=MALEVOLENT DESIGNS=

-Chapter 7 -

(August 8th 2012)

"What do you mean missing?" Junpei Iori the #6 operative of the organization known as the 'Shadow Operatives'. "Exactly that Iori-San." Replied the older lab coat wearing man. "Show me." Junpei ordered. "You know the maintenance lab is off limits, except to lab personal." The man told him, but Junpei just gave the man a glare. "Okay sir." The technician gave in, leading Junpei in to the maintenance room. The room at first glance was like a cross between a science lab, electronic shop and morgue. It held multiply metal desks with strange machines Junpei on vaguely knew the purpose, while one of the walls had a collection of metal cabinet doors built in to it.

The technician moved over to one of the doors on the wall labelled 'Iori #6' and open it. A draw much smaller than a morgue one but of a similar design slid out and was clearly empty. Junpei looked at the other doors in the walls. "Open them all." Junpei ordered. "What!" The man exclaimed shocked at the order. "Just open them." Junpei ordered again. Doing as he was told, each of the cabinets were opened in turn, and the outcome cause both Junpei's and the technician's faces to darken.

The wall had 30 of the cabinets but only 14 were meant to be currently used; however upon opening all of the doors only 6 actually contained anything. Junpei looked over to the corner of the room at the camera. "Close them up, and then we're off to the security room." Junpei said walking over to one of the 6 cabinets, and taking the content inside. Junpei strapped the holster around his waist, and checked the Evoker inside was working. "I'm taking this one just in case." Junpei inform the technician, as he was closing all the doors. "Come on." Junpei told the researcher, heading for the door.

The pair made the walk to the security room in silence. Junpei lost in thought at the possible implication of multiply Evokers going missing. While not all operatives capable of using a persona needed an Evoker in order to use them, it was a good back up to have. There was also the fact the police half of the Shadow Operative may blame those brought into the fold by Kirijo group. Knocking on the door to the security when they arrived they were let in. "I want to see all the footage of the evoker maintenance room." Junpei told the guy sitting in front the bank of computers and monitors that made up the camera system.

It took a few minute for the man to set up one of the monitor to start playing the footage he had requested. The footage blurred passed at high speed. Technicians working, and then locking up the evokers for the day. Then a large part of the footage nothing seemed to happen, until someone entered the room on the screen. "Isn't that Aegis' sister?" Junpei asked himself. As Labrys on screen moved over each of the cabinets, proceeding to open them and load 8 different Evokers in to a large bag. "Pause it." Junpei said looking into the corner of the footage to see that in had been taken in the early hours of the morning. "Good find out whoever was on camera duty last night. I need to call Mitsuru." Junpei instructed pulling out his phone and heading out into the hallway.


"Keep looking for them." Mitsuru told someone on the other end of the phone before hanging up. About to return the phone to her pocket, it rung again and Mitsuru quickly answered it once more. "Kirijo speaking." Mitsuru greeted formally. "I've been trying to get hold of you for the last 5 minutes." Junpei voice said slightly annoyed. "I'm quite busy at the moment Junpei, so this better be important." Mitsuru told him. "Oh I don't know would you say Labrys stealing 8 Evokers out of Maintenance last night important." Junpei asserted via his sarcasm how important he felt it was.

Mitsuru stood from her seat in disbelief. "When Junpei?" Mitsuru blurted urgently. "At like 3 am, why does when matter? Shouldn't where she gone be more important?" Junpei wondered. "Last night I was on the phone with Akihiko around 2 am, he was panicked, and then the line went dead. He's gone missing, as has Aegis and Labrys." Mitsuru related the reason she wanted to know. "Why didn't you call me?" He hollered down the phone line. "I've been too busy arranging people to look for them Junpei." Mitsuru boomed back, shocking Junpei. "That's a shit reason." Junpei snapped back. "But we can talk about that later. Do you think it could be connected?" Junpei finished not sound happy with Mitsuru.

"Possible but no way we can know unless we find Labrys. I had a feeling she's gone to Inaba, I've already sent someone to track her down. The fact she stole 8 Evokers just reinforces that idea." Mitsuru concluded. "Fine, how can I help then?" Junpei offered, calming down. "Get a couple people and escort Fuuka and Ken down to HQ. There both alright but I don't like the idea of them being alone right now." She declared. "Protection detail while others go out looking… Probably for the best I guess, I'd probably be too worried to think straight and search." Junpei agreed. "Who'd you send to Inaba?" Junpei queried, realizing that Mitsuru hadn't said. "I sent Yukari, but don't worry she's taken Koromaru with her. I'll call her to let her know about the Evoker as well though." Mitsuru tried to reassure Junpei. "I'm sure she'll be fine if Koro's with her." Junpei acknowledge before hanging up to go get Fuuka and Ken like he had been asked.


(Unknown)

Akihiko awoke to splitting pain in his head, and the sight of Aegis crouched over him. "What happened?" He asked disorientated. "Unknown, my memory is corrupted." Aegis replied, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Where are we?" Akihiko asked looking at their surroundings. Vast blackness as far as the eye could see, all except each other. It was disconcerting, the surrounding colour made it feel like it was dark, but there was defiantly light as he could see Aegis, it was almost light everything but them was swallowing the light. "Also unknown and I do not like it." Aegis stated, making sure to stand close to Akihiko. "Me either. Caesar" Akihiko finished by shouting the name of his persona willing it to come forward, but was answered by nothing. "That isn't good." Akihiko mumbled filling with worry. "Not good at all" He added, staring into the vast nothingness.

The vast darkness felt as if it was going to smother them. The hairs on the back of Akihiko's next stood on end, a feeling he didn't often have. There was however one thing he knew usually got them to stand up, like a sort of precognition. "Shadows?" Akihiko asked Aegis beside him. "I do not sense any. It is possible that our current lack of ability to summon persona has dampened my ability to sense them." Aegis theorised. "Let's just hope that you're wrong." Akihiko hoped. "We should not remain here." Aegis stated her opinion that staying here would do nothing. "I agree. Pick a direction." Akihiko told her. "We shall go this way." Aegis chose walking off in a random direction.

Akihiko followed making sure not to fall behind. Watching the darkness he noticed as they walk it seemed to be shifting in shade. Slowly from it's pure black to a midnights sky dark blue. "We appear to causing some change in our surroundings." Aegis pointed out the obvious. "I know, let change things faster." Akihiko responded jogging passed Aegis and taking the lead. After 10 minutes of jogging Akihito found himself not becoming even the slightest bit fatigued. The further they moved, the lighter the surrounding became but it still was only a gradual process. Without tiredness seeming to come, Akihiko pushed himself to go faster.

It didn't take long before he found himself running the fastest he could possible do so. It didn't hurt, it didn't slow him down, and even Aegis was struggling to keep up with him without resorting to Orgia mode. The omnipresent colour had finally reached sky blue of a summer's day. It was then that Akihiko noticed something below them. "Is that a cloud?" Akihiko asked confused, causing Aegis to look as well. It was seemingly floating through the floor, and it wasn't the only one. It was then that the floor was no more.

What had appeared to be only colour imitating the sky now was one, and they were falling. Akihiko forced his body to spin so he could look down in the direction they were falling. Passing through clouds, Akihiko saw what appear to be a giant land mass, miles and miles below. The portion they were above looked like any picture of earth from space, greens and white of appealing colours and section of blue of what might have been oceans. Right in the centre of the pure section of the lands mass was a bright blue light.

However the lands beyond the greens, were not inviting. They were black, purple and in places red and yellows of fire. The whole image put in Akihiko mind, the idea of a paradise sitting in the middle of hell. Not that taking in the information of the land below was really worth much, seeing as he was going to crash into at terminal velocity in the foreseeable future. "Akihiko-San get a hold of yourself." Aegis shouted gliding beside him and grabbing him under each arm. "I will attempt to slow our descent as much as I can." She reassured pushing herself to fly. However her Orgia mode had its limits, and the jets would cut out when she over heated. Plus the fact that they were designed for her own weight only meant they were not the best for the situation. Akihiko closed his eyes and prayed.


A/N – None at this time.

Disclaimer – I don't own persona or its characters.