"Okay, so that's your incendiaries.." The spy snuffed out his cigarette before opening the box.
Small brass cartridges tumbled out.
Boxes of forty five caliber ammunition were laid out, each were of a different type for a variety of scenarios and enemies.
"Oh, and if you've got the time, pass these on to the ex-jock." Kaplan presented another box.
"Dragon's breath rounds, turns a shotgun into a flamethrower." He explained. "Use with care, it burns at about four thousand degrees."
"Four thousand degrees!?". Ren asked incredulously. ".. That's almost as hot as the surface of the sun!".
"...Wait, sorry, that's fahrenheit." The spy realized. "Correction. Two thousand degrees."
"...Okay, that makes more sense." Ren spoke, relieved.
"...And then we have hollow points." The spy moved on. "Not as interesting as the last one, but this will do wonders against unarmored targets."
"... I've heard they're banned in the military," Ren added.
".. You're correct, back in eighteen ninety nine, because it would cause 'unnecessary suffering'. It doesn't really matter though, soldiers wear body armor, so it would be of limited usefulness anyways." The spy commented. "But the police are free to use em', mainly for scenarios where you don't want your shots going through the target and hitting someone accidentally."
"If you can hit a target that's unarmored, or is taking a hostage, this is the bullet you want." The spy finished.
"Are we done here?". Ren inquired.
"You got everything?" Kaplan asked back..
"Okay, you've got the ammo.." Ren began listing things off. "Medical supplies, check… I think that's all…"
"We're good then." The spy slipped the ammo boxes into Ren's bag. "Now run along now, I know you're meeting your pals."
"...Hey! Oww! Careful where you put those!". A voice emanated from Ren's bag.
"Ohh, I'm sowwy." Kaplan reached in and patted Morgana. "How's little meow-meow enjoying his paycheck?".
"... I'm spending it wisely, thank you very much." The feline replied.
"...Really? I saw you looking at 'that' advertisement in the magazine with Ryuji." Ren snarked.
"...Oh, come on now, don't pretend you weren't interested in it too!". Morgana objected. "You were staring at it for a good minute before you alerted us you were there!".
"I just found a cat and a boy reading about a maid service amusing." Ren admitted.
"...Boys, boys, save it for the cafe." The spy interrupted. "Unfortunately, I can't give you a lift back today, I got other business to attend to."
"... It's fine," Ren replied. "I'll just take the subway."
".. I'll close up shop here, you go on." The spy began tidying up. "See you around."
And with that, Ren left the garage for the streets of Tokyo, and entered the cold.
However, there was something he couldn't quite shake from his mind.
"Ah, welcome back.". Ren greeted warmly from behind the counter, operating the coffee machine.
Ren had recently been given basic instructions on how to brew coffee by Kaplan, so the cafe could still run and not be suspicious in the event the latter was unavailable.
The doors of the cafe swung open, with Ryuji and Ann walking in, with the bell releasing a chime.
"Hmh, nice set up you've got here." Ryuji remarked.
"Ooh, you run this place now? Is 'dad' training you to take over?" Ann asked enthusiastically.
"Thanks," Ren replied to Ryuji. "And well, I gotta start somewhere." Ren told Ann. "So why not close to home? Well, it is home, but semantics aside…"
Ren undid the apron. "Let's get down to business shall we?"
"We shall." Morgana leapt onto the table. "Joker and I got a lot of things done."
The group sat down as Ren emerged from the kitchen with hot drinks.
"So, we've managed to secure weapons and medical supplies." Ren prefaced. "You want the fun stuff first, or important stuff first?".
"Fun stuff!". Ryuji and Ann readily agreed, with such excitement their voices seemed to merge into one.
Ren put his arm on the table. Ever the showman, the trickster began his first performance of the day.
"And for my first trick.." Ren pulled on his sleeve.
"Dragon's breath rounds…". He presented the ammo box which slid out. "Make no mistake, this name isn't for nothing."
"...Oh! I've seen these!". Ryuji picked the box up. "In video games though. They sell these for model guns?".
In that instance, Morgana rapidly shot Ren a look.
" THESE ARE ACTUAL SHOTGUN ROUNDS! WE SHOULD'VE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH!".
"...Uhh yeah," Ren scratched the back of his head. A bead of sweat dribbled down the back of his neck. "I have a friend of a friend who has some of these, he lives in the U.S!"
"...They sell these over there?". Ryuji began to look skeptical.
"...Well, they do sell actual guns in department stores over there." Ann voiced her thoughts.
"...Okay then." Ryuji accepted.
Morgana quietly sighed in relief as Ryuji's suspicion abated.
"And on that note, I got hollow points as well." Ren tossed out some more boxes. "And incendiary bullets for pistols, if we fight another guy that's weak to fire…."
The teen continued to lay out a variety of new tools that the Phantom Thieves now had at their disposal.
"Is this gonna be enough?". Ann asked. "I feel we did alright last time, given what happened."
"...This should be enough, but we do have a few days before we strike." Morgana began. "But other than equipment, we have something else we need to do before we steal Kamoshida's treasure."
"... What would that be, then?". Ryuji asked.
"Now, remember how we found that Kamoshida's treasure was with himself?". Morgana explained. "If we managed to steal that last time, it would still have no effect on the real world."
"In order to change Kamoshida's heart, we need the real, actual him, to be aware that their desires are in fact the treasure."
"And once they're conscious about that, we're clear to steal the treasure and run."
"How do we do that?". Ann asked. "And no, you're not charging into his office." Ann turned to Ryuji.
"We send him a message, give him our regards and tell him we're coming." Morgana finished.
"...Wait, we're sending him a calling card!?". Ryuji was ecstatic. "That's awesome! That's totally what a phantom thief would do."
"...Is that all?". Ann asked. "Just the card?".
"Yup." Morgana confirmed. "But, preferably, we need it to not have any evidence which can be traced to us, and send it undetected."
"...If that's the case….". Ren scratched the chin. "Hey Mona, I think I know a guy that can help us."
".. If we're gonna send a real, strong, message…. ." The spy puffed a cigarette as he started. "Nothing gets the point across like a little blackmail…."
"Right, right back to the blackmail.." Ren recalled. "...I remember the printer thing. What's our plan with that?".
"...Now I'm gonna need you with me on this." The spy declared. "We're gonna up the ante."
"...What do you mean by that?'". Ren asked, intrigued.
"...Have you seen an attack ad?". The spy spoke. "Political parties love using those. We're gonna make one tailored for your volleyball teacher."
The spy cleared his throat.
"Here's what I'm suggesting we do. It's gonna require a little finesse, but it should be fine. First, we make fake audio of Kamoshida, preferably something in which he's… doing something unsavoury."
"I need those listening devices planted in his office so we can nail his mannerisms and personality."
"... He's an ex-olympian, he must have been filmed. Couldn't you get audio from that?". Ren questioned.
"I thought of that, but there's some problems." The spy responded. "First, any of his Olympic stuff is over twenty years ago, his voice wouldn't quite match."
"Next, we all know how he acts in public.."
"Tell me about it." Ren deadpanned.
"Using his public 'persona', if you will, wouldn't make for a convincing fake audio recording of him doing misdeeds." The spy completed this tangent. "So that's why we need actual audio. If you can't get someone physically in to plant a listening device, you can always ask the cat, I guess."
"...What about editing the audio and making it sound like what we need?". Ren followed.
"Don't worry about that, I know someone who'll help us get the audio to sound like what we need," The spy assured.
"Okay, then what about the masks?". Ren spoke.
"To top it all off, we're gonna need some visuals to go with the audio." Kaplan spoke. "Now, this might be a tad controversial, but, hear me out."
"I want you to wear the Kamoshida mask, and act like you're harassing someone."
"...Run that by me again?". Ren asked.
"I want you to wear the Kamoshida mask, and act like you're doing something awful." The spy puffed. "I'll set up a small filming area in the safe house, dress it up to look like Kamoshida's office."
"Now, I've talked with Kasumi, and she's fine with volunteering to be a fake 'victim' of Kamoshida. I'll be filming you with the mask doing 'something unsavory' with Kasumi. Don't worry, her face will be blurred in the final cut, and you have the mask."
"...Okay…. Wow…." Ren sighed. "...I see what you mean by 'up the ante now'."
"Isn't this a little overkill?". Ren objected.
"...I feel if we do this kind of scenario, it would be the most effective." The spy outlined his opinions. "I mean, people in Japan kinda turn a blind eye to some physical abuse. No one's gonna care if a kid with a criminal record gets roughed up by a renowned teacher."
"But, I pretty sure even the most corrupt can't really turn a blind eye to sexual abuse.."
"... You're not wrong there, I guess." Ren supposed. "How do we send it to him then? If it's a video?"
"...Oh, simple, we'll just make like a QR code or something, and plaster a bunch of them over the school." The spy explained. "I'll also have the guy processing the audio work her magic. She's got a real penchant with computers."
"...Hmm, I guess that's about all we need to discuss." Ren said. "I'm assuming you can clean the card of any evidence?"
"... Child's play. I am a spy after all." The spy dismissed. The spy then scratched his chin. "Call it sentimental, but I do want to send a little something of my own with the card, considering I am helping with this operation."
The spy reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a playing card.
It was an Ace of Spades, except a large skull and crossbones adorned the center of the spade.
"...Scary.." Ren remarked. "Where did you get this?"
"... Got it from an old friend." The spy explained. "We don't usually have calling cards in this line of work, but the closest thing has to be death cards."
The spy smiled as he took the cigarette out of his mouth.
"As my friend told me, it lets Charlie know who did this."
"... Christ! It's a goddamn inferno down there!" The radio sparked to life. " Let's go in for a closer look!".
With a yank of the stick, the Skyraider banked right and began to descend.
BANG
BANG
Yellow tracers flew past the aircraft at supersonic speed.
" ..Looks like we've been spotted, boys!"
The hail of gunfire did not phase the pilots as the four bomb laden aircraft dove in.
Spotting a troop concentration, the pilot pulled the stick and peeled off from the rest of the flight, unleashing cannon and rocket fire from his aircraft.
Explosions blossomed below, they were oddly beautiful, despite their lethality. From above, the people scattered like ants from the danger.
The pilot rocked back into his seat, pulling the stick back with him, causing the Skyraider to point back up.
Clawing for altitude, the two thousand seven hundred horsepower engine of the Skyraider howled as it pulled out of the attack run.
"... What's the ETA for the Hueys?". He radioed.
" Give or take ten minutes. We've got our work cut out for us."
He sighed from this news, pulling his aircraft up and looping around for another strike.
The ground fire was quite intense, but nothing too unmanageable. Small caliber bullets impacted the Skyraider's heavy steel plating, making a nose not unlike rain falling on a roof.
He then squinted, sighting his next target. A tank. Positioning in, the plane rocked in for an attack run.
RATATATATAT
Bullets spat from the tank's roof mounted machine gun.
WHAM!
The windshield glass cracked but did not shatter. Cracks ran up and down the bullet proof glass, forming a snowflake-esque pattern,visibility was now next to none.
The plane shuddered as more hits registered.
But It was too late to abort.
The pilot pressed home his attack, waiting until he was dead sure that there was no possibility of missing, before slamming the bomb release button.
With a CLUNK, the Skyraider was now two thousand pounds lighter.
As the pilot yanked the stick back, he began counting down how long until the bomb would impact.
"1.."
"2.."
"3.."
BOOM!
Awaking with a groan, Kaplan rubbed his eyes, finding himself in his Nissan.
The spy reached down, grabbing a hip flask, opening it and taking a swig of water.
As he drank, he mentally reviewed the rapid pace of developments that had been going on outside of Japan, as well as points of interest and attention beyond helping form and run the Phantom Thieves.
Specifically, the news that almost a hundred thousand Russian troops had been deployed.
It was early in the morning, just at the crack of dawn. The spy started the engine, and hit the gas. His destination for today would be the Chinese Embassy.
As he navigated the streets, and approached the Embassy Compound, Kaplan produced his fake documents. Despite his allegiances, Kaplan was ethnically Japanese, and from a glance, there was no reason to suspect him to be anything else.
"Papers please." The Embassy guard spoke in slightly accented Japanese.
"Here." The spy passed over a faked passport and other identification and authorization documents. He then flicked up his sunglasses.
"Enter." The guard told the spy, before turning to the security booth and nodding.
The gate swung open, and the spy had breached the checkpoint.
After parking his vehicle, Kaplan entered the building, and met with the receptionist at the counter.
Kaplan didn't recognize the receptionist, she must have been a new hire.
"Hello, I'm Hisao Watanabe of REVOCS Corp." He greeted. "I have a meeting with Ming Yu."
"Welcome, Mister Watanabe." She greeted the spy. "Mister Yu has been expecting you. His office is just upstairs"
"Thank you." The spy responded before proceeding.
After a short jaunt, and scaling some stairs, the spy knocked on his contact's door.
"Come in." A voice told him.
"W-welcome, Hisao." Yu greeted, the slightest hint of nervousness filled his voice. He sighed.
"Can I get you a drink?" He offered. "Tea?"
"Jasmine, please." The spy chose. "We have much to discuss."
Ostensibly, Kaplan was Hisao Watanabe, a spokesman for REVOCS corporation, seeking to set up operations in China, but as always, he had an ulterior motive.
"Is this room clean?" The spy's eyes darted around.
"...Y-yes, to my knowledge." The official responded. "I called to tone down some of the security."
"Good, but just in case.." The spy reached for his sunglasses and clicked a near microscopic button on the frame.
He scanned around, the lens confirmed the official's claim.
"Let's cut to the chase." The spy declared as he sat. "What have you got?"
The official returned with the drinks, pulling out his chair and sitting at his desk. "I've obtained some correspondence between Beijing and Moscow…" He began. "Something about the upcoming Olympics…"
The spy froze at this mention as he processed this information.
"Go on," The spy snapped back to attention, taking a sip of the tea.
"...And, some trade deals as well." The official capped off. "Resources, technology transfers, and military hardware."
The spy concealed his smirk as he accepted the documents. "Now, this is what we have for you.."
Kaplan opened his briefcase and produced documents. "Bank account details, this is your payment, and positions of all American Carrier Battle Groups in the Pacific."
While it might seem incredibly traitorous to hand over completely genuine records of the locations of your country's naval assets, there was one caveat that Kaplan didn't mention about them, that prevented Kaplan from being a double agent.
The fact that all the locations were outdated by several months, outdated enough to not be useful.
The official accepted the items. "Is there any more we need to discuss?"
"Yes." The spy replied. "One of our other agents was blown, likely assassinated."
"O-oh." The official's eyes widened. "Are you talking about-"
"Yes, his death was plastered on the news." The spy took another sip of tea. "We need to be more vigilant."
"Are you sure no one suspects you?". Kaplan asked.
"No," The official answered. "No one suspects me, and I don't think my higher ups would be happy if the Russians started spying on their ally's embassy."
"Okay, good." The spy nodded. "What about that receptionist? I didn't see her here last time."
"...Ah, Lee, she's just been transferred here." The official explained. "I don't think we have anything to worry about…."
"We should still be careful, I don't like new people suddenly showing up here." The spy spoke. "I wouldn't be so sure she's not someone from Chinese Intelligence."
"I understand." The official wiped some sweat off his head.
"Excellent, just, remember what happened to the other guy." The spy reminded. "Anyways, thanks for your work."
And so, the spy packed up and left, out into the cold.
As Ren Amamiya walked into the metro station, a there was one thought that lingered in his mind,
What did it mean, to "Go into the cold?"
" How do I put it? Well, In our little context here, it's the reality of people like me, and well, you soon enough."
That was what the spy told him, and well, Ren had a good idea of what it meant. He knew the feeling a little too well, despite only having been a spy for a week. Allies were scant, especially before Ryuji, Ann and Morgana. Those you thought you could trust, teachers, police, adults, and parents, all had turned their backs.
However, the more.. Unsavoury characters, the ones you would be cautious and wary of, had, in contrast, aided Ren the most. Be it an ex athlete with a criminal record, a phantom thief, or an agent of one of those three-letter agencies.
He sighed, his breath forming a slight mist in the cold air.
Soon enough, the subway pulled up, as per usual, and he stepped in. It was hot and cramped, as to be expected, the density of people choked the air.
A small amount of luck revealed itself to Ren, in the form of an empty seat as an opening in the crowd formed. Looking around, Ren saw no one else in need to his surprise, and took it as his cue to slip in.
"Excuse me, thanks, hi." Ren spoke as he shuffled through the crowd, before sitting.
"Hi senpai!" A voice greeted.
"Oh! Hi Kasumi." Ren replied. "Wait. Hmh!?". Ren did a double take. "Kasumi?"
"It's good to see you again." The redhead smiled warmly. "I know what you need to do. He told me." She shifted to a more serious tone.
"Well, I appreciate it." Ren answered. Kasumi's tone eased Ren's earlier thoughts about 'Going into the cold.'
"I highly doubt Kamoshida will let me within an inch of his office," Ren told her. "The man's been looking at me funny, he doesn't have anything concrete, but he's suspicious."
Ren began to list off why everyone else was relatively unsuited. "Ann refuses to go near him, Ryuji would probably start a fight or something. That just leaves you and Morgana, but I don't think Morgana can carry more than one, and he doesn't have opposable thumbs."
"Wait, the cat is here?" Kasumi asked, intrigued.
"He is." Ren flipped open his school bag.
"Heh!?". A voice came from within. Two ears popped out.
"Agh!" The feline yawned. "What's going on, I wanna go back to sleep."
"Aww, kitty." Kasumi's eyes sparkled. "Can I pet him?"
"Be my guest." Ren offered.
Kasumi reached down and began petting the feline.
"Ahhh…." The cat stretched. "A little to the left…"
Kasumi obliged, to the cat's delight.
"Ohh yeah… this is it…" The cat moaned.
Kasumi chuckled. "He's a funny little guy."
"...Let's not over indulge him too much, though." Ren cautioned.
"Ooh! Kitty!" A young girl suddenly walked over. "Is this your pet mister? I hear it meowing!"
"Uhh… No! It's… a stuffed animal!" Ren quickly responded. "It… meows when you press its head!"
"Wow!" The little girl exclaimed. "I thought adults like you don't have stuffed animals anymore."
"Oh! It's…. A gift for her!" Ren shoved the bag and cat into Kasumi's lap. In reaction, the redhead's face now matched her hair.
"Gah!" The cat now snapped awake.
"That's really nice, mister!" The girl smiled. "I wanna see it meow!"
"Of course!" Ren agreed.
BONK
"EH!? Uhh… Meow!"
"Again! Again!" The girl encouraged.
BONK
"MEOW!"
BONK
"MEOW!"
BONK
"MEOW!"
BONK
"MEOW!"
" I wanna hear it again." The little girl requested.
"Sayori! This is our stop!" A motherly voice called.
"Coming Mama!" The little girl turned to face the voice. "Bye mister!"
"P-please…. Have mercy.." Morgana groaned… "I will never indulge again! S-spare me.."
"...I think we broke him…" Kasumi told Ren.
"No, no, tis' alright." Ren assured. He quickly pulled out a food container from his bag.
"Tuna." He explained, before he wafted the smell towards Morgana.
"Ohoo… Heavenly smell.." The cat now perked up.
"Okay, that's enough." Ren snapped the container shut.
"...N-now we have that done with.." Kasumi cleared her throat. "Let's get back to what we need to do.."
"Clear!" A voice meowed from the vents.
"Are we on the same page?" Ren asked.
"Yes," Kasumi confirmed, "If anyone asks, you're just showing me around the school."
"And you'll act as a distraction when I plant the bugs." Ren replied.
The two strolled around to where Kamoshida's and other Physical Education teacher's offices were.
As they rounded the corner, true to Morgana's word, the coast was clear.
"And now, here comes the danger zone." Ren put on thin latex gloves, 'borrowed' from the science wing.
A tug of the doorknob did not yield results, and so out came the lockpick.
As Ren picked away, Kasumi strolled around, acting lost and uncertain, in case of any unwanted guests, in coordination with Morgana who spied from the vents.
"Cmon' in and out, quick and easy.." Ren muttered under his breath.
Click
The lock on Kamoshida's office wasn't too challenging, it was similar to the ones in his palace. This was only natural, of course. The palace was his cognition, so it would line up with what he was familiar with.
The door swung open, and Ren moved in, pulling out his listening devices.
The devices also had some sort of light magnetic effect, meaning they would adhere to steel surfaces. This feature was exploited by Ren, who stuffed them under chairs, desks, in corners, and on doors.
"He's in." Morgana reported.
"Okay! Thanks!" Kasumi whispered in response.
And then Morgana's ears perked up.
"Someone's coming."
" Shit." Kasumi thought. She rapidly reached into her pocket and pulled out a map of the school.
"Hmmh.." Kasumi began making confused noises, and acting as if she was concentrated thought.
" ? What are you doing here?". A voice asked.
" Goddamnit." Kasumi thought as she looked at the source of the voice.
It was the scumbag himself.
"Oh! Hi Mister Kamoshida!" Kasumi greeted. "I was looking for the way to the…. Counselor's office. Can you help?"
"Of course my dear…" The sex offender crooned. "Come with me."
As he walked alongside her, he put his hand on her back, and then slid it a little lower.
" Goddamnit!." Kasumi growled internally. He'd done the same thing when she met Ren in the school last time.
But, revenge would come soon, provided she kept Kamoshida occupied.
"Okay! We're done here!" Ren emerged, locking the door behind him as he stripped off the gloves. "Mona! Where's Kasumi?" He looked around.
"Bad news, Joker!" Morgana looked down. "She's got unwanted company, the royal kind!"
"You're joking!" Ren replied.
"I'm not the joker here!" The cat responded.
Ren had no time to reply as he darted off.
"Yes… This is getting familiar… I can find my way from here.." Kasumi told Kamoshida.
"Oh, what gentleman would I be if I broke off in the middle of escorting a lady?" The pervert challenged.
"..It's alright, sir.." Kasumi began moving away.
"No, I insist." The teacher pressed.
" Shit.. shit.. Shit" The redhead thought.
"Yeah! So, I was wondering about this… Oh! Hi Kasumi." Ren approached with Kawakami by his side.
" Oh migod thank you, thank you."
"Hello, Kamoshida." Kawakami shot Kamoshida an unamused look.
"Hi!" Kamoshida replied. "I was showing Ms. Yoshizawa the way to the counselor's office."
"...Yes, thank you Kamoshida." Kasumi spoke. "But I can find my way from here."
For a split second, Kamoshida frowned at the presence of Kawakami and Ren.
"Very well." He released Kasumi.
Kasumi did a bow, as per usual, but Ren couldn't help notice it was more…. Forced than normally.
The sex offender soon peeled off, leaving the group clear of him.
"...Well…. That was weird…" Kawakami remarked. "Where were you?"
"Oh, yes!" Ren replied. " So I was thinking about.. How to finish the fourth-..."
Kasumi turned back as she walked away, and spotted a wink from Ren.
"Well, looks like the new couple's done it!" The spy exclaimed from his desk. The listening devices were planted and operational.
He began to type an email to a friend, one far more specialized for this type of work.
"Futaba! Time for dinner!". A voice called from below.
"Coming! Give me ten minutes!". She called in response.
Her stomach growled from the lack of food, but she could wait, at least until she finished tweaking the audio files.
Internally, she beamed with glee at her handiwork. It would be indistinguishable from the real thing.
When she finished, she began closing tabs and files before she left her computer.
However, she paused before one tab, it was an email, the one that requested her to work on the audio. It was from an old friend, and promised her pay and a referral if she wanted to seek a career in espionage.
Finally, she couldn't contain it any longer and let a smirk slip out, before closing down and heading for food.
Wow! So, this chapter took some time to write, I had a lot of fun with this one, and taking a longer break helped me refresh ideas. I did a mix between regular Persona 5 stuff and espionage stuff. As I wrote this, I analyzed Ren's character, and how basically he was abandoned and ostracized at the beginning of the game, not unlike how betrayal and 'staying in the cold' is the MO for spies, (think, the spy who came in from the cold) Once again, thanks for the support.
-Joesephi