Chapter Four

Royal Guards

Bubbles and Buttercup arrived in England within a matter of minutes, immediately grabbing the people's attention as they descended from the sky. "Hello England!" Bubbles yelled as she waved down at the people on the streets.

"Hi." A single and timid voice called out from the crowd.

"We came for cheese munchies." Bubbles informed as she and Buttercup landed on the sidewalk. Several people just pointed at a nearby gas station. "Thank you." Bubbles thanked as she skipped towards the gas station, while Buttercup just floated behind her. The crowd watched with dumbstruck expressions as the two puffs casually entered the gas station.

"Take whatever you want, just don't hurt me!" A man behind the register shouted as he held his hands up.

"I told you we shouldn't have just flown into town like this, now everyone thinks we're some kind of monsters." Buttercup grumbled as she stared at Bubbles.

"Well I didn't know, no one else ever seems to mind it when we fly." Bubbles replied as she looked at the cowering employee.

"You're not some kind of monsters or something?" The man asked as he cautiously peeked at each of them.

"No, we're superheroes. We beat up monsters." Buttercup informed as she flexed a little bit.

"Wow, that's awesome. We used to have a superhero around her a long time ago, her name was Sailor V; oh how I miss that girl. She was so nice to everyone, and helpful. Why she once dragged me out of a burning building with a glowing chain, I haven't seen her since though. I wonder how she's doing?" The cashier said with a smile.

"Sailor V? Do you mean Sailor Venus? She's our auntie, and she's doing super well!" Bubbles replied with enthusiasm.

"You don't say? Good for her, it's nice to know that our hero's doing well. So what can I do for the lovely nieces of the great Sailor V?" The cashier asked with a smile.

"We want cheese munchies please, all of the bags that you have." Bubbles answered with joy.

"Sure thing young lady, it's one pound per bag." The cashier informed as walked over to a box and filled it with bags of cheese munchies. Bubbles picked up a bag and shook it gently.

"This is a pound? It feels a lot lighter than that." Bubbles said as she shook the bag a few more times. The cashier giggled a little at her innocence.

"A pound is a type of money here in England, it's kind of like your American version of a dollar." The cashier clarified with a smile.

"Oh! In that case I'll have whatever this is worth in pounds." Bubbles replied as she pulled out a golden republic credit. The cashier stared in awe at the shiny credit in Bubbles's hand.

"Well I'll be, is that real gold?" The cashier asked with astonishment in his voice.

"Yeah, my mommy said it's something called twenty-four karat gold. I don't know what that means, but how many munchies can I buy with it?" Bubbles asked with a smile.

"More than I have in stock, that's for sure. For a piece of gold that size and karat, it'd be worth about fourteen-thousand pounds. You could buy a half decent used car with that kind of money." The cashier said with a smile.

"Wow! So that means we could buy fourteen-thousand bags of cheese munchies with this one credit?!" Buttercup asked with a huge smile.

"Well yeah, I suppose. But why would you wanna waste all that money on cheese munchies?" The cashier asked with a chuckle.

"Because that's what master Tano told me to buy with it, so that's what I'll do with it." Bubbles answered with a smile. The cashier stared at her for a moment before Buttercup spoke up.

"She means master in the sense of a teacher, jeez. What is it with people and always assuming the worst when they hear that word?" Buttercup asked as she stared at the cashier, already knowing what was going through his head.

"Well it's because... You know what, you'll learn when you're older. Anyways, if you're really set on buying that many cheese munchies, go to the factory where they're made. It's not too far from here actually, about ten kilometers to the east. You'll pass right by Buckingham Palace on the way." The cashier informed with a smile.

"Awesome! Thank you mister cashier!" Bubbles thanked before dashing out of the store, followed by Buttercup. The cashier stared in shock as they flew away.

"I gotta lay off the caffeine." The cashier said to himself as he watched the two puffs vanish from view.

The two puffs took to the sky and dashed away towards the factory. "So Bubs, how are we gonna know which factory is the one where they make the cheese munchies?" Buttercup asked as she looked down at the streets below.

"I don't know. Maybe it'll have a big sign on it or something." Bubbles replied as she looked around a little bit.

"Sure, like giant bag of cheese munchies are just gonna be plastered on the building or something. I'm sure the company makes more than just... Ouch! Alright, who's the wise guy that put a giant sign here?" Buttercup grumbled as she rubbed her face after colliding with a giant metal sign.

"Hey look, a giant bag of cheese munchies. You found the factory, nice job Buttercup." Bubbles said as she started descending towards the ground.

"Kriffing sign." Buttercup grumbled under her breath as she started to descend as well.

"I'm telling our mommies what you said!" Bubbles yelled up at her as she landed.

"Tattle tale!" Buttercup yelled back as she landed next to Bubbles. Bubbles just smirked before heading towards a large security gate that had a strangly dressed guard standing in front of it.

"Hello!" Bubbles greeted as she waved at the man. The man just stood at attention, paying her no mind. "Excuse me! Hello! Mister guard man!" Bubbles yelled as she waved repeatedly at the man.

"You bub, my sis is trying to talk to you!" Buttercup yelled as she poked the man.

"Do not touch the queen's guard!" The man suddenly shouted.

"Sorry, but you weren't answering. Wait, why is the queen's guard standing outside of a munchies factory?" Buttercup asked with a confused expression. The guard remained silent, not even looking down at her.

"Wow, these guys sure are different from the Marines aunty Sarah works with." Bubbles said as she stared at the royal guard.

"Can we go inside please? We were told to come here since the store we went to was out of munchies." Bubbles asked as she looked up at the guard, who still didn't respond.

"I'll take that as a yes." Buttercup said with a chuckle before ducking under the fence and running forward, followed by Bubbles. The two dashed away before the guard could even react.

The guard quickly grabbed a radio and pressed the talk button. "All units be advised, two children have just rushed under the fence! They're fast, inhumanly fast! Be on guard!" The guard shouted as he started running in the direction the puffs had gone.

Bubbles and Buttercup landed outside of a large building, it was a basic looking factory warehouse. Long, tall, and with trucks constantly moving in and out of the loading docks. "Let's ask an employee how we can get some munchies." Buttercup suggested as she walked towards the first worker she saw.

"That's good, load that pallet onto the truck before you go to lunch." The worker instructed as he pointed at a pallaet of shipping boxes.

"Excuse me, can we buy some cheese munchies please?" Buttercup asked as she walked up to the worker. The worker was slightly startled by her presence, but he quickly composed himself and looked down at her.

"What are you doing here kid? Did you get separated from the tour group?" The worker asked as he knelt down by her.

"Uh... Yes, yes we did. Can you help us find them please?" Buttercup asked with an innocent smile.

"Sure thing, give me one second." The employee replied before grabbing a radio. "Hey, does anyone know where that tour group's at, I have two young children by the loading docks that seem to have gotten separated from it." The worker asked in a calm tone.

"They're currently heading towards the dusting machine, bring 'em inside please." A voice answered through the radio.

"Copy that." The worker replied before puting his radio away. "Follow me kids, I'll take you back to the group." The worker instructed as he started leading the two puffs deeper into the factory.

After a few minutes the trio arrived in a large area, where millions of pieces of the puffy snacks were being sweapt into a giant bowl before having a light orange powder dumped over them. "Oh, so that's how they do it. Cool." Buttercup said as she watched the bowl shake, distributing the cheese dust over all of the munchies.

"What did I tell all of you about staying with the group?" A woman in a pair of black pants and white t-shirt asked as she looked down at the puffs.

"Um... I forgot." Buttercup answered with a small smile. The woman just sighed as she shook her head.

"Thank you for bringing them back, sir." The woman thanked as she looked at the employee.

"No sweat ma'am. You two behave yourselves now, and don't wander away from the tour group again. It can be dangerous in here." The worker instructed before walking away.

"Yes sir! Thank you!" Bubbles thanked as she watched the employee leave.

"Now then, let's watch how the munchies get their cheese coating." The woman said as she lead the two puffs over to a large group of children, who were all staring at an employee who was talking to them.

"So after they cool off from the oven, the munchies travel on this conveyor belt that dumps them into this huge bowl. Then that funny looking funnel above it dumps a bunch of cheese powder into the bowl, and finally, the bowl sways around in big circles, mixing the munchies around and coating them in that delicious cheese dust." The employee explained with a bunch of hand gestures and a smile.

All of the kids had big smiles on their faces as they watched the machine mix the munchies and cheese together. "That looks like a fun ride to have at the fair." One of the kids said as he watched the bowl spin around.

"It might look fun, but you definitely wouldn't want to fall in there. You'd be smacked around against the sides of the bowl like a ragdoll, so make sure you stay behind the guard rails. Alright, moving on to the next part." The employee said as he continued walking.

Bubbles and Buttercup followed along with the group for about an hour before everyone took a break for lunch. "Where are your lunches?" One of the teachers asked as he approached the two puffs. Bubbles and Buttercup looked at each other for a second.

"Jigs up Bubs, let's go find someone to sell us munchies and split!" Buttercup yelled before running off.

"Wait! Buttercup!" Bubbles yelled as she ran after her.

"Hey wait!" The teacher shouted as he watched the two puffs run away.

"Is everything alright sir?" One of the employees asked as she looked at the teacher.

"Those weren't students." The teacher answered as he stared in the direction the puffs had gone.

"One of the guards out front called in about two children earlier, but we thought they were late arrivals from the group." The employee replied as she grabbed her radio.

In another part of the factory an employee was rushing towards a lounge area. "Guards, the children that ran past the gate earlier were just spotted, they took off deeper into the factory." The employee informed as he stared at a royal guard.

The guard quickly entered the lounge area and looked at an elderly woman who was sipping from a cup of tea. "Your majesty, two unknown children have entered the factory, I suggest that we remain here until these two are apprehended." The man spoke in a calm tone.

The woman chuckled lightly before replying. "Now now, they're only children. I doubt they're some kind of ruthless assasins or anything, have the guards look for them and bring them here when you find them. I'd like to have a word with them." The woman replied with a smile.

"Yes your majesty." The man replied before looking at some other guards. "You all heard the queen, find the children and bring them back here. That's an order." The man instructed as he looked at several other guards, all of whom immediately left the room.

As the guards quickly started spliting up to search, Bubbles and Buttercup had wandered in a circle and had ended up back at the dusting machine. "Nice Bubs, you lead us in a circle!" Butterup shouted as she looked around.

"Well it's not like you lead us anywhere either!" Bubbles yelled as she looked at Buttercup.

"All this for some cheese munchies, we're basically wanted fugitives now!" Buttercup yelled before sitting down on the ground.

"You're the one who charged past the gate, if you'd just been patient I could've talked to someone! But no, you had to go and act first and think later. Just like you always do." Bubbles grumbled as she crossed her arms and turned her back to Buttercup.

"I'm sorry that I'm not as thoughtful as you and Blossom are, but standing around and thinking doesn't work for me! I do better when I just dive into things, thinking takes too long for me!" Buttercup yelled back in an angry tone.

"Well maybe it wouldn't if you weren't so stupid!" Bubbles yelled before gasping. "I... I'm sorry Buttercup, I didn't mean that." Bubbles quickly apologized as she stared at Buttercup, who just sighed before looking at her.

"It's okay. I know that I'm not nearly as smart or as tactical as you and Blossom are, but I'm not stupid. I just... I don't know, my brain works differently. I think more like Mako mommy, I just charge to the front of the fight without planning, but it's not from a lack of thought. It's instinct, I'd rather be the one in danger than have it be you or Blossom. That same mindset takes hold in most situations for me though, I'm smart, but I just don't think things through ever. I just do things. I'm sorry Bubs, I'm the reason we always end up in situations like this." Buttercup apologized with a sad sigh.

Bubbles let out a sigh of her own before putting an arm around Buttercup. "It's okay Buttercup, but I think we should do this my way for now. Let's walk out there and turn ourselves in, we only wanted some cheese munchies, but hiding and running is going to make convincing them of that a lot more difficult. So let's stop running and just explain ourselves. Sound good?" Bubbles asked as she held her hand out to Buttercup.

Buttercup smiled as she gently grabbed Bubbles's hand and pulled herself to her feet. "Alright, but you're taking point on this." Buttercup replied with a grin.

"What does that mean again?" Bubbles asked as she started walking with Buttercup.

"It means you go first." Buttercup answered with a chuckle.

"Oh." Bubbles replied before taking in a calming breath, then she slowly put her hands up and stepped out of her hiding spot, followed closely by Buttercup. "We're here!" Bubbles yelled as she slowly walked into a more open section of the factory.

"All teams, this is alpha six, we have eyes on the children. Over." A man quickly spoke into a radio as a second man approached the two puffs.

"Copy that, please bring them to the lounge area. Over." A calm voice replied through the radio.

"Rodger that. Okay you two, come with us." The man instructed as he gestured the two puffs forward. Bubbles and Buttercup both took a nervous breath before following the guard. "In here." The guard instructed as he opened the door to the lounge room.

"So these are the little factory explorers? You two look a little young to be wandering around here alone." The queen said with a smile as she looked at the two puffs.

Bubbles and Buttercup immediately snapped to attention and saluted the queen, copying what they'd seen Sarah do many times before when addressing higher ranked soldiers. "Ma'am! Bubbles and Buttercup Utonium, ma'am!" Bubbles yelled as she and Buttercup held their salutes.

The other occupants in the room stared at the two puffs with confusion, but the queen only smiled at their display. "It's alright, you're not in trouble. I could never imagine such sweet little girls causing any kind of issues." The queen said with a smile.

Bubbles and Buttercup each took a more relaxed stance when they heard that. "So we're not in trouble, ma'am?" Bubbles asked in a hopeful tone.

"No, you're not in trouble. I do have to ask though, where are your parents?" The queen asked as she stared at the two puffs.

"Well, our dad's in another universe and our mommies are in the Galapagos with our aunts and third sister." Buttercup answered with a straight face.

"So how did you get here? Who's watching you then?" One of the guards asked in a suspicious tone.

"No one's watching us. We flew here just to get cheese munchies, but the store was sold out so we came to the factory to get some." Bubbles answered in an innocent tone.

"You flew all the way here to buy a snack?" The guard asked with even more suspicion in his tone.

"Uh huh. Master Tano asked me to pick some up for Debbie because Darwin ate them all." Bubbles explained with a straight face. Everyone stared at Bubbles like she was absolutely insane.

"Stop talking Bubs, you're just making this worse." Buttercup scolded as she looked at Bubbles.

"I'm only telling the truth, just like our mommies and daddy told us too." Bubbles replied in a defensive tone.

"So let me get this straight. Your father's in another universe, your two mothers are in the Galapagos with your third sister, and you borded a plane on your own? A plane that flew for several hours to get here, just so you could buy cheese munchies?" The guard asked in taunting tone as he stared at Bubbles.

"No, we flew here in maybe a minute." Bubbles answered with an innocent expression as she floated into the air.

"Holly...!" One of the guards yelled as they all drew their weapons and aimed them at Bubbles. Bubbles immediately reacted to the guns, instantly ripping them from the guard's hands and throwing them across the room with the force.

"Bubbles, stop! They're just doing their jobs!" Buttercup yelled as she dashed up to Bubbles.

"No! They're Death Watch! They'll kill us! They'll kill us Buttercup!" Bubbles shouted as she reached for her lightsabers.

"No they won't! They're security guards, they're just trying to protect the queen! Calm down!" Buttercup yelled as she gently pulled Bubbles back towards the ground.

"What the bloody hell are you two?!" One of the guards shouted as he stared at the two puffs.

"We're superheroes, we were created in a laboratory by our father. It's complicated." Buttercup explained as she continued comforting Bubbles.

"It sounds like bullshit if you ask me! Your majesty, these things aren't children; they're some kind of ailens or monsters. We need to get you out of here." The guard said as he gently helped the queen to her feet.

"No. Stand down, all of you." The queen instructed as she stared at Bubbles.

"You're majesty, with all due respect you can't be serious. They have the power of telekinesis and flight, who knows what else these things can do. They could be aliens or experimental super soldiers from an enemy nation, they're dangerous, your majesty. We need to get you to safety, ma'am." The guard replied as he stared at the queen with a pleading expression.

"Your concerns are duly noted, but my order stands. Calmly sit down and give the children some space." The queen replied in a calm tone. The gaurds all looked at each other before reluctantly backing away from the puffs and sitting down.

"Look Bubs, they didn't grab their weapons or try to attack us. They're not our enemies, just calm down." Buttercup instructed as she loosened her grip on Bubbles. "Why don't you do that thing where you throw your feelings into the force, or whatever Ahsoka says about that." Buttercup suggested with a smile.

Bubbles nodded her head before taking a deep breath and focusing on her fears, then she released them into the calming waves of the force. "Thank you Buttercup." Bubbles thanked with a sniffle as she hugged Buttercup.

"Anytime Bubs." Buttercup replied as she patted Bubbles's shoulder.

The queen stared at the two puffs for a moment before speaking. "So you two have super powers that allow you to fly and use telekinesis, and these powers were gained from some kind of laboratory experiments?" The queen asked with a straight face.

"Yes ma'am. We were created with sugar, spice, and everything nice; but something called chemical x was accidentally added to the mixture. That's why we have superpowers, though the telekinesis actually came from microscopic organisms called midi-chlorians. Only I have those for some reason." Bubbles explained with a sad expression.

"Fascinating. But why so sad then, aren't you happy to be a superhero?" The queen asked as she looked at Bubbles.

Bubbles was silent for a moment as she tried to organize her thoughts. "I... I'm not sad, I'm scared. I have bad dreams about things I had to do not too long ago, I hurt people. They were bad guys, but I hurt them. No, that's being too easy on myself saying that, I killed them. I cut them down with my sabers because they tried to kill my friends and I. I'm scared because I'm a killer, and I'm afraid I might have to do it again someday." Bubbles quietly said with a few tears.

The queen stared at Bubbles with a blank expression for a moment, then a soft smile crest her lips, and she knelt down by the young puff. "That's understandable, but sometimes as a hero, you have to make difficult decisions. It normally comes down to choosing between a bad option or a worse option. Do you let your friends and family die in order to spare your own feelings? Or do you protect them at the cost of your innocence? It may have hurt to do what you had to do, but it would've hurt a lot more if you hadn't done anything. As a protector, you have the right to choose who to protect, as well as how you will do it. Trying to make such split second decisions in a life or death scenario is difficult even for trained adults, so I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been for someone so young. However, if everyone you care about is alive now, then I'd say that you made the right decisions, even if you feel guilty about them." The queen explained with a smile as she hugged Bubbles.

Bubbles clung to the queen as she cried, feeling overwhelmed from the combination of emotions and memories that were flooding through her in that moment. "Th-thank you for the hug, I like hugs." Bubbles quietly said with a sniffle. The queen smiled as she rubbed Bubbles's back. "Are we in trouble for being in the factory?" Bubbles asked as she slowly let go of the queen.

The queen put a playfully thoughtful expression on her face for a moment. "I think I'll give you a royal pardon this time around." The queen answered with a chuckle. "Now then, let's get you some cheese munchies so that you and your sister can get back to your family. I'm sure that they're worried about you." The queen said with a smile as she started walking the two puffs towards the door.

"Pardon me your majesty, but may I offer my council on something?" One of the guards in the room asked as he looked at the queen.

"Of course captain, what is it that you'd like to discuss?" The queen asked as she turned towards the guard.

"These young and gifted heroes may be able to help with our uh... problem." The guard said with a straight face.

"Absolutely not, they're much too young for that kind of work. Superpowers or not." The queen replied in a firm tone.

"With all due respect your majesty, helping with problems is what heroes do." Bubbles said as she turned towards the guard. "What's the problem?" Bubbles asked in a calm tone. The guard looked at the queen, silently asking her permission to explain the issue.

The queen let out a sigh before nodding her head. "We received intell about a possible terrorist cell within the city about a month ago, we sent in some undercover operatives, but we lost contact with them about fourty-eight hours ago. We think they're being held near Buckinghamshire, we sent some additional undercover units to confirm this, but they too have yet to report in. That was about twelve hours ago. Is there any chance that you could help us bring those missing operatives back?" The guard explained in a calm tone.

Bubbles and Buttercup both stared at the man with stern expressions, then they looked at each other and nodded. "We'll do what we can, but we're not going alone. Let me call my aunt Sarah, she's a Marine. She might have some ideas for us." Bubbles replied as she held her transport watch up and pushed a button on it.

Back at the Thornberry's camp, Ami was pacing around in the dark; and though no one could see her worried expression, everyone could feel the unease that was radiating from her. "Ami, it's okay, they're strong and capable, there's no need to worry yourself to death over them." Kaede said as she watched Ami pace.

"I can't help it Kaede, something just doesn't feel right. My gut's telling me that something's up. Maybe I should call them." Ami said as she reached for the transport watch on her wrist. Just as Ami was about to press the button though, the watch started beeping, and Bubbles's name flashed across the screen. "It's Bubbles!" Ami yelled as she answered the watch. "Bubbles! Thank God you're okay! What happend? Where are you and Buttercup right now? Are you both safe?" Ami asked in a frantic tone.

"Don't worry mommy, we're fine, we had to go to the factory to get the munchies because the store was out. We met the queen and she asked a favor of us." Bubbles explained in a cam tone.

Ami let out a sigh of relief when she heard that. At least her girls were safe. "What does the queen need from all of you? You two didn't get into trouble over there, did you?" Ami asked in a suspicious tone.

"Well, not too much trouble. Anyways, the queen wants our help finding some soldiers they lost contact with. They think there are bad guys in some kind of terrorizer cell, and the good guys are missing. She would like our help to find those soldiers." Bubbles explained in a calm tone.

"Absolutely not! You're children! Fighting monsters and bad guys in Townsville is one thing, but going agianst armed terrorists in our universe is a completely different thing! You three are to come back here immediately, let the adults take care of this." Ami instructed as she activated a portal, then stepped through it.

Ami stepped out of the portal and stared at the two puffs for a moment, then she pointed at the still open portal. "Yes mommy." Both puffs repliled as they slolwy walked through the portal with a few shipping boxes of cheese munchies.

Once they were gone and the portal had vanished, Ami looked at the queen and her guards. "You should all be disgusted by yourselves, asking children to do the work of a soldier. If you needed a soldier you should've asked for one. My girls have enough on their shoulders as is, they don't need to be put into combat. They're not even seven years old yet. You should all be ashamed of your weakness." Ami spat as she glared at the queen and her guards.

One of the guards started to step forward, but Ami sent an icy glare his way, one that literally froze the man's feet in their tracks. "You're another Sailor Guardian. Mercury, right?" The queen asked in a calm tone. Ami looked at the queen and nodded. "I'm truly sorry that we asked for their help, we're just desperate, and they're superheroes. We shouldn't have asked them though, you were correct in saying that we should've asked for a soldier rather than asking those young girls to help us." The queen apologized with a small frown.

Ami let out a sigh before unfreezing the man's feet from the floor. "So what exactly is going on? You lost contact with some of your soldiers that were investigating a terrorist cell?" Ami asked in a calm tone.

"Yes, somewhere near Buckinghamshire. I'm truly sorry for asking your children to help, I just saw their superpowers as an asset that could help us; but I'd forgotten that despite their powers, they're still children." The queen apologized with sad expression.

Ami nodded her acceptance of the apology before speaking again. "I'll call my friends and we'll check it out. Keep your soldiers out of the way, the less people present the better. I'll scout it with our team medic, devise a plan of attack, and we'll get your troops back and shut the cell down by the end of the day." Ami informed as she held her transport watch up and pressed a button.

"Ami, the girls explained a little bit about what happened; when do we strike?" Kaede's voice asked through the communicator.

"Now. Open a portal and bring everyone but the girls and Thornberry's, we'll move in, strike from multiple angles simultaneously, and put this cell down before anyone knows what happened. Sound good?" Ami explained and asked in a firm tone.

"Sounds good to me, what do you think Sarah? You're the one with military experience?" Kaede asked as she looked to her right side.

"Ain't a bad plan, let's get in and mess 'em up. They ain't gonna know what hit 'em, especially since we's got tham fancy blasters from our time working with the republic. Ya still got my blaster in yer bag, right?" Sarah asked as she walked into view of the screen.

"I should, give me a second to check." Kaede replied as she transformed and summoned her bag. "Yep, here it is." Europa informed as she tossed Sarah her blaster.

"Thanks darlin'." Sarah thanked as she looked over her blaster. "Let's go get tham soldiers and put that cell down." Sarah said with a grin as she armed her blaster. The rest of the guardians gathered around, then Sailor Moon opened a portal and lead everyone through it.

The portal opened behind Ami, who watched as everyone walked through it. "Thank you all for your help, your assistance is greatly appreciated." The queen thanked as she bowed her head to the arriving guardians.

"Of course, your majesty." Venus replied as she bowed to the queen.

"Sailor Venus, it's an honor to meet you finally. I heard many things about you during your time here, though I heard a rumor that you'd been killed in an explosion many years ago." The queen said as she stared at Venus.

"I kind of unintentionally faked my death after I saw how much two of my friends loved each other. I felt like I was keeping them from finding happiness, so I left to find the other guardians in Japan." Venus explained with a nervous smile.

"Good thing you did, otherwise I wouldn't have my sexy soon to be wife." Mars giggled as she nudged Venus with her hip.

"Um, is the orange one okay?" One of the guards asked as he looked at Ahsoka, who had stumbled over to a wall and leaned against it.

"Yeah, I just...get queasy from the portal." Ahsoka mumbled before dry heaving a little bit. Ami quickly grabbed a nearby garbage can for Ahsoka, who threw up into it a moment later. "Sorry about that." Ahsoka apologized as she slowly composed herself.

"No worries, we can't always help how our bodies feel." The queen replied with a smile.

"So, ya said somthin' 'bout a terrorist cell that was holdin' yer men?" Sarah asked as she looked at the queen, getting straight to the point.

"Yes. Here's the address, one of my guards will casually drive you past the building and drop you off out of their view. It's getting dark, so now would be the best time to strike." The queen explained in a calm tone.

"We'll get it done, ma'am." Sarah replied as she started walking towards the building's exit, followed by everyone else.

Everyone silently entered a series of vehicles that had been parked outside the factory, then with a single order from the head soldier, the vehicles moved out. The drive was silent, and it felt like it was taking forever. Everyone was nervous, but no one showed it. Ahsoka was sitting with her eyes closed, meditating as she prepared for what was to come. Jupiter patted Mercury's back and gave her an encouraging smile, which made Mercury smile back. Sarah and Europa were checking over Sarah's blaster, making sure it was charged enough for the fight. Venus was picking on Mars, gently messing with her hair, receiving a few light swats on her hands from the annoyed fire senshie. Sailor Moon stared out the window as she took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

The vehicle came to a soft stop, and everyone tensed up as they waited for their instructions. "Alright, I'm going to drive a little bit of a ways down the street, the target building is a three story house on my left. The one that looks kind of old and run down. Observe it, but try not to be too obvious about it." The driver instructed as he started driving again.

Europa quickly activated her visor, scanning the house as they drove past it. "I've got sixteen heat signatures inside, how many soldiers did you guys send in?" Europa asked as they drove past the house.

"A two man team, they were undercover with the cell. We've lost all contact with them though." The driver informed as he drove down an ally and parked.

"So that means there're at least two no combatants in play here. Ya got any more info on this house?" Sarah asked as she looked at the driver.

"Everything we could, it's four levels in total. A basement, common floor, second floor, and an attic. I can't say for certain, but some of the people inside may not be armed terrorists, they may be hostages or unarmed associates of the cell. Either way, you are not clear to engage any unarmed personnel. Detain and question is the S.O.P for situations like that." The driver instructed in a calm tone.

"Sounds like the same rules of engagement I fought under, shouldn't be a problem. Y'all ready?" Sarah asked as she looked at everyone.

"Yeah, let's get this taken care of." Sailor Moon replied as she and everyone else exited the vehicle. The group slowly started walking down the street, sticking to the shadows as they did so.

Ahsoka was in the lead, using her excellent night vision to get the group close to the house whilst remaining somewhat out of sight. "May I make a suggestion, captain?" Sarah asked as she looked at the team leader.

"Be my guest, I'm always happy to have a marine's input." The captain answered as he looked at Sarah.

"We should divide inta teams and enter from different angles. Take three of yer men and head 'round back, the remaining three should stack up on the front door. I'll go with one of tham two teams while the guardians surround the perimeter. Ahsoka, can ya take the basement entrance on yer own, or do ya want someone to come with yas?" Sarah suggested and asked as she looked back at Ahsoka.

"I can manage on my own, assuming the captain's okay with your plan that is." Ahsoka answered as she looked at the captain.

The captain thought for a moment about Sarah's plan, then he nodded in agreement. "Alright, we'll do it your way. You all heard her, bravo one, two, and three are with me on the rear door, the rest of you are with..." The captain paused as he waited for Sarah to introduce herself.

"Corporal Blouse, U.S.M.C." Sarah answered the unasked question.

"Captain Price, S.A.S." The man said with a small smile.

"Pleasure." Sarah replied as the two teams started to split up.

"Alright Ahsoka, be safe in there, y'll be on yer own until we link up again." Sarah said as she gave Ahsoka a pat on her back.

"You all do the same." Ahsoka replied as she quietly moved down a few steps to a door that lead to the basement. The guardians quickly split up and surrounded the house, Sarah lead her team to the front door and waited for everyone else to get into position.

"This is bravo one to all units, team one is in position and ready to breach. Over." A voice informed through each of the team's radios.

"Bravo four copies, team two is in position and ready to breach. Over." A second voice informed through the radio.

"Wait, how do we tell the orange one we're ready to breach? She doesn't have a radio." One of the soldiers asked as he looked at Sarah.

"Ahsoka has exceptional hearin', she knows that we're ready ta breach." Sarah answred, with emphasis on Ahsoka's name. The soldier nodded and waited for the order from Price.

"All units move in, quietly." Price ordered as he slowly opened the rear door and entered the house. The team entered a dark and empty kitchen, it was a pretty standard arrangement for a kitchen. There was a door on both the left and right side of the far wall, each of which were quickly aproached by a soldier.

Sarah and her team slowly entered the front door, finding a brightly lit hallway in front of them. To their left was an opening to a dining room, and about ten feet down the hall was another opening that lead to a living room. "Voices comin' from the left side, move in and detain." Sarah ordered as she slowly lead her team towards the entry point.

The rest of the team followed her, and with a nod from Sarah, rushed the room. "S.A.S! Show us your hands!" One of the soldiers ordered as he aimed his rifle at a man.

"Oh fuck!" The man said as he dove to the ground, while three other men and a woman all went for rifles that were either leaning against the nearby wall, or lying on the table. Shots rang out as the soldier shot one of the three men going for the rifles, the other two men and woman opened fire on the soldier.

"Contact! Contact!" Sarah shouted as she leaned around the corner and fired some rounds into the room, giving the soldier some cover fire so he could retreat out of sight.

"Cover me, I'll hit 'em from the rear!" One of the soldiers instructed as he rushed past Sarah, then moved to another opening at the other end of the wall.

As Sarah's team fought with the group in the dining room, Price's team breached the front door, and ambused the group from behind. "Room clear!" Price shouted as he scanned the room a bit.

"Nice timin' captain." Sarah said with a breath as she looked at Price.

"Nice shooting." Price replied as the two teams moved towards a flight of steps. "Bravo three and four, secure this floor, everyone else with me." Price ordered as he peered up the steps. Two soldiers nodded at him as they and four other soldiers split off to secure the lower floor. "Alright everyone, check your shots, there are civilians here along with our missing soldiers; there's also the one woman that entered through the basement. What was her name again?" Price ordered and asked as he looked at Sarah.

"Ahsoka." Sarah answered in a calm tone.

"Yeah, watch out for Ahsoka. She's likely still in the basement though." Price replied as he slowly lead everyone up the steps.

While Price lead his team to the second floor, Ahsoka was working on clearing the basement. "Sounds like I missed one hell of a fight up there." Ahsoka said to herself as she used the force to sense any life forms in the basement. "Clear, guess I'll head upstairs and help the others." Ahsoka said to herself as she headed up the steps to the main floor.

"Freeze!" A soldier shouted as Ahsoka entered the main hallway from the stairs.

"Hold your fire, that's probably Ahsoka." One of the other soldiers ordered as he held his hand out to the first soldier.

"Yeah, I'm Ahsoka. Where did Sarah go?" Ahsoka asked as she stared at the soldier.

"Second floor with the others." The soldier answered as he pointed towards the staircase.

"Thanks." Ahsoka thanked as she ran towards the steps.

"Jeez, and I thought the ones in the colorful miniskirts were weird." The soldier said to himself as he watched Ahsoka disappear up the steps.

Ahsoka quickly caught up to Sarah and the others, silently approaching her from the side. Sarah looked at her and nodded. "Clear these rooms." Price whispered as he gestured to the five doors lining a short hallway. The soldiers immediately split up and started silently entering rooms, most were empty, but a few of them had unarmed people in them; all of whom were promptly handcuffed and moved towards the downstairs area.

Ahsoka was walking behind a soldier as he approached the final room at the end of the hallway. Then, without warning, she force pushed him forward, causing him to fall to the ground. No one had time to question her actions though, because several bullets blasted through the wall a moment later. "Contact!" Sarah shouted as she moved back from the door.

"Someone get a flashbang in there!" Price ordered as he and the others quickly approached the door. One of the soldiers pulled what looked like a cylinder with a handle on it off of their belt, then they pulled a pin and tossed it through the door. There was a loud bang and a flash of light a second later, the soldiers rushed in immediately afterwards.

Three men were stumbling around inside the room, all of whom were quickly shot. "Check the door on the right!" One of the soldiers ordered as he aimed his rifle at the door. Another soldier nodded and approached the door, slolwy opening it.

"Don't move! Show me your hands!" The soldier ordered as he aimed his rifle at a woman, who was trying to console a crying baby.

"Please don't hurt us!" The woman yelled as she held one hand up, cradling the crying infant with the other. The soldier held his rifle at the ready and approached the woman, quickly patting her down before leading her out of the room.

"Nice work, bring her downstairs with the others." Price ordered as the soldier lead the woman over to him. The soldier nodded and gently pulled the woman towards the steps. "Let's move." Price instructed as he moved towards a second set of steps. "Ahsoka, take point." Price ordered as he aimed his rifle up the steps.

"Me?" Ahsoka asked as she looked at Price with a surprised expression.

"Yes, you. Get a move on." Price ordered as he lowerd his rifle so she could walk past. Ahsoka glared at him for a moment before walking towards the steps.

"Yes sir." Ahsoka grumbled as she moved up the steps. She hadn't said anything, but her montrals were ringing from the flashbang that had been used on the last door. Ahsoka gently placed a hand on her right montral as she stumbled a little bit on the last step. Price and the others slowly followed behind her, spliting up to clear the rooms the same way they had on the previous floor.

Ahsoka approached a door and thought she heard something inside, but her montrals were still ringing from the flashbang. She quietly opened the door a crack and listened. "On you." A soldier said as he approached Ahsoka. Ahsoka nodded and slowly entered the room, finding it similar to the previous room. There was a door to her right, a few dressers directly across from the door she was entering from, and a bed around the corner.

Ahsoka slolwy moved towards the bed, sensing someone nearby. "Put your hands up!" Ahsoka ordered as she peeked around the corner, seeing a woman standing against the wall.

The woman raised her hands and stared at Ahsoka with a frightened expression. "Please help me, they're holding me hostage here." The woman said as she held her now shaking hands high abover her head.

Ahsoka slolwy lowered her guard and approached the woman, who quickly ran to her and grabbed her in a hug. "It's okay, you're safe now." Ahsoka quielty said as she gently rubbed the woman's back. "You're gonna be okay, go into the hallway and listen to the instructions the soldiers give you." Ahsoka instructed as she let go of the woman.

The woman nodded and quickly left the room, approaching the group with her hands raised and waiting for instructions. "Not bad. Think you can take point on the final set of steps?" Price asked as Ahsoka exited the room.

"Yes sir." Ahsoka answered as she moved towards the last set of steps. Ahsoka slowly moved up the steps, finding only a single door at the top of it. It was a large metal door, reinforced by the look of it.

"Shit, looks like a damn bunker door." Price said as he walked up behind Ahsoka.

"I'll get a breaching charge on it, sir." One of the soldiers said as he started walking up the steps.

"Don't bother, I've got it." Ahsoka instructed as she reached out with the force, unlocking the door and slolwy opening it.

"Not even gonna ask." Price said as he gestured Ahsoka forward. Ahsoka started entering the room, but stopped when she sensed that something was off. "Push forward, we have to clear this room." Price ordered as he stared at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka looked around a little bit before slowly reaching for one of her lightsabers. "Something's wrong with this room." Ahsoka quielty said as she wrapped her fingers around her lightsaber.

"What do you mean?" Price asked in a confused tone.

"I'm not sure, I can just... Sense something." Ahsoka answered as she took a step forward. There was a whirring sound that was immediately followed by a hailstorm of bullets. "AH!" Ahsoka screamed in pain, as a bullet ripped through her right side, and exited at an angle through her abdomen. She was also hit in her right leg and right bicep as she fell backwards.

"Sentry turret!" Price shouted as he grabbed Ahsoka and pulled her out of the room.

"AH! Kriff! Kriff! What the hell was that?! Oh my God it hurt!" Ahsoka screamed as she writhed around, all the while being dragged by Price.

"Automatic turret, just keep pressure on those wounds as best you can!" Price ordered as he moved Ahsoka to the side of the door. "Bloody hell, how are we supposed to get past that damn thing?" Price asked no one in particular as he looked at Ahsoka's wounds.

"I'll deal with it." Ahsoka said through gritted teeth as she tired to stand up.

"Take it easy, you're shot." Price said as he quickly helped Ahsoka up.

"I know that, but I have to deal with the turret." Ahsoka groaned as she grabbed her shoto blade from her belt, then activated it and cut a hole in the wall. The turret sensor immediately picked up on the motion and aimed at her again, but this time she was ready for it. The hail of bullets flew at Ahsoka just like before, only this time they all collided with her lightsaber, disintegrating on impact. Ahsoka grabbed the turret with the force and crushed it, sending sparks and a few stray bullets flying as she did so. "There, all...taken care of." Ahsoka wheezed as she limped into the room.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Price said as he followed Ahsoka into the room. "All teams, this is price, house secure. Good work everyone." Price spoke into his radio, as he approached a desk with a laptop on it. "This place is a bloody gold mine of intel, thanks for your help. Sorry I wasn't so nice to you in the beginning, we couldn't have done this without you." Price thanked as he looked at Ahsoka, who was leaning against a wall.

"N-no problem." Ahsoka quielty said as she looked down at her abdomen, watching as her fluorescent green blood oozed from it.

Price started looking through some of the files on the laptop, finding intel on things he never would've thought to find. He was so busy looking through the files that he didn't notice Ahsoka start to slide down the wall. "I owe you and your friends big time for this, not only did you save some of my men, but you helped us acquire a huge amount of intel on one of INTERPOL's most wanted terroists. Damn good work Ahsoka." Price said as he looked over at Ahsoka, who was slumped over on the ground in a puddle of fluorescent green liquid. "Feeling tired after all that? I don't blame ya, but you can't be sleeping here. We'll get you and your friends to a hotel or something while we go through everything we found here." Price said as he walked over to Ahsoka, stopping when he saw the strange liquid around her. "What in the world is this shit?" Price mumbled as he knelt down and placed two of his fingers in the liquid. It was warm and gooey feeling, in fact it almost felt like... "Blood? Is this..." Price asked himself as he looked at Ahsoka again. "Ahsoka? Ahoska can you hear me? Ahsoka, wake up! Ahsoka!" Price shouted as he roughly shook Ahsoka, who only mumbled before slumping onto her side.

"Captain, one of the women on perimeter watch located our missing soldiers in a shed behind the house. They're a little banged up, but they're alive. Over." A voice informed through Price's radio.

"I need a medic to the top floor immediately, Ahsoka's been shot at least three times by a sentry turret; she's unresponsive!" Price yelled into his radio as he pulled a small med kit off of his plate carrier, then dug some gauze pads out of it, which he used to apply pressure to Ahsoka's worst wound.

"Copy that, the medic's on the way." A voice replied through the radio a few seconds later.

Price held pressure on Ahsoka's side with one hand, and her abdomen with the other. He could feel the warmth of her blood as it oozed from her wounds, slowly soaking through the gauze pads he was holding against each one. He looked down at her right bicep, thankful that it wasn't bleeding nearly as bad as her abdomen and side were. He couldn't say the same for her leg though. "Damn it, she's loosing too much blood. Come on Ahsoka, hang in there." Price said to himself as he removed pressure from Ahsoka's other major wounds, he then quickly pulled a tourniquet out of one of the pouches on his uniform and applied it to Ahsoka's leg. Ahsoka mumbled and flinched at the pain the tourniquet caused. "Easy Ahsoka, you're gonna be alright." Price calmly spoke as he tightened the tourniquet. Once it was properly secured, Price went back to holding pressure on her other two wounds.

Price continued to hold pressures on Ahsoka's wounds, even when he heard the fast paced stomping sound of someone ascending the nearby steps, never even turning to see who it was. "Where is she?" Europa asked as she rushed into the room, bag already in hand.

"Right here, she needs help now! Multiple G.S.W's from a sentry turret, she's loosing a lot of blood." Price informed as Europa rushed to Ahsoka's side.

Europa set her bag down and activated her visor, quickly scanning Ahsoka to better diagnose her injuries. "Good call on the tourniquet Captain, she took a serious hit to her femoral artery. Abdominal wound is a clean through and through, I wish I could say the same for her arm though. The round blew straight through her brachial artery, we have to stop this bleeding now, I don't have spare blood for someone of her species in my kit." Europa informed as she started digging suplies out of her bag.

Europa immediately began a field surgery on Ahsoka's arm, quickly clamping and suturing the the arterial wound shut. "That's one problem solved, damn good work their soldier." Price complimented as he watched Europa work.

"Thanks, but now we have a new problem. Her vitals are dropping, she doesn't have enough blood to maintain homeostasis, and I don't have any to give her. Even with the transport watch, I don't know if I'd be able to get her back to her galaxy with enough time to spare, and that's assuming the jump doesn't send her system into shock." Europa replied as she watched Ahsoka's vitals slowly decrease in her visor screen.

Europa's visor started flashing the word crititcal across the screen as Ahsoka's levels began dropping at a faster rate. Europa was doing her best to maintain some form of professional composure, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so as she watched Ashoka's life start to slip away, especially since there was nothing she could do about it. "There has to be something we can do, anything. This poor woman doesn't deserve this, it should be me lying here right now, not her. I should've been paying more attention to her instead of going through those papers, I knew she'd been shot but I ignored it! I should've been the one to get hit by that turret, if I hadn't made her take point she'd be fine. At least you would've had blood for me if I'd needed it, fuck. I shouldn't have made her take point, I'm sorry Ahsoka. I'm sorry." Price quietly apologized as he gently placed his hand over Ahsoka's, feeling even worse when she didn't react to the touch.

"Ahsoka." Europa whispered as she gently cupped Ahsoka's cheek in her hand.