally as surprised by the appearance of Husky and their "Tanks". Just how did they get here... and just who were they? Obviously they were apart of some military unit, but who were theynand why were they here in the first place?

"I think they are American..." Venus whispered to.the othe girls, as she eyed one of the Bradleys.

"How can you tell?" Mars asked, as she eyed the armed men suspiciously.

"Those are Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Only the Americans have those!" Venus replied, much to the surprise of the other girls.

"Hey, i know.. stuff too!"

"It still doesn't explain how they got here, or why." Mercury replied, a she used her visor to scan John and his men. Fortunately, the scans showed that they were indeed quite human. "Or why they are here."

"Well... there is only one way to find out." Sailor Moon replied, before walked forward to greet the men.n

"Hello... My name is Sailor Moon." the senshi said, as she was now standing front of who she assumed was the leader. "And.. I want to thank you for saving my friend."

Jon, for his part, could understand that the young woman before him was speaking Japanese. But unfortunately for Moon, John could not speak her language nor understand it. That was notuntil Sailor Venus walked up and began to translate for her friend, did the conversation continue.

"Um... yea..." the older man replied, still confused by the situation. "No problem."

"We are very thankful for your help, but just who are you?" Moon asked, once again Venus acting as a translator. Just as the rest of the Senshi joined them.

"We are... um.. U.S. Military." The Aerospace officer replied. Choosing his words wisely, so as to not give away too much information about his teem. "We were on a... Training mission when.. what the hell were those things?How did you even get here?"

"Its... a long story." Venus replied, not sure just how to explain the situation with Beryl to these Americans. Then again, just how do you explain that what they had encountered, were forces from a evil kingdom that aimed to consume the world in darkness? "But you and your men are in danger and must leave the area at once."

"Yea." Mercury replied, joining the conversation. "It's not safe to be here, you must leave at once!"

"No offence, but dont think you are in any position to be telling my men and i what to do." The Colonel shot back. "And what exactly are you girls wearing?"

Sailor Moon, for her part, was still rather confused by the entire situation. The appearance of these... Americans, was most certainly unexpected. But considering they had saved Jupiter and driven off Beryl's Yoma, it was still a very much welcomed surprise.

But something within the blue eyed blond, made her feel that it was not just a strange coincidence. Was it possible that the Americans knew about Beryl and the return of the Dark Kingdom? Unlikely, but then again she doubted that the Americans were here just by chance. Just on a "Training Mission", as they claimed.

Noticing that the apparent argument wasn't going anywhere, Moon decided to pull Mercury aside and whispered something into her ear. Almost immediately, her eyes went wide in surprise.

"Are you sure?" the blue haired senshi asked, her voice dripping with both concern and confusion.

"What?" Mars asked, as she and the other girls overheard their friend's reaction.

"I think we should work with them." Moon suddenly declared. Her voice, though shakey, still sounded firm. Not surprisingly, the other senshi were taken aback by her statement.

"Have you lost your mind?" Mars shot back, her fiery persona showing itself once again.

"Are you serious?" Jupiter added, "Have them help us? Would they even want to help us? Can they even...?"

"Listen" Moon spoke up. "I dont think these guys were here on a training mission. Dont you think its a little bit weird that they just showed up out of nowhere with tanks?"

"Well yea.. not that i am complaining." Jupiter replied, knowing very well that these men were the reason why she was still alive. "But still, how can we even trust them?"

"I dont sense any negative energy from them." Mars confessed, as she glanced at the Colonel and his men. "They seem human enough, but..."

"Yes?"

"I feel like they are hiding something." Mars replied, "Nothing sinister, just... something feels off about them."

"So you dont think them being here is just a coincidence either?" Moon asked, feeling a bit vindicated as she could see her friend coming to the same conclusion as her.

"No... I don't..." Mars replied, "I... think that they might be here for the same reason we are."

"So the Americans might be aware of Beryl and tye Dark Kingdom?" Venus asked, her expression suddenly changing as if she had come to a realization. "I know this might be crazy, but i think it just be possible."

This caught everyone's attention.

"What?" Jupiter asked, as the other girls looked at her curiously

The blond just stood their for a moment in silence, before she replied, "Back when i was in London, working with Scotland Yard, there were a few times where we would work with teams from America. They Seemed normal enough, but..."

"You think there was more to their visits?" Mercury asked, as she and the rest of the girls were now invested in Venus' story. "At first i thought they were FBI or something but... by the way they operated... it was as if they knew what they were looking for."

"So maybe the Americans know about Beryl and have known about her for a while?" Mars asked. "This is just..."

"Surreal." Jupiter finished, as she and the rest of the Senshi came to the realization that maybe the Americans not only knew about the Dark Kingdom, but were also actively trying to fight them. "Though I really can't complain, all things considered."

"So what do we do?" Mars ask, still glancing at the Americans. "Do we allow them to help us? How is that even going to work?"

"I... don't know." Moon confessed, sounding a bit defeated. "But i think it would be best if we at least try to work with them. Together. At least, for now."

But as the Senshi talked amongst themselves about this sudden turn of events, they were completely unaware that they were being watched by the very same individual they planned to defeat...

Beryl still could not believe just what has happened, as she looked on at her crystal ball. A look of anger mixed with disgust forming on her face, as once again her yoma had failed to eliminate those blasted senshi. But what really made he angry, was the fact that her Minions had been defeated due to the sudden arrival of these strange men and their war machines. But just who were they and more importantly, what were they doing here?

Looking up from her ball, the evil queen could see the two remaining DD girls kneeling before her with their heads lowered in shame. The Yoma knew they had just failed in their task to eliminate the Senshi and worst still, three of their sisters had been killed in the attempt.

Normally Beryl would punish her minions harshly for their failure. But with Metalia revival so close at hand, the wicked queen decided to give the remaining DD girls one last chance to kill the senshi, Sailor Moon and their new allies. Thought this time she would be adding one more surprise to aid them in their task.

But as Beryl prepared to make her next move, she was still unaware that there were other forces conspiring against hernas well...

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Vandenberg Air Force Base, California...

"Sir, Husky is reporting in. they said they have engaged entities near the LZ."

"So i guess we really have found the location of their Dark Kingdom?"

"Seems that way, but there is more."

"More?"

"Husky lead has reported that they have made contact with... Five young women near the target area."

"Young... women?"

"Yes sir, that's what he said."

"Wait... were wearing ridiculously short skirts and high heals?"

"Yes sir, how did you know?"

"A couple years ago, we had similar reports from our teams that were deployed to London. They were investigating some crime syndicate that supposedly had links to the Dark Kingdom.

They said that Scotland Yard had an operative code named "Sailor V" that worked with them for a time. Then one day she just.. disappeared."

"Is it possible that these girls are linked to this Sailor V person? If so, then how did they end up at the north pole?"

" I dont know, but If they are associated with Sailor V, then its more than likely they are there for the same reason we are. Which means that the Dark Kingdom's base in near... What other assets do we have in the region?"

"The Chicago and the Atlanta just crossed the artic circle... They should be in missile range in the next hour or so. Also, Citidel is holding formation over Hudson Bay and are awaiting orders."

"Very well. Have them move to the secondary holding position and message back to Husky, let them know that they will have missile support soon."

"And the young women, sir?"

"Tell them.. they just gonna have to work together. If the reports from London are true, then we just might end up needing their help..."

§ § § § § §

Meanwhile, back at "D-Point"...

"Command can't be serious now?" John asked curiously, as he stood next to one of the Bradleys and spoke with the radio operator.

"I'm afraid so, this comes from the top."

"You did tell them just what exactly happened, right?"

"I did sir, and they insisted that we work with these... girls for the time being."

The colonel groaned, "How long did they say before assets were in position?"

"Two hours."

"At least we have them. Let me know if we get anymore orders from Vandenberg."

"Yes sir." the young airman replied, just as his commanding officer walked off to speak with their new "Guests".

But as John made his way back towards the senshi, he was completely unaware that a lone figure was watching him and his teams movements from afar. A figure with a sword, that wore attire that was meant for a prince...