Chapter 2 - The Suspicion
"I can't believe you," Raye snorted, "Just when I think you can't possibly get any dumber, you manage to top yourself. HOW COULD YOU GET US BANNED FROM THE CLUB?"
"I said I was sorry," Serena whined.
The morning sun shined sensibly onto the kitchen table as Raye gave Serena the riot act. Lita had her face planted on the table. Amy timidly tried to find a space in the argument to intervene. Mina was still asleep in the bedroom. Luna and Artemis just left the apartment not wanting to hear the girls have another argument. All of them were dressed, ready to begin the day.
"What do you want me to do?" Serena yelled, "Go down on you?"
"Hell no!" Raye snapped. "Only an idiot would allow your nasty mouth on her!"
"Hey!" Amy butted in.
"What's with all the yelling?" A voice entered the room. Everyone turned to see Mina. She looked more hung-over than Serena, with only a tank top and her panties on along with a pair of white elbow-length gloves with golden bands on the cuffs.
"Whoa!" Lita said, "Looks like someone had a few drinks too last night."
Raye was surprised to see her girlfriend like this, "What's with the gloves?"
"What?" Mina asked. The gloves, her Sailor V gloves! She forgot to take them off! She couldn't let everyone know what she had been doing the night before. "Oh uh... it got a little cold last night so I put these gloves on."
"Then why are you in your underwear?" Amy asked.
Mina knew this wasn't going to work. Luckily she thought of something else, "Well, not exactly. I put these gloves on because I wanted to... give myself pleasure."
Raye put her hand up, "Got it!"
Amy was still curious, "Aren't those the gloves you used to wear as Sailor V?"
Mina looked at her gloved hands, "So they are." She smiled. "So what are you two arguing about this time?" Mina sat at the table.
"We went out to this club last night," Raye said, "We were having fun, band was playing, when SERENA, drunk off her ass, destroys the club's entire fucking sound system!
"I didn't mean to," Serena said, "I tripped."
"And you got us banned from the fucking club you klutz!"
"All right," Lita got up, "I dunno about you guys, but I'm going to work early."
"Work?" Mina asked.
Lita looked at Mina realizing she was still hung over, "At Tony's restaurant? They hired me as a chef for the daytime shift."
"And I'm a waitress," Raye said. "I am now officially an actor!"
"I got a job there too!" Serena gloated.
"Does it have anything to do with washing dishes?" Mina asked.
"No!" Serena snarled. After a brief moment of hesitation, she groaned, "Yes."
"You know Mina," Raye stood up and caressed her girlfriend in front of everyone, "A sexy girl like yourself, I might be able to get you a waitress job there."
Mina was surprised to see her girlfriend like this. Usually, Mina had to get Raye in the mood. "What's with you all of a sudden?"
"I dunno," Raye said tickling the blonde's neck, "Something about this city makes me feel more alive and free," her smile faded as she looked to Serena, "When Serena's not screwing it up!" Serena stuck her tongue out at her friendly-nemesis.
Mina sighed, "Yeah the streets are filled with thieves, drug-deals and pimps. Real liberating city!"
"Listen to you," Raye smiled and stood up, "All this time you've been telling me to lighten up and now you're the tight-wad. Maybe tonight, we can uh... loosen up if you know what I mean." Mina chuckled and gave her girlfriend a kiss on the lips. "See you tonight blondie!"
Raye and Lita walked arm in arm out of the apartment, "I envy you two," Lita said, "You know that?"
"You envy them?" Serena said following them out, "Cause I sure don't."
"Well you have Amy," Lita said as they disappeared into the hallway.
Mina looked over at Amy who scrutinized the blonde. Mina smiled. She fidgeted with her gloves trying to say something that would break the uncomfortable silence.
"How's NYU going?" Mina asked.
"Very well," Amy replied.
Silence
"I guess it wasn't so hard," Mina continued, "For a brain like yours to get into NYU?"
"Not at all."
Silence
"You got class this morning?"
"No," Amy answered, "This is my day off."
More silence
"Well," Mina finally got up, "If you need me I'll be taking a nap."
"But it's 8:30 in the morning," Amy said confused.
"And I'm wiped," Mina said as she ran into her room slamming the door.
Amy shook off her suspicions as she turned her attention to the newspaper (Amy was the only one out of the five girls who actually read a newspaper).
As the steam from a fresh shower entered her bedroom, Mina began to get dressed for her day as Sailor V. She put her gold-banded gloves back on, slipped into her old Sailor V leotard and mini-skirt, and picked up the red mask.
Amy loved to read. Television and Internet news only gave her so much information. It was the newspaper where Amy could learn more and more about New York City. The front page had the usual headlines: rising unemployment, heated battles in the middle east, Miley Cirus' new hairstyle. But a startling headline further in the paper made Amy's eyes pop-out: "THE RETURN OF SAILOR V." Amy read about a sailor-suited girl, claiming to be Sailor V, who saved a man's deli. The article explained who Sailor V was and mentioned The Sailor Scouts as well.
Shocked, Amy ran into Mina's room. There was no one there. Amy caught a glimpse of Sailor V hopping rooftops outside Mina's window.
What should I do? Amy thought to herself.
Tony's Restaurant was pretty much a dive-bar with tables. Yet the restaurant had a small following, which consisted of some well-known personalities. Suited up in a revealing waitress uniform, Raye hovered over a table where an elderly group had just finished their meal.
"Everything good guys?" Raye smiled. She looked like the perfect peppy waitress (which was strange seeing as how she was usually so dark and un-personable.)
"Fabulous," the man at the far end said. "Tell the chef he's doing a banged up job."
"I will," Raye picked up their empty plates. "Thank you for joining us today," she handed them the check and made her way to the kitchen window.
Lita was behind the window in a white apron.
"Hey," Raye said as he set the plates down, "They wanted me to tell the chef that HE'S doing a banged up job."
Lita chuckled sarcastically, "Very funny."
"Doing pretty good with tips actually," Raye said counting the money, "This should help pay rent."
A loud crash was heard in the far back. Raye and Lita closed their eyes.
"Or," Lita continued, "New dishes."
A stocky bald man, Tony, came out the door marked "Private" to see what was going on. He ran into the far back and let out a loud, "Ah God Damn-it!" Raye and Lita ran into the back expecting trouble.
Inside was Serena sitting on the ground with shards of dishes all over the floor. Tony was grabbing his bald-head. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I often ask myself," Raye said to Lita, "That exact same question."
"I'm sorry Tony," Serena whined, "I didn't mean to. It's just that I got my nails done and I didn't want to ruin them-"
"So you decided," Tony screamed, "To ruin my dishes instead?"
Serena started to cry loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear her. Tony put his hand to his forehead.
"Serena," Raye said covering her loud mouth, "Shut up!"
Lita put her arm on Tony's shoulder, "All right Tony, accidents will happen. Maybe you can take this damage out of our paycheck?"
"You're lucky you're a good cook Lita!" Tony pointed his finger at her. "Your goth friend over there is a good waitress, but another slip-up from your blonde friend, and she's going out on the streets!"
"Don't worry," Lita said, "It won't happen again."
"It better not," Tony said walking out of the room, "I'm doing you a favor Lita."
Lita moved over to a teary eyed Serena and a fire-eyed Raye. "Trying to get us fired Meatball head?" Raye snarled.
"Serena," Lita said, "You need to HOLD the dishes when you're washing them."
"But my nails-" Serena held her perfectly manicured hands up.
Raye scowled and reached under the sink for a pair of purple rubber gloves. "Here, rubber gloves. Put them on and shut up!"
Serena cried again, "Why are you so mean to me Raye?"
Lita put her hand against the Raven's chest to calm her down. Raye closed her eyes and breathed. "Just don't break anymore dishes," Raye said calmly.
Serena got up and put the rubber gloves on. Lita walked back into the kitchen. Raye stopped at the door and prepared her peppy routine for the customers.
Sailor V stood on the top of the Flatiron building looking over the city. These tall buildings certainly left an impact on her strength. Hopping up a 22 story building was not easy, even for a super-jumper like her. But her hawk-eyes could see anything from up here. The day was pretty normal for the most part. Suddenly, her super hearing picked up a siren. Looking down onto Broadway, a car sped near the building with a motorcycle cop nearby. The scene was further intensified by gunshots.
Pure horror crept into Mina's eyes as the cop was hit by a bullet. The motorcycle spun onto it's side screeching along the pavement as the cop fell to what may have been his death. Sailor V quickly jumped off the 22-story building, a very long drop even for her. The shooter's car rammed into a truck bringing their rampage to a temporary halt. Sailor V was careless as she hit the ground. Though her legs hit the ground first, she fell onto her side and lied their for a split-second in pain. Lucky for her, Sailor V was less fragile than Minako Aino. She forced herself up, scratched and bruised, to check the wounded police officer.
The assalent's car sped off onto Broadway. Mina turned to see the license-plate, but quickly kneeled down in the middle of the dirty street to see the wounded police officer. A crowd quickly gathered around her with all traffic stopped. The cop moaned in pain.
"Don't worry officer," Mina's shakey voice said. "I'm Sailor V, I'm here to help." The cop breathed irregularly as Mina turned him around to see his chest bleeding. Where was his bullet-proof vest? "Shit!" Mina cried. She knew without any medical attention, this man would be dead soon. She stood up.
"We need a doctor now!" Sailor V said to the crowd. A few people got on their cell-phones, but nobody answered her call. "Anybody? Somebody?"