December 5th Monday

'…because of the broadcast last night made by the Phantom Thieves, the government building is under lockdown against presumed terrorist attack. Anyone who has to drive within 6 blocks of the building is advised to find an alternative route, anyone who works in that area should arrive an hour early to get through the security checkpoints Tokyo PD has set up. As of now Congressman Masayoshi Shido has not yet made an official statement about the accusation from the announcement made by the Phantom Thieves last night but is expected to soon…'

Ren glared at the large plasma TV in front of him. They had expected a little bit of push back by Shido's forces but a 6 block lockdown? How were they going to get close enough to the Palace to infiltrate it now? No doubt there be officers there that knew his identity and that meant back to jail and probably a bullet to the head. Shido was flexing his influences as if he knew that if he kept the Thieves away for one day he'd be safe. There could be no second calling card. They needed a plan fast, but with half their forces at school, Ren knew he'd need to rely on the adults to help him come up with a proper plan.

"This sucks…" Futaba sighed as she leaned across the counter-top next to him. "I didn't think Shido would be this paranoid."

He and Futaba sat upon the tall back chairs of Café LeBlanc. Ren had just woken up 5 minutes ago before he heard Sojiro call him downstairs. The news report had been playing on several news stations warning early morning Tokyo commuters to stay away from the area around the Diet building. Even the subways were affected and checkpoints had been set up in them. Ren just sighed, running over facts in his head to try and figure out a way to get close enough to the diet building for the MetaNav to work.

"Powerful men are always a little paranoid. This honestly doesn't surprise me." Sojiro explained as he glanced towards the TV. "You don't become as powerful as Shido without a bit of paranoia… Those without it typically are caught early."

"But what do we do about it. We need to get to the Diet building…" Futaba groaned.

Ren didn't know how to answer Futaba's question. For now, he was at a loss for what they were going to do. Moving behind the counter Ren started a batch of coffee, picking out a blend among the varieties Sojiro had stocked on his shelves. Over this past year, Sojiro had taught him a lot about coffee and it was the knowledge he'd probably keep for the rest of his life. This blend was known for its high caffeine but bitter taste. That was something Ren wanted to wake his brain up to work on fixing their current predicament.

"That's a pretty high dose of caffeine. Add some warm milk to that. It'll help fight the jitters." Sojiro eyed Ren from his spot next to the cash register.

Ren nodded as he poured himself a cup, adding some milk as he had been instructed to do. Taking in the warm liquid, it wasn't the smoothest or the best coffee he had ever tasted but the warmth alone was enough to start the process of waking him up fully. As he savored the feeling, the gentle jingle of the bell above the door echoed. Yu stepped inside followed closely by Chie and Naoto. Ren nodded to them as they entered. No doubt they had heard the news this morning and were coming to discuss what to do about it.

"Coffee… Please." Naoto bluntly said as she slid onto the first available high back chair at the counter. "Strong and black."

The expression on Naoto's face seemed to indicate she hadn't had her coffee that morning. Something that Sojiro also seemed to pick up on. He gave the woman a good-hearted chuckle before he poured a cup from the batch Ren had just made. He setting it down in front of the disgruntled detective. Naoto swooped it up as soon as it was set down. Ren caught the look Yu gave his partner before he and Chie sat down.

"I take it you guys saw the news this morning," Chie asked as she motioned to the large TV at the back of the shop.

"Yeah, how do we get through that?" Futaba asked seeming to hope the adults had a solution.

"We don't. That kind of lockdown means anyone who doesn't have a direct business within a block of the diet building ain't gettin' in. Within 5 blocks it's still restricted. Plainclothes officers and normal officers will be walking around there all day no doubt." Chie explained knowledgeably about the information seeing as she was a police officer, something Makoto had asked her several questions about. "It's pretty standard Police stuff, but it's like they are keeping the area around the Diet building an active crime scene. To be honest it's a bit extreme."

"If we don't how are we going to get into the Palace?" Futaba asked.

"The best shot we have is to move people around one at a time to avoid suspicion," Naoto explained, as she set down her now drained cup of coffee. "Morgana you are the least conspicuous, if this is to work we'd need you to scout for us. More please."

Morgana unfurled himself from where he had sat curled up on Futaba's lap. He stretched before he turned to Naoto. "I can do that, but our only real problem is this guy." He motioned to Ren with an errant flick of his tail. "If he was confirmed alive there will be no doubt, people, out looking for someone who fits his descriptions. Also, what does Shido know about the rest of us, how much did Akechi tell him before we flipped him to our side?"

"He has basic descriptions, but Goro-Kun was keeping the information veiled," Naoto said as Sojiro poured her another cup. "He wanted to take you all out himself."

"Well, at least we have that." Chie sounded optimistic.

"Speaking of Goro, has he contacted you yet?" Yu asked before motioning to his partner's coffee. "I'll have whatever she's drinking please." That was something Sojiro quickly obliged.

Naoto reached for her phone and turned it on before she set it down the counter next to her coffee. "Negative, he went dark…"

"Dark?" Ren quickly questioned finding it a bit worrying that Naoto had lost contact with Akechi.

Naoto sighed. "Goro-Kun went to Shido's side yesterday. Shido was growing suspicious of Goro-Kun's absence. With his failure to kill Ren on public display with the calling card, we determined it would be better to be with Shido once that when the card dropped. He knew he had to step up and face Shido, or there would be consequences. Goro-Kun also was going to secure some more evidence against Shido."

That made sense to Ren. If Shido was cautious enough to lock down six blocks of the city, Akechi would probably be the first he'd question once the calling card dropped. To save face and return to Shido's side was probably the best option to keep playing double agent. Even so, that seemed like a risky move, Shido didn't seem the type to tolerate failure. If they were to lose Akechi, how would that affect their plans today? Ren forced himself away from that train of thought, Akechi was clever. He had to have some sort of exit plan if he so willingly walked into the lion's den. Ren had to believe that.

"Let's head to the condo, we can discuss everything there. I'm sure Sakura-san wants to open his shop and get some real customers in." Yu glanced towards the two teens and the cat.

"Sure," Ren said as he got to his feet and moved to wash his coffee cup.

"I'll take care of that, you go get dressed and head out with your friends," Sojiro called to the Ren.

Ren set his cup in the sink before heading upstairs. Five minutes later he was ready to go. By the time he got back downstairs Futaba had already packed up her computer and Morgana was already poking his head out her backpack. Morgana seemed to be enjoying riding in the backpack, Futaba used the biggest one she had so Morgana had more room in there than he did in Ren's bag. Yu and the others also looked ready to go.

"Let me drive, Naoto!" Chie exclaimed as she moved to take the keys from Naoto.

"I'll drive." Naoto tried to defend the keys, but she was struggling as she tried to hold on to the key and keep her to-go cup of coffee from spilling.

Yu had this look on his face that seemed to hint he was amused by the exchange. "Naoto always drives," Yu explained as if it was some sort of unwritten rule he didn't dare violate.

"Yeah I know, but she speeds horribly. Give me the keys!" Chie continued to try and get the keys from Naoto. "I'm a sworn officer of the law! Hand them over Detective Shirogane!"

"You hold no jurisdiction here, Officer Satonaka!" Naoto countered trying to step back and shield the keys. "Yu, help me"

"You got this partner…" Yu stated dryly before turning to Sojiro. "Thank you for the coffee."

"Yeah sure, come anytime. You guys tip well." Sojiro offered with a warm smile before his gaze turned towards Ren. "Now be careful both of you... And Ren…"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her like I always do," Ren stated knowing what Sojiro was going to say before he even said it.

"AH-HA!" Chie finally snatched the keys from Naoto.

"…" Naoto only shot Chie a seething glare.

With that, they all exited the small café. Naoto looked even grumpier than when she arrived at the café. Yu seemed to be giving his partner space and walked in step with Ren as they headed to the SUV. As they got to the car, Naoto's mood seemed to worsen as she was forced to take the passenger seat. Yu took the back seat with Ren, Futaba, and Morgana as Chie climbed into the driver seat. As Chie started to pull out of their parking space, that's when Ren realized exactly what kind of trip this was going to be.

"You could have gone!" Naoto suddenly complained.

"No, I couldn't have! This is a big vehicle it needs space to back out." Chie countered swiftly.

Yu gave Ren a bemused smirk as if he was expecting this all. "They're going to be like this all trip. They both are opposite drivers, you wouldn't know they're such good friends if you listen to them. It doesn't matter which one is driving."

And that's how the trip proceeded. Naoto and Chie bickered the entire time about their driving styles. In a way, it kind of reminded him of the spats Morgana and Ryuji always got into. Occasionally Yu would make a snide remark that lightened the mood a bit before the two would once again descend into petty insults. It took Ren a while to figure out what Yu was doing. He was letting the tension build then adding a quick comment to defuse tension between the two. This was all before it got past a certain point aggression that could cause lasting friction between the two of them. It was something low key and hard for someone to pick up, but once Ren spotted it he was amazed. Yu's natural ability to take care of his friends even when they were against each other made him what Ren would consider a master in leadership. Yu just took care of his people… The perfect leader.

Over the bickering between Chie and Naoto, Ren pulled out his phone sending an announcement to group text about the lockdown. Makoto and Haru were the only ones that watched the news that morning as everyone else was shocked by the information. Ryuji commented that it explained why the subway seemed busier than normal. So far none of them had a good idea about what they were going to do. Then again first period was starting around the time he had texted everyone, so responses were delayed. Yusuke who had taken the day off informed Ren that he was sitting at a local park and sketching. Ren quickly made plans with Yu's group to go pick him up once everyone was dropped off back at the condo.

The group arrived at the condo and everyone got out. Before heading off to the elevator, Chie handed the keys back to Naoto with a smug grin on her face to which Naoto rolled her eyes. There was a bit of strife between the two but it was like water off a dog's back, not lasting. Naoto climbed back into the SUV to go get Yusuke, as the rest of them headed towards the elevators. Being a great leader was just as much managing the inter-working of a group as it was giving commands. Ren would be sharper to manage conflict within his group now that Yu had inadvertently given him a tool to manage conflict better.

As they got off the elevator and stepped into the condo the same tired reporting of the Diet building lockdown echoed in the air. The large TV in the condo's living room blasted the report as Kanji and Rise sat idly watching it. It must have been not the first time they heard about the lockdown as Rise seemed more absorbed in her large cup of what looked like tea. As for Kanji, he appeared to be knitting some sort of cute cat creature that looked remarkably like Morgana.

"Welcome Futaba-chan, Ren-Kun, Morgana." Rise called from her spot on the couch with a small welcoming smile.

Morgana jumped out of Futaba's backpack at the mention of his name. Instantly he attacked his left ear with his back leg, giving it a good scratch before moving towards the couches and taking his normal spot on the back of one. Everyone joined him on the couches as the news blared overhead before Masayoshi Shido's face appeared on TV.

'This attack from the Phantom Thieves last night is nothing but a way to disrupt the natural flow of our society. They seek not justice for society but a way to bring it down. I will not stand idly by and let these villains do what they please. I will stand up for justice! The justice that will bring this society together and root out the corruption of those around me. People of Japan, I hope you will continue to stand with me. For when this is all over, the Phantom Thieves will realize they are on the wrong side of history.'

Rise sighed as she turned off the TV. "So, we kind of have a dilemma here." Rise started as she set the remote down in her lap.

"You can say that again." Chie lamented with an aspirated sigh.

"We have to do this today, we don't have any other option or Shido won't be able to have a change of heart." Morgana pipped in.

"We can't ignore this, not after everything Shido has done." Yu's steely determination rang in his words.

"I agree." Ren started as his eyes settled upon the chessboard that was sitting on the coffee table.

A flash of inspiration instantly hit Ren. They had 14 people. That was more than enough to take down Shido once they hopefully got into the Palace. The problem was did they need all 14? Ren's mind was drawn back to the chess game the other day were Naoto baited Akechi's Queen to secure a path to checkmate. A distraction to pull people away then a smaller group entering Shido's Palace was a possible option. Who would be the bait and was Ren willing to sacrifice pieces to achieve Shido's change of heart? There was no doubt that Shido's downfall was for the greater good, but anything could happen out there. At best, someone could be detained and straddled with a criminal record like him. At worst they could catch a swift execution through various means. Ren didn't like this plan but it was the only one he could think of.

"How about a distraction?" Ren's eyes lifted from the chessboard to look over the group as a whole. "We have 14 if only half of us can get into the Palace that should be more than enough to take out Shido."

Ren saw Yu's expression instantly change as he mulled over it and he wasn't the only one. Chie, Futaba, and even Morgana wore an expression similar to Yu. It was a plan, a bad plan albeit, but it could work. Rise shook her head not liking the idea. As for Kanji he just continued knitting, his face remained blank and Ren had to wonder if he was even listening to their conversation.

"I don't like it," Kanji spoke up as he stopped knitting. "We don't fuckin' leave people behind."

"We might not have a choice. Moving seven people would be a lot easier than moving the full 14. If we had seven people running distractions we could probably at least sneak half of us in. It's something." Futaba could see the reasoning behind the suggestion but she didn't like it either.

"The problem is we don't know what could happen if any of us are taken in because we played decoy." Rise tensely explained.

"Yeah Rise has a point, this is a terrorism lockdown. The penalty could be harsh to those who get caught. We are talking definite jail time and for someone like me, I'd lose my job." Chie shook her head. "But we can't let Shido go free either. Damn greater good!"

"I could be your distraction," Ren stated knowing exactly what it meant for him to say those words. "I'm the leader of the terrorist group that caused the lockdown in the first place."

"No!" Yu declared before anyone else could speak, he leveled off an intense stare at Ren. "They will kill you."

"My life to bring down Shido's. A fair trade." Ren met Yu's look with a determined one of his own.

Being a martyr was never something Ren wanted to do, but it wasn't the first time he had done it. If there needed to be a repeat then he'd gladly take that mantle up again. Before he had come to Tokyo his life had been just one endless procession of events. His parents treated him like more of a burden than a son. His Aunt and Uncle were the highlights of his younger days, but he was always the quiet kid in the back of the class no one talked to. It was only here in Tokyo did he feel like he was alive and being alive was beautiful. His friends breathed life into him in ways he thought wasn't possible. He'd do anything for them and if that meant facing death than so be it. Yu's expression seemed to indicate that he wouldn't allow Ren to do anything so foolish, but did he have a choice? The tension was broken between the two of them as Futaba suddenly threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

"No no no! I just got my life back thanks to you! I can't lose you, you're still my key item!" Futaba's voice was frantic as she squeezed hard enough for Ren's side to start shooting pain.

While Yu's determined stare wasn't enough to persuade Ren from his path, the look on Futaba was a different story. Futaba had become one of the most important people in Ren's life almost overnight. To the point, it was a source of pride for him the steps she took to break from the person she once was. They were 'family' after all. He would never turn his back on her. Reaching up, he patted Futaba's head in a motion to try calm her down.

"This will only be a last resort." Ren tried to convince his sister.

"No. This is unacceptable. No option where I could lose you is acceptable." Futaba declared as she pulled back from him; a glare sharpening behind her glasses. "You promised you'd come to Inaba with me after this is over. You won't break your promise again! I won't let you!"

Ren sighed defeat. "Okay, Futaba…" He knew he was powerless to resist.

"Good." Futaba nodded before she snuggled down next to Ren as if her proximity to him would prevent him from making any more rash choices.

The conversation lingered for longer than an hour of talking, but no real solutions other than the one Ren gave seemed to hold any sort of merit. A few wild suggestions were thrown out, like just bolting to the diet building and hoping everyone was able to get in. Another obstacle would be even if they all got in, what was their exit plan? Normally palaces collapsed after they were done. If 14 people just suddenly showed up in front of the diet building that would no doubt attract all sorts of attention. After a while, Yu moved to the kitchen to make everyone breakfast. It wasn't a bad idea on his part as food and a small break from the problem would probably be better than just musing over their already tired ideas. Ren got up to help him, feeling if he had something to do with his hands then he could probably clear his mind enough to think of something better. Yu was already pulling things out of the fridge as Ren walked in.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I help Sojiro all the time at the shop." Ren asked.

Yu glanced at the items he pulled from the fridge. "Sure. Want to learn how to make Crepes?"

"Crepes?" Ren questioned as he stepped up and looked over the ingredients.

"It's French food, kind of like pancakes. You normally fill them with a fruit sweet filling and whipped cream and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar." Yu explained.

"Sounds very sweet," Ren commented.

"You can also fill them with meat and eggs to make them savory. They're flexible as far as food goes." Yu held up a package of bacon as he told Ren about crepes.

"Let's do this." Ren moved to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.

Yu gave him a nod of approval and before Ren knew it the two of them were working in a harmony to get the late brunch ready for everyone. Working with Yu was just like working with Sojiro, he gave calm instruction on what needed to be done. He was more than willing to take an extra minute or two to explain something so Ren knew exactly what he needed to do. As they started to put the finishing touches on breakfast Naoto stepped in.

"Can you two stop for a moment? I picked up Goro-Kun after I got Yusuke and it sounds like he has an answer to our problem." Naoto enlightened the two leaders.

Yu and Ren both looked at each other before the food before them. Yu turned off the stove and Ren put down the knife he had been using before they both followed Naoto to the living room. In the living room sat the newly arrived Yusuke and Akechi. Yusuke had taken a place on the couch, as Kanji helped Akechi ease his bad arm into his sling. Akechi had his normal detective prince attire on, except the whole look wasn't as manicured as it normally looked. The tan peacoat was covered in dirt and grime and his tie had been wrapped around him in what appeared to be a temporary sling. His hair was messy and looked closer to the unkempt mess Ren normally wore his hair in. Akechi wore the tan glasses he had received from Teddie. With the tussled look Akechi was sporting it was almost hard to recognize him. As soon as he maneuvered his arm into the actual medical sling Akechi turned his attention to the rest of the group.

"What happened?" Ren asked letting a sliver of worry echo in his voice.

"Shido of course." Akechi shrugged as if it was no big deal. "He wasn't happy about my failure."

"Jeez. That has to be painful." Chie cringed.

"Sorry, it took us so long to get back. I had to get him at least looked over. Takemi wanted to do x-rays but Goro-Kun insisted on needed to get back here." Naoto's words were harsh, like a mother berating a child. "He at the very least dislocated his shoulder but the doctor popped it back in place… We got some painkillers but he should go the hospital…"

"The state of my conditions is irrelevant." Akechi waved to her with his good hand but a slight facial twinge told Ren all he needed to know about Akechi's pain level. "Shido has connections to everything here in Tokyo and if he knows I escaped from his Palace, I'm dead and so are all of you. This injury satisfied him enough to prove my loyalty at that moment, however, he quickly grew wise when he realized I was accessing his private databases. That lockdown around the diet building is as much to keep you guys out as it was to keep me in."

"How is Loki?" Rise interjected as she got to her feet from the couch.

"Quiet still, all thanks to you." Akechi nodded to the navigator before he looked towards Ren. "How many palaces are you aware of that you haven't changed the heart of someone yet?"

"One," Ren answered swiftly.

Akechi let a bemused chuckle escape his chest. "I know over 50."

"WHAT?!" Morgana yowled from the couch. "How do you know about so many palaces?"

"Because I was Shido's attack dog. Almost everyone on board that cognitive ship has one. It's a requirement to get into Shido's inner circle because without one he can't control you if your relationship with him goes south. A simple interview with selected questions always reveals the keyword and the place." He glances towards Futaba. "Isshiki's work twisted to Shido's selfish desires. The people believe the interview is just a formality but in reality, it gives me access to their cognition. Speaking of that… " Akechi reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB. "Sakura-san, I need to give this to you."

Futaba glanced at Ren as if to get some sort of courage from him. Ren nodded to his sister before Futaba left the couch and took the USB from Akechi. She examined it before looking back up at Akechi with confusion in her eyes. Akechi simply nodded to her before Futaba moved back to the couch and her awaiting laptop. Ren was curious about what was on the USB but Akechi continued, drawing his attention away from his curiosity.

"All of those palaces are here in Tokyo and like you did to trick me with Ren's death, there are parts of them that extend into the city that aren't as distorted. If I go down to these non-distorted areas we can get within range of other distortions and hop to those distortions with the proper keywords as if we are in the real world, standing next to that particular building." Akechi explained. "With that, we can get to the Diet building from that other world."

"That's amazing, I didn't know you could use the metaverse like that!" Morgana sounded very impressed.

"It's not something Shido knows about and it's a card from my hand I never bothered revealing to anyone until now," Akechi explained.

"What the!? This is my mom's research! The whole thing!" Futaba shouted from the couch before she looked back at Akechi. "How Light, how?" She swiftly demanded.

"It's one of the files I had access to. I took it along with some other files and cleaned out most of the database before Shido caught wind to what I was doing. I escaped to his ship, and he can't send people to the other world without my help. That's why he has the area on lockdown. He doesn't want me escaping and sealed off the area." Akechi seemed smug as he spoke, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips. He was quite pleased with himself that he got the one upon his father, Ren would let him have that. "However he is aware of my treachery and we need to change his heart today. If he was to realize I wasn't working solo…" Akechi's words trailed off, as the assumption hung like a guillotine ax in the air.

"So was it you who brought all those officers we got mixed up in during the incident in Sae's Palace?" Naoto asked.

"Correct, but I'm unsure how you and your partner got caught up in it. I was very particular about who I sent across and if I had seen you two I wouldn't have crossed." Akechi put his hand to his chin thinking. "They were all told to wait until I gave the signal. Which I gave after we 'defeated' Sae. However, none of you stole her treasure… Yet she seemed to have a change of heart, I suppose that was for the best as the Palace would have started to collapse. Honestly looking back, I should have noticed something was wrong then. Well played Ren."

"If there was a large cognitive disturbance because of our connection to that world we could have just been drawn in." Naoto surmised with a shrug.

"I'll consider it a miracle for the moment and be done with it. Both of you arriving as you did led me this far. I'd rather not dwell on what-ifs." Akechi sighed before a good-natured smile came to his face. "Thank you, everyone."

Naoto put a hand on his shoulder. "Glad to have you. Kanji can you help Goro-Kun get cleaned up?"

"Sure, no prob! Come on bro," Kanji called before both of them disappeared down a hallway.

"Come on Ren, let's finish breakfast." Yu motioned Ren back to the kitchen.

"Breakfast sounds wonderful! I haven't eaten since yesterday morning." Yusuke sounded delighted.

Ren turned back and joined Yu in the kitchen, a plan fully in place now.

I got one more chapter after this before the Shido fight. I'll try and get them out all out by Sunday but the Shido fight is long... Hopefully, this Chapter is good for everyone. Leave a review if you liked it.