Chapter 10 of Revelations. This story's slowly getting to teh end. WEll, i hope you enjoy it. And yes, i have played P4 for those who want to know :p. Don't worry, a story is coming along for it as well.
Tartarus still intimidated the groups of soldiers, all craning weapons against their shoulders. Still, all the Japanese men glanced through the group, confused as to why there were a few handguns strapped to their legs. Both were segregated, staying near their respective group. All the Persona users were apprehensive of Fuuka, as she emanated a strange energy, not evil or encumbering, but soft, almost kind. Nonetheless, they were confused as to why she had such an aura around her.
"Sir. What are we going to do about the kids?" The leaders of the soldiers had met together, trying to recap whatever had happened in the last few hours. More than just losing a formidable ally, they had lost countless men to the thing, as the groups hadn't the foggiest idea what they were.
"Can't leave them here."
"Still, we can't take it with them with us. If they were killed, I can't imagine what we would do."
"What if their parents are already dead?"
"They might be. Most of the city seems to be."
"But, isn't it a little strange?"
"What?"
"That only kids survived the massacre? We've only found bodies of adults… and other…children." He cleared his throat, the sore and dry saliva forcing its way down the scratchy pipe. "It's like they know how to fight or something. They can't have survived on sheer luck… That's just illogical."
"But simply fighting wouldn't even help them. Our guns barely even hurt those things. How could they hurt them with simple hand-to-hand combat?"
"A few of them seem to have weapons. One of them has a sword and another has a large compound bow."
"So, archaic weapons are effective against these beasts? That's stupid. Why would we risk our troops trying something as asinine as that?"
"I'm not saying that we should."
"Well, what are you saying? That we interrogate these kids or something? Want to waste our time any further?" The angry man, his rank unknown, was getting out of hand. However, they were all on that fringe, all ready to plunge into the dark abyss.
"No. Pull your head out of your ass and listen for a goddamn minute. I am just asking a question, okay?" And it continued, if only for a few more minutes. The Persona group waited, watching the fluttering tent, the flaps teasing them with intrigue and suspicion. When they all left the meeting, they didn't bother themselves by walking over to the group. A small pile of debris stood before the soldiers, an obvious plank for the leader to stand and orate upon. And that's exactly what he did.
"Men. We have reached a plan."
"Oh yeah? You getting us outta here?" The soldier who shouted was a vivacious one, a mix of anger and stress crossing his face.
"No. We were assigned to this task for a reason. We aren't backing out, yet. Besides, we can't secure any radio transmission to the main force."
"Do we need their okay for this?"
"To leave, we do. They control all our major actions."
"Then how are we going ahead with a plan? Don't we have to get their acknowledgement to start an operation?"
"Not if we are already in the mission." The questions were unnecessary, almost as if they were directed to badge the leader. "Now, will you stop with the questions. We have more pressing matters at hand."
"Sure…" That shut the insubordinate up.
"Okay. Everyone, listen up. We are going to infiltrate the tower behind us and secure the status of our other platoon. We need the Demo squad up and ready. Everyone else, back up." He started moving his arms with gusto, shouting other commands to a few other splinter groups that controlled different elements. After he was done addressing the soldiers, he turned to the young group.
"Hey, I think that Commander is calling us over."
"Why would he need us?"
"Think he knows about our power", asked Yukari, who had spent the most time with the group, having been found by a recon group that was surveying the local area.
"Why would they know that?"
"I don't know either. Just wondering…"
"I doubt it. Come on, this is probably important." Akihiko led the way, with the other three following close behind. They all moved through the massive crowd, gently pushing their way up to the leader.
"Glad you could arrive."
"What's up?" Akihiko assumed the protector of the group, taking up a defensive position in the conversation. Minato held back, waiting for his chance to speak up.
"We were actually going to ask you to consider coming with us when we move into the tower. We feel, as a whole, that it would be immensely safer if you proceeded with us, rather than staying here."
"Okay… We were already going to go along with you guys. We have some… business in there."
"What kind of business?"
"It's nothing important. Trust me."
"I'm sorry, but it is important. We are the government and have jurisdiction in a situation like this. I don't want to sound like the bad guy, but it's important we know all of the elements."
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you."
"Kids, I don't have time to play stupid games. Just tell me what I want to hear and we can be on our way." The entire group seemed to rub their own eyes, exasperation running evenly throughout them. Adults, as they often encountered, were beyond unreliable and could hamper them incredibly.
"We have this power…" said Minato, biding his words carefully. "We can summon these creatures that can combat-"
"Wait, are you causing these monsters?"
"No! Listen." He breathed, heavily. All of them were beyond tired. "Ours are opposite, and they can destroy the monsters. How do you think we could have lived through the onslaught of them?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Do you know how farfetched this story sounds? I mean, really? You honestly believe that you can sell this story?"
"Would you normally believe a situation like this could even occur?!"
"No, I don't. It only puts you in a suspicious situation." Minato rose and arm in anger, but Akihiko rested his hand upon the shoulder, shaking his head. "Well, if you aren't going to tell us, I don't want to bother." He marched off, the walking pace much machinated, very military.
"Let's go. We'll fall behind them."
"Minato, let it go. We can show them our power when we get into the tower."
"Yeah…"
The soldiers piled around the tower, planting massive amounts of C4, all in an effort to either topple the tower or gain an entrance. After a good 20 minutes, all the explosives were set, all the groups hurrying away from the blast zone. The hypocenter was a massive cloud, mixing evenly in with the explosive that it followed. But, the tower didn't falter, barely swaying from the massive force. However, many different holes had perforated the base, allowing an easy access into the tower. That was all they needed.
Elizabeth, frowning slightly, watched from the pinnacle of the tower, barely feeling the explosives.
"Oh look, Mitsuru. It seems like your friends have finally breeched the tower. It's about time, too. I was almost ready to summon them to myself." Obviously, the girl that she subtly spoke to didn't offer any words of wisdom. Eyes closed, the girl was erected into a status-esque position, hanging by nothing in the air.
"…" A quiet voice, no whisper of the wind, crossed the blue girl's ear.
"And the Japanese military force? My, my. This is quite the interesting development. I didn't realize it was them who had entered into my domain. I understand that I should have anticipated such arrivals. But, it's your friends who are truly resilient. They have added another factor to the game. Hmm…" Her hair, longer than usual, fell before her face. She flicked it, her hand slowly withering to a bony wrist. The nails were emaciated, almost as if they were falling directly off her hand.
As a whole, the girl was turning into something dark. The environment was changing her, leaving her stained with another impression of something that she would have never enveloped herself in. But, the effect was almost purely aesthetically, by no means affecting her in any mental state.
"I don't understand how you all expect to be able to win. Especially you, Minato. All these people will serve to hinder you. Beside, they don't fully trust you anyway. I can only imagine what will happen. Isn't that right… Mitsuru?" The changing landscape further served to amuse her, a painting illustrated by her mental imagery.
The group of soldiers, their thermal goggles activated, moved into the dark tower, guns trained ahead of them. With radio contact, they proceed through the base, moving up a few different sets of stairs with relative ease. Nothing stood out, no enemies attacking the skilled group of black-ops. After moving up 10 floors, they had leveled out to where they were hoping to set up a base of operations.
"Sir. We've arrived on the tenth floor. There are no enemies around and we are scouting the surrounding areas. We can support you guys whenever you are ready to move up."
"Thank you, Roji. We'll see you in a bit." The other groups would be following them up in the next half-hour, moving with rapid precision. All of the Persona users were moved up with them, a small team secretly assigned to keep an eye upon them. All of the suspicion about the situation had been placed upon the group, giving them an uneasy feeling. They couldn't help but frown upon all the eyes that were placed on them.
"Minato. Do you feel that?" It was the first time that Fuuka had spoken in a while. Ever since she had been imbued with that "power", it was a little uncomfortable to be around her, let alone let join the group in combat. However, she was proving to be the same asset that she originally was.
"Feel what? Like a welling of power, up above us?"
"Yeah, exactly. Elizabeth is doing something up there. It feels like she's bringing more Shadows to our world."
"How can she do that?"
"She has the power to pull seams and life from between our two worlds. She has a certain ability to drain and alter, originally given to her by another not from our world. You know him, I believe."
"Yes."
"But, do you understand the danger that could occur from her continuing this madness?"
"I understand a certain level of it, but probably not the one that you are speaking of. I bet they could be beyond detrimental to the world."
"That's putting it lightly. If she continues, it will rip our world apart, melding it, particle by particle, into the Shadow realm; more or less, it would throw Earth into the sun, or rather Nemesis, the black sun."
"Nemesis… You mean the star in our galaxy? What would that have to do with this situation?"
"Where do you think Shadow's develop part of their power? They are the dark energy of human emotion along with the negative power of the dark realm. All in all, they are all pushing out the true evils of the world."
"But that doesn't make any sense. How could they come from a place like that?"
"Even I don't understand the entirety of the situation. Me, in all my time, have never found something like this."
"In all your time?"
"Oh, don't worry about that last statement. I can tell you're skeptic about what I had said earlier, anyway."
"You could say that."
"Just keep what I said in mind. I will update you as she continues. If it goes on for much longer, we will be facing very serious trouble."
"Okay. Thanks Fuuka." She just nodded and faded off into the background, making herself comfortable as she sat around the base. The other three would be the ones going on up, with the green-haired girl offering support, as usual.
Rations were rounded out amongst the troop once everything was situated. The kids, while being served last, got a full serving, eating only a slight portion of the meager meal that spread out before them. Bread, a type of canned meat, undecipherable by the group, and small can of fruits and a drink, a bottle of TaP, unusual for a military ration. They traded around, Akihiko the only one eating the entire meal. Minato had so of his bread, sharing his with both Fuuka and Yukari. Fuuka only ate the fruits, leaving the meat for Akihiko and Yukari only the drink. They finished up before the main group of soldiers, having a few minutes to kill. The leader of the group came up to them again, a stern look plastered on his visage.
"Kid's. So you want to prove to us your skill?"
"Sure", said Minato. "What do you want us to do?"
"We would like you to accompany the main force that we are sending up. WE will, of course, provide adequate protection to you, incase you can't provide us with your… certain ability."
"You don't need to patronize us."
"I'm honestly not trying to."
"Hmm. If you'll then excuse us. We have to get ready."
"Of course. Take your time. We will not be leaving for quite some time. Just make sure you are rested."
"Thank you." It was bitter to say. They could all feel the disgrace and ridicule that the young leader brought about. But all of them could pass it off and focus on the task at hand; it wasn't their place to prove anything to anybody. That, the small time of relax that they had earned, was the time when all hell broke loose.
Four Major Arcana Shadows flooded the small floor, opening a wide berth of enemies that filled the small corridors. Caught off guard, all the soldiers had been surprised, falling off their makeshift chairs. A few rushed for their arms, loading and constructing the large rifles with shaking hands. Even the commanding officer was at a loss, automatically reaching for the small sidearm at his hip. Within one second, he had fired three rounds off at the monsters that were slowly edging their way towards the men. A few of the unlucky soldiers had been caught by the monsters, being ripped apart and assimilated into the viscous masses.
"Kid's! Get the damn lead out!"
"Sure!" Fuuka jumped back, throwing the sword to Minato. Yukari had reached for her bow, picking and stringing it within nano-seconds. Akihiko was already rearing to go, his hand holding the Evoker. Watching as the soldiers fired, they realized how strong they had all grown, the bullets only ripping into the beast. But, the amorphous holes filled in, a black goo dripping to the floor. As normal, the wall bled the crimson liquid, giving them an evil, demonic appearance. It served heavily to kill their morale.
Minato, as soon as the shortsword touched his hand, jumped ahead, cutting off the soldiers who slowly backed into one of the many corners. Wielding it before him, he swung, cleaving one of the small one's in half, leaving the men recoiling. He brought up the Evoker, pointing it directly at his head. A few stilted cries were heard as his slender finger edged for the trigger.
Laughing, he smiled cruelly. "Persona! Appear!" Grim materialized before them, a shocking figure that held the stereo-typical scythe with an intimidating wrist. It carelessly flicked it around, cackling wildly. "Grim! Kill them! Kill them all!" And it did, carving an endless river of the black fluid, the squirming pieces of random limbs flailing on the ground. "Pyrrhic Inferno!" Fire erupted from the ceiling, flooding the enemies with lava and fire. Ash filled the area, choking a few of the soldiers. After the smoke had cleared, there wasn't a single enemy left. Everyone in the room was speechless. Grim was evolving with an increasingly rapid rate, turning into more than a powerful Persona. It was death, fully embodied in the power of one young man.
"That…that kid is a demon…"
"No kidding. I don't want to be here anymore…"
"Jesus." That was all the CO could say, all that he could imagine was the horrid death that faced them all in persisting along with the mission. But more Shadows started falling into the area, Minato cracking his knuckles at the sight. It was as if he was enjoying the chance to fight. However, Akihiko jumped into the fray, punching the monsters with an immense amount of strength behind his fists. A few different colored arrows perforated the jelly skin of the Shadows, Yukari lending herself to the massive riot that had broken out in the small spaces. Nobody dared to bother the show that had lit up the room. More had even started retreating from the floor, falling back to the area around the outside of the tower. Sadly, a few Shadows had been erected as guards, trapping them in the deadly tower. Those unfamiliar with Tartarus started breathing heavily, their stamina wearing thin. Fatigue fell heavily upon their bodies, almost physically killing a few of the weak willed men.
Caesar and Ra easily took care of the pathetic Shadows, the endless stream using the classic tactic of rushing them being implemented. They could all hear Elizabeth laughing, the guttural noise droning out the buzzing of the beasts. There was a torrent of wind and lightning reining the area, the perfect storm frying everything. Hell had been there and still was destroying the remained of the area.
"Grim!" The reaper added to the attack only added to the group's omnipotence. A fury swept along with them, a dedicated cause: Elizabeth was dawning on her last day, with the group gaining the full strength they needed. And in the blink of an eye, the splitting of an atom had occurred, vaporizing the majority of all life in the small, open room. As it calmed, all that remained was a slight flutter of their hair. Turning around, Minato was seen in a different light. His eyes were a different color: they had gained a light red color around the iris. Something had pushed itself into them, a different entity. Minato had gained the most possessive power of the group, garnering a whole new light on him.
"Minato!" Yukari's voice broke the air, his eyes returning to the color of what they normally were. "Stop!" In all reality, his Persona was flaring up behind him. Everyone was feeling the effects.
"You freaks…" The commanding officer pulled back the slide on the top of his pistol, steadily aiming it at the young boy's head. "Good riddance." Pulling the trigger, the bullet slowly emptied from the barrel. It flew, barely passing the young man who anchored his head in a direction slightly. Grim cut it in half, watching both metal halves flying in different directions. Wide-eyed, the leader turned around and retreated backwards, falling down the stairs with a thunderous sound.
"Minato…"
"Yukari. Don't worry about it. We have nothing else to do now but finish this fight. And that's exactly what I plan to do, okay?" He pushed the blue hair out of his face, his mouth forming nothing. "If you don't want to come along with us, with me, it's completely understandable."
"No. I just… want to be able to realize what is going on. You have just changed in the last few days."
"I know. I won't deny it."
"I'll go with you too", interrupted Akihiko. He was incredibly steadfast in his decision, not bothering to bother himself with the ability or curse of their best member. "I couldn't care less about what happens to us."
"Heh. This is all about Mitsuru, isn't it?" Minato said it with a bit of humor, injecting the hapless situation with little more than a snippet of personality.
"Even if it wasn't. I have some problems with that girl, too."
"So, Yukari? You up for this?"
"Yes… I guess I have little other choice in the matter. I would stay by you if you took me to the end of the world. I mean that." She couldn't bother herself with lying to the young man. He was everything to her, as she quickly realized.
"Yukari."
"Don't bother yourself with anything to dissuade me. Trust me, I want to be there. It would pain me any further to leave you guys like that." She ended the conversation with a simple note of affection, leaving him to stop and smile, realizing how close they all were. In the end, it would be this that would help lead them to the girl at the top, smiling as she watched the group fight each other, a dissenter amongst what was considered a norm.
The day slowly floated to its dusk, the night seldom different from the overtly gloomy morning and afternoon. Nothing change, yet the world was verging on a total paradigm shift, one it had never seen before. Silently, Fuuka and Izanami watched the group, insuring a level of protection above them. She was the one who had instilled the fear into the soldiers, and it was her who had imbued Minato with a certain additive to his leveled ability.
"So", Fuuka said, staring off into the distance. "You think that the soldiers will come anywhere near us for the remainder of the time?" It was obvious it was her original self talking to them, rather than whatever had embedded itself into her. A nice change of pace, concerning what they were recently hearing.
"I doubt it. Most of them ran as fast as they could."
"And the commander even started firing his pistol at us. Did you see the look in his face as he tried to kill you? Priceless."
"Most of them are dead." Minato's voice broke the jovial air, plunging them into a shocked state.
"What did you say?" It was a reassurance, not something to rebuke her fears.
"The soldiers. Shadows have killed most of them. When they ran downstairs, they were ambushed. Elizabeth was expecting something like that…" He rubbed his forehead, the icy hand pricking his warm head.
"Are you kidding?" All the other could do was shake his head, planting a seed of despair deep within them. "God…"
"Let's go, you guys. There's nothing for us here."
"Yeah." The entire group was in a major consensus, them sharing the same thoughts throughout the area. All had gained a slight hive-mind sense, allowing them better intuition and synch in battle. So, the group moved on, proceeding up the bloodstained stairs that only served as a slight warning to what would lie ahead.
Below, the remaining soldiers gathered together, black lines scaring their faces; their spirits were beyond low, only a handful of helpful things they could do. All the choices they had were grim, leading to death, which waited only feet down the corridors. The leader had made it to the group, his face scarred with fear, no other visible injuries on him. Ammo was low and time was running out.
"Sir, what the hell are we waiting for?! Why don't we just get on out of here?!" He dropped his tone very low, almost to the point of inaudibility. "I doubt they would be expecting us to rush them."
"That's madness! So, you just want to throw away your life?"
"No! I want to live, to get out of this hellhole." A small picture was produced, the man falling prey to its captivating spell.
"That's no way to do it. We have to sneak out of here. As long as any of them don't realize or see us, we should be safe. And if not, we'll have to fight back."
"But our guns barely affect it. It took over four different men to take down one little one, and that was with a few clips. We don't have that kind of time or munitions to spare."
"True… Commander, do you have a plan?" They all turned their attention to the man who was falling through catatonia, him gently cradling his legs as he rocked back and forth, a slight mutter erupting from his lips. It was nothing short of a miracle that he had even managed to find his way back to the remaining group.
"So, the Commander's out of the fight, is he? Goddamn it, has the world condemned us to a fate worse than death?"
"No, that's impossible. What about our back-up? Shouldn't we have a few other groups coming in to help?"
"I doubt it", said the soldier who had taken over as the lead of the squad, his rank far superior to those around him. "They probably recalled the troops after our radio contact was abolished. Also, they probably had a few different satellites watching over the area, just to check our progress."
"So what? If we're in danger, all the more reason to send aid!"
"Logically, yes."
"But, it would be a waste of man and manpower. From that standpoint, it would make more sense to let the situation evolve a little more."
"…" That was what was on everybody's mind, the cool, black wind of death fluttering before them.
"Then how about we go out with a bang?"
"What do you mean?"
"No, shut up! I don't want to do some suicide strike or run or what the hell ever!"
Ignoring the rambling soldier, the foolhardy one continued. "We still have the air-support from HQ, right?" The shared a nod, a confident remark of sorts. "Then couldn't we have them bomb the tower, taking the blasted thing out before it could further spread its influence?"
"Yeah, but would it do anything? Our C4 barely affected the base of the structure."
"A surgical strike could do some damage. A bunker-buster could do even more, perhaps puncturing thought the tower's main support. That would easily crumble the tower."
"But, how would we pinpoint such accuracy?"
"I don't know. We could just have the entire payload dropped off at the base of the structure. That's the best we could do without running any risk."
"Sounds good to me."
"Sounds like a damn suicide! Why would you even consider such a drastic solution to this? I will obviously kill us! Can't you see that?!" All we at the breaking point, frustrated by the sublime negativity; it cast a haughty gaze upon the remaining company, pushing the ideas fraught with doubt and disassurance.
"Ryusuke! Shut up or I will shoot you, right here."
"You wouldn't dare!" The pistol was already in his hand, the discarded shell falling almost slowly to the ground. A bullet, small and 9mm, entered his left knee cap, instantly shattering the bone. His face pulled together, a contorted look that shook the souls of every other man in the room. The event was almost inexplicable, the attack coming directly out of left field. Blood, they couldn't tell if it was his or the crying wall's, seemed to explode out of the room, with a deep and guttural noise exuding from the darkness down the hall. All of the Shadows had been furled with the strictest of rage, pressing them in the direction, their sense working as a shark's would.
"Everyone, look!" And they converged on the horizon, the group instantly scrambling in every direction, getting away from the monsters. However, Ryusuke, his injured joint making him a crumpled mass on the ground, didn't help him. They filed around the wounded man, who was screaming bloody murder as they started to amass him into something else. It didn't take more than two minutes for him to be fully dissolved from humanity, another Shadow being born into the world. He had been evolved, forming the massive Arcana Shadow, the emperor icon appearing atop the large purple mask. A warped smile crossed his lips.
They all ran across the way, most of them sticking together. Commander had sprung into life, charging ahead of them, leading a viable path towards the exit. Automatically, he had dodged the few lingerers who had tried to stave off those escaping. None prevailed, making their escape sound. The purple sky exploded into their vision, a cool air blowing on to them. But, there was little time to rest.
"Jiko, get the laser designator set up! Paint the target as soon as you can!" And that was exactly what the smallest member of the team had done, directing the small red laser to stare at the building. A small radio clipped at his hip registered the call in.
"This is Kagutsuchi. We are reading you call signs. Our flight plan will be crossing over your location in over five minutes. The payload is ready for drop. Clear the area and we will take care of the rest."
"Over and out, Kagutsuchi. Glad to hear from you."
"Ditto. What had happened to you guys down there?"
"We were slaughtered. Only a handful of us remain." He could hear the horrid breathing of the pilot, the news startling. "Could we call in for an evac? We really need to get out of here! They are closing in on us!"
"Don't worry. We have called for an evac chopper. They cleared us through and should be initializing their departure soon."
"Will they call us on the ETA?"
"Yeah, but get to cover. We are approaching, our drop zone within two minutes. Get out of the zone."
"All right." He turned around to the group who stood and watched, the large black creatures building up at the entrance. Overhead, they heard the massive engines of a large plane, the build indescribable. None of those in the tower realized what was going to happen, the massive bombs in the plane being prepped for their release. They flied directly over the tower, the green light slowly turning red as the pilots pressed a large button. But, the bombs never dropped out of the plane.
"What?"A white smile appeared in the darkness, the cruelty unbearable.
Thanks for the read. You know the drill. -AMP