Joker stood at the beginning of Mementos as his friends took a second to collect themselves. The Shujin group had all made it across with no incidents even if their school had been surrounded by the Japanese special police force. Joker looked around quickly seeing Oracle and Fox had both made it. Fox look positively bewildered at his current situation but a proper explanation would be given in a moment. For now, Joker was just relieved everyone had made the jump. Naoto and her group were already here the second they arrived so that made everyone.
"Shit Koromaru." Ken suddenly growled as Joker noticed Ken's canine companion wasn't with them.
Aigis looked towards her fellow Shadow Operative. "He'll be fine Ken-Kun, only other Persona users know of his true nature. I contacted one of our agents and they are getting him out as we speak."
"Good, that's probably for the best. He's an old dog and doesn't need to be fighting." Ken gave a visible sigh of relief, only further relieved as Noir stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"So if I may inquire, why we all here?" Fox asked looking around at the whole group.
"I can answer that," Naoto announced stepping into the center of the group. "Masayoshi Shido has been assassinated and the Phantom Thieves are being accused."
"What?! You gotta be freakin' kiddin' me! We beat the guy up but we didn't touch 'em after he had his change of heart!" Skull boomed visibly upset.
"Doesn't matter." Naoto folded her arms across her chest. "They are looking for any excuse to take us all in, Shadow Operatives included."
"What are we going to do now?" Panther sounded desperate.
"That's what we have to decide." Naoto glanced over everyone.
With that everyone went silent for a few minutes as well a look was passed amongst each other. There was an unease that hung in the air. It was understandable, the stakes of the game had just risen even farther then they had been when Crow had sprung his plan. Sure the rest of the Phantom Thieves were wanted after he had been captured but now they were actively being hunted. They were only now realizing the fear Joker had to live with every day. To him, this was nothing, the people he cared most about were currently already safe in this room and all his other confidants didn't have a price on their heads.
"So they killed Shido…" Crow's voice muttered through the uneasiness that built up in the air, he wasn't affected by the sudden danger and looked pensive.
"You got an insight in all this Crow?" Queen asked.
Crow glanced towards Queen. "Theories yes. I know Shido's organization better than anyone here and I can probably predict how they are trying to play this out. Can't say I know 100 percent but it'll probably be close."
"Well let's hear'em!" Kanji called out.
Crow nodded. "Very well. Shido has several people who I could see killing him, top of the list is his political adviser Keiki Honda. Honda used to be a nobleman but he put too many of his eggs in Shido's basket and while he may look like a good man on the outside, he is as corrupt as Shido. He'd do anything to save his image and no doubt ordered Shido's assassination because he has the most to lose if Shido goes down. His plan is probably to play Shido's death off as a martyr and paint us as villains that stood in the way of Shido's dream for Japan. The elections are close but Shido's death will probably delay them, giving Honda time to find someone new to take Shido's place. Sojuro Matsushina is a good puppet, already liked among people and he has a charisma about him. Also, there was already talk about making him vice prime minister. That would leave Keiki Honda the new head of Shido's organization."
"So you're tellin' us that even though we took down Shido someone will probably take his place?" Oracle grumbled.
"Yes, it's not all that surprising. Shido's organization is more of a hydra then a snake. After all, they wouldn't just sit idly by while the whole organization crumbled around them, from their perspective this is a good move to play." Crow explained.
"So what? We just take down Shido's whole group one by one until the whole thing comes down?" Ken asked.
"That might be our only option." Crow shrugged. "People still believe in Shido's dream and as long as the organization has that, we don't stand much of a chance."
"That's a lot of palaces and how do we send calling cards? We are wanted on the other side…" Queen mulled over as the details came to light.
"We change the hearts of everyone, that's how we move forward." Mona suddenly said as he stepped into the middle of the room. "We are in Mementos, everyone's Palace. We steal the treasure at the end and change everyone's heart! It'll turn the world around and people might stop believing Shido's groups lies."
"Won't that erase the Metaverse?! What if we are wrong?" Panther exclaimed.
"For the record, I don't like any plan that erases the Metaverse but I'll continue to fight alongside everyone," Crow interjected, no doubt still wanting to use the Metaverse to change people's hearts.
"Noted, but stealing a bunch of people's hearts is going to take way too much time, we can't just live in the Metaverse while we wait for people to have a change of heart." Oracle countered.
"Joker…" Naoto looked at him.
Joker stopped, he didn't know when he started pacing but he had started at some point in time. Joker knew that look. Naoto was looking towards him to be the leader he needed to be of his friends. This was a time of crisis and they needed his words more than ever. He wasn't about to shy away from the responsibilities but there were still a lot of unknowns. The choice he made now could either doom or save everyone.
"Give me a minute…" Joker announced.
Suddenly all eyes were on him. The pressure of leadership never felt like such a heavy yoke before. He was going to be deciding all their fates. Any decision he made, he'd welcome dissidence but he had a feeling he'd find little of that. They all wanted a decision and this was his burden to shoulder as the leader. Joker ran over the facts in his brain trying to come up with a good solution before a new voice cut Joker out of his pondering.
"He's here." Came the voice of Rise Kujikawa
Rise's voice was soft and if it hadn't been for the silence everyone was giving Joker to think, everyone would have missed her voice. The investigation team's navigator stood just in front of the escalators that lead down deeper into Mementos, as her Persona stood over her. It was obvious while they had all been talking, she had been using her powers to locate the person most important to her.
"What!?" Yosuke called as he closed the gap between them.
"I can feel him… He is here, I don't know where but he is here." Rise's voice sounded hopeful as her Persona faded away.
Oracle glanced towards her fellow navigator before she put a hand to her visor. She looked around before her Persona appeared above her. The next second Oracle disappeared within the black ball, as it lit up brightly with multicolored lights. Joker looked up at the round Persona wondering what answers Oracle would find as she too scanned the area.
"Holy shit balls!" A voice echoed from Prometheus. "Kingpin is here! And as Sojiro would say… 'Hoo boy,'. Yeah, guys, this place has gotten deeper! Princess, we need to double team this, these readings... They are just wild!"
Rise turned walking up to Oracle, adjusting the strap of the guitar she had brought with her to Mementos. Oracle descended from her Persona as Rise approached. Futaba instantly walked up to the idol and threw her arms around her in a large hug. A spark of life appeared across Rise's face as the younger girl embraced her. Rise returned the warm embrace before both Persona appeared beside them. Like Necronomicon before; Prometheus picked up Kouzeon and brought it into itself. Joker already aware of the light show this produced threw up his arms. This time the two powerful Persona output an array of vibrant multicolored lights that looked more like a rave had suddenly taken over Mementos.
"Wha..!" Oracle fell back from Rise, her eyes wide. "I-I-I-I…" Oracle stuttered before looking down at her hands.
Rise just had a small smirk on her face before she knelt next to Oracle, reaching out she tilted Oracles chin up to her and looked the younger woman in the eyes. "Don't worry Oracle, I won't tell anyone."
"D-Doesn't make it any less embarrassing…" A soft blush came to Oracle's cheeks.
Rise leaned toward and put her forehead to Oracle's. "It's fine and it's part of growing up." Rise got up helping Oracle to her feet as she did so.
"You find out anything on Kingpin?" Naoto asked.
Oracle put up her hand. "Give me a sec. There's quite a bit of data. You think I can do it, Princess?"
"There is only one way to find out!" Rise encouraged.
There was a pause as Oracle clapped her hands together and her goggles disappeared in a flash of blue fire. In front of her, a flicker of blue flames appeared as a holographic computer seemed to appear in front of her. Oracle smirked before she put her hands to the holographic display and began to type. Rise smiled warmly as seemed to gaze upon Oracle proudly. Oracle reached forward and seemed to grab something off the screen and threw it off to the side, in a dazzling display of multicolored lights a holographic map of what could only be Mementos materialized before everyone. It all looked like something from a sci-fi movie, an impossible technology made real by the power of Persona.
"What is this Oracle?" Naoto asked as she stepped up to the display.
"It's a map of Mementos," Oracle explained before she grabbed all the displays and pushed them into one single display that she now held like some sort of tablet. "We are up here!" Oracle pulled down the hologram and enlarged it showing everyone currently standing at the top of Mementos. "Kingpin's energy signal is coming from two places. One is here!" Oracle tapped something out on her holographic tablet and a small door seemed to appear in the corner of the area they all stood.
Joker instantly recognized the area Oracle was pointing to and took a glance over at the two twins. The twins glanced at each other in a bit of surprise as Joker glared at them from his location on the other side of the holographic map. If he couldn't trust Igor then he couldn't trust them either. They knew something if their reaction was anything to go by.
"The other signature is down here." Oracle scrolled the map up to what appeared to be a large area at the bottom of Mementos.
"Hey, Oracle when did you get the power to make something like this?" Panther asked.
Oracle smirked. "Just now. Navigator Personas are unique among Persona, they are way more malleable than a normal attack Persona. I've been needing a way to display my data to all of you, so my Persona responded giving me this cool Tony Stark set up." Oracle glanced towards Rise. "Princess might have helped a little."
"I just showed you the way." Rise put a hand on Oracle shoulder.
"Anyways the door next to us is Joker's entrance to his velvet room I think, won't do the rest of us much good as he is the only one what can access it. Down here however looks a bit like a back door. If anything we need to check it out. The problem is it seems to be close to what I guess could be considered the treasure of Mementos." Oracle explained.
"That door is my entrance to the velvet room," Joker affirmed as he looked at the map.
"So, what I can take away from this is; Igor is behind Yu's kidnapping and our missing friend is currently located in Joker's velvet room?" Naoto put the facts together before looking towards Joker. "Your velvet room no longer appears to be a safe place."
"Igor definitely can't be trusted." Rise folded her arms across her chest.
Joker turned to let the other talk as he walked up to the entrance of the velvet room. The twins once again exchanged looks as he approached before quickly adopting more a neutral expression. Joker wasn't in the mood to play their games and quickly reminded himself that for all of Caroline's jeers, she had never once actually hurt him. They threatened him plenty of times but never hurt him.
"What do you want Inmate?" Caroline growled as Justine just didn't face him.
"Why does Igor have Yu Narukami?" Joker smoothly asked.
"That's none of your business, inmate." Caroline sneered tapping her baton on her palm.
"I believe it is." Joker took a step forward as he put his hands into pockets.
"Watch your tongue Inmate, maybe you don't understand the situation you are in." Caroline took an aggressive step forward.
"I do believe he does." A new voice appeared at Joker's side as Aigis stepped up. "These are your attendants?"
"It would appear there is a new wildcard that has joined the inmate's friends…" Justine looked up from her clipboard at Joker. "You seem to be attracting them at an alarming rate."
"Yes, that one is Caroline and the other is Justine." Joker motioned to the two twins.
"Do you two happen to know Elizabeth?" Aigis asked looking towards the twins.
"Elizabeth? The one that abandoned her duty? Of course, we know of our wayward sister." Caroline folded her arms across her chest. "Tsk, getting that familiar with a guest."
"Then who is Lavenza." Aigis calmly asked.
At that, both twins went silent. Caroline took a step back and looked up at Justine. For a long second, neither twin seemed to say anything, only stare at each other. Justine jumped down from her spot on top of the blue cell door and with her, one good eye stared deeply at Joker. Caroline sneered as she stepped up next to her sister.
"That name…" Caroline started.
"…it sounds so familiar." Justine finished.
"Did something happen to Lavenza?" Aigis pressed.
"We… don't know." Justine's voice sounded pained as her gaze once again fell upon her sister.
"Something's wrong Justine…" Caroline seemed to grip her baton harder as she glared at the ground.
"I know Caroline… Possibly Lavenza knows why…" Justine shook her head before looking towards Joker. "We need to tell him."
"Are you kidding me!? He is the last one we should tell!" Caroline growled smacking her baton on the ground.
Suddenly both twins collapsed to their knees, holding their heads. Joker didn't know what to do as he subconsciously reached out for them. Even if he knew he couldn't trust Igor, Caroline and Justine were still his confidants and people he cared about. Joker got down to his knees to see if there was something he could do to help before a blue butterfly suddenly appeared before him. This caused Joker to hesitate. Slowly the twins seemed to regain their composure and stared at each other.
"It would appear something has happened to us that isn't natural Caroline," Justine said to her twin.
"It would appear so, our master… No, that impostor… He did this to us did he not?" Caroline reached forward and put a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"My eye…" Justine reached forward and put her hand on Caroline's shoulder.
"And my eye…" Caroline put her other hand to her eye patch.
"Interesting, I figured their energy being the same was because they were twins but that isn't the case." Aigis looked towards Joker. "They appear to be the same being but split."
"Yes, that would appear to be the case…" Justine turned and looked at the two wild cards.
"...However, as long as that impostor sits in our master's place…" The twins started to speak strangely as one.
"…We are limited on the assistance we can provide you…"
"… All is not lost prisoner of fate…"
"…The impostor has means to trap everyone within the velvet room…"
"…If he does, we can free you once there…"
"…Against the full forces of you and your friends, he may be defeated."
"What do we need to do?" Joker pressed feeling as if maybe for the first time he had a way to give the proverbial middle finger to this fate he had been shackled with.
"…At the ends of Mementos…"
"…Part of the impostor sleeps…"
"…Awaken him and fight…."
"…Please, Trickster, this is only something you can do."
Joker looked towards Aigis. Aigis gave him a solid nod back, clearly, she was on board with this plan. Now they had direction. They might have been all tossed into this harsh reality, but all hope was not lost yet. Joker spared a glance towards his friends. He knew they'd follow him once he called them to action. Now was the time he needed them most and he was glad to have them. Still, there was one lingering doubt that needed to be sorted before he could commit to this all.
"What about Yu?" Joker asked.
"We will free him along with you…"
"…Only once you are all in the velvet room."
"Thanks." Joker turned to walk back to his friends.
"One final thing…"
"…And this is the most important…."
"… Trickster, no matter what happens…"
"… You can't give in to despair."
Suddenly the twins let go of each other, they both jumped back as if the sudden contact was somehow like fire between them. In almost perfect union they held their heads before slowly they started to recover. Joker paused to watch a second before Caroline shot him a deep glare signifying that they were both back to normal.
"Get a move on Inmate!" Caroline growled.
Joker nodded before heading back to his group of friends. Aigis followed behind him. His friends still seemed to be in a heated debate about what the next move should be causing Joker and Aigis's absence to have gone seemingly unnoticed. Joker took a deep breath before he stepped in front of them and cleared his voice. The discussion they had been having died.
"We are going to the end of Mementos. It's our best option for saving Yu and defeating the evil that lurks in the velvet room. Also if we can sway the public they might stop believing Shido's leftover lies." Joker took on the tone of their leader.
"As Joker is field commander, I concede my leadership to him." Aigis proclaimed. "Are there any objections to this plan?"
"We're gonna do this, right?" Mona seemed hesitant as he shifted on his paws.
"Of course!" Panther brightly declared pumping her fist.
"Why're you askin' now?" Skull folded his arms casting the anthropomorphic cat a heated look.
"Well…" Mona started his ears going flat against his head. "I-I just thought, what am I gonna do if we are making the wrong choice and then you guys freak out and bail on me! I mean this will erase Mementos…"
"If it'll save Yu, whatever. I don't understand this all too well, but from what I do know that other world may stop working here but there will probably always be another one… Somewhere. Inaba's is always there." Yosuke shrugged as he scratched the back of his head.
"That is correct," Naoto interjected. "If you guys truly wish to keep fighting after all this is over, I'm sure you'll be welcome additions to the Shadow Operatives."
"Yeah, we could always use more Persona users," Ken smirked.
"I don't think it'll work that way… but maybe." Mona cast his gaze aside before turning towards the entrance of Mementos and starting to head down.
Joker sensed something wrong with his feline companion, but everyone seemed to follow Mona's lead and headed down the stairs. Joker hung back a moment to think silently to himself. As he hung back he noticed Noir also stop before heading down to the depths. Noir looked at him with concern playing across her face as she looked towards her leader.
"Something is wrong with Mona…" Noir expertly deduced.
"I agree." Joker nodded.
Noir looked down. "Hopefully he'll talk to us."
"Maybe. If not, let's talk to him together. After this is over." Joker suggested.
Noir seemed to brighten at that prospect. "Okay!" With that, she turned and headed down to Mementos.
Joker followed after Noir and down to the start of the Path of Qimranut where all his friends were currently at. Again realizing Morgana didn't have enough space in his van form to take them all it was agreed that they'd just walk to the end of Qimranut and take the subway down to the end of the path of Sheriruth. They all filed into an empty subway car and quickly made themselves comfortable within the whole empty cabin. Once they got on the subway there was an uncertainty that hung in the air, possibly combined with the realization of the day's events.
Joker let the silence hang in the air as he leaned against one of the poles in the middle of their subway train. They all need time to process these events in their own way and Joker was going to give them that time. There was no doubt more fighting and who knows what else waited for them as they approached the end of Mementos. If anything Joker hoped they all strengthened their resolve to see the end of this all. He however was ready for this fight, mind clear and ready to focus on the task at hand.
The subway swayed on the tracks as it made its way deeper into Mementos. From what was understood about the subway, a journey that would take them almost two hours to reach the end of Mementos would be slightly closer to half that time. Joker glanced out of the windows as Mementos and shadows zoomed past his vision. The speed was great but the real benefit to taking the subway down was the fact they wouldn't be fighting their way down, meaning they'd be at full strength to tackle whatever lay ahead of them.
Looking from the window, Joker glanced towards the assembled group. Taking time to assess everyone on an individual level. Skull was the first to be inspected; he was sitting down on one of the benches and was half sprawled out as his eyes stared up at the ceiling. He wore a ponderous look as he had his hands behind his head. Out of the group, he was probably the one who needed the least amount of time to reflect. Joker knew Skull had his back, and he looked overall ready to fight. It's good to know
Panther was next to him and looked a bit more introspective in Joker's opinion. She had her legs crossed as she sat slightly cocked on the seat, half resting against the backrest half resting against Skull. The extra space allowed her to brace her arm across the top of the backrest so she could rest her head on the palm of her hand. Joker followed her eyes to the door of the subway car. Panther had been his ally almost as long as Skull and Mona, and from Joker's perspective, she didn't seem shaken. If anything Panther seemed as ready to fight as everyone else.
Mona and Noir sat across from Skull and Panther. Mona was sitting on Noir's lap, his eyes were closed and his overly large head was resting in the crook of Noir's arm. He looked asleep and peaceful at the moment, making Joker wonder how long that would last. Noir seemed completely fine with the feline snuggling in her arms as she held his small body close to her. Noir was probably the person Mona trusted the most next to him and Oracle, and Noir seemed to care for the feline. Joker hoped they'd always have such a strong relationship. As Mona slept, Noir's focus seemed to be across the train and as Joker followed the gaze he found Ken. If the situation had been any different Joker would have felt the need to look deeper into that, but for now, he filed it back in his mind as something to investigate later.
To Noir's left standing at the back of the subway car was Fox. Unlike many of his friends, he seemed to be actively doing something. His nose was in his sketchbook and he seemed to be in his little world as he focused all his attention on whatever he was drawing. Occasionally he would glance up at the others but quickly his focus would return to the book. There was no doubt Fox was taking his feelings and expressing them on paper instead of internalizing like the rest of the group seemed to be doing. Once he was called to action, Joker knew Fox would be fine.
A little way down the car was Oracle and Crow. Oracle was laying down on the subways bench, her feet were up on the seat divider as her head rested on Crow's thigh. Oracle looked the most comfortable out of all the rest of the Thieves as she held her phone and looked as if she was playing something on it. Her goggles were up on the top of her head, no doubt to give her a better view of the game she was playing. A look of bemused concentration played across her face as she played. Oracle was ready to forge ahead with him and the others.
Crow, who Oracle was currently using as a pillow, looked far more serious. He had his elbow resting against his unoccupied thigh as his chin rested in his hand. He also had his mask off and it sat next to him on the subway train giving Joker a full view of his face, and the harsh contemplative look he wore. Crow's gaze was mostly on the floor of the subway but occasionally would move up to glance at the game Oracle was playing on her phone. At those moments there was an ever so slight lift in Crow's demeanor. Crow looked content in those fleeting moments. Joker didn't know what to make of the relationship between the two. The big brother part of him didn't want Oracle to be hurt, as he knew first hand once Oracle got comfortable with someone she grew close to people quickly. Another part of him also knew Crow would never do something to Oracle intentionally. As they both were people who found it difficult to connect with others, once they did; they treasured those relationships. Still, what was the extent of Crow and Oracle's relationship? Another thing to add to his list of things to investigate later.
Across the aisle from Oracle and Crow sat Naoto and Kanji. Naoto was pretty much passed out on Kanji's arm, leaving the normally stoic detective showing a moment of defenseless. She looked surprisingly peaceful in her sleep, much like Mona. From Yu, Joker knew of Naoto's tendency to overwork herself, and no doubt with her partner missing Naoto had been working on all cylinders. Hopefully, this rest would recharge her enough to bring her back to full power for the fight ahead. Kanji sat quietly next to Naoto, an arm around his fiancé as she slept soundly. He looked as if he was zoning out similarly to Skull as his eyes didn't seem to be looking at anything, just vaguely staring off. Joker figured he could rely on Kanji going forward.
The next row of seats down sat the rest of Joker's group minus Queen. Ken sat towards the front of the car, with his back against a divider. His arms were folded across his chest as his chin rested against his chest. He looked asleep but Joker had the feeling he wasn't. He was probably deep in thought. He had one knee up as the other ran along the length of the bench, his weapon sat next to him as if he was ready to spring into action at any moment. Joker didn't know exactly what Ken fought for, but it was clear it was an important task to him.
Also on Ken's bench sat Aigis. She was sitting at the opposite end of the bench in a very seemingly stiff way. Both feet on the floor, back straight, hands in lap. Joker had to wonder if the robot was simply powered down as like her companion her eyes were closed. That was until Joker noticed the small movement her hands made in her lap. She was holding onto something and running her fingers along with it. Joker from his viewpoint couldn't get a good look at it but once Aigis moved her hand slightly, the object became visible to him. An Evoker. The weapon to draw out a persona, Joker hadn't seen one being used but he had been told about them. Granted, did such a weapon work for an android? More mysteries to solve at another time; at least Aigis was ready for battle.
Across from Ken and Aigis sat Yosuke and Rise. Rise drew Joker's gaze first. She was sitting next to Yosuke concentrating on the acoustic guitar in her hands. As Rise had appeared in Mementos with the instrument and Joker had to believe she had been using it when the adults got the call to get out of dodge. A katana was strapped to the instrument's shoulder strap that looked very reminiscent of the type Yu normally used. Joker didn't recognize the particular melody, but her soft music was relaxing, and just something nice to listen to besides the sound of the subway over the tracks. Rise didn't seem to have the same sadness in her eyes she held the day before, there was determination there, no doubt fueled by the promise to save Yu.
Yosuke sat next to Rise, his arms were folded against his chest but he seemed to be listening to Rise play. The melody was being tapped out by his right foot and the movement of his head. A small smile lingered at the corner of his face as he seemed to just generally enjoy the sound produced from Rise's guitar. Joker didn't remember when but at some point Yu had told him Yosuke liked the music too. While Joker never had the time to talk to the man about music it was definitely on his list of things to do. Like Oracle, Yosuke seemed to be one of the few in the best spirits out of the whole group. Joker knew he didn't have to worry about Yosuke.
At last Joker's gaze turned toward Queen. She was sitting closest to him and as he turned his gaze to her, he ended up being captured in her gaze. She had apparently been observing him while he was carefully watching everyone else. There was a judging look reflecting in her deep crimson eyes that was slightly shaded by her mask. She was trying to read him and figure him out with a look similar to a look he had seen her sister wear. Joker offered her one of his classic smirks before he got up from his spot leaning against the pole and took a spot intentionally close to Queen. The move seemed to drain some of the suspicions in Queen's eyes as she shook her head and affectionately leaned against him.
Joker made himself comfortable next to his Queen doing one more sweep over the whole crew. While there was silence, no one seemed too worried to fight. So the impostor that was at the end of Mementos hopefully won't know what hit it when Joker brought the might of 15 Persona users down on its head. Now was the time to seize destiny, and no one was going to be left behind.