As she fully took in the man, the strangeness of him fully set in. And there was something else, an aura of unknown energy coming from him. She couldn't place what it was, and she wasn't certain if what she felt was currently a threat or not.

Rei's crowd-pleasing smile slipped away and she looked at the man with critical eyes, trying to decipher everything about him. His outward appearance was odd enough for a supposed Japanese man, with his height and his almost comical muscular structure. But it was the aura of energy that bothered her most.

She was caught up in staring at Hachiro that she only vaguely recognized the sound of Minako trying to explain to him that they were going out.

She did, however, notice that Hachiro did not take the polite route and allow the girls to leave, and instead began to ask suspicious questions.

When he mentioned the 'strange looking pen', Rei glared at him, throwing away all pretense of charm.

Who was this man?

Minako was quite to retaliate with her own questions, pulling them all into her apartment. Rei had questions of her own, but at the moment, she left the talking to Minako as she tried once more to decipher the strange aura surrounding Hachiro. She was ready for any change in demeanor, and if he proved to be threatening, she wouldn't hesitate to use even greater force to keep him under control.

Hachiro seemed to be backtracking now, putting on a dismissive air, as if he were truly innocent in his questions. Rei didn't buy into it. There had been too many suspicious occurrences within the last few moments, that her radar was already more than set off.

If he did not have that aura of energy, perhaps she would be a little more lenient. Though it was true that she had sensed strange auras on innocent people before. Was she perhaps being too suspicious?

As it was, however, Hachiro made a speedy exit out of the room with one last comment.

A moment of silence passed after Hachiro left. Rei glanced over to Minako. "Well, he was strange," she said, unsure what else to say. "I felt an aura of energy around him, though it was difficult to make out anything other than the fact that it was there."

Rei turned to look to where Hachiro had disappeared to. They didn't have time to deal with this, though a part of her wanted to follow the man and demand answers. But she and Minako had met up for a specific reason, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to learn as much as she could from the crater while there was a minimal amount of people gathered there.

"He's suspicious though. You should be careful with him," Rei continued. "At least we know where he lives, so if we need to go find him again, we'll know where to go."

Rei let out a sigh, crossing her arms, frowning. Why was all of these things happening one after another? It wasn't a coincidence. She had learned to never trust coincidences years ago.

"We'll keep him under our radar. Maybe we could ask Ami to look some information about him." Rei paused. She hoped to spare the others the news of the strange occurrences for as long as possible, but information was incredibly valuable, and Ami was the best person to get it for them. Rei sighed once more, feeling as though the weight of the world was suddenly back upon her shoulders. "Are you ready to go investigate the crater?"

Riiiight. Minako did not buy his backtracking for even a second. His wide-eyed innocent act was too little too late. He’d guessed that she and Rei were going to check out the crater and had zeroed in on her crystal change rod with little effort. And yet the fact that he played dumb now puzzled Minako. What was the point of showing that he knew these things—these specific senshi things—about them as if he was begging to be found out? As if he wanted them to know he wasn’t just who he said he was, but reluctant to just go ahead and say it for some reason? Now he’d suddenly decided that was a bad idea, and despite his earlier attempt to overstay his welcome, he declared that he needed to go.

Minako had to suppress the urge to grab him and pin him down until he told her everything she wanted to know and simply watched him leave. It might be a bad idea to let him go, but her instincts told her it was the right thing to do with such little information. After years of not being senshi, she didn’t want to blow her own cover so easily either to someone she didn’t know. Narrowing her eyes at his warning, she was tempted to ask who exactly they needed to be careful of. Was it him? Was that a friendly reminder or a threat?

After the door closed behind him, Minako turned to look at Rei, eager to know her assessment. Unfortunately, her psychic friend couldn’t offer much for now. “He’s definitely someone to look out for. He said he just moved in, and the weird object hit earth last night. It’s possible they’re connected. He might well have been the stranger I briefly chased after in the dark.” The fact that all this was happening so close to her made her uncomfortable. If Hachiro knew who she was, then maybe he was targeting her and the rest of the girls. But why would he show himself to her first? Usually it was Usagi that was the main point of interest for their enemies. And she certainly was way less observant about these odd things than the other girls would have been.

“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on him,” she agreed. “It’s probably best he lives just down the hall. I want to ask him what’s going on because I’m fairly confident he knows something, but without any idea who he is—ally or enemy—I don’t want to reveal our secret just yet.”

She nodded when Rei suggested asking Ami to look him up. “I doubt his identity is legit, though he may do a good job of faking it. I’ll contact her on the way down,” she said, grabbing her cell phone. She found it, and after a brief hesitation, grabbed her crystal change rod as well. She stuffed it into her pocket but kept the phone on hand. “And now we can go.”

On their way down, Minako was about to dial Ami’s number when her phone began to ring, showing Ami’s name as if they were psychically connected. “Well, that’s convenient,” she muttered, before picking up the call. “Ami! Just the person I was about to call,” she said into the receiver.

Meanwhile, as they arrived downstairs, she walked outside and toward the crater, gesturing at Rei to go ahead and inspect it while she updated Ami on her new neighbor.

It was almost amusing to have Ami call at that moment. Rei was certain there was a joke in there somewhere, something to do with Ami not being the psychic of the group, but she wasn't really in the mood for jokes right now.

Rei left Minako to her phone call, and walked on ahead towards the crater. Even at this distance, her senses tingled from the energy it was emitting. Her body felt tense, as if it was fighting against the truth of it. Surely this was all in her mind. Maybe it wasn't as bad as what she thought. It could happen, right?

As she got closer, there was no denying it. These were the same kinds of energies that Hachiro had been giving off. And that set off all kinds of radars. That Hachiro guy had been suspicious before, but now the whole situation was becoming increasingly more complicated. Questions raced through her mind as she stared down at the broken spaces inside the crater. Who was this Hachiro? What connection did he have with this crater? Due to the strength of the strange energy coming from this crater, perhaps Hachiro had only been near the crater and the energies had clung to him, giving Rei the false sense that they were actually emanating from him.

But that didn't excuse his strange behavior, and the weird things he said.

Rei sighed, her once almost blank gaze now turning into a full glare. Damn this crater, damn that Hachio and damn the whole situation. The whole thing was escalating rapidly, and Rei knew that this was bigger than she wanted it to be. She knew it, though she did not want to admit it. It had been so long since her last fight as a senshi. She was older now, she had more responsibilities.

And her first instinct was to balk against it, to refuse to give in to the cruel reality once again. To refuse to once again spend her time in battle, killing monsters and enduring injuries, all while trying to pretend that she could live a normal life on the side. She didn't want to give up her normal life. She liked the peace and the calm. Couldn't she hang on to it, just a little longer?

But now she was being whiny and a little naive, and there was no reason for that. She was a senshi, powerful and capable, and it would be up to her to keep the world safe once more. And maybe if she was able to deal with this potential new threat, she could keep it from the others, and allow them to remain in their own blissfully peaceful lives for a while longer.

Minako, however, was just as damned in this fate as Rei herself. They both knew far too much to be able to look away now.

Rei glanced over at Minako then. She had such a vibrant life to live, full of music and fans and being famous and loved by everyone. And Rei couldn't help but to think of her own life, with the shrine to care for, and Grandpa, and all of the goals she still wanted to accomplish. It wasn't fair that all of that would be ruined now.

But then, when had their lives ever been fair?

Minako almost felt bad listening to Ami’s explanation about how she’d calculated the most likely locations of the mysterious stranger who arrived in the pod only to tell her, “I think I found him. He’s my new neighbor.” Understandably, Ami was surprised, but Minako admitted it might not be a 100% correct assumption. Although it did seem like the evidence was stacking up against him and the coincidences were one too many. He’d appeared the very next day after the pod crashed, and for some reason he must know or suspect the girls of being senshi. Why he’d chosen to be close to Minako especially, she didn’t know, but she was just glad it wasn’t Usagi.

After asking Ami to research what she could about ‘Hachiro’ though she doubted there would be much to be found—thanks to him also not bothering to give her a last name—Minako ended the call and walked toward Rei. “You look serious,” she commented lightly, trying to make the situation not feel as dire as it seemed. One potential alien on earth, no big deal. Nobody was getting their energy sucked yet, right? Minako made a mental note to pay Naru a visit. It had been years since the girls had seen her, but if there was a new enemy, they’d be sure to feel drawn to her as if she were a magnet. Minako didn’t know what it was about her, maybe her energy was extra special or something. Just a perk of being one of Usagi’s closest friends.

“So, did you get anything?” she asked, eager to hear what explanations Rei could give about the pod. She’d asked Ami to come as soon as possible so she could analyze the material and everything with her computer, too, before the police took away all that remained and put it in some top secret government facility. As she noticed people’s glances toward her, she wished she’d remembered to bring a hat or something. She was not used to disguising or hiding herself these days. It was the spotlight she craved, after all. There had been no reason to hide anymore. But now that she was famous, it made investigating impossible. People would remember seeing an idol lurking around crime scenes and she’d end up in some gossip tabloid in no time at all.

Minako sighed and turned her back on them, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. “Just for the record, this sucks.”

While the girls were busy with their investigation of the crater something was investigating them.
Hanging off the sides of one of the buildings and hiding in their shadows were big and armored creatures, creatures that were giving off strange negative energies.

“Gu’tung oo ba’ling, Venus anx Mars.” There they are, Venus and Mars; one of the creatures said in a very low, deep and guttural voice.
“Ja binx zu’ulu caleen.” We should kill them now, “To’thun a’bree” while they are distracted.

“Kun.” No, said another larger and more heavily armored creature, he was clearly the leader of the group. “Go’thunex tee.” Wait a while. “Ta’lan gu’zen re’benzi’i eelong to’long.” This is a great moment for us; “Ja gon’zea’lon to’uthu anx jaling’i du.” We must take our time and enjoy this. “O’shar o’loomzu tu’sazum mi’lon to.” I wish to see the fear in their eyes “Zah’ling to’too o’sharlum ju’koon bann.” When they realize they are about to die.

The creatures then activated their cloaking devices, turning them all invisible. Once that was done their highly negative energies vanished as well, almost as if the invisibility was shielding the energy.

Meanwhile, Hachiro was listening in on Minako and Ami’s phone call. “Dammit, guess there’s no point in hiding anymore.” He was observing the two girls out his window, but out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw something, something that he has seen far too many times. “I was wondering when they might show up.” He closed the curtains on the window and headed for the door.

Usagi walked through the door to the house that Mamoru and her shared. She had just got back from a day of shopping for the perfect wedding dress and accessories. Though most wouldn't call trying on every dress in the store because it was pretty and sparkly shopping. She slipped off her shoes by the door and walked over to the couch. Her stomach growled as she flipped on the television.

There was a huge crater left over by something. The news reporter said it was a meteor that was shaped like a egg?? The events that happened before it crashed down seemed rather strange to Usagi. Blue lightning? Exploding cars? Things like that don't actually exist, right? She continued to listen, but was growing more and more anxious by the minute. It couldn't be happening again go it? They defeated all the evil...it can't come back. It just can't.

No matter how many times Usagi told herself it couldn't be the work of something ominous, she couldn't shake the feeling out of her body. Something was wrong. She didn't know what, how, or why she thought so. There was just no reasonable explanation for the events that occurred. Wait...was that by..Mina's house? Usagi quickly grabbed her phone and dialed her number, worry and fear flooding through her body.

OOC:

Haruka groaned as she lifted the last box into her new apartment. While she still had her senshi strength so the actual act of moving the boxes didn’t drain her, or bother her, she just really hated the process of moving. It was never any fun and such a repetitive process. Put items in the box, move the box into the truck, unload the box, unpack the item. It bored the outer senshi nearly to tears.  At least she was done bringing in the few boxes of her possessions. Now she could relax for a bit.


The outer senshi had decided to put her racing career on hold when she kept hearing whispering in the winds about a potential new threat cropping up in Tokyo. She was a soldier and she knew her duty; to protect the universe from threats and to make sure her Princess was protected and lived a happy and full life. That meant giving up her career if the situation required it. She wouldn’t be happy if she had to, she loved racing and was enjoying being a professional racer, but she had made a commitment a long time ago that her duties as a senshi and her duty to the Princess came first. She supposed she should contact some of the inner senshi in the morning, and see if they had any information about what was going on, for now, it was time to get some food. Grabbing her keys, she smiled to herself, decided which of her favourite restaurants she could hit up.

While the Super Computer finished calculating the rest of the information, Ami began various portions of her evening ritual. Periodically checking the progress of the Super Computer, the blue-haired woman quickly prepared and consumed a meal. A loud, short beep alerted her to the completion of the Super Computer's task just as she placed the first bite in her mouth. Bringing the bowl of food with her, Ami grabbed the Super Computer and reviewed the final information. A small pool of anxiety began to bubble in her stomach when she saw the man's estimated geographical location and the conclusions of her computer's work. The estimate covered a significant geographical area, but it was clear which of the women were closest to that area.

Pushing the bowl aside and quickly reaching for her phone, Ami called for Minako. The night had advanced quickly, so there was a possibility that the blonde would not be able to answer. But, old habits died hard, even in peaceful times. Unless she was preoccupied with more pressing matters, Minako was likely to answer a call from Ami this late at night.

As suspected, if not hoped, Minako did answer her cell phone. After a short hello, Ami began to tell what information she knew, including her suspicions about the man's current location. Encouraging her Super Computer to perform an update of the information, Ami confirmed that Minako already knew the basics of the situation at hand, such as the large crater near Minako's home. Then, she said "Minako, based upon an estimation of his current geographical location, the man who inhabited the craft that landed near your home is still within the vicinity."

Of course, Minako never ceased to surprise. The man from the egg-shaped craft? He was likely Minako's neighbor, which, if anything, meant tracking him would prove easier than Ami had first suspected. Ami was silent for a moment as she processed the unlikely information, then Ami promised that she would find more information about the stranger, but only if Minako promised that she would be safe.

With a sign, Ami hung up the phone with a sense of unease. With only one thing left to do that night, call Makoto and tell her the same information, she could only wonder if this had been the last time they could enjoy peace.

Ami dialed Makoto's phone number to tell her the news. After the conversation ended, she slept, but the dreams were no longer as peaceful.

The creatures were still cloaked and were still watching Minako and Rei from the buildings around them.
“Gah’tongu so’zu bak, ti’sulu bokin.” Monitoring all electronic transmissions from the girls, one of them said. “Kule’tong do’bun e kon a’brix.” They have no idea that we are here. The group of eight aliens had been watching the two girls and had been listening in on all their phone conversations.
“Zu’le jo go to’tun” Why are we sitting here? One of the aliens said in annoyance, “Go’tun wi ke’lik ja’gut’si!” We could easily kill them now! The alien began to climb down from the building it was on but was stopped by the leader of the group who placed his arm in front to stop him.
“Kun… Go’tun ex’ti… So’zu ko’zo.” No… Not yet… He’s here. “Ja’guchi ni po’tung i’long, bu’ri ti o’shu’zuke lo’ka.” He would kill us in an instant; we must wait for him to leave.”
 

The man made his way all around the area in search of the aliens, he was also cloaked so he would not be detected, though his cloaking technology was slightly inferior to that of the aliens, so he was fairly easier to spot than the aliens but it would still take some concentration to spot the distortion in the shape of his body. Also the cloaking did not totally hide his energy signature like the aliens, so he was a bit nervous that Rei would detect him or their friend Ami would find him on a computer.

Minako was still waiting for Rei’s answer when her phone started beeping again. She checked the caller ID and nearly swore. “Crap. It’s Usagi. I hope she hasn’t noticed anything and is only about to invite me for ice cream or more wedding planning.” She took a deep breath, composed her voice to be as cheerful as she could manage, and answered the call. “Usagi-chan!” she said brightly, as if everything was alright in the world. “What’s up? Did you need me to go bridesmaid dress shopping with you? Because if you try to put us on ugly dresses, I will never forgive you for as long as the thousands of years we might spend in Crystal Tokyo.”

Minako winked at Rei, though her insides were churning. Here she was, standing in the middle of a suspicious scene that could potentially mean enemies were after them again—after Usagi—and she had to pretend that their lives were still as peaceful as possible. She hated every second of it, already hated whoever the person was that was trying to disrupt their lives this time. Didn’t they deserve peace? Hadn’t they fought long enough? Minako thought that they were finally getting the rewards they were owed when years had passed with nothing out of this world trying to attack earth. They had defeated the most powerful senshi in the galaxy, for goodness’ sake. What else did the universe want from them? Who else could be coming after them?

She had half a mind to march back upstairs and choke all the answers out of her new neighbor.

Haruka growled as she paced her apartment. Not only had the evil she'd been sensing getting stronger, now she was starting to hear whispers on the wind. She knew that she needed to get into contact with the Inner Senshi and see if they knew anything. She had only been back for a few days, and she had yet to turn up anything conclusive, and it was beginning to annoy her. She debated if she should call Buns head or if she should perhaps try one of the other Inners. There's no need to worry the princess if I'm wrong, she mused. The question was, which one was she to contact?

If there was something afoot, it was likely that all the girls knew about it by now, or at least some of them. Whomever found out first would most likely bring Ami-chan into it, needing her super computer and her analyzing abilities. And if Ami-chan knew, it would be safe to say that Minako-chan probably knew. With that in mind, she picked up her communicator, something she hadn't needed to use in years, and pressed the button for Minako-chan's line, praying that this still worked.

Rei had been so lost in her own thoughts, that she barely heard Minako's question. A part of her registered Minako's voice, but she was too far into her own head that she didn't bother to answer right away. A million different thoughts were racing in her mind, and it was hard to focus on anything else.

However, when Minako's phone rang once again, the chiming tune cut through her thoughts like a knife, and Rei looked over to Minako then, back in the here and now.

At Minako's statement of the caller being Usagi, Rei frowned, but said nothing as Minako answered the call in a bright and cheerful voice.

Surely Usagi hadn't noticed anything. She was barely able to think of anything at all except for that of her upcoming wedding. Usagi was not always the most perceptive, either. It was Ami and Makoto that Rei had worried about most, but perhaps Usagi was about to surprise them all.

But Rei hoped against that. If anyone deserved to have as much time care-free and happy as possible, it was Usagi.

And seeing her smile just for a little longer would be enough for the rest of the senshi to work even harder.

Rei continued to use her senses to try and pick up any other feelings from her surroundings, but she made sure not to lose herself to it this time, and continued to listen to Minako's conversation with Usagi.

All while hoping that Usagi still remained in the dark. Even if just for a little longer.

Usagi sat impatiently as the phone's dial tone chimed in her ear. Why wasn't she answering? Was she just busy? Hurt? A million thoughts ran through Usagi's mind. She knew that maybe they weren't all as close as they once were, but she was still concerned for them all. She breathed a sigh of relief as she finally heard Mina's voice on the other end.

"They're not ugly!" Exclaimed Usagi defensively. "You just don't have the same sense of style as me! They're beautiful! No, I called to see if you were okay. I saw this thing on the news about some meteor like egg shaped thingy landing near your house and I was concerned. So I wanted to call and make sure you were alright."

Usagi smiled slightly, despite the circumstances. She missed hearing Mina's voice and talking to her, though she wished the call was for different reasons. She glanced back over at the television, where the news reporter was still talking about the thing that crashed in to the Earth. What was it? She knew that meteors came hurling down sometimes and that it was normal, but shaped like an egg? Exploding cars with blue lightning? It just didn't sound normal. Meteors were pieces of rocks, how could they cause such a strange phenomenon? Usagi tried to clear her thoughts and nerves, though without success. There was nothing she could do at the moment, but back sure that her friend was safe.

Minako couldn’t help but laugh at Usagi’s tone. No doubt her friend was pouting on the other end. Despite what they were facing, she still had to smile every time she talked to Usagi. That was her special brand of Usagi magic. And that was also the reason why Minako wanted her to get her happily ever after, without having to worry about anything else in the world. “Please, Usagi, do you know who you’re talking to? Goddess of beauty and international celebrity slash pop star? If anyone knows style, it’s me.”

She bristled when she heard Usagi mentioning seeing the news. “Since when do you even pay attention to the news?” she asked, almost dejectedly. Usagi was supposed to be happy and oblivious and trapped in soon-to-be-married bliss. Why wasn’t Mamoru keeping her properly occupied? How could she possibly have time to watch the news?? Once again, Minako made a mental note to have a serious conversation with Mamoru.

“I’m fine, though, don’t worry. Yeah, it’s a freak accident. It might just be, uh… a small meteor or something. Probably nothing. I bet they’re investigating it right now.” She took a deep breath. “Listen, why don’t we meet somewhere soon if you’re not busy? I could help you out with the wedding planning, and we can hang out like old times.” Minako hoped she would have time for this, but clearly someone more competent needed to be distracting Usagi.

At the same time, something beeped inside her pocket, and she frantically looked for it. What the hell was that? Oh, it was her old communicator. She hadn’t used it for so long. Peering at it, Minako was surprised to see it was Haruka trying to get in contact with her. She pressed the button while still on the line with Usagi, covering the phone’s receiver with one hand so Usagi wouldn’t hear. “Hey, Haruka-san! Wow, it has been a while! What is it? And why are you using this… thing?” she asked, even as dread filled her. The communicator was for official senshi business. And something told her this definitely wasn’t a social call.

The alien squad remained clinging to the side of the building, their invisibility still in effect.
"I grow tired of listening to their petty radio calls." Said one of the aliens. "When are we going to strike?" Another commented. The leader of the group glared at the two Senshi and growled in a low tone "Jam their transmissions. It is time to strike." One of the aliens reached behind him and took out a small device that he placed on the wall of the building and pressed a button on it that sent an EMP wave all throughout the city and jamming all electronic communication devices.
Once they did this, their cloaking began to malfunction a bit, causing short and sudden electronic pulses around them in the form of some sparks emanating from their position, and from time to time the aliens would become visible for a second.

"Don't you get like fashion people to pick out the outfits you wear? So technically, they're the ones with style, not you?" Teased Usagi. She missed talking with Minako, they had always got along really well. They could play fight and tease each other all they wanted, but they knew that the other one would always be there if they were needed. It was a special bond that they had. It was then that she realized she hadn't seen Mina in a really long time, or any of the other girls for that matter. As soon as Minako mentioned hanging out to discuss wedding details, all worries left her mind.

"Yes!! I'd love to get together and go over wedding details! There's still so many things I need to choose! A beautiful wedding gown that will make Mamoru's heart stop the second he sees me. Oh! And the cake!! The delicious moist cake! We should go taste testing together!!!" She knew Mina loved sweets almost as much as she did. If they were going to talk and bond, why not do it over some amazing cake?!

She waited for the other blonde to answer, though it seemed like it was taking awhile. Maybe she was debating? After all, she is a famous pop star now. She's got to watch her weight and all that. But it's caaaaake! No one can turn down cake!!!

“I wish I could say that I was making a social call Minako-san, but I can’t,” Haruka answered. “I came back to Tokyo. The winds are whispering of a new threat and they are never wrong. What’s going on here?” A small part of Haruka was still hoping that the winds would prove to be wrong, that she could go back and could resume her racing career. The larger part of her knew that the winds were never wrong, and it was time to resume her place as her Princess and Future Queen’s loyal solider, to protect her from any evil that may come her way.

“Are you one the phone with someone,” she asked, hearing what sounded like muffled talking in the background.

“No, silly. I pick my own outfits,” Minako replied haughtily. Sure, she had a stylist, but that was just a formality. She preferred to be in control over her own appearances. Listening to Usagi’s excitement and her rambling on and on about the wedding details made Minako smile. Her friend truly had never changed. If there was someone she could count on to always be the same, it would be Usagi. “Cake and gown sounds right up my alley,” she said sincerely.

When she switched to Haruka, Minako had to roll her eyes at her whole the-wind-told-me-stuff thing. Guess some things never change with her too. Unfortunately, the wind was too right. And honestly? She didn’t like the sound of ‘new threat’. If that was true, then this whole meteor thing might be impossible to keep from Usagi for much longer.

“Yes, I’m on the phone with Usagi. And there’s this new meteor that crashed in front of my apartment…”

That was when the connection started dying. “Haruka-san? Usagi-chan?” Minako spoke to both the phone and communicator at once. The phone went dead, but the communicator, being not entirely an Earthen device, merely malfunctioned a little. The connection started breaking up. “Haruka? Come here if you could! My apartment!” she yelled into it, not sure how much of the message Haruka was getting.

After it went dead, she looked around. Everyone else around her also seemed to be looking at their phones quizzically. Electronic billboards died. Shop lights were turned off. So it wasn’t just her. Was power out everywhere?

“Something’s wrong,” she said to Rei. She noticed sparks coming from a spot nearby, and focused there. When she saw what definitely looked like alien creatures, she gasped. They blinked in and out of view, but she knew she hadn’t mistaken them for something else. “Rei!” she grabbed her friend’s arm and nodded at the creatures. “Damn it, we can’t transform right here in the open.”

The leader of the group focused in on Minako, she'd seen them, and at that exact time, the aliens cloaking failed, revealing twenty other-worlds creatures.
The leader looked around and so did the others. "I thought you upgraded the cloaks!" he yelled at one of the aliens. "Well I guess the EMP shorted them out... Heh heh..." The groups leader roared in anger and grabbed the alien by the head and threw him at the ground. "Gora'shii!" Attack, the alien yelled in its native language. At that time, all the aliens lunged from the building, some landing on cars, which completely crushed them, and others on the road and sidewalk, leaving very large cracks.

People everywhere began to scream and panic as the giant, eight foot tall creatures stood up. There was so,etching different about these things, they weren't the usual aliens the scouts had fought, it looked as if they were wearing some sort of highly advanced electronic armor, they also bore a strange insignia on their helmets, which was just a large and very dark black dot. They also appeared to posses weapons, actual guns and bullet weapons, not the usual form of attack by former sailor senshi enemies. The aliens also had a strange figure, humanoid and reptilian structure and four large hinged mandibles with conical teeth where their mouth should be.

Their weapons, unlike anything ever seem on Earth. They all had green and blue glows, like some sort of energy was the source of the guns ammunition.
The aliens ignored the screaming people and focused all their attention on Minako and Rei.
"Destroy the senshi!" The leader of the group yelled as the rest of the aliens began foreign their weapons at the girls, with the intent to kill them.

Haruka waited as patiently as she could as she heard Minako talk about clothes? Really? Who in the world was she talking to? Ah, Usagi, that made more sense. “A new meteor you say?” she was about to ask for more information about the meteor that had landed in front of Mina’s apartment went she heard the other girl yell, calling both her name and Usagi’s. She could hear the static on the communicator and that worried her. She had never once seen the communicator malfunctioned. It worked in all sorts of circumstances where earth technology would not or could not work.

“Haruka? Come here if you could! My apartment!” she heard Mina’s voice ring just before the communicator went dead. Making sure that she had her transformation pen on her, she grabbed her helmet for her bike and ran out of the door of her apartment and down the stairs to the parking garage. Hold on Minako, I’m coming. she thought. What were they facing that seemed to have the leader of the inner senshi so worried?

The sound of the small Super Computer beeping continuously roused Ami from her exhausted sleep.  She jumped, slipping off of her leather couch and landing on the carpet with a thump.  With a groan, she sat up, suddenly realizing that the beeping noise was from her computer.  She had left it running overnight, in case anything happened while she was asleep.  She had made a wise decision, evidently.  A giant red circle covered the entire area of Minako's street, showing that malevolent energy was being released from the spot.  Ami's eyes expanded to the size of saucers as realization hit her like a brick wall.

They were under attack.

Scrambling to her feet, Ami raced to the glass case she kept her Crystal Change Rod stored in.  She gently opened the lid and lifted the rod put of its cushion, spinning it in her hand before snatching her cell phone and rushing out the door.  Dressed in sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, she sprinted out of her apartment building and down towards where she knew Minako's home was.  Her arms and legs pumped faster than they ever had before.  Despite her years of relaxation from senshi training, having to stand in surgery for hours on end boosted Ami's strength, resolve, and stamina.  

She bit her lip, wondering if she should have called Makoto.  Thinking about her close friend caused a pang of longing to wrench through her body.  She needed the senshi of courage's support, there was no doubt about it.  She pressed the speed-dial button for Makoto's number, getting her voicemail.  "Mako-chan," Ami breathed, not pausing in her sprint, "I need you outside Minako-chan's apartment.  Please, hurry if you can!"  She hung up and slipped the phone in her pocket, seeing Minako's apartment building down the street.  

The bluenette skidded to a stop, staring wide-eyed at the chaos before her.  They were under attack, no doubt about that.  Ami cursed, realizing she had left her Super Computer back home.  She would have to use her visor to scan the enemies that were all over the place.  

Her blue eyes landed on Minako and Rei, who were standing next to a huge crater.  Not taking the time for any further analyzing, Ami ran to their side.  "I've called Makoto," she said loudly, clenching her transformation item in her hand.  "Ready?"

She was almost taken aback by her boldness.  Her time working at the hospital must have seriously affected her ability to lead.  The adrenaline coursing through her body was pushing her to act on impulse.  It had been far too long since she had been Sailor Mercury, and the excitement mixed with her nerves was impacting her ability to stop and think.  

'Breathe, Ami.'

It seemed as if the creatures realized they’d been spotted, and then as one, they dropped what little cloaking ability they had. Minako stepped back in shock as she realized the sheer number of them. When they all jumped to the ground, all the civilians screamed in horror and scattered. “What in the world…?” Never had in her wildest dreams she imagined being ambushed by this many creatures at once. It just never happened before. Youma didn’t generally attack in numbers, which now ironically puzzled her, because this clearly was an effective use of them. Then again, maybe none of their old enemies had this many resources. Which just made her all the more worried about what it was they were facing now.

These creatures definitely seemed alien-like, but they weren’t monsters. They looked more… technological. They were tall and armored and brandishing guns of all things. Another reason to be alarmed. Magical attacks she was used to fending off, but bullets? Not to mention technology-advanced bullets? They might’ve bitten more than they can chew this time.

But hell if she was going to run away and let these creatures run amok in the city. She was still a senshi, and it was still her duty to protect everyone. Now that all the civilians were gone and with the quickly escalating threat level, she figured the concern of secret identities didn’t really matter. Besides, these aliens seemed to have specifically targeted her and Rei, which meant they already knew who they were anyway. It was further confirmed when they ignored all the other people around—another unusual enemy behavior, she noted—and actually called them ‘senshi’.

This is bad. Very very bad.

And then suddenly Ami was there. “Ami-chan?!” she blinked in surprise. “How…?” But she immediately decided to save the questions for later. It didn’t matter how. They had more pressing issues. And she was glad to hear that Ami had called Mako. They needed as much back up as they could get. Again, she worried about Usagi. Hopefully no one had gone after her, wherever she was.

Surprised by Ami’s quick readiness and take charge attitude, Minako smiled at her friend. She’d doubted that Ami of all people could go back into battle easily, but maybe she’d underestimated her. “Always,” she said, then held up her Crystal Change Rod. “Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!”

In a blink of an eye she had transformed, and her mind was still reeling from the implications of this situation. Whoever these enemies were, their target was clear: kill the senshi. They didn’t want energy or any other objects they usually sought from the general population. But why? What grudge did they have against the senshi? She had never even seen them before.

And with all that armor and technology, could they be destroyed with magic?

Guess she would soon find out. “Venus Love and Beauty Shock!” she called out, spreading a deadly burst of light and energy toward a wide area filled with the creatures.

Damn it, if this ruins my career, someone is really going to pay.

Mako was having a pretty good morning. Her bakery-slash-flower shop was thriving, and as usual, it got pretty busy in the morning with people dropping by for breakfast-to-go. She was busy serving them when Ami’s call came, which was why she completely missed it. When a lull between customers finally came after she helped a nervous young man pick some flowers for his anniversary with his girlfriend—which truly warmed her heart and put her in an even better mood—Mako finally checked her phone and saw a voicemail. Immediately concerned, especially because of last night’s discussions with Ami, she listened to it. Her heart jumped when she heard Ami’s voice, trying to sound calm but with a clear urgent tone.

Was something happening?! Dreading what she might find if she came too late, she quickly grabbed her store manager, nearly giving her a heart attack. “Yukiko-san! Can you take care of things here for a while? I have an emergency,” she said hurriedly, already taking off her apron. “Of course, Makoto-san, but is everything alright?” Yukiko asked in bewilderment.

“I don’t know. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Mako was about to rush out from her shop when she remembered one very important item. She rushed up to her apartment—conveniently located above the shop—and opened her cabinet. She fished a key dangling under her shirt and inserted it into a locked drawer. When she pulled it open, her Crystal Change Rod was there, gleaming green as if it had been waiting for her all this time. Mako grabbed it and dashed back down without hesitation.

It felt strange but also good to be holding her transformation item again. It had been so long… she should be rusty, and she should not miss this. But right now she only worried for her friends’ safety, worried about Ami’s urgency, and beneath everything else, if she could stop and admit it, she would say that she missed the unity and closeness they had when they were senshi, too. And maybe this crisis gave her a little bit of hope for the good old days. Mako had missed everyone terribly and their separation probably hit her the hardest, aside from Usagi.

When she finally reached Minako’s apartment, she yelled in surprise at the situation on the street outside. It was cleared of people except for about two dozen strange looking creatures, and in the midst of it stood her friends. Mako transformed as she ran, the words seeming foreign and familiar at the same time. “Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!”

She rushed to Ami’s side as Sailor Jupiter, ready to protect her and everyone else. “What’s going on here?” she did a quick head count, naturally looking for the one person she always had to account for. “Where’s Usagi?”

"Great! Sounds like a plan!!! What day should we meet up to do it?" Usagi was excited! She hadn't seen Mina in ages and she would also get cake! Delicious, soft, sweet cake! The smile on her face grew even wider at the the thought of shoving down different varieties of cakes without being judged. After all, a bride must taste test her cake before it's made!

"Mina? I think your service is failing it's getting very static-y. Mi...na?" Worry sunk in upon hearing even more static and then the line going dead. She didn't know why, connections got messed up all the time, but something didn't feel right. She looked at the clock on the wall.

'It's only about 4pm, if I leave now I can catch a bus to Mina's.' Thought Usagi to herself. Without hesitation she got up, grabbed her jacket and left the apartment. She needed to make sure everything was okay in person, not just Mina saying everything is alright. She still didn't believe that nothing was wrong. The way that thing fell from the sky...it wasn't normal.

Usagi walked down the cracked sidewalks to the bus stop, lost in her own thoughts. She got on the bus and sat near the back. Hopefully no one would bother her there. Soon she'd be at Mina's house and she would be able to see that her friend is alright and there's nothing to worry about. Then they can pick a day to go dress shopping and cake tasting.

'It'll be great and everything will be fine!' Thought Usagi, though even as she said it she didn't even believe herself.

Haruka snarled as she hit a traffic jam. Now was not the time for this! She angled her bike towards the side walk and gunned it. Part of her felt bad that people were having to dive out of her way, but she didn’t have the time to wait. She needed to get to Minako’s place now not in three hours and if they were being attacked, she could guarantee that the traffic wasn’t going to go anywhere. Coming to Minako’s apartment complex, she slowed her bike down and parked it behind the building.

“Uranus Crystal power, Make Up!” she called out quietly, her transformation wand in her hand. She snuck around the building to where she heard the commotion coming from. She hide behind a bush in order to assess the situation without being seen.

Uranus could feel her eyes widen in shock when she saw the sheer amount of creatures there were. Never had she seen this many before at one time. Their numbers meant that whatever they were, they were highly organized. Using the speed granted to her by the wind, she moved to a better angle in order for her to attack.

With the closer vantage point, Uranus was able to get a better look at the enemy. They appeared to be technological rather than organic. This entire situation was getting weirder by the moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the inner senshi. She watched as Venus’s attacked and watched as it was completely ineffective.

She needed to distract the enemy so she could get over there. They were stronger as a united group rather than split up. Stepping out in front of the bush she had hidden behind, Uranus allowed the energy to gather in her hand as she raised her arm above her head. Slamming it down to the ground, she called out “World Shaking,” hurtling the attack into the midst of the group.

The attack, like Venus's attempt, was useless and only managed to knock a few of the aliens off balance. Immediately the creatures took notice of Uranus and one of them moved to engage her by turning on its cloaking device and appearing right behind her, while the others turned their attention back to the others, "your pathetic sneak attacks will not work against us!" The alien rushed one of its large, four fingered fists into the Senshi's face before holding her up and throwing her at the other Senshi. The creatures were smart, smart enough to make intelligent speech and smart enough to know things like sneak attacks, smarter than other enemies the Senshi had fought, it was like these creatures were an actual intelligent civilization and not monsters that simply appeared out of nowhere.

Ami followed the lead of her friends, raising her transformation stick into the air and shouting, "Mercury Crystal Power, Make-Up!" In a flurry of magical blue light, Sailor Mercury stood in Ami's place. She leaped back and watched as her friends took action, immediately beginning an assault against the enemies. "No introductory speech? Okay..." Ami said to herself, shaking her head. Yeah, things had definitely changed. At the same time, they weren't teenagers anymore. They were mature, sophisticated adults with dreams, careers, and futures. Perhaps an introductory speech was not in the job description anymore.

Letting the other senshi take over the hardcore work, Sailor Mercury stayed away from the fight, pressing her earring and letting her visor scan the new enemies while she typed away on her laptop. The attacks from her friends appeared on the screen, showing a mass amount of energy reflecting from the enemies that completely blocked the senshi's attacks. The computer and the visor were collaborating, working hard to try and find some sort of weakness or opening in these mechanism's defenses. But there was none.

Deciding to take a new approach, Mercury took the data her computer had on each of her friends and set it up against the readings the computer was getting from the alien-like creatures. The computer beeped, sending chills down Sailor Mercury's spine.

CHANCE OF VICTORY: 0%

The bluenette's mouth fell open. None of the senshi had a chance of beating these guys, not even the outers, or all of them combined. There powers just weren't strong enough.

Was this it? Was this the end?

Tears filled Mercury's eyes as she pressed her earring again, causing her visor to disappear. She was about to shut her computer when it beeped again, bringing her blue eyes back to the screen. Another dot appeared on the radar, the color of yellow. Sailor Uranus?

Sailor Mercury looked up, her eyes immediately finding the senshi of wind. Minako must have called her, she thought.

Her eyes widened as Sailor Uranus was thrown at the others, and things were getting more and more out of hand. There was no way out, no way to defeat them.

But perhaps there was a way to distract them.

Channeling the energy that had so long been dormant, Sailor Mercury shouted, "Mercury Aqua Mist!" Thick, foggy mist escaped her fingertips at an extremely fast pace, engulfing everyone in the area.

Rei remained quiet as she listened to Minako's side of her phone conversations. It was a little amusing that she was having to go with both at once, but Minako was handling it pretty well. It was probably because she was able to ramble on a mile a minute.

A prickle of uneasyness cut through those thoughts, erasing all amusement in an instant. She noticed people beginning to look confusedly at their phones, and signs flickered for a moment before going dark. There was a strange feeling in the air, and Rei focused, looking from side to side to see if she could spot any clues.

It wasn't entirely necessary for Minako to tell her that something was wrong, but at least they were on the same page as they used to be. Time away hadn't changed that, it seemed.

When Minako grabbed her arm, Rei noticed the strange creatures as well. A new enemy? It felt like the worst possible outcome, but she couldn't deny that this must be what was happening. They would have to fight, once again.

But Minako was right. They couldn't transform here, there were far too many people around.

And soon, there were far too many enemies as well. They looked different than anything the senshi had faced before. They all wore similarly advanced technological suits of armor. How much protection would those give the creatures? Their weapons looked dangerous and deadly. It was a stark difference from what Rei was used to seeing from their enemies. Guns were such a human thing, something for movies and tv shows. Would her own powers be able to fend off such a weapon?

The addition of Ami to their small gathered group was a surprise, but a welcomed one. Rei sent a small smile towards the other girl, but quickly turned her attention back to their enemies. The civilians had run away, and it seemed safe to transform, and the quicker, the better.

Following Minako's lead, Rei held up her Crystal Change Rod. "Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!"

It felt both uncomfortable and like coming home, as she stood transformed. Sailor Mars was back, as were the rest of the senshi. These new enemies didn't know what they were getting theirselves into.

"Burning Mandala!" The rings of fire circled around her before being directed straight towards the nearest enemy, but the attack did nothing. Some blue kind of shield was blocking incoming attacks.

Mars' mind began to race, trying to think of some other tactic that would be useful against these creatures. If magical attacks were uneffective, what else did they have in their own arsenal to defeat the aliens?

Jupiter and Uranus had now joined them, and then the aliens began to speak of wanting the moon princess. As they spoke more and more, it only angered Mars further. There was no way she would let these creatures get anywhere near Usagi.

She summoned a new attack, and a bow of dancing fire appeared in her hand. Pulling the flame arrow back, she yelled, "Mars Flame Sniper!" She didn't know if this attack would do anything, but she wasn't going to sit around and do nothing, and the Flame Sniper was her strongest attack. It had to work. Right?

The aliens grew increasingly unimpressed with the Senshi's attacks and when Mars's flame sniper simply bounced off one of them they began to grow impatient to end the fight. "The fight as only just begun and already I grow tired of it..." One of the aliens said in a deep growl as the Senshi's attacks failed. "As do I, let us finish this." Commented the leader who pulled out several small objects. The creature flicked its hand and the objects began to flicker and beep as he threw them at the Senshi landing in front of them. They were grenades, not grenades that simply explode, these grenades were meant to paralyze anyone caught in its blast radius, making the aliens goal easier to achieve.

Hachiro, the strange man who had arrived not long ago was preparing to engage the aliens, he would have arrived sooner but the sudden EMP burst caused all his equipment to die. But now he has deactivated it and was watching the battle from the roof of Minako's apartment building, he, like the aliens, was using a cloaking device to hide himself, but due to the cloak still being effected by the EMP, would flicker from time to time, revealing himself to anyone that was around. Also, his energy that he unknowingly emitted that could easily be picked up by Rei or Ami's computer, was all over the place, though the aliens were a little too busy to notice. The reasoning for the man watching instead of helping was to obverse the Senshi's fighting abilities, but now he was rethinking the decision to watch as he saw Uranus get tossed by one of the creatures and Venus's and Mars's attacks fail.