Data 13: Crush! Kill! Destroy!, or The Battle of Lawndale Tokyo looked like it had never been rebuilt from either the American bombings of 1945 or the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. Corpses were everywhere, with rats picking them clean to the bones. Fires were still raging out of control. And about 15,000 feet above the carnage was the reason why all this was happening: The Mitsubishi Neo-Zero prototype. Yoriko was on what she was hoping would be her final bombing run. One of the three drop tanks had been replaced by a sarin "Super Bomb" that she intended to drop on the Imperial Palace itself. If the Imperial Family was killed, the NIRAA would then step in unopposed as the rulers of Japan. "Fifty-three years of waiting will soon come to an end!," Yoriko said. Right now her CD player had Soundgarden's "Superunknown" CD in it and it was playing "Black Hole Sun": "In my eyes/Indisposed/In disguise/As no one knows/hides the face/lies, the snake/The Sun/In my disgrace/ Boiling heat/Summer stench/'Neath the black/The sky looks dead/Call my name/Through the cream/And I'll hear you/Scream again/Black hole Sun/Won't you come/And wash away the rain/Black hole sun/Won't you come?/Won't you come?/Won't you come?" Somehow, if they were playing this song right now in the middle of Tokyo with the black hole sun sucking up everything, it would have been sickeningly appropriate. Yoriko set her sights on making a few more bombings. ----------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Back at SDF HQ, Gen. Torymura and Ryu were trying to use their undermanned forces as best as they can. A considerable amount of casualties had been rendered on Ground, Sea and Air SDF units, as well as JSIB agents and a considerable amount of USA, USN, USMC and USAF troops. Urgent messages had been forwarded to the American, French, Russian and Taiwanese presidents as well as the Canadian, British, German, Italian and even the Chinese prime ministers. The South Korean president and the North Korean premier--who rarely agreed on anything--had agreed to jointly defend their respective nations if the crisis spilled into their area. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mynamar, Thailand, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia and all the various Oceanic nations had all declared states of emergency. The UN Security Council was meeting in emergency session. The American Congress was also meeting in emergency session, as well as the British, Canadian, French and Russian parliaments. The situation was teetering on the edge of World War III. "Never before have I seen this nation in crisis like this," Gen. Torymura said. "We may not survive this dark night of despair." Tuxedo Mask went to him and said, "General, they always say that it's darkest before the dawn. The Sailor Senshi and I have fought against worse odds than this and prevailed. Many a time it seemed that the entire planet would fall to the forces of evil, but we prevailed. This is not the time to despair." Gen. Torymura then realized he did have an ace in the hole. He ordered a Ground SDF private to approach him at once. "Private," Gen. Torymura said as he took out a pen and paper, "Call this number and get in touch with a Mr. Hamada Ieyasu. He may be our nation's last hope." "Right away, Sir!," the private said, saluted, and proceeded to the nearest phone. Gen. Torymura turned to Tuxedo Mask. "Mr. Chiba," he began to say, "There has been a secret I have been keeping to myself for fifteen years, and if I don't survive this, I want it to be known now. This situation has brought this to the surface, and now I think it should be made public. I guess you remember that incident where the Soviet MiG shot down the KAL flight that had wandered into Soviet airspace." Mamoru replied, "I think we all do, General." Gen. Torymura continued: "I was a recently commissioned Flight Lieutenant back in 1983 and was in charge of a squadron near Sapporo, not too far from where the incident occurred. We were on routine patrol and noticed the two aircraft near our position. We went to investigate and saw the whole incident happen. We could not retaliate due to the Article 9 prohibitions. Later on, I saw two names on that list: my sister Torymura Keiko and my brother-in-law Kino Jimmu. If I had only had done something then, they would still be alive now. The board of inquiry that investigated the affair cleared my squadron from negligence, but I still feel I have moral responsibility for what happened." "Did your sister and brother-in-law have any children?," asked Mamoru. "They had one daughter, Makoto," replied Gen. Torymura. Tuxedo Mask stood there with his mouth wide open. "Do you know her, Mr. Chiba?, asked Gen. Torymura. Tuxedo Mask answered, "Yes, I do." He ran to Sailor Jupiter and brought her over. "What's the meaning of this, Mamoru?," she asked. "Gen. Torymura," Mamoru said, "tell Makoto what you told me." "Makoto, I am your uncle," Gen. Torymura began; "I was on patrol that day when your parents died in the Soviet attack on the KAL aircraft and saw what happened. I know I should have done something, but we were bound by our oath to observe Article 9 at all times. I understand if you can't find any room in your heart to forgive me." Makoto, however, suddenly flung her arms open, embraced her uncle and cried. "If I only knew sooner that I had living relatives!," Makoto cried. "Now you have a family again," replied Gen. Torymura. "When this is all over, you will meet your aunt and your two cousins. One, a boy, is a senior at Shinjuku Boys' Academy; the other, a woman, is a sophomore at Tokyo University majoring in economics. You can move in with us and we'll take care of you. You don't have to be lonely anymore." The other Sailor Senshi had gathered around to witness this reunion. "Right now," Rei said, "I am so happy for you. It is ironic that the same event that robbed me of my family has restored yours. My blessings go with you, Mako-chan." After the reunion, Tuxedo Mask was ready to get back to business. "OK, as acting leader in Usagi's absence, we've got to prepare for the worst. All of the Sailor Senshi are to go to the Imperial Palace. You are to defend it at all costs. I will wait here for Usagi's return with Daria. Is that understood? Since neither Ami or Daria are here, I'm naming you as field commander, Rei. Now, move out and protect the Emperor. As it was said during the Meiji Restoration, let it be said now: 'Honor the Emperor and expel the barbarians.'" The Sailor Senshi moved out. "You heard the man, people," Gen. Torymura said to the ragtag remnants of the SDF, "Move it! The Emperor is to be protected at all costs! Go now and protect our democratic way of life, even knowing that if your life is snuffed as the flower of the cherry blossom, at least you will go to wherever fate sends you in peace with yourselves that you have defended Emperor, government and country. If you are willing to sacrifice your lives, do it to protect your families, to protect our civilian government, to protect all that we value in our nation. BANZAI! BANZAI! BANZAI!" With that, the troops cheered "BANZAI!" They then donned a new headband. It was red with a depiction of the Japanese flag on it. The kanakaji characters on it said: "To protect freedom and democracy." All somehow knew that if lives were to be sacrificed this time, as of the Kamikaze pilots of the previous conflict, at least they were doing this now to protect a free, democratic Japan that was committed to peace, not to appease militarists who were land hungry and had cowed their Emperor into silent assent. Why many American veterans still held the Showa Emperor responsible for what happened was puzzling; did he not, after all, secretly disagree with almost all of their actions? Even if their Emperor was not a god, at least he now stood as a champion of decency, order and democracy against those who would plunge all of Asia into turmoil again. Now they realized what had went wrong for the past fifty-three years. Mistakes had to be admitted and repaired. After that, Japan had to strive better to fit into the international community. Good relations had to be made with those it had once vanquished. Perhaps someday, after the Communist regime in Beijing collapsed--and it was an article of faith that it would someday--and the democratic government in Taipei had taken over, perhaps then both nations would encourage the rest of East Asia and Southeast Asia to form some sort of NATO-like organization to defend themselves from threats like this. Peace was the way of the future. Even someday, perhaps Russia and other former Soviet nations would join their old Warsaw Pact allies in NATO as a united front for peace. The threat was no longer from major nations like Russia or China, but from rogue states like Iraq, Libya and Iran, and terrorist groups like the NIRAA, Islamic Jihad and the IRA. Since the war, patriotism did not count for much in Japan, which was committed to international peace and friendship. But now it was realized that one could still find pride in one's nation and still commit that nation to peace and prosperity to all nations. In this day and age, would not a nation's great achievements be shared by all? For over a century and a half Japan stood as the one nation in what the rest of the world called the "Third World" as a model for modernization and development. But it had been reluctant to share that knowledge, and others afraid of them. Now, if it survives this calamity, it would find a new purpose, a new meaning for itself. The best patriotism now was to spread the gospel of success, prosperity and modernization to those who were still in the dark. It did not have to be by bullets or napalm, but by technology and progress. Thus, with this new sense of purpose the SDF troops find themselves singing "Kimigayo," the national anthem. This song essentially was sung only at the start of sumo wrestling tournaments; it wasn't even played at the start of baseball games (team fight songs being played instead). Thus a chorus of voices found new meaning to those old words: "Kimigayo wa, Chiyo ni/Yachiyo ni Sazare ishi no, Iwao to nari te/Koke no musu made." Translated into English, the words ran: "May thy peaceful reign last long!/May it last for thousands of years,/Until this tiny stone will grow into a massive rock/And the moss will cover it all deep and thick." The SDF was preparing to take back their nation from those who were determined to destroy it, but this time, they were doing it for a civilian government, dedicated to the precepts of democracy and peace. Gen. Torymura and Ryu stood there, seeing the troops leaving. "Are we witnessing the start of a new era for Japan, or the beginning of the end?," Ryu said. "A few years ago," began Gen. Torymura, "I saw a film from anime master Oshii Mamoru. It was called 'Patlabor 2: The Movie.' In the film, a madman tried to stage a military coup and take over Japan, but the Special Vehicles Section 2 stopped them. I can only hope that the SDF will be able to stop them, for if they fail, we've lost this war." Those thought remained with him even as the last of the troops left. ----------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Lawndale City Park was jammed with people. Most of them were members of the Lawndale Militia, but there were some curiosity seekers as well. The mayor, city council and city judge were all bound and gagged and lined up for the firing squad to shoot at them. Anthony got in front of them and made this declaration: "As of this moment, I declare myself to be dictator of the city. As my first decree, I declare martial law and a curfew from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM everyday until further notice. All laws will be promulgated by me after conferring with my War Council. Anyone who dares defy any laws made by me will be shot right where they are. After this execution is carried out, everyone is to go back to their homes." Anthony got out of the way. The firing squad then loaded their rifles. "READY!," Anthony said. The firing squad had their rifles at the ready. "AIM!," Anthony now shouted. They now aimed. Suddenly, someone screamed "ATTACK!" It was Mr. DeMartino and the Lawndale Militia. They were in hiding in buildings surrounding the park and now charged like madmen, their machine guns blazing. "NO!," Anthony screamed. "Not now! Not at my moment of triumph!" Sailor Moon, in Eternal Mode, now swooped out of the skies like a fighter craft. She had a machine gun, and was firing it like crazy. The Lawndale Militia now scattered. "Don't just stand there," Anthony said to the firing squad, "FIRE!" But then, two voices yelled out, "SHABON SPRAY, FREEZING!" The firing squad was frozen solid. Daria and Ami emerged out of their positions and ran to free the condemned prisoners. "We've got to retreat, Commander!," Poindexter said. Anthony responded by taking his .45 Magnum and blowing Poindexter's brains out. "Anyone who retreats will be shot!," he yelled. "So, you're the man who's caused all this misery!," Sailor Moon said. "I won't allow you to continue! I am the pretty soldier Eternal Sailor Moon, Princess of the Moon Kingdom, future Queen of Crystal Tokyo, champion of love and justice, and your worst nightmare! In place of the Moon, I will punish you!" "I won't let you stop me when I'm this close to fulfilling my dreams!,." Anthony yelled. With that, he grabbed a bazooka and fired it right at Sailor Moon. She flew out of the way as the rocket hit a nearby truck. Anthony then fired another rocket, then another, and another, causing Sailor Moon to dodge them like crazy. "You can't keep this up forever, you know!," Anthony said. Sailor Moon knew he was right. She was beginning to tire. Daria knew that something had to be done. The National Guard troops that Mr. DeMartino contacted wouldn't arrive for two hours yet, and they had to hold the Lawndale Militia at bay until then. All seemed hopeless until Ami came up with an idea. "Daria, I'll try to draw some of that fire from Usagi," she said. "You go and free the prisoners." Daria ran to the prisoners and undid their binds. "Run, get out of here!," she yelled. They ran to safety. Ami was beginning to draw Anthony's fire. "Save yourself, Ami! I've got to stop him!," Usagi yelled. "You're our leader!," Ami said. "I'm sworn to protect you at all costs!" Daria then thought up of a plan of her own. She stood right in front of Anthony, who was about to fire another rocket from the bazooka. "SHABON SPRAY, FREEZING!," she yelled. Suddenly, the front end of the bazooka was frozen solid. Anthony had just pressed the trigger, and not being a fool, flung the thing out of the way as the rocket hit the ice and exploded the weapon to atoms. "WE'LL BE BACK!," he roared, and then fled with the others. For now, the Free Lawndalers had retaken the downtown area. "That was pretty brave of you to do that," Sailor Moon said. "I just had to do what I had to do," Daria replied. Mr. DeMartino gathered the Free Lawndalers around him and said: "We may have won control of the downtown area, but the enemy still has control of the outside areas. We have to prepare ourselves for another attack." Daria realized that the next battle will either mean the liberation of Lawndale or the beginning of a dark age not just for Lawndale, but for the rest of the nation as well. ----------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Back at the Lawndale Gun Club, Anthony now was trying to rally the troops: "We have suffered a minor setback. But now it's time to finish the job we started. I'm going to authorize all of you to use the sarin grenades that I managed to acquire from some El Salvadoran death squads. You are hereby authorized to use these weapons in any means necessary to finally obliterate the enemy. Lawndale will be ours!" Everyone yelled "DEATH TO THE ENEMY!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Yoriko was now flying over Yokohama, the port that served Tokyo. She had bombed many critical port facilities and factories. Flames were everywhere. almost every critical military base that could be of help was obliterated. Yoriko was now heading for Tokyo proper and the Imperial Palace. "Soon, the NIRAA will triumph!," she said. Yoriko was in a celebratory mood, so she cranked up "Black Monk Time" again; she was playing "Complication." Gary Burger's savage guitar riffs lead into his angst-driven vocals: "Complication!/Complication!/Complication!/Constipation!/People cry (Complication!),/People die for you!/People kill (Complication!),/People will for you!/People run (Complication!),/Ain't it fun for you!/People go (Complication!)/To their deaths for you!/People cry (People cry!),/People die for you (People die for you!)!/People cry (People kill!),/People die for you (Yeah, they will for you!)!/People cry (People run!),/People die for you (Yeah, ain't it fun for you!)!/People cry (People go!),/People die for you (To their deaths for you!)!" Down below, Tokyo was not sharing Yoriko's jubilation. Against the wishes of his advisors, Emperor Akihito decided to tour the city. he remembered vividly when his father, the Showa Emperor, toured the bombed-out areas of Tokyo in World War II in a somewhat similar fashion; however, Hirohito was wearing his military uniform at that time. Akihito insisted on wearing a plaid shirt, leather jacket, casual slacks and a pair of work boots. He insisted on riding in a government motorpool vehicle instead of either his limousine or an SDF transport as the Cabinet suggested; the latter, he said, would have been too invocative of when his father rode on his white charger when reviewing the troops. He even resisted the suggestion of wearing a Ground SDF helmet; he wore a construction worker's helmet instead. He wanted to prove that he was suffering with the people. The vehicle chosen was rather plain; a dark blue Nissan Sentra that save for the kanakaji markings indicating that it was a "Government of Japan Motor Pool Vehicle" and the national flag and Imperial Standard on the front fenders, would have passed for any vehicle in rush hour. Just in case, an SDF troop transport followed at a discrete distance. Inside the SDF transport were the Sailor Senshi. The bureaucrat driving the Sentra saw a bombed-out elementary school, with National Police, SDF troops, EMS technicians and firefighters sifting through the rubble. "Stop here," Akihito said. The car screeched to a halt. Everyone clambered out of their vehicles. The SDF and Mobile Unit troops surrounded the area with the Sailor Senshi staying close to him. The destruction was horrific. The entire front facade was down, exposing the classrooms. The rescue crews didn't even pause to see who was approaching. However, the crew chief did notice. "Your Imperial Majesty," began the crew chief, "what brings you here?" "I want to help," was Akihito's reply. He approached the rubble and began to help clear it. The stench of death was hanging in the air, but there was the head of state of Japan, standing amidst all the chaos, helping to save lives. In earlier times, this would have been viewed as the act of a god saving his people, but now it was viewed as a mere human, but a compassionate one, not afraid to do his part in restoring order to his nation. Some of the older workers, mainly EMS personnel, who had some memories of times past, stopped and bowed at the sight of their Emperor at work. This was how one showed his concern for the welfare of his people, and not by riding a horse and seeing his armed forces in colorful display. Soon enough, a girl was found, barely alive. Her brown school sweater, brown skirt and white hat were torn to tatters. An EMS technician began to administer CPR on her. A few minutes later, however, she was dead. The EMS technician closed her eyes and faced away from her. He began to weep, the life drained from his exhausted face. Sailor Mars found a boy in the rubble. HE seemed to be miraculously all right. He was a bit dazed, though. "Mama?," he said to her as he rubbed his eyes. That one word caused Sailor Mars to shed a tear. At least he had parents waiting for him; she had no one now. She hugged him, letting the tears flow. The Emperor surveyed the destruction. The Prime Minister pulled up soon thereafter. "All of the city is like this, Your Imperial Majesty," he said. Everywhere, there were flames, smoke, rubble and carnage. "We have endured enough, and more than enough," was what Akihito finally said. Another car pulled up, and another bureaucrat appeared. "It would be best if you returned to the Imperial Palace, Your Imperial Majesty," he said. "There are some reports that you need to look at concerning the damage." "I will be there shortly," was the Emperor's reply. His mind was made up. Something had to be done about all this chaos. All were looking at him now for some sign, even if it was symbolic in nature. Anything to rally the people to help their beleaguered government. He got back to his car and the party made its way back to the Imperial Palace. ----------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Back at SDF HQ, Gen. Torymura received discouraging news. The government was considering surrendering to the NIRAA. Not only that, the American Congress and the American president were deadlocked about a joint resolution backing any UN efforts to send in troops to stop the attacks. Apparently the fears of another Vietnam, another Yugoslavia or another Somalia were hovering over them. Ryu went to Gen. Torymura and said, "If the government surrenders, the NIRAA will win. That must not come to pass." Gen. Torymura then asked, "What was that saying your friend Mamoru said, 'It's always darkest before the dawn?'" Ryu replied, "Yes, that's what he said." Gen. Torymura then said, "It's time to break the darkness. Go to the Imperial Palace and ask for the Emperor's opinion. If the people listen to him, all may yet not be lost." "Very well, Sir," said Ryu; he then left with Gov. Nagai and the Solar Warrior. Gen. Torymura was now alone. After he joined the SDF, he converted to Lutheranism. That wasn't a major handicap in Japan; Christianity was now as much tolerated as Buddhism was before it. Even Empress Michiko was herself a Catholic and had went to a Catholic university; she was the first non-Buddhist and non- Shintoist to marry into the Imperial Family. The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod--which he belonged to--had made considerable inroads in Japan in recent years. He now knelt and bowed his head in prayer: "Almighty and merciful God the Father, our nation now stands at a critical crossroads in its history. There are those in this nation who wish to restore the tyranny that had brought untold suffering on countless millions just over half a century ago. If it be Your will, stop these people from their evil intentions and guide our nation to a new and better day. Give to those who the sword of the state is given to the power to quell unrest and trouble. Look with Your mercy over our troops, and if they fall in combat, take them into Your Kingdom as honored war dead. All this I ask of You, the Ruler of this Universe, in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who with You and the Holy Spirit reigns and lives now and forever, Amen." Gen. Torymura now left the battle to God. That was all he could do now.