Sailor Moon meets the Puppet Master 5

Chapter 5: Ami confronts Gary.

“I’m telling you he is not to be trusted!” Luna said as she and Artemis met up with Serena and the others the next day. “He has servants with him to act as body guards. They are properly those things that the students at the college kept seeing everywhere” “I don’t believe you” said Ami “How do you know they have nothing to do with Gary?” “We’re not Ami” Lita said “and we are not here to accuse random people ok!” She said this directly at Luna (who stuck her tongue out in response). “What did these things look like?” Mina said trying to change the subject “They look like people” Artemis said “but they are around my size. They look like string less puppets but more frightening” “Living puppets?” Serena said “that sound weird” “This whole conversation is weird!” Ami said “a boy from a foreign country has just started his first term at college on the same day as these strange things started happening and you dare try to put them two together! I am ashamed of you lot! I refused to believe you unless you give me solid evidence!”. “WELL EXPLAIN THIS THEN!” Luna said in annoyance as she slammed something on the coffee table making everyone jump. It was a book. A note book written in French. “And what is this?” Ami said “You wanted evidence so there's your evidence!" Luna said  "I found it in Gary’s apartment! It is a note book containing the secret of binging inanimate objects to live using some sort of gadgetry!” “Please don’t shout!” Rei said “we get the point already” Ami was speechless. She had no idea what to say. What could she say? She still refuse to believe that Gary had anything to do with the negaveres. But with all this she is beginning to have second thoughts. “I’m sorry Ami” Luna said “I know it’s hard to believe but trust me. There are tools in here that can make anything you want come alive. Gary was properly given this by those of the negaveres and might have been taught how to make it” “Or he might be under some sort of mind control and has no idea what he’s doing” Lita said “and how do you know that they didn’t plant the book there just to frame him?” “We don’t” Luna said “that’s the problem”.

It was all too quiet as Ami sat in her kitchen. Everyone had gone and now she was alone with only her thoughts. She still cannot believe that Gary might have anything to do with the negaveres. Why is she denying this? Could it be that she is developing feelings for Gary? They had just met and now Ami didn’t want to go up against him. Hell the boy did save her from a street gang for crying out loud! Ami didn’t know what to think. She didn’t know if that book that Luna found was real or not. She had left it in her lounge were it laid on the coffee table. Ami didn’t read it so she left it. Even though she too can read French she didn’t want to read how to bring objects to life. Ami then decided to get a glass of water. Maybe that’ll help clear her thoughts. She was about to drink it when she heard a noise coming from the lounge. She poked her head out from the kitchen and….. To her amazement….. Saw a little jester and a little woman climbing onto the coffee table. They were after the book it seems. Ami ducked out of sight and watched as they lowered the book onto the floor and climbed back down. Then she saw another figure over by the lounge window. This one looked like something out of a horror movie. It had a skull for a face, white hair, and was wearing a black trench coat and a black hat. But what was more frightening was that its left hand was a hook and its other hand was a blade. It was talking to the other two in some sort of weird language that Ami could not understand. This one was obviously in charge. Ami watched as the other two brought over the book and the third one (with some difficulty seeing that it had no hands) helped them carry it out of the window. So these were those little things that Luna and Artemis had encountered. They do indeed look like stringless puppets. Ami watched as they hopped out of sight. And then went over to the window to see where they were going. Ami watched as they climbed down the side of the building and finally made it to the ground. Then they ran off towards the east side. Ami then realised where they were heading. They were heading towards outside of campus. Where that apartment block was. She suddenly felt a deep anger rising inside her. Grabbing her coat and shoes, Ami stormed out of her room and towards the boy’s dorms. She was ready to confront Gary and demand to know what’s going on.

Gary was in his lounge. Pacing up and down with a worried look on his face. He had just found out that his grandfather’s book had been taken and he was really worried. That book contains most of his grandfather’s secrets. How stupid of him to let it get stolen. Gary did sent his friends to go look for it. But one by one they’ve returned empty handed and Gary was beginning to lose faith. But then he heard a tap on his window. Gary turned around and saw the last three of his friends…… with the book in hand. “Well done you three” Gary said as he let them inside. “You have no idea how much this means to me” he added as they joined the others. “Where did you find it anyway?” Gary said. The three looked at him and spoke in their weird language. Gary had mixed reactions. “You’ve found it in the girl’s dorm? Why would the girls want it?” then he realised something “Those cats that were in here yesterday. They properly stole it and took it back to their owner’s rooms. Well it’s a good thing that you weren’t spotted…..” There was a loud angry knock on his door. Gary hurriedly told his friends to get into the bedroom and closed the door while he go and see who it was. They did so and Gary went to his front door. He had only opened it slightly when it was violently pushed open. Sending him flying backwards. “What the……” he said. He then looked up to see Ami standing in the door way. “Hello Ami” Gary said “what brings you here?”. “Gee let me think!” Ami said entering the room and closing the door behind her. Why was she angry? Why was she here? Gary didn’t ask these because Ami grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and forced him back into the living room. “What’s gotten into you?” he demanded “why are you acting like this?” “I tell you why!” Ami said “This morning some friends of mine told me that strange things were happening all over campus. Seeing little figures running around and hiding when they’re spotted. And all this started when you turned up. I wouldn’t mind but then I found that one of my friend’s cats had brought a book in off the streets. And it was a book on how to bring things to life! I don’t know if this was some sort of humour you have in England but it’s beginning to lose its funniness!” She said all this fast “Now are you going to tell me what is going on or am I gonna have to get more angry?!” Gary just stood here. He couldn’t speak. He had been found out. Ami had put two and two together and now she knew everything. A tear trickled down his cheek. Ami noticed this and began to think that she was being a bit too harsh on him. She wasn’t an angry person but she felt betrayed. She watched as Gary turned his head towards the bedroom door. “You lot might as well come out” he said “she knows” Ami wondered who he was talking to. Then she noticed the door opening. Then she watched as those three little figures walked into the lounge. Followed by four others. Ami looked on amazed as they stood in a line just in front of the coffee table. “Ami” Gary said as she let go of him “let me introduce you to my little family so to speak”. 

One by one Gary introduced them to Ami and one by one they stepped forward, took a bow, and stepped back in line. They were Blade, Jester, Miss Leech, Six-Shooter, Pin-Head, Tunneler, and Torch. Ami looked at them all in amazement and wonder. Now that she is seeing them up close, they looked less scary. “They have been in my family for three generations” Gary said “I’m the third person to have them in my possession. You see my great grandfather created them to help combat the Nazis during the Second World War. Then he past them on to my grandfather” Gary then talked about how when his mother was born, his grandfather didn’t want her to know about their secret so she was led to believe that they were battery powered. Ami didn’t know how to respond. But then she found the right words. “Are you saying that they are not powered by clockworks nor batteries? They are in fact……. ALIVE?!” “Yes they are” Gary said nodding. “But how?” Ami said “How do you make things like them come alive?!” “Well I might as well tell you everything now” Gary said. He sat Ami down on the sofa and (after sitting down next to her) began to tell her everything. 

“You see” Gary began “My great grandfather was a famous puppeteer. He and his wife toured all over Europe during the thirties and forties. But by then the Nazis have begun their conquest and traveling was getting difficult. My great grandfather at that time was entertaining at a local hotel. While he was there he was approached by a traveling Egyptian salesman. He said that he had a magic liquid that will make his puppets more magical. But it was an ancient spell and it will cost a lot to buy. My great grandfather didn’t believe him at first but when the salesman actually used it to make a stuff animal come alive then my great grandfather’s life changed forever. He brought the recipe and created the serum with his wife and it turned out to be true. Not only do they come alive. But given what they look like, they develop their own personalities. But there is just one problem. The recipe states that you must mix a drop of your own blood into the serum so that the puppets know who their master is. And telling by the look on your face yes I did put some of my blood into the serum just to update them. Well anyway my great grandfather then used his new puppets as a new attraction. His amazing stringless puppets made him lots of money. But then the Nazis found out. They wanted the formula for their own wishes. And they murdered my great grandfather and his wife. But they didn’t get the serum or the puppets. Cause they secretly sent them with their son to England before the Invasion of Poland. That boy’s name was Andre Toulon and he was my grandfather. He was brought up in England and continued his father’s legacy until his death just last year. And he left me his puppets and the family secret of which you now know”. 

Ami sat there in silence wile Gary was telling the story. When he finished she then realised that she hadn’t blinked for ages. Afterwards she said “This is hard to believe Gary. I mean an Egyptian serum that brings things to life and stringless puppets?” “I see” Gary said looking at the floor “you don’t believe me”. Ami felt a bit down when he said that. Strangely she believe everything he said but what if he was making it up? But she trusted her feelings and (for reasons best known only to her) hugged Gary. “I do believe you Gary” she said “I must admit it sounds like you’ve took it straight from a low budget film series. But you have got evidence to back you” She indicated the puppets (Who had been standing there all through the story). Gary indicated that they are free to go and they left to wonder around the flat. Except for Blade who decided to stay and watch his master talking to this girl. “You really do believe me?” Gary said looking at Ami. She nodded and smiled at once. Then was shocked when Gary hugged her back. “I had never thought that anyone would believe me. Even my parents didn’t believe me at first” “your parents also know about them?” Ami said “They found out when my grandfather left them to me” Gary said letting go of her. “But Ami I must ask you never to tell anyone about this. I don’t want anyone to get their hands on the serum. Because it would be disastrous if they do” “Ok Gary” Ami said “I promise” She and Gary then spent the whole afternoon chatting. It was like they had been best friends for a long time. It was during this that Ami decided on something. If Gary told her his secret, she was going to tell him hers.