Chapter 1 part 3
Stepping out of the elevator, Marcus walked down the hallway towards the only set of doors on this floor and after knocking, he entered into the office space that belonged to Mitsuru Kirijo. While not as large as the last reception room Marcus had visited, it was just as elaborately decorated. Mosaics showing sweeping landscapes lined the walls, and the desk set in the middle of the room was equipped with several computer monitors. At that moment, there was only one other person in the office with Marcus: a young woman, wearing a simple white dress and a necklace with a pendant tied to it. She had short light turquoise hair, and turquoise eyes that complimented a face as serene and peaceful as an angel. Currently, however, her face was creased with worry, her attention focused on a document she held in her hands.
"Hey Fuuka, I take it you were the first one to hear about the break-in?" Marcus called, walking towards the chair that the girl was sitting in.
Fuuka jumped, a look of panic flashing across her face as she glanced at the boy heading her way. "Oh, it's you Marcus. Sorry, things have been very busy around here. I haven't had a moment to think since we found out about the theft."
"I'm sorry to hear that, you shouldn't have to be put under so much stress," Marcus said sadly, stopping beside Fuuka and glancing at the file she was holding.
"Thank you for saying so, it's sweet that you care. Since I'm her secretary, Mitsuru trusts me to keep her informed on the progress of all projects and anything that isn't normal, yet I failed to see this coming." Fuuka hung her head, shame hanging over her like a cloud.
"That's nonsense, you did nothing wrong. Nobody could have known this was going to happen," Marcus said firmly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You are one of the most thoughtful, gentle, and caring people I have ever met. If there was anything you could have done, I know you would have. Please stop blaming yourself, for my sake."
Fuuka glanced up with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "You always know the right thing to say; I feel so blessed to have you as a friend. When all else fails, you always have a kind word to share."
"It's the least I can do, my dear," Marcus replied, returning her smile warmly. "Seeing you smile is a reward in itself. Are those documents for me?"
"Yes, Mitsuru wanted me to deliver these to you before she arrived," Fuuka said, handing the file over to Marcus. "It's a summary on what happened at the warehouse, although that's not much to work with."
"Anything is better than nothing at this point," Marcus responded, looking over the first couple of pages. "Since I'm now officially working for Mitsuru, I imagine we'll be working together more frequently. That should be nice for both of us, especially now that you can get some help with your work."
"I agree, that will help things work more smoothly," Fuuka replied, smiling as the doors opened behind them, and Mitsuru entered her office, striding over to sit behind her desk.
"I see you made good time arriving here, Marcus. I see you also received the report I had Fuuka deliver to you. Alright, you can leave now Fuuka. I will call you back once we're done here."
"Of course," Fuuka said hurriedly, standing up and giving Marcus another smile before heading out of the office through the double doors.
"I take it this will be a thorough meeting," Marcus said smoothly, sitting down in the chair Fuuka had been using earlier.
"Very," Mitsuru said bluntly, putting several folders on the desk in front of her. "Let's get started."
Opening the front doors, Marcus stepped out of headquarters and takes a breath of fresh air, checking his phone to see what time it was. Apparently, he had been inside the building for over an hour, which didn't surprise him.
Geez, getting debriefed is one thing, but all those forms I had to sign? She wasn't kidding about being thorough. Although there was that weird one about time delivering people or something like that. Oh well, I'm just glad it's all done now.
Making up his mind, Marcus set off down the street, heading towards the Farmer's Market taking place in the center of town. Winding his way through the various stands and people, he bought some fresh produce to hold him over for the next couple of days and after finding the goods he was looking for, Marcus made for the opposite side of the market, planning on cutting through some residential side streets to make it to his apartment sooner. On the way over, someone abruptly ran into him, knocking his bag of goods to the ground.
"Good grief, why don't you watch where you're…" Marcus started, than stopped in shock at who had bumped into him.
It was a girl, appearing to be a few years younger than Marcus, wearing blue gloves, blue boots, a blue dress and even a little blue hat. What was most puzzling about her was the fact that she seemed to be reading a travel guide upside down. She had stopped after bumping into Marcus, as though she had run into an unexpected obstacle.
"Hmm? This is new, I wonder what it could be," said the girl, bringing down her guide to reveal her snow white hair set in a bob cut and dazzling gold eyes. "I've walked down this street on 17 different occasions and I've never run into a person before. This is a moment to remember for sure!"
"Well, if it makes you happy I guess," Marcus said sheepishly, picking up his bag of fallen goods. "Sorry for not seeing you sooner, uh…"
"Oh goodness me, where are my manners? My name is Elizabeth," the girl said cheerfully, smiling up at Marcus. "And who has my melancholy meandering brought me to today?"
"The name's Marcus, it's nice to meet you," Marcus responded slowly, noticing the book she was carrying in her right hand. "So why are you walking down this street? And on 17 different occasions no less?"
"Well, I had heard about this wonderful gathering called a 'farmer's market', but every time I go looking for it, all the signs keep pointing me to this street," Elizabeth replied, a puzzled look on her face.
"Well, this is the Farmer's Market we're in right now," Marcus reassured, wondering if she was from out of town.
"Truly?! But where are the farmers? Surely there must be farmers at a Farmer's Market!" Elizabeth exclaimed, surprise plain on her face.
"The thing is, Farmer's Markets are more based around the food farmers make rather than the farmers themselves," Marcus explained, convinced that this girl had never been to one before in her life.
"I see, thank you for clarifying the situation for me," Elizabeth said happily, tossing the travel guide over her shoulder. "Now that the mystery has been solved, I can find my way here whenever I want."
"That's good to hear," Marcus replied, amused by her apparent enthusiasm at the situation. "Were you looking for anything in particular?"
"Well, although there was nothing that initially seized my curiosity, I did find something very interesting indeed," Elizabeth said mysteriously, her smile widening as she gazed up at the boy in front of her.
"Really? Did you get it?" Marcus asked, completely mesmerized with her golden eyes.
"No, although I'm confident another opportunity will present itself," she remarked, winking at him. "Alas, I must be on my way. There are other places I must see before the day is done. I enjoyed our little chat. I bid you adieu."
"Yeah, hope you have a nice day," Marcus responded, watching as Elizabeth walked lightly through the street and wondering what just happened.
Okay, that was one of the weirdest encounters I have ever experienced. Is that girl for real? She seemed kind of out there, although relatively harmless. Not to mention pretty cute…
Still reeling at the moment, Marcus continued towards his apartment, his mind switching between his meeting with Mitsuru and his run-in with Elizabeth.
"Hmm…this is strange. No, not just strange, it's impossible."
Marcus was back in his apartment, looking on his laptop at some footage transmitted by Mitsuru just now. After getting back, he had seen that several messages had been sent not only by Mitsuru, but by other members of the Shadow Operatives as well. Now that the break-in was relayed to everyone, every member wanted to put in their support and encouragement, in addition to congratulations on the new position. Marcus was grateful; he needed as much help as he could get to solve the mystery surrounding the theft from the Kirijo Group. The first mystery was the recording from the warehouse where the robbery took place.
Since the site had been closed, no security personal were needed, leaving the documents safeguarded with cameras and scanners. While it was minimal, the equipment was upgraded to monitor everything within a 100 meter radius from the warehouse and be full proof against tampering and corruption. Yet what the video showed was impossible both technically and chronologically speaking.
The time stamp showing 11:59 p.m. had the cameras operating normally, with no disturbances whatsoever. Then, the instant the time stamp became 12 midnight, everything in the recording became warped, with the recording showing the warehouse being bathed in an unnatural light and the shadows being much darker. Despite having joined more recently than most of the Shadow Operatives, Marcus knew this could mean only one thing: the warehouse had been placed within the Dark Hour.
The Dark Hour was among the results of experiments performed by Kouetsu Kirijo and Shuji Ikutsuki many years ago, and was one of the worst creations from that era. It was a separate portion of space and time, which most people aren't aware of and technology usually doesn't function. It's a reality where Shadows, creatures born from the dark side of human hearts, could roam freely and prey upon Persona users, the only people who were conscious during that period of time. After the incident of Tartarus, all technology and people connected to it were either accounted for or dead. Or so was believed, until Mitsuru and now Marcus had seen the video recording from that night.
While the cameras had remained functional, the alarms and scanners had been shut down, which was strange considering all the technology was designed to continue operating within phenomena such as the Dark Hour. Once the camera showed the warehouse bathed in the glow of the Dark Hour, with the time stamp frozen at 12 midnight, a figure had walked towards the front door. Due to the change of view, the camera was not able to pick up any details about the person, aside from the fact that it appeared to be human in shape. The figure was obscured in darkness, and after pausing for a moment at the door, turned and walked around the side of the building, vanishing into the shadows that stretched there. For a few minutes, nothing changed, and then the person reappeared, carrying a bundle in its hands that could only be the stolen documents. After looking around the front of the warehouse, the figure turned its shadowy head to the camera, as though realizing for the first time it might be recording. After a moment's pause, the person walked down the street and vanished into the darkness. As soon as the figure disappeared, the Dark Hour faded away, returning to the regular view of the warehouse earlier that evening.
Okay, besides the Dark Hour, which is disturbing by itself, there are too many questions. There are no other doors into that facility, and none of the windows were broken into. How did this person get inside? Also, how did they disable the alarms? None of the technology should have shut down completely like that. Since the cameras were still operational, it was obviously sabotaged so this person could get in and out easily, and they didn't care if they were spotted on film. But why go through all that trouble for documents on events that happened years ago? And something about that person seems familiar…
Now Marcus understood why Mitsuru was so troubled... if this person could create and influence the Dark Hour, then the potential threat they represented was greater than perhaps any other adversary the Shadow Operatives had ever faced. Last time, everyone had been at the mercy of the Dark Hour; now that someone was able to control it, things were going to be far more unpredictable and dangerous. Once this person was tracked down, which was going to be difficult to say the least, only Persona users would be able to confront them within the Dark Hour. Since this person was after files regarding the Kirijo Group and Tartarus, perhaps they had some connection to the events from that time. The investigation would have to start tomorrow; there wasn't enough time left in the day to start now. Marcus closed down the video tab, and shut off his computer.
I need something to eat. Can't help anyone on an empty stomach, Marcus thought, standing up and turning to the kitchen. Despite trying to put some space from what he had just seen Marcus couldn't get rid of the sense of foreboding that lingered in the back of his mind. This is like chasing after a ghost. I feel like there's no control over what's going to happen. Like in Macbeth: something wicked this way comes…
"Welcome. We've been expecting you."
Marcus blinked, looking around in mild curiosity. One moment, he had been dozing in his chair after finishing his dinner, the next instant he found himself in a room he had never seen before. It appeared to be a reception room, a very comfortable one, and everything from the walls, the carpet, even the furniture was a deep shade of violet blue. Marcus was sitting in a cushioned high-back chair, and across from him on a long sofa was an older man, wearing a two piece suit and white gloves. Sitting next to him on a smaller sofa was a young woman, wearing a blue dress with her blond hair tied back in a ponytail. They were both gazing at him with keen interest, as though he were a guest of honor.
"I'm sorry, but where am I?" Marcus asked the balding man who had greeted him a moment ago.
"Ah yes, this is your first time, isn't it?" the man chuckled, blinking his bulging eyes and his smile widening. "My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter."
At his words, a memory flashed through Marcus' mind; it was one of the contracts he had signed earlier today, the one that had seemed different from the others:
Time never waits. It delivers all equally to the same end.
I hereby agree to the statement above, and I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.
"May I ask what the purpose of this room is?" Marcus inquired, fascinated with the place he now found himself in.
"Hmm, this one seems quite curious," Igor remarked, inclining his elongated nose at Marcus. "We residents of the Velvet Room are here to assist those guests who have agreed to the terms of the contract. A great destiny awaits you, and it is our duty to ensure that your destiny is fulfilled without any…disturbance."
"I see. It seems like a promising agreement," Marcus said, glancing at the woman sitting across from him. "Who might this lovely person be?"
"Oh, I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you," Igor remarked smoothly, turning to the woman beside him. "Her name is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."
"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Margaret, and I will be accompanying you through your journey," the young woman greeted warmly, nodding at Marcus.
"Please, the pleasure is all mine," Marcus replied gently, giving her a shy smile. "You appear to be similar to someone I encountered recently."
"So you have met her already?" Margaret's golden eyes gleamed as she gave a small smile. "I can see the allure that would draw her in. Unfortunately, that is a conversation that must wait."
"Our meeting must come to an end," Igor declared, nodding at Marcus. "We shall meet again soon, and cover the details of your journey then. For now, farewell."
At that last statement, the Velvet Room began to fade, and Marcus fell into the depths of sleep.
