A Little Brainstorming For The Girls This Time...

[Bob Schroeck]

Zelda smirked as she fell face-up through the fog surrounding the
London Wall, supported by the emerald radiance of the C-ball. 
Although the mission to assassinate the Queen and the other upper
echelons of the Kingdom of Albion (and to lay the blame on
Princess Charlotte) had gone awry, she had still made her escape
as planned.  Barely two hundred feet -- a mere few minutes --
of gentle Cavorite-cushioned drop and she would reach the street
level and the automobile that had been secreted for her not far
from the entrance of the Royal Cathedral.

And from there, it would be a short drive to the safe house where
she would remain until it was time to cross the Wall back into the
Commonwealth.  Once back she would lay the blame for the failure
at the feet of the traitor Ange le Carre, and beg General for the
assignment to kill her *and* the Princess.  The she'd...

Zelda's train of thought crashed to a halt when she felt a sudden
jerk and *stopped falling*.  At the same moment, something tore the
C-ball from her grasp with a strength beyond her ability to resist.
The glowing green aura which had supported her snuffed out like a
candle flame... and yet she still hung suspended in mid-air.

"What?" she finally cried.  "How...?"

"Hello, Zelda."  A young woman's voice rose from beneath her,
followed by the young woman herself.  She was as blonde as the
Princess, but her skin was as brown as that of Gazelle, the Duke
of Normandy's favorite agent.  A bright blue mask hid most of her
face but for her eyes, mouth and chin; as she rose even higher --
far out of arm's reach, dammit! -- Zelda saw that she was wearing
an indecently revealing outfit -- little more than a white leotard
with a blue skirt and trim, and matching blue opera gloves and
knee boots.  The spy gasped when she realized the girl was not
limned in the tell-tale glow of Cavorite in action, but simply
hung in the air with no evidence how.

"I guess you're wondering what's happening," the girl said
conversationally.  In one hand she had the C-ball, now inactive
and dark, and she idly tossed it up in the air and caught it
again as she studied Zelda.  "You'll just have to settle for
learning that the princess and her team have far more resources
than you're aware of."  She paused and tilted her head while
continuing to study Zelda, who thrashed in a futile attempt to
break free of the invisible grasp which held her.  "I'd like to
tell you you're under arrest for conspiracy, attempted mass
murder, espionage, illegally crossing the border into the Kingdom
of Albion..."  She trailed off thoughtfully, smiling slightly as
though distracted by a stray thought.  Then she lifted one blue-
gloved hand -- the one not holding the C-ball -- and with its
forefinger drew a circle perhaps two feet in diameter in the
air.

Zelda was stunned to watch the tip of the girl's finger trace a
glowing white line in the air.  Once the circle was complete, it
became a solid disk of glowing white light which then rippled and
suddenly displayed the face of another young woman -- this one
olive-skinned with black hair.  "Yes, Sailor Loon?"

"I have Zelda and her little toy," "Sailor Loon" -- Zelda noted
the obvious codename -- said.  Whatever the disk actually *was*,
it was clearly a communication device far in advance of anything
either the Kingdom *or* the Commonwealth possessed.  Once she got
free she would have to force its secrets from the girl.

"Good," the woman in the disk said.  "Peggy and Sana have
completed their tasks.  L is back in charge of Control."

"And the General and his backers?"

"Not going to be a problem for anyone anymore."

Zelda viciously clamped down on the spike of fear that drove
through her heart on hearing that.  If General had been deposed
just as he had deposed L before him, if his whole faction had
been purged, then she no longer had any official backing or
protection.  L would no doubt sanction her as soon as Ange
reported to him.  She had to escape this "Sailor Loon"!

"Cool," replied "Sailor Loon" cryptically.  No doubt it was a
confirmation code.  "What should I do about Crazy McBangBang
here?"

In the image on the disk, the eyes of the olive-skinned woman
shifted slightly, and Zelda realized that she was gazing at her
with a look of mixed sadness and determination.  "What Doug
always said to do with an enemy combatant if you had the chance,"
she said after a moment.  "I know you're probably not comfortable
with that..."

"Sailor Loon" sighed.  "You're right.  But it's necessary if the
Princess is to achieve her goals."  She made a casual gesture and
terror seized Zelda as she felt gravity take hold of her once
again, unfettered by the effect of her C-ball.  As she plunged
toward the cobblestone street below, she heard "Sailor Loon"
sadly add, "Never leave an enemy alive to attack you again."

Spoiler

-- Princess Principal