Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels
Chapter Eight: The Rebel Spectres Are Formed
Back to the story, the four were at Iko's house, having a day off from work, and they were all on the couch and Jonathan was sat in a recliner, all watching TV, though Donnel was holding a comic book and Jonathan was flipping through the newspaper, while Iko read a book on medieval mystery, with Jessamine sitting beside him.
"Sometimes, the weekends can be dull." Jonathan sighed, flipping another page.
"Well, I like the days off!" Donnel spoke up. "We don't have to worry about school or work or any other bullshit!"
"Except for those of us who do have to work." Iko pointed out.
Before their conversation went further, the news came on, reporting on the arrest of Kraven. This quickly got the teams attention, watching as Kraven is taken away, the reporter revealing all of the things he did; blackmailing, murder, even kidnapping. Seeing Kraven taken away by the police, the group was amazed.
"So, it's finally over, huh?" Donnel spoke up.
"It would seem so." John nodded.
"Finally, after a year of putting up with that scoundrel's harassment," Iko sighed, setting his book to the side. "It's finally done."
The lot sat in silence for a moment, before John spoke up.
"Well, now that that's over with," He lifted a silver briefcase and set it on the coffee table. "I've looked into sellin' that statue, and you won't believe how much we got for it."
He opened up the case, and the team looked in amazement; a total of 70 thousand yen was sitting inside the case.
"No way!" Donnel gaped. "We got that much money for that small statue?!"
"You'd be surprised by how much people are willing to give for a rare artifact." John chuckled.
"So, what do we do with all this money?" Jessamine asked, jumping up onto the table.
"I say we celebrate!" Donnel declared happily. "After the hard work we pulled, we deserve this!"
"We should be careful with how much we spend." Iko frowned. "We could also use the money as a budget for future heists."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Jessamine nodded. "Question is; where do we celebrate?"
"How about that diner that opened up in downtown?" John suggested. "It has a buffet and a large selection."
"Then tomorrow, we go to this diner to celebrate." Iko agreed. "I expect everyone to be rested up and ready!"
Later that night, in another place…
Iko opened his eyes and found himself inside the tent in the Velvet Room, sat in front of Gaia, who was holding a book.
"Welcome back, Rebel." She greeted with a smile. "Congratulations are in order for your victory against the Tyrant of Pride and Lust."
"Thank you." Iko bowed his head. "It was thanks to the help you provided, Gaia."
"I simply gave directions." Gaia chuckled. "You are responsible for your actions and decisions."
"There are still many threats that will stand before you." Angelus declared. "Though you were successful in this first battle, there will be others."
"For now, enjoy your celebration," Gaia suggested. "And prepare yourself for more battles to come."
The next day…
The team went to a fancy restaurant, with Jessamine hiding in Iko's bag, and they sat at a booth, their plates stacked high with food, all of them enjoying their feast.
"Aw man, this is amazin'!" Donnel said blissfully, as he shoved another piece of steak in his mouth.
"Didn't I tell you so?" John asked with a smirk, bringing another fork stacked with steak to his lips. "This place is the talk of all the fancy deep pockets."
"I have to admit, John, you have good taste," Iko admitted. "I guess even a bounty hunter has to keep in mind places to eat."
"Especially a place of such high quality!" Jessamine added.
"But of course; it's a famous restaurant after all." John chuckled, before frowning. "By the way, I heard the police was supposed to come to interview some of the people at the lab."
"That's gonna be troublesome, mate." Donnel shooked his head. "Our names are gonna come up for sure, considerin' we were Kraven's targets."
"Not to mention how he kept harassing Iko to hire him," Jessamine added.
"I'm sure it won't be that much of a problem if you let me handle it," Iko advised.
"Yeah, I know." Donnel nodded, before grinning. "But we've got people at the labs talkin' though! Everyone's sayin' stuff like 'The Rebel Spectres really stole his heart!' I think some of them seem grateful! Talkin' how the Spectres have helped them keep goin' and how they feel stronger!"
"And here I was, just desperate to deal with my own problems." Iko chuckled. "Still, it feels good, knowing others are inspired by us."
"Yeah, one of the things I enjoy about bounty hunting." John declared, before looking up at the restaurant clock and nearly gasped at the time. "Aw crap! We've only got an hour left to eat!"
"Crap, you're right!" Donnel gasped, quickly standing up. "I still need to go through the meat dishes!"
After Donnel rushed off, John quickly rose from his seat.
"Look after our stuff; we'll snag some for you guys too!"
A few minutes later, John and Donnel returned, their plates stacked high with food, as they continued to chow down.
"Oh man, it's like heaven in my mouth!" Donnel sighed with bliss, his mouth full of steak.
"Be mindful of your calories, kid." John teased.
"Shuttup!" Donnel hissed. "Do you have any idea how rare it is for me an' me pa to eat anywhere as fancy and expensive as this?! I'll never be able to eat like this again!" He then frantically hesitated. "Maybe I should get a to-go box for pa…"
"Hey, what about our share?" Jessamine frowned.
Donnel lazily shoved a plate of food his way.
"Couldn't figure out what ya wanted, so I just gotcha some beans."
"Beans?!" Jessamine did a double take.
"I got you a plate of random stuff." John shoved over a plate of food. "Mostly bread, fish, and beans."
"More beans?!" Jessamine gasped, before turning to Iko. "These guys have no taste. What say we get a real meal of our own?"
"Leave that to me," Iko smirked, raising from his seat, his attention to his other companions. "Look after our belongings and wait patiently for our return."
When he saw that the two weren't even paying attention, Iko walked off, a plate in one hand and Jessamine hiding in the bag under his arm. Going to the buffet, he also noticed some of the other people talking about the incident, specifically the Rebel Spectres and the calling card. As he fixed his plate, carefully, with meats, fish, rice, and desserts, he heard some of the words from the other customers; some were amazed by the actions, others not so much.
His plate stacked, Iko made his way back to his companions table.
"Hey, look who's back!" Donnel smiled with a mouthful of food. "Whaddya think of the food so far?"
"It's incredible." Iko admitted. "I'm not sure where to start."
"Well, you'd best start soon." John chuckled. "This food ain't goin' to eat itself."
In an agreement, they chowed down until there plates were cleaned, save for the to-go boxes Donnel had asked for, wanting to save some for his father. After the feast, they let out a sigh of relief.
"We did it." Donnel declared blissfully. "Worth it." He then burped. "Urg…Gotta use the restroom…"
And with that, Donnel and Iko rushed to the restrooms, with Jessamine in tow.
After what felt like and hour, Donnel emerged from the restrooms, letting out a sigh of relief, as he approached the elevator.
"That feels so much better." He sighed. "Especially after a huge meal."
He pressed the down button to call the elevator and waited. He looked around and noticed that Iko was nowhere to be seen.
"Aye, where's Iko?" He wondered. "Did he fell in?"
Iko, however, wasn't in the bathroom; he was standing at the balcony, looking up at the night sky.
"It's a beautiful night out, huh?" Jessamine asked, popping out of the bag in the chair.
"Yeah, it is." Iko nodded, before sighing. "This was Wakaba's favorite place to go to."
"You miss her, don't you?" Jessamine asked, a frown on her face.
"Yeah, I do." Iko nodded sadly.
He noticed, however, that a young woman in a business suit walked up next to him. He was taken aback by her beauty, her silver, long hair asymmetrically parted on her right side, her eyes brown with a hint of mauve red.
She looked over and her eyes widened a bit, but then soften into a gentle smile.
"Hello there, Iko-san." She greeted.
Iko cleared his throat, after recognizing who she was.
"To you as well, Niijima-san." He nodded to her.
The two paused for a moment, before Niijima spoke up.
"It has been a while since we last spoke." She said. "How have you been?"
"I've been doing better." Iko nodded. "We've made progress at the facility."
"I've also heard that a man called Vladimir Kraven was arrested." Sae said. "The police said he just had a 'change of heart' out of the blue."
"How curious," Iko feigned curiosity.
"I don't suppose you know anything else about that?" Sae asked, raising a brow.
"He's been hounding after me to hire him." Iko admitted. "He probably just caved in to his heavy conscious."
"And then there was that calling card." Sae added. "Some people claim it was a scare tactic to make him confess."
"Everyone has their two cents on the situation." Iko shrugged. "I'm just glad he won't be harassing me anymore."
"So am I." Sae nodded, before frowning. "Still, if these, 'Rebel Spectres' are in fact real, it just makes my job a lot harder."
'I highly doubt that.' Iko thought to himself.
"Well, I'd best be going." Sae sighed, turning to Iko and smiling. "I hope to see you again, Iko-san."
"And you as well, Sae-san." Iko nodded.
Before she left, however, Sae reached into her bag and pulled out a small card and gave it to Iko.
"Here, my business card." She said. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to give me a call." She turned to leave, but stopped and said, "I'm sorry about Wakaba, by the way."
Iko nodded, then Sae walked away.
"A friend of yours?" Jessamine asked.
"Yeah, we met a year ago, before Wakaba was murdered." Iko said, frowning. "We haven't spoken in a while, after her death."
"Well, it's always nice to have an old friend back in your life." Jessamine pointed out.
Leaving the conversation, Iko picked up the bag and walked back inside, meeting an irritated Donnel by the elevators.
"'Bout time you showed up." Donnel grunted.
"What's got you in a foul mood?" Jessamine asked, popping out onto Iko's shoulder.
"Some arrogant, bald bastard put me in a sour mood." Donnel sighed, calming down a bit. "He an' his posse came along and shoved me out of the way. I tried ta tell 'em they 'ad to wait their turn, but they practically ignored me!"
"Sounds like someone who could use a change of heart later on." Iko nodded, before rubbing a finger against his chin. "Though this person does sound familiar."
Putting that to the side, the two went down the elevator and back to their table, John having a sour look on his face.
"John, you alright?" Iko asked, he and Donnel taking their seats.
"Just had a run in with some pompous rich dude." John shrugged. "He started yelling at me about his plate falling to the floor, even though he was the one who ran into me."
"People acting all high and mighty." Donnel growled, crossing his arms. "I can't stand such people."
Iko looked from Donnel to John, before coming up with an interesting solution.
"Why don't we continue as the Spectres?"
Donnel and John looked up to Iko, listening intently.
"There are no doubt still people in high places who think they're above the law." Iko explained. "They think they can just look down on others or kick down people they deem beneath them and act like they can do whatever they want, without consequences. But we have the power to prove them wrong. With it, we can change society for the better." He looked to the two. "We can't just ignore people who cry out for help when we have to power to do so. People need a ray of hope. WE can be that ray of hope for the people!"
Donnel and John looked at each other, then nodded, before turning to Iko.
"I agree, Boss." Donnel said. "Someone ought to stand for the little people and punish the bullies!"
"I'm with you on this, Abraxas." John nodded. "I'm done standing by with my hands crossed. If the proper authority won't do a damn thing to see real justice done, who will?"
"Then it's decided." Jessamine declared. "From this day forward, the Rebel Spectres are hereby born."
"Then a toast to the birth of our organization." John smirked, raising his glass.
"We are the Rebel Spectres." Iko declared, raising his glass.
"And we bleed," Donnel started, raising his own glass.
As they clinked their glasses together, they said in unison.
"A different kind of blood."
Present…
"And from that day forward," Iko declared, his fingers intertwined with one another. "The Rebel Spectres were formed, vowing to bring the corrupt to justice."
"Wow that was amazing!" Ryuji whooped, a big grin on his face. "Especially how you based your team name off a bands album!"
"I've always listened to Desiple in my free time." Iko shrugged. "I always liked their music."
"Especially that last line!" Ryuji grinned. "'And we bleed a different kind of blood'. So badass!"
"I must admit, your group does reflect heavily on the bands song." Yusuke spoke up. "The bits about misfits, outcasts, black flagged mutiny seem fitting for the Spectres."
"Wouldn't the same be said of the Phantom Thieves?" Iko asked. "We're not so different, your group and ours."
"Anyways, how about more of your story, professor?" Makoto said. "We would like to know how you ended up teaching at our school and how you changed your name."
"Yeah, what was that about?" Ann asked.
"Yes, I suppose we've finally reached that point, haven't we?" Iko sighed, straightening up. "After we formed the group, I left the title of head researcher to my friend, Riku, and we moved into an apartment building in Shibuya, where we planned our later heists." He looked towards the door, then back to the teens. "But first, we've asked two more members of our team to meet here."
"I already called 'em up, while you were tellin' the story, boss." Donnel declared. "They should be here shortly."
As if on cue, the door opened, and the lot turned to see who was at the door.
Much to the Thieves shock, mostly Ann's shock, Shiho Suzui, and a young man with brown shoulder length hair, wearing faded blue jeans with cowboy boots, a black rock band shirt under an equally black jacket.
"Hello, everyone." Shiho greeted with a friendly smile.
"Howdy." The cowboy tipped his hat.
"Murray?!" Ryuji gasped loudly, practically jumping out of his seat. "Murray fucking Stone from school?!"
"And Shiho?!" Ann gasped even louder. "What the hell is this?!"
"I'm sorry we never told you about this, Ann." Shiho said, her head lowered. "You're my best friend and you deserve to know, but I wasn't sure how you would react."
"I also apologize." Murray added. "I've sworn to keep our allegiance a secret, as Shiho has."
"Why keep it a secret?" Haru asked.
"The same reason the identity of the Phantom Thieves was kept a secret." Iko declared. "We didn't want to risk any conflict with your group, especially if you found out our identities."
"We're terribly sorry for deceiving you guys." Shiho apologized.
"But when did you guys join the Spectres?" Akira asked. "And why?"
"Because of Kamoshida, at first." Iko explained. "But, as it went on, we were encountered with a different problem. While you guys were taking down Kamoshida, we were chasing down a rogue Persona User."
The plot thickens! First of all, I want to apologize for the late update, I've recently fallen depressed after losing my new job, so I had to clear my head for a few days. Thankfully, my good friend and confidant, 11KairiMayumi11, gave me kind words of encouragement. Thanks, buddy!
I also wanted to apologize if this chapter seems rushed, I've pulled an alnighter with this one, I'm trying to fix it up if I see errors.
Anyways, what do you guys think of Shiho being a part of the Spectres? What're your thoughts on Murray? Don't worry, you'll see more of them in later chapters.
Anyways, hope you guys are still looking forward to more, and be sure to review!
