As the shadow squeezed its way through the door slowly, Mitsuru and Naoto covered Kurenai by standing in front of her at guard. The examination lab that they were in was a long narrow room with with only the one way in and out. And it was being blocked by this shadow. Kurenai could hardly form words at this point. Her back was pressed against the lab table.
"Wh-what is that thing? We've got to find a way out of here."
"The door is blocked and it's massive, we might be outgunned here," Naoto said drawing her pistol and taking aim at the creature.
"We overwhelm it while it's in the door," said Mitsuru. "Before it's through the door, come! On me!" Mitsuru rushes the door with Naoto at her back. She charges, jabbing her sword into the creature's center and pulling it out. When she jumps back Naoto fires a quick volley of shots into the creature. Every puncture that they put into the shadow bleeds a geyser of black mist.
Mitsuru took this time to draw her evoker and fire it into her chest. "Persona," she called. "Bufudyne!" An explosion of ice cuts through the shadow and fills the door. The ice subsides, but not before it severs a segment of the creature off.
"Persona!" Naoto said. Yamato Sumeragi lunged from behind her, casting a blast of Almighty energy centered on the shadow in the door, eradicating it. The doorway clear. "Let's move before more come."
"I'm not going anywhere with you until you explain what the fuck I just saw!" Kurenai said.
"There really isn't time. It's not safe here and this room is too small, if more of them get in here…" Naoto said.
Mitsuru grabbed Kurenai by the arm and tugged her toward the door, the other woman put up very little protest and Naoto followed behind them. The building was empty and this mirror version of the world made it seem somewhat different, like there was just a change in the air.
"That was a shadow," Mitsuru said. "They are beings made from the collective consciousness of mankind that reside in a universe that mirrors our own. We were drawn into that universe through some means. And some of us control a shadow version of ourself called a Persona," Mitsuru explained all that she could as quickly as she could.
They were full on running down the winding halls now. "I don't see how any of this is possible. Half of that doesn't even make sense."
Mitsuru glanced back to speak to Kurenai as she was going around the corner at the end of the hall, but before she could speak a fist hit her hard in the face, knocking her into Kurenai. Naoto stooped down to help the two of them up.
Takaya Sakaki stood at the end of the hallway, shirtless as he always was and standing with his sinewy body lording over Mitsuru. "Well if it isn't the Kirijo-bitch," he said with a smile.
Jin Shirato stepped into view at his side. "It truly feels like destiny, what's happening here. You are the closest thing to those who made us into experiments. You still benefit from our sacrifice, so this is only fitting."
"Yes, we've met a true power. A god of control and he has seen to it that we get our revenge," Takaya pulled the gun from the waistband of his pants and aimed it down at the three of them.
Mitsuru was still too fast and she slapped the gun away with her sword, pouncing to her feet to force him back with a series of swipes. "You Strega have no issue blaming the rogue elements of my company for what they did to you, but you never took blame for your actions. You profited off of murder. You spread hopelessness in the last days before The Fall. You shot a friend of mine and killed another; for these reasons I'll end you myself."
"But we're already dead. The power of our god has seen to us being here. Do you think you could defy a god's will twice?" Jin fired an evoker into his head forcing his Persona out and sending it down the hallway. Naoto sent hers, but Mitsuru just dodged to the side of Naoto's attack.
Takaya danced side to side to avoid each strike of the sword that Mitsuru performed and in turn she danced along following him and trying to trip him up and just score that one hit. One slice was all that it took.
Jin's larger Persona had an advantage in this hallway, Naoto was forced to stay near the wall to avoid the attacks and she had to guard Kurenai who watched all of this with a look of horror and shock on her face. In all of that concentration Jin got in close on her and kicked Naoto in the stomach knocking her back against the wall. "If we catch you, we're to take our time and make it painful. That was our god's promise of punishment for all of you."
"Naoto-kun!" Yelled Kurenai.
Naoto managed to catch the foot well enough to avoid most of the pain, but hitting the wall so hard knocked the wind out of her. "Run, Kurenai…" Naoto said just before Jin pulled the cattle prod and put it to Naoto's neck. Every nerve in Naoto's body was on fire, she was feeling pain in places she didn't think could feel pain.
When it was over she dropped to her knees to hear Kurenai scream. Naoto manages to open her eyes to see Jin taking the cattle prod to Kurenai over and over. "She's got nothing to do with this…"
Her screams echo through the hallway and drown out the sound of Mitsuru and Takaya's footsteps as they prance and parry their way down the hall.
Kurenai slumps back against the wall as Jin turns away from her and looks at Naoto. "You're like them, a waste of power. You ungrateful lot, you don't appreciate these gifts properly."
"I can take you away from all of this,"Kurenai doesn't know if the voice is someone speaking to her that everyone can hear or all in her head. Her chest is burning, her body is trembling and she's pretty sure that she's pissed on herself.
"Thou has the power to unleash your true potential, reach upon thy face an rip off the mask. Speak my name."
Kurenai touched her face to feel a masquerade mask trying to pry it from her face. She grasped it with her fingers tugging at it, feeling a renewed strength in her body.
Takaya managed to kick Mitsuru in the chest knocking her to the ground. "Jin, mind that one. She's up to something."
Jin held Naoto by the collar of her shirt, punching her over and over. He didn't notice, but when he turned around he saw Kurenai writhing in extreme pain. There was a mask in her face now.
Kurenai moaned as the mask began to come free, pulling at her skin and taking some with it. She locked both hands on the sides of the mask tugging at it and trying to loosen it from her skin. Warm streams of blood coursed down her face, running over her cheeks and down her chin.
"I am thou, thou art I…from the depths of your soul I climb, awakened and renewed to this world...the Master of Strings…"
Jin rounded on her, but it was too late. When the mask was ripped off Kurenai dropped to her knees. "Orpheus!" An explosion of pink light erupted through the halls with Kurenai as it's epicenter. The force of the thing tossed Jin against the wall and sent Takaya crashing to the floor.
Kurenai stood engulfed in white light, eyes a maddening yellow color. Her lab coat and scrubs were gone replaced by a burgundy colored, victorian inspired complete with a feathered purple masquerade mask. Her breathing was heavy and her arms were down at her sides with fists clenched.
We can finally forged a contract."
Mitsuru climbed to her feet. "Orpheus…just like him?"
Kurenai drank in the air in huge gulps as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart had never beat this fast and things had never been so clear. "I know what I have to do," she pointed at Takaya. "Persona!"
Most of the Phantom Thieves answered Ann's call. Meet at the old bridge hideout. For anyone who didn't know their history it would be hard to guess what that meant, but the causeway overlooking Shibuya had been the second place they found a home for their little team. They had been forced to move when the roof of the school drew too much attention.
Though they hadn't used this place of that long or in a long while, they remembered it. The Phantom Thieves might have been born in a restaurant after their first victory, but this was the first place that the team truly took shape.
Ryuji was there when Ann, Nanako, Rise walked up, standing with his back leaned against the railing of the causeway. He was in a loud yellow t-shirt with a silhouette of a snowboarder jumping on the front. His eyes were hidden behind shades. "You guys are a little late, Ann-chan," he said with a small chuckle. "What's with all the secrecy?" He asked.
"There's good reason for it," Ann said.
"I didn't have time to change," Haru's voice was right on top of them and they turned to see her standing in a pink sweater that was unbuttoned in the front, below that was a black dress with white trim. It looked more formal than they had seen her in the past, but somehow still very Haru. "I had a lunch meeting an franchiser," Haru said this as if it were nothing, but her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
"Okay…whatever that's about," Ann muttered. She clapped her hands. "Okay, Yuske is out of town still, Makoto has a real job now, and I…purposefully thought it would be a bad idea to invite Futaba."
"And Ren?" Asked Ryuji. "This whole thing is starting to freak me out."
Rise stepped in to assist Ann. "I think everything will make sense in a moment," she said. She glanced to Ann. "They're all the same as you. It seems even the same amount of time has been altered…"
"Oh, I'm not sure that I understand," Haru said.
Ann touched Haru's shoulder. "Let's try this: I want you to tell me what's in the very bottom of Mementos?"
Haru gave a tiny laugh. "Oh, is that all? It's nothing, just an empty room."
"What's the meaning of all this?" Ryuji demanded. "You know what's down there. It's just an empty room. Nothing important."
"I'm getting a little worried too. I'm not sure what it is we're meant to question here," Haru said clenching her hands around the strap of her purse.
Rise nodded. "Go on, drop the bomb on them," she said.
"If there's nothing down there why did we go three separate times?" Asked Ann. "I remember going there three distinct times to look at what we all remember as nothing?"
Ryuji mulled over the idea in his head. He knew what she was describing to be the truth. They had entered Mementos with the intention of making their way to the lowest level three times and they had made it every time, but what were they going there for.
"Oh," Haru said. There were tears streaming down her face. "Does anyone remember how we first met?"
"You're in school with us and your father ended up on the Phantom Thieves radar after the Phan-Site talked about Okumura Foods," Ryuji said.
"No, but how did we meet? I was just in my father's palace suddenly and you all found me? How did I gain entry? How did I know what anything was?" Haru said. "I had a codename before Noir…"
"…Beauty Thief," said Ann.
"Why can't I remember that clearly?" Ryuji asked. "Argh, this is making my head hurt."
"Something is missing inside of us, isn't it?" Asked Haru.
Ann nodded. "Rise can sense things about people. For some reason she can't understand her Persona abilities work to a small degree out here and when she met all of us she said there was something of us missing. I think that someone altered our memories."
"Then we need to tell Ren and Futaba. Makoto too, work can wait," Ryuji said.
"The thing is that I haven't met this Futaba yet, so there is a chance that she could be in on this whole thing," Rise said.
"That's bullshit, you can't just come here and start accusing any of us of having anything to do with something like this!" Ryuji said.
Rise averted her gaze. "Ren doesn't have the missing memories. His mind reads as normal."
"But what would Ren have to hide?" Asked Haru.
"Something in Mementos," Ann said.
Nanako's voice as small as she spoke. "He was really defensive of the place. He pretty much attacked us when we went in."
"That doesn't seem suspicious at all," Rise said.
Ryuji folded his arms over his chest. "This is a total waste of time. He's our leader. He's Joker. We can just come out and ask him. He'll be straight with us. It must just be a coincidence."
Ann nodded. "We agree on that, we confront him and just ask him point blank about the whole thing and we need to make sure we keep Futaba out until the end of things."
"What do you have against Futaba?" Asked Ryuji.
"She's in love with Ren, there's no way that she would see reason on this. Futaba has been all over him since we rescued her," Ann said.
Haru and Ryuji nodded.
Nanako glanced from person to person. "How do we get Ren out? Like what will we use to draw him to us?" She asked.
"Easy," Rise said. "We just go back into Mementos."
Orpheus bounded down the hallway at Kurenai's command and barreled Takaya at full force bouncing him off of the wall. His Persona dissipated as he landed on the ground. And then Orpheus turned her attention to Jin. Mitsuru could do little but stare as she watched this woman use His Persona.
Yet there was something so correct about seeing this that she almost thought that she had at another time. She had the sense that Minato was there alongside them the way he had been the last time they faced off against Strega.
Jin managed to get his evoker to his temple and pull the trigger. "Persona!" Moros loomed behind him, appearing in a flash of light. Ignoring the fact that he even existed, Orpheus dashed past him to tackle his Persona to the ground. Orpheus began to viciously punch Moros. The punches went on until the other Persona finally vanished.
A hand grasped Naoto by the shoulder, hoisting off of the floor enough to roll her onto her side. "You okay?" Mitsuru asked. Naoto's lip and nose were bloodied, her cheek would probably bruise too from where Jin was punching her.
"I'll be fine," Naoto said as she pushed her hands back behind herself and to get stable. "Is Kurenai…"
"She's like us, but something about what she was saying doesn't make sense. We need to help her, though."
"Right." Naoto fought off Mitsuru's help and got into a kneeling position, at this point it was about the most active position she could achieve. "Persona," she said. Yamato Sumeragi flickered into being behind her and zipped through the air toward their foes.
"Persona." There was a slight pop sound as Mitsuru's evoker went off and a brilliant blue flash lit the hallway momentarily. The moment that her Persona appeared, charging at Moros, Mitsuru followed after it with her sword drawn off to the side and at the ready.
As Artemisia and Yamato Sumeragi pressed in on the enemy Personas, Mitsuru took aim at Takaya. He was bending over to retrieve the pistol that he had pulled earlier and she kneed him in the head sending him sprawling to the floor.
He rolled to a stop against the wall and clambered up onto his feet. "You had me and you couldn't do what needed to be done. You've got blood on your hands, but somehow you're afraid to kill."
"You're already dead," Mitsuru said stepping in to slash at him.
His Persona was gone again, he'd take too long to summon it. Jin ran up Takaya from the side. "We're not going to be able to hold them down, three is too many in a confined space."
"I won't run from them again!" Takaya yelled.
"We've been given a second chance, and we don't have to run from them, just this," Jin held up a bundle of things duct taped together with wires springing out of the top. Mitsuru spotted it and knew his affinity for this sort of thing, a bomb built in the mirror universe out of materials found here was just as deadly here as a bomb would be in the real world.
There wasn't time to waste. Jin dropped the device and she started running. Kurenai was just getting past the shock of summoning her Persona, she dropped onto her hands and knees huffing at the air.
"We have to go," Mitsuru said grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up.
Naoto was where she had been. "Just go on, the two of you can make it or none of us can."
And then someone very strange happened. Behind Naoto a glowing blue door appeared in mid-air. It creaked open and a blonde woman peeked out. "It looks like it finally worked," she said. The woman bent down and grabbed Naoto around the midsection and, with an unnatural strength, pulled her back through the door.
Mitsuru remembered this woman as Margaret. It had been years since they last met and she still wasn't quite sure what Margaret was. But she trusted her more than an explosion. She made for the door with a limping Kurenai and when they were all inside the door was shut behind them.
The other woman Mitsuru remembered, Elizabeth, sat atop a stack of gears with her legs crossed and a huge book in her lap. "Welcome to the Velvet Room," she said throwing her hands up as if presenting the place to their new guests. Elizabeth quickly looked to Margaret. "How was that?"
