"I said did you go to the velvet room?"

Nicole was now seated on a chair her mother had guided her into. Still in the experimental total life support unit room Nicole retorted, "Maybe, I think so. But Mo-"

"Did you sign a contract?" Her mother cuts her off.

"Yes. But I got my-" She strains to continue.

Her mother overpowers her voice, "Was there a man named Igor there? What did he say?"

"Yes, he said that lives hang in the balance and mo"- Nicole begins to stammer out.

"Did he give you or mention a Wild Card?"

"No mom he didn't mention –"

"Can you see a blue door in this room right now?" Mitsuru waves her hand around the machines against the wall.

Nicole scans the room around her and up against the wall in-between the two medical devices sits the same ornate dark blue door with black and gold accents. "Yes, it's right there." She begins to point at it as her mom leaves her side and pulls out her blackberry, "But Mom!"

Mitsuru holds a finger up to shush her daughter and hits three buttons on her phone. The line is picked up right away, "Yes it's Kirijo. Put Harriett on." Mitsuru taps her foot rapidly while checking her watch, "Yes Harriett, it's Miss Kirijo. I know you're at the site. Pick me up at the front entrance in seven minutes. Have the driver speed if you have to, I'll pay for any tickets so don't worry." She takes out a notebook and scribbles some hasty notes down before starting to exit the medical room.

Nicole jumps up out of the chair and follows close behind her strutting mother. Mitsuru making a B-line straight for the elevators, she begins rapidly pressing the call button. Nicole stands behind her mother with eyes narrowed at the doors. "Mom, please listen to me." Her mother shifts her gaze to her daughter while failing to hid a frown. "I know you are in a hurry but, I unlocked my Persona." Nicole twiddles her thumbs in front of her belt buckle, "And you did say once I did I could start going on missions with you."

Her mother bites her lip and raises a hand to her face, covering her brow and breaking the eye contact with her now silent daughter. "Nicole, you still need more training and experience. Not yet, and Mom is gonna be really busy after today."

Nicole holds her hands together, her eyebrows raised in a look of desperation. "I took years of Kendo and kick boxing like you did mom. My teachers even said I have come a long way and could compete in nationals if I entered senior year!" Nicole crosses her arms and lips begin to pout, "And I want to help with whatever is going on here in town."

Mitsuru drops her hands and stares her daughter down, "You are staying here and that is final." The elevator has a white light rise up through the gap in the doors. After a sharp DING they slide open with a whoosh. The interior is a floor of black polished stone with featureless chrome walls. The floor selection panel lights up the same eerie blue as all the others in the hospital when the 1st floor is selected. Mother and daughter sit in silence, Mitsuru's face a cold emotionless slate unlike her kin whose eyes shone all matter of vibrant emotions.

The short twelve second ride left enough time for Nicole to gather herself and launch right back into it once those entrapping doors reopened. "You said I could, promised even!" She half blocks her mother's egress to the main entrance.

Her mother's hands flash a short burst of annoyance by grabbing her shoulder and gently shifting Nicole out of the way. With her voice raised more than intended, "I know what I said. . . . But no. This job is dangerous and never easy. Every day our lives; even mine, are at risk. I won't have you going out until I know you're ready and no talking back." She releases her shoulder but stops walking once entering the main foyer. "Listen, I am your mother and you Will do this for me. Okay?" She takes out her phone again and starts dialing, "Honey, I really need to be focusing on work now but I promise we'll speak more on this once I get back." One hand on her phone, she uses the other arm to grip a half hug with Nicole, "I love you my dear but I need to go."

Nicole's persistent frown quivers for a second and she manages a weak, "I love you too Mother." With that Mitsuru kisses her cheek and squeezes as best she can with one free arm. An imposing black SUV pulls up outside.

Mitsuru begins to exit and waves back to her daughter while responding, "Junpei, need you to leave the India mission because I need yo"- The sliding doors close cutting off contact and the last communication between them is Nicole waving back to her mother closing the passenger side door. Nicole cannot hear the slam but could feel the impact and it left a bad feeling running through her body.

She just stood there her mind racing about the events that couldn't have taken a hair more than thirty minutes. Was that all real? Did I really get my Persona? I don't feel any different besides maybe lighter. She gets shaken out of her trance by the cartoon lover behind the counter. He was asking her to move out of the front entrance door as it could be a safety hazard. Nicole complies by heading of out the entrance, scanning all around the parking lot she slowly saunters to their car. She pulls out a small key fob from her pocket and pops the trunk.

She digs around in a quick search to pull out a half filled orange gym bag. Nicole then returns inside and walks up to the counter, "Umm, sir." The guard perks up and hits Alt Tab on his keyboard. "I know there is a gym room here but I am not quite sure where it is. Could you give me some directions?"

The young man has a head of messy blond hair that hangs beneath his company branded ball cap. Straightening up, "Yeah, juuuust" – he scans over a colorful floor plan map taped to his desk – "Take an immediate right, then go two halls down then turn left." He looks up and smiles brightly while closing his eyes. "It should be labeled along the left; wait no, right side of the hall. Hope that helps and have a good day."

"Thanks," Nicole nods and heads down following the instructions to the T. She finds the large glass walled gym quite easily thanks to the semi-accurate directions. She enters the propped open glass door and scans the walls for the changing room. A big blue sign on a white door with a skirt toting stick woman entices Nicole forward. She breaches the door gingerly, making sure to only to open it enough to enter in case someone was in a state of undress. Finding herself to be the only occupant, she slips into the locker room and then out of her fall attire. Gracefully placing them inside one of the empty loaner lockers the self-conscious girl begins fishing out a complete set of preppy sport wear.

She dons her war gear, then ties the orange and white Nikes onto her size five feet. Tying her long hair back while leaving her uneven bangs to hang over her face, she checks the mirror to make sure she didn't forget anything. Satisfied with her wardrobe change, she smirks and exits back into the well-stocked gym with phone in hand. Her fingers nimbly unlock and scroll through apps to open a run of the mill workout tracker. "Strength training," She reads aloud. "Perfect."

Nicole moves with purpose over to the dumbbell rack and places a single wireless ear bud in. The sounds of Nightstep's remix of Harder Better Faster Stronger start up as an exhale leaves a widening mouth. The regular routine begins with the tens (in pounds, 4.53 kg) and successfully completes a set of ten curls. The arms feel fresh; her body feels supercharged as she moves up to the twenties (9 kg). Nicole easily hoists the dumbbells up the ten reps and decides to pick up the twenty-fives. She manages to do them the full set of ten, then drops them to the floor in poor etiquette. No one is around to protest the action as Nicole retrieves her dropped phone rapidly to record it in her tracker.

The jump from the seven reps she did two weeks ago to ten now sends a foreign feeling up her legs and into her spine. Creeping dread sets in yet still mixed with the sense of power and new found authority. "If nothing else, this contract has helped me with my gains at least." Nicole goes through her routine finding each of her sets to be lighter and can manage 10-15 pounds more. The unearthly power leaves an overall good feeling in her stomach but something is nagging in her mind. She is just rounding off a bout with a rowing machine when she gets a text.

It's from her Uncle. Junpei was asking Nicole to meet two operatives at the front entrance in 20 or so minutes. That and he gushes over and congratulates her on gaining her Persona. Nicole places the rowing bar back on the machine and takes a few minutes wiping down the equipment she used with disinfectant wipes. She enters the small locker room and strips out of her sweaty clothing and slides into one of the showers. Nicole quickly rinses off the grime and sweat of the day, minimizing how wet her hair got. She exits the stall after and does a quick inspection of herself in the large floor to ceiling mirror.

Nicole's muscles; while on the larger end for a female, are not bulging out like they should be if able to be lifting like she was. Nicole mumbles aloud, "Not complaining but kinda hoping for some more definition Miss Persona." Nicole finishes ogling her own body and wipes off the chilling water with a complementary white and blue towel off the rack. She completes the rub down and tosses the used cloth into the waiting laundry bin. She jumps back into her day clothes and checks the time. Seven minutes early so far.

Freshly stretched out, her muscles achingly carried the young woman to the front entrance once more. She sat in one of the nearby benches in vigil for the newcomers to this Persona party. The clock read five minutes until whoever was supposed to arrive did so. Nicole began to do an overhead tri-cep stretch as the front guard answer a phone call.

"Yes Hello, Nebraska Sta- . . . Yes. . . Yes . . . My God. I'll transfer you and prep the medical team." He hunched over the desk and talked in a more hushed but still audible volume, "What about her?. . . I'll get a nurse to handle it, yes." The man ran a hand through his sandy hair and pushed a few buttons on the phone. "Yes, prep trauma and the get an emergency team to the main entrance. We don't have time; the patient will be here in a few minutes." The man hung up and dialed in a new number while his hand holding the handset shakes uncontrollably. "Hello, can I have Juliet come down and clear the hall. Yes, it's her. Please. . . Thank you."

He slams the headset down and looks straight ahead at the sliding doors, only flashing his gaze at the other person in the room. Nicole had that dangerous look of curiosity brazenly covering her face. She gazed on to watch some untold atrocity or tragedy that had happened. The area was notorious for vicious car wrecks and she was betting it was a young man or woman who took a curve too tight and fell off a cliff onto a road below. The occupant or occupants to now be clinging to life.

A very young nurse came out moments after, directly up to Nicole. "Maim, you need to leave immediately." The small brunette tried to pry her off the bench.

"Why? What's wrong?" Nicole's eyebrow raised and it took her barely any effort to deny the little nurse's effort to remove her from the seat.

"There has been an accident and is a VIP coming through in critical condition," The nurse now gripped Nicole's entire left arm and began to tug. Her pained voice begged again, "P-please come with me!"

"Bingo!" Nicole resolutely stood fast but stood up to humor the Nurse's efforts. "I'm waiting for guests, miss." She dug her heals in and kept her eyes glued to the door. The nurse began to sob a little while putting her entire diminutive weight behind it as the sounds of an ambulance grew in volume.

With lights flashing and sirens blaring, it raced up the small driveway to the front entrance. The rear access panels flopped opened and two medics hoped out and began lowering a blood stained gurney. Making a running leap over the desk, a sandy haired mess of the guard flung the doors open as the medics rushed the stretcher up and into the foyer.

Nicole had never seen a dead person before today, and her imagination was not completely wrong. The woman the ambulance brought through the front door was unresponsive besides some minor post-mortem spasms from her right arm. The large gash on her thigh that was covered in blood the likely reason for her passing. A hasty tourniquet high above the wound was wound tightly to cut off the blood leaking out. Too late is seemed as the woman's chest was no longer moving. There were two things she was not expecting however.

The woman was much paler then what Nicole imagined, more than likely from the blood loss that sent her in this state. Her knees buckled from the horror of the sight and the air in her lungs went cold. As she blacked out finally from the grisly site of the woman's wide questioning eyes, and she knows why it was so outside her imagination.

She was not expecting the dead woman to be her mother .

\\\\\\Extra Content Bruvs/

Sorry for being 2 hours late. Writing 3000 more words then planned can do that.

Also, I keep re-reviewing and proof reading and boi am I bad at math.

So, Noice. Matricide is always a plus narrative wise.

Sorry if you liked her. Shocking isn't it.

Naw, she can't really be dead can she? Guess you'll need to wait excitedly or dreadingly for Monday.

Now, for more questions for you to theorize over:

1) How did Mitsuru end up deaded?

2) Who is Harriett and did she also end up deaded or is she alive?

3) Who is Harriett even?

5) What will happen next?

Comment your ideas. Maybe you'll be right.

P.S. Music to Listen to when reading:

1) Oh Hellos - Soldier, Poet, King (Indie Folk)

2) Oh Wonder - Lose It /Jerry Folk Remix/ (Techno Pop)

3) NOFX - The Idiots are Taking Over (Punk)

4) New Politics - One of Us (Rock)