FicWad

Chapter 14



"YOU DID WHAT?" thundered Sark, "He was one of my men!"

"He was incompetent!" Lin-Lin shot back, "He failed you three times, and he failed me: that was more than enough on the side of chances."

"You don't understand," said Sark, "I only have so much I can spare! He's supposed to be building an army over there to work out our scheme, and you go and off him!"

"YOU don't understand!" snapped Lin-Lin in return, "You are the one that asked me for help, and if I continue to do so, do not send me henchmen that are incompetent and waste my time! I already have found one target, and through her, I am going to find out who the rest are. He acted to quickly in trying to find out who they are, and it cost me my chance to get three tonight. I had them, and they got away! Would you have tolerated such failure? If so, no wonder you lost all as you have told me."

Sark was steaming, but what could he say. He may have well done the same thing had it happened to him. It is true that he lost a lot, but at the same time, he had more patience. He was now reluctant to give her anything now. The silence on the phone was getting to Lin-Lin, and he heard, "I AM NOT TALKING TO HEAR MYSELF TALK! WHO ARE YOU SENDING ME NEXT?"

"Uh...I have the man you want," said Sark, "He is far more careful, crafty, and sneaky. He calculates and takes more time to figure things out."

"Then send him!" asked Lin-Lin, "Why isn't he here yet?"

"He's on his way," he said, and hung up the phone. He then called in Rinn. In stepped a man who was about 2 meters tall, but slender. He affected a goatee, a Fu Manchu mustache; polled hair that came down in a widow's cleft, wearing an all black renaissance outfit and cloak, with white trim on the neck, wrists, and on the cloak. "You sent for me, master?" he said with an over exaggerated bow.

"You have business in Japan," said Sark, "Princess Lin-Lin said she needed astealthy, intelligent strategist who can be patient and exacting. I told her that you were her man."

"Absolutely!" he said with another grand bow and a slick approach, "I am ready to go now!"

With that, he sent him, and then began to pace. He wanted to try to start to get into the world above them, and Rinn was his mastermind in things like that. He needed him, and now things would go slower. Japan indeed was unaware that the enemy lay just next door, but he wondered if his enemy lay next door to him in Lin-Lin. She mentioned a certain girl and be began to wonder if she had revenge more on her mind than his concept of global conquest.



As the three sat in the car with Tom, he noticed the other two were still as their alter egos. "Um...why have you guys not changed back?" asked Tom.

"Your dad now needs to know everything," said Jupiter, "Pluto said that she would make it clear."

"There are more of you?" asked Major Reichmann.

"Why Mr. Reichmann," said Venus, "You have never heard of the Sailor Scouts?"

"I heard something," said the major, "but the commandant is not sure about your intentions. I mean, your government trusts you, but Uncle Sam is going to take a bit more convincing...and so am I. You have my son running around looking like a Continental Marine, stepping into danger, when all I wanted him to do is get an education in peace."

Venus then said in her best English, (in which she was proficient,) "He had apast life of great importance, and it has caught up with him in wonderful ways. Because of that, he now has a wonderful future!"

When they pulled up to the gate, he saw nine others, all of them in either white or navy blue suits like what he saw the girls wearing, and one man in atuxedo, top hat, and a white eye-mask. The guards had been watching them closely, not sure what they were doing, and when they would not leave, more marines and shore police were coming up to the fence, demanding some answers. They were hearing some of this when they pulled up. The major got out and said, "Sailor Scouts, I presume?"

Pluto stepped up and said, in English, "You are correct. We came over as soon as it was known that you had found out your son was involved. I feel obligated that you know everything now. There is nothing to fear."

"You know them, sir?" asked the sergeant at the gate.

"I am going to sign them in as my guests," said the major, but a member of the shore police then asked, "How do we know they are not trying to coerce you onto the post to cause trouble?"

Tom recognized him and said, "Petty Officer Jackson, I think I can explain it like this."

With that, he pulled out the transformation device, and right there in front of them all, held it aloft and called out, "SEMPER FI-MAKE UP!"

With a bright array of colors, he transformed before all, and after it was done, a brave Continental Marine, (as far as they were concerned,) stood before them. The sergeant just said, "Semper fi!" to the sight, to which Ceres responded with a quiet but confident "oorah!"

Ceres then said, "Let them in, they're cool, and what's more, you are looking at the commanders of the galactic navy that will one day form under them. They are all officers, so I would ask a bit of respect."

The sergeant at the gate, (buck sergeant,) wanted to have some fun, and said,"Oh, and you think you can just order me around like that, marine?"

Ceres smiled and said, as he pointed to his epaulets, and said, "Oh, so you don't recognize a gunnery sergeant when you see one? Stand to, sergeant! I expect proper respect here!"

With that, they all entered the place, and all the men there saluted as they passed. The salutes were returned, although Usagi didn't quite know how to respond. Ceres came up and said, "Just put your hand like theirs."

She did, and they all dropped theirs as the scouts dropped theirs. The major then said, "Remember, you saw nothing here tonight!"



They all arrived at Tom's house and filtered in. The Reichmanns made them as comfortable as they could, and the major then said, "Alright son, explain yourself."

He just sighed, and said, "Not everyone speaks English, Pop, so please speak Japanese."

"Son, I'm just concerned..." said the major, but Pluto stepped in and said, "You have nothing to fear, major. Your son was always destined for greatness, just not in the way you thought."

"Let me introduce them," said Ceres, "This is Lieutenants Mercury, Venus, Mars; Lieutenants Commander Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; Captain Pluto, Admiral Jupiter, Princess Chibiusa, (we call her Bunny,) her royal Majesty Queen Neo-Serenity, (who we call Sailor Moon,) and his royal Majesty, King Endymion, also known as Tuxedo Mask. When I'm like this, they call me Gunnery Sergeant Ceres."

"You're not an officer?" asked his father.

"When the fleet forms, they are going to need a good NCO support chain in the corps. I will be the command sergeant major of the corps by that point, because being enlisted was what I was in my past life."

"Past life!" exclaimed his mother, "What are you going on about?"

"Let me explain," said Pluto, and told the story.



"Well, that explained all the happenings a few months ago," admitted the major,"but where does my son tie in?'

"As I said before," asserted Pluto, "He was the last survivor of the corps. He was reborn here as your son. It was always destined for him to be what he is."

"This was destined?" said his mother suspiciously, "I am not sure I like this."

"You must understand, there are memories of that past I told you about cropping up in his head more and more," said Pluto, "If we had not met him, it may have driven him insane, because, sooner or later, what you see before you would have emerged-save for the uniform-confused, lost, and insane with a complete lack of inner identity."

"And just what is your mission?" said the major, now intrigued by the prospect before him.

Sailor Moon piped up here, and said, "We are here to protect the earth from invasion from without, and insurrection from within!" complete with dramatic flair. It was also, of course, completely out of character for her, and everyone looked at her in amazement. She then got self-conscious, and she said, "Um...why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Because," said Mars, "For a brief moment, you stopped looking like our dear Usa...Sailor Moon, and actually looked like a queen for a moment!"

Sailor Moon got offended and said, "Oh, and you don't think I'm queen material?" turning her head into the air.

Everyone laughed, and the major began to see that his son was indeed in with agood crowd. He then said, "I saw some of the fireworks you kids were putting out. What can you do?"

The answer was going to come sooner than expected, as Mars got a serious look on her face, and said, "There's trouble here on base!"



An ammunition shipment was coming in for the base that night, and it was being done at night due to the climate of terror that gripped the world at that time. Marines and sailors were guarding the unloading as others were busy handling the shipment. They were not using outside help considering the danger that could come from anyone being a part of some group slipping in as a hired hand. However, about fifteen men approached who worked on post in other areas, joking and toking all the way. They were heading for the main gate, as if they had finished their day of work, but then diverted course. They headed toward ahumvee that was blocking a road that lead to the port, and two shore police stepped out to find out where they were going. They didn't have a chance. The man in the lead pulled out a pistol with a silencer and shot both men in the head and kept on going. Once they had gone a few blocks, they raced into the darkness of the warehouses about there, and put on dark clothing as they produced automatic weapons that were concealable. In truth, they were Filipino that looked Japanese enough to pass for nationals, and they were a part of aterrorist group working out of that country. They had been bent on taking over the archipelago, but had no headway. They needed ordinance, and they had been planning this for months. They were going to sneak attack the guards, take the ship, (with some hostages,) bring an explosive laden speedboat alongside, and head out, threatening to blow up the lot if they were not let go. They crept up on the guards unawares, and they were able to ambush them. Because things like this had become routine, the men there, (who should have been replaced by that point with new guards for this task,) were not as vigil, and it cost them. They were grabbed, gagged, dragged on board, and the crew was subdued quickly, but not before a distress signal was sent. They wanted help. They did not realize just how much was coming!



The scouts were already tearing down the street towards the docks. The lack of security there let them know that Mars' suspicions were not wrong. However, they saw that a platoon of Marines and a squad of the Shore Police were joining in. They did not know who the oddly clad crew was, and were about to stop them, when the major said, "Stand to: they're with us!"

With that, they joined the chase. By the time they arrived, a few of the men were preparing to loose the ropes on the moorings as humvees arrived. They were preparing to fire when a voice came over the loudspeaker of the ship saying, "We have hostages! You infidels need to back off, or we blow up the ship! You know how big a blast that would be! We are serious!"

To prove it, a poor sailor was dragged out, and a man raised a pistol to his head, prepared to fire...

"MOON TIARA BOOMERANG!" echoed across the dock, and the man suddenly found himself holding his broken hand, watching his pistol fall into the water. He was shocked by what he saw, and then shocked-literally-as Jupiter let loose with her Supreme Thunder. He screamed and hit the deck flopping as if he had been hit with a heavy tazer. They then charged up the cargo deck, marines and sailors in tow. They wanted to coordinate things with the scouts, but they were leading the way, and, by the looks of it, they had more powerful weapons than they were carrying, so they figured the safest place for them was in support! The twelve of the scouts fanned out throughout the ship, each one with a few marines or shore police with them. Two marines were preparing to turn a corner, and took a moment to check around that corner. They did not know that two terrorists were preparing to snipe them. They hid in the darkness, raised their weapons, and then dropped them, screaming in pain as they both found a rose impaled in the back of their hands. The two marines wheeled around and saw them stagger out. With two well aimed bursts, two terrorists were no more. From behind them, snapping his cape around the front was Tuxedo Mask, saying in a serious tone, "Never turn your back on these kinds of men."

They smiled and nodded as they made their way.



Meanwhile, Jupiter had two shore police with her. Out of the blue came about four of the terrorists, but they were sloppy, and Jupiter caught them coming. She let out, "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" and blew the men off their feet. They tried to retrieve their weapons, but Jupiter and the two sailors were already on top of it. The sailors had out their sticks, pummeling their targets, while Jupiter demonstrated her Kung Fu on the two on her. However, they were skilled at their form of fighting, and were proving themselves a match. However, to quote the adage that one never brings a knife to a gunfight, she cart wheeled out of the way of an attack that came from the rear of her, and he tackled his buddy who was confronting Jupiter. They went down in a heap as she back flipped a couple of times to let loose with Shockwave. They screamed in pain as they flew into the bulkhead and fell unconscious. The SP's were then cuffing and using pull ties on the four terrorists, saying, "Good stuff: we need prisoners!"

Her English was not the greatest, but she recognized a compliment when she heard it, smiled and nodded as they put their opponents into the brig.



Five terrorists were holding the crew and subdued servicemen hostage in the mess deck. Sailors Moon and Chibi Moon were together with about three marines, and when they came to the door, the Marines got low, and signaled for the other two to drop down and wait. They were going to try to catch them by surprise. Sailor Moon peeked over the top and asked, "How does one get in that door over there?" in the best English she knew.

"Oh just go through that hatch over there, go about 30 yards, turn right, and you should get in," they said, "Just make a diversionary attack, and let us handle the rest."

Chibi Moon, who was proficient in English, told Sailor Moon that, and they moved out. However, Sailor Moon figured that it was the marines that would be making the diversion, because she and her future daughter could do far more than the marines...at least she though so.



The terrorists were trying to contact their comrades below, and they were having a time of it. They then contacted the two in the bridge, and stated what was happening. The bridge told them to stay vigil, because there is achance that the Americans had breached the outer guards. Just as they heard this, Sailors Moon and Chibi Moon came to the door. Chibi Moon was about to obey the marines, but Sailor Moon barged in and said, "Attacking our allies who only mean us well, and hoping to use these weapons on innocent people! I shall not stand for it! I, the pretty guardian in the sailor suit..." and that was all that she was allowed to say as one of the terrorists cut in, saying, "...shall shut her mouth and get her hands up before I blow them all away!"

"Oops!" thought Sailor Moon, "This always worked before!"

Chibi Moon smacked her forehead, but the marines took advantage of it. They wanted a distraction, they did not expect that, but whatever worked! They kicked the door open and dropped two of them before they could react. At that precise moment, Chibi Moon was attacking with her Lunar Candy Attack. While she was doing that, Sailor Moon let loose with, "FULL MOON FLASH!"

The terrorists were knocked back and blinded by the attack, and then were being harassed by Chibi Moon's attack, which had the effect of having several packs of firecrackers dumped on top of them. They dropped their weapons as the marines charged in and hit them with the stocks of their rifles, knocking them out. "Oorah, sailor!" said the marine, acknowledging a good attack when they saw one. He then said, "Let's go topside and see what's going on there!"



Venus, Ceres, and about two marines and two shore police were with them approaching the bridge when they had to take cover. The two in the bridge had managed to acquire a heavy machine gun from the holds below and were quite prepared to use it. They were pinned, but one of the marines who was a history buff and recognized the epaulets said, "Got any ideas, Gunny?"

"Venus, get your range weapon ready, take out the machine gunner," said Ceres,"The rest of us will take out the dummy with the AK when he flinches."

The SP said, "Are you sure he'll flinch?"

"Believe me, sailor," said Ceres, "When you see what she can do, you'll want to flinch too, but don't. We light up the other one. Alright, on her attack!"

He nodded to Venus, and she nodded back. For her, this was like the old days, and that fool was not going to like things when she got done! She kissed her right forefinger, then shouted, "CRESENT BEAM," as Ceres said, "Cover her!"

The four others opened up some suppressive fire as she hit a bull's-eye right on the machine gunner's chest. He screamed, and vanished as the beam disintegrated its target. The other stood in surprise to what he saw, just as Ceres said, and he stood up with the others, firing the flintlock Meteor Shower as the others opened up. Between the five of them, they riddled him with enough ordinance that they could have used him for a pencil.



About this time, a PT boat had rocketed past the outer security and was heading right for the boat. When their calls on the radio were not returned, they knew the gig was up, and they were getting ready for a suicide run. They opened up with the machine gun on the deck, trying to strafe the ship. It was pinning down Mars, Mercury, the major, and about three marines. Mercury and Mars nodded, and Mercury let loose with Absolute Zero. The PT boat slammed right into the small iceberg that had just popped up in front of them, stopping the boat cold. There was enough armor to protect the boat, but the bow was badly dented. Everyone on board was knocked off their feet, but the helm managed to get things going again. However, Mars used her new Volcanic Blast attack for the first time, and placed it just above the water line, intending to just blow a hole in the thing. However, when it went off, all the explosives that were meant to blow up the cargo ship went up in a large and loud blast. The shockwave knocked everyone down, but they were alright. The threat seemed to be over.



As the marines and SP were hauling off the surviving terrorists, the outer scouts were combing the ship, and were shocked by finding a large bomb by some deck gun shells. By the looks on the timer, they did not have much time. Apparently, this was supposed to be the ultimate "in your face" by the terrorists, that, if they were attacked, and the ship was breached, they would set that off, and at least accomplish that much. Pluto said to all with the outer scouts, and the scouts themselves, "Form a chain to the top, and you get at the top Saturn. You know what to do!"

They quickly formed a line and moved the bomb to the top deck. Saturn then took it on the top of her halberd and pointed out to sea at a 45 degree angle, and said, "SILENT WALL!"

The bomb took off like a rocket, and exploded harmlessly over the water. NOW, the threat was over!

As they all gathered topside, the officer on duty there said, "I don't know who you bunch are, but you indeed acted in the best traditions of the U.S. Navy. Icannot thank you enough!"

Venus spoke for them, saying, "It is our duty. We protect the whole earth, no matter the nation!"

Just then, a radio message came in from the gate, saying, "The base is on alockdown right now until we get the investigation done, and the commandant is here. He wants to meet the team that assisted us!"

"Will do," said the officer, and then told them, "The high brass wants to talk to you guys!"

Things were about to get interesting!