Ami smiled over to Rei as she walked into one of the school labs. “How are you today?” she asked cheerfully, obviously a morning person. Rei smiled a little, shrugging as she said, “As well as can be expected, being up this early in the morning.” Ami laughs softly, then brightens up. “I remember you asked about that analysis of the creature we ran into in the woods, right?” At Rei’s eager nod, she smiles holding up a folder. “Here’s the results of my examination! The thing was primarily regular plant material, but there were trace elements of something I couldn’t identify.” “Which means?” Usagi asked her, stepping into the room as well. She and Rei pointedly ignored each other, bringing a pair of sighs from Ami and Makoto. “Something in that plant, maybe whatever brought it to life, was alien, not of this earth,” Ami said simply. “Are you sure?” Usagi said, frowning thoughtfully. “Of course she’s sure, Meatball-head. She wouldn’t have said it otherwise,” Rei said, frowning a bit herself. The two were soon arguing again, and Ami shooed them out of the room gently. “Are you sure about those two?” she asked Makoto, sweatdropping. Makoto shrugged. “The signs are all there,” she remarked. “If you say so,” Ami said dubiously. She brightened a bit, opening a package sitting on the desk nearby. “The special material I ordered is here!” She held up a large bolt of white cloth, and two smaller ones of blue and green material. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked Makoto more quietly, gazing at her intently. “Yes,” Makoto said firmly. They shared a nod, then both went to work. “When do you think we’ll be ready to go?” “Everything else is done, we just need to finish these,” Ami reassured her. “Tomorrow, at the latest.” Natsuna glared at the phone angrily. It had been ringing almost constantly since she had talked with Minako early yesterday. ‘If three’s enemy action, I wonder about over twenty?’ she thought, remembering something Minako had quoted. It rang again, and she picked it up with a sigh. “Mr. Mayor,” Natsuna said respectfully. “Yes, I do know about the plant creatures. Yes sir, we are doing all we can. Actually, sir, Sailor V, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen have been invaluable, as our weapons have very little effect. I’d like to authorize flame throwers...” she started, only to have to hold the phone away from her ear to save it from the volume. “Sir, the enemies are plants! Fire at least can hurt them, unlike our guns. Thank you sir!” “He’s agreed to the flame throwers?” a voice asked from the other side of the room. Natsuna looked up and smiled as Sailor V climbed in the third floor window. “Yes,” Natsuna said, even as she punched two keys on her phone. “Aoi,” she said to her secretary, “I want each squad car equipped with one of the flame throwers we prepared. I’ll be giving guidelines on use in a meeting in half an hour. Got it?” “Hai,” Minako overheard Aoi answer, as Natsuna put the phone down. Natsuna made sure the blinds were down and then walked over to gently hug Sailor V. “How are you?” Natsuna asked her softly. “Tired,” Sailor V admitted. “I and Sailor Moon have been running all over town trying to keep a lid on the emergency. If Tuxedo Kamen wasn’t helping us out, I think we would have been overwhelmed.” “And you were worried about the two of them,” Natsuna teased her gently. “I guess I just don’t want her to get her heart broken,” Sailor V admitted. She smiled wryly, “Usagi wants to talk to you, by the way. She sees you as a mature, mentor type I guess.” “Aren’t you the mentor?” Natsuna asked nervously. ‘I don’t think I’m up to explaining the birds and the bees to Usagi,’ Natsuna thought. “I’m more the overbearing big sister,” she said with a grin. She shook her head, “Usagi tells me Ami ran tests on one of the plant monsters. Apparently it’s got a alien element to it.” “Is she sure?” Natsuna asked, her eyes wide. Then she shook her head, “Of course she’s sure. From what you’ve told me, she’d have to be to say that.” “I’ve got Artemis and Luna trying to recall anything similar from the moon kingdom’s era, but it’s slow going,” Sailor V reported. She leaned in and kissed Natsuna softly. “Rest when you can, love, we can’t afford you burning out.” With that, she was out of the window and gone. “Moon Scepter Halation!” Sailor Moon cried, pointed her scepter and blasted the tree creature to a pile of gray ash. She wavered, exhausted, and Tuxedo Kamen quickly stepped up to take her weight. “Thanks,” she said shakily. “You may have saved my life, that time,” Tuxedo Kamen admitted, looking at three long slashes in her cape. The city park rustled loudly, and they turned together, ready for another battle. One, then two, then finally four of the tree monsters shuffled forward. “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Sailor moon said tiredly, receiving a grim nod from Tuxedo Kamen. She straightened up, and whispered softly to herself, “Once more into the breech, my friends.” But before either of them could act, four white balls flew by their heads, each one striking one of the plant creatures dead center. A liquid splashed, and ice suddenly spread across them, soon sealing them in a icy shell. “What do you know, it actually worked,” a voice said behind them. Sailor Moon turned and Ami smiled at her cheerfully. She wore a white and blue sailor suit like Sailor Moon’s, but with white leggings, and a blue visor across her eyes, concealing the upper part of her face. “You weren’t sure they would work?” the girl beside her said disbelievingly. Her sailor costume had green instead of blue on her suit and a green visor as well. “There’s always some uncertainty in any scientific endeavor,” Ami pointed out to her. “But I was reasonably certain they would.” “Reasonably certain,” the other girl echoed, shaking her head and walking nearer. The girl, who Usagi recognized as Makoto, sweatdropped, then ran forward. “Look out,” Makoto cried, as lightning arced around her hands. She punched the nearest creature as it tried to break free of the ice, and it exploded in a electrical explosion. “Looks like the gloves work,” Makoto said wryly. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen joined in and quickly dealt with the ice encased creatures. Sailor Moon turned to Ami and Makoto and asked “What in the world do you think you were doing? You could have been killed!” “So could you, every day. Besides, it looked like you needed our help,” Makoto pointed out. She smiled slightly, “Sailor Jupiter, at your service.” Ami smiled over to Sailor Moon as well, “Sailor Mercury, ready to help.” Before anything more could be said, before they had any chance to react, a figure dove down from the sky and snatched Tuxedo Kamen! The woman, looking vaguely plant like, ascended quickly, as Sailor Moon and the others ran in pursuit. Tuxedo Kamen struggled in her grip, and she struck her in the head! Mask and hat flew away and Usagi felt her heart stop at the face finally revealed. “Rei?!” Sailor Moon cried, running until her legs collapsed under her. “Rei!!!”
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