Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Seeing Stars ❯ Chapter 41 ( Chapter 41 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Seeing Stars
By Jason Ulloa
Original story by Moonsong
Continued with her permission.


Chapter 41

Jed scowled as he headed back to his hotel room. After spending a couple of hours going
through the museum that housed the last Nijizuishou crystal, he had a good feel for the
level of security that was in place.

And that level was certainly higher than he remembered, which meant that the plans he had
made up on the way to Sydney all had to be scrapped. There were at least half a dozen more
guards and security monitors, not to mention the new infrared laser array that had been
specifically installed around the Nijizuishou display itself. Fortunately, that seemed to
be the only modifications made, so the real challenge was just getting around the laser
array without being spotted by the guards or cameras.

One of the main weaknesses of lasers was the fact that they could be redirected without
being tripped. The only thing was that the second the beam was broken, the alarm would
trip. He had to adjust the beam so that the beam would continuously go from the emitter to
the collector even as the beam was adjusted. It didn't matter that the beam was traveling
farther; what mattered was that the beam reached the other side.

An array of mirrors was probably the best way to go, however, carrying such a thing around
- let alone constructing one - wasn't something easily accomplished. One had to take into
account the width of the beam as well as the angles of reflection of the mirrors. One
degree off and the entire beam wouldn't cover the collector. Some systems were designed so
that if less than a certain percentage of loss occurred, the alarm would trip. The higher
end alarms were constructed so that less that 1% loss would trip the alarm. The highest
quality alarm he had ever heard of had a sensitivity of less than 0.3% loss.

From what he could tell, the alarm looked to be the type that would accept around 2-3%
loss. Still, he had to plan for less than 1%, for caution as well as for pride's sake. He
was one of the best, after all.

Now that he knew how to get the crystal, he had to figure out how to get into the museum,
as well as how to get out. First, getting in. It was a large one-story museum, so there
were plenty of guards, enough to stand in rotating shifts. However, one weakness he had
observed was that the shift changes were always the same: 8am, 4pm and midnight. Even
better was the fact that the shift changes were always performed at the security office,
so most of the museum was unguarded during the change. Also, the changing of the guard, as
he liked to term it, usually took an average of fifteen to twenty minutes. Moreso, for the
guards at the far end of the museum where the Nijizuishou crystal was.

The human aspect of breaking in was no problem, but there were still the security cameras
to consider. Fortunately, the cameras weren't fixed. Even better, the cameras weren't in
the corners, but the middle of the walls. Better still, the timing of the cameras were
slightly off, so there were moments when a section of the room was completely blind. He
already had those times written down, as well as estimated window lengths. The most he had
time to work with was about thirty seconds.

One possibility he could do was use something to pin the cameras in place, one by one,
until all cameras were facing away from the Nijizuishou display. Another possibility was to
cut the power to all of the cameras. The cameras were too high to attach a scrambler or a
loop circuit. Of course, he could always destroy the cameras, too. However, with destroying
the cameras or cutting the power - or using a scrambler, for that matter - the loss of
visuals in that area would immediately set off an alarm. So, that left pinning the cameras
in place.

With what he had brought with him, there were a few possible tools he could use. However,
most of the projectiles had too big of a mass and could be easily spotted as the other
cameras panned across the room. There was really only one choice he had amongst all his
tools - his dart gun. It was normally used for shooting a line across a room so that he
could either swing, then rappel down, or just glide down after attaching the other end to
something. However, with a little bit of modification, he could easily use the darts to
keep the cameras from moving by shooting them into the wall right next to the base of the
camera. The camera would push against the dart, but remain stuck, if the dart stuck into
the wall deep enough. It could possibly work.

As for the roaming guards, therein laid the problem. The guards were trained to use random
roaming patterns, so there was no way he could accurately estimate how long he would have
before being spotted by a guard. However, the fortunate thing was that the guards only had
radios with them, so if he disabled the radio and took out the guard, then he'd be safe for
a while. Most guards tended not to cover other guard's areas, since they thought of them as
their area of responsibility, or something like that. He had some fast-acting tranquilizer
that would do the job.

Getting to and from the room was a bit of a problem, though. The air ducts were built
small, so he couldn't use those. He could sneak from room to room, but that was very risky.
His skills were on par for the task, but at this point in the game a chance like that
wouldn't be prudent. Still, he couldn't see any other way. He already had a good working
knowledge of the museum's layout, so he knew where he could hide and not be seen.

He had his plan. He was ready.

It would happen tonight at midnight.

**********************************************

"Are you sure, Diane?" Jack asked as he packed their gear into two separate backpacks.

"I'm positive," she said as she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a skin-tight black
bodysuit. "I know I saw that man here! He was checking out the Nijizuishou display this
afternoon. I'm almost positive he'll be going after the crystal at any moment. Maybe even
tonight!"

Jack turned from the two backpacks full of gear and regarded Diane for a moment. "I believe
you, Diane," he said calmly. "I wouldn't be preparing otherwise."

The calmness of Jack's words helped Diane calm down a little. "It's almost time, Jack. Do
you think we can do it?"

"Well, I haven't robbed a museum before, so I don't have any past experience to measure
against," he replied with a shrug.

Diane laughed slightly. "Neither do I. I guess we'll just be winging it, then?"

"More or less. We do have a bit of a plan, but we're mostly here to keep the Nijizuishou
from being stolen, not stealing it ourselves."

"Even though we're actually going to take the crystal if we have the chance?" she asked.

"Well, the best way to keep someone from something is to take it yourself, right?" he
replied. "Still, that was the last resort plan. If we can stop that man before he gets to
the crystal, then we won't have to worry about it."

"I almost hope he does try to take the crystal at the same time we do," she said quietly.
"The sooner I get my hands on him, the better."

"Agreed. This might be our last chance."

"You'd better change, Jack," Diane added, gesturing to the outfit she laid out for him. It
was a bodysuit similar to hers, only much larger. "Those clothes will only get in the way
for what we have to do tonight."

Jack nodded as he picked up his clothing and headed for the bathroom.

"What? Not going to change in front of me?" Diane pouted. "It's not like I haven't seen it
before, you know."

"True, but you didn't change in front of me, either," he retorted. "Fair's fair."

"Ohh...," she whined as he closed the bathroom door behind him. "But I wanna see your sexy
ass again!"

"You can see it later," he replied behind the door. "For now, could you please finish
getting everything ready?"

"Sure," she replied, slightly disappointed as she went to finish arranging the gear in the
backpacks for optimal balance and mobility. After all, if a backpack was weighted wrong,
they'd have a harder time moving and staying out of sight.

After a few moments, Jack came out of the bathroom in his tight bodysuit as well.

"Not bad, Jack," Diane said appreciatively. "I can see your cute ass and everything. Very
nice."

"Well, you don't look half-bad yourself," he replied with a sly grin. "Tell me; did you get
these outfits for functionality or because you were feeling a little kinky at the time?"

"No comment," she replied as she reached over and gave him a quick kiss. "Anyway, are you
ready for tonight?"

"Ready," Jack confirmed. "We'll begin at midnight."

Diane nodded seriously. "This ends tonight."

**********************************************

"All right, everyone! Let's break for lunch!" Amy called out.

"Great! I'm starving!" Mina said happily. "Hey, Darien! Come 'ere a sec, would ya?"

"What is it?" he asked as he came over to where his agent was waving him over.

"Listen, Darien, I don't want you to take this the wrong way or nothing, but would you mind
if I went to lunch with just Serena today? I want to talk with her for a bit without you
there. Girl talk, ya know?"

"I think I know what this's about," Darien said. "You want to make sure she's right for me
or something, right?"

"I don't want to see you hurt again, Darien," Mina said seriously. "You always seem to
attract the wrong kind of girl for you. Raye was just one of a string of many, remember? I
don't want what you have to be just another disappointment and heartbreak for you."

"I understand," he said with a quiet smile. "If it'll make you feel better, go ahead.
However, I'm sure I've found the right woman this time."

"You said that when you met Raye," Mina reminded him. Darien frowned, but didn't dispute
the fact. "I'm sorry, Darien. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know. You mean well," he said with a calm sigh. "Look, just do what you have to. I'll
trust what you have to say."

"Thanks, Darien," she said and hugged him. "I know how important this is so I'll try to be
as fair as I can. I won't let you down, I promise!" With that, she turned and ran off,
waving down the blonde-haired actress.

"Well, I guess I'm stuck having lunch by myself, then," Darien sighed as he turned to
leave. Tanya was on another date with that grip she liked and everyone else was already
gone to lunch or had previous plans. Well, perhaps he could go visit his friend Andrew at
work. It had been a while since the last time he visited, anyway.

His mind made up, he jumped in his car and drove off for The Crown.

**********************************************

"Well, look who's here!" Andrew exclaimed as Darien walked through the entrance to the
Crown. "It's been a while, Dare."

"Yeah, it's been a while," Darien replied as he shook his friend's hand.

"I see you're alone this time," Andrew remarked.

"Yeah, Mina wanted to talk with Serena over lunch, so I decided to drop by and say hi."

"Ah," Andrew said, nodding understandingly. "Well, let me take you to your usual booth and
we can talk in a bit."

"You're not too busy right now?"

"I've hired some more help recently," he replied with a grin. "Business has really took off
after I got that flight simulator."

"You finally got it?" Darien asked, interested.

"Wanna try it out?" he replied, grinning childishly. "It's really awesome. I just know
you'll love it."

"Food first," Darien said. "After all, it's lunchtime and I'm hungry."

"Right you are," his sandy-blonde haired friend agreed. "We've also added a few new items
to our menu, so feel free to try any of them out." He glanced around surreptitiously for a
moment. "You might also want to let Serena know about everything that's changed since the
last time you've both been here," he added in a low whisper.

"You just want another chance to serve her, don't you?" Darien said dryly.

"You can't really blame me for that, can you?" he shrugged sheepishly. "She's my favorite
actress, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he said, nodding. "I'll tell her when I get back to work."

"You have my undying gratitude."

"Who says I want it?"

"You truly are ungrateful, you know that?"

"And you're truly a kiss-ass, you know that?"

The two laughed as they reached Darien's usual booth. "So, you wanna try one of the new
items, or will it be the usual?"

"Tell you what; surprise me," Darien said. "Give me whichever new item you'll think I'll
like best."

"You got it," Andrew said eagerly.

"So, what did I order?" he asked curiously.

"Chocolate-covered frog's legs," he replied as he turned to leave.

"Oh. WHAT?!?"

"Just kidding. You're getting the 'Bleu Ribbon Sourdough Burger,'" he amended. "Take a look
at the display," he said, pointing at the little advertising display sitting in the middle
of the table amidst the condiments.

"Hmm...," he said as he read the display after Andrew left. "Bacon, crumbled fried onion,
bleu cheese, pepperjack cheese, and mayo on grilled sourdough. Sounds pretty good to me."

"Yeah, it's pretty good. It's one of the more popular items here nowadays."

Darien put down the display and turned to see who was talking to him. "Raye!"

"It's been a while, Darien," she said with a small smile. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Um... no, I don't mind," he said with a slight shake of his head.

"Thanks," she said as she sat down across from him. "So, how's work been for you?"

"The acting's harder than I'm used to, but so far I'm enjoying it," he replied. "Everyone's
been a big help to me."

"That's good to hear," she said with a pleased grin.

"Also, Amy and Melvin are in the middle of discussing a possible two-movie contract with
Mina," he added.

"What?!?" Raye gasped. "You're kidding!"

"No, I'm completely serious."

There was what he thought might have been a small frown on Raye's face but it was gone so
quickly that he doubted what he thought he saw.

"That's great news, Darien!" she said, placing her hands over his and squeezing them for a
moment, then releasing them before Darien could pull away. For a moment, Darien thought
that Raye would want to try to get back together with him once she heard the news about the
impending contract, but it hadn't happened. Perhaps she truly was only interested in him as
a friend.

"Anyway, what about you?" Darien asked. "Anything interesting happening in your life?"

"I'm glad you asked!" she brightened immediately. "I was planning on calling you at home or
visiting later, but since I ran into you, I figure this's as good a time as any to tell you
as any.

"I've finally landed a job!" she said happily.

"Oh, you have?" Andrew said as he returned with a serving tray. "So, where're you working
at? What're you doing?" he asked as he served Darien his food.

"Hey, you mind if I get one of those, too?" Raye asked. "Diet Coke, as well."

"No problem," Andrew said as he picked up his tray and started to leave. "I'll be back with
the sodas, so wait a minute before you tell us about your new job." Andrew departed, then
returned with two sodas, one for Darien and the other for Raye. "Your order will be ready
shortly, Raye. Now, what about your new job?"

"Right. Anyway, you know how I've been only landing small gigs, right?" she began. "Nothing
too big. Well, one of the people I did a gig for told me of an opening at a club around
here for a singer and suggested that I apply for the job. Well, I did and sang one of the
songs that I wrote a while ago. The guy that was doing the hiring liked me so much that he
offered me a long-term contract to sing there, which I accepted."

"That's great, Raye!" Darien said, reaching for his soda. "So, what's the name of the club
you're working at?"

"The Silver Moon."

Darien almost choked on his soda. "The Silver Moon?" he repeated.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Something wrong, Darien?" she asked, noting his reaction.

"Nothing, really," he told her. "It just surprised me; that's all."

"Oh?" she said, giving him a skeptical look.

"Well, that and The Silver Moon is also the name of Serena's favorite nightclub."

Raye's eyes widened at that. "Serena? You mean, Serena Moon, right? The one you're dating
right now? That Serena?"

Darien nodded. "Yes, that Serena."

"Well, this's certainly interesting," Raye said as she reached for her soda as well.

"What do you mean, Raye?" Andrew asked curiously.

"I think that Serena's a little wary of me," she told him. "I think she thinks I'm trying
to steal Darien back or something." She sighed. "I wish there was a way I could convince
her that I'm not after Darien. I'm just his friend and nothing more."

"You'd probably have to talk with her yourself," Darien said. "I don't think my trying to
convince her would be a good idea."

Andrew nodded. "That would be best," he agreed. "If you'll excuse me, I think your food's
ready," he said as he turned to leave. "I'll be back in just a minute."

"Listen, Darien," Raye said as Andrew left. "I just want to be friends. You know that,
right?"

"Yeah, I know," he agreed.

"I want Serena to understand that, too," she said. "I don't want to get in the way of your
relationship, especially if you two are happy."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Raye," he said gratefully. "And I am sorry things didn't
work out between us."

"That was more my fault than yours," she told him. "Besides, that's all in the past. Don't
worry about it.

"Look, I want to try and patch things up with Serena. I'm sure she hasn't gotten a good
impression of me from when we first met. I want to talk with her and make sure she realizes
that I'm not after her man. So, stop by The Silver Moon when you get a chance. I'm pretty
much working there nightly, so you'll more than likely find me there."

"I understand," Darien replied. "And thanks. I know hearing this from you will make her
feel better."

"Thank you for saying so," Raye said as Andrew returned with her order. "Thanks," she told
him. "So tell me, Andrew, what's been going on with you these days? Heard from Rita lately?
How's she doing anyway?"

"One question at a time, please!" Andrew laughed. "So, where do I begin...?"

The rest of the lunch hour went by quickly. Darien apologized for having to leave so soon,
but promised to come back again soon. And with Serena, he amended for Andrew's sake,
causing Raye to laugh and Darien to sigh.

**********************************************

To Chapter 42

**********************************************

Author's Note: Another long wait between chapters. This author begs forgiveness. Work has
been relentless in sapping me of strength, as well as spirit. I haven't had the energy to
write anything for a while. I've persevered, though, and I've finally written a new chapter
for this story. I know I keep promising that I'll get this story finished soon, but at this
rate, soon might be a year from now. *sigh* Anyway, I will finish Seeing Stars. I promise
you that. Next chapter: Lunch with Serena and Mina; The struggle for the final Nijizuishou
crystal; and Jack and Diane learn of Project: Total Eclipse.

Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs to Moonsong and myself, and I would appreciate
you emailing her or myself for permission before posting it
anywhere else. Thank you.

Prologue Copyright © January 24, 2000 Moonsong.
Other Chapters Copyright © August 12, 2000 Jason Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.