Title: SIU - The Sailor Investigation Unit Part 36
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)
Email: ayanami@merlin.net.au
ICQ: 9845111
IRC: DDFA on DALnet #AJAS
Fic Rating: PG-15 (Some Violence)

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S.I.U. - The Sailor Investigation Unit
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME (Mark A Page)

Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon and Silent Mobius are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Kia
Asamiya, Michitaka Kikuchi, Bandai, Studio Tron, Kadokawa and 
Kodansya.  All other characters were thought up by me.

Part Thirtysix
Last Train to Nemesis

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	There were rumblings of thunder as Martin Fitchner opened his
eyes, to find that the world was no brighter than when he had closed
them.  The cumulative effects of alcohol consumption over the period
of a night were such that, despite the immense desire to just 
collapse and fall asleep, sleep was the last thing he was capable of
achieving.

	It had always been that way.  The disturbance the chemical 
would cause to his mind, due to its unorthodox, and damaging, method
of affecting the brain, wouldn't allow him the blessed void that he
so desired.  And right now, it was making him feel rather nauseous.

	Tumbling out of bed, he scrambled across his bedroom floor,
through the doorway, across the hall and into the small bathroom, 
where the lavatory was situated.  It was sods law that he had 
anything left in his stomach to deposit there, but the action not 
only made him feel immeasurably better, it also succeeded in 
clearing his mind.

	After ten minutes of leaning against the toilet bowl, 
recovering, he flushed it and stood, stepping over to the bathroom
sink, where he turned on the cold tap and splashed water into his
face.  Several times.  He considered whether to turn on the mirror
light, set above the sink, but decided that the sudden burst of 
light would, right now, send him scampering back for the bowl, so he
leaned on the sink, staring at himself in the mirror in the pale 
glow of streetlight, gently flowing through the bathroom window.


	Getting so old, now, he thought to himself.  His once-noble
features were worryworn and lined beyond repair.  He'd not been 
overly good-looking as a young man, but he had been very 
distinctive.  Nobody could mistake him for someone else.  How had
he come to be in such a state?

	He placed a hand against his face, running it along the 
bristly, unshaven surface.  He closed his eyes and shivered, thought
not from the cold.  He felt hot.  Extremely hot, his body radiating
a great deal of heat into the cold air.  No, it wasn't the cold that
made him shiver.  It was all the years that had disappeared, in his
search for his daughter.  All those years, vanishing as if they were
nothing.  The older he got, the less a year seemed to be.  Time's
importance had dissipated before his eyes, and so had the increase
in wear against his body.

	It was too much to think about for him at that moment, and he
turned, shuffling back out of the bathroom, making his way back 
towards the inviting folds of his bed.  And he paused, when he 
noticed that there was someone standing in the darkness of the 
bedroom.

	For one insane moment, he thought it was Michelle.  The figure
certainly fitted Michelle's physical stature and body shape.  At 
least, that he could remember.  The slightly curled, shoulder-length
hair could also have been hers, give or take some styling.  It was 
too much for him to expect, however, and he backed up towards the 
doorway as the figure turned to face him.  Even within the darkness,
he could see it was not her face.

	"Martin Fitchner, I presume?"  The husky voice, in an accented
english, crossed the room with something akin to a physical wave.  
He could feel an almost energetic presence in the sound that the 
young woman made.  He could also smell a kind of perfume....  Sweet
and sharp, at the same time.  It almost made him turn from the 
figure, trying not to let the perfume overcome him.

	"Who are you?"  He said in a hoarse whisper.  The woman closed
her eyes, shaking her head, and turning towards the bedroom window.  
She made her way towards it, touching the gossamer strands of the 
curtain with her right hand.  He could see she was wearing a large,
flowing coat, with a multiple number of buckles and belts, many of 
which appeared to have no purpose, hanging off at odd angles, the 
coat itself sitting clear of her bare shoulders.

	"I wondered if you would be home."  She said, ignoring his
question.  "Not that I even knew who you were until a few moments 
ago.  But then, that's the way of things."  She turned to Martin, 
sighing and brushing down the front of her minidress.  "I am lead to
believe that this is the height of fashion on the other side.  It's
so hard to work out what is what over there."

	"I asked you who you were!"  Fitchner swallowed, clenching his
right hand into a fist.  "How did you get into my house?"  The woman
blinked, looking at him in surprise.

	"You want to know who I am?"  She frowned.  "Ah, yes.  That is
a rather good question.  'Who am I?  Why am I here?'  Questions like
these have been asked by an innumerable number of sentient beings 
since time began, and some period before that.  Did you know?"  The
woman stepped forward, gesturing with her arms outstretched.  "But
I'm afraid I don't have the time to be philosophical, so I'm going 
to have to come up with some form of nomenclature with which you can
identify me.  Even if I'm not quite sure who, precisely, I am, or 
what I am, but I am sure I will get used to it."  She smiled, and
Fitchner was certain he'd come face to face with a lunatic.

	"Just tell me how you came to be inside my house."  He 
growled, and immediately put a hand to his head, feeling the pain of
one to many decibels.

	"What?  You DON'T want to know who I am, now?"  The woman 
sighed, feeling a little confused.  "Will you get your priorities
straight?  I'd really like to know what I'm supposed to answer, and
in which order."  She took a breath and clapped her hands together.
"My name is...."  She paused.  "Woah....  I forgot."  She paused 
again.  "No, actually, I DO know who I am.  Sherilyn Meehan.  That's
the one!  Sherilyn Meehan.  Kinda doesn't roll off the tongue all 
that easily.  What do you say?"

	"I don't really know what to say."  Fitchner decided he'd had 
enough of this, and stepped back out of his bedroom, looking left 
and right for a possible quick exit.

	"What are you doing?"  Sherrie blinked in surprise.  "You're 
not going to run away, are you?"  She sighed, putting a hand to her
forehead.  "I tried to talk to this chick....  A blond in the Sacred 
House compound.  You've heard of the Sacred House, haven't you?  I 
used to belong to them.  They're the opponents of the Coven of 
Atrocity, which your daughter belongs to...."

	"My daughter?"  Fitchner paused, then shook his head.  "I 
don't know what you're talking about.  I don't have much money or 
items of value, but you can take what you want."

	"Oh REALLY!"  Sherrie threw her hands into the air.  "If I 
were here to steal anything, do you think I'd bother to introduce
myself.  You really are the most annoying, frustrating man.  Anyway,
I tried talking to this blond chick, and she freaked out, much as 
you're doing, now.  She started to climb the walls of her holding
cell.  I mean, I really wanted to give her her freedom.  I offered
it to her, in exchange for a quick trip to Nemesis, to control her
condition, but did she listen to me?  Noooooo.  She just went all
spastic and all.  Now, you're partly human, yourself, and your
condition is settled enough for you NOT to have need of a quick trip
to Nemesis.  But I CAN offer you the safe return of your daughter,
just as long as you help me."

	"You keep talking about my daughter."  Fitchner growled as his
hand slipped behind the wall, grasping for something.  "What do you
know about my daughter that I don't?"

	"Well, right now she's being held by the Sacred House.  She 
was captured, you see.  I tried to eat the only person I ever had
something for, and both she and her fat friend, name of Watanabe
Nobuhiro, tried to stop me.  Not very successfully, I have to say,
which is one of the reasons why she was captured.  She's not much of
a psychic esper, otherwise she'd have seen it coming.  But still, 
she was enough of one to be picked up by the recruiting guys of the
Coven.  Now, I take it you've received a phone call from her in the
last couple of days?  That was before she was caught.  A lot has 
gone on in Tokyo over the last couple of days.  Amazing, I know, but
it IS a big city.  Twentyfive million people, I'm lead to believe.
That's quite a lot of snacks for the Lucifer Folk when Gigelf 
Liqueur opens up the portal between Earth and Nemesis.  Something we
have to stop."  She paused.  "You're not getting it, are you?  I can
see, in your eyes, you're just not getting it."

	"Too damn right I'm not getting it."  Fitchner growled, and 
lifted up the walking cane that had been sitting against the wall,
just outside his bedroom.  He had used the cane after a small 
accident left him partially incapacitated some two years previous,
and it had been sitting there ever since.  He swung the cane 
downwards, towards Sherrie's head, and was surprised to find that
it continued its travels to the floor without actually having hit
anything.

	He stared at the cane as it hit the floor, his eyes wide with
surprise, and then looked up to where Sherrie SHOULD have been 
standing.  He dropped the cane when he found he was completely alone
in the room, turned back for the hallway and started for the 
loungeroom in fright.  Just as he passed through the doorway to the
lounge, an arm shot out across his path and collected him across the
chin, making him fly, feet forward, for the middle of the room's 
floor.

	Even before he had the time to be dazed, a hand gripped his
throat and he felt himself being lifted, bodily, and slammed back-
first into the nearest wall, his feet a good few inches off the 
ground.  He opened his eyes to see Sherrie's angry face, snarling at
him with the most enormously carnivorous teeth.

	"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"  Sherrie shouted, spit flying from her
mouth into his face, making him wince with disgust.  "I was being
nice to you.  Do you know how difficult it is for me to be nice to
people.  People just piss me off, most of the time.  That blond 
chick really pissed me off, but I thought it best not to upset a
high-level Succubus on the cusp of becoming something really nasty.
Now, you've upset ME and I've become something really nasty.  It 
just goes to show you that being civil to people DOES have its 
benefits.  What do you say?  I'm sure you've got something to say,
you have that look on your face that tells me you've got something 
to say.  Well, you better say it, and it better be good, because I'm
no longer in the mood to treat you with kid gloves, anymore."  She
rested her other hand against her hip as Fitchner scrabbled to free
the throatlock she had on him.  Her strength had to have been 
enormous, as despite being a great deal physically larger than her,
he couldn't even move any of her fingers.  "What ARE you doing, you
stupid man?"  She spat.  "You aren't going to get away from me, now.
That COULD have happened, had you not tried to hit me with that 
cane.  But I'm afraid it's too late for that."  She let him go, and
he dropped to the floor, holding his throat and gagging.

	"Now, I want you to find a certain person for me, and bring 
them to me.  It shouldn't be hard.  She's been in a certain 
apartment for a few hours, now, and it isn't likely that she'll be
moving, anytime soon."  Sherrie started to pace the loungeroom, 
folding her arms behind her.  "This person is quite important, as 
she can produce copious quantities of a substance, best described as
'bad blood'.  Most human beings wouldn't understand the term.  It is
a substance that is easy for my kind to love, however.  It is what 
makes us what we are, even though its effects on the human biology
can be quite.... catastrophic."

	"Explain... to me... again....  Just who the hell are you?"  
Fitchner looked up at her, still rubbing his throat.  Sherrie turned
to him, rolling her eyes.

	"Oh, puhleeeeze!"  She stepped over and sat on her haunches, 
in front of him.  "My name is Sherilyn Meehan.  I used to be a 
member of the Sacred House, which is the opposing group to what is
called the Coven of Atrocity.  Your daughter is a member of the 
Coven....  The 'cult' that she became caught up in.  However, she
has since been captured by the Sacred House, and is in a great deal
of jeopardy.  I can rescue your daughter for you, whilst you pick
up an old friend of mine, and we can meet back here.  Is that 
understood?"  Fitchner nodded, mutely.  "Goooood.  It's nice to see
you're using that wet brain of yours, for once."  She grinned.  "Be
interesting to see how your daughter reacts to such a wreck of a
father.  Maybe she'd reject you."

	Fitchner made to grab the collar of her coat in anger, but
Sherrie was faster, gripping both his wrists, tightly.  He shivered,
trying to regain some composure.  "I've spent YEARS looking for my
daughter.  I can't even begin to think that way.  And I don't need
someone like you mocking both myself and my efforts."

	"Whooooo...."  Sherrie sneered with contempt.  "You know what
I'd do if I found my old man, alive?  I'd kill him.  Spread him like
a fine paste, play with his entrails."  She sniffed.  "Never knew MY
old man.  I wonder why your daughter rejected YOU."

	"She did NOT reject me!"  Fitchner shouted.

	"Oh yes she did."

	"She did NOT!"  He was becoming frustrated with her seemingly
mocking tone.  She shook her head, pressing her face into his.

	"If she DIDN'T reject you, why hasn't she contacted you, all
this time?"  Sherrie let him go and stood, stepping away from him 
and falling back into an armchair as he stared into space, chewing
over what she'd said.  Crossing her legs, Sherrie continued, 
gesturing at him with a hand.  "You can say that, getting caught up
in a cult the likes of the Coven might mean that she has no 
opportunity to get in touch with you.  Senior members of the cult
may suppress her ability to do such.  But your daughter has been 
free to do her own thing, more or less, for a good number of years,
now.  And she has only JUST contrived to call you.  I'd say that was
a pretty good sign that she has rejected you, wouldn't you say?"

	"I can't bring myself to believe that."

	"No, of course you can't."  Sherrie sneered.  "You've spent 
too many of your precious few years of life searching for her.  And
doing so in all the wrong places.  Whatever made you think the 
Dietman Manakuto was going to help you?

	"Dietman Manakuto?"  Fitchner stared at her, nonplused.  
"He's been one of the few people to have supportive of my efforts,
right from the start."

	"Dietman Manakuto has known the whereabouts of your daughter,
right from the start.  He's been the biggest suppressor of 
information, leading to some clue of her whereabouts."  Sherrie 
sighed.  "He is an associate member of the Coven.  But even more, 
he's a member of a fanatical rightist group within the Diet, 
attempting to use the Coven as a method of gaining power.  He's
never been concerned for your plight, and that of your daughter.  As
far as he's concerned, you're just a pair of ugly foreigners, 
despoiling Japanese soil by being here.  It's amazing how this 
search for your daughter has made you blind to the obvious fucking
truth."

	Fitchner stared, blankly, tears filling his eyes.  "He knew...
where she was... all this time?"

	"Yes."  Sherrie looked away.  "He might have even been 
responsible for her disappearance to begin with.  Although, trying 
to keep his distance from their activities, it isn't likely.  Still,
he gets an update from their recruiting offices quite regularly.  It
is possible that he became involved in your search when he saw her
name on some of the paperwork."  She paused.  "I wonder if he 
receives similar paperwork from the Sacred House?  Possibly.  Then
he'd know all about me, too.  Scary thought, someone like that 
knowing things about you.  It makes you wonder, doesn't it, just 
what officialdom keeps about you on their records, doesn't it?"


	"I don't believe it."  The tears now ran down his face.  "I
just CAN'T believe it.  It's too much... to think about."

	"Yes, I suppose it would be."  Sherrie pondered for a few
moments.  "It was almost too much for me, when I was told what had
happened to my dumb slut of a sister.  Got herself caught up with 
the Sacred House, then they had to kill her, because her condition
got all pear-shaped.  Mine did, too.  But at least she left me 
little markers, to find my way back into this world.  Took her a 
couple of years, our time, to do it.  In truth, it wouldn't have
taken her any time at all.  I probably stumbled around in Nemesis
for just as long.  Time, and its perception, is almost a non-issue
over there."  She paused.  "It seemed like years, to me.  Probably
only a couple of hours, here.  Now I've got to find her.  The stupid
bitch has stumbled into this world, intending to stop Gigelf from
opening up that portal, without really thinking about HOW she is 
going to do it."

	"WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR SISTER?"  Fitchner spat.  "Who gives a
toss?  She can suffer, for all I care.  I want Michelle.  I want her
back.  I've wanted her back for years, and now you're telling me 
that, not only might she have NOT wanted to come back, but the 
person to have offered me the most help in finding her has known 
where she was the WHOLE time?"

	"I CARE ABOUT MY SISTER, PRICK!"  Sherrie leaned forward, her
hands out like claws.  "I FUCKING WELL CARE!  As far as I'm 
concerned, your daughter can die a horrible, violent death.  I'd do
it myself, if only for the PLEASURE value."  She pointed a finger at
him.  "Remember this...  The ONLY person you can NOW trust, to get
your daughter back, is ME!  Annoy me enough, and I might just run 
off and EAT her, with plenty of ketchup to add to taste."

	"You're sick."  Fitchner looked at her, disgustedly.  "And 
insane.  How can I believe any of what you're telling me?"

	"Because I'm not giving you any choice.  You're going to 
collect my friend, and I your daughter.  In one piece, or not."  She
jumped up from her chair, full of nervous energy.  "Well, you can't
go the way you are at the moment."  She snapped her fingers, and he
suddenly found himself washed, dressed and groomed.  He stared down 
at the dark grey suit he was wearing with surprise and disbelief.

	"How the hell did you...."

	"I used a little bit of magic, okay?"  Sherrie sniffed.  "You
know....  Abracadabra and all that stuff.  It's not so hard, when 
you know what to do.  Of course, you're just a pathetic little lower
class halfbreed, so you wouldn't even be able to do much, even if 
you knew what to do.  Here, take this."  She handed him a small 
object, small, roundish and dark, made of what looked like ceramic 
or resin, with a plastic dark-red button in the centre.  The button
glowed every so often.  Fitchner stood and looked at Sherrie, 
questioningly.  "It's a recall button.  It'll take you and my friend
slash friends the moment you make contact with them.  Just press the
button.  Simple, really.  Even you should be able to work it out."

	"I didn't say I was going to help you."  Fitchner mumbled, 
shaking his head.  Sherrie grinned, wickedly.

	"I didn't say I was going to give you a choice."  She snapped
her fingers, again, and Fitchner disappeared from the house.  
Crossing her arms behind her back, she paced the loungeroom.  
"Bugger.  I forgot to tell him what her name was and what she looked
like.  Ah well...."  She lifted her left hand up and snapped her 
fingers again, disappearing herself from the house.

----o

	Michelle ran for her life, Nobuhiro not that far behind.

	They were sure the blond....  The Succubae Major, as Nobuhiro
had described her, was not far behind, looking for a follow up to 
the meal of soldiers.  Along dark corridors, they staggered, trying
to wrestle their wrists from the cuffs they hadn't had time to 
remove when Michelle had shot away the holding chain that had kept 
them bound in the corridor.  Unfortunately, that constituted the 
last of the rounds in the rifle that Michelle had acquired, and she
was forced to dump it and take flight when the Succubus had finished
with the soldiers.

	She didn't want to look back.  She could remember the 
sensations she had felt when she had looked at the Succubus.  A kind
of seductive power, able to dazzle the mind of almost ANY living 
being.  Michelle had felt herself wanting to make love to the 
Succubus, a sudden, intense rush of lust that she had never before
felt for another woman.  It disturbed her, how easily she had been
won over by what was nothing more than a wave of mental energy.  She
had used such mental waves, before, in her job as a member of the 
Coven...  The power of seduction was a powerful tool, especially 
when it came to the process of recruitment.  She hated it when it 
such things were used against her.


	Neither knew where they were, nor did they care if they bumped
into another group of soldiers, like the last lot.  As far as they 
were concerned, it would make a good distraction, giving them the 
opportunity to put room between themselves and the Succubus.  If the
soldiers didn't shoot them, of course.

	Michelle spied a set of double doors, slightly ajar, just 
ahead to her left, and made a screeching turn to run through them...
And bowled through a young, blond-haired girl, which scared the 
bejeezuz out of her.  The girl gave a shocked cry as she landed on
top of her, and for several moments, they stared at each other, 
Michelle relaxing when she saw it wasn't the Succubus, but another
girl of similar appearance.

	"What....  Who are you?"  The girl said, eventually.

	"Uh...  Sorry."  Michelle got to her feet and stared around at
what appeared to be a room with a swimming pool.  Standing near her 
was a tan-skinned woman with dark-green hair and specks of paint 
through her clothes, and a large ball of flesh with a whole lot of 
eyes.  "Oh My God!  It's a....  It's a MONSTER!"  Michelle cried out
as she turned back for the door, and ended back on top of the blond
when she ran, face-forward, into Nobuhiro.

	"Quick!  All of you!  Run!  There is something nasty coming 
down the corridor!"  Nobuhiro shouted, then looked down at Michelle,
who was dazed, being pushed aside by the blond.

	"What is coming down the corridor?  Who are you, anyway?"  The
blond demanded, just as the green-haired woman kneeled down beside 
her.

	"They are right, Princess....  We must get out of here, 
quickly.  Or..."  The woman swallowed.  The blond frowned at her,
confused.

	"Or what?"  The blond got to her feet as Nobuhiro knelt down
to Michelle, trying to pick her up with his cuffed wrists.


	There was a soft, high-pitched moaning sound, coming from 
outside the swimming pool room, and Nobuhiro gestured to Michelle.
"Help me with her.  I can't pick her up."  The blond blinked, then
leaned down, taking Michelle underneath the arms, dragging her back 
past the woman, following the ball of flesh, which had decided to 
make its way to the rear of the room when it heard the noise.

	"Cthulu!"  The blond shouted.  "Be prepared to gate us out of
here."  The ball of flesh stopped as the blond reached it, giving a
couple of burbling grunts.  "What do you mean, you can't?"

	"What is that?"  Nobuhiro gestured at Cthulu with his hands as
both he and the green-haired woman ran up behind the blond.

	"That might be our only way out of here."  The green-haired 
woman looked at him with her scarlet eyes.

	"Don't I know you from somewhere?"  Nobuhiro frowned.  The 
woman tried to avoid his gaze.

	"That isn't important, right now."  She mumbled.  "Princess,
what is wrong?"

	"Cthulu says there is a suppression field in this room.  He
is unable to gate."  The blond looked at the green-haired woman, her
face a mask of tragedy.  Her eyes opened wide as they heard the 
doors squeal open, wide.  "P... Pluto....  It's..."

	Setsuna turned to see what Usagi was looking at, then spun 
around, trying to block her view.  "Don't look at it, Princess.  It
is no longer what you think it to be."

	"But....  But Pluto...."  Usagi dropped Michelle onto the 
floor, where the girl made stunned groaning noises.  Nobuhiro knelt
down to her, dragging her back towards Cthulu, trying to shelter her
from the thing that had entered the room.

	Pluto shouted at Cthulu.  "Quickly!  Get us out of here, or it
shall attempt to consume us."

	"Bworkle bworkle."  Cthulu turned a shade of green.  "Gurgle
snorkle."  He started to shiver and shimmer, making strange, ringing
noises, but could not successfully produce the gate.  "BWORKLE!"  He
shouted as he came back into focus.

	"What is wrong?"  Setsuna's tone became an uncharacteristic, 
high-pitched panic.

	"He said there was a suppression field."  Usagi tried to push
past Setsuna.  "Let me through!  It's just Minako-chan!"

	"No it isn't."  Setsuna gripped Usagi by the shoulders and 
tried to pull her back, but Usagi was a hell of a lot stronger than
she expected her to be, wriggling free and making her way forward,
towards the figure of her one-time friend and fellow senshi.  Minako
was standing in the doorway, holding out her hands and smiling.  
"Minako-chan...."  Usagi paused, halfway along the pool's length, 
feeling strange waves of energy striking her.

	"PRINCESS!  GET AWAY FROM HER!"  Setsuna cried, trying to 
follow her, but finding she was unable to move her legs.  Setsuna 
looked down at her legs, wondering what was holding them back.  
Visions of nightmares, of being unable to run away from horrible 
things of the id, entered her mind as her feet slowly dragged across
the floor towards the one person in the world she had dedicated 
herself to protecting, feeling weak and impotent as the figure of
Minako floated towards Usagi.


	Usagi, for her part, started to glow, as the waves of energy
struck her with increasing force.  Her clothes exploded from her 
form, being replaced with ribbons that emanated from the locket on
her chest.  With another wave, she was no longer Usagi, but 
Serenity, covered in the flowing white robes that represented the 
ancient and future princess, her hair fading from gold to silver in
seconds.

	Her hands rose, to accept Minako in her arms.  "Come to me, 
Venus."  She said in soft tones.  "I will make you better."

	"Prin... cess...."  Minako smiled, wrapping her arms around
Serenity's form as waves of consuming energy surrounded them, mixed
with a bright white light that blinded the others....


END OF PART 36


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Next Chapter - "Elementary Elementals"

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VERSION 1.0 - Tuesday, 25th May 1999